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In the end, Zhongyanqing was still among the batch of Ziche family disciples that Master Xuran took away. However, he would certainly not be allowed to become an elder’s disciple; he would just be an ordinary inner sect disciple.
The major sects usually had their own disciple recruitment periods, typically once every ten years. But for all the sects to gather and recruit disciples at the same time was a once-in-a-century event. Additionally, there was the Grand Competition for new disciples, held three months after recruitment, and participants had to be newly entered disciples. This also served as a networking event, allowing new disciples to quickly familiarize themselves with their own sect and build relationships with other sects, while also serving as a form of training. Furthermore, whether a new disciple was accepted into the inner sect, outer sect, or taken as a personal disciple would depend on the results of this Grand Competition. Of course, there were exceptions for some people, namely the disciples from the major prestigious families and the promising seedlings recommended by them, who were already chosen days before the recruitment even began. Going through the back door1, it exists in every world.
The major sects’ recruitment scope covered both the Middle and Lower Realms. For those from the Lower Realm, this was the only opportunity to reach the Middle Realm without relying on their own power. As long as they went to a specific location at a specific time, people from the sects would come to receive them. But even with this opportunity, relying on a prestigious family and going through the back door was still faster and offered more benefits. This was why Zhongyanqing, who could have clearly registered with a major sect on his own, chose to seek refuge with the Ziche family instead.
Since it was a competition, there were naturally prizes, especially for first place. The champion would receive a gift from the sect master of every major sect, and what that gift was depended on the sect master’s mood. Besides first place, others who achieved high rankings would also receive magic treasures and spirit stones, among other things.
It was precisely because of the Grand Competition that many people specifically waited for this once-a-century selection to become a disciple.
During every Grand Competition, the sect masters of the seven major sects would gather in private to ‘gamble.’ They would bet on which sect and which disciple would make it into the top ten, and who would become the champion.
The Tianwu Sect’s master had always had the worst gambling luck. At his lowest point, he even lost his pants. He couldn’t help it; those pants were an item from the Immortal Realm, said to be sewn from heavenly clouds woven by the Weaving Girl herself. They were pure white with formidable defensive power. The master of Qingyu Tower had taken a liking to them with just one glance and had demanded those pants as the stake for a bet. It caused the Tianwu Sect’s master to have to return home in his original form…
And their results that time weren’t very good either, with only two disciples making it into the top ten.
I’ll win it all back this time!! The Tianwu Sect’s master gritted his teeth in frustration.
Besides the Tianwu Sect, the Youran Sect had also put no small amount of effort into this Grand Competition. For three hundred years, three consecutive centuries, the champion had not been from their Youran Sect. For the sect with the highest overall strength, this was simply unbearable!
Therefore, the ones recruiting most fiercely this time were the Youran Sect and the Tianwu Sect.
The Divination Pavilion rarely participated. The one time they did in recent years, they only had one child who, relying on his unique insight and precognitive abilities, made it into the top one hundred. He was then barely eliminated during the fight for the top ten because he had conceded. He only said one thing: “I can’t beat any of them.” Then he named the person who would become the champion. As a result, the one who was originally the most promising contender was ganged up on by everyone and was the first to be eliminated.
The Divination Pavilion was so petty and calculating!2
Their betting became meaningless after that!
The competition was about insight. If they wanted to know the answer directly, they might as well just ask the master of the Divination Pavilion!
That little brat is not cute at all!
In their long lives, besides cultivating, everyone needed to find some hobbies and entertainment to pass the time.
After the banquet ended, Ziche Duanyuan and Pei Bufan returned to their courtyard. Just as they stepped through the main gate, they were stopped by someone.
As the ‘male pet’ brought by the male lead Ziche Duanyuan, Gong Yi was not qualified to enter the banquet they had just attended. So he wasn’t very clear on what had happened inside.
But he understood in his heart that Ziche Duanyuan was leaving. People like him were only being treated well here because of their connection to Ziche Duanyuan. If Ziche Duanyuan left, his good days would be over. No one would care how he was dealt with or bullied. Therefore, he had to cling to Ziche Duanyuan’s thigh, even if it meant getting beaten for it.
Ziche Duanyuan’s expression was grim, and his entire being exuded an aura that warned all strangers to keep away. “What is it?” His tone was also incredibly cold and hard, but the person before him pretended not to notice, putting on a deeply affectionate and gentle expression. Then, suddenly remembering that the other might not like him this way, his expression shifted slightly, and he immediately adopted a different posture, mimicking Zhongyanqing in every move. Little did he know that this only made Ziche Duanyuan even more disgusted.
“Yi’er…” He stopped halfway and quickly corrected himself. “I want to follow you.”
