Watching the Mountain

Chapter 66: Chapter 60: Shen Wuchen Objects

They say that if a man suddenly matures, it’s because he is already riddled with scars and covered in wounds.

Zhang Zhentian must have been the same.

Xu Ran had never been to a battlefield, so he couldn’t imagine the horrors Zhang Zhentian must have endured. But he was certain it was far, far worse than what Zhang Zhentian had let on.

Things like watching his fellow disciples and comrades in arms fall one by one.

After hearing what happened with Flowing Clouds Master, it wasn’t just Zhang Zhentian; even Xu Ran himself felt a knot in his stomach. He felt he couldn’t face Zhang Zhentian with a clear conscience.

The matter of becoming Dao Companions had been Flowing Clouds Master’s idea, and Xu Ran had rejected it outright.

And yet, Flowing Clouds Master had been severely wounded. That was a fact.

Therefore, it was best for both Xu Ran and Zhang Zhentian to not see each other for a while. With time, everything would fade.

That was what they both believed.

But, as it happened, someone disagreed.

Somehow, Shen Wuchen had found out about the relationship between Xu Ran and Zhang Zhentian.

The day after Zhang Zhentian and Xu Ran’s meeting, Shen Wuchen paid a visit. Sensing that Xu Ran’s aura was slightly different than before, he paused for a moment, then asked with a look of pleasant surprise, ”Master Xu, have you broken through in your cultivation?”

Xu Ran gave a slight nod.

Shen Wuchen was instantly overjoyed. The look on his face was as if he had broken through himself, and he began showering Xu Ran with congratulations.

Then, his tone suddenly shifted. He looked at Xu Ran and asked, ”Has that Senior Brother Zhang, the Evergreen Sword Saint, offered his congratulations to you, Master Xu?”

Xu Ran froze at the question, staring at Shen Wuchen in bewilderment.

Seeing his reaction, Shen Wuchen took the initiative to explain. ”I heard that Senior Brother Zhang also studied under you for a time, Master Xu, and that you two were very close. I thought that since you’ve broken through, I might get to see him here.”

His tone shifted again as he spoke, his voice rising slightly. ”What? Don’t tell me Senior Brother Zhang still hasn’t come to see you since he returned?”

Xu Ran fell silent for a moment. Recalling what Zhang Zhentian had said the previous night, he waved his hand dismissively and said,

”Those are just rumors. Back then, I was assisting Teacher Qing Xuan with his instruction. Your Senior Brother Zhang simply lost a bet with Teacher Qing Xuan and had to fulfill the terms. Our relationship was never as close as the rumors claim.”

Shen Wuchen nodded thoughtfully, his gaze fixed intently on Xu Ran’s expression.

He understood!

Then, lowering his voice, he spoke with righteous indignation, ”To forget his guide the moment he rose to power... I never thought the Evergreen Sword Saint would be that kind of person. I, Shen Wuchen, am ashamed to be associated with someone like that.”

He clenched his fists, his expression resolute as he declared to Xu Ran,

”Master Xu, just you wait! In the future, I will personally defeat that Evergreen Sword Saint, drag him here, and make him kneel before you to admit his wrongdoing.”

Xu Ran stared at Shen Wuchen in shock, looking him up and down for a moment. He was utterly baffled.

’What is going on? Has Shen Wuchen cultivated himself stupid? Is he out of his mind? Or has all the recent flattery from his fellow disciples simply gone to his head?’

’Where did he get the nerve to say something like that?’

After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly.

”Are you serious? He’s in the Purple Mansion Stage now. You’re only in the Foundation Establishment Stage—and the weakest kind, at that.”

Shen Wuchen shot him a helpless look. ”Master Xu, could you please not add ’the weakest kind’? There’s really no need to emphasize that part.”

He then continued with a confident expression, ”Don’t worry, I’ve looked into it. The Evergreen Sword Saint’s Root Bone was only rated Grade A, not even A+. And Elder Zi Teng said my Root Bone was rated A+ only because that’s the highest possible grade.”

”So, in terms of Root Bone alone, I’m more than a cut above him. His cultivation is higher than mine for now, but the further you progress in cultivation, the longer each breakthrough takes.”

”It won’t take me more than a few years to reach the Purple Mansion Stage. I’ll catch up to him then, and eventually, I’ll completely surpass him.”

”At that point, I’ll naturally be able to defeat him with my cultivation, being one whole realm higher than his.”

