Watching the Mountain

Chapter 218: Chapter 150: Unable to Get Close

Just as Teacher Qing Xuan had said, those Secret Realms weren’t simple, minor domains, but rather several small worlds, each comparable to an entire world unto itself.

Ever since the Secret Realms appeared, not a single problem had occurred.

Many people initially suspected the Secret Realms might be problematic and chose to wait and see. However, as time went on, they watched as more and more people around them obtained all sorts of opportunities from within, breaking through to higher Realms. Eventually, they could no longer hold back and chose to enter as well.

As long as the issues Qin Yufeng spoke of didn’t manifest in the Secret Realms, the situation was practically impossible to solve.

It was like placing a Gold Mountain in front of an ordinary person and telling them not to take any because the gold was poisonous. How many could possibly resist?

If just one person took some gold and the so-called poison didn’t take immediate effect, countless others would rush forward. When the hesitant ones saw those people living well off their new wealth, they wouldn’t be able to hold back either, even if they still believed the gold was poisonous.

So, never mind that the Secret Realms were currently fine. Even if problems did erupt, as long as they weren’t catastrophic, people would likely be unable to resist. They would continue to throw themselves in, one after another, searching for opportunities.

In the eyes of the people of the Cultivation Realm, as long as one’s Cultivation Realm was high enough and their strength great enough, no problem was truly a problem.

After hearing his account, Teacher Qing Xuan said he would report the information to the Sect, which would then pass it on to the Upper Sect.

As for Xu Ran, he shouldn’t concern himself with it any further. He just needed to focus on his cultivation.

Qing Xuan True Monarch was a righteous man, but he was powerless in a situation like this. The only thing he could do was ensure the information wasn’t concealed; anything else was beyond his control.

Hearing this from Teacher Qing Xuan, Xu Ran stopped agonizing over it. Just as his teacher had said, the information would be reported to the Upper Sect. What happened after that would simply be up to fate.

Besides, this was just something Qin Yufeng had said. There was no way to know if it was true or false, and they had no proof. They couldn’t act on his word alone.

After returning from seeing Teacher Qing Xuan, the first thing he did was contact his foolish student, Jiang Ling’Er. ’That girl is just too easy to trick,’ he thought. ’I won’t have any peace of mind if I don’t warn her.’

”But Teacher, he said he was a friend of yours! He said you only called him a bad guy because you two had an argument. He also told me a lot of things about you, and they were all true.”

”And he complimented me! He said I was truly worthy of being your student, that anyone could tell I was exceptionally clever, lively, adorable, and kind-hearted...”

”He complimented me so much. He can’t be a bad person, can he?”

After hearing Jiang Ling’Er’s words, Xu Ran rubbed his forehead in exasperation and said wearily,

”You need to remember this in the future: not everyone who compliments you is a good person, especially someone who does it the moment you meet. Think about it. You had just met, so he doesn’t know you at all. Why would he compliment you then, unless he had an ulterior motive?”

Hearing this, Jiang Ling’Er’s excitement instantly vanished. She replied in a dejected tone,

”Oh, so that’s what it was... Okay. I really thought he meant it.”

She was genuinely hurt. It was rare for anyone to praise her, and to think it was all just a ploy to deceive her... It was simply despicable.

”If you run into a situation like this again, ask for Jiang Xiaohui’s opinion first.”

”But Xiaohui is receiving an inheritance right now. He’s not here.”

”Then just don’t talk to strangers.”

”Well... Teacher, I’m not really *that* gullible, you know.”

”Yes, yes, I know. You’re my student, I know you best. You’re very clever. That’s why, from now on, you are forbidden from speaking to strangers alone unless Jiang Xiaohui is with you.”

”Okay... I get it. I’ll listen to you, Teacher.”

*

*

*

Xu Ran believed Qin Yufeng when he said he wouldn’t harm Jiang Ling’Er. After all, a man who had been so brazen as to admit he wanted to reforge the world had no reason to lie about such a small thing.

Therefore, he was less worried about Jiang Ling’Er and more concerned about Zhang Zhentian.

Perhaps because the appearance of the Secret Realms had captured everyone’s attention, no one cared about a man who had once been hunted by the entire Cultivation Realm. The incident with the Flame Sun Sect was also long past. Qin Yufeng apparently had no intention of hiding his movements and had appeared openly among the Demon Race.

