Chapter 361: The Three Geniuses of the Shuiyue Faction
The sky quadrant was without a doubt the most mysterious sector amongst the four quadrants.
There were but a hundred candidates here. and none here were just to fill the quota. Not a single candidate was under fifth level spirit realm.
Even Long Juxue, who’d only entered the sect two years ago, was fifth level of the spirit realm after half a year of cultivation, and showing signs of breaking into the sixth level.
The azure phoenix constitution made her momentum as domineering as though she were splitting bamboo. No matter what she learned or practiced, it all came to her with less effort than any other genius.
This strong innate constitution caused others to both envy and admire her, and there was nothing else that they could do.
An innate constitution was something that occurred once in a thousand years in a place like the sixteen kingdoms.
Even the four forefathers didn’t boast of this characteristic.
Long Juxue had gained much in this half year. Not only had her cultivation increased, but so had her confidence greatly spiked as well.
She was no longer the timid and cautious Long Juxue who’d just entered the sect. She no longer needed to purposefully fawn on a senior brother or match her words to someone’s expression.
It was now other people’s turn to watch hers, be mindful and purposefully kiss up to her.
Long Juxue quite liked this feeling. She enjoyed lording over others, watching them fret and intentionally restrain themselves to appease her.
She’d enjoyed the feeling of the various noble sons idolizing her in the Eastern Kingdom.
When she’d first entered the sect, she’d been a bit self conscious because she’d spent a long time in the mundane world. She hadn’t dared act as she usually would, and she’d deliberately sucked up to several senior brothers just so she wouldn’t be suppressed.
But now, the potential of her innate constitution was on full display and her position within the sect was rising sharply as a result.
She had once again regained the feeling of the stars dancing attendance on the moon, just like she’d enjoyed in the mundane kingdoms.
Being fawned on, respected, and feared—these feelings that made one feel like a deity thoroughly restored Long Juxue’s confidence.
If one had to say that there were any cracks left in her heart, that would be that enormous embarrassment in the mundane kingdom!
She didn’t have much feelings for her family, but the matter with her brother and father was something engraved on her heart.
Therefore, she was always extremely irritated when she thought of Jiang Chen.
She almost couldn’t wait to exact her revenge on him, burning his very bones into ashes and then going back to slaughter the rest of his clan in the Eastern Kingdom.
The message glyph had come from her honored master Shuiyue.
Shuiyue had conveyed everything that had happened in the earth quadrant, including her suspicions regarding the identity of the secular genius, and had even exaggerated them a bit as well.
At the same time, she also reminded Long Juxue to not underestimate this candidate no matter what. Long Juxue also had to suppress this candidate in the sky quadrant no matter what, or it would give rise to endless troubles afterwards.
“Is this secular swine really Jiang Chen?” Long Juxue learned of his rise through the message glyph, but she was suspicious whether the secular candidate really was Jiang Chen. Could the honored master be mistaken?
Is Jiang Chen really that strong?
Long Juxue’s impression of Jiang Chen had halted on their battle at the Second Crossing. This fellow had been lucky enough to grasp some methods to tame spirit fowl, which was why my Long family came off worse in the conflict. Does he truly have the potential described here?
Formulaic thinking was like this sometimes.
Long Juxue’s impression of Jiang Chen was too poor, and it had halted at where he’d been in the Eastern Kingdom.
Therefore, she felt that the secular genius likely wasn’t Jiang Chen.
But since her honored master had said so, and she’d even described it so convincingly, even saying that Jiang Chen was possibly the Skylaurel Kingdom Ye Chonglou’s secretly mentored disciple.
Ye Chonglou was the Skylaurel Kingdom’s spirit king protector. When the matter involved him as well, Long Juxue had to place some stock into what was being said no matter how skeptical she was.
However, she also dismissed it right afterwards. “Hmph, whether he’s Jiang Chen or not, he’s caused my honored master to fall into such dire straits. As her disciple, I will not sit idly by after this. Especially after my honored master has issued warnings to me, indicating she wants me to make a move.”
“It’d be even better if he was Jiang Chen, I can take care of old and new grudges in one fell swoop. If he dares come to the sky quadrant, I’ll make him regret arriving in this world!”
Long Juxue was one who nursed a grudge. When she recalled the ignoble treatment she’d had at Jiang Chen’s hands, her dignity couldn’t absorb the hit and she couldn’t help but feel the urge to go on a rampage.
In another residence in the sky quadrant, a man with exceedingly frosty features sat cross legged, an eerie light dancing in his eyes.
He was slightly lost in thought regarding a message glyph in his hands.
“The honored master was censured in the earth quadrant? She lost her position as the keeper? The source of all these sins is a secular cultivator??”
The fires of rage surged within the young man’s heart. This person was the eldest disciple beneath Master Shuiyue, within the top five of the Purple Sun Sect’s most preeminent disciples.
His name was Ceng Shi.
A head full of long hair was flung wildly back on his shoulders. It was grey on one side and black on the other, parted down the middle and clearly delineated. It looked rather peculiar.
“Sigh…” Ceng Shi was rather depressed upon reading all the messages within the message glyph. “The honored master wishes for me to mentor junior sister Long Juxue well, and listen to her when needed. It looks like my title of the first senior brother is far beneath junior sister Long Juxue in our honored master’s heart.”
