Watching the Mountain

Chapter 78: Chapter 71: Nascent Soul

Qing Xuan Master had once told Xu Ran that when facing a dilemma between two goods, one shouldn’t hesitate too much—just follow your heart.

In truth, he couldn’t quite explain why he had come here today.

When he learned of the matter from Xu Ran, his reason told him the Sect was not in the wrong. Only by surviving could the Sect protect more people and ensure everyone had a future.

And yet, for some unknown reason, whenever that thought surfaced, an inexplicable pain would well up in his heart, as if a great weight was pressing on his chest.

Before coming here, he had been wracked with hesitation and conflict. He stood before his gentle Junior Sister with his head bowed, unable to meet her gaze.

She seemed to have sensed his thoughts and spoke to him gently. ”Senior Brother, if you’re asking me whether I support you, I will tell you the truth: I don’t. I just want you to stay here quietly by my side, and not go anywhere.”

”But seeing you in such pain, I also want to encourage you. I want you to know that our daughter and I have never been your weakness. You only ever thought we would be.”

”So go. Go and prove that even with a family, our Qing Xuan can still uphold the justice in his heart. Family has never been your weakness. It will only make you stronger.”

Hearing her words, Qing Xuan Master’s heart shuddered. He knew. All this time, she had blamed herself for his failed breakthrough, believing her presence in his life had created attachments that prevented him from advancing.

Every day, her heart was wracked with pain and torment.

Because she was just that gentle a person—the same person who had silently waited for him for over seven hundred years.

’So, should I really let her continue to suffer like this?’

*

*

*

Qing Xuan Master was utterly spent, his body withered. He walked with painstaking slowness, yet no one hurried him.

He walked deliberately at the head of the crowd, each step firm and resolute.

With every step he took, the crowd behind him swelled. Hearing of his arrival, many had come to silently follow in his wake.

Along the way, everyone they encountered respectfully parted to make a path for Qing Xuan Master.

The Sect disciples watched Qing Xuan Master with complex expressions that mirrored their own conflicted feelings.

They couldn’t quite articulate their own emotions. Logically, if Qing Xuan Master were to demand justice for the families of the fallen disciples, their own stipends would be the first to suffer. They should have been trying to stop him.

Yet no one did. For if a Sect could not even treat the families of its fallen with decency, could any of them truly fight for it in the future? If one day they were the ones to fall in battle, they too would hope for someone to step forward and demand justice for their loved ones.

Of course, human nature is complex, and not everyone felt this way. There were certainly many who were inwardly furious, thinking, ’If Qing Xuan Master actually succeeds, how are we supposed to continue our cultivation?’

They naturally wanted to stop him, but they didn’t dare. The crowd at his back was simply too vast.

*

*

*

”Qing Xuan, have you come here because you believe the Sect was wrong?”

The Master of the Internal Affairs Hall asked, his expression complex as he looked at the man who had just arrived.

”No, the Sect was not wrong,” Qing Xuan Master replied without a hint of hesitation.

”In that case, why are you here?”

”I simply believe that the families of those who gave their lives for the Sect should not be treated like this.”

”Do you think we don’t know that? We don’t want this either! But you know the Sect’s situation as well as anyone. Our hands are tied! If there were any other way, who wouldn’t want to care for the families of disciples who bled for this Sect? But we must first survive. Only then can we think about anything else. You know the state of the Cultivation Realm.”

The Master of the Internal Affairs Hall spoke, his voice filled with anguish.

Hearing his words, Qing Xuan Master lowered his head slightly and said nothing.

For the first time since he had begun walking his path of justice, he seemed to have lost his conviction, unable to utter a single word.

The Master of the Internal Affairs Hall looked at him and sighed deeply. ”Fine, be that as it may. Since you are here, tell us what you are thinking. How would you solve this problem? If your proposal is reasonable, the Sect will give it serious consideration.”

However, Qing Xuan Master did not speak, but kept his head lowered, standing there in silence.

Everyone was watching him, silently waiting for his reply.

A long time passed before Qing Xuan Master finally, slowly, raised his head. But he still did not offer the Master of the Internal Affairs Hall an answer.

He silently turned, his gaze sweeping over the crowd that looked to him as their last hope. After a long silence, as everyone watched in astonishment, he formed a Dao Seal with his hands, bowed deeply, and spoke, his voice heavy with sorrow.

”I am sorry. Today, I cannot seek justice for you.”

At his words, a shock went through the crowd. Even the Master of the Internal Affairs Hall behind him wore an expression of utter disbelief.

But just as everyone was still in shock, Qing Xuan Master continued, ”However, I can offer you another choice.”

’Another choice?’ The question rose in everyone’s mind. ’What choice?’

