Chapter 34: Futai (10)

A person’s entire aura would change after forming a Nascent Soul. After there was a Nascent Soul in the Dantian, the foundation of one’s cultivation would solidify, and the person would turn over a new leaf and be reborn, in a sense.

When Yan Qing arrived at Futai Study Hall, Heng Bai was utterly flabbergasted upon seeing him, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “Yan Qing, you’ve already formed your Nascent Soul?!”

His voice was so loud it almost raised the roof.

After clarifying things with Xie Shiyi in the cold springs earlier, Yan Qing was in a great mood, practically glowing with happiness. Even when facing this “malicious maidservant” Heng Bai, he was still all smiles. He curved his eyes and beamed. “Yup.”

Heng Bai’s voice was hoarse from screeching. He asked incredulously, “You went from Qi Refining to Nascent Soul in only half a month?!”

Yan Qing said, “Do you really need to be this amazed? Didn’t I already tell you that your family’s son-in-law is a peerless genius?”

Heng Bai sized him up for a moment, clenched his teeth, and said with certainty, “Xie-Shixiong definitely fed you some kind of high-quality elixir!”

“You must be joking,” Yan Qing immediately corrected him. He sneered, “Even if I’m just a son-in-law, I have my own honor. My cultivation is entirely due to my own efforts.”

Heng Bai: “…” Yeah right!

He was once again angered into speechlessness by this “honorable immortal son-in-law.”

Luckily, Wangqing Sect’s morning bell rang, and disciples from each peak were continuously rushing past. As headmaster, it wouldn’t be worth it to forget his manners in front of the students, so he settled for shooting a dark glare at Yan Qing, telling him to go take a seat. Out of sight, out of mind.

The instant Yan Qing’s butt touched his chair, he received yet another round of sly glances stolen at him, ranging between astonishment, fright, and disbelief. When selecting disciples, Wangqing Sect took into consideration talent and temperament. Those who were accepted into Futai Academy were typically pure of mind, and, moreover, they were still young. So, they were mostly either impressed by or suspicious of Yan Qing.

Yan Qing accepted their gazes magnanimously. He casually leaned against the window, looked up, and smiled at them. His hair was dark, his skin was radiant, and his lips were plump and red. Donning the simple robes of a Wangqing Sect disciple, the corners of his mouth curved, and his peach blossom eyes captured people’s hearts.

”!”

More than a few disciples felt their hearts race after seeing his smile, as if they were struck by lightning. They flushed and lowered their heads.

Heng Bai, sitting at the front, couldn’t help but roll his eyes yet again.

He couldn’t tell why Yan Qing was grinning like an idiot about today—just breaking through to Nascent Soul made him this happy? Hahaha, as expected of someone from a backwater sect, so ignorant of the world!

Of course, Yan Qing wasn’t happy because he had formed his Nascent Soul. He couldn’t care less about something so trivial.

Even with Xie Shiyi’s constant reminders, he never took it to heart and even swaggered down the mountain without a care.

The facts were there to prove that forming a Nascent Soul wasn’t such a big deal.

Xie Shiyi had been misinformed by some stray book.

Yan Qing was merely happy that he and Xie Shiyi had finally clarified their vague, ambiguous relationship.

Ever since they reunited at Huichun Sect, he had never known how to face Xie Shiyi. If they had confirmed they were friends at the time, instead of needlessly playing the fool, couldn’t he have just called out an easy “long time no see” when Xie Shiyi was walking by?

He only pretended to act stupid, using insanity to mask his true feelings, because he wasn’t sure if, after one hundred years, Xie Shiyi harbored more hatred or loathing, or more care stemming from old childhood affections toward him.

Since the initial situation at Huichun Sect was chaotic and messy, he had assumed that he would be incredibly vexed, but it seemed that, from his rebirth to now, everything was going pretty well? Yan Qing propped his chin up with his hand, looked outside, and smiled. The green bamboo stalks outside grew lusciously, verdant and glistening. The sun was also golden and dazzling, brilliant and warm.

Heng Bai continued rolling his eyes, and decided the ignore that certain someone who was happy to the point of delirium. He got down to business, saying, “This time the Qingyun Conference will be hosted by the Fuhua Sect. It hasn’t even been a hundred years yet since you all entered the sect, and you haven’t even formed your Nascent Souls yet, so you guys won’t be able to participate in the competition. When the time comes, just accompany the sect elders and watch from the sidelines.”

The Qingyun Conference was a grand occasion in the cultivation realm, and not a single disciple in the study hall wasn’t curious about it.

“Then, Elder, what kind of people are qualified to participate in the Qingyun Conference?”

Heng Bai explained, “In Nanze Province’s other arena, any cultivator, regardless of cultivation level or sect affiliation, can participate. However, in Fuhua Sect’s arena, only disciples of the Nine Great Sects who have formed their Nascent Soul and are under three hundred years old can participate.”

