Though it's the first time meeting this peculiar old man, Chi Changye and Gu Yao immediately recognize the visitor's identity - Elder Yi from Sword Peak. Whether it's the sword aura on him or his physical features, everything aligns perfectly.
"You're a sword cultivator. Why waste time in the Outer Court instead of joining Sword Peak?" the strange old man asks Chi Changye with a face full of regret. He has been observing Chi Changye for several days, noticing him idling away without serious cultivation. Either he's following Gu Yao, the alchemist, around to read miscellaneous books or drawing weird symbols. Elder Yi couldn't bear it any longer and decided to ask directly.
Gu Yao notices the strange old man's resentful and disgruntled gaze towards him. He thinks it's better not to speak up at this moment to avoid causing displeasure. The reason the old man didn't take action against him might be due to his identity as an alchemist. So, he lets Brother Night handle it.
"Elder Yi," Chi Changye subtly shields Gu Yao behind him, arching his hand, "Cultivating one's character is the foundation of self-cultivation. The junior acknowledges that his temperament needs further refinement. Thank you, Elder Yi, for your concern."
Elder Yi doesn't believe a word of this strange reasoning, but with the Principal's words backing Chi Changye, he can't forcibly bring him into Sword Peak. With a flick of his beard and a cold snort, he waves his sleeve and tosses out two jade slips, saying, "You are now a disciple of Sword Peak. Take a look at these."
After Chi Changye receives the jade slips, Elder Yi doesn't spare him another glance and departs, leaving the two bewildered individuals behind.
Coming out from the shadows, Gu Yao remarks, "It seems Elder Yi's main purpose for blocking the way wasn't to get Brother Night to join Sword Peak but to deliver something."
Looking at the jade slips in Chi Changye's hand, one old and one new, the old one exuding extreme simplicity, he doesn't rush to inspect them and stores them in his storage pouch. "Let's go back first. Elder Yi didn't have any ill intentions," Chi Changye says. There's probably some resentment and eagerness for talent improvement.
"Alright."
As the two leave, several figures appear in the same spot they vacated. One of them is Cai, the main figure of Wufeng. Observing the direction Elder Yi left in, he says displeasedly, "This old man actually set his sights on that kid and went out of his way to give a warning. Is he deliberately marking the kid with Sword Peak's imprint?"
"Let it be. Elder Yi didn't immediately pull him into Sword Peak. He still respects the Principal's words," another person mediates.
"No, something's off," Cai says urgently. "Did you guys notice the jade slips that old man gave? It should be one of them. What is that old guy plotting?"
"Unlikely. Maybe, Master Cai, you misunderstood. Elder Yi is not someone who ignores rules."
Sentence by sentence transcription:
"Interchanging remarks, for now dispelling the suspicion of Master Cai Feng, he reluctantly left with others after glancing in the direction of Chi Changye and Gu Yao leaving. Then the topic shifted back to the young cultivator Gu Yao; indeed, his talent in alchemy seemed outstanding, but it was a pity that it fell on someone with only four spiritual roots."
"They didn't know that after Chi Changye and Gu Yao had walked a sufficient distance, they turned around and looked back a few times. Although those people were hiding in the shadows, being stared at so unscrupulously was impossible not to notice. Especially Chi Changye, even though his cultivation had regressed, his vision and perception had once reached the Nascent Soul stage."
"Returning to the small courtyard, activating the formation, those cultivators who wanted to probe the situation inside without alerting them would find it challenging."
"Bringing tea and snacks, the two sat at the stone table under the tree. Chi Changye took out the two jade slips he had put away earlier."
"Chi Changye first looked at the new one. Since Gu Yao saw that he didn't finish quickly, he sat aside, drinking tea and nibbling on spirit fruits, taking out a book to read on his own without disturbing him."
"When Chi Changye's divine sense withdrew from the jade slip, Gu Yao had finished two cups of tea and eaten two fist-sized spirit fruits. Seeing Chi Changye open his eyes, he curiously looked over, wanting to know what the strange old man had lost, attracting the attention of other big shots from various academies."
"Chi Changye chuckled, took a sip of the spirit tea in front of him, and said, 'It's an introduction to Sword Peak, the purpose of Sword Peak's existence, how many outstanding sword cultivators Sword Peak has produced over the years. In this Tianfu Academy, Sword Peak exists to protect it.'"
"Ah, it's Sword Peak, not Martial Peak?" Gu Yao asked in surprise.
"Yes, it's Sword Peak. So Sword Peak's status and significance in Tianfu Academy are extraordinary. But that was in the past. Now, whether it's Tianfu Academy or Sword Peak, both have declined. Sword Peak has become a place not many people are willing to enter, especially if it wasn't for Dean Yu coming from Sword Peak. Perhaps its reputation would be even worse.'"
"I should say that in Tianfu Academy, Sword Peak's inheritance is the most complete. As long as Tianfu Academy has existed, Sword Peak has guarded it. Chi Changye's eyes showed a bit of interest. 'I think Sword Peak is not simple, and it's necessary to take a trip.'"
"Gu Yao wondered, 'To say that Sword Peak's inheritance is the most complete, but the current situation is that Sword Peak, except for Dean Yu, is weaker overall than Martial Peak.' It shouldn't be like this if the inheritance is complete."