He actually made a surprisingly logical point.

Xu Ran watched the spirited Shen Wuchen with some surprise. He felt that ever since breaking through to Foundation Establishment, the young man had become increasingly confident. It wasn’t the kind of confidence that bred arrogance, but the kind that came from seeing a clear path forward.

It was a far cry from the grand competition, where Shen Wuchen had been so afraid of embarrassing himself that he was unwilling to even get on stage.

Now, he was proudly declaring his intent to defeat Zhang Zhentian by overpowering him with a higher realm.

’He certainly adapted quickly.’

He fell silent for a moment before saying quietly, ”But Zhang Zhentian is a true prodigy. The kind who can challenge those in higher realms, a prodigy who can define an era. Are you sure being one realm higher will be enough to defeat him? Or will you just become another entry in his record of cross-realm victories?”

”Er...” Shen Wuchen’s face stiffened. He gave Xu Ran a reproachful look, feeling a sense of helplessness well up inside him.

’Can’t you tell I’m trying to stand up for you? Couldn’t you just not shoot me down right now? Just let me be confident for once, is that so much to ask?’

His expression tightened, and his usual cold, arrogant mask fell back into place. His tone became curt as he said,

”The further one goes in cultivation, the greater the gap between realms becomes. If the Core Formation Stage isn’t enough, then I’ll reach the Nascent Soul Stage before him. Or even the Divinity Transformation Stage. I refuse to believe that the Evergreen Sword Saint can fight someone in the Divinity Transformation Realm while he’s still in the Nascent Soul Realm.”

When Xu Ran saw that cold, arrogant expression appear, he knew that Shen Wuchen was actually nervous, maybe even a little scared. He was about to offer a few words of encouragement when Shen Wuchen stared at him, his face a mask, and said,

”If I succeed, I hope you will grant me one request, Master Xu.”

”What kind of request? Let’s hear it.”

”Take me as your disciple. The same kind of master-disciple relationship you have with Senior Sister Ning.”

Even though he always addressed Xu Ran as ”Master Xu,” they didn’t have a formal master-disciple relationship. It was more like the relationship between Xu Ran and Qing Xuan Master—simply that of a teacher and a student.

Xu Ran was taken aback. After a long silence, he asked in surprise, ”Are you serious? My cultivation is even weaker than yours.”

Shen Wuchen nodded earnestly and smiled. ”One doesn’t take a master for their power or cultivation. The path I walk is the one you taught me.”

Hearing this, Xu Ran fell silent once again. After a long while, he finally spoke slowly.

”If you really do as you say and only defeat the Evergreen Sword Saint after you reach the Divinity Transformation Realm, that would be hundreds, maybe even thousands of years from now. You know what my talent is like. I certainly won’t be around by then.”

Shen Wuchen’s expression froze. He thought for a moment, flustered, before replying,

”Then... we’ll just add my status to your tombstone.”

He paused after speaking, as if a thought had suddenly struck him, and he hurriedly added, ”Oh, right! Senior Sister Ning’s talent is pretty good. She should still be around then. You can instruct her in advance, and she can accept a disciple on her master’s behalf.”

”What do you think? Would that work?”

He seemed to be looking for praise for coming up with such a brilliant idea.

Xu Ran stared at him, his face stiff and his eyes slightly downcast.

Shen Wuchen wasn’t like Ye Shan, whose emotional intelligence was in the negative. He did possess some emotional intelligence, but only a tiny bit. Not much at all.

’A normal person would have offered some compliments right about now, something like, ”I believe you will surely attain the Great Dao,” or they would have declared their intent to find life-extending treasures for me.’

’But no, not him. He just went straight to assuming I was going to die, planning to either carve his name on my tombstone or have Little Xiyue accept him as a disciple in my stead.’

’He thought he could demonstrate his resolve through sheer sincerity.’

’Xu Ran couldn’t decide if he should be moved or if he should just start cursing.’

After a long silence, he nodded at Shen Wuchen and said encouragingly, ”Fine. I agree. I’ll have a word with your Senior Sister Ning. You just work hard. I’ll be waiting for the day you succeed.”

He made sure to raise his voice when he said the part about having ”a word with your Senior Sister Ning.”

Unfortunately, Shen Wuchen completely missed the hidden meaning in his words. Hearing Xu Ran’s agreement, he said with a thrilled expression,

”Rest assured, Master Xu! I will dedicate myself to my cultivation. I will definitely succeed!”