While the crowd was still confused, a profound aura began to emanate from Qing Xuan Master’s body.

He took a silent step forward, his foot finding purchase on empty air. He took another, and then another, until he had taken nine steps, his figure coming to a halt in the middle of the sky.

With each step, the profound aura around him intensified, and his body seemed to shed years of age.

When he took the ninth step, a profound, esoteric aura permeated the entire Profound Pure Sect. The air between heaven and earth thrummed with all manner of mysterious Dao Rhyme, and his body had reverted to the tall, imposing figure of the middle-aged man he once was.

The disciples of the Profound Pure Sect were still reeling in confusion when a thundercloud suddenly coalesced out of thin air above them. It was followed by an oppressive, destructive aura that emanated from the void, causing the faces of all who felt it to turn deathly pale.

The Master of the Internal Affairs Hall’s face fell as he sensed the shift. ”This is bad!” he yelled, his voice laced with panic. ”Quick, deploy the Protective Array! Qing Xuan is attempting to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage!”

*

*

*

As the first bolt of lightning descended, the disciples of the Profound Pure Sect couldn’t help but watch the figure in the sky with breathless anxiety.

Many people couldn’t understand why Qing Xuan Master, who had just looked completely spent, as if he had one foot in the grave, was suddenly undergoing the Nascent Soul tribulation.

There had been no warning signs at all before this.

What was more worrying was the question on everyone’s mind: in his state, could he truly survive the Nascent Soul tribulation?

Half a day later, a vibrant glow illuminated the world. A wondrous aura spread in all directions, and auspicious cloud formations materialized in the sky, as if celebrating the arrival of a new Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator.

”I am Qing Xuan. Today, I establish Qing Xuan Peak. All families of disciples who were injured or gave their lives for the Sect are welcome to join my Qing Xuan Peak.”

”I will take responsibility for you.”

This was the choice Qing Xuan Master gave everyone. He couldn’t seek justice for them, but he could be responsible for their survival.

A moment later, several voices echoed from across the Profound Pure Sect in unison: ”It is good!”

*

*

*

Xu Ran was naturally overjoyed that Qing Xuan Master had successfully broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

But at the same time, there was a faint unease in his heart. After all, Qing Xuan Master’s previous state had left too deep an impression on him.

’But to break through in that condition...’ he thought. ’Will there truly be no repercussions?’

”Master, Qing Xuan True Monarch is so admirable! No wonder he let us sit in on his lectures when I was little. He truly has a heart full of justice.”

Little Xiyue remarked with deep emotion, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the phenomena in the sky.

Xu Ran nodded, then turned his head to look at her and asked, ”If you were a high-ranking member of the Sect, how would you handle this matter?”

Hearing this, Little Xiyue said without any hesitation:

”Of course I would prioritize distributing the pensions! Taking responsibility for the families of the fallen is a matter of principle. To lose one’s principles is to be dead even while living; to uphold one’s principles is to find life even when facing death.”

”Besides, I wouldn’t want the Sect to treat Master like this if I were to die in battle someday.”

Xu Ran’s expression froze. He stared at Little Xiyue for a moment, took a deep breath, and said in a grave voice, ”Hold out your hands.”

Seeing Xu Ran’s expression, Little Xiyue was completely confused. She couldn’t understand why her master was suddenly angry, but she still silently held out her hands and asked, perplexed, ”Master, did I say something wrong?”

Xu Ran shook his head. ”That’s not the issue.”

Little Xiyue’s fingers were slender and fair, her palms rosy. They were quite beautiful.

Xu Ran said to her with a stern face, ”Since you became my disciple, I don’t think I have ever disciplined you.”

He took a deep breath. ”Today, your master will teach you the first rule of our path: we aim to attain the Dao, to live long and free. We never, ever speak of death.”

’A vein throbbed on his forehead. This kid... all she talks about is dying. It’s so unlucky! Can’t she consider her old fa... master’s feelings for a second?’

’She needs to be taught a proper lesson.’

He then channeled his Spiritual Power, forming it into a discipline ruler. He stared at Little Xiyue’s hands and took a deep breath...

But the moment the ruler touched Little Xiyue’s palms, he instantly withdrew all of its force.

’I’ve never laid a hand on her, not since she was little. And now... I can’t bring myself to do it.’

’Such beautiful hands. It would be a shame to mar them.’

The moment the ruler touched her hands, Little Xiyue was stunned. She didn’t feel any pain at all.

But she reacted in a flash, crying out, ”AH, IT HURTS! Master, I was wrong! I’ll remember, I’ll never say it again! I’ll work hard at my cultivation to attain the Dao, live long, and be free!”

Xu Ran clasped his hands behind his back and nodded slightly. ”Good. As long as you know you were wrong. See that you don’t make the same mistake again.”