Chapter 15: A Man of Virtue

The cold wind surged through the gaps between the trees, swaying strands of vivid green amidst the white waves. Snowflakes spun in the wind, drifting lazily down as their crisp, sandy sound added a touch of liveliness to the serene silence.

Beneath a quiet cedar tree, two figures moved one after another.

Qian Chongxue used the sword sheath to part the snow, his eyes carefully scanning the surroundings and the ground beneath his feet. His thin outer robe fluttered in the breeze.

His slender frame shivered involuntarily, followed by a sneeze.

He possessed a wooden spiritual root and was especially vulnerable to prolonged exposure in the ice and snow.

Although he had prepared, he had not anticipated this year’s realm challenge being set in a frozen forest.

He glanced at his universe pouch, which contained at least thirty spiritual plants and a few inner cores of strange beasts.

He usually refrained from killing beasts, but when they charged and bit him, he could not just let them do so.

Thus, the pouch also held a few ice-elemental inner cores.

“Senior Brother, it’s a good thing I came along. I told you, there’s no scent I can’t detect. This time, we managed to save face for our Master. As disciples of the Sect Leader, we’re always overshadowed by Danbo Peak. What’s that about?” Dongfang Cheng complained, waving his fingers in the air, “Brr,” shivering from the cold while searching for spiritual plants.

With a day and a half left, they couldn’t afford to lose face in front of their Master.

Qian Chongxue scolded him gently, “Junior Brother, your mindset is wrong. We are all disciples of Dingkun Sect. We should compete, yes, but fellowship comes first.”

Dongfang Cheng snorted, “Senior Brother, we treat Danbo Peak as fellow disciples, but they don’t necessarily see us that way. They act high and mighty. When we spar, there’s always bias. Last time, Jun Muzhi got into a fight just because an inner disciple muttered something about a junior sister from Danbo Peak. He’s still bedridden now.”

“If you complain to me, that’s fine, but you must not say such things in front of others. It makes things difficult for our Master and harms your own reputation,” Qian Chongxue frowned.

“Of course not. I’m not like those fools from Ningjing Peak; I know how to keep my mouth shut,” Dongfang Cheng assured, pointing at his lips as a promise.

A gust of wind swept by, snatching their universe pouch filled with spiritual plants and beast cores, then hovered nearby, swirling snowflakes assaulting Dongfang Cheng from all directions.

Thanks to the contract’s blessing, the spiritual energy from Wen Jue and the fox could be redirected to Lingxi.

Wen Jue’s damaged dantian was like a leaking balloon, but he absorbed the world’s spiritual energy much faster than Lingxi.

This greatly increased the spiritual energy Lingxi could use, no longer limited to her own dantian. The operation speed of “Nether Shore” surged, making it easier to retrieve the universe pouch.

Lingxi touched her chin and used the method Wen Jue taught her, communicating with his divine consciousness through the bond of the red thread.

“Senior Brother, why don’t you study these two as well? There might be different findings,” she suggested.

“I had planned to let them go just like you, but now I think it’s better to study them,” Wen Jue said with a grinding tone.

The swirling wind stirred the snow on the ground, wobbling as it charged toward Dongfang Cheng.

Qian Chongxue, ignoring the universe pouch being swept away, grabbed Dongfang Cheng’s wrist and gently pulled him back, stepping in front of him.

*Shing*—

A slender sword was drawn from its sheath, veiled in mist, the sound of a waterfall carving stone resonated from the blade’s tip.

Qian Chongxue’s gentle smile vanished. His jet-black eyes glared ahead, his fingers gripping the hilt tightly. Pressure erupted from him, his cultivation rapidly rising; the sword tip trembled, ready to strike at any moment.

“Who are you?!” he demanded.

Lingxi’s smile stiffened slightly. She exchanged a glance with Wen Jue, then revealed her true form.

As expected of the Sect’s Senior Brother, his aura was even more imposing than Chu Xinghe’s.

Though seemingly at the same realm as Chu Xinghe, his spiritual energy circulated faster and his cultivation was steadier. If the two fought, he would clearly have the upper hand.

Lingxi regretted not running away after grabbing the items earlier.

“Hey, Senior Brother. It’s me~ Long time no see, I’ve missed you~” she said playfully.

Seeing Lingxi clad in light green disciple robes with seven silver bamboo leaves reflecting white light on her collar, Chu Xinghe’s grip on his sword loosened slightly, though he remained cautious.

He didn’t recall such a mischievous little girl among his direct disciples. She bore some resemblance to the sickly beauty from Ningjing Peak, but her eyes were clearer, sparkling like stars with laughter.

A pair of butterfly ornaments on her head fluttered gently, alive-like, made from a material both silver and crystalline, of exquisite quality.

Putting aside the material, the craftsmanship alone was beyond what most artificers within Qingchuan could produce.

His memory was sharp; if such a pretty little girl were among his direct disciples, one glance would be enough to remember her forever. It was impossible not to recognize her.

“May I know your master, young lady? Why did you snatch the universe pouches from me and my junior brother without reason?” he asked.

Lingxi was surprised he could still speak to her calmly. Such temperament was commendable—she gave him a longer look.

Not far behind a cedar tree, Wen Jue straightened his clothes and, after confirming no bloodstains, lifted the crystal piece over his right eye and stepped out, nodding to the Sect’s Senior Brother.

He feared that if he didn’t appear soon, Dongfang Cheng behind Qian Chongxue might make a sneaky move.

Hurting Lingxi would be minor, but getting scolded on the way back would be much worse.

“Ahem, Senior Brother, allow me to introduce you. This is my junior sister, Lingxi,” Qian Chongxue said, his eyes trembling slightly before sheathing his sword and smiling warmly.

“Apologies. Outside the secret realm, my junior brother and I were busy setting up the scene and didn’t notice Master Luo’s junior disciple. I’m sure you understand,” he added.

He couldn’t be blamed. Lingxi’s current appearance was a far cry from the dusty, whirlwind-like special disciple he remembered—she seemed entirely transformed.

Lingxi clicked her tongue, rolling her eyes, “Fair enough. I overheard you complaining about my Senior Brother, so I took your universe pouches.

We’re fellow disciples; I won’t make things difficult for him. If Senior Brother can catch me within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, I’ll kneel and return your pouches with both hands.

If he can’t catch me, I get to pick any spiritual plants or beast cores from your pouches.”

Dongfang Cheng reached out to grab the pouch, then withdrew his hand with a smile. “We don’t just want our pouches back; we want half your spiritual plants too.”

Some people just sought trouble, and he wouldn’t let it go.

Though not as calculating as other peaks’ direct disciples, he wouldn’t tolerate Danbo Peak’s incompetents bullying him. As a senior brother, he didn’t mind teaching them a lesson.

Lingxi nodded in full agreement.

She was scavenging openly now and needed an excuse to take others’ belongings, to avoid gossip and trouble for Luo Chen.

“I disagree. This junior sister’s cultivation is lower than ours; she can’t outrun me. How about we change the rules?” Qian Chongxue shot Dongfang Cheng a sideways glance, subtly hinting Lingxi hadn’t opened her spiritual awareness yet.

The junior sister was a bit mischievous. As the Sect’s Senior Brother, he should discipline her but not blatantly take advantage.

“I will suppress my cultivation, and we shall duel to the point of a touch. If I’m lucky enough to win, I hope the junior sister will return the universe pouches.”

What a gentleman.

Not at all like the lenient Sect Leader.