445 - A Sect Leader’s Ascension

Chapter 445: An Acquaintance's Deed Wang Huxi, a monk from Mingyang Mountain, had just achieved victory in the fifth trial. His face remained calm, with a subtle smile gracing his lips, as though he found something amusing. "An acquaintance's deed?" Every single one present, with over a century of life experience, immediately became cautious after a brief assessment. Consciously or unconsciously, everyone stepped back a little, wary of any monk nearby suddenly turning murderous. "His entire brain is gone. It could be some spirit or monster with a penchant for brains, or perhaps a demonic cultivator has infiltrated among us..." A monk from Heifeng Valley frowned as he spoke. "Hmph, or maybe it's some rogue outsider. You can never be too sure!" Another voice emerged from the crowd, the tone unmistakably belonging to a Confucian cultivator from Tianli Sect, known to be at odds with Heifeng Valley. "Who are you accusing?!" The Heifeng Valley monk shouted in anger. "I'm talking about you!" The Tianli Sect cultivator stood firm, "This is clearly the work of someone familiar. Yet you suggest something paranormal or demonic — do you have something to hide!?" "Bah! We're analyzing Fellow Daoist Wang's death, and you deliberately disrupt with baseless accusations. Maybe you're the one with something to hide!" "No, it's you!" "It's you!" As accusations flew back and forth, both sides quickly devolved into a heated argument. Now rendered as mere mortals, unable to use spells or treasures, they seemed ready to settle things like common street brawlers. The crowd hurriedly separated the two. "Stop arguing! The two of you... sigh!" A monk from the Dazhou Academy chastised them, managing to restore some order. Fortunately, his presence held enough authority; without him, no other monks could have subdued them. "The urgent matter now is to report this incident immediately to the Gui family in Jixia City." After speaking, the Dazhou Academy monk's gaze swept over the assembly. Only then did everyone remember that, during the trials, there was indeed no means to contact Jixia City. To report this, someone would have to break their wooden tablet, voluntarily exit the trial, and only then could they contact people from Jixia City. This, however, meant forfeiting their opportunity in the trials — who would volunteer for that? Nobody wanted to. Thus, the situation reached a stalemate. "Sigh!" The Dazhou Academy monk sighed deeply at the impasse but said nothing more, as he himself was unwilling to forfeit his opportunity. Some major sects held a rather indifferent stance towards Jixia City's trials. They often had access to their own top-tier trial grounds, on par with such opportunities. For example, the Qi Yun Sect casually distributed their trial spots among their peaks, as evidenced by Hejing getting two talismans for Xiyu and Yuhe. Other major sects behaved similarly, not bothering to hold internal selections. However, those monks who received these trial opportunities viewed them quite differently. Since they weren't chosen randomly, they treasured the chance and were reluctant to forgo it for the sake of anyone else's issues. Since the situation had reached a deadlock, everyone tacitly resumed discussing Wang Huxi's death. "Who was the first to discover the body?" Qi Xiu spoke up. Everyone immediately understood the implication, exchanged glances, until finally a monk from the Outer Seas stepped forward, "It was me." The monks standing by his side quickly distanced themselves, slightly encircling him as if afraid he might flee. "I raised the alarm immediately after discovering the body, and you still suspect me!?" The Outer Sea monk announced in anger upon seeing this. Nobody believed him. "Did anyone have a personal grudge against the deceased?" another monk asked. Again, the crowd exchanged glances. Many eyes fell on Qi Xiu, as the brief argument they had in the main hall earlier was remembered vividly by these Golden Core monks with impeccable memories. "Well... I had a slight past disagreement with Brother Wang," Qi Xiu admitted, having no other choice. His immediate vicinity cleared out, and he found himself encircled as well. "Brother Wang's storage bag and belongings were gone. We should search everyone's possessions!" someone suggested. The two unfortunate souls, one from the Outer Seas and one from Baishan, both originating from regions with less than stellar reputations, were soon deemed highly suspicious and unlikely to avoid scrutiny. A chorus of voices questioned them, and Qi Xiu answered everything. As for the matter regarding Si Ai, he maintained the confidentiality he'd promised the Gui family by omitting any mention of it. He accepted being searched as well, given that everyone's abilities were nullified, their storage bags inaccessible. After searching them in vain, with nothing incriminating found, people began accusing one another, leading to a chaotic round of mutual searches. The true suspect still unknown, and no evidence turning up, as confusion mounted, a monk arrived, hearing the commotion—a fellow disciple from Mingyang Mountain, Wang Huxi's peer. With his arrival, things simplified. He took charge of Wang Huxi's body, snapping his own wooden talisman. The surrounding heavenly energy rapidly dissipated, and he and the body vanished. The suspicions, accusations, and arguments continued among those who remained. In this turmoil, the voice from the sky sounded timely, "An Siyan from Qi Yun Sect, victorious in the sixth trial!" "What kind of luck does this brat have?" That was the sole thought Qi Xiu had before he fell unconscious. ... Yet the subsequent trials gradually took on a new intensity... Following Wang Huxi's body, news of killings emerged in the seventh and eighth trials as well. Qi Xiu knew none of the deceased, and they seemed unrelated to each other. Reports suggested only slight variations in the size and location of the holes left in their heads compared to Wang Huxi, but the method was virtually identical: their heads hollowed out. In the ninth trial, the illusion appeared as an endless broadleaf forest, the trees ancient and towering, year-round shielding the skies from view. With a gentle