Chapter 93: Cultivation (Part 6)
Qi An glanced at the people around him again, and found that he was the only one who could cause the rainwater to shift. Thinking of the test results the system had told him about earlier, the young man holding the umbrella slightly raised his hand.
Qi An noticed that the corner of this expressionless youth's mouth suddenly curved upward. He smiled abruptly in this solemn scene.
The angle of his upturned lips was just right. What had been an awkward young man suddenly became noble and elegant. Qi An had been observing this youth for a long time and discovered that the youth's expression didn't change at all.
He kept smiling, the corners of his lips slightly raised, elegant and composed to the extreme.
As if he were wearing a mask that never changed.
"Now announcing the list of disciples who have successfully advanced to outer disciples: Lin Xiao, Zhu Fei..."
The voice of the outer sect steward assisting on the side rang across the plaza, flat and uninflected. Each time he called out a name, someone from the crowd would kneel and perform the disciple's bow. The first names called were all children, and when the first youth knelt down, the children still standing all showed disappointment on their faces.
Xu Ke clearly felt the attitude of the boys and girls standing beside him had changed significantly. His gaze finally drew away from the only youth on the high platform. The steward's voice was loud and clear as he continued reading out several names. "The above are the disciples who have successfully advanced to outer disciples."
The steward's voice came to a neat stop.
Xu Ke stared blankly at the steward and elders with their stern faces. An indescribable feeling rose in his heart. He knew that if he wasn't selected this time, he would be directly expelled. Throughout the entire cultivation world, the Xuantian Alliance was the only sect willing to take in young people as disciples.
"I knew it. Xu Ke could never possibly be selected. He can't cultivate at all. If it weren't for the spirit ladder malfunctioning during his climb, how could he have made it here?" Someone on the other side sneered coldly. "I really don't understand why someone like him would receive Young Master Lin's favor."
He probably wouldn't have another chance to walk the path of cultivation.
Thinking of this, Xu Ke couldn't help but look toward the high platform again.
"Very well, I now announce that this round of—"
"Wait." Just at that moment, a very low, very soft voice interrupted the steward's almost-complete closing statement. This voice was unfamiliar to him, nor did it sound like the common aged voices of the elders. The steward's brow immediately furrowed, and he coldly turned his gaze toward where the voice originated.
Then, he froze.
The youth who had been holding the umbrella raised it slightly, just enough to reveal his face to everyone present. His figure appeared exceedingly slender against the large rain umbrella and the continuous drizzle. Only a very light breeze blew through the air, yet it still lifted the youth's clothes.
"No wonder Luo Ruoyu took him as a disciple. He really is..." particularly lovable.
Xu Ke heard someone beside him murmur, and when Xu Ke turned to look at him, the man immediately realized what he was doing and snapped his mouth shut.
"Junior Uncle, is something the matter?" The steward's voice had clearly become gentler.
"I would like to add one person to the outer disciple list. May I?" The youth's reply to the steward remained very low. If the scene hadn't been so quiet, the young man's voice would likely have been drowned out by the sound of raindrops.
The steward hesitated, glancing at the other elders with the corner of his eye. "Of course, Junior Uncle. Who would you like to add?"
The disciples still standing tensed up. A spark of joy rose in Xu Ke's heart, but the next moment he became dejected. He had been watching the young man all along, and of course could see that the latter's gaze had停留在另一个人身上的时间很长。
Xu Ke stared blankly at the young man, about to memorize the name of the person who had caught the youth's eye, when he found the umbrella-holding youth looking at himself, extending his slender hand.
He heard the young man say a single word in a voice that was completely unchanged— "Him."
Xu Ke's heart lurched.
[An'an, what are you doing?] Seeing Qi An's action, the system immediately startled.
[...He gives me a strange feeling.] Qi An glanced at the clearly dazed young man.
[Strange how?] The system immediately went to investigate Xu Ke, only to find that the latter was nothing more than an ordinary person without spiritual roots who couldn't cultivate.
[I'm not sure how to put it. There's a slight... sense of familiarity.]
Walking back to his residence along the small path, Qi An passed many cultivating disciples. Just as Qi An was about to reach his destination, a sudden surge of chaotic energy erupted nearby. His dense lashes quivering, Qi An walked toward where the energy had burst forth.
This energy was extremely chaotic. Judging by its state, the owner of the spiritual power was about to fall into demonic cultivation. A pained cry rang out, and the first thing Qi An saw was a face contorted with veins bulging. Before he could even reach this person—
The youth's expression of agony suddenly ceased. The chaotic energy, as if combed through by some miraculous force, became docile and orderly once more. Qi An saw the blood continuously pouring from the youth's wounds stop flowing.
He...
Smiled.
Just like that other person, the corners of his mouth suddenly lifted upward, revealing a smile so elegant it seemed unreal.
"Crunch, crunch."
Just at that moment, Qi An heard a very faint sound coming from the forest on one side.
The sound was intermittent, like two heavy objects colliding with each other.
Like something was... chewing.
"Master, honored elders, I have just made contact with An."
In the sect's deliberation hall, a young man wearing inner disciple robes respectfully bowed to the sect elders.
"What did he discover in the Shadow Pavilion?" One elder exchanged glances with the others and spoke in an aged voice. "Did he find the reason why the Shadow Pavilion suddenly initiated these events?"
"He found it. It was because..." The inner disciple paused thoughtfully, speaking in a somewhat peculiar tone. "They found the reincarnation of Du Ning..."
"Du Ning's reincarnation?" The stern elder's voice immediately changed, his tone growing noticeably heavier. "You mean... that Du Ning?"
"Yes, exactly that... Du Ning." The inner disciple's tone also quickened. "An said that the reason the people of the Shadow Pavilion ransacked the spiritual artifact pavilions and treasure halls of various sects was because..."
"They wanted to give those as gifts to... that person."
"Who is it? Who is Du Ning's reincarnation...?"