Chapter 26:Yujing City in the Sky-Part 4

As dawn broke, Ti Ying opened her eyes, then quickly closed them again.

She found herself sleeping in the dormitory on this side of the female disciples’ courtyard, and upon opening her eyes, she could see the sleeping figure of the blindfolded girl in the neighboring bed.

There were no curtains on the bed, and sunlight streamed in clearly. Holding onto her pillow for a while, she felt a slight sense of loneliness and anxiety; the unfamiliar place made her miss the past. She really wanted to bring her family out.

And her family… In the midst of this lonely and anxious mood, Ti Ying thought of her senior brother.

Ti Ying couldn’t remember how she had returned. Her memory was still stuck in the night when she, her senior brother, and Chen Zichun stumbled through their studies together…

The spiritual candle flickered and swayed as Ti Ying lay on the table, struggling to stay awake while studying. Chen Zichun, who had never been exposed to cultivation, found reading these obscure books even more difficult.

When Ti Ying’s head bumped against the table and Jiang Xuehe gently brushed it, or when Chen Zichun drooled, Jiang Xuehe would lightly tap his forehead with a ruler.

The sleeping dragon and the phoenix chick were startled awake, lifting their heads—Jiang Xuehe supported his chin with his hand, silently watching them.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Ekvb vbl xsadkdt callgl nallrkdt vbaswtb vbl okdeso yde bla pldksa casvbla kd bla xlxsaklp, Mk Zkdt aszzle shla kd cle, qllzkdt bla xsse caktbvld—pbl iwkvl zkjle pllkdt bla pldksa casvbla’p byzq-pxkzkdt tygl wrsd vblx.

Rv oyp yp kq y Jsebkpyvvhy bye srldle kvp lulp, yde kxxsavyzp bye lxsvksdp elpnldekdt qasx vbl rykdvle oyzzp.

Gqvla plnalvzu vbkdjkdt ycswv bla pldksa casvbla qsa y obkzl, Mk Zkdt cltyd vs lmyxkdl bla sod ply sq nsdpnkswpdlpp yde ekpnshlale vbl zlvvla clzsdtkdt vs bla qsaxla xypvla, obknb pbl bye rwpble kdvs y nsadla sq bla nsdpnkswpdlpp.

Tla ply sq nsdpnkswpdlpp oyp kdnalekczu eau, yde pbl qlzv hlau bspvkzl vsoyaep vbl zlvvla qzsyvkdt kd xke-yka. Gp Mk Zkdt kdprlnvle bla ply sq nsdpnkswpdlpp, vbl zlvvla vwadle kdvs y ckae, nzwxpkzu qzyrrkdt kvp okdtp yde nkanzkdt yaswde bla prkakv.

Wasodkdt kd ydtla yv obu bla prkakvwyz rssz yzoyup bye ps zkvvzl oyvla, Mk Zkdt oyvnble yp vbl ldhlzsrl vwadle kdvs y ckae qsa y obkzl, vbld kdvs qzsola rlvyzp, vbld talo caydnblp… Rv oyp zkhlzu, prkddkdt yaswde bla.

Rv talyvzu alplxczle vbl yrrlyaydnl sq bla qsaxla xypvla obld bl aynjle bkp caykdp vs vlynb bla vbl “Aypv Palyx Frlzz”—bla qsaxla xypvla’p sze qynl oyp qwzz sq oakdjzlp, pktbkdt lhlau eyu, alyzzu yxwpkdt.

Gp vbl zlvvla nsdvkdwle vs nkanzl yaswde, Mk Zkdt qkdyzzu vssj rkvu yde alynble swv bla byde, pnssrkdt vbl zlvvla kdvs bla yaxp.

Mk Zkdt: “Gzaktbv, yzaktbv, R’zz pzsozu elnkrbla kv yde pll obyv usw’hl oakvvld.”

The letter, touched and on the verge of tears, spun in her embrace.

So, Ti Ying sat up in bed, pulled out the envelope from her sea of consciousness, and began to tinker with it.