“Follow me?” Ziche Duanyuan sneered, looking Gong Yi up and down. “What use are you?”
“Yi… I have a Pure Yin Body…” Before he could finish, Ziche Duanyuan walked right past him.
A Pure Yin Body was indeed very attractive to him for dual cultivation. But in front of Pei Bufan, he couldn’t bring himself to have any sort of intimate or ambiguous relationship with that youth.
He subconsciously didn’t want Pei Bufan to hold any grudges against him. Nor did he want anyone to be closer to him than Pei Bufan. Even if it was just a physical relationship, he didn’t want it.
In his past life, he had traveled far and wide with Zhongyanqing, only to be betrayed. At that time, the people around him only kicked him when he was down3; no one was willing to provide timely help4. After his spiritual roots were destroyed and he became an ordinary person, he fought with all his might to return to the Ziche family in a wretched state, only to be barred from even entering the main gate. The gatekeeper had even claimed, ‘A beggar dares to impersonate Ziche Duanyuan?’ In the end, he died a miserable death on the streets.
No one was willing to help him.
Let alone risk their life for him.
But Pei Bufan was.
Pei Bufan (interjecting): This lord was forced into it!! Either way, being killed by a spider or being erased by the System for failing the mission are the same! It was better to risk my life to let you escape; at least that way it wasn’t a total loss for me! At least one of the two of us lived!
Seeing that Ziche Duanyuan was genuinely uninterested in his body type, forget being a partner, he didn’t even have a chance of being a lover now, Gong Yi grew desperate. He immediately rushed forward and knelt before Ziche Duanyuan. “This slave is willing to be your attendant, to be at your command.”
Pei Bufan couldn’t quite bear to watch. Gong Yi was a bit of a snob, but in the original story, he never did anything to wrong the male lead. And he had a Pure Yin Body. If you really didn’t like him, you could just have a one-night stand5, right? It’s not like you had to keep him. That was a cultivation boost that would skyrocket with just one session! Male lead, don’t waste it! He rubbed against Ziche Duanyuan’s hand and let out a soft meow.
The chilly aura around the male lead intensified. This little thing still dares to lie to me and say he doesn’t like him? If he didn’t like him, would he be trying every trick in the book to keep him around?!
Feeling vexed, Ziche Duanyuan glared at Gong Yi and nodded.
Since Pei Bufan likes him, then I’ll take him along!! Ziche Duanyuan gritted his teeth viciously. It’s not like I’m lacking for someone to sweep the floors and carry my foot-washing water!
The next day, Ziche Duanyuan arrived at Sword Immortal Valley with a formal letter of introduction.
Sword Immortal Valley was situated in a vast valley in the south. The valley was lush with fragrant grass and blooming with a hundred flowers. It was surrounded by steep cliffs on three sides and faced a lake on the fourth. The buildings were mostly suspended in mid-air, with stone steps of varying heights crisscrossing up the cliff faces. The sword cultivators in the valley lived in buildings at different altitudes according to their status. The Valley Master lived at the highest point, the outer sect disciples at the lowest, and the miscellaneous-duty disciples lived on the ground.
Because his father, Ziche Tianshi, had some friendship with the Valley Master of Sword Immortal Valley, Ding Ruojian, he paid a visit in his son’s name and very smoothly gained a direct audience with the Valley Master himself.
Ding Ruojian was a man who loved to wear white and had a cold exterior. Sword cultivators all walked the path of slaughter, yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of killing intent on Ding Ruojian. Paired with his cool, otherworldly appearance, he seemed like someone who had already attained immortality and did not partake in the mortal world6.
If he didn’t open his mouth, that is…
“It really is Duanyuan! Let me see, yo~ you’ve grown up. It’s only been a little over ten years. I remember the first time we met, you were still wrapped in diapers, just about this…” Ding Ruojian gestured, then his eyes caught sight of the black cat. He clapped his hands and pointed at it. “That’s right! Just about that big! If you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have recognized you with how you look now! You’ve changed so much (duh)7! But those eyes of yours look just like your mother’s~~~ Is your mother well? Back then, if I hadn’t been in seclusion, how could Yuan’er (Duanyuan’s mother’s name) have married that block of wood! I was clearly the better choice! I can talk, I can fight~~ If your mother had married me, you’d be my son, tsk tsk, my son is already so big, just thinking about it BLABLA8…”
That’s right. This Valley Master of Sword Immortal Valley, who looked so full of immortal grace, was a chatterbox!
Pei Bufan shrank his head down and pressed his two black paws over his ears.
Ziche Duanyuan: “…” If he could, he’d want to cover his ears too.
“…Senior Ding?” Ziche Duanyuan couldn’t bear it any longer and interrupted.
