CHAPTER 534: CHAPTER 318: STRANGE CHARACTERS_2

"Seventy percent, huh? It seems you’ve learned quite a bit on Jijing Island. Are you interested in the other thirty percent?"

Jiang Feng shook his head. Although it looked like a sigh, there was no displeasure on Gu Yuanshan’s gentle face. All of his actions, every starting point, were for the benefit of the sect and the nearly ten thousand disciples on this mountain.

He knew his nephew harbored resentment towards him, but he understood that the latter would never blame him for it.

"Hmm, Sect Master, could you enlighten me?"

He openly admitted.

She didn’t expect to get any results. If she could pry any words from Sect Master, she wouldn’t have to travel the world tirelessly.

And Gu Yuanshan merely smiled and said, "You are curious about the outbreak of the beast tide from the Demon Race years ago. You’re investigating it personally to seek justice for your master and even Swordmaster Peak. I fully understand."

"All of this is your own effort; I will not criticize it. However, nephew, I hope you can temporarily forget these matters, or at least do not convey what you’ve learned to anyone else."

"You should know that if these matters become known to others, they will greatly impact the entire Cultivation World. However, with your current realm and status, knowing these things isn’t impossible, but there’s a major prerequisite."

"You must be willing to succeed the position of Sect Master."

An earth-shattering statement to open with.

However, now there were only two people — no, three people — so any thoughts could be expressed directly. At first glance, there seemed to be a bit of scheming involved, akin to the mind games of an emperor. If an ordinary person heard these words, they would definitely think the other party was testing them.

Even Jiang Feng wouldn’t be an exception.

Four eyes met.

Despite Gu Yuanshan’s good maintenance and his cultivation making his physical aging extremely slow, one could still see some fatigue. His eyes bore faint traces of the years and wrinkles.

He had sat in this position for hundreds of years.

But...

"Not interested."

"I appreciate your kindness, uncle, but the position of Sect Master will only hinder my advancement."

"Instead of expending energy managing the sect and numerous disciples, I’d rather go out and hone my Sword Dao by sparring with experts. Uncle, you have been held back by being the Sect Master."

Succinct words.

The response would likely shock others in the city, and even other Peak Masters would probably curse, saying this nephew is immature; even if her words were true, they shouldn’t be expressed so bluntly. But Gu Yuanshan merely froze.

And then he laughed heartily.

"Oh, you! How similar you are to Liu Jian. Back when our master, your ancestor, chose his successor, his words were exactly the same as yours."

"He said something like, anyone who wants this damn position can take it; just don’t give it to me. Master, with your spare time, you’d be better off sparring with me or introducing me to a few experts."

"Hahaha, back then, when Master heard these words, he nearly lost his temper. Brandishing his sword, he went up and gave the boy a few strikes, leaving him utterly disoriented, yet that young lad persisted, wanting his master to beat him until he was bruised and quiet."

"Ah, those times were truly amusing."

Lost in memory, given his age, it’s easy to get nostalgic, especially since Liu Tangxi’s personality and speech are just like his junior.

After the laughter, he didn’t continue to persuade.

Because he knew Liu Tangxi was smart. He also knew that this nephew was aware why he had always wanted to pass the Sect Master position to her. Liu Tangxi had already given an answer.

And that answer was "obstacle."

Yes, Sect Master Gu was trying to obstruct this infinitely promising nephew’s advancement, preventing her from continuing to grow. For this, he was even willing to relinquish his position as Sect Master.

But unfortunately, he couldn’t stop her.

He sighed.

In Gu Yuanshan’s eyes, this nephew was undoubtedly the perfect successor. Whether it was her strength or personality, status or inheritance, this Sect Master position should belong to Liu Tangxi.

This nephew possessed something called divinity — a trait that transcends the mundane world, enabling one to truly look down on mortals from an immortal’s perspective. Nothing can disturb her inner peace; only such a detached and calm person can become a cold-blooded leader.

