"Then… Thank you, Senior."Xiao Chen didn"t try to turn down him anymore. He accepted the scripture and carefully tucked it into his bosom.
Gui Xian nodded. "It"s getting late. You should go home now so your friends don"t worry. Oh, and you must remember to keep the Elixir King Scripture a secret. Otherwise, you"ll be bringing disaster upon yourself. When that happens, it"ll be as good as me killing you."
Xiao Chen shook his head. "Senior, you should be careful of that soul organization called the Administration of Heaven as well." Even though they hadn"t known each other for long, he felt a sense of solidarity with him. He didn"t want to see the Administration of Heaven capturing Gui Xian and refining his soul.
Nodding, Gui Xian said, "I understand. You have to be prudent too. Your rising popularity means that many are looking to cause trouble for you."
The two of them saluted and bade each other farewell. When Xiao Chen returned to his courtyard, he saw several lamps lighting the interior of the house. Qing Chen, Fengxi, and the others were inside the courtyard. In the curtain of the night, he could faintly see that they were frowning.
Seeing their solemn expressions, Xiao Chen knew better than to go over and ask them what had happened. He walked over to Yu Yifeng and asked quietly, "What"s wrong?"
Yu Yifeng"s brows were furrowed. In a low voice, he replied, "They appear to be worrying about the Fallen Immortals Sect that had shown up out of nowhere."
Fallen Immortals Sect? Xiao Chen was stunned. What cultivators" sect would use such a pessimistic name? Something was definitely up! He asked, "What do you mean?"
Yu Yifeng shook his head. "I don"t know the origins of the sect either. I"ve never even heard of it. But this time, they sent ten of their people and even announced that they"d be dominating the list of top ten strongest cultivators in the Immortal"s Sword a.s.sembly."
How brazen! Such audacity!
Dumbfounded, Xiao Chen thought that not even he said anything about getting on the list of top ten strongest cultivators in the a.s.sembly. That sect was truly looking down on the other sects in the Violet Manor. He asked, "Are they that powerful?"
Yu Yifeng looked up at him. "Are you familiar with the Divine Mist Sect?"
Xiao Chen racked his brain. If he remembered correctly, Zuoqiu Yang seemed to be the direct disciple of the Divine Mist Sect Leader. That sect seemed pretty capable.
"The Divine Mist Sect is the largest cultivators" sect in the Middle Continent, also the strongest. In the last Immortal"s Sword a.s.sembly, four of the top ten came from the Middle Continent and all came from this sect. Moreover, they were also the top four."
Xiao Chen narrowed his eyes. He remembered hearing that no one from the East Continent made the top ten. Considering this, the Divine Mist Sect was indeed a force to be reckoned with. He asked, "Then?"
Yu Yifeng took a deep breath. "The Fallen Immortals Sect announced a while back that they would be dominating the top ten list, so the Divine Mist Sect is naturally unhappy. Five of their disciples went for a challenge, but all of them ended up getting defeated by only one person."
Xiao Chen contemplated this for a moment. Was the Fallen Immortals Sect that insanely powerful? He asked, "You really don"t know their origins?"
Yu Yifeng shook his head. "I know absolutely nothing, and so does everyone else. There are no records of them as well. Their cultivation method seems to have originated from the previous Cultivators" Era."
The previous Cultivators" Era! Xiao Chen was shocked. Wasn"t the previous era the one that he came from? Could these people be disciples of an Ancient Immortal Clan that escaped the calamity back then?
"That"s not even their strongest suit. The more shocking part is that all of them have at least six Spiritual Meridians. It"s common to find one with nine Spiritual Meridians among them. I even heard that they have someone with more than twelve."
"What?!" Xiao Chen was once again shocked. Twelve Spiritual Meridians were the limit, so how could there be more? Could these people be even more formidable than him?
Moreover, the level of their apt.i.tude was borderline outrageous. The entry requirement into the Violet Manor was typically one Spiritual Meridian. Those with three were considered a prodigy. Those with six were considered a dragon among humans. Those with nine didn"t exist.
Brother Yifeng seemed to possess six Spiritual Meridians himself, meaning that he had just barely made the entry requirement of the Fallen Immortals Sect. These people were a little too outrageously strong, weren"t they?
