"Kang Shan, stand up, if anyone sees this they'll get suspicious."
"Of course, Lord."
Despite feeling apprehensive about the arrangement, Chang Yu ultimately decided to proceed with establishing the "Abyssal Court." He remained receptive to the possibility of altering the name to something more sophisticated and less juvenile-sounding.
"No matter, Kang Shan, can you access the body's memories?"
"Yes, Lord."
"Alright, now, are there any memories regarding what happens when a disciple advances to Qi Condensation."
"Of course, Lord, according to the memories of the original Kang Shan, you will be awarded a sword and allowed to leave the mountain formally."
"Then why wasn't I-"
"Lady Meilin has exceptional talent, since she joined alongside the original Chang Yu only a few years ago, while Chang Yu's cultivation stagnated she managed to advance to the middle rank of the Spirit Sea Realm. She must've vouched for Chang Yu which is why you weren't punished."
In light of this, he realised that he owed her another round of gratitude the next time they saw each other. In his past experiences, if a disciple had taken such a risky action, they would likely have been expelled, especially if their progress in cultivation was already falling behind!
If, tomorrow, I can leave the Blossom Mountain Palace, I can pursue that inheritance, regardless of its contents it will have some excellent inspiration for me!
Chang Yu raised his fist as he thought.
"Right, I'm gonna go get some sleep, you best do the same, souls can do whatever they want but a body is prone to fatigue."
"Right, Lord."
As the soft glow of the moon illuminated the sky, Kang Shan and Chang Yu stood face to face, exchanging goodbyes. They knew that when the sun rose again, they would embark on a quest to reclaim Chang Yu's inheritance.
Once Chang Yu settled into his room, he leisurely removed his clothes before collapsing onto his bed. He left his soiled garments abandoned on the floor. As he pulled the covers over himself, his mind wandered into a familiar territory that resonated with anyone familiar with Chang Yu.
"Chang Yu, what a pitiful guy you are… Thankfully, you had the fortune for me to reincarnate into your body! Do not worry, I will make excellent use of it!"
Not long after that, he fell asleep, despite the bed's hard and lumpy texture. When his eyes finally fluttered open to the sun's light shining onto his face, he gingerly moved his hand to cover his eyes, as much as he would've preferred to languish in an uncomfortable bed, he had a destiny to confront.
"Alright, let's get this over with."
Chang Yu searched his wardrobe and, surprisingly, he did have a set of clothes that was clean, despite his initial belief that Chang Yu didn't have a clean set of clothes. One could say he was pleasantly surprised to be wrong in this regard. So, he looked at the crumpled pile of clothes he had worn throughout the day and the day before, shaking his head as he discarded them for fresh ones. As he dressed, he could better see the dignity of Blossom Mountain Palace through the colourful uniform that sold its wearer as a disciple from a mountain which hosted such a verdant landscape as Blossom Mountain.
Though, as he opened the door, he was surprised to be greeted by both Meilin and Kang Shan. Kang Shan was just waiting for Chang Yu to emerge from his dorm room, Meilin, on the other hand, while she seemed to be doing the same thing, appeared quite confused as to why Kang Shan was present.
"Lady Meilin, Brother Kang Shan, it's an honour to be greeted by you both on this momentous day!"
"Of course, Brother Chang Yu, it is great to know you've finally made a breakthrough in your cultivation, even if it required Lady Meilin's aid to do so."
Chang Yu felt a small chip on his shoulder as Kang Shan spoke, but, given the company, of course, neither would want Meilin to be suspicious of Kang Shan's presence.
"No need to go bother the elders and have them prepare the ceremony on such short notice, I've taken the liberty since you went so far as telling me that you broke through the Qi Condensation."
Xiao Meilin put a palm to her forehead as she spoke, a hint of exasperation in her voice, Chang Yu could only wonder just how much trouble this body could've caused for her before he had come to possess it. However, he'd shake off these thoughts as Meilin took her place at the front of the group, leading Chang Yu and Kang Shan to an ornate hall.
"Brother Chang Yu."
A few other disciples of Blossom Mountain Palace were gathered outside, their faces contained a mix of relief and boredom, no doubt they were happy Chang Yu had finally made a breakthrough, but, also bothered by the fact that they had to stop their cultivation for the sake of this ceremony. Meilin would turn around to look at Chang Yu.
"Remember, Brother Chang Yu, after this ceremony you'll essentially be free to leave the sect on your own and…"
"...and?"
"A-and, uh, I'll be coming with you."
"What?"
"D-Don't overthink it! I'm doing my duty as your senior by ensuring you're kept safe!"
A blush crept onto Meilin's cheeks as she spoke, though, before she could speak further, she was interrupted by Kang Shan.
"I'll be coming with you as well, after all, you deserve some respect for finally breaking into Qi Condensation"
Kang Shan, put his hand to his face, sliding his index finger under his nose, trying to emphasise the respect he was faking to offer Chang Yu, much to his annoyance.
Kang Shan, stop playing the role so well!
U-uh, right, Lord.
Good.
"Alright, Meilin, I guess I'll see you in a few minutes."
Before Meilin could reassert herself after Kang Shan's interruptions, Chang Yu would enter the hall. While a central aisle was available for Chang Yu to walk down, it was flanked by a crowd of sect elders on either side, while three elders stood at the end, a man, a woman and, to Chang Yu's surprise, a large boar.
A spirit beast?
Chang Yu walked down the hall, towards the three
"So this is that slacker Chang Yu?
"He's the one Lady Meilin is leaving to support? What a waste of our efforts."
"About time he'll finally be out of our hair"
One of the sect elders stepped out and instructed him to kneel, Chang Yu complied,
"Chang Yu, as is our noble Palace's tradition, you kneel before our three Supreme Elders, the first is the Supreme Elder Yi Jie, the second is the Supreme Elder Meng Meifen and the third is the Supreme Elder Gong"
As he spoke, he would gesture to the man, then the woman and finally the boar, only then did Chang Yu understand. Supreme Elder Gong must be an intelligent spirit beast that had managed to join Blossom Mountain Palace and obtained the rank of Supreme Elder for its wisdom. Supreme Elders Yi Jie and Meng Mefen would approach, with each carrying a sword and a scabbard respectively, both items would be ordinary with scant decoration, though, both were inscribed with the characters of Chang Yu's name.
"Disciple Chang Yu."
A voice boomed throughout the hall, its origin being the Spirit Beast, Elder Gong.
"While it cannot be denied that you have lagged in your cultivation, your presence here today only confirms that in the face of everything, you were still able to progress in your cultivation, as such, we award you with this sword and the mission to journey into the world and show it the glory of our Huagu Sacred Land. Remember this: you will be required to return when the sect calls for you. Do you understand?"
"Of course, Supreme Elder."
Chang Yu answered as he was handed the scabbard and sword, slipping the blade into its sheathe as he was granted hollow applause, any excitement in the proceedings being an obvious facade built upon routine. Just as quickly and grandly as it began, it ended and Chang Yu was outside the hall, getting a pat on the back from Kang Shan and Meilin, both wearing a backpack filled with their essentials prepared for their journey.
"Now that that's out of the way, I suppose we can set out to search for my inheritance, right?"
Meilin and Kang Shan gave an affirmative nod, Meilin passing him a backpack filled with the same essentials she and Kang Shan had prepared. Soon, after Chang Yu retrieved his journal, the trio would journey past the gate as they began the long trek down the mountain.