Novel Full Chapter 18: Undercurrents
From the high-grade Qi Regulation Pill obtained from Kongyuan Mountain’s Alchemy Hall, combined with these five stalks of Frost Soul Grass, Chen Yan—whose current actual cultivation had already reached the peak of the Qi Circulation Realm—felt even more confident about breaking through to the Martial Spring Realm.
Ever since that day, Sun Lu had started occasionally hovering around Chen Yan.
He didn’t show any other ulterior motives, just offering warm greetings and occasionally giving Chen Yan some rare items.
Sun Lu was twenty years old this year, with a current cultivation level at the mid-stage of the Qi Circulation Realm.
But he didn’t hesitate at all to address Chen Yan, who was younger and had a lower cultivation level, as senior brother.
In fact, at the very beginning, Chen Yan felt somewhat uncomfortable with it.
Sun Lu also had a good sense of boundaries, maintaining an appropriate distance between himself and Chen Yan that didn’t interfere with Chen Yan’s life or cultivation.
He just made Chen Yan occasionally remember that this person existed.
Oh right, and there was also his master, Spirit Plant Workshop steward Zheng Fuyue.
The investigation from Qingchan Peak had also gone quiet, with no leads on either the murderer of Song Mingde or Song Mingde’s list.
Chen Yan knew that beneath the surface calm of Kongshan Sect, undercurrents were actually swirling.
Time passed quickly, and the day of the outer court competition drew closer.
The outer court disciples who had newly entered the sect in recent years were especially excited, as this was an excellent opportunity for promotion to the inner court.
But most of the more senior outer court disciples remained completely unperturbed in their hearts, because they knew their own capabilities.
As the saying goes, newborn calves aren’t afraid of tigers.
There were still three days until the outer court competition officially began.
Inside the Fate Inquiry Hall, Chen Yan stood behind Lin Qifeng, his gaze fixed on the direction of the hall’s main door.
Then, the large door slowly swung open.
A group of about thirty people entered the Fate Inquiry Hall in a grand procession.
They were the elders from the inner court who had come to observe the outer court competition, along with the “gatekeepers” from the Three Mountains and Four Peaks.
Every year during the outer court competition, besides the sparring and matches among the outer court disciples themselves, there was one special segment.
That was when disciples from the various inner court peaks would defend a challenge platform; if an outer court disciple could defeat a “gatekeeper,” they would immediately qualify to enter the corresponding inner court peak.
Of course, defeating a gatekeeper was no simple matter.
At the very least, during the longest life Chen Yan had lived—over ninety years—no outer court disciple had ever successfully challenged a gatekeeper.
Lin Qifeng stood in the center of the great hall, welcoming the visiting elders from the various inner court peaks.
The cultivator standing at the very front was tall and thin, with golden cloud and crane patterns embroidered on the cuffs of his daoist robe.
He was an elder from Kongyuan Mountain.
“Long time no see, Lin Personal Disciple.”
The tall, thin elder with golden cloud and crane patterns on his cuffs spoke.
From that single sentence alone, Chen Yan deduced that the relationship between this Kongyuan Mountain elder and Lin Qifeng didn’t seem particularly good.
Because of the form of address.
Although it was true that Lin Qifeng was the sect leader’s personal disciple, his current identity was that of an outer court elder.
In this kind of occasion where an outer court elder was receiving inner court elders and disciples, calling him “Lin Personal Disciple” under the guise of being unintentional actually expressed a certain level of contempt.
“You’re still alive too, Elder Song!”
Lin Qifeng said with great enthusiasm.
Elder Song’s face twitched slightly:
“What else?”
“I thought you might have passed away in meditation by now.”
Lin Qifeng continued enthusiastically.
“Heh, Elder Lin Personal Disciple, even at your age, you still retain such a childish temperament. I truly find it admirable.”
As he spoke, Elder Song shifted his gaze to Chen Yan:
“I imagine that Elder Lin Personal Disciple’s beloved disciple must often suffer because of this temperament?”
The corner of Chen Yan’s mouth twitched twice. What does your argument have to do with me?
So Chen Yan merely bowed with his hands clasped and said nothing.
This wasn’t the time for him to speak up for his master.
“If you have time, come back to Kongyuan Mountain for a visit. Everyone misses you.”
Elder Song said.
This sentence alone seemed to sting the usually unflappable Lin Qifeng, causing him to fall silent for a brief moment.
“Heh.”
Lin Qifeng only made this sound.
Other elders and disciples from various peaks might not know the details, but the disciples and elders of Kongyuan Mountain all knew that Lin Qifeng had been driven out of Kongyuan Mountain by Sect Leader Yun.
Elder Song also seemed to feel victorious, puffing out his chest and saying nothing more.
Lin Qifeng exchanged pleasantries with the elders from the various inner court peaks one by one, essentially going through the motions.
These elders leading teams to observe the outer court competition weren’t the highest-ranking ones from their respective peaks either.
They held positions like Training Hall elders or Merit Hall elders.
Within the sect, elder titles ranked from highest to lowest were: Sword Master Elder, True Dharma Elder, Martial Elder, and Dignity Elder, followed by elders of various functional departments.
The Sword Master Elder was the top figure of a mountain gate.
In other words, Fu Qian of Qingchan Peak was actually the third highest figure on Qingchan Peak.
And the four titles—Sword Master Elder, True Dharma Elder, Martial Elder, and Dignity Elder—were collectively referred to as peak elders.
“Elder Lin.”
The elder from Qingchan Peak bowed with clasped hands toward Lin Qifeng’s direction and smiled.
Chen Yan followed the direction of this Qingchan Peak elder, and when he noticed the aloof young woman in white among the Qingchan Peak disciples behind this elder, he couldn’t help but start slightly.
Chu Xiyao?
He wasn’t the only one who recognized her.
“Elder Lan, Qingchan Peak certainly takes the outer court competition seriously, sending even your chief disciple.”
Lin Qifeng joked with a laugh.
The chief disciple was the highest position among the disciples of a peak, representing the one with the greatest natural talent and combat power among their peers.
They were also the absolute leader figure of the next generation.
One could even say that the chief disciple could represent their affiliated peak better than any elder below the Great Elder.
“This junior Chu Xiyao pays her respects to Elder Lin.”
The young woman in white bowed with clasped hands to Lin Qifeng.
Then, her gaze turned toward Chen Yan, who stood behind Lin Qifeng.
Chen Yan couldn’t detect any particular emotion from her eyes, though her gaze seemed to contain a hint of confusion within it.
Why are you Lin Qifeng’s disciple?
That was probably the kind of doubt mixed in there.
“Chief Chu came voluntarily to observe the outer court competition. She won’t participate, much less serve as a gatekeeper.”
The person whom Lin Qifeng called Elder Lan said.
“If Chief Chu were to serve as a gatekeeper, one could only say that you people of Qingchan Peak truly look down on us outer court disciples!”
Lin Qifeng laughed.
“Nothing of the sort! We’re all disciples of Kongshan Sect—how could we look down on anyone? We’d welcome you with open arms!”
Elder Lan said.
“Since Elder Lan says so, you see, our outer court has a few promising seedlings recently…”
“Ah, as long as these promising seedlings can get past the gatekeeper our Qingchan Peak sent this year, I, Lan Wei, will accept every single one, no matter how many!”
He spoke with great bravado, but you wouldn’t be happy if you actually got them.
Chen Yan silently complained in his heart.