Chapter 370: Chapter 3 Never Give Up
Qiu Changtian returned to the Golden Ridge Cave Abode, thinking to himself how truly high the Ziwei Master’s expectations for him were.
Orthodox Sect’s number one in the grand competition, he really had the audacity to say that!
Within the Kunlun Sect, needless to say. He had taken down his second senior brother, Song He, to secure the position of the top disciple in the Foundation Establishment Realm.
But to seize the first place in the Orthodox Sect, he would have to compete with the other two sects.
There was no need to mention Shushan, Lin Duanshan, Duan Fenhai, and Guan Shanyue, these three were manageable. It was a bit tricky to face Ling Yunpo alone, playing dual roles, but how to deal with the Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal An Zhisu?
The terror of An Zhisu’s Innate Sword Heart was something he had personally experienced for many years!
Penglai was fairly manageable in comparison, as he was acquainted with the few capable contenders like Luo Yan, whose strength was basically on par with Lin Duanshan’s level.
The only unpredictable factor was likely to be Miss Shi, who acquired the Purple Extreme Han Yuan Sword and Taiwei Star Sand from the Kuocang Mountain Secret Realm and cultivated the “Five Latitudes Heavenly Secret Record,” boasting a hardware that could be described as extravagantly maxed out.
Fortunately, her lack of combat experience was a significant drawback; with merely a few deceptive tricks, Luo Yan could run circles around her.
Hm? In that case, becoming the first of the Orthodox Sect doesn’t seem that difficult after all—if one can just take down An Zhisu.
Take down An Zhisu…
But how to defeat Senior Sister An? It was precisely because he, as Ling Yunpo, accompanied his senior sister in practising swordsmanship year-round and was well-acquainted with her tactical style that he understood how terrifying the swordsmanship prowess of the Weed-Cutting Sword Immortal really was.
Source: NovelFull.com, updated on ονǤᴑ.сᴑ
“Senior Brother, what’s wrong?” Xu Yinglian rose gracefully from the stone bed and asked.
“How have you fared with refining the Sunlight Crimson Bright Pill?” Qiu Changtian asked warmly.
“I’ve refined a quarter of it, no problems so far,” Xu Yinglian responded.
“That fast?” Qiu Changtian was greatly surprised.
Even though his first attempt was exploratory and he had only refined one-twentieth of the Sunlight Crimson Bright Pill on the first day, Junior Sister Xu’s refinement speed was actually five times his own?
Oh, she has the Phoenix bloodline, affinity with Yang energy, so being faster is normal.
“Fast?” Xu Yinglian was first taken aback, then she thought of something (Could it be that Senior Brother’s refinement speed is slower than mine?), and she couldn’t help but reveal a beautiful smile.
Qiu Changtian was momentarily captivated by her smile, but he quickly regained his composure and said,
“Much faster than I expected… Anyway, Junior Sister, apart from cultivation, do you have any other dreams or goals?”
“To surpass you,” Xu Yinglian answered without hesitation.
“Anything else?” Qiu Changtian was unperturbed. “For instance, becoming the next Head of the Kunlun Sect…”
“Head of the Kunlun Sect?” Xu Yinglian said in surprise, “If I remember correctly, there are only two ways to become the Head of the Kunlun Sect: one is to be designated by the retiring Sect Leader, and the other is to gain the approval of more than two-thirds of the Kunlun Elders.”
“That’s right,” Qiu Changtian nodded. “The former requires you to be a direct disciple of the Sect Leader, while the latter demands exceptionally outstanding strength.”
“And most of the time, these two criteria do not conflict, because the Sect Leader will definitely take the most promising disciple of each generation under his wing. In other words, if the Sect Leader is willing to take you as a direct disciple, it signifies that he believes you possess the potential to be ‘the next Sect Leader.’ Junior Sister Xu, do you understand?”
Xu Yinglian fell into thought.
What qualifies as being a direct disciple of the Ziwei Master? It was simple—whoever could attend the scripture lectures in the Jade Void Palace was a direct disciple of the Sect Leader.
In previous years, only the chief disciple of each generation could attend the Ziwei Master’s scripture lectures, while the other disciples had to settle for lessons taught by the Chief disciple “on behalf of the teacher.”
However, Xu Yinglian was the sole exception.
She wasn’t the chief disciple in her generation, yet she had also obtained the qualifications to attend the lectures.
