Chapter 10: Chapter 10: You Should Learn from Your Junior Sister
Editor: Henyee Translations
The next day.
Qiu Changtian continued to accompany Junior Sister Xu, their swords enveloping them in light as they flew around Heaven Pillar, chatting and laughing, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
Meanwhile, down below on Kunlun’s Heaven-Ascending Path, Guan Zhan had been running wildly along the mountain trail for a day and a night, already utterly exhausted.
On the day of the mountain opening, before the ascent, Kunlun distributed mountain-climbing tokens to everyone, each with its own fasting effect.
However, even without the need to eat, drink, or excrete, the prolonged process of climbing was inevitably a physical ordeal, as well as a mental torment.
Just past ninety thousand steps, he saw Yan Zhitui catching up unhurriedly from behind.
Guan Zhan was greatly alarmed in his heart and, with sheer determination, he forced himself to speed up again.
This stop-and-go progress was ultimately even more exhausting than maintaining a normal walking pace.
Upon reaching the last dozen steps of the hundred thousand, Guan Zhan finally ran out of energy, stumbled, and fell on the stone steps, still stubbornly climbing upward.
Yan Zhitui, who followed behind, witnessed this but did not seize the opportunity to overtake him.
Though he appeared unfatigued, he was, after all, an ordinary mortal, and his limbs already moved as if they were weighed down with lead.
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It was only because his childhood education emphasized gentlemanly conduct that he managed to maintain his composure, even amidst such fatigue.
In the end, Guan Zhan reached the finish line, only three steps ahead of Yan Zhitui.
He lay prostrate on the ground, his chest rising and falling slightly, without even the strength to turn over.
Yan Zhitui calmly stepped over him, sat down on a nearby rock to rest.
Shortly after, a red sword light arrived.
Xu Yinglian landed the sword light, glanced at Guan Zhan lying on the ground, then looked towards Yan Zhitui sitting on the rock, and said coldly,
“The two of you have completed the Heaven-Ascending Path and may rest here for a while. An Inner Sect Disciple will soon come to lead you to the entry ceremony.”
Guan Zhan lifted his head, weakly saying,
“You go ahead, I need to rest a little longer.”
“You must not be absent,” Xu Yinglian said with a frown, “After the entry ceremony, there will be the disciple recruitment meeting.”
“You’ll need to choose a Kunlun Elder willing to take disciples, in the order of your completion of the mountain ascent.”
Guan Zhan shook his head, replying,
“I am the first in this event, and according to the rules, I should be this generation’s Chief Disciple, personally taught by the Sect Leader. Why do I need to choose?”
Xu Yinglian sneered,
“The title of the 280th generation Chief Disciple belongs to Senior Brother Qiu Changtian; it has nothing to do with you.”
“What!” Guan Zhan cried out in disbelief, his voice turning shrill, “But I…I’m clearly the first this time! Who is Qiu Changtian!”
“Senior Brother had already walked the Heaven-Ascending Path on foot before the mountain opening day, hence he was designated as this generation’s Chief Disciple by the Sect Leader,” Xu Yinglian stated coldly, “If you disagree, you can also try ascending the mountain on a non-opening day.”
Guan Zhan lay on the ground in powerless fury, cursing unintelligibly.
On the other hand, Yan Zhitui seemed contemplative and asked,
“Senior Sister, I remember that during non-opening days, from the 85,000th step onward on Kunlun’s Heaven-Ascending Path, there are fierce winds from beyond this world that blow relentlessly. These winds are invisible, foul-smelling, sharp as blades, and piercing as awls, and even contain the soul-eroding sounds of demon heads.”
“Even as an ordinary mortal, Senior Brother Qiu surely carried the mountain-climbing token, but he would not have known the Art of Commanding. The slightest thought of demonic temptation and the wind would penetrate Heaven’s Gate, travel along the bones, reach the Yongquan Point, turning the entire body into feathers, dissipating with the wind.”
“You are correct,” Xu Yinglian responded, her gaze shifting, and she nodded indifferently, “But what is so surprising about Senior Brother Qiu having the extraordinary talent of ‘Daoist Heart Clarity’ and completing the Heaven-Ascending Path on a non-opening day?”
“Daoist Heart Clarity?” Upon hearing this, Guan Zhan immediately became dumbfounded, and Yan Zhitui drew a sharp breath, clearly understanding the significance of these four words.