If that was the case, and Zhang Zhentian heard news of him, he would almost certainly be unable to resist seeking him out.

Being defeated by Qin Yufeng at the peak of his power was, for the Evergreen Sword Saint, the most deeply cutting failure of his life.

Xu Ran didn’t believe for a second that Zhang Zhentian could resist seeking out Qin Yufeng after learning of his whereabouts.

Under normal circumstances, Xu Ran would have supported Zhang Zhentian in confronting his past failure. But with Qin Yufeng’s current condition unknown, he had a feeling Zhang Zhentian would be no match for him.

And just as he feared, as he was preparing to seek out Zhang Zhentian, the man found him first.

It was unclear where Zhang Zhentian had heard the news about Qin Yufeng, but he came to Xu Ran to postpone their sparring sessions, saying he had to make a trip to the lands of the Demon Race first.

Seeing the blazing fighting spirit in Zhang Zhentian’s eyes, Xu Ran considered trying to talk him out of it, but ultimately held his tongue. Instead, he simply offered him his best wishes.

After watching Zhang Zhentian step onto the Teleportation Array, Xu Ran immediately contacted Qin Yufeng.

”Haha, say no more! Since it’s a request from you, Fellow Daoist Xu, I certainly won’t refuse. Besides, your sect’s Evergreen Sword Saint is a great benefactor of mine. If not for defeating him, I’d still be a stray dog on the side of the road, loathed by men and ghosts alike. I would never have made it to where I am today.”

”Senior, you jest. How could you be a stray dog...”

But before he could finish, Qin Yufeng cut him off. ”Fellow Daoist Xu, there’s no need to say more. There are some things one can only understand by experiencing them firsthand.”

”Calling myself a stray dog on the roadside is actually putting it nicely. After all... even stray dogs get fed sometimes...”

Xu Ran fell silent at his words. He didn’t know what Qin Yufeng had experienced. It wasn’t his place to preach kindness when he hadn’t endured another’s suffering.

”At the very least, Senior, you have me as a friend, don’t you?”

”Hahaha, how rare! For you to take the initiative and acknowledge me as a friend, Fellow Daoist Xu... This is a truly joyous occasion.”

”It’s only natural. After all, you still hold some leverage over me, don’t you, Senior? Besides, I’m not the type to be ungrateful for the favors you’ve shown me.”

”Haha, excellent! With those words from you, Fellow Daoist Xu, it means that I, Qin Yufeng, finally have a friend in this world. This is truly wonderful news! I must have a drink or two to celebrate.”

After speaking, Qin Yufeng’s tone shifted, becoming dead serious. ”Fellow Daoist Xu, just you watch. This world will, in the end, become the world I envision.”

*

*

*

「A few days later」

Zhang Zhentian returned. He was completely unharmed, but his expression was grim, and he remained silent.

When Xu Ran questioned him, he just shook his head and said, ”I didn’t fight him.”

Xu Ran was stunned, looking at him in confusion.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Zhentian spoke, his voice low.

”Because I couldn’t even reach him. With his aura alone, he made it impossible for me to get close.”

Xu Ran’s eyes widened, his face a mask of shock.

’Just his aura was enough to stop the Evergreen Sword Saint, Zhang Zhentian—a man once hailed as the strongest at the Golden Core Realm, who had since broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage—from even getting near him?’

’I knew Qin Yufeng’s strength must be extraordinary for him to dare claim he would reshape the world, but I never imagined he had become this powerful.’

’During the great competition between sects, he was only at the Foundation Establishment Stage. When he later defeated Zhang Zhentian, he had only just reached the Purple Mansion Stage.’

’Only a few hundred years have passed since then. Don’t tell me he’s already broken through to the Divinity Transformation Stage?’

’I thought Qin Yufeng’s plan to reshape the world was some distant future ambition, just a goal he was working toward. But now... it seems it might happen much sooner than I thought.’

”Senior Brother, I’m going to go cultivate.”

Zhang Zhentian said this one sentence before quietly taking his leave.

Xu Ran watched his retreating figure, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. ’This might actually be a good thing for Zhang Zhentian,’ he mused. ’Ever since he broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage, everyone could sense that he’d grown complacent.’

’Now, after seeing Qin Yufeng, he once again has a goal to fight for.’