The spells laid out on the letter by her former master were extremely complex. It was fortunate that Ti Ying was in a good mood now, so she had the time to slowly decipher it. As she decoded it, her brows relaxed, finding some amusement in the process, treating the letter as a toy.

After playing and deciphering like this for a little while, Ti Ying finally deciphered the first few words:

“Little Ying:

__Your senior brother.”

Ti Ying: “……?”

What?

What senior brother?

The senior brother mentioned should be Jiang Xuehe, right?

Two characters at the beginning of ‘senior brother’ were crossed out, written, and then erased again. The old man had changed it several times, and finally the ink heavily fell onto the paper, smudging two black circles, making it impossible for Ti Ying to make out what was originally written.

Ti Ying was stunned.

She wasn’t particularly curious by nature, but this was a letter addressed to her.

She wasn’t particularly one to dig deep, but she was faintly eager to know everything related to her senior brother.

Her senior brother was an unexpected one.

He was a mysterious senior brother, rarely mentioned by her former master.

While Ti Ying enjoyed her senior brother’s care, occasionally, for a moment, his secrets, along with the two erased characters on the letter, made Ti Ying’s heart tremble.

After a moment of thought, Ti Ying continued to lower her head to decipher the spells on the letter—while before it was just playful, now she genuinely wanted to see the content of the letter.

She was curious: what kind of content would make her former master keep it from her senior brother, deliberately adding spells, allowing only her to see it?

What kind of senior brother are you, exactly?

Watch out for your senior brother?

Guard against your senior brother?

Or perhaps kill your senior brother?

As Ti Ying immersed herself in the letter, Nan Yuan, on the neighboring bed, sat up.

Sensing the presence of another person in the room, Nan Yuan was slightly puzzled: Had someone managed to bypass her senses and enter the room? Was it the girl who shared her room? Her name seemed to be… Ti Ying.

Nan Yuan paused, then gently wiped her hand across the white cloth in front of her eyes.

She seemed to be performing some sort of spell, and the atmosphere around her changed. Spiritual energy surged rapidly; even Ti Ying, who was usually slow to react, could feel it.

Ti Ying looked up, feeling mischievous. “Sister, are you awake? Did I wake you up like you did to me last night?”

Nan Yuan stood still.

In her mind, she “saw” a bright-faced girl with her palm facing up.

The girl seemed to have just woken up, her hair messy and her eyes dark and moist like a cat’s eyes. Her lips were red, her skin was fair, and a few strands of hair stuck to the corner of her lips.

She had the coquettishness of a young girl, yet the innocence of a child.

And faint spiritual threads in Nan Yuan’s consciousness connected her to the girl’s body.

This represented a kind of prophecy—

In Nan Yuan’s perception, it was the first time she had “seen” someone of her age connected to herself.

In reality, Ti Ying sat cross-legged on the bed, blinking.

She was looking at Nan Yuan.

What Nanyuan “saw” was the “line” between the two of them.

As Ti Ying felt Nan Yuan was always cold and impolite, Nan Yuan sat up from the bed.

Under Ti Ying’s puzzled gaze, the white-clad, blindfolded girl elegantly straightened her clothes, untied her hairband, and combed her hair again, then used a dust-removal spell to clean herself.

Nan Yuan bent down, sunlight streaming in from outside, falling on her slightly translucent, beautiful face.

Maintaining this solemnity, Nan Yuan bowed to Ti Ying, her voice clear and slightly awkward. “You didn’t wake me up. My name is Nan Yuan. Please advise.”

She had a premonition that they would be closely linked, either as friends or as close companions. This should be the profound friendship defined by mortals, which Nan Yuan had never experienced.

…But Nan Yuan wouldn’t go against fate.

Feeling bored, Ti Ying hid herself under the bedding, wanting to speak but hesitating: …This sister has some issues.

The Yujing sect accepts disciples without restraint.

In order to understand the disciples thoroughly, it is necessary to test their spiritual roots, but in order not to discourage the disciples, the results of the spiritual root test will not be made public.

However, while disciples are unaware of each other’s spiritual aptitude, the elders who are willing to accept disciples are aware of it.

