Xu Ziqing selected the golden pearl from among the treasures and said, “I took these from Li Cai. Apart from one or two things of water or fire attributes, most of them should be useful. I rather like this golden pearl and intend to refine it myself. I’ll offer the rest to Master. I hope Master will accept them.”
Although he was thinking of the friends he had recently made, his master was more important and deserved to be honored first.
Perfected Qiu He had watched Xu Ziqing’s match and seen him sweep up numerous magical artifacts. He had assumed that his disciple, who had few savings, would keep them for himself. Instead, Xu Ziqing offered them to him. He was touched by such filial regard.
But Perfected Qiu He was a Golden Core Perfected One of long-standing fame. Why would he covet his disciple’s small windfall? He looked over the younger cultivators, smiled, and pointed at the silver whip, sending it into Luo Yao’s hands. “You devote yourself to studying talismans, but that inevitably places limits upon you. You need an offensive magical artifact for protection. This is the Bone-Crushing Whip. Its name is rather unpleasant, but it is an upper-grade artifact. Take it and use it.”
Luo Yao had been momentarily stunned. When Perfected Qiu He gave him the whip, he was even more startled, and his feelings grew complicated. Ordinarily he would have declined at least once, but today he simply accepted it. “…Thank you for your generous gift, Senior.”
His eyes flickered, his thoughts impossible to read.
Something stirred within Perfected Qiu He. With a kindly smile, he said, “You worry excessively and habitually endure in silence. The latter can help you achieve your goals, but the former will hinder your cultivation. You should weigh these things carefully.”
Luo Yao was shaken. Looking into the Golden Core cultivator’s eyes, he felt that the man had seen straight through him. On reflection, however, he recognized the words as a well-meant warning. He felt grateful.
Taking a deep breath, he smiled calmly. “Thank you for your guidance, Perfected One. This junior understands.”
Perfected Qiu He nodded at his response. Then he pointed to the rope among the treasures and sent it into Yue Jun’s hands. “This is the Immortal-Binding Rope. It is excellent for capturing people. You may use it.”
Delight shone in Yue Jun’s eyes. He received the gift solemnly. “Thank you, Perfected One!”
Perfected Qiu He next passed a ruler to Long Xuan. “This is the Fire-Essence Ruler. It suits you particularly well. Take it.”
Long Xuan thanked him repeatedly.
Finally, he gave the little cauldron to Qiu Ze. “This is the Moon-Worshiping Cauldron, another excellent treasure. It carries the weight of a mountain. As an earth-attribute cultivator, you can use it to achieve twice the result with half the effort.”
Qiu Ze thanked him as well.
Once everyone had received a treasure, Yue Jun and the others grew a little embarrassed. “Perfected One, you’ve given us such fine artifacts, yet the young ladies have received nothing.”
The treasures had originally been Xu Ziqing’s. Even if Perfected Qiu He distributed them, Qiu Ze deserved one, but the rest ought to have gone to the junior sisters. These men were outsiders, and receiving such gifts made them uneasy.
Perfected Qiu He smiled. “A cultivator should use treasures appropriate to their cultivation level. My female disciples have yet to reach Foundation Establishment. They could not use these even if I gave them away. Better to let you have them, so they can be put to proper use. Once the girls’ cultivation catches up, their master certainly won’t neglect them.”
His words also reassured the eight female disciples and discouraged any jealousy.
For the moment, the atmosphere was harmonious.
Xu Ziqing was pleased. Seeing Yun Lie standing alone nearby, he could not resist turning toward him. “Li Cai’s treasures are decent enough, but none is worthy of Senior Brother. When I’ve advanced further in cultivation, I’ll certainly find you a sword rarer than any other in the world.”
Yun Lie paused. “You needn’t do that.”
Xu Ziqing sighed. “Is Senior Brother angry with me?”
“I am not angry with you.”
Xu Ziqing smiled. “Then please agree. Otherwise, I won’t feel at ease. I’ll spend my time thinking foolish thoughts, and perhaps even unsettle my state of mind.”
Yun Lie shook his head. “You’ve become rather carefree lately.”
Xu Ziqing laughed. “I was too restrained before.”
Their exchange was leisurely. Xu Ziqing looked completely at ease, and even Yun Lie’s gaze softened slightly.
Perhaps because the numerous battles had tempered his state of mind, Xu Ziqing truly felt lighter than before, as though a great stone had been lifted from his heart. Sometimes he even displayed a trace of youthful impishness.
He understood things more clearly now. Since first setting foot on the immortal path, he had been deceived and betrayed because he had looked at people without allowing them into his heart. Afterward he had been cautious everywhere, restraining himself excessively. Yet whether in his previous life, when illness confined him to bed, or during his carefree days in the mountain village, he had never been an inflexible person. He had always been able to find amusement in daily life. He could remain vigilant and cautious now without maintaining such defenses around those closest to him.
The more Xu Ziqing considered it, the clearer it became. Yun Lie had concealed himself within Xu Ziqing’s storage ring ever since he was a teenager. What part of Xu Ziqing’s life had Yun Lie not known? Which of his humiliations and hardships had Yun Lie not witnessed? He had been unguarded around the man when Yun Lie had no visible body, yet after meeting him in person, he became anxious. He had worried far too much.
As for his master, they had met only a few times, but his affection was genuine, almost fatherly. Xu Ziqing had no father or mother in this life and ought to treasure that bond. If he showed only respect without closeness, they would always remain somewhat distant.