step on the thick blanket of fallen leaves, even the slightest sound of twigs snapping echoed in the tranquil forest. Qi Xiu furrowed his brow, cautiously leaning out from behind a tree. Jixia City's so-called 'scholarly trials' had devolved into something truly highlighting the difficulty of it all. A deadly specter haunted the trial grounds. Jixia City likely knew of these happenings, yet showed no apparent reaction, at least none Qi Xiu was aware of. This posed a significant dilemma: the trial participants were utterly defenseless in the face of these threats. And despite being surrounded by the forest, they couldn't use even a branch as a weapon, as they disappeared upon touch! What to do? Caution was all Qi Xiu had left — always prepared to snap his tablet and flee if needed. Were it not for his strong resolve against retreating in the face of hardship, potentially damaging to his cultivation path, he wouldn't have persisted thus far. Others likely shared his thinking; hence few opted to leave the trials, but everyone remained vigilant. If any noise hinted at someone's presence, mutual unspoken agreement dictated they part ways, avoiding hyper-suspicious encounters. "Could it be that Jixia City plans to trap all prospective Nascent Soul cultivators in one fell swoop?" Qi Xiu speculated maliciously. "I hope Wu Ying is safe..." He muttered to himself again. Trials never seemed to end well, and this time was no exception. Even the Chu Qin Sect's own Black River Peak trial ground wasn't spared from scandal, with the major case of Nangong Li's murder. "Am I naturally cursed when it comes to trials?" The more he pondered, the more complicated it felt. Under such circumstances, understanding nature or seeking opportunities became impossible. First, he had to ensure his survival! Thus, he cautiously advanced through the forest, wandering aimlessly, uncertain about what he sought. "How exactly did An Siyan and those others achieve victory? Could they have simply found something?" "Or did they truly gain some profound insight into the 'Grand Principle' in this wretched place?" "I don't even know where Wu Ying got transported to — please stay safe!" As he walked in solitude, myriad thoughts churned in his mind. Naturally, ever vigilant to the sounds around him, safety remained his top priority. Without the abilities of 'All Knowing Heavenly Eye' and 'Forewarned by Intuition,' he utterly lacked confidence. "I wonder how An Siyan, with his pampered physique, manages in this forest — needing rest after any amount of walking!" As these musings occupied him, he suddenly saw a figure leaning against a tree, clad in the robes of Qi Yun Sect — unmistakably An Siyan. "It must be him, with that height and lazy demeanor, it can't be anyone else." Qi Xiu smiled, approaching to confirm. It was indeed him, eyes closed and resting, a smile on his lips. "You lucky guy! Congratulations, congratulations." He said, tinged with envy, as he quickened his steps. Drawing nearer, closer still, Qi Xiu's expression grew increasingly grave. At last reaching him, Qi Xiu pressed his lips firmly, stifling the twitch at the corners of his mouth, his eyes blurred with tears — something he hadn't experienced in a long time. An Siyan was dead, another casualty in the string of unfortunate events. Leaning against the tree, his arms should have been folded across his chest, but they now dangled lifelessly. His head tilted upwards, eyes naturally closed, and like Wang Huxi, a smile played on his lips. Two small blood holes pierced through his temples, perfectly symmetrical. From the front, everything appeared normal, which is why Qi Xiu didn't notice at first. Standing in front of this fourth-generation leader of the Chu Qin Sect, memories flashed through his mind like lightning. One hundred and fifty years ago, at the age of eighteen, he was madly in love with An Hong'er and unwilling to bear the responsibilities of leadership. "Leader, I don't want to do it! I don't want to be a Qin family member either!" The words from back then still echoed in his ears. Qi Xiu remembered his own fury, wanting to rush forward and fight, only to be miserably subdued by An Qi. He also remembered coming back once before heading south, bringing back some leftover items and a red jade formation plate dismantled from the mountain-guarding array. The next meeting was many years later. An Hong'er had lost her youthful beauty, and he had moved on as well. All the past seemed fleeting and insignificant in the struggles of decades, like sand blown by the wind, unworthy of being remembered... He remembered how in the hearts of women like Min Niang, he had become a beautiful legend. He was not a good leader, not a good husband, nor a good father. But Qi Xiu felt he was not a bad person. He was someone who could be a friend. He shouldn't have died here, at a moment when he had just won a trial, was on the cusp of forming his Nascent Soul, at the height of his life. It wasn't fair. "Hoo!" Wiping away the tears in his eyes, Qi Xiu took a deep breath. After being in charge for a century, Qi Xiu’s nerves were rock solid. He didn't allow himself much time to indulge in emotions, quickly regaining his rationality. Now, he needed to find the killer of An Siyan. Unlike others, after spending days and nights in trials, he had come to know An Siyan quite well. Arms crossed, leaning lazily with a smile at the corner of his mouth—this was An Siyan's typical behavior when speaking with someone familiar. The murderer must have been someone he knew! And who had the greatest motive to kill An Siyan? "Yu He!" Qi Xiu gritted these words through his teeth. "He feared that An Siyan and I would expose the secret about the Invisible Crane if we got out, and with An Siyan dead, no one would trace the crane again." Deep down, Qi Xiu doubted it was Yu He, but his suspicion weighed heavily for now. If it turned out to be true, he felt utterly foolish. He regretted not simply plucking and roasting the Invisible Crane, rather than returning it to Yu He. Why bother attempting reconciliation? "I have to find Yu He, and I must be extremely cautious because I can't see or sense the Invisible Crane!" He told himself silently. (To be continued)