On the day of the spiritual root testing, after the testing ceremony had been underway for most of the day, Elder Ge hurriedly flew from the Medicine faction to the front of the main hall of the Mountain Assembly.

As soon as he landed, a wooden-faced girl approached him: “Elder Ge, please. The master has been waiting for a long time.”

Elder Ge glanced up.

The girl looked young and clean and dressed attractively, like a girl in her late teens. But—Elder Ge’s face twitched, smiling awkwardly, “Yuenu, it’s been only a few years, and you don’t recognize me anymore? I was once your master, too. Your memory seems to be getting worse.”

The girl named “Yuenu” lowered her head and said, “Master.”

Elder Ge was taken aback. “Don’t call me that way. If Shen Xingchuan hears it, will I still live?”

Elder Ge looked her up and down, marveling, “You’re just a sword. Shen Xingchuan really cares about you, treating you like a daughter and dressing you so brightly. His taste… hmm. It’s a pity you have a bad memory. After a few years, when you leave Shen Xingchuan, you’ll probably forget who he is.”

He said a lot, but Yuenu only remembered “clothes.”

Yuenu said dully, “The clothes were given to me by Shen Yushu.”

Seeing her so clueless, Elder Ge became even more disdainful, waved his hand, lifted his robe, and went into the main hall, too lazy to continue arguing with this stupid sword.

This sword is called “Chiyue,” the guardian sword of the Yujing sect.

During a thousand years of nurturing, the immortal sword “Chiyue” gave birth to a sword spirit named “Yuenu.”

“Chiyue” is one of the most important immortal treasures of the Yujing sect. Although many people wanted to worship it, they couldn’t bear to let the precious sword gather dust. Therefore, for years, “Yuenu” followed the “Chiyue” sword and was worshipped in turn by the various major factions of the Yujing sect.

It rotated every ten years.

In this current ten-year cycle, Shen Xingchuan is the most outstanding sword cultivator of the Yujing sect, so Yuenu serves by Shen Xingchuan’s side.

Elder Ge didn’t like this sword spirit—its intelligence was too low, too foolish. When wielded in combat, it might not be more useful than a dead sword.

Yuenu led Elder Ge into the main hall, where several other elders had been waiting for a long time.

Elder Chen looked up at him arriving late and said sarcastically, “Since you know that people from Changyun Sect can’t come these days, are you so negligent that you don’t even care about the important matter of selecting disciples for the sect?”

Elder Ge immediately retorted, “Indeed, I’m not as caring as Elder Chen… I heard that today, both inner and outer disciples have had breakfast with the spiritual fruits grown by Elder Chen. I’m afraid that now all the disciples in our sect have to thank Elder Chen for his kindness and care. If every disciple supports Elder Chen, then the position of master of the sect would undoubtedly belong to you, right?”

Elder Chen’s face turned livid with anger.

Just as he was about to retort, Shen Xingchuan made a move. Yuenu, who had already left the main hall, immediately transformed into a dark sword and slashed towards Elder Chen and Elder Ge.

The sword light was as fast as lightning, arriving in an instant. Both elders felt as if their souls were frozen, hurriedly mobilizing their energy to resist, but they were still forced to step back.

The “Chiyue” sword, which Elder Ge despised, had great power in Shen Xingchuan’s hands, capable of cutting mountains and seas.

Both men dared to be angry but not to speak: “Shen Xingchuan!”

Elder Hua took advantage of the distraction: “We are all fellow brothers in the same sect. It’s the same no matter who becomes the master. The other sects haven’t even arrived yet, and you can’t resist starting infighting? Instead of arguing, why not look at this year’s disciples—there are quite a few talented ones among them.”

Elder Ge found an opportunity to step down, easing his tone as he took his seat. “What talented disciples?”

Shen Yushu smiled gently, easing the tense atmosphere: “There are two disciples with the All-Encompassing Spirit Root, and there are also several with the Heaven Spirit Root. This generation of inner disciples is quite talented.”

All-Encompassing Spirit Root!

The belated Elder Ge was stunned.

Spirit roots are divided into five attributes, and their quality is categorized into three types: Heaven, Earth, and Human.

