442 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

Chapter 442: Unrelated to Oneself Chu Wen mentioned he wanted to seek fortunes alone, then left without turning back. "He's always been like this since childhood, becomes introverted once sober, and it's only after drinking that he becomes more sociable," explained the two cultivators who accompanied Qi Yun from the Chu family. Yet, according to Qi Xiu's more cynical reasoning, it could simply be that Chu Wen felt embarrassed due to his previous misjudgment during the last trial. In the second trial, the whole environment changed drastically. The group found themselves in an endless desert, now as ordinary people unable to see through any illusions. A fierce wind stirred up a storm of yellow sand, obscuring vision far more than the setting of the previous trial. "Interesting..." An Siyuan felt the grains of sand brushing against his face and remarked, "It's been over a hundred years since I felt this way." "Cough, cough." As a cultivator, sand would never touch one's body. Over time, one almost forgets such sensations. Feeling a resonance, Qi Xiu wanted to express his thoughts but ended up with a mouthful of sand, nearly choking. Closing his mouth, the gritty sand vanished. Sometimes there was substance; sometimes there wasn't. In this illusion, matter was as fickle as one's imagination. Perhaps in the next moment, someone might seize the initiative, causing the whole world to transform again, ushering in the next trial. Chu Wen had already disappeared. After a brief discussion, the rest decided to stick together for now. The dual Chu alliance, plus Chu Qin, had become a tightly knit group bound by mutual trust. Only An Siyuan's position in this small circle seemed awkward, yet he appeared unaware, cheerfully and leisurely accompanying them, talking the most. "You guys will only end up as losers this way," he suddenly stated, having walked less than half a mile. "What do you mean by 'this way'? What's so wrong with it?" a slightly displeased Jindan cultivator from Qi Yun's Chu family retorted. "Just like this..." An Siyuan placed a hand above his eyebrows, exaggerating a searching gesture, deliberately mocking their cautious efforts to scrutinize every detail in the desert. "What are you looking for? Searching for trial clues, something unusual? Hoping to gain an edge like in the first trial, by reaching the stone monument first to seize the opportunity?" "Don't you want that?" Chu Wuying asked coldly, countering his criticism. "Heh, of course, I want it. But your approach is too 'attentive,' too full of 'craftsmanship.' If it's not the lower hand, what is it?" An Siyuan's sarcasm grew sharper, dismissing Qi Xiu and others' earnest efforts in the trial as simply showboating. "Trials are for building experience. With such a detached attitude, how are others supposed to gauge your strengths and weaknesses?" Qi Xiu retorted. He had more to say, "When understanding dawns, others will naturally know." The group trailed on amidst the arid heat, their privileged lifestyles challenged by nature's magnificence and cruelty as they trekked laboriously, maintaining a banter to buoy spirits. After trekking for most of the day, even Chu Wuying felt fatigued. An Siyuan, even more so, needed frequent rests, while Qi Xiu, having fortified his body twice and strengthened it with the hide of a snake and ape, endured the best. But none of this mattered, as they hadn’t yet seen the desert's end. Suddenly, a divine voice from the sky proclaimed another had claimed the second trial's reward. With the illusion world collapsing and dissipating, they awoke for the third time, now in a vast rainforest, everything around them wet and saturated. The five looked around at each other, feeling as if this trial had nothing to do with them; before they even realized the meanings of certain symbols, it was already over. The third trial was no different, only lasting longer this time. They wandered in the rainforest for five days, and when the heavenly voice announced Chu Wen's name from the Qi Yun sect, everyone's spirits lifted, feeling a shared pride. "Perhaps it's better to separate. Sitting around chatting won’t yield any revelations worth a damn." The fourth trial took place within a gorge. With Chu Wen's previous experience as a lesson, the cultivators from the Qi Yun Chu family exchanged a look with An Siyuan, decisively choosing to go their separate ways. "Alright then..." Qi Xiu agreed. After parting ways with the two from the Qi Yun Chu family, only he, Chu Wuying, and An Siyuan remained together. “It's like this; with so many people here, how could we possibly always have our turn...” An Siyuan shrugged, indicating that the others were too easily swayed by external factors, doubting their abilities as true cultivators. "And yet they reached Jindan, just like you. Where does this confidence come from?" Qi Xiu quietly mused, though he didn’t insist on separating. He was tempted to take the leap, but seeing Chu Wuying now lacking his innate stealth talent, sticking to shadows out of habit, he understood. An Siyuan wasn’t better off, soon complaining of fatigue like a pampered young lord. "Sigh! This space doesn’t even let us keep the last hint of spiritual power. One relies too much on talents, and the other ignores the physical body. Remember, the body is the raft that carries our souls on the path to the profound. Your current performance isn't up to the task. Once outside, learn some body refining techniques, so you won’t be helpless when faced with situations like today.” He scolded them, but since remedying the situation was futile now, they chose to stick close for mutual care. Fortunately, turned back into mortals, their bodies unfazed by hunger, the risk of starving in these natural illusions was negligible. And miraculously, after each transition between trial stages, their spirits and energy fully recovered, full of unknown wonders. “What do you think the ‘Great Turmoil’ prophesied by the Ancestor really implies?" With his energy flagging, An Siyuan couldn't keep silent and probed a new topic. Qi Xiu had pondered these words in the days past. The Nascent Soul Ancestor’s warning surely had its foundations, and if predicting a great disturbance brewing, it would stem from internal strife or external threats. Internally, Qi Xiu recognized a few potential hazards at the higher echelons. Firstly, the White Mountain’s turmoil. With the Ancestor fallen, the mountain’s leadership was uncertain, and if Buddhist sects sought the Nascent Soul’s reincarnation, conflict might arise. Though significant, such conflict wouldn't seem to escalate to the scale of a full-blown ‘great turmoil,’ yet it was closely tied to himself. Secondly, the matters of Da Zhou Academy, where conflicts between Gutian and Guli factions were so intense that even someone at his level caught glimpses. A ruling sect in power struggles challenging enough to erupt into wider conflicts could fit the ‘great turmoil.’ Yet, this too raised concerns. For Guizheng, a cultivator from Da Zhou Academy, there seemed no pressing need to raise each sect’s Jindan likelihood if assisting one faction alone. In such cases, they would selectively invite cultivators, like Tianli Sect in core philosophical unity with Da Zhou's Guli Sect, while Heifeng Valley purely clashed. Yet both set of sect members attended this time, suggesting otherwise. Third was Tianli Sect versus Heifeng Valley’s ‘righteous vs. evil’ conflict; the former strongly upheld moral virtues, the latter their notorious counter positions, with irreconcilable differences. However, considering they’d disputed for millennia without a decisive deadly clash, this chance also seemed slim. Beyond these, matters Qi Xiu was either unsure of, or lacked exposure to, eluded him as causes triggering a great disturbance. Externally… Da Zhou Academy dominated the cultivation world, under the righteous path's guidance, leaving demons, mythical creatures, and ancient forces suppressed.