Chi Changye explained with a smile, 'Because only those who pass through the Sword Pavilion are qualified to receive the inheritance. The Sword Pavilion is left by the first generation Sword Peak Master. The jade slip doesn't specify when it was established, but Elder Yi left a message at the end of the jade slip.'"
"What did he say?" Gu Yao widened his eyes.
"He said, as long as you pass through the Sword Pavilion, you will get what I want.' Chi Changye smirked."
"What you want?" Gu Yao suddenly thought of something and exclaimed, 'Is it...'"
Chi Changye understood what Gu Yao had guessed and nodded, saying, 'I guess it's highly likely. Looking at the introduction to Sword Peak in the jade slip, its origin is somewhat extraordinary. I think the original Sword Peak and the overall situation of Tianfu Academy were more than that. Unfortunately, I don't know what happened later. The whole Tianlin Continent seems to have been confined, and the only connection with the outside world is the teleportation array left by the Changxian Sect.'"
Gu Yao exclaimed with joy, 'It seems that we made the right choice to enter Tianfu Academy. Brother Ye, you have to work hard. What about this second jade slip?'"
Chi Changye smiled, 'Take it slow. There's no need to rush into the Sword Pavilion now. We're already here, and there will be opportunities. As for this jade slip, I can't open it temporarily because there are layers of restrictions on the outside. The person who left the restrictions is a pretty good sword cultivator. To unlock it, you also need to use sword energy. That sword cultivator's cultivation is not weaker than the Nascent Soul stage.'"
Gu Yao smacked his lips, thinking that this Tianfu Academy, which was considered a rubbish containment facility by cultivators on the Tianlin Continent, turned out to be a hidden dragon and crouching tiger. A jade slip thrown out casually was sealed by a Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator. Such a cultivator should come from Tianfu Academy. What can be considered as Northern Star Sect and Changxian Sect?"
"Does the sword cultivator who unlocks the seal have cultivation requirements?" Gu Yao suddenly asked.
Chi Changye replied, 'Yes, but just give me some time, and I can unlock it. I understand what you mean, Little Yao. You're saying that the academy should know about my situation, right?' Seeing Gu Yao's concerned eyes, Chi Changye reached out and rubbed his hair. 'Even if they know, it doesn't matter. At the moment, it seems that I'm quite useful to them.'"
"Although the time spent here is short, the various things I have encountered have shown me that Tianfu Academy hides many secrets. This has piqued my interest, much more interesting than entering other forces.'"
"Brother Ye knowing is good. Brother Ye, be careful yourself." Gu Yao reminded.
Chi Changye nodded with a slight smile.
Nameless Peak.
Fishing by the lake changed from a solitary activity to a duo, and the other person was Elder Yi from Sword Peak.
"Did you give that jade slip to Chi Changye?" Dean Yu, without opening his eyes, asked, 'Can you be sure he can unlock the seal on the jade slip?'"
Elder Yi belonged to the more hot-tempered type. After fishing for a while, he pulled up the fishing hook to check. There was no fish on the hook. 'Dean, didn't you say he was likely a Nascent Soul stage sword cultivator before he was injured? I think there should be no problem. If he can't unlock it, among these students, no one can. Dean, maybe this is the opportunity for our academy to change. Dean, don't you want to give it a try? Otherwise, in the future...' Our Tianfu Academy is afraid it won't be preserved.'"
Dean Yu sighed, finally opening his eyes, full of helplessness. Yet, due to Elder Yi's words, there was a trace of anticipation. 'Well, perhaps, as you said, the opportunity for change is on these students. Let's wait and see.'"
"Dean..." Elder Yi, who was quite old, felt a bit emotional, almost shedding tears.
Dean Yu said disdainfully, 'You're so old, and you still resort to such tricks. The Sword Pavilion still needs you to guard.'"
"Don't worry, Dean. With me, Elder Yi here, Sword Pavilion is
here. Moreover, even if those people want to, they can't step into the Sword Pavilion half a step!" Elder Yi's old face turned red, then he patted his chest and guaranteed.
"After this day, Chi Changye had one more task: to take out that ancient jade slip when he had nothing to do. By relying on water-milling skills day by day, he could gradually grind away the outer restrictions on the jade slip, and those sword energies could not harm him.
Jiang Yan, accompanied by Zhou Li, came to the small courtyard again, this time to discuss business with Gu Yao.
"Does the Star-Moon Trading Company want that series of rejuvenating pills?" Gu Yao asked in surprise.
"Yes," Jiang Yan smiled, "there are two options. One is for our Star-Moon Trading Company to pay a sum of spirit stones to buy the prescription outright. The second is for Junior Brother Gu to contribute the prescription and obtain twenty percent of the profits from the pill. The same treatment will be given for other pills in the future."
Gu Yao couldn't help but dig his ears. Wasn't this handing them spirit stones on a silver platter? "Can we really share the profits by contributing the prescription? Isn't your Star-Moon Trading Company at a loss?" He thought the Star-Moon Trading Company would prefer to buy the prescription with a lump sum of spirit stones.
Jiang Yan gently chuckled, "Who made Junior Brother Gu have enormous potential? Senior Brother and I don't know how many good things Junior Brother Gu can produce in the future. Only seeking immediate benefits is the most foolish approach. What do Junior Brother Gu and Senior Brother Chi think?"