"What a magnificent view of the crimson clouds!"
Halfway up Guanlan Peak, Luo Qian’er landed steadily on her Flying Crane. Just as she found her footing, she saw the sky light up, the clouds surging like a blazing fire.
She couldn’t help but be captivated by the sight. The rich Spiritual Qi in the air refreshed her Heart Spirit, and she sighed in heartfelt admiration,
"The Inner Peak really is a wonderful place. Even the air is sweeter than in the Outer Sect!"
Just monts before, while riding on the back of the Flying Crane, Luo Qian’er’s mind had been racing with fantasies. All she had to do was find Jiang Yi and say a few sweet words to him.
Senior Brother Jiang, who had already made a na for himself in the Outer Sect, would surely take pity on her. He would take her to Red Fla Peak and look after her well.
As the saying goes, feelings develop over ti.
’If we’re together, just the two of us, Senior Brother Jiang is bound to be moved by my gentle affection.’
’Once we pledge our lives to each other, it wouldn’t be impossible for to enter the Inner Peak with his help and continue my Cultivation.’
’My little brother is dead, and there’s no one left in the clan. I have to hold on tight to Senior Brother Jiang to prevent the Lianxi Luo Clan from falling into decline.’
As these thoughts flashed through Luo Qian’er’s mind, she made up her mind. But before she could take in the scenery of Guanlan Peak, a harsh rebuke ca from nearby.
"You, Mortal Servant from the Outer Sect, get to the Qi Gong Institute and register imdiately! You can’t stay long without registering and receiving a Token!"
Luo Qian’er followed the voice and saw a hale and hearty old Daoist.
Intimidated by his presence, she bowed and asked softly,
"Excuse , Senior, where is the Qi Gong Institute? This junior has just arrived at the Inner Peak and is unfamiliar with the area. I hope you can offer so guidance."
But the old Daoist just waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing away a fly, his tone cold.
"Stop asking so many questions. What do you have legs for? Find it yourself!"
Luo Qian’er wanted to plead further, but the old Daoist shot her a cold glare. Her heart pounded in terror, and she shrank back.
Only then did she realize that her good looks and family background, which had given her an advantage in the Outer Sect, were completely useless in the Inner Peak.
A Mortal Servant with a low Cultivation was like a weed on the roadside, not even worthy of a second glance.
Luo Qian’er drifted about like a lost soul and was t with rejection several more tis. Whenever she saw Inner Peak Disciples, she would muster her courage to approach them, only to be ignored.
They would either walk straight past without a sideways glance or give her a brief look before averting their eyes, not pausing for a mont.
Occasionally, she would run into soone with a bad temper and earn herself a scolding.
"An Outer Sect Mortal Servant who doesn’t even know the way? What are you doing in the Inner Peak! Instead of dutifully doing your chores, you spend all day fantasizing about turning your life around! Utterly ridiculous!"
Luo Qian’er’s face turned pale, then red. Humiliated and embarrassed, she finally found the Qi Gong Institute after much trouble.
She heaved a long sigh of relief, composed herself, and stepped over the threshold, asking in a small, soft voice,
"Excuse , Senior Brother, is this the place for an Outer Sect disciple to register for the Inner Peak?"
The middle-aged Daoist glanced at the cotton robe that marked her as a Mortal Servant, then his eyes swept over Luo Qian’er. Seeing her diocre Cultivation, his tone grew impatient.
"You’re late! It’s already past closing ti. No unauthorized personnel are allowed to linger, except for Inner Peak Disciples or those with a Passage Token. Hurry up and leave!"
Luo Qian’er stood frozen, not daring to argue with the middle-aged Daoist. She silently shuffled out of the Qi Gong Institute.
Just as she stepped down the stairs from the entrance, a clear voice called out from behind her,
"Senior Sister Luo?"
"Junior Sister Ruo Han!"
Seeing a familiar face, Luo Qian’er felt like a drowning person clutching at a straw. Her eyes lit up, and she hurried to greet her.
Li Ruohan looked her up and down, asking curiously,
"Senior Sister, why have you co to the Inner Peak?"
Although Luo Qian’er was also from a Village Clan Direct Lineage, the Lianxi Luo Clan was not well-known and had a weak foundation. They couldn’t afford to support any decent Cultivation Seeds.
