Chapter 90
Chapter 90: Meeting an Old Friend
The Spirit Cultivation Assembly was held once every ten years. Hosted by the Immortal Alliance, it was both a trial and a stage—countless disciples had risen to fame here, their names carried back to the sects on the wind of rumor.
Every Assembly was also a mirror. How well had the great sects trained their young? The results were laid out in plain sight.
Take Ning Yan Zhi, for example. When he first entered, he had only been at the Foundation Establishment Stage, yet he still placed in the top five. Even then, people were already predicting he would become the next sect master of the Cinnabar Cloud Palace.
This time, the Limitless Sect’s strongest disciple was without question Ying Shao Guang. Before they set out, Yang Xiang Tian summoned him specifically.
Ying Shao Guang leaned back in his chair, fan tapping against his palm, impatience plain on his face. “Got it, got it. If I run into Ning Yan Zhi, I’ll beat him.”
For the past few days, it seemed everyone who saw him opened their mouth and poured out the same name. And every time Ying Shao Guang remembered what had happened in Flowing Moon City, irritation burned in his chest.
What was so great about that man, anyway? In person, Ning Yan Zhi hadn’t seemed half as impressive. Ying Shao Guang couldn’t understand where all that reputation came from.
Yang Xiang Tian’s lip curled. “Who told you to beat him?”
Ying Shao Guang blinked. “Then what do you want me to do, Master?”
“Listen to me.” Yang Xiang Tian’s voice went cold. “They wag their tongues as if it’s simple, and you’re the one expected to do the work. Don’t let them push you around.”
He continued, each word sharpening. “Do what you need to do. If you lose this round, does that mean the Limitless Sect has no face left? The Upper Three Sects’ reputation isn’t upheld by Divine Transformation Stage or Nascent Soul Stage cultivators—but by a single Golden Core Stage disciple? And they have the nerve.”
Ying Shao Guang’s brows lifted. If anything, he felt even more unwilling to accept it. “Master, it’s not like I’m guaranteed to lose.”
“If you can win, good. If you lose, it’s nothing.” Yang Xiang Tian waved it away. “Ning Yan Zhi has the Innate Sword Bone. He started with an advantage. As long as you keep moving forward, you won’t necessarily end up beneath him.”
That finally settled Ying Shao Guang’s temper. “Yes. Your disciple understands.”
Yang Xiang Tian’s expression darkened again. “Also—keep a close eye on the Young Sect Master. If Martial Great-Uncle Hua dares to let him show his face, then in these five years, he must have forged something real.”
Ying Shao Guang hesitated, then asked the question he’d been swallowing for days. “Master… I heard Senior Sister Qiu is joining too. What is the sect master thinking, exactly?”
“What else could it be?” Yang Xiang Tian snorted. “Everyone’s curious about the Young Sect Master.”
His gaze sharpened. “If there’s any conflict between them, stay out of it as much as you can.”
“Got it.”
Similar conversations played out across the sect, and beyond it. Word had already drifted into other gates and halls, carried from mouth to mouth like a spark that refused to die.
Young Sect Master Ling had been hidden within the sect since birth. Now he was appearing in public. Was the Limitless Sect truly about to change?
Meanwhile, Ling Bu Fei lived as if nothing could touch him. He ate well, slept well, practiced his sword when he should, played when he wanted. When the day came, he boarded the flying boat with Bai Meng Jin and Bai Li Xu.
The sect treated this Spirit Cultivation Assembly as a matter of face and fate alike. Sect Master Ling Yun Gao personally led the team.
On the deck, Ling Bu Fei paced, head turning from side to side as if he expected someone to leap out of the clouds and intercept them. After the fifth lap, Bai Li Xu finally asked, “Young Sect Master, what are you looking for?”
“We’re about to leave,” Ling Bu Fei muttered. “Why hasn’t Martial Great-Uncle sent someone with a message? Is she really that relaxed about it?”
Bai Li Xu laughed. “Isn’t that a good thing? Martial Great-Uncle knows exactly what we can do. How could she not know our strength? Besides, the Grandmaster is coming with us too.”
Ling Bu Fei thought about it—and, for once, found himself unable to argue. He could finally stop making other people worry for him. The realization left a small, stubborn satisfaction in his chest.
After a full day of travel, the flying boat finally arrived at Purple Cloud Palace.
It lay near the Ming River and served as the Immortal Alliance’s temporary seat. Cultivators from the great sects who rotated through the Ming River’s guard often rested here, and when the Limitless Sect’s boat touched down, the palace grounds were already crowded with disciples and elders coming and going.
The moment Bai Meng Jin stepped off the boat, a bright voice rang out. “Junior Sister Bai!”
She turned.
