Watching the Mountain

Chapter 50: Chapter 44: The End

In the few days before the gambling match began, Xu Ran’s residence had been quite lively. Visitors came every day—not only the other team leaders from the Qi Cultivation Stage, but even the Foundation Establishment and Purple Mansion leaders from various sects came to call on him.

After they arrived, they wouldn’t discuss any serious business. They would just make small talk, chatting about everything under the sun and sharing gossip and interesting tidbits from the Cultivation Realm.

Xu Ran knew full well that these people were just treating him like a rare curiosity, like a panda on display, and had come to gawk.

But he couldn’t refuse them, so he could only play along with a smile and respond with enthusiasm.

But after the gambling match, everyone’s interest in him instantly evaporated. No one came to visit him anymore. Even when Xu Ran ran into them while he was out, those people would avoid him from a distance, pretending not to have seen him.

Knowing a shameless person was nothing to brag about; on the contrary, one might be mistaken for being of the same ilk. In any case, everyone had already had their look. There was nothing special about him—he was just a lucky guy.

Xu Ran was happy to see this happen. He had always preferred a quiet life, so not being disturbed was actually a good thing.

Sharing his new state of isolation was Qin Yufeng of the Flame Sun Sect, whom he had met a few days prior.

That day, as Xu Ran was leaving his courtyard, he happened to see Qin Yufeng, who was about to approach a group of people to greet them. But as soon as the group saw him, they called out a warm greeting from a distance, claimed they had something to do, and hastily dodged away.

They scrambled away as if they had seen the plague itself.

Qin Yufeng stood there, stunned. He then turned and happened to see another group of people avoiding Xu Ran.

Xu Ran didn’t feel much about it, but when he turned and saw Qin Yufeng looking at him with a wry smile, he knew the man would inevitably walk over to him.

’Misery loves company, as they say. My own experience must make me seem like a kindred spirit to him.’

And just as he’d thought, Qin Yufeng soon walked over. When he reached him, he said in a teasing tone:

”Well now, Fellow Daoist Xu, how did you end up like me, becoming a plague to everyone?”

Qin Yufeng greeted him casually, but Xu Ran was still very formal, clasping his hands in a salute. ”I greet Elder Qin.”

Then, he replied with a smile, ”You must be amused, Elder Qin. I’ve always been a person of dull aptitude. The enthusiasm everyone showed me a few days ago was just out of novelty. Now that they’ve seen my true abilities, things are just returning to how they should be for me.”

Qin Yufeng was slightly taken aback. After studying him for a moment, he said with a bitter smile, ”You certainly take things in stride.”

As he spoke, he clenched his fists, his expression turning grim. ”I can’t be as philosophical as you. The way everyone is acting now, it’s as if they’ve already kicked our Flame Sun Sect out of the ranks of Nascent Soul Sects. But our Ancestor Master is still alive...”

Seeing his expression, Xu Ran was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Qin Yufeng thought people were avoiding him because the Flame Sun Sect was in decline, and they felt he was unworthy of associating with the sects present.

However, Xu Ran had heard about this matter from his visitors a few days ago. The reason everyone was avoiding him wasn’t that. Rather, the Flame Sun Sect’s situation was unique right now; they were at their most sensitive, and a careless word or action could easily offend them and earn their enmity.

Everyone in the Cultivation Realm knew that when a power was about to exhaust its destiny and reach its end, that was often when they were most dangerous. At such times, they no longer had anything to lose.

If some other power earned their resentment at a time like this, and they decided to go for mutual destruction—dragging someone down with them before they died—it would be truly perilous.

Therefore, everyone figured it was better to keep their distance than to unknowingly earn their enmity for some inexplicable reason and bring disaster upon their own sect.

This was also related to Qin Yufeng’s identity. He was said to be a direct descendant of the Flame Sun Sect’s sole surviving Nascent Soul Ancestor Master.

Of course, there was another, very practical reason: everyone was worried that Qin Yufeng would ask for help. Given the Flame Sun Sect’s current situation, it was not a good time to get too close to him.

So, considering all these reasons, his comparison of himself to a plague was quite accurate.

Qin Yufeng saw Xu Ran’s silent reaction and shook his head, not blaming him. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked:

”By the way, Fellow Daoist Xu, I heard you’re from Spirit Stream Peak and that you’re also a Spirit Plant Master. Is that true?”

Xu Ran was slightly taken aback, not understanding why he would suddenly ask this. After a moment’s thought, he replied:

”Calling me a Spirit Plant Master is giving me too much credit. I’ve only studied it a little.”

He wasn’t worried about his information being leaked. Outsiders might know a few things about him, but he was confident they didn’t know much.

All along, Yue Qingyu had been personally helping him conceal his identity.

Xu Ran naturally had complete faith in Yue Qingyu. Just as everyone perceived her, she seemed able to see through to the essence of things, and she was meticulous and thorough in everything she did.

Xu Ran considered himself to have some skill in the art of laying low, but when it came to the actual practice of concealing his identity, he was no match for Yue Qingyu.

She was truly the type of person who would quietly consider all potential risks and, without you even knowing, arrange everything perfectly, making you feel incredibly cared for and at ease.

Just like the matter of the Longevity Fruits, the various arrangements made for him after he joined the sect, and the Lifespan Extension Pills from before—she had arranged it all in advance. If no one had told him, Xu Ran might never have known.