After Nascent Soul formation, each tiny step was equivalent to an impassable peak. For example, the beginning and the middle of the Nascent Soul stage were fundamentally different, and the gap between them was even larger than going from Golden Core to Nascent Soul. Thus, much of the Qingyun Conference often consisted of Nascent Soul stage disciples competing against each other.

The beginning, middle, late, and apex of the Nascent Soul stage. However, the outcome of a match wasn’t solely dependent on cultivation, but also on someone’s strategy and luck.

Heng Bai was currently at the beginning of the Great Ascension stage, and previously, when he participated in the Qingyun Conference, he had just made the cutoff of three hundred years old and was at the apex of Nascent Soul, so his ranking was likely quite high. However, at the time, Xie-Shixiong was stealing all the spotlight, so nobody really paid attention.

*

After returning to the sect, Ming Ze immediately gave a detailed report of what happened in Qingle City to the elder of the consul hall. When the elder of the consul hall heard, he thought he was dreaming—What? Fuhua Sect? Jing Ruyu? Duwei?

Why would such a simple mission assigned to new disciples involve these people!!

He didn’t dare make a decision himself without permission, so it was escalated through the ranks until the matter ultimately ended up in Le Zhan’s hands.

Actually, when Jing Ruyu made her move, Le Zhan sensed it from Wangqing Sect. Soul Formation cultivators had a shared experience of the world, so when Jing Ruyu exhausted the fires from thousands of lanterns and papers in Qingle City, she hadn’t intentionally concealed her spiritual energy, and the Sect Masters of every major sect in Nanze Province roughly should all have known.

However, this matter also implicated Xie Shiyi, and after discussing with a few elders, he decided to suppress it.

Le Zhan still had some doubts. “Tell me, why do you think Duwei would show up at Qingle City?” Qingle City was merely a city full of mortals, and if it weren’t for what happened this time, they wouldn’t have even heard of it.

Xi Zhaoyun sighed and, with a somewhat conflicted tone, said, “I asked Heng Bai. Heng Bai said…Duwei was there to accompany that little Daoist friend of his.”

Le Zhan was struck dumb and was silent for half a day, before finally saying, “Then you’re saying the matter with the sect ancestor’s token is still valid?”

The two people were speechless.

The token from the Wangqing Sect ancestor drew its power from words, and after Yan Qing¹ wrote down his request on it, the token returned by itself to Wangqing Sect and fell before the main peak’s Tianxiang Palace. Right now, the token was still in Le Zhan’s hands, and only one line was written on it: “I wish for Immortal Venerable Duwei to be my Dao companion.”

In Nanze Province, this sentence was utterly preposterous and laughable, and anyone who heard it would think that the person who said it was having a delusional fantasy.

If Duwei wasn’t such an unusual character, then they wouldn’t have necessarily taken this to heart. But whether it was walking with him up the nine thousand nine hundred flights of stairs or taking him back to Yuqing Peak, it was obvious that Duwei gave this “old aquaintance” of his special treatment.

Xi Zhaoyun also couldn’t grasp his thoughts. “How about we ask Duwei himself?”

Le Zhan froze. “What would we ask? Are we going to ask him if he accepts the marriage? If we should hold the Binding Ceremony?”

Xi Zhaoyun held a hand to his forehead. “Forget it, it’s better if I go alone. As for Jing Ruyu, don’t do anything hasty yet. The Qingyun Conference is near, so we shouldn’t stir anything up with the Fuhua Sect.”

Le Zhan nodded. “Okay.”

Xi Zhaoyun went to find Xie Shiyi. Coincidentally, just as she arrived at Yuqing Peak, she ran into Xie Shiyi who had just left and was walking along the long, snow-covered bridge.

Xi Zhaoyun called out, “Duwei.”

Xie Shiyi looked up and saw her, calmly saying, “Shishu.”

Xi Zhaoyun asked, “Where are you headed?””

Xie Shiyi said, “I’m delivering something.”

Xi Zhaoyun was even more baffled. Delivering something? This would be normal if it had come out of anyone else’s mouth, but having it come from Duwei’s mouth made her feel like she was dreaming.

“Um, where are you delivering it to?”

Xie Shiyi said, “Futai Study Hall.”

Xi Zhaoyun struggled to keep her face straight, and softly forced out, word by word, “Are you delivering it to that fellow Daoist Yan?”

“En.”

Even though it came as no surprise, Xi Zhaoyun still found it a bit difficult to breathe. Her fingers slightly clenched, and her eyes were filled with gentle concern. “Duwei, you…surely you know about the matter with the sect ancestor’s token?”

Xie Shiyi pursed his lips. “I know.”

Xi Zhaoyun’s eyes grew wide. “Then you agree?!”

Xie Shiyi gave an expressionless laugh. “I’ve agreed.”

