Watching the Mountain

Chapter 79: Chapter 72: A Pure Person

The establishment of a new main peak was, naturally, a great boon for the entire Sect.

This didn’t just mean the Sect had gained a Nascent Soul True Monarch; it was also a massive boost to the Sect’s reputation, morale, and intangible fortune.

However, the process was quite a troublesome affair for the Sect.

For one thing, a new main peak had to possess a Tier Nine Spirit Vein, which posed a huge problem for the Sect.

A major reason the Profound Pure Sect had fallen to a state where it couldn’t even afford death and injury compensation was that the Spirit Veins of the three main peaks it had previously lost were detonated by its enemies.

After the Ye Shan Secret Realm incident, the Four Major Sects couldn’t retaliate directly. Instead, they waged a proxy war, using the other sects in Changqing County to viciously attack the Profound Pure Sect. This led to the Profound Pure Sect losing three main peaks in just a few short years, their Spirit Veins detonated.

The sects that Chen Minghe had called out during the previous sect competition were the ones who had contributed the most to this effort.

This left the Profound Pure Sect unable to even distribute standard elixirs. They had to open a canteen in the Outer Sect and use Spirit Rice as a substitute. This turned out to be a stroke of luck for Ye Shan, who went there to freeload meals every day.

Although the Spirit Veins of each peak were independent, the entire region’s telluric energy and water veins were interconnected. The successive detonation of three main peaks’ Spirit Veins dealt a devastating blow to the Sect’s foundational geomancy. The direct losses to the Spiritual Objects cultivated by the Sect exceeded fifty percent, not to mention the indirect consequences.

Because the Sect had suffered such a massive blow from the detonation of the three Spirit Veins, it had yet to recover its Primordial Qi. Now, with Qing Xuan True Monarch wanting to establish a new peak, it was indeed a difficult problem.

Xu Ran couldn’t be of much help in this matter, but he heard that the other Supreme Elders of the Sect were selling off their personal collections of Magical Treasures, preparing to trade them for a Spirit Vein from an Upper Sect for Qing Xuan True Monarch to establish his new peak.

This was quite a common occurrence for a sect. As Qing Xuan True Monarch was a rising star of the younger generation, it was only natural for his seniors to lend him a hand now that he was establishing a new peak.

They had received the same support when they advanced to the Nascent Soul Realm. Now, they were simply carrying on that tradition.

Xu Ran thought that Qing Xuan True Monarch would surely have many things to handle with the establishment of his new peak. ’I can’t help with the major issues,’ he mused, ’but I can probably lend a hand with some of the menial tasks.’

However, his master’s wife told him that Qing Xuan True Monarch was still in seclusion adapting to his new Realm, and that Qing Xuan Peak wouldn’t be built so quickly. She told him not to be in such a hurry, and that once Qing Xuan Peak was ready, they wouldn’t hesitate to ask for his help.

Xu Ran felt that his master’s wife not only had a gentle temperament, but her way of speaking was also incredibly pleasant and affable.

After agreeing to come and help with odd jobs later, he bid farewell to his master’s wife.

When he returned to his Cave Mansion, he suddenly heard a man’s voice coming from inside.

The moment Xu Ran heard that voice, a fire of rage ignited in his heart.

’Oh, really? That Little Xiyue... she’s got some nerve. How dare she bring a man home without a word to me? This is unacceptable!’

"Ning Xiyue, do you even see me as your mas—"

Xu Ran stormed in, muttering angrily, but as he entered the main hall, SWISH—five or six pairs of eyes turned to stare at him in unison.

Inside the hall, five white-haired old men were sitting in a circle around Little Xiyue. When they heard Xu Ran’s voice, they all turned their heads at once, their gazes as sharp as torches as they stared at him.

Xu Ran’s expression froze, and his anger instantly vanished.

He recognized the five old men. They were all Elders from Inference Dao Peak, renowned Array Masters of the Sect.

Besides the three main peaks that had been lost and the not-yet-formally-established Qing Xuan Peak, the Profound Pure Sect had six other peaks. These included Celestial Profound Peak, the Sect Leader’s peak where Yue Qingyu resided.

There was also Spirit Stream Peak, which specialized in Spirit Plant Alchemy; Celestial Sea Peak, where Flowing Clouds Master resided, which specialized in Artifact Refining; Inference Dao Peak, which focused on Arrays; and finally, Guiyuan Peak and Purple Cloud Peak, which had no particular specialty and were known for their unique Cultivation Techniques.

Being stared at so intently by five men who were at the Core Formation or Golden Core Stage sent a chill down Xu Ran’s spine.

What he couldn’t figure out, however, was when Little Xiyue had gotten to know these Elders. And what were they doing here? Judging by their cheerful conversation, they seemed to be very familiar with one another.

’Kids really do grow up and get their own lives,’ he thought. He hadn’t known about any of this.

As he was sighing with emotion inwardly, one of the five old men smiled kindly at him and spoke.

"You must be Fellow Daoist Ning’s master, Elder Xu? This old man is Master Xuan Zhen of Inference Dao Peak."

Hearing this, Xu Ran quickly raised his hands in a salute to the group. "I am Xu Ran. Greetings, Elders."

Then, he noticed that Elder Xuan Zhen had addressed Little Xiyue as "Fellow Daoist Ning," which left him stunned.

He looked at Little Xiyue with curiosity. ’My disciple is really something else,’ he thought, feeling gratified. ’Her social circle is so wide. Not bad, not bad at all.’

Meeting Xu Ran’s gaze, Little Xiyue stood up and bowed respectfully to him before explaining, "Master, these seniors from Inference Dao Peak are here to guide your disciple in the study of Arrays."