Chapter 49 – Ascending the Mountain Luo Mingchuan’s performance in this match was more conspicuous than in the previous rounds, and because he had effortlessly won against Chu Huan, he did not receive any written challenges in the next few days.

Numerous spectating disciples who believed that they couldn’t last longer than a cup of tea under Chu Huan’s ‘Rising Tide of the Jade Sea’, naturally didn’t want to challenge Luo Mingchuan.

Many people determined that his strength was one level higher than Yin Biyue; hence, they were all waiting for him to challenge Yin Biyue, who was currently number one.

In the past, the Flower Picking Festival often had same-sect disciples challenge each other, considering the ranking competition was meant to be conducted independently.

However, as the days passed, all kinds of challenge fights had already been fought a dozen or more times, yet there was still no movement from Lake Qiu.

It was as if Luo Mingchuan had completely given up the right to challenge.

As a result, various speculations and arguments rang out. Some say that these two had deep affections and could not meet each other on the battlefield. This type of statement didn’t receive much approval, because during everyday cultivation practices, same-sect members often sparred with each other. It wasn’t a life-or-death situation, so how could it affect their affections?

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In comparison, another type of speculation was more widely accepted. On the day of the Great Heat1, in the southern side of the city’s fourteenth alley, someone saw these two leaning against each other, walking away.

The rumors after that were even more exaggerated, saying that Yin Biyue and Luo Mingchuan were not ordinary Shixiong and Shidi; they were to become dao companions in the future.

When Yin Biyue heard Duan Chongxuan deliver these stories, he nearly dropped his sword.

He calmed his breath and seriously said, “This matter must never be mentioned in front of Shixiong!”

Despite Chatterbox’s repeated promises, Yin Biyue still felt apprehensive.

Luo Mingchuan couldn’t already know, right?

When has a gentlemanly and principled person like Shixiong ever heard of these preposterous words! Shixiong will definitely be mad!

Maybe… he would even avoid me in order to avoid suspicions?

No! Yin Biyue, how could you measure the protagonist’s thoughts with a villain’s heart! Shixiong conducts himself magnanimously; why would he care about the gossip of others?

But… he was still afraid Shixiong would know… It was awkward to even think about it.

Yin Biyue eventually decided to firmly keep an eye on him! As long as he didn’t go to the center of the city, or enter noisy teahouses or pubs, then Shixiong would never know! The moment the Flower Picking Festival finishes, they would immediately return to Cang Ya! It wouldn’t take many days anyways!

The plan could be said to be perfect!

Luo Mingchuan noticed that Shidi had changed recently.

Beginning from the early mornings, there was a shadow that flitted past his window. It took a few steps in the courtyard, as if confirming whether he was there or not. As long he had the intent of going out, Shidi who was practicing his sword by the lake would immediately become nervous,

“Shixiong, where are you going?”

“Today is He-shimei’s ranking competition. I’m going to take a look.”

“I’ll go too. Let’s go together.”

Not only that, every time he came back from watching a fight, Shidi would drag him around the center of the city, detouring from any bustling roads. He always had an expression of inexplicable nervousness.

Luo Mingchuan didn’t know what Shidi was thinking, but he was very happy. Even if Shidi’s eyes when looking at him were still as clear as the lake water, without a trace of love, he was still happy.

However, Cang Ya’s disciples didn’t think this way.

They watched the relationship between the two get better as the days go on; Jiao didn’t leave Meng, and Meng didn’t leave Jiao2. They couldn’t wait for Yin Biyue grow to twenty years old overnight, so that the moment he returned to the sect, he would immediately perform coming-of-age ceremony, together with his marriage ceremony.

“It’s a pity Yin-shixiong has yet to reach adulthood. Luo-shixiong has a few years to wait.”

Nearly everyone said something along those lines.

According to the consensus of the cultivation world, premature marriage would cause yuanyang to leak, leading to unstable foundation in the future. Cultivators live a long life, and only when they were twenty years old and performed the coming-of-age ceremony held by their sect or relatives could they be considered officially an adult.

Yin Biyue simply couldn’t imagine that while he was being careful not to let Shixiong be disturbed by the gossip, He Yanyun over there already had the color of the marriage ceremony’s silk deviously decided.

On the third-to-last day of Flower Picking Festival, Duan Chongxuan received a letter of challenge from a Qing Lu Sword Sect disciple. In the end, although he was unable to use the ‘Feng Huo, Beckoning Fire’ again, he still defeated his opponent, securing his original position. Due to his recent redoubled diligence and combat appreciation, his cultivation had been improving by leaps and bounds than before leaving the mountain. His breath rose up step by step, and he seemed as if he would breakthrough soon.

On the last day, He Yanyun defeated the ninth place Xing Shan Temple disciple, successfully advancing into the top ten, and thus, could climb the mountain to pick a leaf. Ruan Xiaolian cried tears of joy and invited her to eat ten pieces of rice cake.

On the day that the Flower Picking Festival ended, it was the beginning of autumn.

It rained that night in Ye City, and the next day, the summer heat dissipated completely.