The “All-Encompassing Spirit Root,” which surpasses all other spirit roots, can complement and nurture any other spirit roots, possess abundant spiritual energy, and have excellent aptitude… In the cultivation world, it’s rare to find one in a hundred or two hundred years.

Each “All-Encompassing Spirit Root” has the potential to ascend to immortality.

Of course, because of certain events thousands of years ago, it’s impossible for anyone in the cultivation world to ascend to immortality now… But the All-Encompassing Spirit Root still ignites enthusiasm!

Even if Elder Ge had other thoughts, he couldn’t help feeling a quickened heartbeat: if he could accept such an outstandingly talented disciple, perhaps he would have an even greater chance of contending for the position of sect master.

Elder Ge quieted down and, along with several other elders, used the “Heavenly Eye Formation” to observe the scene of testing the spirit roots.

At this moment, a slow-moving little girl entered the room for testing.

When Shen Yushu recognized the little girl, she couldn’t help but glance at his elder brother.

But his elder brother’s expression remained indifferent, as if he didn’t care about the little girl at all.

Elder Ge held his breath and observed the results, then sneered, “Oh… turns out it’s a Human-grade Water Spirit Root. With this kind of aptitude, after a few years of cleaning the outer sect grounds, she’ll realize the reality and go back home.”

It’s quite normal for spirit roots with such mediocre aptitude to receive such evaluations.

Even before Elder Ge spoke, Shen Yushu felt this way with regret.

However, Shen Yushu felt uncomfortable listening to Elder Ge’s words. She said calmly, “I also have Earth-grade spirit root aptitude. But now, I’m one of the five great elders. Comparing my Earth-grade spirit root aptitude with Elder Ge’s Heaven-grade one, it’s really unfair for Elder Ge to have to tolerate me.”

Elder Ge was speechless.

He thought to himself: You’re basking in the light of Shen Xingchuan; do you think we don’t know?

But with Shen Xingchuan sitting here, Elder Ge still remembered the sharp killing intent of the sword from earlier. He could only force a dry laugh and say no more.

Unfortunately, after the arrival and departure of the little girl for the disciple’s spirit root test, the inner disciples had already completed their tests.

The testing for the outer disciples would begin in the afternoon… The possibility of geniuses among the outer disciples was slim, so the elders didn’t need to bother watching.

The outstanding performance of this generation of inner disciples had already made several elders calculate in their hearts.

Elder Ge sat restlessly, wanting to ask the other elders who among the inner disciples had the All Encompassing Spirit Root and who had the Heaven Spirit Root. But the other elders were all silent, lost in thought, ignoring him…

When Elder Ge was feeling anxious, he suddenly exclaimed, “Oh, the girl who was the last to finish the spirit root test just now, the one with the Human-grade Water Spirit Root, she’s back.”

The five elders looked over together.

Elder Ge was delighted. “She’s asking about other people’s spirit roots!”

Shen Yushu was taken aback, then couldn’t help shaking her head and laughing, “I told you, she’s mischievous and curious, always up to something.”

Ti Ying naturally didn’t know that the elders were watching the results of the spirit root tests.

After she finished her test and saw that there was no one behind her, she had a mischievous idea.

While her senior brother was participating in his test, Ti Ying took advantage of the break in the middle of the exam to find an excuse to sneak back into the room where they were testing spirit roots.

She chatted with the steward with a smile, bringing small gifts and speaking kindly.

She was naive and cute, and when she wasn’t causing trouble, she was really charming. She worked hard to massage the steward’s shoulders with just the right amount of strength, looking serious, which reminded the steward of his own daughter.

So when Ti Ying clumsily handed the steward a package of spiritual fruits, saying with a pitiful expression, “I’ve given you all the ones I got this morning, kind uncle, why won’t you help me?” The steward couldn’t resist any longer and burst into laughter.

Steward: “Alright, what do you want to ask?”

Ti Ying: “I want to know what the spirit roots of the other elder brothers and sisters are.”

The steward pondered for a moment.

He was unaware that the elders were watching them this year.

He told Ti Ying.

