First Immortal of the Sword

Chapter 2775 – Parting on Bad Terms

“Li Muchen, you performed quite well. It seems to me that you’re sure to get a spot in the next Test of the Ancestral Hall,” Elder Yun Husheng rose and said with a smile.

Many of the onlookers’ expressions shifted.

Su Yi smiled. “You exaggerate, Elder. I only just arrived in the sect; I cannot bear such high praise.”

Yun Husheng burst into hearty laughter. “The Blueleaf Sword Sect has never concerned itself with society. What matters is the sharpness of your edge. Your potential is enormous, and your talent is extraordinary. The past two months have proven your strength. You needn’t be overly modest!”

Su Yi didn’t say anything. Sure, it might have seemed like Elder Yun Husheng was lavishing praise on him, but Su Yi knew that the smiling old man was behind most of the recent attempts to provoke and suppress him.

For instance, Shi Qingfeng had come looking for him in private last night. He specifically mentioned that he was challenging Li Muchen at Elder Yun Husheng’s request.

If he won, he’d earn an opportunity to compete in the Test of the Ancestral Hall!

Shi Qingfeng wouldn’t have looked for trouble with him otherwise.

It was thanks to Shi Qingfeng’s open admission that Su Yi recognized Yun Husheng’s true nature.

But Su Yi couldn’t be bothered to pursue the matter.

After all, he was just a newcomer to the sect, and he was trying to keep a low profile. He didn’t want to reveal his identity, so he had to pretend not to realize anything.

Before long, Su Yi turned to leave. He’d decided to take a trip to the scripture repository.

Over the past two months, when he wasn’t cultivating, he was reading. He’d never participated in any of the sect’s affairs, and he went everywhere alone.

“Brother Li.” A man in brocade robes dashed over and smiled. “Incredible! I said it, didn’t I? You’ve got a real shot at becoming a legacy disciple of the Ancestral Hall!”

This was Luo Xiao, a fellow inner sect disciple.

The day Su Yi joined the sect, Luo Xiao came over to greet him. Moreover, their caves were nearby, making them effectively neighbors.

Su Yi shook his head. “I only just joined the sect. I’m far from qualified for a spot in the Ancestral Hall.”

He didn’t have a bad impression of Luo Xiao, but they weren’t close. This was because the identity Lu Hongpao had arranged for him, Li Muchen, was a cold, aloof loner.

“That’s not necessarily the case!” said Luo Xiao. “Everyone in the inner sect knows you’re an unstoppable dark horse! The higher-ups have long since noticed, too. Elder Yun Husheng said it, didn’t he? There’s sure to be a spot for you in the Ancestral Hall’s next entrance test!”

His eyes filled with envy.

Participants in the Ancestral Hall Competition competed to become legacy disciples. Only those who passed this test could become Heavenly Monarch’s legacy disciples.

This was something inner sect disciples longed for even in their dreams.

Over thirteen thousand years had passed since Luo Xiao had first joined the sect. It had been almost eight thousand years since he’d stepped into Eternity.

But his cultivation was still limited to the Unfettered Realm, and he dared not even dream of one day becoming a legacy disciple.

Li Muchen had a real shot at it despite having barely joined the sect. How could Luo Xiao not be jealous?

Seeking the Dao was difficult, especially after becoming an Eternal. Every step forward was incomparably arduous.

In a Heavenly Monarch-level faction like the Blueleaf Sword Sect, the internal competition was incomparably fierce and brutal.

But those who managed to distinguish themselves received more cultivation resources as well as greater authority.

Legacy disciples of the Ancestral Hall were on a completely different level, no matter which Heavenly Monarch became their master. Their treatment was starkly different, too.

When Luo Xiao noticed Li Muchen’s cold, aloof attitude, he considerately cut the conversation short.

Su Yi, meanwhile, headed to the scripture repository.

The scripture repository consisted of twelve towers. Su Yi only had access to the books of the first nine; only the sect’s higher-ups and legacy disciples could access the final three.

As a newcomer, Su Yi naturally accepted this. Besides, he wasn’t reading to acquire legacies of the Grand Dao; he just wanted a deeper understanding of the Eternal Heavens Domain’s affairs.

For example, he wanted to learn the divisions, customs, state of the Grand Dao, balance of power, and history of the thirty-three continents.

Su Yi spent the day in the scripture repository. When it got dark, he returned to his cave and sat down to meditate.

Tomorrow, he planned to visit the Palace of Treasures to purchase cultivation resources. While he was at it, he’d exchange his accumulated merit for a better cultivation ground.

Unlike the Blue Peak Continent, the Literati Continent’s cultivation world was flourishing. It was home to numerous Heavenly Monarch factions.

It was still lacking compared to the Five Great Continents, but it was closer to the top than the bottom.

Heavenly Monarch factions were as numerous as the trees in a forest. From this alone, it was clear that it was far from comparable to a backwater like the Blue Peak Continent.

The Blueleaf Sword Sect was one of the continent’s top thirteen Heavenly Monarch factions. Its ancestral grounds were naturally a first-rate, blessed land for cultivation by the standards of the province as a whole.

