Chapter 85: Lingjian Mountain Is Truly Not Decent

Ji You descended from the Office of Affairs, and the Yu Danzong siblings who had entered the courtyard with him had already been summoned by Master Fei of the Inner Courtyard.

At this moment, the Yu Danzong Elder Dan Qiongzǐ was also in his Buchen Hall, sipping tea and waiting.

Originally, they had lost Yuan Caiwei on the mission to protect the elixirs; now Ji You had rescued two, so the two sects naturally had much to discuss.

But the so-called thanks was merely incidental.

What they truly wished to discuss was the blazing infernal fire within the ruins.

Low-level cultivators might not yet understand, but the powerful figures who held authority over the immortal sects likely knew well: the cultivator who ascended had used Yu Danzong’s secret elixir technique.

In Qingyun Realm, any matter involving cultivators was a major affair.

And any matter involving ascension was a matter of cosmic significance.

This was why Yu Danzong had sent a venerable Elder in person.

On one hand, Yu Danzong wished to learn the full story through Yuan Caiwei; on the other, they sought to publicly declare through the Tian Shu Academy that they had no involvement.

Among the current Seven Immortal Sects, only Yu Danzong, unskilled in warfare, had not entered the ruins and suffered little damage; the other six sects had all lost some vital energy.

Everyone’s fury needed an outlet.

It was said that Shanhai Pavilion, having lost many, flew into a rage and held every family involved in the search for Immortal Fortune accountable.

The Chen Clan, due to their Patriarch’s severe injuries, had gone even further, rigorously investigating every disciple’s identity in recent days.

All whose identities were suspect were either expelled from the sect or endlessly interrogated.

Their sect rule required new disciples to change their surnames and acknowledge ancestral lineage—originally meant to strengthen control over disciples—but this had lulled them into complacency, blurring the line between true clan members and impostors.

Thus, in this turbulent time, suspicion gradually arose between the immortal sects and the noble families.

From the sects’ perspective, the Zheng family might be an isolated case—or it might not be.

From the families’ perspective, immortal sects in times of prosperity might be patrons, but in times of chaos, they were no different from starving wolves.

Yet for a thousand years, these titans had deeply intertwined; to tug one hair was to move the whole body—extremely difficult to untangle.

Crucially, there was the ruins: had Zheng’s ancestral patriarch truly orchestrated the entire scheme using the infernal fire to refine cultivators into ascension?

Each sect held vastly different views on this matter.

Because the discussion involved the hidden secrets of multiple sects and noble families, Ji You, as an outer-courtyard disciple, was naturally excluded—even though he was the protagonist of the rescue of “Yu Danzong’s direct disciple and the Patriarch’s daughter.”

At this moment, he had come with Cao Jinsong to the Training Courtyard, followed by Pei Ruyi, Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, Bai Rulong, and Zhuo Wanqiu, now in civilian attire.

Cao Jinsong brewed tea for the six and asked, "Did Lingjian Mountain and Wenda Sect really attack you just for spirit stones?"

Old Cao was different from the big shots; Qingyun Realm was too vast for him to care about everything—he cared only about why his own disciples had been humiliated.

“Within Qiling, the malevolent energy suppressed cultivation severely; cultivators couldn’t replenish spiritual energy through breathing, making spirit stones critical—and Sister Pei had brought many.”

Pei Ruyi, hearing Wen Zhengxin’s explanation, said: “I anticipated the risk before going and had already warned Zhengxin, so I converted all my wealth into spirit stones.”

“I see…”

Cao Jinsong set down his teacup, pondered a moment, then suddenly slammed his fist on the table, enraged: “Lingjian Mountain is truly not decent!”

Zhuo Wanqiu immediately clenched her fist to strike, but Ji You gently held her back.

Cao Jinsong watched their actions, his eyes slightly surprised: “Did you bring back another fiancée?”

Ji You: “?”

Bai Rulong nearly teared up with excitement, thinking: Master Cao is truly my like-minded immortal emperor!

But I wonder—Master Cao, is your purse iron-tight?

Ji You, for once, agreed with the Immortal Emperor Rulong: he thought, once my gratitude is spent, I’ll make this old man taste what true cunning feels like.

The others wore strange expressions, thinking: you’re saying Lingjian Mountain isn’t decent right in front of a Lingjian Mountain disciple—what else could you expect?

Ban Yangshu thought a moment, then spoke: “Actually, this isn’t a conflict among the three sects—just some petty villains stirring trouble.”

Wen Zhengxin couldn’t help nodding: “Lingjian Mountain disciples did help us in the end.”

Cao Jinsong waved his hand after hearing this: “Right and wrong aren’t for you to decide—so this matter isn’t settled.”

“Why?”

“The ruins matter hasn’t been settled yet; investigations must continue. But once there’s a rough conclusion, it’ll be time for the immortal sects to settle accounts.”

Cao Jinsong rolled up his wide sleeves to his wrists: “It’s said the demon in the mountains was Zheng’s ancestral patriarch, who came from the Chen Clan—so the Chen Clan must be held accountable. Yu Danzong will find it hard to escape blame too, and then it’ll be Lingjian Mountain’s turn.”

Pei Ruyi raised her eyes, thoughtful: “Are you saying the Tian Shu Academy will demand an explanation from Lingjian Mountain?”

“Correct. Don’t forget the two words the Office of Affairs keeps repeating.”

“Sect Prestige.”