A young woman sprinted straight at her and collided into her arms, wrapping her in a fierce hug as if she feared Bai Meng Jin would vanish again the moment she blinked. “Ahhh! I knew you’d come!”
Bai Meng Jin smiled and returned the embrace. “Senior Sister Yue.”
Yue Yun Qiao.
They hadn’t seen each other in years. She had grown into a proper young lady, but that familiar temper—bold, direct, loud with joy—hadn’t changed at all.
Behind her, Huo Chong Xiao strolled over at an unhurried pace. “Slow down,” he called. “You’re going to scare someone.”
Yue Yun Qiao finally released Bai Meng Jin, still grinning. Bai Meng Jin nodded politely to him. “Young Master Huo.”
Huo Chong Xiao smiled back. “Miss Bai. Now that you’ve entered an immortal sect, even if we aren’t from the same one, we’re still fellow daoists. No need to be so formal.” His gaze flicked to Yue Yun Qiao, amused. “I’ll follow my junior sister and call you ‘Junior Sister’ too. In return, you can call me ‘Senior Brother,’ the way she does. How about it?”
Between friendly sects, such addressing was common enough. Bai Meng Jin accepted easily. “Sure. Senior Brother Huo.”
From the side, Ling Bu Fei’s voice drifted in, lazy but unmistakably pointed. “Meng Jin, that’s your friend. Aren’t you going to introduce us?”
He rarely called her by name. The sudden familiarity made Bai Meng Jin laugh, and she turned, introducing everyone in turn.
Huo Chong Xiao’s smile faded into proper solemnity as he faced Ling Bu Fei. He lifted his hands in a formal salute. “So you’re Young Sect Master Ling. I’ve heard much about you.”
Ling Bu Fei returned the salute with equal seriousness. “Senior Brother Huo, your name is just as famous to me.”
They were courteous enough, but a voice cut in from the other side, sharp with a hint of sourness. “Oh? Isn’t this Young Sect Master Ling?”
Bai Meng Jin turned.
Ji Xing Ge stood there with her arms folded, chin lifted. “It’s only been a few years. You’ve really changed.”
In five years, everyone had moved forward.
Yue Yun Qiao had reached the Foundation Establishment Stage. Huo Chong Xiao was at the Golden Core Stage. And Ji Xing Ge—her aura was steady, her core newly formed but already firm.
Ling Bu Fei looked her over, eyes widening. “Ji Xing Ge, you actually reached the Golden Core Stage?”
Ji Xing Ge’s eyes snapped. “What do you mean, ‘actually’?”
Ling Bu Fei’s mouth curved. He knew exactly what he was doing.
Ji Xing Ge continued, voice rising. “Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to form a core? And you—your illness is really cured?”
Under normal circumstances, it would have taken her a few more years. But back then, those two had angered her so thoroughly she’d returned home and trained until she forgot what sleep tasted like. She had formed her core just in time for the Spirit Cultivation Assembly.
Hmph.
Wasn’t it just the position of the Young Sect Master’s Wife?
So what if she really became it? She might end up sidelined and left with nothing.
When she became the Valley Master of Perching Phoenix Valley, she could choose whatever handsome man she pleased. Wouldn’t that be far more satisfying than being bound to some mere Young Sect Master’s household?
“You tell me,” Ling Bu Fei said with a laugh. “It’s not too late to come beg for my help.”
“Pah!” Ji Xing Ge snorted. “You should be the one begging me. If we run into danger, maybe I’ll even pull you out.”
They traded jabs like they always had. Then Ji Xing Ge’s attention shifted to Bai Meng Jin.
Her cultivation was high enough now to read Bai Meng Jin’s aura clearly. After a moment, she nodded, unexpectedly approving. “Even if your cultivation came by luck, your foundation is solid. And you’re one of a kind when it comes to controlling devil qi.” Her gaze sharpened, practical. “When the Spirit Cultivation Assembly starts, want to watch each other’s backs?”
The Ji family’s signature art, Samadhi True Fire, was a natural bane to anything sinister. Fighting alongside Ji Xing Ge would only help.
Bai Meng Jin smiled. “Sure. With Miss Ji looking out for me, I’d be lucky.”
Ji Xing Ge’s expression brightened at the flattery, and she nodded decisively. “Then it’s settled. If we run into each other, we help each other out.”
Then she flicked her gaze to Ling Bu Fei and spoke as if he weren’t even there. “You’re much more pleasant than that guy. Why don’t you come back to Perching Phoenix Valley with me? Being the Limitless Sect’s Young Sect Master’s Wife isn’t that interesting. You might not even get any real power.”
Ling Bu Fei rolled his eyes so hard they nearly went skyward. “Ji, do you even have a conscience? Who was it that kept pestering me back then to take you as the Young Sect Master’s Wife?”