In Li Ruohan’s opinion, even Luo Tong, who had previously intended to compete for a supplentary spot in the Inner Peak, was unlikely to amount to much. He simply wasn’t cut out for it.
"I ca especially to find Senior Brother Jiang! I heard he ca to the Inner Peak for a eting today."
Luo Qian’er looked pitiable and her voice was full of hope.
"Junior Sister Ruo Han, could you please speak to the senior brother at the Qi Gong Institute for and get a Token? I want to wait here for Senior Brother Jiang to co out."
Li Ruohan had been wearing a friendly smile, but upon hearing the words "Senior Brother Jiang," a flicker of sothing passed through her eyes.
She paused, then asked,
"Senior Sister, are you looking for Senior Brother Jiang for sothing important?"
Luo Qian’er was at her wit’s end and poured out the whole story to Li Ruohan, explaining everything that had led to this mont.
"...Zhou Can agreed to let leave Sewing Peak. Senior Brother Jiang helped so much before, and I’ve always felt indebted to him. Now that I’m finally free, I wanted to co and repay him.
Even if it’s just by doing chores like washing clothes or cooking."
Li Ruohan’s brow furrowed slightly. ’As if those kinds of things would be your place to do!’
The distant look she had been hiding resurfaced, and she said in a solemn, heartfelt tone,
"Senior Sister Luo, perhaps it’s not my place to say this, but since we’re both from the sa peak and have known each other for a while, I feel I have to be blunt with you."
Luo Qian’er’s heart skipped a beat. The friendly Li Ruohan from just a mont ago suddenly seed distant and unfamiliar.
"Senior Brother Jiang’s rit deepens by the day, and his Cultivation has greatly improved. He already has one foot in the Inner Peak. Even Senior Brother Xu Yan and Senior Brother Han Li hold him in high regard."
Li Ruohan’s voice was cool and clear, each word distinct.
"Senior Sister Luo, why don’t you think about it? How many Spirit Fields, how much in Spiritual Resources, does your family have to support Senior Brother Jiang’s future Cultivation?
After the Qi Cultivation Fifth Layer, the amount of Spiritual Qi and Spiritual Energy a Cultivator consus and refines is imnse. It’s far beyond what an ordinary family can support."
Luo Qian’er’s eyes were blank, as if she didn’t understand what Li Ruohan was saying.
But Li Ruohan maintained the pretense of analyzing the situation for her benefit.
"You have to look at the big picture. A person like Senior Brother Jiang will only be matched with the daughters of great clans or the noble ladies of famous sects in the future.
Your past affection is like the clouds in the sky, gathering and dispersing with ti. Senior Sister Luo, why bother clinging to it?"
’Is she talking about ?’
’That I’m not good enough for Jiang Yi?!’
Luo Qian’er felt as if she’d been struck by lightning. Her mind buzzed, and she stood frozen in place like a wooden post.
"Junior Sister, Senior Brother Jiang and I have known each other for a long ti. Back then, he..."
Before she could finish her desperate explanation, Li Ruohan cut her off bluntly,
"Past affections should be left in the past.
Senior Sister Luo, let be even more direct: Senior Brother Jiang only needs to wait until spring to be officially added to the ranks of the Inner Peak.
And you? Even if you leave Sewing Peak, do you think you can just step into Guanlan Peak? Stop your wishful thinking."
Li Ruohan’s words were like daggers, each one piercing her heart.
"How can a weed in the field dare to dream of being protected by a Jiao from the mountain forests and great marshes? I advise you, Senior Sister, to understand the gap between you, lest you cause embarrassnt for both of you in the future."
With that, Li Ruohan said no more and turned to leave.
Leaving Luo Qian’er alone in the cold wind, her thoughts in turmoil.
...
...
Inside Heshui Cave, Han Li drained the last of the Cyan Ganoderma Dew from his flask and laughed heartily.
"Today’s gathering, seeing Junior Brother Jiang in such fine form, has been truly enjoyable!"
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, he took out a thread-bound booklet and handed it to Jiang Yi.
As a disciple of the Huangfeng Han Clan, winning people over and establishing his prestige was his specialty. His actions now were natural and open.
"This is the Cloud Soaring and Fla Riding Skill, redeed for three hundred minor rits. Take it, Junior Brother."
