Chapter 62: Woxian Mountain

Mei Ruoxue froze, then shook her head, eyes reddening: "I didn't, Junior Sister, how could you twist my meaning like that!"

Shi Ran gave Mei Ruoxue an up-and-down look, puzzled: "How can a perfectly fine girl become a different person the moment she talks about love?"

Gu Yusheng took Mei Ruoxue's hand: "Senior Sister, I understand, don't let certain people disturb your mind!" He stepped in front of Mei Ruoxue, glaring angrily: "Shi Ran! Your own heart is filthy! Don't think everyone is like you!"

"Alright, alright, alright!" Shi Ran clasped her hands: "In the All Spirit Realm, your senior sister's conduct is impeccable—stop spraying at me, don't you know you have bad breath?"

"You!" Gu Yusheng, never having suffered such insult, drew his sword on the spot: "Say that again!"

Luo Changfeng stopped pretending to be invisible, standing before Shi Ran: "Say one less word for me! Do you think I don't exist?" He flicked away Zhu Yue: "Junior Brother Gu, remember, your Zhu Yue may only point outward!"

Gu Yusheng had no choice but to put away Zhu Yue: "Thanks for the correction, Eldest Senior Brother!"

Luo Changfeng then turned to Mei Ruoxue: "A Xue, with the battle imminent, you must urge Junior Brother Gu to focus on cultivation—don't worry about other matters!"

As Eldest Senior Brother, Luo Changfeng had never been proper in his dealings with these senior/junior brothers and sisters; this was the first time he was so stern and serious, his words sharp, and it was actually directed at him! Mei Ruoxue clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, unable to bear the shame.

"That's what the Eldest Senior Brother said!" Mei Ruoxue gave a bitter laugh.

Luo Changfeng pulled Shi Ran, who was still making faces behind him, over: "And you! Come with me, you foul‑mouthed wretch—dare to talk back to your senior sister and brother!"

The two hurried along, leaving Mei Ruoxue and Gu Yusheng behind, and moved to the rear of the Yunzhou.

"All right, all right, Eldest Senior Brother!" Shi Ran poked her head out at Luo Changfeng: "You saw that they provoked me first—I was just defending myself!"

"Defending myself my ass!" Luo Changfeng flicked Shi Ran's forehead, then peered toward Gu Yusheng and Mei Ruoxue: "They didn't follow, did they? That scared the hell out of me!"

"Huh?" Shi Ran, following behind Luo Changfeng, peered forward: "They didn't come after all—Eldest Senior Brother, you were just putting on an act earlier!"

"Shh! Keep it down!" Luo Changfeng wished he could cover Shi Ran's mouth; seeing Mei Ruoxue and Gu Yusheng leave, he straightened his chest: "How was that, Elder Brother—was I impressive or not?"

Shi Ran burst out laughing, gave a thumbs‑up: "Of course, Elder Brother, you were mighty and imposing—truly the style of our sect, it left me stunned!"

The two exchanged a smile, and Luo Changfeng patted Shi Ran: "Don't take it too hard—since childhood, A Xue has been more sensible than you, so we few elder brothers dote on her a bit, especially the Master, because she possesses a rare full‑system spiritual root. Although her cultivation isn't obvious now, the further she goes the more weight she'll carry. The Master values her precisely for that reason."

"More weight?" Shi Ran wondered, "Shouldn't she be favored because she's outstanding?"

"Not at all!" Luo Changfeng sighed, "A 'full‑system spiritual root' sounds nice, but she practically has to study every technique. When we take a big step forward, she has to attend to everything, so she might only manage a small step. She's a genius, yet walking the path of the world is still extremely hard."

"So just don't let it bother her!" Shi Ran shrugged, "Rest easy, Elder Brother—if she doesn't provoke me, I definitely won't provoke her."

Luo Changfeng still had a lot on his mind, but Shi Ran had already moved on, making him feel awkward to add anything; this little incident just passed like that.

The Yunzhou traveled for a day and a night, only reaching Woxian Mountain the next day.

From afar, the peaks hid within the clouds, like a beauty veiled in gauze, with a hint of mystery concealed within her beauty.

The Yunzhou couldn't enter; the master and disciples flew on their swords through the clouds, only then making out Woxian Mountain's appearance.

The mountain stood towering and slender, its peaks layered, a waterfall plunging from below the summit like the Milky Way pouring down—magnificent and beautiful.

At the summit stood a splendid hall, flying eaves and upturned corners, layered glazed tiles gleaming gold in the sunlight, gilding the sky with brilliant splendor. On the jade‑white marble terrace, stone steps wound upward; the stone carvings of auspicious clouds along the rails were clear, as if good fortune were rising—solemn and majestic.

The Yunzhou couldn't enter; the master and disciples flew on their swords through the clouds, only then making out Woxian Mountain's appearance.

Luo Changfeng walked beside Shi Ran, explaining: "This is the Yuheng Mirror; those standing in the hall can see all our actions in the Lotus Flower Secret Realm through it, and if danger arises, they can promptly enter to rescue!"

Shi Ran nodded: "Just real‑time monitoring, huh!"

As they stepped onto the stone stairs, Luo Changfeng added: "This is the Linxi Terrace—ninety‑nine stone steps, the topmost being the Ascension White Jade Step. You must walk all ninety‑nine steps before you can cross the final one and enter the hall."

"Setting up this show is just to stop cultivators from flying straight here. Although Shi Ran doesn't see any difference between walking up and flying up, when in Rome, do as the Romans do—people say it's the rule, so we'll observe it for now."

They panted as they climbed the Linxi Terrace; before even entering the hall, they saw a vast expanse of white‑clad people.

Shi Ran closed her eyes, opened them again—still a sea of white. They stood, sat, walked, or halted like statues, wearing white robes, expressionless, impossible to tell who was who.

"This……"

Luo Changfeng pulled her to follow behind the Master: "These sect folks are arrogant; we don't need to pay them any mind!"

"Of course we won't!" Shi Ran muttered, not knowing any of them anyway.

They followed Lingxiao into the hall together; everyone inside turned to look, some filled with envy, others gritting their teeth in hatred.

"Wanshan Jun has arrived!" a soft female voice rang out.

Shi Ran looked up: in the hall's main seat stood seven white jade thrones, six occupied; the woman sat in the sixth, dressed in resplendent purple gauze, her beauty rivaling flowers and moon, her fragrance filling the nation.

Lingxiao clasped his hands: "Fumeng Sect's disciples are late; please forgive us!"

The others were meditating; only that woman lightly raised her arm, revealing a slender section of her jade‑white wrist adorned with a emerald‑green bracelet, making that part of her wrist look flawlessly smooth and inviting endless imagination.

"See?" Luo Changfeng puffed out his chest proudly: "That purple‑clad cultivator is the master of the Tianxuan Sect, Luo Zitan. It's said she comes every year just to see our Master face‑to‑face—too bad our Master is swamped with affairs, and this time he's only appeared three times total!"

Shi Ran's gaze lightly fell on that Sect Master Luo—indeed a beauty, three parts more radiant than Wei Yuzhu, three parts more alluring than herself, with a fine figure to boot. She then shifted her eyes to Lingxiao; they truly made a striking pair.

"No need for extra courtesy, Sect Master Ling!" Luo Zitan continued: "The hour is right; the Lotus Flower Secret Realm is about to open—please take your seats!"

Lingxiao nodded, glanced back at Shi Ran once, then calmly walked to the seventh main seat and sat down.

Shi Ran's heart pounded—what could that glance from Lingxiao just now have meant?