The wind that blew across the wine shops exuded freshness, and the lake near the long bluestone-paved roads released a chill, as if only the brilliance of the beaming sun remained, with no more of the aggravating temperatures.

At the end of summer and the start of autumn, the sky was high, and the clouds were mild. It was the perfect time to ascend the mountain.

On this day, the martial arena was entirely empty.

Disciples of each sect gathered thirty meters from Zhong Ming Mountain. Although there were many people, there were no whispers to be heard. The entire place was somber.

This place was even closer to the mountain than the arena. It was close enough to see the winding mountain road in the clouds and fog.

QingLu Sword Sect’s disciple infused core energy into his voice, spreading it far and wide, resonating through the fields, “Please allow the champion to climb the mountain and pick the flower—”

The crowd split open, allowing Yin Biyue through.

Under ten thousand eyes, he suddenly felt a bit nervous and subconsciously looked at the person beside him.

Luo Mingchuan subtly nodded his head.

Thereupon, Yin Biyue settled his heart, passing through the tide of people, his gaze unwavering, walking forward step by step.

In front of the mountain path entrance, four powerful elders stood on the stone steps.

One was the QingLu Sword Sect elder, one was the Jie Kong Temple monk, one was the middle-aged woman from Lian Jian Zong, and the last one was Yi City’s attendant. These four people were all a half step into the Greater Vessel Stage. As the elders with the highest seniority and representatives of the highest levels in this festival, they were to ‘open the mountain path’ for Yin Biyue.

The elder said sternly, “The road of cultivation is long. One must plow forward diligently and relentlessly. A day could not be wasted. Today, you climb the mountain to pick the flower; tomorrow, you will be one step toward the highest level of enlightenment. “

Truthfully, he believed that even if Yin Biyue was his junior, Yin Biyue’s temperament and innate talent were far better than his younger self. If there were no mishaps, there was a high possibility that in three hundred years, he would reach the stage of a saint.

He didn’t think he could teach the other party anything. But in front of the established customs, he had to say a few words of encouragement.

Yin Biyue bowed solemnly.

The elder took out a small, one-inch stone sword from his sleeves, “Inside is sealed this useless old man’s3 sword energy. Inject this with core energy to trigger it.”

Jie Kong Temple’s monk and Ye City’s attendant each respectively took out a string of buddhist beads and a mountain opening talisman.

They felt the same multitude of emotions. As expected, the Academy Director’s plans were well thought out. The era of resplendent stellaris in the cultivation world had arrived. The future of the world was going to be passed to the hands of these youths.

The middle-aged woman of Lian Jian Zong took out a wooden hairpin. Compared to the previous three offensive spiritual artifacts, this one was a rare defensive spiritual artifact. It automatically triggered when threatened and could block a full strike from a Greater Vessel or lower.

In her opinion, Yin Biyue’s talents were unsurpassed; he could transcend stages to fight. However, due to his naive personality and lack of worldly knowledge, he could easily meet someone who would plot against him in the future. A defensive spiritual artifact may be more practical for him. Because of Yin Biyue’s mercy towards Chen Yi, she had a good impression of this junior, and she inevitably cherished his talents.

Gifts bestowed by elders could not be declined. Yin Biyue bowed toward each person in gratitude and received them with both hands.

The four elders nodded their heads in acknowledgement and made way to the mountain path for all to pass.

Yin Biyue walked forward. The stone steps below his feet were worn down by the passage of time. The winding mountain paths were rugged, and the path ahead was covered in a misty fog.

He walked for a long time. A voice faintly came from behind him, “The mountain path has been opened. Please allow the nine victors to ascend the mountain and pick the leaves.”

Everyone at the foot of the mountain watched the back of the white-haired youth slowly shrinking, until it eventually melded with the fog and clouds, making him almost impossible to see.

The nine people who were placed in the top ten began to climb the mountain, paying their respect consecutively to the four elders beside the mountain path. Some would even hear their teachings and received gifts for ascending the mountain.

Gifts for ascending the mountain were just icing on the cake; it wasn’t a rule. Whether or not they were bestowed was the will of the elders.

Luo Mingchuan, as the second person to ascend the mountain, set foot onto the mountain path after bowing and walked forth faster and faster.

By the time the third person ascended up the mountain, his shadow was already nowhere to be seen. Even the people at the foot of the mountain only saw his figure for an instant, not knowing where he was amidst the clouds and fog.

Yin Biyue had already reached the end of the mountain path.

The two sides of the road no longer had the lush mountain forest, and the wind had an extra edge of the biting cold. The shrubs and moss also became sparse as the altitude increased. Even more so, because of the frigid climate, they were covered with frost, and occasionally a tall juniper sprouted among the desolate mountain cliffs.

The features of the mountain abruptly became steep with strange rugged stones. There were no longer any well-paved path, so he could only rely on himself to climb up.

He couldn’t help but wonder if there really would be a lake atop such a precipitous mountain?

Could a lotus flower really bloom in this kind of cold place?

At this moment, a familiar voice came from behind him.

“Shidi.”

He turned his head back and saw Luo Mingchuan standing underneath a pine tree, just like when he had stood on the Cang Ya Mountain with its vast clouds and mist.