In other words, the Ziwei Master believed that if it weren’t for the emergence of Qiu Changtian in her generation, Xu Yinglian would definitely have been the chief disciple.
She fully possessed the corresponding talent and potential.
A generation with two direct disciples allowing the Ziwei Master to break tradition demonstrates his deep expectations for Xu Yinglian…
At this thought, that unwillingness to be outdone surged up once more, as if infusing Xu Yinglian with an endless supply of fighting spirit and energy.
“I intend to vie for the position of the next Sect Leader,” she said earnestly.
“Junior Sister, I have high hopes for you,” Qiu Changtian replied with a smile.
Xu Yinglian’s response was entirely within his expectations.
However, Qiu Changtian’s response was greatly beyond her expectations.
“Senior Brother,” Xu Yinglian quietly clenched her fist and asked with a stiff smile, “Do you think that I have no chance of winning the position of Sect Leader, that I pose no threat to you?”
A sense of alarm instantly rose in Qiu Changtian’s heart as it seemed his Junior Sister was about to swing her fist at his face. He hurriedly said:
“Not at all, I simply believe that Junior Sister has the capability.”
Xu Yinglian managed to suppress the urge to assault her Daoist companion, simply staring intently at his face, as if trying to discern from his expression whether he was lying.
Unfortunately, perhaps because she had frightened him just now, the Kunlun Mirror also withdrew the illusionary qualities of the Mirror Flower Water Moon, making it impossible for Xu Yinglian to detect any clues.
Was Qiu Changtian sincere? Of course.
To become the next Sect Leader, one must at least advance to the Nascent Soul Realm, Feather Courtyard Level—which means being the strongest in the sect aside from the Sect Guardian Immortal, and that is true at least for Kunlun and Shushan.
As for Penglai, whether the Master of Xuan Du is the strongest in the Sect is debatable, but he is certainly among the top tier.
The problem was that Qiu Changtian would definitely not wait until he was the strongest before making his move… As soon as he could become a Nascent Soul Elder and gain access to most of the sect’s forbidden areas, he would begin to formally plot for the Heaven-Mending Stone.
The Ziwei Master wanted him to be the successor as the next Sect Leader, but that was just a fond hope, since there was a high probability that he would obtain what he needed and flee before reaching the Feather Courtyard Level.
Of course, Qiu Changtian was not a heartless and cold person.
Unlike his cheap master, Su Jian, who had never done his duty, the Ziwei Master had cared for him since his entry to the sect, and the master-disciple relationship was fully intact without any discount.
Keep in mind, even the Elder Shi Ding of the Heavenly Craft Workshop at the Yuqing View took such good care of Luo Yan partly because he hoped that Luo would look after Shi Liuli.
But the appreciation and care the Ziwei Master had for him were without a trace of self-interest—it was purely the affection of a master and disciple.
Therefore, over the years, Qiu Changtian had also secretly made a resolution, and was determined:
He would cultivate his Junior Sister, Xu Yinglian, to be a competent next Head of the Kunlun Sect, in line with his Master’s expectations.
Whether it was the previously given Yangxia Zhumingdan or the upcoming help for his Junior Sister to take one of the twelve seats in the White Jade Capital, on the surface, it was mutual support between Daoist companions, but in reality, it was compensation for deceiving her, and an attempt at redemption for failing to meet his Master’s expectations.
Master, forgive me, let Junior Sister fulfill my filial duties after I flee!
Junior Sister, forgive me, after I flee, you will be the next Head of the Kunlun Sect!
With this in mind, Qiu Changtian finally achieved Daoist Heart Clarity, and his Daoist Heart became even more harmonious—though his original persona was already one of clear Daoist Heart, unimpeded. But after having this realization, even if he were to switch to another persona, he would benefit.
Seeing him display a color of understanding, Xu Yinglian became even more puzzled.
Another thought suddenly flashed through her mind:
Could it be that Senior Brother… wishes for me to pursue him after he’s gone?
So that’s it, Senior Brother knows I’m aggressive in cultivating the Dao but is unaware whether I have the same interest in the power and influence within the sect.
If I do not compete with him in that aspect, Senior Brother… would probably feel lonely, I suppose.
Thinking this, Xu Yinglian suddenly felt a softening of her heart.
She lowered her long eyelashes and said gently:
“Senior Brother, don’t worry, I will never concede to you.”
Qiu Changtian: ???
Why would you say such dominating and forceful words with such a gentle tone?