Ceng Shi did indeed feel a bit of a dilemma. On one hand, he revered his honored master as one would a deity. He never dared slack on matters for his master.
It could be said that before Long Juxue had appeared, he had been the benchmark for all the disciples and his master’s pride and joy.
Because of the cultivation level and position that his honored master had brought him, in Ceng Shi’s heart, his respect for his master had exceeded even that of his birth mother’s.
When he learned that someone had plotted against his honored master in the earth quadrant, his first thought was to vent a breath of ill will for his honored master.
However, the words in the second half of the message rather depressed him. He knew that Long Juxue had an innate constitution, but he’d been the first senior brother for so long that he’d grown used to being the boss of all the junior brother and sisters.
Now that he was to suddenly heed to someone else and not be the boss anymore, it would take hims some time getting used to.
“Forget it, since these are the honored master’s commands, I cannot disobey them. However, I must strive even harder in the sky quadrant and obtain a good ranking in the final competition. I need to fight my way into the final sixteen!”
Ceng Shi also knew that there would be enormous competition for the final sixteen. Only four would be selected from each sect!
Although he ranked in the top five in the Purple Sun Sect, now that Long Juxue had appeared, he’d undoubtedly gained another strong opponent.
Due to many reasons, Ceng Shi’s attitude towards Long Juxue was quite complicated.
“Forget it, let’s take a walk to junior sister Long Juxue first.” Although Ceng Shi was slightly jealous of Long Juxue, he couldn’t defy his master’s orders.
The second-ranked disciple beneath Master Shuiyue, Chu Xinghan, had also received a message glyph. His eyebrow raised, “Jiang Chen? The secular young man at the Second Crossing that day?”
Contrary to Ceng Shi, Chu Xinghan was one who had strong opinions. He had the most amount of predetermined views, and was the most capable of the bunch.
If one were to say that Ceng Shi had a sort of oedipus complex towards Master Shuiyue, then in contrast Chu Xinghan only viewed her as someone who’d pointed him down the way of his martial dao.
Honestly speaking, he also knew that his place in his honored master’s heart didn’t measure up to senior brother Ceng Shi, and was even far beneath junior sister Long Juxue.
However, he was broad-minded and and didn’t feel the slightest bit unhappy or that there was something unusual about it.
“If that secular genius really is Jiang Chen, then he truly is junior sister Long Juxue’s fated rival.” Chu Xinghan also quietly left his residence thinking of this as he made his way to Long Juxue’s residence.
Ceng Shi and Chu Xinghan arrived at almost the same time at Long Juxue’s residence.
“Senior brothers, you’ve arrived.” Long Juxue nodded when she saw the two. “Have a seat in the courtyard.”
Chu Xinghan’s deep eyes looked at Long Juxue as he sighed in his heart, “This little junior sister has grown into her own in the end. She’s no longer the small girl who only knew how to play little schemes at the Second Crossing. However, her personality is without morals. I truly cannot tell if it’s a good thing or not to be pupils of the same master as her.”
Chu Xinghan’s personality was quite calm, and he had his own unique sense of judgment for various matters and people.
From Long Juxue’s actions, he could tell that this woman wasn’t the sort to value relationships and loyalty. He’d been the one who’d saved her in the ordinary world that day, but she’d only sought to flatter senior brother Ceng Shi after entering the sect, and he’d never seen her thank him, Chu Xinghan.
And now, she wasn’t even as respectful towards senior brother Ceng Shi anymore. The atmosphere of a talk between equals had replaced it, and even a sense of superiority creeped in.
To put things bluntly, her wings had filled out and she didn’t need to kiss up to anyone.
“Senior brothers, I trust you’ve also received the honored master’s message glyph explaining the particulars of the situation. This secular freak has caused our honored master to lose all face in front of her peers. As disciples, it will not do if we cannot take on some of our master’s burdens for her.”
Logically speaking, Ceng Shi was the senior brother here and he should’ve been the first to speak.
However, Long Juxue was obviously already viewing herself as the representative of the Shuiyue faction. She’d spoken with the bearing of a leader without waiting for Ceng Shi to speak.
Chu Xinghan had a distant expression on his face. He didn’t respond, and didn’t look at Ceng Shi.
Ceng Shi had thought that Long Juxue would make some small talk first and let him, the eldest senior brother, speak first. He hadn’t thought that Long Juxue would straight-out view herself as the senior sister.
A bit of displeasure flashed through his brows, but he didn’t express it.
“This candidate dared offend our honored master, he’s bringing destruction down on himself with his words! Junior sister, I’ve heard that he’s a fated rival in your life. If you find yourself in any difficult straits, Xinghan and I will absolutely not sit idly by.” Ceng Shi bit off his words angrily.
“Fated rival?” Long Juxue felt as disgusted as if she’d eaten a fly when she heard these two words. “That title is too much. He’s just a mere ant and unworthy of being a rival. If it really is him, I’ll make him regret being born in this world!”
Ceng Shi smiled faintly, “Your silly senior brother made a mistake. Xinghan, you once exchanged blows with this candidate. What do you make of him?”
Chu Xinghan could make out the subtle clashes between Ceng Shi and Long Juxue in their words. He didn’t want to get involved. He answered faintly, “He had yet to grow into his own then and thus isn’t worth discussing. If someone hadn’t interfered, I would’ve long since brought him back to the sect for the honored master’s judgement.”