Yin Biyue started to smile.

No matter what the path in front held in store, there would always be a person that walked beside him.

After nightfall, Ye City’s golden lights replaced the moon, astonishingly similar to YunYang City, ten thousand miles away in the Central Continent. The marketplaces were as similarly bustling as during the daytime, and the magnificent scene was the same regardless of day or night.

***********

The Academy Director was looking at the sky.

Even if the city lights were more splendid, they were incapable of disturbing the stars in his line of sight. In his eyes, there was nothing in the world more beautiful or more meaningful than the starry sky. For countless nights, stargazing was a form of enjoyment for him.

But today was different.

Tonight, he sat beside the stone table in the middle of the courtyard. The evening wind brushed across his scholarly cap and wide belt. He stared at the night sky, his face slightly pale.

In the distant heavens and universe far out of reach, two stars, equally bright, drew nearer and nearer to each other.

One star’s surface was burning, as if continuously spraying out flames. The black flames contained a boundless yet terrifying power. The other star was covered in ice and frost, yet there was a blue light that radiated out.

The brilliant lights intermingled. This scene looked extraordinarily beautiful.

But it shouldn’t be this way.

According to his calculations, when they were close to this degree, they would begin to repel one another, beginning to fight for glory, until one of them fell from the sky as a result.

The Academy Director softly brushed away his wide sleeve, and on the stone table appeared a circular array disk.

The texture of the material was like an aged sandalwood, yet it had the gentle gloss of a jade. On the array disk was carved with many criss-crossing lines, seemingly chaotic and without rules.

Underneath his fingertips, those lines started to interweave rapidly.

Although it had been many years since he needed to utilize the array disk for any calculations, his movements weren’t out of practice in the slightest.

As one of the few people who stood at the pinnacle of the world, he understood more of the rules of this world.

The entire starry sky was one entity. Every star’s orbit was not independent; a single movement will lead along the entire body. Only the stars’ energies were different, and their influences on the heavens also varied.

However, these two stars contained unimaginable energy. In other words, the changes within these two stars will lead the entire starry skies, the entire world to change.

The Academy Director’s eyes were extremely focused, and the movements of his hands went faster and faster. Yet there wasn’t any kind of calculations that gave him an answer.

The lines on the array disk changed at a speed that was invisible to the naked eye. In the eyes of normal people, they could only see a blur of white shadows.

The more he calculated, the more he was shocked. No, not possible. How could it be wrong; where did it go wrong?

His divine sense was consumed violently. In a breath, there were calculations, as countless as the sands of the Ganges River, that streaked across his mind.

Time passed minute by minute, second by second, and his calculations still continued.

This was a very dangerous state of mind, so much so that he had already sunk into a confused obstruction.

Gradually, he didn’t know what he was calculating, only that his fixation went deeper and deeper. Cold sweat soaked his entire body like rain, and his mental sea trembled ceaselessly by the intense pain. Yet he didn’t know how to stop, and there was no way for him to stop.

He watched the array disk, his eyes scarlet.

“Clang!”

A dagger pierced through the air, ruthlessly nailing itself onto the array disk!

The Academy Directly abruptly spurted out a mouthful of blood!

When he woke up, an endless lingering fear bubbled up. Just now, he had actually been trapped in the obstruction.

He stood on the original spot, stunned. He looked at the blood that polluted the broken array disk, unable to recover for a long time.

Afterward, he suddenly raised his eyes and saw that outside the courtyard wall, in the darkness of the night, a figure stood on the eaves of the Collections Library, his robe fluttering in the night wind.

With only a vague black shadow, he could still recognize this person.

He couldn’t help but recall that even if a single flower or a single leaf in the academy couldn’t hide from his eyes, this person could still come and go as he pleased.

He looked at the array disk again. It wasn’t a dagger at all, but only a piece of casually thrown, grey tile. However, it directly nailed through the middle of the ‘Change of Nature Disk’, destroying a spiritual artifact that could be ranked within the top ten of the world.

The scholar with his high cap and wide belt stood up, wiping the blood off the corners of his mouth. He lightly brushed away the hem of his robes, and the sorry state from before vanished in an instant.

He looked at the figure standing on the eaves and smiled.

“Long time no see, Wei Jingfeng.”

Tonight, the academy was as calm as ever.

The students in the dorms at the back were sleeping soundly. The faint yellow lights in the Night Library flickered in and out. On the slight chilly patio, there were people meditating. Wild cats in the small forest curled up on the fallen leaves as they softly whimpered.

No one knew a great figure had came to the academy.

But he came. The heavens and earth knew it! The bright moon knew it!

Thus, the stars retreated back, and the myriad splendor of the moon shone through Yun Yang City!

…

1) 大暑 (Great Heat): 12th of the 24 solar terms — between 23rd July to 6th August

2) 焦不离孟，孟不离焦 (Jiao didn’t leave Meng, and Meng didn’t leave Jiao): Jiao and Meng were two generals that were sworn brothers. This saying is a metaphor describing the strong and deep bond between two people.

3) 老朽 (this useless old man): It’s a modest way of an old person referring to themselves.