ARLQLCC chapter 18

 

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. With the defensive incantation Su Ji had taught him, the teleportation array remained safe and sound during this period.

Although another loud spiritual energy explosion was heard on the second night, the caster’s cultivation level was not high enough. After several attempts and realizing they could not break the barrier, they did not attack the array again during the following days.

It also reduced Yun Xicheng’s workload.

Linggu Mountain was located at the center of the major sects and was practically a necessary stop for visitors from all directions. On the day before the Sword Trial Tournament, Su Ji could clearly sense that more and more spiritual energy auras were flying past around Linggu Mountain.

Although the Sword Trial Tournament would not officially begin until the next day, the teleportation array would also be closed on that day, so Su Ji needed to head to Yunxian Sect a day in advance.

Su Ji successively closed the teleportation entrances between Linggu Mountain and the other sects. As the son of the sect master, Yun Xicheng had been called away by the elders to receive guests and could not come to meet him, so he sent Yun Che and the others to wait at the teleportation array.

Su Ji packed a storage artifact full of all kinds of ingredients and daily necessities, tucked the kitten into his arms, and stepped into the teleportation array.

The light before his eyes shifted, and in the blink of an eye, he arrived at Yunxian Sect from Linggu Mountain.

Su Ji had come here once when he was very young with his master, but he had been too little at the time. He only remembered his master placing him on his shoulders and giving him a piggyback ride all the way to Yunxian Sect’s martial arena.

Now time had changed and the seasons had turned. Compared to back then, Yunxian Sect was even more grand and magnificent. According to Yun Xicheng, the martial arena had also been renovated. Everything was now far different from his memories.

Within Yunxian Sect, mountain peaks towered high and layers of ridges stretched endlessly. Disciples wrapped in spiritual energy of various colors constantly flew through the sky on swords, and an endless stream of flying artifacts used for travel descended onto the vast sword practice grounds not far away.

Stepping out of the teleportation array, Su Ji looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar scenery before him, and a trace of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.

If Master were still here…

He closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, the faint sadness in his gaze had already been hidden.

At the end of the dining hall plaza, Yun Che was waving enthusiastically, with Yue He and Yan Shao running and jumping beside him. A smile curved at Su Ji’s lips. He raised his hand and waved back, then quickened his pace.

Chu Zhaoye lay in his arms, taking in every change in Su Ji’s expression.

Although the smile on Su Ji’s face now did not seem fake, anyone who had seen the look in his eyes just now would have felt their heart tighten.

Had Su Ji come to Yunxian Sect before?

Who was he reminiscing about?

Only now did Chu Zhaoye realize that although he and Su Ji were now very close, he knew nothing about Su Ji’s past.

At this moment, he felt grateful that he was not just a cat with nothing but a cute appearance.

The Demon King was born from heaven and earth, with a lifespan equal to that of the heavens. In the future, he would have endless time to spend together with Su Ji.

…

After successfully picking up Su Ji, Yun Che sent a message to Yun Xicheng, who was still miserably entertaining guests. After getting a reply, he began introducing the various buildings of the sect.

The first thing he pointed to was the enormous building beside the teleportation array. “This is our sect’s dining hall. When it was first built, activities with large crowds like the Sword Trial Tournament were specifically taken into consideration, so an especially spacious area was set aside. It can accommodate ten thousand people at once!”

Looking at the giant dining hall, many times larger than the cafeteria at Linggu Mountain, Su Ji could not help but sigh. “Yunxian Sect is truly wealthy. This place feels larger than all of Linggu Mountain.”

Yue He curled her lips at the side. “What’s the use of having a big place? The most important thing about a dining hall is eating. If the food isn’t good, no matter how grand the place is, it’s just gilding the lily.”

Yun Che added, “Unfortunately, that money wasn’t spent in the right place. They hired Chef Lin, who’s decked out in gold and silver.”

Yan Shao asked from the side, “Chef Su, are you really going to eat at our dining hall?”

Su Ji nodded. “Since I’m already here, after watching the opening ceremony of the Sword Trial Tournament tomorrow, I’ll come eat together with the other disciples.”

The three exchanged glances and lamented, “All right then, we’ll risk our lives to accompany you!”

Su Ji was amused. “Don’t worry. I brought plenty of ingredients. I’ll make rice noodles for you tonight.”

Chatting as they walked, they soon arrived at the courtyard Yan Shao had mentioned.

The disciples they met along the way were all hurrying about, busy preparing for the Sword Trial Tournament. Yan Shao and Yue He still had duties to attend to, so only Yun Che, the sect master’s nephew who had nothing much to do, accompanied Su Ji into the courtyard.

Yun Xicheng and the others had kept their word. The previously vacant room had already been cleaned spotless. A camphor tree grew in the courtyard, its lush branches blocking out the glaring sunlight. Beneath the tree stood a stone table, pleasantly cool in the shade.

Su Ji was very satisfied with this courtyard.

He made some pastries and drinks. Since Yun Che had nothing to do, the two of them sat on the stone stools and chatted leisurely.

As they talked, the topic naturally turned to the Sword Trial Tournament.

The Sword Trial Tournament had been held for many years, with disciples of the younger generation from every sect coming to compete.

For cultivators at the Foundation Establishment realm and above, their cultivation age could not exceed five hundred years, and their cultivation level had to be below the Mahayana realm. Other than these two conditions, any disciple could participate.

Since everyone’s levels and realms were different, cultivators of the same major realm would compete against one another. They would go up in pairs, and the winners would continue rotating until the first-place winner of each major realm was selected.

There would be one champion in each of the four major realms: Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Soul Transformation. The rewards for the top three in each realm were also different.