“Now I feel… hey, why are you calling me Senior? That’s so distant. I’m about the same age as your father, just call me Uncle! Speaking of which… what are you here for?” Ding Ruojian finally finished his rambling and remembered to ask about the actual business.
“…To become a disciple.” But now he was starting to regret it. This person before him seemed very unreliable.
Upon hearing it was about becoming a disciple, Ding Ruojian frowned. “Duanyuan, sword cultivation is not like spell cultivation; it’s very arduous. And the tribulation for sword cultivators is several times more difficult than for spell cultivators.”
“I know,” Ziche Duanyuan replied with determination.
“Alright! I can accept you, but you have to tell me the reason first. The reason for switching from spell cultivation to sword cultivation.”
“…My heart-knot is too heavy,” Ziche Duanyuan said reluctantly. “I fear I won’t be able to pass the heart-demon tribulation.”
“A heart-knot?” Ding Ruojian poked Ziche Duanyuan with a gossipy look on his face. “Could it be… for love?”
Ziche Duanyuan gave him a dead-fish-eyed stare9.
“Alright, alright, if you don’t want to say, then don’t.” Ding Ruojian threw up his hands. “In that case, you can become my disciple~~”
“…Can I switch to a different one?”
“Of course… not!!” Ding Ruojian raised an eyebrow. Besides being a bit talkative, what was wrong with him? Why did every single one of them have a sullen expression10 when they heard they were to become his disciple?!
Pei Bufan: The suffering of Sun Wukong, you wouldn’t understand.11
********
Author’s Note:
On the reason why he wasn’t chosen:
Ding Ruojian: Yuan’er, a flower for you, isn’t it beautiful~~ Let me tell you, this kind of flower can only be found in that one place BLABLA…
Tang Yuan’er: (Accepts the flower, smiling happily, occasionally responding with a few words)
Ding Ruojian: Yuan’er let me tell you, yesterday I saw that guy from the Divination Pavilion BLABLA…
Tang Yuan’er: (Smiles, does not reply)
Ding Ruojian: Yuan’er, when can we go traveling together, let me tell you there’s this really pretty place BLABLA…
Tang Yuan’er: (Smiles, the smile is a bit stiff)
Ding Ruojian: Yuan’er, this is my good friend, Ziche Tianshi, he’s such a reticent fellow always BLABLA…
Tang Yuan’er: (Expressionless)
Ding Ruojian: Yuan’er, I need to go into seclusion for a while, during this time you should BLABLA…
Tang Yuan’er: (Face is twitching slightly)
After Ding Ruojian leaves, only Tang Yuan’er and Ziche Tianshi remain.
Tang Yuan’er: …
Ziche Tianshi: …
Tang Yuan’er: Aren’t you going to say something to me?
Ziche Tianshi: (Scratches his head, embarrassed) I’m sorry… I’m not very good at talking…
Tang Yuan’er: …
And so… by the time Ding Ruojian came out of seclusion, the two were already cultivation partners.
Ding Ruojian: This is so damn vexing!!!!!!!!!
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Reika’s Notes:
- This text was translated by Kotori Translates, and given to BC Novels to publish.
- I helped with the footnotes, formatting, grammar, etc., the usual stuff that is needed to post this on the website.
- Please let me know if there are any errors. Thanks for reading!
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- 走后门 – literally “to go through the back door,” meaning to connections, bribery, or other unfair means to gain an advantage or bypass standard procedures.
- 小心眼 -literally “small-hearted.”
- 落井下石 – literally “to drop stones on someone who has fallen into a well.”
- 雪中送炭 – this is the opposite of the previous idiom. It literally means “to deliver charcoal in a snowstorm” and refers to providing crucial, timely help to someone in dire need.
- 419: This is numeric internet slang. When read in English, “four-one-nine” sounds similar to “for one night,” and it is commonly used in Chinese online communities to refer to a one-night stand.
- 不食烟火 – literally “does not eat smoke and fire.” An idiom describing someone as otherworldly, ethereal, and transcendent, as if they are above the mundane affairs of mortals.
- 废话 – The original text uses this word in parentheses. Literally meaning “waste words,” it is a common interjection used to point out that a statement is glaringly obvious.
- This was written as BLABLA in the original, no translation needed
- 死鱼眼 – literally “dead fish eyes.” A very common and descriptive slang term for a listless, glazed-over, or emotionless stare.
- 苦瓜脸 – literally “bitter melon face”
- Sun Wukong is the Monkey King from Journey to the West. His master was the monk Tang Seng (Tripitaka), who was famous for nagging him incessantly with long-winded lectures, often causing him great distress. Pei Bufan is saying Ding Ruojian’s talkativeness is as painful as the nagging Sun Wukong had to endure.