Forming a team

The Chronicles of the Nine Provinces recorded the great events that occurred in the world of cultivation.

The most sensational incident last month was none other than the emergence of the Immortal Jiuyi, head of Misty Mountain, who, upon leaving seclusion, engaged in a fierce battle on Furnace Mountain against the left and right guardians of the Underworld Sect. In that clash, he slew the Silver King outright, forcing the Purple Marquis to flee, badly wounded.

As one of the leading powers of the demonic path, the Underworld Sect had been expanding rapidly in recent years, to the point where it seemed poised to step into the open. Jiuyi Immortal’s bold intervention delivered a significant blow to their ambitions. Yet, no one could predict how the sect’s enigmatic master would respond.

Another notable event was the rise of a female disciple named Luo Yao from the Valley of the Three Absolutes, one of the Ten Great Sects. She displayed ruthless means, traversing the southern lands and, within a month, exterminated three notorious witchcraft sects.

The crux of the matter was that the Valley of the Three Absolutes itself owed its standing to its mastery of poison, curses, and witchcraft—occupying a place between good and evil. With Luo Yao's unyielding hatred for wickedness, one could only wonder if her fellow disciples trembled in fear.

Even the Mount Shu Sect earned a brief mention in this month’s Chronicles: Wang Xuanling, the Lord of Jade Sword Peak, recently slew a rampaging flood dragon that had been menacing fishermen in the East Sea.

Chuliang, upon reading this, suddenly felt uneasy. His master had long harbored enmity toward Wang Xuanling, and with her temperament, it was hard to imagine she would sit idly by while Wang Xuanling basked in glory.

He wasn’t worried for his master’s safety, but rather for the ecological balance of the East Sea…

As if the heavens sensed his concern, just as this thought crossed his mind, a blaze of light shot toward the southeast, accompanied by a voice on the wind: “I’ll be away for a few days. Take care of yourself!”

Chuliang fell silent.

Such is a master who strives to be the best.

Finally, there was the “Tales of the Martial World,” a section beloved by the masses.

Compared to the formal and serious Chronicles, the Tales were more for amusement, rife with gossip and intrigue.

The top story: His Majesty the Emperor of the Yu Dynasty had recently visited Shenglong Academy, intending to betroth his youngest daughter, Princess Jingyang, to Zhang Chen, the academy’s foremost disciple—only for Zhang Chen to refuse.

His reason: romantic entanglements would distract him from his studies.

Shenglong Academy was the leading Confucian institution, closely tied to the court and ranked among the Ten Great Sects. As its top disciple, Zhang Chen’s future had seemed assured, whether he chose cultivation or an official career. Now, with this refusal, his prospects had suddenly become uncertain.

The emperor was not the only father troubled by his daughter's marriage.

The fortress lord of Thunder Fortress, also one of the Ten Great Sects, announced he would offer ten priceless treasures as a dowry to recruit a worthy son-in-law for his only daughter, Huang Ling’er. Yet, not a single hero in the Nine Provinces dared to answer the call.

Of course, there was more to this than met the eye.

To marry into Thunder Fortress—even as a live-in son-in-law—would be a dream for any talented cultivator.

The real reason for their reluctance was the warning issued by Huang Ling’er herself: anyone wishing to marry her had better possess a higher cultivation than hers, or on the first day in the household, they’d end up as food for her dragon-toothed mammoth.

Among these various stories, Mount Shu made the list with but a single item.

It concerned the Fairy Jiang of Mount Shu, Jiang Yuebai, who had been seen dining with Feng Chaoyang of the Heavenly King Sect at the Drunken Moon Pavilion in Jiangnan—rumors suggested an ambiguous relationship.

Of course, the Observatory would never publish idle gossip; until the nature of their relationship was confirmed, they would only say “rumored.”

Still, this tidbit alone was enough to break the hearts of many devoted admirers.

…

“Impossible, absolutely impossible!”

“There’s no way our Jiangjiang would be snatched away by that rascal from the Heavenly King Sect!”

“Fairy Jiang! Please! Let your heart stay with Mount Shu!”

…

Now and then, cries of despair echoed across the vast white plaza before the Boundless Palace.

Occasionally, there were voices of dissent from female disciples.

“Just because you all adore Fairy Jiang doesn’t mean you should disparage Feng Chaoyang! He’s the ideal man: diligent and kind!”

“That’s right! He’s already the strongest contender for chief disciple of the Heavenly King Sect at nineteen. When will you sour lemons ever catch up?”

…

The joys and sorrows of people are never truly shared. To Chuliang, their quarrels were merely noisy.

He crossed the plaza with composure. The four halls of Mount Shu stood at its edges.

Apart from the Hall of Justice, which governed sect law, there was the Sword Transmission Hall for magical weapons, the Guardian Hall for supernatural arts, and the Pill Cauldron Hall for elixirs and talismans.

Each of these halls had items posted for sale, which disciples could purchase with sword tokens.

Having completed several tasks, Chuliang had accumulated twenty sword tokens. Though insufficient for magical weapons or ancient texts, they were enough to buy some elixirs to aid his cultivation.

He made his way to the Pill Cauldron Hall and purchased four “Spirit Gathering Pills” for the Spiritual Intent realm. With these elixirs, he was confident he could soon reach the mid-stage of Spiritual Intent.

Unlike other disciples, he could devote all his sword tokens to buying elixirs, which brought considerable benefits.

Leaving the Pill Cauldron Hall, he headed for the Sword Exchange Pavilion.

His demon-hunting tasks could not be neglected; with the White Tower in his possession, it was essential to make full use of it.

It wasn’t ideal to always trouble Elder Shen for task recommendations, so this time he decided to choose for himself. In the main hall, several jade boards hung high, their mission slips changing rapidly. Especially the one for the Spiritual Intent realm—it was packed with options, almost dizzying.

He hadn’t looked for long when he heard someone calling out, “Gathering Human-Faced Jade Essence Flowers! Generous reward! We need one more at the Spiritual Intent level—ready to set off! Led by a senior at the Core Formation stage, absolutely safe!”

The speaker was a young disciple in black brocade, with thick eyebrows, spirited eyes, and an aura brimming with yang energy.

Behind him stood three other disciples, male and female—clearly a group of four.

Human-Faced Jade Essence Flowers…

Chuliang paused in thought; he wasn’t sure where these flowers could be gathered. But he knew that tasks requiring multiple participants were usually more challenging or involved facing numerous monsters.

And tasks with many monsters were the best kind.

He stepped forward and smiled, “Hello, may I join you?”

He didn’t know these people, but as fellow disciples of Mount Shu, there was no barrier between them.

“Eh?” The black-clad youth brightened instantly, grabbing Chuliang’s arm. “That’s great! Come, let’s hurry and claim the mission slip. My name’s Lin Bei—what’s yours?”

“Chuliang.”

“Brother Chu, let me tell you, this mission is really in demand.”

With the group now complete, Lin Bei adeptly collected the mission slips and distributed them among his companions.

Handing one to Chuliang, he asked warmly, “Brother Chu, we’re all from Jade Sword Peak. Which peak are you from?”

Chuliang replied, “I’m from Silver Sword Peak.”