Chapter 89: Cultivation (Part 2)
【A thousand years ago, an accident occurred. The Dark Pavilion, once praised as the sacred ground of the cultivation world, suddenly abandoned its mission to protect the cultivation realm. The entire sect fell into the demonic path, filled with hatred for all cultivators, slaughtering them indiscriminately. The rankings of the major powers in the cultivation world were completely reshuffled. The Xuantian Alliance, previously only a minor faction, was somehow overlooked by them and rose to become the number one sect in the cultivation world.
However, it seemed the Dark Pavilion had no intention of stopping there. The mirror-flower-water-moon peace vanished like bubbles. Even with Lian Ruoyu, the number one expert in the cultivation realm, guarding them, how long could this sect without proper foundation hold out?
Please, save this world!
Transmigrator count: 2 Survivors: 2】
"Are you here to拜 the Xuantian Alliance too? I gotta tell you, you should give up while you can. Look at you—just walking up a few mountain paths and you're already out of breath. Your constitution clearly isn't great. Let me be honest with you—the better your constitution, the better your cultivation aptitude. You..."
The speaker was a little Fatty wearing gold and silver. He looked to be about Qi An's age. The Xuantian Alliance had always prided itself on equality among all beings, and the sect's doctrine placed great emphasis on fairness and justice. So their recruitment methods differed greatly from those of other sects.
The earlier one begins on the path of cultivation, the better.
Once one approaches adulthood, everyone's body becomes clogged with turbid qi from the world. Without spiritual elixirs or miraculous medicines, there is almost no possibility of absorbing天地灵气 anymore.
Even if one were fortunate enough to still be able to absorb it, the distance one could travel on the path of cultivation would inevitably be limited.
Therefore, other sects only recruit disciples who are young.
The Xuantian Alliance, however, was an exception.
Though very few from each annual recruitment cohort successfully enter cultivation—sometimes none appear for years—it still attracts countless boys and girls hoping to cultivate.
Even though the odds are extremely small, everyone who comes here wants to take that chance.
There is a world of difference between cultivators and ordinary people—no matter what they're compared on.
"I really want to become a cultivator, so I want to give it a try." The slender young man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The Fatty who had been about to continue babbling suddenly had all his words stick in his throat after seeing the boy's slightly raised face.
The young man's voice, though very soft and gentle, carried an unmistakable firmness. Even though the sleeves were clearly a small size, they still hung loosely on him. He even appeared somewhat ethereal compared to the cultivators he had seen before.
"I want to be a cultivator too—summoning wind and rain sounds super cool—but the most important thing is..." The Fatty's eyes seemed to sparkle. "I really really idolize someone. He's a cultivator, and I really want to become like him."
"Is that so." A light instantly shone in his eyes. Qi An nodded gently.
"Yeah! This person should be familiar to you. His name is Du Ning." The Fatty's enthusiasm instantly soared. He truly seemed to idolize the person he was talking about, his tone noticeably lighter. Of course, he didn't notice that the young man before him had paused for a moment upon hearing that name.
"I've heard adults tell his stories since I was little. He's an incredibly powerful person. Even though he started cultivating at the same age as us, he was ultimately able to crush all those so-called favored sons of heaven and become the number one powerhouse in the entire cultivation world."
"One could say he's a legend of the entire cultivation world. His deeds sound so inspiring." The Fatty's voice grew more and more excited, getting louder as well, which made the old man leading the group ahead glance at him unhappily.
"That kind of person has only appeared once in the history of the cultivation world."
"Many who come to cultivate attempt to use Du Ning as their goal, but in this thousand years, who has become the second Du Ning? Those people's aspirations were worn away long ago by the passage of time."
The old man's voice was full of vicissitudes and emotion.
[An'an, Du Ning...]
Qi An gently furrowed his brow, raising his eyes to look at the surroundings halfway up the mountain. Nourished by天地灵气, the plants here were extremely lush. The scenery was somewhat familiar, yet carried an undeniable sense of unfamiliarity.
[This place has changed a lot.]
His name in this world had been Du Jiang.
However, there was one major difference—in order to complete his mission, his reputation in this world had been particularly terrible.
But...
"Then what about Lian Ruoyu, the current number one expert of the cultivation world? Who is stronger, him or Du Ning?" A girl beside them couldn't help but ask.
"I don't know." The old man's voice was flat. "Although they are from the same era, they never fought each other."
"Why? Before Du Ning became the number one expert, wasn't Lian Ruoyu always number one? If they never fought, how did Du Ning take the title from him?" The little girl who had spoken before continued asking.
"Because Lian Ruoyu said he would never be Du Ning's enemy. And he would never fight him... What does any of this have to do with you people? Shouldn't you be thinking about the upcoming assessment instead?" The old man seemed to realize something, his expression becoming especially stern.
"Oh." The girl委屈地瘪了瘪嘴 but didn't dare complain.
What had happened over this thousand years?
The Dark Pavilion and... Lian Ruoyu.
Qi An glanced at the examination venue right before them, a deep contemplation flickering across his眼底.
"Sister, run! The Dark Pavilion people are about to catch up!" Yin Qingyou shoved the girl he was holding forward. He clutched his constantly bleeding arm, gazing solemnly at the dark figure behind him.
The dark figure's speed was increasing. The despair on Yin Qingyou's face grew more obvious by the moment.
They simply were no match for the people of the Dark Pavilion.
No matter how fast they kept running, the distance between them grew smaller and smaller. Just as the dark figure was about to overtake them, Yin Qingyou placed the last transportation talisman on his junior sister and closed his eyes, awaiting death.
The sound of leaves rustling filled his ears, yet Yin Qingyou迟迟没有感受到沉痛. He stared blankly and opened his eyes, only to see the dark figure freeze before him.
He saw that dark figure's face clearly for the first time.
This was a man radiating a cold, indifferent aura. His eyes were looking in one direction. Yin Qingyou saw the former curl his lips—the man seemed to rarely smile, his movements stiff and awkward. It looked particularly awkward.
But not at all frightening.
Because from the man's smile, Yin Qingyou saw joy and doting affection.
He heard the man speak in an incredibly gentle voice, "This is the Young Master's... aura..."
"Did you feel it?"
In the Dark Pavilion, for the first time, a girl sitting at the main seat saw her complexion change. The teacup in her hand clattered to the floor and shattered.
"It's the Young Master's... aura."
"Young Master, we... have finally been waiting for you. This time, we absolutely will not allow anyone to hurt you..." The girl stood up from her seat. Her voice trembled with emotion.
"This filthy world that hurt you—we will help you destroy it."