But everyone knew that as the famous Sword Trial Tournament of the cultivation world, even the rewards for the Foundation Establishment realm were treasures worth a fortune and hard to obtain.

Whether to make a name for themselves or to win magical treasures, disciples from every sect would go all out and use every trick they had.

In addition to disciples from large and small sects, independent cultivators with no sect affiliation could also register. After their cultivation level was tested, they would compete alongside the disciples from the sects.

Every Sword Trial Tournament saw many independent cultivators become famous overnight. Some became guest elders of the four major sects, while others were directly recruited into the sects.

In short, the Sword Trial Tournament was an opportunity no young cultivator could afford to miss.

As the only son of the Yunxian Sect Master, Yun Xicheng naturally had to participate. He was already at the peak of the Golden Core stage and possessed countless magical artifacts. Although he had yet to form his Nascent Soul, he was at the perfect point in his cultivation. Below the Nascent Soul realm, very few people could match his spiritual power.

As one of the favorites to win the Golden Core division this year, Yun Xicheng had been training hard these past few days, hoping to present his father with a first-place title before he emerged from seclusion and bring him some glory.

Yun Che was also currently at the Golden Core realm. He had been stuck at the bottleneck of the middle stage for a long time, but there were still no signs of a breakthrough.

By participating in the Sword Trial Tournament this time, besides wanting to see whether he could win a high ranking, he was even more interested in finding a way to break through while fighting disciples from different sects.

As a sect disciple, he did not have the same extensive practical combat ability as independent cultivators. Having the opportunity to spar with opponents of the same level was indeed extremely rare.

After listening to Yun Che’s explanation, Su Ji thought for a moment and asked, “In this year’s Golden Core competition, how many participants are there in total from all the sects? Has it been counted?”

Yun Che replied, “There are 2,824 Golden Core cultivators in total. Those in the early Golden Core realm make up the largest number, accounting for nearly half.”

Su Ji asked curiously, “In that case, if you’re lucky and keep drawing early Golden Core disciples, wouldn’t the early rounds be smooth sailing?”

Yun Che gave a bitter smile. “That may be true, but the odds are still fifty-fifty. If your luck is bad and your first match is against someone one minor realm higher than you, then it’s over immediately.”

Su Ji nodded. “That’s true. After all, luck is also part of strength. If fortune is on your side and you can make it into the top ten without lifting a finger, that would be the best outcome.”

Yun Che said, “The rules have been relaxed a bit this year. In previous years, only the top three received rewards. This year more slots were added, and even the top ten will receive prizes. The competition will probably become even fiercer.”

“All four of you are Golden Core cultivators. Do you know who has the highest chance of winning among the Golden Core disciples this year?”

Yun Che laughed. “You really asked the right person. Yesterday in class, an elder specifically introduced us to the most outstanding disciples from the major sects in recent years.”

As he spoke, he began counting on his fingers. Every time he mentioned a name, he also listed the person’s natal sword and primary cultivation technique.

It was not until he mentioned one of the favorites to win the Soul Transformation division—Xie Yao from the Kunlun Divine Palace, the number one sect in the cultivation world—that Su Ji’s expression changed slightly.

The change was extremely subtle. Even Yun Che, who was sitting right in front of him, did not notice.

But Chu Zhaoye, who had been watching Su Ji all along, caught that fleeting emotion.

He gloomily flexed his claws, thinking that ever since they arrived at Yunxian Sect, Su Ji’s old acquaintances had appeared one after another, giving him an inexplicable sense of crisis.

Yun Che continued, “The elder especially emphasized this Xie Yao. But even without his introduction, we all know at least a little about him. After all, he took only three hundred years to break through from Nascent Soul to Soul Transformation. It would be hard not to know.”

Su Ji was very certain of this. Xie Yao was indeed a genius rarely seen in the immortal sects in a hundred years. Unless a dark horse emerged this time, he would undoubtedly be unrivaled in the Soul Transformation division.

Although Xie Yao was still only at the early Soul Transformation realm, cultivators under five hundred years old who had reached Soul Transformation were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Most people remained stuck at the Golden Core realm for their entire lives, unable to break through until their lifespan ran out.

Based on past experience, the Soul Transformation participants in this tournament would probably all be lingering in the early stage. The only difference would be their ages.

And Xie Yao was undoubtedly the youngest Soul Transformation cultivator among them.

Resting his chin on his hand, Su Ji absentmindedly stroked the kitten’s fur. “It seems that this year’s first place in the Soul Transformation division will definitely belong to Xie Yao.”

Yun Che said, “Exactly. I heard he has already touched the bottleneck of the middle Soul Transformation stage. If he breaks through during the competition, he’ll crush everyone outright.”

Then he asked curiously, “Chef Su, although you’re an independent cultivator, you can also register for the Sword Trial Tournament. The rewards for the top ten are all excellent!”

Hearing this, Su Ji smiled and shook his head, politely declining. “My cultivation level isn’t high. Even if I participated, I’d only be there to make up the numbers, so I won’t join in. It’s nice enough just to watch as a spectator.”

Seeing him say this, Yun Che expressed his understanding.

Since Su Ji said his cultivation level was not high, yet they were unable to detect it, he was probably concealing it with some magical artifact.

Yun Che guessed that Su Ji was about the same age as Yun Xicheng. At that age, having Golden Core cultivation was already very impressive. Yet Su Ji had avoided mentioning his actual realm, so his cultivation was probably still at the Foundation Establishment realm.

Yun Che was deeply convinced by his own conclusion.

 

Author’s Note:

Yun Che: He’s probably at Foundation Establishment. I won’t ask, in case I hurt Chef Su’s self-esteem.

Su Ji: (smiles)

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