Chapter 9: Battling Demon Cultivators, Entering Taiyi Sect

Chapter 9: Battle with Demon Cultivators, Entering the Taiyi Sect

In just a few breaths, several agonized screams rang out in succession, and the four demon cultivators wreaking havoc on the town were all slain.

As the smoke of battle settled, the town lay in ruins.

The few disciples, drained of strength, lowered their swords and clutched their wounds, panting heavily, their faces showing the exhaustion of barely surviving.

The leading disciple straightened his tattered robe and was about to clasp his hands in sincere thanks when a figure beside him stepped out first.

It was the youngest disciple, pressing a hand to the bleeding wound on his shoulder, his tone full of reproach.

"You clearly have such high cultivation—why did you wait so long to act?!"

"Watching us get hurt and killed by those demon cultivators, standing by coldly for so long—if we hadn't fought with everything we had, the deaths and injuries would have been far worse! Why didn't you help us sooner!"

The youth's voice was clear and sharp, carrying barely contained fury.

Ling Xuance lowered his gaze to the furious young man before him, his eyes completely cold.

"Your lack of skill is none of my concern. If you wish to die, I can kill you myself."

The moment those words fell, the lingering pressure of his Nascent Soul cultivation followed, pressing down so heavily it was hard to breathe.

Ming Qi's face paled and he stumbled back half a step. The leading disciple's face tightened as he shielded Ming Qi behind him, clasping his hands toward Ling Xuance in a gesture of apology.

"Please forgive us, sir! My junior brother is young and immature—having just endured a fierce battle, his mind is unsteady, and he spoke without thinking. He didn't mean to offend you!"

His tone was sincere as he introduced himself with due formality: "I am Yun Yan, the Sect Master's lead disciple of the Taiyi Sect. I brought my junior brothers down the mountain for training, and it was my failure to keep them in check that offended you. I humbly beg your forgiveness."

Ling Xuance's gaze passed over them coldly.

He had already intended to head to the Taiyi Sect to take up residence and cultivate, and had no interest in wasting more words with a young disciple.

He gave a faint nod, then walked past them silently, his back straight and aloof, leaving the disciples only a cold, white-robed silhouette.

Yun Yan watched the retreating figure, his heart filled with a mix of awe and caution.

Ming Qi, still shielded behind him, stared at that cold back, gripping his sword tightly, his eyes still blazing with resentment.

The mountain path wound upward, its blue stone steps shrouded in drifting clouds. The sect gate stood grand and solemn, cloud vapor coiling around it, with two stone spirit beasts standing guard on either side.

The disciples guarding the gate, clad in neat sect robes, had clear, sharp eyes and carried out their duties with diligence.

Ling Xuance halted before the sect gate, raised his hand, and produced two sect tokens carved with lotus-cloud patterns, presenting them.

"Please inform them I'm here."

The two gate disciples' eyes fell on the tokens, and they immediately bowed in respect.

"These are the tokens of a core disciple of the Qinglian Peak within our sect. Please wait a moment, sir—we must report this to the peak's True Person before we dare let you pass."

Ling Xuance gave a slight nod. "Thank you."

He then stood quietly beneath the sect gate, a white-robed figure amid the sea of clouds and mountain gate, exuding an air of quiet authority.

Before long, hurried, uneven footsteps sounded from behind—it was Yun Yan and his group returning from the mountain.

Ming Qi recognized the white-robed figure standing before the gate at once, and the anger suppressed from earlier at the foot of the mountain erupted fully.

"You again! You stood by and watched us get hurt down there, and now you dare come to our Taiyi Sect's gate?"

"Our sect is a place of righteousness—we don't welcome cold, selfish people. Leave now! You're not welcome!"

Yun Yan grabbed Ming Qi's arm firmly, his brow furrowing as he hissed under his breath: "Ming Qi! Show some respect! Don't be rude before the sect gate!"

After admonishing his junior, Yun Yan raised his eyes to Ling Xuance, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"May I ask why you've come to our sect, fellow cultivator?"

Ling Xuance's gaze swept indifferently over Ming Qi. He had no desire to argue with anyone further.

"A token gifted by Jin Ling of Qinglian Peak," he said curtly, his voice even. "She said that with this token, I may enter the sect to cultivate and join the Taiyi Sect."

Yun Yan's heart jolted at this, his curiosity turning to seriousness.

Jin Ling was the senior disciple under the Qinglian Peak Master, long accustomed to training outside the sect, with exceptionally high standards—ordinary rogue cultivators and sect disciples rarely met her standards.

He never imagined that Jin Ling, known for her discerning choice of friends, would have come to know such a deeply unfathomable figure in the outside world.

Yun Yan had already formed a judgment—even among the Taiyi Sect's elders, those at Nascent Soul were few, and this man before him, young as he was, rivaled the elders' pressure. He was no ordinary rogue cultivator.

Ming Qi, still unconvinced, sneered coldly: "Just someone who relies on a bit of cultivation to stand by and watch. Even if you can enter our sect, so what? Cold and selfish—you're probably worse than our ordinary disciples, clinging to the sect through Senior Sister's favor?"

Ling Xuance's eyes filled with frost. He had no intention of trading words with others, but again and again—he was just about to mete out a small lesson, to teach this one the meaning of caution in speech and conduct.

"Everyone!"