In an instant the air surrounding them stilled. Xi Zhaoyun froze and didn’t know what to say. She perfunctorily said in a daze, “I’ll, I’ll accompany you to the study hall.”

As they walked away from Yuqing Peak, snow and frost slowly melted away, giving way to boundless expanse of misty rivers and a sea of green pine.

Xi Zhaoyun saw a few white cranes soaring toward hazy clouds, and only then did her train of thought somewhat catch up to her. She gave a great sigh, and after her initial shock and bewilderment passed, a warm happiness unexpectedly began bubbling within her. She tuned her head, eyes full of smiles, as she tenderly said, “Then, given he admires you, and you’ve also agreed, then have you thought about when you want to proceed with the Binding Ceremony? Since you hold a special status, if have someone at your side it’s better to make your relationship public. This is also out of consideration for fellow Daoist Yan’s safety.”

If Yan Qing were to have the title of Xie Ying’s Dao companion, then even the Nine Sects and Three Clans would have considerable misgivings about making a move against him.

Xie Shiyi plainly said, “I haven’t thought about it.”

“Ah?” Xi Zhaoyun had already started planning the location and guest list for the Binding Ceremony in her mind. She wholly did not expect these five words to emerge from Xie Shiyi’s mouth.

The couple was harmonious, yet he hadn’t thought of being bound?

Xie Shiyi calmly gazed at Wangqing Sect’s more than three hundred misty peaks. His snow-white sleeves billowed in the frigid wind, as he retracted his gaze and lowly laughed. “Shishu, how could friends think about being bound together?”

The word “friends” left his mouth like no big deal, carrying with it a heavy sense of mockery.

Xi Zhaoyun was dazed, and began to have utterly no idea what was going on. Friends?

One made a wish on a token, the other indulged the him in a hundred ways, this was what friends did?

Yet when it came to Duwei, it was still explicable. Because, whether Dao companion or friend, this person was unprecedentedly close, so it made sense that he acted unusually around him.

Xi Zhaoyun said, “The Qingyun Conference is near, does Duwei plan to go over and take a look?” Actually, given Xie Shiyi’s age, he was even eligible participate as a disciple, but since he was currently already at the Soul Formation stage and occupied a high position, this kind of competition definitely wasn’t something he’d participate in. Even so, as a member of the elder generation, Xi Zhaoyun still teased, “If you were to participate in the Qingyun Conference, you’d be the first person to win twice in a row.”

Xie Shiyi indifferently said, “I won’t participate.”

Xi Zhaoyun wanted to say, “Given your current status, indeed it would be inappropriate to participate,” but just as the words rose up in her throat, she heard Xie Shiyi add onto his previous words.

“Because someone needs to show off their flashy skills.”

Xi Zhaoyun: “?”

When they reached Futai Study Hall, the study hall was holding a small sparring contest. A open plain was cleared within the bamboo forest, and the pavilion on the side was filled to the brim with disciples from every classroom. The two of them were Soul Formation cultivators, and when they concealed their spiritual energy, nobody sensed that they had arrived.

The author has something to say: I’ll give a timeline. The era prior to Chunhe was Jinghong.

Jinghong year 5: Yan Qing arrives, and meets five-year-old Xie Shiyi.

Jinghong year 7: They enter the Ascension Pavilion as disciples.

Jinghong year 15: They graduate from the Ascention Pavilion. The same year, a beggar comes knocking at their door, revealing their hidden identities. The Youjue Domain, the Springwater Peach Blossom Road.

Jinghong year 35: They return to the mortal realm and massacre a city. They separate at the Land of Fallen Gods.

Jinghong year 100: Xie Shiyi claims first place on the Qingyun Rankings (at the time his cultivation was at the Great Ascension stage).

Jinghong year 125: Xie Shiyi breaks through to Void Comprehension and Soul Formation, becomes the new Immortal Alliance Leader, and establishes his authority at Xiaoyu Palace.

Jinghong year 135: The previously appointed Immortal Alliance Leader dies.

The Upper Heaven changes the era name to Chunhe.

The first year of Chunhe, Xie Shiyi enters the Demon Realm, Yan Qing dies by fire.

The hundreth year of Chunhe, Yan Qing is reborn.

[The Qingyun Conference happens once every hundred years, but in this time period, since Nanze Province changed the era name, everyone just uses the hundredth year of Chunhe as the reference point. According to my setting, in the sacred land of cultivation Nanze Province, everyone under a hundred years old is considered a youth!!!]

Actually, my initial timeline wasn’t so exact, I only had the sequence of concrete events planned out (🫣), if there’s any issues you guys can point them out.

TN: xie shiyi: 0, friend zone: 1

we’ve finally come to the end of the futai arc! and it seems like the next arc will be the qingyun conference YAURS i always eat up a tournament arc!! let’s get it

also i’m just remembering, wtf happened to Yan Qing’s little bat??? he really hasn’t shown up this whole time, i miss him…

1. The OG one ↩