Cao Jinsong nodded, then added: “But Lingjian Mountain also has Sect Prestige—so this matter is even more complicated than the Zheng family. The Chen Clan can be held accountable privately, with secret concessions; but Sect Prestige is a public matter—it demands a public resolution, likely leading to open confrontation.”

Zhuo Wanqiu couldn’t help speaking: “It won’t be that severe.”

“No—you may not know: Lingjian Mountain’s young Mirror Master isn’t ordinary.”

“How so?”

Cao Jinsong stroked his long beard: “Tianjian Peak has such deep roots, yet in recent years it’s been subtly overshadowed by Xuanjian Peak. Outsiders credit this entirely to Ling Jian, but they’ve ignored the young Mirror Master’s intelligence and cunning—this woman… is certainly extraordinary.”

Upon hearing this, Ji You involuntarily sat up straight, leaning forward.

Cao Jinsong looked at him, puzzled: “Huh, why is your chest so big?”

“Is it? I thought it wasn’t as big as yours was when you were on the Baiyu Terrace.”

The others each had their own thoughts, their concerns differing according to what they knew.

But no matter how they thought it through, their deepest feeling was simply: they had all returned alive—that was the best outcome.

As for ascension, sacred artifacts, or the Lingjian Mountain young Mirror Master—those forces that could sway the world—were far beyond them.

Afterwards, Ban Yangshu, Wen Zhengxin, and Bai Rulong bowed and took their leave, returning to wash and rest.

Zhuo Wanqiu’s mission was also complete, so she planned to stay briefly at the city’s inn before returning to Lingjian Mountain.

After they left, Cao Jinsong turned to Ji You and Pei Ruyi.

Some things must be discussed among family, behind closed doors.

“What Immortal Fortune did you gain in the ruins?”

Pei Ruyi paused slightly, then replied honestly: “There was no Immortal Fortune in the ruins—only disaster. No disciple from any immortal sect or noble family who entered survived.”

Cao Jinsong then turned to Ji You.

Ji You was sitting on a stone bench, counting silver…

Pei Ruyi knew as much as he did about the ruins—he didn’t need to echo her words.

“No Immortal Fortune…”

Cao Jinsong pondered a moment, then snapped back: “If there wasn’t any, then forget it.”

Pei Ruyi bowed: “Master, I’ll take my leave as well—I haven’t returned in days and need to air out my bedding.”

“Go.”

Cao Jinsong watched Pei Ruyi leave, his mind swirling.

There truly is such a thing as innate constitution—like the Chu family.

It was said a former Chu patriarch, after death, had his body dissected by an immortal sect, revealing his bloodline was the Seven-Hole Linglong Constitution.

This constitution naturally drew close to the Dao—this was why their family had thrived and grown stronger over generations.

But since most innate constitutions offered no cultivation benefit, such speculation, conjecture, and research had long been abandoned as meaningless.

From this perspective, Pei Ruyi’s constitution was ordinary, her roots merely decent.

Yet now, seeing her again, Cao Jinsong noticed she was different—not due to her cultivation base, but because her aura carried an immortal essence.

The same aura was present on Ban Yangshu.

Cao Jinsong withdrew his gaze and turned to Ji You.

He knew his student was exceptionally gifted, though overshadowed by his talents.

Pei Ruyi might not understand what had happened, but Ji You had pretended to count silver—he was clearly waiting for her to leave before speaking.

He thought such caution unnecessary; after all, they were fellow disciples—this secrecy was excessive.

“Ji You, do you have something to say?”

“Master, before we left, I said silver only matters if you’re alive—where’s my silver you’re holding?”

“?????”

Cao Jinsong stood up: “Rebellious disciple, get out!”

Ji You pulled out a banknote from the ones given by the Office of Affairs and slipped it into his sleeve: “You gave this to that one—your meager monthly stipend was long gone, wasn’t it?”

Cao Jinsong immediately snatched it: “You’ve got some conscience after all.”

Ji You neatly folded the rest and tucked them into his chest.

Though he’d earned much on this trip, there were many places to spend it.

For example—swords.

His seven swords had all been damaged in successive battles and needed replacing.

He also planned to visit Qionghua Pavilion and see what else the poor couldn’t afford.

Cao Jinsong now tucked the banknote into his sleeve: “The Upper Five Realms are the Realm of All Dharmas—I told you this before. Once you enter the Inner Courtyard, you’ll be taught how to cultivate methods; the Tian Shu Library holds three thousand Dao methods—that’s the true depth of Tian Shu Academy.”

“Got it. All the good stuff’s in the Inner Courtyard.”

“There’s still time before the exam. Though you’ve reached Tongxuan Mid-Stage, don’t grow careless. The Chu family has deep roots—Chu He may already be receiving esoteric Dao methods.”

Cao Jinsong once thought Tian Shu Academy’s exams were fair, but now he realized that fairness existed only because everyone inside was a noble scion.

But since a rustic self-cultivator had intruded—and, of all things, crossed paths with the universally watched Chu He—darkness began to sprout.

Ultimately, Ji You’s social tier made the nobles uncomfortable.

“You and Chu He were born in the same era, your ages nearly identical—he may well become your lifelong nemesis.”

Ji You’s gaze turned tigerlike: “Him? No, he’s not worthy—my destined rival is the Sect Leader himself.”

Cao Jingsong: “?”

He didn’t know yet that Ji You had already planned how to turn the Heaven Book Academy into his own stronghold.

(End of Chapter)