Having understood all this, his heart felt much clearer, and his manner naturally changed.
Yun Lie nodded. “In the next matches, do all you can.”
Xu Ziqing smiled sideways. “Ziqing will follow Senior Brother’s instruction.”
Not long afterward, the battles resumed.
Xu Ziqing had not been in the Wuling Immortal Sect long. However talented and diligent he was, he could not compare with disciples who had accumulated experience over many years. Indeed, had he not comprehended the Qingyun Needle in time, he might have lost to Du Linglong halfway through the competition. He would never even have reached the Hundred-Person Competition.
Even so, he won only two more matches before losing to a personal disciple of a Nascent Soul ancestor. That youth also possessed a single spiritual root and was two years younger than Xu Ziqing, yet he had cultivated under the ancestor for ten years. More importantly, he was a thunder-attribute sword cultivator, and the might of his sword strikes was as overwhelming as thunder.
Although Xu Ziqing had learned swordsmanship from Yun Lie for many days, he remained far behind a true sword cultivator who had refined sword astral qi.
The Qingyun Needle was powerful, but Xu Ziqing had only recently comprehended it and had not yet refined it to perfection. Against thunderous sword astral qi, he endured for only a quarter of an hour before losing.
After the bitter fight, Xu Ziqing finally leaped off the battle platform to avoid a stroke of lightning, conceding defeat to the youth.
He ranked somewhere in the teens, but at least he had entered the top twenty. For Xu Ziqing, that was a fine achievement.
After the Hundred-Person Competition, only the top three positions were determined precisely. The thunder sword cultivator who had defeated Xu Ziqing ranked second. Losing to him was no disgrace.
Perfected Qiu He was all smiles at Xu Ziqing’s result.
There were hundreds of thousands of Foundation Establishment cultivators. Most were ordinary inner disciples without masters, but many belonged to lesser peaks or even middle and upper peaks.
The top twenty had generally been monopolized by disciples from middle and upper peaks. Sometimes many years passed before a disciple from a lesser peak managed even one or two places. Now Xu Ziqing had won this honor for his master.
Perfected Qiu He had never belonged to a master’s lineage. Through his own arduous cultivation, he had achieved the status of master of a lesser peak, but its resources and foundations were far poorer than those of many long-established lesser peaks. He had never imagined experiencing this glory! After a largely ordinary life, he finally felt the profound satisfaction of an elderly master.
Xu Ziqing’s placing naturally brought a generous reward from the sect:
Two upper-grade spiritual artifacts, five middle-grade spiritual artifacts, and twenty lower-grade spiritual artifacts;
One bottle of upper-grade One-Origin Pills, five bottles of middle-grade One-Origin Pills, and ten bottles of lower-grade One-Origin Pills;
Thirty bottles of upper-grade Origin-Replenishing Pills;
Five upper-grade spirit stones, fifty middle-grade spirit stones, and three hundred lower-grade spirit stones;
One Yellow-rank cultivation method and three Human-rank cultivation methods.
Everyone who entered the top twenty received these rewards. The top three received still more generous prizes.
Even so, many cultivators looked on with obvious envy or jealousy.
No wonder so many strove desperately in the tournament. Securing such a rank was practically an instant fortune! The prizes alone equaled several years of savings. They could help one make friends, and if reserved solely for cultivation they could save an enormous amount of effort.
Xu Ziqing again intended to offer the rewards to his master, but Perfected Qiu He refused. Xu Ziqing then thought of sharing some of the benefits with his junior sisters, but they had not yet reached Foundation Establishment and could not use anything intended for that stage. Only the Human-rank cultivation methods could be divided among them, yet there were only three methods for eight junior sisters. In the end, he had to abandon the idea.
The Foundation Establishment competition was not the whole tournament. Soon the battle platforms were divided back into fighting stages, and the stages were partitioned into ten martial arenas to accommodate the Essence Transformation disciples.
Perfected Qiu He and his party did not leave. They continued watching from their platform. Essence Transformation disciples numbered in the hundreds of thousands as well, so these matches would consume many more days.
Deep within Ultimate Bliss Peak, a cavern had been carved out, named the Ultimate Bliss Residence.
On this day, a yellow-robed cultivator hurried up the mountain, presented his token, and entered the abode.
The cavern was extraordinarily spacious. Its floor was covered with the skin of an unknown demon beast, smooth and soft, dyed an intense, luxuriant red.
Upon that hide stood a soft couch. A man reclined there, surrounded by more than a dozen beautiful men and women. Some held his fingers to their mouths and sucked them, others fed him wine from their lips, some rubbed themselves against his knees, and others buried their heads between his thighs. Every variety of wanton intimacy could be seen.
The yellow-robed cultivator showed no embarrassment at the sight, but he did not dare look at the men and women. Keeping his head bowed and his eyes lowered, he called repeatedly, “Ancestor!”
The man answered with a faint “Mm.” An attentive and beautiful female cultivator promptly knelt behind him and supported him against her chest, allowing his face to become visible.
He had long, slender brows, narrow eyes, delicate lips, and a pale complexion, giving him an androgynous appearance.
By his looks, he was barely thirty years old.
His true age, of course, was far greater than thirty.
His voice was exceptionally gentle. “What is it? Why are you in such a hurry?”