The elders in the conference hall were expressionless.

Elder Ge listened attentively and got second-hand information from this little girl:

Jiang Xuehe and Li Bu have the All Encompassing Spirit Root;

Hua Shi and Nan Yuan have the Heaven Spirit Root;

Other inner disciples have the Earth Spirit Root.

Only Ti Ying, who came to inquire about the information, has the lowest level of spirit root, the Human Spirit Root.

But the little Ti Ying who came to inquire clearly didn’t know that her spirit root was the lowest level. She listened with partial understanding, nodded blankly, and noted down the information about others.

The steward, fond of her, was afraid of causing the little girl distress and dared not show a sympathetic expression.

As she was leaving, the steward affectionately gave Ti Ying a handful of chestnuts and coaxed her, “You can come to Uncle’s house to play when you go down the mountain for training in the future.”

Ti Ying took the affection of others as natural, proudly nodded. Seeing that it was almost time, she stuffed the steward with many snacks and quickly slipped back to take the exam.

The observing elders remained silent.

Elder Ge cleared his throat, and upon receiving the intelligence, he gently defended the little girl, “Children, it’s not a big deal. The others don’t know, so…”

He didn’t finish his sentence when the room where the spirit root test was being conducted was suddenly smashed open with two loud bangs.

Hua Shi appeared in the room where the spirit root test was being conducted, arms crossed, looking at the steward.

The steward’s face changed, and as Hua Shi raised his hand, the Binding Immortal Rope flew out, binding the steward who was trying to escape.

Hua Shi gestured with his hand again, sealing the steward’s mouth and preventing him from pleading for mercy.

Hua Shi raised his chin proudly. “I came to inquire about the spirit roots of other inner disciples to make plans for the competition. I know you’re tight-lipped and won’t tell us. But I have my ways to torture you and make you speak.

“My patience is limited. I advise you not to struggle too long.”

Then, with the strong spiritual power of the Binding Immortal Rope, under Hua Shi’s manipulation, it lashed out a few times, starting to threaten and coerce the steward.

The steward couldn’t speak, suffered humiliation for nothing, and was stunned, tears almost falling.

He desperately squinted and winked at Hua Shi, trying to tell Miss Hua, I’ll talk! I’m willing to tell you directly.

He wasn’t such a steadfast person after all.

Moreover, he had already said it once before; saying it a second time was no pressure.

But Hua Shi, seeing his facial muscles twitching wildly, thought he was resisting fiercely, thinking that this person was so tough and truly a hero.

Out of respect for the hero, Hua Shi’s hand became even heavier.

The elders in the conference hall were expressionless.

They had been expressionless for a long time.

They watched expressionlessly as Hua Shi interrogated the steward, then watched expressionlessly as Hua Shi left after getting the results, and then expressionlessly looked at each other.

Elder Hua’s face turned red.

He felt deeply embarrassed, covering his face with his sleeve, and angrily cursed, “This little girl Hua Shi stole my Binding Immortal Rope to do such a thing! It’s my fault for not disciplining her properly, it’s a disgrace to my family…”

The other elders had no choice but to comfort him.

Then, not long after the consolation, they saw a round-faced young man suddenly appear in the room where the spirit root test was being conducted, scaring the sweating steward.

The young man said nothing and directly activated a spell to probe the steward’s soul, seemingly intending to extract information about others’ spirit roots directly.

The elders: “…”

This young man had the All-Encompassing Spirit Root. They remembered his name because of his outstanding talent, Li Bu.

As Li Bu remained silent and proceeded to probe the steward’s soul, several of the watching elders frowned to varying degrees—soul probing techniques were harmful to the soul of the target and, in severe cases, could lead to madness.

Shen Yu Shu frowned. “This child’s heart is not right.”

Shen Xingchuan said lightly, “Find an opportunity to nullify his soul probing technique.”

They waited again, but no more inner disciples came to inquire about spirit roots.

The elders sighed in relief. “It seems that the others are all good kids… um.”

Before they could finish speaking, Shen Xingchuan swept his sleeves and changed the scene of the “Heavenly Eye Formation,” switching it to the examination hall of other inner disciples. Their attention was now drawn to the blindfolded girl, Nan Yuan.