"Well, well, if you don’t want it, you don’t want it. Since you’re wholeheartedly pursuing the Great Dao, I naturally won’t interfere."

He didn’t linger on the topic and instead looked into the distance with his hands behind his back.

"The chaos from decades ago plagues the entire Cultivation World."

"Whether it’s our Purple Cloud Palace or various forces across Jiuzhou, even the Demon and Devil races were implicated. The most renowned case was the demise of the Devil Immortal."

"That great war was aimed at the upheaval of the entire Cultivation World. The Devil Immortal was selected as the best..."

"Sacrifice."

Her expression remained unchanged, only nodding.

She had already speculated about this outcome, but hearing it directly from Sect Master’s mouth was still slightly disheartening. She had initially drawn this conclusion from her own junior’s speculations.

Yet this also confirmed another thought in her mind.

Swordmaster Peak, too, was a sacrifice.

"Nephew, since you’re unwilling to assume the position of Sect Master, I can only end our discussion here. Let’s take a walk together. I’ve brought a lot of information from the East Sea, including particulars on the Phoenix Heavenly Cave. Moreover, the Nine Peaks Martial Arts Competition is about to begin, and I believe you intend to diligently train that newly inducted junior."

She continued to nod.

Gu Yuanshan merely rode an immortal crane, soaring upwards, as Liu Tangxi’s figure flickered, and she followed suit. Before leaving, she glanced one more time at the distant wooden house. Although many thoughts crossed her mind, she still adhered to the rules.

Even if she were to query Ancestor Master Uncle, she wouldn’t get any answers. Subsequently, her form flickered and drifted away as well, leaving the entire valley in tranquility...

At the moment, as Nine Peaks Peak Masters gathered for a meeting, other disciples were unaware, especially the two leisurely strolling on the Main Peak.

The person pointed at by many disciples walked ahead, followed closely by the young girl, especially as she heard the varied opinions about Jiang Feng, her expression appeared even more intrigued.

The two stood inside the gigantic Library Pavilion, its first and second floors accessible to outer sect disciples who could temporarily borrow cultivation techniques or Daoist skills, commonly for seven days. From the third floor onwards, inner sect disciple status was required.

And Jiang Feng calmly led the young girl upstairs, paying no heed to gossip.

"Don’t worry, senior sister has already arranged things beforehand. Come, let me first fetch you a cultivation technique. Since you wish to practice senior sister’s Violet Firmament Sword Technique, you need the Purple Cloud Divine Technique as a template. Once learned, you can expand on this foundation. You’re likely more eager for this than I am."

"As for why we can enter directly, it’s naturally due to senior sister’s connections. Saying this may be unfair, but roughly thirty percent of the treasures in this Library Pavilion were gathered by senior sister from far and wide."

"Thus, people are naturally willing to accommodate us. Though you’re not yet formally recorded under the Purple Cloud Palace, you’ll have a formal identity by tomorrow at the latest."

"Cultivation techniques or Daoist skills can be borrowed for seven days; during this period, leaving the sect is prohibited. The imprints in the jade scrolls are single-use cultivation techniques, unable to be shared with others."

"I’ve consulted senior sister briefly; she mentioned the royal families of various countries possess prime cultivation resources, but they consistently lag in cultivation techniques or Daoist skills. After all, some things are never shared externally."

"You’ve just entered; with your current cultivation level, finding things of interest within these first three levels is fine, and you’ve promised senior sister, while sword cultivation is your focus, you shouldn’t neglect other areas."

"Besides..."

She listened and nodded.

Previously feared and respected within the borders of Country Liang, engaged in fierce battles with Jiang Feng, the little princess had now transformed into an obedient child, listening attentively and nodding earnestly, her head bobbing up and down like a chick pecking at grains.

Meanwhile, Jiang Feng spoke while removing a jade scroll from the bookshelf. Before he could hold it firmly, a bamboo tube fell with a clatter.

He was about to bend down to pick it up but, upon seeing the characters on the bamboo tube, he froze as if struck by lightning!

"This, this is..."