A clear female voice rang out from above the cloud-wreathed stone steps, breaking the tense standoff.

Jin Ling, in a light yellow dress, stepped lightly, spotting the figure at the gate from afar.

"Fellow cultivator, you've returned. The journey must have been tiring."

She then turned to Yun Yan and nodded in greeting: "Senior Brother Yun Yan."

Seeing her approach, Yun Yan let out a relieved breath, quickly stepped aside, and briefly recounted the earlier conflict in a low voice.

Jin Ling frowned at the account, cast a faint glance at the defiant Ming Qi beside her, then turned back to Ling Xuance, her tone warm and sincere.

"Please don't take offense, fellow cultivator. Our junior brother is impulsive and ignorant of proper conduct. He has been rude—I apologize on his behalf."

With that, she gestured to lead the way: "Follow me, fellow cultivator. I'll take you back to Qinglian Peak to meet my master."

Ling Xuance silently withdrew the spiritual energy gathered at his fingertips, his expression returning to calm, and stepped forward to follow Jin Ling up the stone steps, through layers of cloud sea, toward Qinglian Peak.

At the summit of Qinglian Peak, an elegant and tranquil lotus hall stood at the heart of the cloud sea, its carved beams plain and refined, lotus motifs winding around the rafters.

Seated within the hall was a female cultivator in white robes, her bearing elegant and aloof, her features gentle yet carrying the composure of one in authority—she was the Qinglian Peak Master, True Person Lianhua, at the mid Nascent Soul stage.

Sensing the newcomer's aura, True Person Lianhua slowly opened her eyes. Seeing the pure Nascent Soul Dao rhythm flowing around him, a flicker of surprise passed through her gaze.

"A Nascent Soul fellow cultivator graces Qinglian Peak—what an honor."

Jin Ling, who had been guiding him, looked utterly incredulous. How was he already at Nascent Soul?

When she had encountered him in a secret realm five years ago, he had been at the peak of Golden Core. In just a few short years, he had directly broken through to Nascent Soul!

Such speed of advancement was nothing short of astonishing—among the younger generation of the entire cultivation world, none could match him.

Startled, Jin Ling abruptly came to her senses, a flicker of embarrassment welling up inside her.

Since their fortuitous encounter in the secret realm, she had never once learned his name—always referring to him as "fellow cultivator." Though they seemed familiar, she was ignorant of even the simplest facts about him.

Now, standing before the master of her own peak to introduce him, she found herself momentarily at a loss for words, rooted to the spot.

Ling Xuance perceived her discomfort. His expression stayed impassive as he spoke up to introduce himself.

"I am Lin Che."

He deliberately concealed his former name, raising a hand to touch the cold jade mask upon his face, his tone composed.

"When I was young, a calamity destroyed my face. I'm forced to wear this mask to hide it, as it's not fit for others to see. I beg the True Person's pardon."

True Person Lianhua nodded gently at his words, her demeanor calm and unhurried.

"Fellow cultivator, there is no need for such formality. Cultivators value the Dao and their cultivation; the fleshly shell is mere illusion. Why let it weigh on your mind?"

Her words trailed off as she pondered, and in a flash, everything clicked into place. Her eyes held a new depth of understanding and gravity.

When Jin Ling had previously returned to the sect, she had detailed the secret realm's windfalls, explaining that the Nine Jade Marrow was only secured thanks to a masked cultivator who fought fiercely to hold back the demonic beasts. Without him, retrieving the marrow to heal the Supreme Elder would have been impossible—and their very survival would have been in doubt.

Earlier, she'd only seen him as a capable rogue cultivator at the Peak Golden Core stage who'd lent a righteous hand. Now, witnessing his Nascent Soul cultivation firsthand, she marveled at the speed of his breakthrough and the unfathomable depth of his aura.

With this realization, True Person Lianhua's demeanor toward him grew even more respectful.

"So you are the one who protected my disciple in the secret realm. That you would choose to settle and cultivate within our Taiyi Sect is truly a blessing for the sect."

"With your Nascent Soul cultivation, it would be a waste to relegate you to the rank of an ordinary disciple. I am not authorized to decide your standing within the sect. Allow me to escort you to the Sect Master at once, so he may personally determine your position."

Before her words had even faded, a profound and steady Dao aura—aged yet vigorous—began to emanate from beyond the hall, its pressure enveloping the entire Qinglian Peak.

A figure in white robes slowly approached, with hair and beard of pure white, immortal aura swirling about him, his bearing transcendent. It was none other than the Supreme Elder of the Taiyi Sect, who had been in seclusion for many years—a great cultivator whose cultivation had reached the Spirit Transformation stage.

While in deep meditation, the Supreme Elder had faintly sensed a foreign Nascent Soul aura entering the sect. Upon receiving word that the cultivator who had aided Jin Ling in obtaining the Nine Jade Marrow had arrived, he came personally to meet him.

Ling Xuance's gaze sharpened slightly, a trace of wariness quietly rising within him.

Spirit Transformation cultivation—far beyond the Nascent Soul stage. Even if the elder appeared kind and serene, the innate pressure of his realm was undeniably real, leaving Ling Xuance no room for complacency. He kept his defenses subtly at the ready.

"We pay our respects to the Supreme Elder." True Person Lianhua and Jin Ling quickly rose and bowed with full propriety.