Nan Yuan’s exam seemed different from the others.

While other disciples were busy writing, the elders saw Nan Yuan sitting calmly at her desk, arranging tortoise shells one by one, beginning to divine.

She wrote down the names of several inner disciples as she divined.

With each divination, she made a mark next to the name.

Her drawings were casual, without much pattern. But the elders, more or less knowledgeable about the principles of the Eight Trigrams and the Five Elements, took a moment to deduce and gasped, realizing that Nan Yuan had directly “divined” the spirit roots of different inner disciples.

Accurate to the utmost degree.

Not a single word was missed.

The elders in the main hall were already numb. “…”

For a long time, Shen Yushu gently repeated the sentence, “This generation of inner disciples is truly talented.”

If only she had this ability back then…

Shen Yushu shook her head, fearing that the other elders might probe into her thoughts, and said, “Now it seems that only Jiang Xuehe doesn’t care about others’ spirit roots.”

The other elders fell silent for a moment.

Shen Yushu, noticing no one speaking up, looked around in surprise.

Even her usually cold brother showed a hesitant expression.

Shen Xingchuan said, “Let’s wait and see.”

These disciples were showing extraordinary abilities. Could Jiang Xuehe, the most outstanding disciple, truly remain indifferent?

On that day, the elders all kept their eyes on Jiang Xuehe.

Although Jiang Xuehe sealed his own consciousness, he could vaguely sense the probing of powerful beings.

He paid no attention to it, as the day was for exams only. He didn’t engage in any acts of probing others’ spirit roots, appearing to be genuinely honest and disciplined.

As dusk approached, the elders of the council began to feel weary, withdrawing their consciousness. They praised, “Jiang Xuehe is probably the only little gentleman among this generation of inner disciples.”

The others nodded in agreement.

Shen Xingchuan: “Hmm…”

They followed Shen Xingchuan’s “Heavenly Eye Formation.”

As the sky dimmed, the day’s exams ended, and the disciples, exhausted, left the hall in twos and threes.

Ti Ying walked slowly, looking around absentmindedly. Inadvertently, she looked up and saw her senior brother wearing a hood under the tree.

The setting sun pierced through the clouds, casting a golden-red glow on the young man’s half-body. The hood fluttered with the breeze, adding to his charm.

He might not necessarily be waiting for her.

But she couldn’t articulate her feelings at this moment.

Ti Ying lifted her skirt and ran over, calling out, “Senior Brother, Senior Brother.”

Jiang Xuehe turned around.

Ti Ying reached out and grabbed his arm, pulling him down.

She lifted his hood, her breath brushing against his ear.

While Jiang Xuehe remained composed and evaded her, he heard her coquettish voice in his ear: “Senior Brother, I have some juicy gossip to tell you. Do you want to hear?”

Jiang Xuehe was momentarily distracted and went along with her. “What is it?”

Ti Ying began to count on her fingers, “You have the All Encompassing Spirit Root, and so does Li Bu. Hua Shi has the Heaven-Grade Gold Spirit Root…”

She rattled off all the information she had gathered to Jiang Xuehe.

Jiang Xuehe: “…”

As dusk fell and the sun set, the hall grew dim.

The spiritual candles flickered without wind, and the elders in the hall were deeply exhausted.

Someone let out a soft sigh.

Others couldn’t help but sigh along.

—It turned out that Jiang Xuehe didn’t need to use his spiritual energy to investigate the spiritual roots of other disciples.

His junior sister, in complete trust, had informed Jiang Xuehe of the situation regarding all the spiritual roots.

After Ti Ying finished speaking, she looked at her senior brother with confusion and asked, “Why am I different from everyone else? Senior Brother, why is that?”

The elders looked at the young man under the ancient tree, wearing a hood.

Through the hood, they couldn’t peer into Jiang Xuehe’s expression anymore.

But from Jiang Xuehe’s calm and gentle demeanor, they found a subtle trace—

Why indeed?

Let the senior brother come up with an explanation.