The same went for his achievements as a Spirit Plant Master. After he had expressed his unwillingness to expose himself, many in the sect still didn’t know about his status as an Honorary Elder. Many people just thought he was a Steward who had gotten lucky, made a small contribution by chance, and been promoted.

He didn’t know how Yue Qingyu managed it; even he found it somewhat incredible. But somehow, she had done it.

So, with Yue Qingyu around, Xu Ran felt very secure staying in the Profound Pure Sect.

Hearing Xu Ran’s reply, Qin Yufeng said with a pleasant surprise, ”That’s wonderful.”

While Xu Ran was still feeling puzzled, Qin Yufeng took the initiative to explain, ”It’s like this, Fellow Daoist Xu. In recent years, your esteemed sect has been selling a type of Spirit Fruit that contains the Gold Attribute.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, ”As you should know, Fellow Daoist, the Gold Attribute usually appears in other Spiritual Objects. It’s relatively rare in things like Spirit Fruits and Spirit Medicines. Moreover, the Gold Attribute contained in your sect’s Spirit Fruit is exceptionally pure.”

”I was wondering if you might know the Spirit Plant Master who cultivated this Spirit Fruit? Could you help us with an introduction?”

Seeing the doubt in Xu Ran’s eyes, he didn’t hide anything and explained, ”We recently have a need for a large quantity of Gold Attribute Spiritual Objects, and the attribute from a Spirit Fruit is easier to absorb than from ordinary Spiritual Objects. It’s just that the grade of your sect’s Spirit Fruit is a bit low. We want to contact that Spirit Plant Master to see if there’s a higher-grade version of this Spirit Fruit, or perhaps we could sponsor him to continue his research and cultivation.”

Hearing this, Xu Ran asked doubtfully, ”Shouldn’t the time needed to research and cultivate a new Spiritual Plant be very long? Elder Qin, didn’t you say you need a large quantity in the near future? Will that be enough time?”

Qin Yufeng waved his hand and replied, ”It’s urgent, but not *that* urgent. As long as we can obtain them within a hundred years, it will be fine.”

Xu Ran gave him a thoughtful look. It was said that the Flame Sun Sect’s current Nascent Soul True Monarch still had two to three hundred years of life left. ’It seems their need for the Gold Attribute is related to their legacy.’

He immediately shook his head, casting aside these stray thoughts. ’This has nothing to do with me. The less I know, the better.’

He looked at Qin Yufeng apologetically and said, ”I’m afraid I have to disappoint you, Elder. I’m just an ordinary Steward in the Qi Cultivation Stage. For something like this, you might have a chance if you go through the sect’s official channels to contact us. As for me, you’ve overestimated my influence.”

After hearing his reply, Qin Yufeng’s expression showed he wanted to say more but was holding back. After hesitating for a long time, he finally sighed, clasped his fists toward him, and said, ”You’re right. I’ve troubled you, Fellow Daoist Xu. Let’s drop the matter. Please don’t worry about it.”

*

*

*

The grand tournament proceeded very smoothly, with no incidents. In the month since the gambling match, Shen Wuchen participated in numerous battles during the tournament and ultimately placed in the top ten.

Besides him, two other disciples from the Profound Pure Sect also made it into the top ten, but they were from the other main peaks. The best result for Spirit Stream Peak, aside from Shen Wuchen, was two disciples who made it into the top fifty. This performance was slightly below the Profound Pure Sect’s overall standard.

However, every time Shen Wuchen fought, it would draw a chorus of sighs, with comments like, ”It’s a real eye-opener, how can he be so weak?” or similar remarks.

And as the grand tournament continued, the way the Profound Pure Sect’s contingent looked at Xu Ran grew stranger and stranger.

This generation of disciples participating in the competition was already relatively weak to begin with. Yet Shen Wuchen, who clearly had the highest cultivation, had only managed to place tenth. Was he too weak, or was the person who taught him simply incompetent?

Xu Ran felt that his days in charge of the Instructor Hall were probably numbered. He didn’t mind, though. It would be a good opportunity to enjoy some leisure and focus on his cultivation.

Sure enough, just after the grand tournament ended, on the way back, he received a message from Yue Qingyu. The content was simple and direct: the sect had some reservations about him being in charge of the Instructor Hall.

However, Yue Qingyu didn’t say he would be dismissed immediately. Instead, she told him to continue in the role for the time being, and that they would discuss everything after she returned.

Xu Ran’s position in the Profound Pure Sect was somewhat special. Just as Ye Shan had told him back then, strictly speaking, he wasn’t a member of the sect, but rather one of Yue Qingyu’s people.

Even after he was promoted to Honorary Elder and his treatment was no different from that of an ordinary disciple, when it came to matters concerning him, the sect would usually entrust them to Yue Qingyu to handle.

After seeing Yue Qingyu’s message, Xu Ran replied with some confusion, ”Senior Sister, aren’t you on the battlefield? Why is the sect still bothering you with these things?”

Before long, Yue Qingyu replied, ”This battlefield is a bit strange. The war might be over soon.”

Hearing this, Xu Ran was slightly shocked. ’The war is about to end? This quickly?’

It had only been a little over ten years since the war began with the Evil and Demon Domains invading the Demon Race.

In the context of a large-scale war in the Cultivation Realm, that amount of time was barely the beginning—it might not even count as a warm-up. How could it be ending so suddenly?

Then he looked at Yue Qingyu’s reply, curious about what she meant when she said this war was a ”bit strange.”