Han Li said cheerfully,
"I’ll take care of things with the Skill Transmission Institute, so you don’t need to worry about it."
Envious gazes focused on Jiang Yi. For Inner Peak Disciples, an expenditure of three hundred minor rits was like cutting off a piece of their own flesh.
Especially since redeeming a Technique from the Skill Transmission Institute ca with many strict conditions; it wasn’t sothing one could do at will.
Only a top figure like Han Li could make it look so effortless.
Jiang Yi stood up, accepted the booklet, and cupped his hands in thanks.
"Thank you for your generous gift, Senior Brother Han."
In addition to the Cyan Ganoderma Dew, Han Li had also drunk a fair amount of strong wine, and his eyes showed a hint of intoxication.
"No need to be so polite, Junior Brother! We are both Cultivation Seeds with the potential to reach the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer and take charge of an institute! Haha, the Great Dao is long. I hope that many years from now, we can both reach the summit!"
Jiang Yi tucked the booklet into his robes and raised his cup in a toast.
"I wish Senior Brother an early Perfection of your rit, and that you may ascend to an even higher floor."
"I like the sound of that! Haha!"
Han Li was delighted to hear this. He had always believed that among the sect’s Inner Peak Disciples, aside from Xu Yan and Zhou Fu, no one could compare to him.
Among the Inner Sect Dharma Lineages in Beimang Ridge, while the Qianji Sect was not as powerful as the Yin Puppet Sect or as wealthy as the Joyful Union Sect, its Resources were abundant enough to nurture Dao Materials.
As long as he secured his footing, he was bound to achieve great things in the future!
Han Li set down his cup, and the banquet ca to an end. He and Jiang Yi walked side-by-side at the very front. Just as they stepped out of Heshui Cave, they suddenly saw furious waves of clouds, hundreds of feet high, surging in the sky!
A fine drizzle began to fall inexplicably from the heights of the Qingming, and in an instant, it enveloped all the inner and outer peaks of the Qianji Sect.
The coolness on his face instantly sobered Han Li up. He murmured in a low voice,
"Kui Water... rain and dew in the sky, clear springs on the earth! The Sect Leader is back!"
’So this is the work of Sect Leader Liu, the one who went out in search of Great dicine and Spiritual Energy?’
’A Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer expert can summon wind and rain and change the weather just by traveling?’
’What a profound ability!’
...
...
「Atop Observing Fate Peak.」
In the manor, Sui Liushu stood by the edge of a fishpond. The continuous, thread-like rain stirred circles of ripples on the water’s surface.
He looked up at the sky and saw dense clouds churning, clear and turbid energies intermingling. It was clearly a gathering of Qi chanism that was disturbing the heavens and earth for dozens of miles around.
"Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer?"
Sui Liushu’s brow furrowed slightly, and he imdiately sighed.
"So the Sect Leader reached the summit after all. His cultivation has reached the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer!"
...
...
"This is not the might of the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer, Junior Brother Jiang."
Han Li stopped at the entrance of Heshui Cave, gazing at the strange phenonon in the sky, his tone grave.
"For one’s Qi chanism to have Sympathy with heaven and earth, to change the weather with a single thought—these are the thods of a High Cultivator who has reached the summit of the Twelfth Layer Floors!"
A trace of astonishnt appeared on Jiang Yi’s face. The Sect Leader had been away for many years, and he had returned at the Qi Cultivation Twelfth Layer?
"The Qianji Sect’s standing as an Inner Sect Dharma Lineage should be even more stable from now on."
As the crowd whispered and discussed amongst themselves,
A deafening clap of thunder suddenly echoed across the sky, like a solid iron ball rolling over the peaks, making everyone’s eardrums tremble.
"Release the Outer Sect restrictions!"
A mont later, the glow over the four peaks—Red Fla, Gathering Herbs, Soul Nurturing, and Sewing Clothes—dimd slightly, and the restrictions were lifted as commanded.
Imdiately after, a colossal, sky-supporting hand erged from the vast sea of clouds. It reached straight for Sewing Peak and forcibly uprooted the entire mountain, lifting it into the air!
Feeling this earth-shattering commotion, astonishnt flashed in Jiang Yi’s eyes.
’Could it be that the Sect Leader wants to copy , using this to display his strength?’
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