That was a peerless talent for cultivation! Recorded in ancient texts, such talent emerged only once in ten thousand years!
Seeing both of them speechless at the same time, Xu Yinglian felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction swell within her.
Back when her senior brother had freely bullied her with his peerless talent, her heart was stifled with frustration, but now, as she intimidated these newcomers with her senior brother’s reputation, she felt an exhilarating delight.
Before long, the path to ascension closed once again.
Those who had failed to reach the peak of Heaven Pillar before the end were sent out of Kunlun by the Mountain Protection Formation.
In total, three hundred and twenty-three individuals successfully completed the ascension path; among them, one hundred and seven became Inner Sect disciples, and two hundred and sixteen became Outer Sect disciples.
Of the seven disciple slots of the Ziwei Master, aside from Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian, the first five disciples who had successfully ascended snapped them up, demonstrating just how great the allure of the “Nine Heavens Clear Entrance True Mantra” was.
Qiu Changtian also took part in the disciple recruitment ceremony. The five disciples who chose to pledge themselves to the Head of the Kunlun Sect were:
From Longyou, of the Guan Family, Guan Zhan.
From White Deer Grotto Academy, Yan Zhitui.
From the Chen Family of Guangling, Chen Zhen.
From the Zhong Family of Nanyang, Zhong Tianhuai.
From the Jian Family of Qingzhou, Jian Qingnan.
Among them, the Guan Family of Longyou has been a lineage of Sword Immortals generation after generation; White Deer Grotto Academy is a holy land of the Confucianism Cult.
The Chen Family of Guangling and the Zhong Family of Nanyang both possess a small Cultivation Sect within their locality and many disciples.
The Jian Family of Qingzhou, an Art Calculation lineage, has the contemporary head of the family Jian Buyan, an exceptionally rare Divination Master.
From this, it’s evident that all five junior brother and sister disciples are actually ‘Immortal progeny’…
Qiu Changtian sighed deeply and began to calculate inwardly.
The phenomenon of Immortal Cultivator aristocracies occupying the Inner Sect disciple spots can be traced back to the very root of the Clarify and Intercept Sects’ struggle.
The ancient Clarify Cult emphasized “teaching in accordance with one’s capabilities.”
The so-called “Clarify” referrers to the idea of explicating and enlightening based on one’s innate abilities.
As a result of this, the Sect of the Clarify Cult approach in accepting disciples heavily relied on the qualification for cultivating the Dao; without the proper qualifications, immortality was unattainable.
Even though the Clarify Cult has now split into three, it still maintains such customs:
The Kunlun Taiqing Sect assesses one’s heart and intention, the Shushan Shangqing Faction focuses on the Root Bone, and the Penglai Jade Pure looks solely at one’s Comprehension.
As for cultivation qualifications, how can ordinary folk, who have none of it, compete with the children of Immortal Cultivator families who have been nourished with heavenly treasures from birth and groomed by renowned masters?
The result is the upper echelons are completely dominated by the children of aristocratic families.
On the other hand, the ancient Intercept Cult advocated “teaching without discrimination,” where everyone could cultivate immortality regardless of their innate abilities, bringing hope to the common people.
However, this led to a mix of good and bad among the disciples, and to circumvent the lack of natural gifts, they invented various heretical approaches, like the Sacrificial Method, Essence Replenishing Method, and so forth, tarnishing their reputation beyond recognition.
Leaving historical context aside, now with four new junior brothers and one junior sister, all of whom are surely of high-spirited and lofty Immortal progeny, I need to think of a way to assert my dominance… no, that’s not right, to properly educate them, to nurture them into polite and sensible juniors like Junior Sister Xu.
With this thought, Qiu Changtian couldn’t help but turn his head and look towards Xu Yinglian, who was standing by his side.
Junior Sister Xu is genuinely adorable. I can’t help it, I must tease her once more!
“Why are you looking at me?” Xu Yinglian said puzzledly, “You’re the current Chief Disciple. Your demeanor should be dignified, don’t let your gaze wander.”
“Has Junior Sister resigned herself to acknowledging my position as Chief Disciple?” Qiu Changtian asked in surprise.
“Not resigned!” Xu Yinglian declared angrily, “Someday I will defeat you and take that position of Chief Disciple from you! Just you wait!”