Watching the Mountain

Chapter 42: Chapter 36: Not the Man He Used to Be

Xu Ran found the Elder who had been responsible for recruiting the new batch of disciples to verify the situation with a disciple named Shen Wuchen.

The Elder told Xu Ran that the test results were correct. When he had first seen the results, he too thought there must have been an error and had specifically run the test again.

But after several consecutive re-tests, the result was always the same.

After hearing this, Xu Ran mulled it over for a moment before asking curiously,

”So, is someone like him considered a genius, or a good-for-nothing?”

Faced with this question, the Elder fell silent as well. It was clearly the first time he had ever encountered such a situation. After a long moment, he shook his head, sighed with a complicated expression, and said,

”That’s truly hard to say. Theoretically, Root Bone and Comprehension aren’t ranked one above the other; they’re meant to be complementary. But in a case like his... sigh.”

The Elder sighed, thought for a long while, and continued,

”The only uncertainty now is whether he can comprehend Cultivation Techniques. If he can—it doesn’t have to be a profound understanding, just a slight grasp of their mysteries—then cultivation shouldn’t be an issue for him. His cultivation speed might not even be that slow.”

”The fear now is that he won’t even be able to make sense of the Cultivation Techniques. That would be like giving a newborn baby a Divine Weapon—completely useless.”

After speaking, the Elder let out several regretful sighs. ’He should have been a peerless genius, just like Ye Shan. How could he turn out to be so utterly brainless?’

’This is truly a great loss for the Sect!’

Hearing this, Xu Ran’s gaze flickered thoughtfully. ’He only needs to grasp a bit of their mysteries, huh?’

An idea immediately occurred to him, but he didn’t seek out Shen Wuchen. Instead, he decided to observe for a while longer.

*

*

*

Xu Ran wasn’t sure what was going on, but he kept feeling that the disciples of his Instructor Hall were looking at him strangely.

It was as if he were some great demon plaguing the world, and they were vaguely afraid of him.

This left him utterly baffled. ’I always make a point of being amicable within the Sect, never making enemies, and I certainly haven’t done anything wicked. So why is everyone so afraid of me?’

’Could it be that some treacherous villain is maliciously spreading rumors about me behind my back?’

So after his lecture concluded and he returned to his Cave Mansion, he summoned Little Xiyue and asked if she had heard any rumors from the other disciples.

And so Little Xiyue, the main culprit, confessed of her own accord, relaying to him all the rumors she had been deliberately spreading recently.

Things like him having powerful connections, being very close with Senior Sister Yue Qingyu—the Sect’s next successor—and having some sort of ambiguous relationship with her, that Spirit Stream Peak had gifted him an Immortal Crane to curry favor... and so on. She had rampantly spread a whole pile of such unverifiable rumors, a mix of truth and fiction.

”Ow! Why did you hit me?” Little Xiyue clutched her head, glaring at Xu Ran with a look of utter grievance.

Xu Ran glared right back at her and said irritably, ”Then let me ask *you*, why were you spreading those rumors?”

”Because I felt like they were looking down on you and didn’t respect you. It made me really unhappy.”

”So you decided to spread those rumors?”

”But didn’t you teach me that? You said that when you’re out in the world, your status is what you make of it. That in different times and different environments, you have to learn how to create different identities for yourself to better protect yourself.”

Xu Ran’s expression froze. He had, in fact, said that. ’She’s a fast learner, all right.’

”So that’s why you decided to spread these rumors?”

”Anyway, I just don’t want to see them looking down on you.”

Xu Ran reached out and flicked her on the forehead. ”This is just going to cause me even more trouble.”

He then let out a sigh and said, ”Forget it. Just don’t do this again. As for people looking down on me, I have my own ways of handling things. You don’t need to worry.”

*

*

*

During another lecture in the Instructor Hall, Xu Ran sat on the platform and addressed the disciples below.

”Today, I’ll be teaching Daoist Techniques. Has anyone thought about what they might like to learn?”

At his words, the disciples below were momentarily stunned. After a moment of silence, one of them mustered up the courage to ask,

”Any Daoist Technique at all?”

Xu Ran considered for a moment, then replied with a smile,

”More or less. As long as it’s a basic Daoist Technique from our Spirit Stream Peak’s Scripture Pavilion that you are permitted to learn, then yes.”

Upon hearing this, the disciples below looked astonished. One couldn’t help but ask curiously,

”Steward, does that mean you know all of those Daoist Techniques?”

”Yes.”

”Whoa.” A wave of gasps erupted upon hearing Xu Ran’s calm reply.

”Steward, how many Daoist Techniques do you know?”

Xu Ran stroked his chin, pondering for a moment before replying, ”Around three hundred or so. Though, for most, I’ve only learned the basics. I can only use a few dozen of them proficiently.”