The spiritual energy on Snowy Pine Peak was only enough to satisfy the cultivation of Unfettered, Divine Wandering, and Silent Realm cultivators.

Su Yi’s cave was a lower third-tier and ordinary, but even so, it was shocking. Cultivating here for a day was better than cultivating for ten days in the outside world!

Su Yi couldn’t help but be eager to see how good the middle and upper third-tier caves would be.

The following morning, Su Yi received his month’s supply of cultivation resources from the Palace of Treasures, then used his accumulated merit to buy the seeds of numerous medicinal herbs.

The elder, a short, fat old man, couldn’t help but be curious. “Young fellow, given your foundations and potential, you’d be better off spending your time cultivating. Why buy all those seeds?”

Su Yi smiled. “When I’m not cultivating, I like to tend to my garden. All I’m after is leisure and a calm heart.”

The little old man didn’t ask any further questions. Every sword cultivator on the mountain had their quirks, so a sword cultivator who liked to garden wasn’t all that unusual.

The really strange sword cultivators did things like sharpen their swords with vengeful spirits, or host multi-day orgies in their chambers with throngs of beauties.

Some were even more perverse than that. There was one who liked lying in coffins, pressed right up against the corpses, all for the sake of gleaning insight into the meaning of death.

Su Yi left the Palace of Treasures with a new supply of cultivation resources, a bag of seeds, and a medallion that granted residence to a mid third-tier cave.

After returning to Snowy Pine Peak and moving into his new residence, he planted the seeds in the chaos ground in the Toad Palace Pearl.

Then, he opened the newest issue of the Cultivators’ Report.

The Cultivators’ Report was a publication of news and information relevant to cultivators. A dedicated network of scouts and spies gathered information, then published a new issue once every ten days.

By reading the Cultivators’ Report, one could gain broad but shallow knowledge of what went on in the Eternal Heavens Domain.

Since joining the sect, there was nothing Su Yi looked forward to more than receiving the next issue.

The newest issue included an article about an incident that shook the entire Eternal Heavens Domain—Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan, the founder of the Taiwu Sect, had acquired the sword Great Sorrow!

Great Sorrow’s origins were now the topic of widespread discussion.

Su Yi read the article seriously, but afterward, he felt much more relaxed.

The article mentioned him, but not by name. It just said that an Unfettered Realm sword cultivator got ridiculously lucky and somehow managed to convince Great Sorrow to accept him as its master, only for Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan to kill him and claim it.

The article said nothing about Lu Hongpao’s involvement whatsoever.

There was no doubt about it. Heavenly Sovereign Ku Xuan was taking the fall!

Lu Hongpao had used various methods to suppress the truth of the matter.

Su Yi then went on to read the rest of the report with relish before beginning his cultivation.

Every day was rich and productive.

When he had spare time, he’d lie in his wicker chair and stare into space, thinking of his old friends and drinking old wine.

As for the Blueleaf Sword Sect’s daily affairs? Su Yi didn’t care, and he paid them no heed.

Three months passed in a flash, but Su Yi’s cultivation barely advanced.

Even with an abundance of cultivation resources, bitter cultivation alone wasn’t enough. Who knew how long it’d take to reach the peak of the Unfettered Realm at this rate?

But Su Yi wasn’t in a rush. Nothing was less valuable to an Eternal than time.

Later that day, his former neighbor, Luo Xiao, came calling. He excitedly told Su Yi that the sect would host a “discussion of the Dao” in ten days’ time.

The top ten would be candidates for legacy disciple.

In the end, three would be chosen to join the Ancestral Hall as legacy disciples!

Li Muchen, the dark horse, was now considered the most likely inner sect disciple to earn a spot in the discussion of the Dao.

“Several unparalleled senior apprentice brothers and sisters will be participating, even if they’re out exploring or deep in seclusion,” said Luo Xiao, his eyes full of eagerness. “Even some of the sect’s higher-ups will be in attendance. Everyone in the sect will be paying attention!”

All Su Yi had to say in response was, “Oh.”

Luo Xiao couldn’t help but find it frustrating. Junior Apprentice Brother Li is a rising star. Who knows how many people are paying attention?

But he’s too cold and aloof. When he isn’t cultivating, he’s off reading. He only takes breaks to buy seeds for his garden.

He’s practically always holed up in his cave. He keeps such a low profile that it’s ridiculous.

By now, never mind the rest of the sect, even most of the inner sect disciples on Snowy Pine Peak have never laid eyes on him!

Luo Xiao quickly bade farewell and left.

Much to Su Yi’s surprise, Elder Yun Husheng paid a visit out of nowhere not long after.

Yun Husheng left after a brief chat.

As he exited the cave, his brow furrowed, and his expression darkened.

Su Yi didn’t care.

Yun Husheng’s goal was simple. He wanted Su Yi to give up on the discussion of the Dao!

Instead of saying it directly, he said that a newcomer like Li Muchen needn’t rush to become a legacy disciple, and that he’d have plenty of chances in the future.

He also hinted that if Su Yi was willing to abstain, he’d compensate him.

But Su Yi refused, so they parted on bad terms.