Sighing, Yu Yifeng shook his head. "Either way, the compet.i.tion will stiff this time. The registration test will begin in a few days, and then two months of internal training will begin. Junior Sister Li and Junior Sister Luo should be arriving soon. Xiao Chen, do your best. Never mind the top ten. It"ll be remarkable enough a feat to make the top twenty."
Xiao Chen nodded and said nothing. After contemplating for some time, he asked, "When was the Immortal"s Sword a.s.sembly established?"
"Some three thousand years ago. The large sects from the five main continents worked together to hold the a.s.sembly, with the Immortals" League acting as the host. In the beginning, it was held every other year. Then, it was held every thirty years. Currently, it"s held every ten years."
Xiao Chen said nothing as he digested this information. Why was the a.s.sembly held increasingly frequently?
"I heard the rewards for the top three are particularly generous this time around, attracting the attention of countless sects. That"s why this time around, there are more partic.i.p.ants than usual."
Xiao Chen nodded. For some reason, he was beginning to find this Immortal"s Sword a.s.sembly to be anything but simple. Regardless, he would do his best this time. It would do him good to meet those from the Fallen Immortals Sect.
Then, Fengxi and the rest got together and left. He didn"t know where they were heading. Yu Yifeng returned to his room and started meditating. With furrowed brows, Xiao Chen went back to his room. The Fallen Immortals Sect was very strange to him. He vowed that he would reach the Nascent Soul Realm within three months no matter what, so he could stand a chance against powerful opponents.
After lightning the candlelight, he fished out the Elixir King Scripture that Gui Xian gave him and pored over it. The scripture not only contained numerous methods to refine medicine, but also prescriptions for countless long-extinct magic potions.
"Evolution of Tao Pills, low-grade. Cultivators who consume this pill will temporarily experience heightened sensitivity to Spiritual Qi, allowing their cultivation progress to speed up…"
Xiao Chen mulled over the entry of the Evolution of Tao Pills and committed the making process and all the ingredients listed in the prescription to memory. He continued until it was near midnight, when a burst of cold wind infiltrated his room through the window and caused the candle flame inside to flicker.
"Who is it?!"
Xiao Chen yelled in a low voice, unleashing his Unsullied Sword at the same time. The sword transformed into a white light and charged out of the window.
"Ah, Handsome Brother! It"s me! Are you going to kill me?" A hushed teenage girl"s voice came from outside the window.
Xiao Chen"s figure went out of focus and in the next moment, he was outside the house. Under the moonlight, a red-clothed girl was standing behind a flowering tree in the courtyard. The Unsullied Sword hovered in mid-air as it emitted a flickering cold radiance at the tip of its blade. It stopped a mere inch away from her mid-brows.
"What are you doing here?"
Frowning, Xiao Chen immediately recognized her to be the girl from the Devil"s Practice, Yu Linglong.
"Sob… Handsome Brother, don"t be so fierce. I heard they captured you and came here out of fear for your safety."
"Whether I"m in trouble or near death, both have nothing to do with you!" Xiao Chen flicked his sleeves coldly, retrieving his Unsullied Sword.
Yu Linglong sighed in relief. She took a few steps forward with a grin. "But…"
"No "buts"! Good and evil cannot travel down the same path. If I see you again, I promise I won"t show you any mercy. Leave now!" Xiao Chen flicked his sleeve, sending a sword flying at her.
Under the moonlight, the cold radiance coming from the Unsullied Sword flickered. It looked both emotionless and ruthless.
Yu Linglong stopped in her tracks. Pouting, she said quietly, "Handsome Brother, do you hate seeing me that much…?"
Right then, Yu Yifeng"s voice came from another house. "Junior Brother Xiao, why aren"t you asleep at this hour?"
Xiao Chen frowned. He glared at Yu Linglong, earning him a scoff from her. With a leap, she disappeared amidst the hazy moonlight.
"I"m just taking a walk since I can"t sleep. Brother Yifeng, please rest early," Xiao Chen said, staring in the direction where Yu Linglong disappeared in. His heart suddenly ached, reminding him of Hua Weiyang.
If he hadn"t met her then, perhaps… There was no perhaps. He didn"t regret his decision.
After a long time, a quiet sigh came from Yu Yifeng"s room.