Ever since he’d started having Ye Shan as a sparring partner, learning Daoist Techniques had become much easier for him. He had been promoted to Honorary Elder and had an abundance of Contribution Points—one could say he was loaded. On top of that, he had served as Qing Xuan Master’s teaching assistant for many years, receiving his meticulous guidance. He truly had learned a great many Daoist Techniques.

”That’s still incredible! Steward, could you demonstrate some for us?”

Hearing this, Xu Ran smiled slightly and nodded. ”Of course. Let’s go, we’ll head outside.”

With that, he slowly rose and led the disciples toward the Martial Arts Arena outside.

’This was his plan for the day all along. Even if they hadn’t suggested it, he would have done it anyway.’

’As for his purpose, it was, of course, to show off his strength to the disciples.’

’It would save that little apprentice of his the trouble of doing something outrageous again just to uphold his master’s dignity.’

And just as he had thought, after demonstrating over a hundred Magic Techniques in front of the disciples, he successfully reaped a harvest of admiring gazes.

Many now felt that, as expected, for Steward Xu to be in charge of the Instructor Hall with only a Qi Cultivation Stage Cultivation, he had to possess true ability.

Xu Ran observed the disciples’ reactions and nodded slightly, very pleased with the result.

’This way, that little apprentice of mine at home won’t be unhappy anymore, right?’

*

*

*

Ever since taking over the Instructor Hall, Xu Ran had been exceptionally busy. To prepare for each lecture and avoid leading his disciples astray, he was extremely diligent, researching his topics thoroughly and never daring to slack off.

Now that the Instructor Hall was running smoothly, he could finally relax a little. And so, he found himself at the Outer Sect Cafeteria, a place he hadn’t visited in a very long time.

The cafeteria seemed much more deserted now than before. Most of the disciples had gone to the battlefield, leaving only the hundred-or-so newly-entered disciples to eat here.

Compared to the bustling scenes of the past when it was packed with people, it was a completely different picture.

Moreover, the new disciples were still in their adjustment period and didn’t dare to make a ruckus while eating in the cafeteria, making it exceptionally quiet.

Xu Ran found it a bit unsettling. While eating in silence was orderly and polite, he felt it lacked a certain human warmth.

’Eating is better with a bit of life and bustle; it whets the appetite.’

He looked at the Spirit Rice in his bowl, and for a moment, he wasn’t sure how to even begin eating.

That is, until a gruff, imperious shout came from outside the cafeteria doors:

”Five buckets of Spirit Rice! Two Half-Fire Spirit Chickens! And oh, I’ll have extra Hundred Fruit Wine today—bring three jugs!”

As the voice faded, an old man with messy white hair and magnificent robes strode in. He propped one foot on a stool and sat down, completely at ease.

Seeing Ye Shan enter, all the disciples present stopped what they were doing, stood up, bowed respectfully, and called out, ”Greetings, Ye Zhenzhuan.”

At the sound of their voices, Ye Shan just gave a blank nod and a soft ”Mm” in response, then waved a hand to dismiss them, signaling for them to continue eating.

The disciples did as they were told, sitting back down to eat, but their movements were stiff and their expressions rigid, as if they were too nervous to even breathe. Many of them furtively darted their eyes toward Ye Shan as they ate.

Ye Shan paid no mind to their reactions, simply wolfing down his food as usual, rapidly shoveling bucket after bucket of Spirit Rice into his mouth.

Once he had eaten and drunk his fill, he wiped his mouth with his hand, let out a satisfied belch, wiped his hand on his True Disciple Robe, and then strode out of the cafeteria.

Only after Ye Shan had left did a collective sigh of relief sweep through the cafeteria, the tense atmosphere finally easing.

Watching this, Xu Ran was in a slight daze. He could still remember the last time he’d been here, when the hall had been filled with the sounds of Ye Shan laughing and bickering with the other disciples.

The disciples would make fun of Ye Shan’s boasts, and he would retort indignantly.

Yet in the blink of an eye, Ye Shan seemed to have reverted to being that revered True Disciple of old, before whom the other disciples didn’t even dare to breathe.

The scene caught him off guard, but he quickly understood why.

To these new disciples, they had never experienced Ye Shan’s era, nor had they ever interacted with him before.

Whether Ye Shan was the invincible prodigy of the past or the old man who now came to the cafeteria for a free meal every day, to them, he was one and the same: the untouchable True Disciple.

That status alone was enough to inspire their fear.

’They’re all strangers to him. How could they possibly banter and laugh together?’

’Perhaps that’s why Ye Shan didn’t boast when he came in, but just ate his meal in silence.’

Xu Ran walked out of the cafeteria, tilting his head back slightly to gaze at the distant horizon.

’In a few more years, when the disciples of old have gradually passed away, how many people will be left to remember the invincible prodigy who once lit up the entire Cultivation Realm?’

’Perhaps, even the name Ye Shan itself will eventually be forgotten.’

’Time, after all, is the most ruthless thing there is.’