Chapter 230 - 230, [Seeing the Future]
The Demon Sect’s main peak.
Sect Master Shen Yan of the Demon Sect was seated at the main seat in the grand hall, his bald head shining brightly.
The various peak masters took their seats in turn, initiating the daily tea meeting.
Yes, it was quite common for these bigwigs of the Demon Sect to gather and chat.
The beautiful young woman, Luo Wanqiu, idly stirred her teacup with slender jade-like fingers, and laughed flirtatiously, “I heard Junior Uncle Master has made quite the name for himself down the mountain?”
Shen Yan’s ugly bare face, devoid of even eyebrows and eyelashes, cracked into a slight smile that made him look like a boiled egg with a face, and he nodded slightly.
With his hoarse voice that reminded one of a screaming chicken, he said, “I just went to the back mountain and had a talk about the matter of Tianque Gate with Sir.”
“Oh? And what did Sir say?” Yue Heshan asked curiously.
Shen Yan mimicked Sir’s tone and movements and said, “Hmph! The kid really is something!”
At these words, the entire hall burst into laughter, filling the atmosphere with gaiety.
Lu Xun held a special status; any favors he owed were essentially owed by the Demon Sect.
Under such circumstances, the high-ranking members of the Demon Sect didn’t mind. They all unanimously believed that they should owe this favor; otherwise, it would be a disgrace to the Demon Sect.
Shen Yan had already made arrangements to give Tianque Gate special preferential treatment.
This was essentially the Demon Sect taking a stance, in the name of the sect and not in the name of Lu Xun personally.
In fact, stepping back, Lu Xun is a senior; it is only right for them juniors to clean up after him. No one would say anything about it.
Sima Chuan, the oldest amongst them, stroked his meticulously groomed beard and said leisurely,
“That Tianhe Shangren who was close to death was saved by the dates granted by Sir. It’s truly miraculous!”
At these words, the corner of Shen Yan’s mouth twitched slightly.
He couldn’t help but recall Sir’s reaction upon hearing this news in the back mountain.
He continued with his raspy voice, “Well… Gentlemen, Sir said…he didn’t give the dates.”
Upon hearing this, the peak masters were first stunned, then burst into laughter.
“Outstanding!” The most jovial Yue Heshan laughed and said.
The Junior Uncle Master’s ruse was indeed brilliant.
Luo Wanqiu’s lips curled into a smile, her beautiful eyes twinkling.
She lounged back in the chair, asked, “Then what did Sir say?”
Shen Yan replied, “What else could he say? He reprimanded us thoroughly first!”
Then added, “After the scolding, he did mutter that the kid is quite clever.”
Lu Xun was indeed more mature and adept than they had imagined.
Walking in the outside world while maintaining this kind of alertness could save him a lot of trouble and danger.
Shen Yan sipped some from his hot tea, then shook his head slightly, saying,
“It’s a pity though. Although Tianhe Shangren survived, he lost all his cultivation. Otherwise, this world would have had another great cultivator at the Seventh Stage.”
As Shen Yan mentioned, Tianhe Shangren’s cultivation was indeed gone.
This wasn’t a secret anymore because it couldn’t be concealed.
Moreover, Tianque Gate was now backed by the Demon Sect. Even though the old ancestor lost his cultivation, Tianque Gate’s status still improved even further.
That night’s battle saw Tianhe Shangren poised at death’s door, his bloodline power all but spent.
While he did set foot into the Seventh Stage at the last minute, and was aided by Lu Xun’s green pearl, all he managed to hold onto was a few years of life, losing all his cultivation.
At night, Tianhe Shangren got up from his bed and instinctively pointed at the candle, only then realizing he no longer had any cultivation left, he was no different than an ordinary old man.
He slowly rose, picked up the walking stick by his bed, and walked slowly over to the candle, lighting it with a lighter like any frail, old man would.
For cultivators, particularly great cultivators, losing their cultivation base results in tremendous pain.
Having seen high above the clouds and then falling back to earth brings many discomforts.
The drastic change is hard to adapt to.
Even just a few days ago, he could still wield “Lone Bravery” for fierce battles. Now, he would feel exhausted even after a few steps.
He began to become like an ordinary old man, feeling sleepy as soon as it was night, sleeping early, but unable to sleep for long.
He wasn’t used to all of this, but he was trying his best to adapt.
Mo Beipo wanted to assign a few disciples to serve him, but he refused. In the end, only two disciples were stationed outside his courtyard, ready to be summoned when needed.
Recently, Tianhe Shangren’s favorite activity has been walking and sightseeing around the Tianque Gate.
He had closed himself off for hundreds of years, and the inside of the gate had changed immensely in that time.
The forest had changed, the buildings too.
But the memories remained.
No matter where he went, there would be disciples who would respectfully pay homage to him, with a kind of respect coming from their hearts.
He started to enjoy basking in the sun. If he stayed in one place for too long, his mind would wander, and he would start to daydream.
It was exactly as Mr. Ji Xianlin described it: the road has been too long, the time too lengthy, the shadows too numerous, the memories too heavy.
The air of twilight around Tianhe Shangren became heavier, something rarely seen in a Great Cultivator.
However, he was not living uncomfortably. On the contrary, he cherished this time.
Daylight came, and Mo Beipo, the Sect Leader of Tianque Gate, personally came to the elegant courtyard to escort Tianhe Shangren.
“Elder, it’s time for the entrance examination.” Mo Beipo said to Tianhe Shangren.
“Alright, help this old fellow take a look.” He responded with a smile.
All the sects in the Three Thousand Mountains will hold their entrance examinations on the same day. Those who aspire to cultivate will gather in front of the various sects today. Passing the exam allows them entrance into the sect, acting as a selection process.
The more famous the sect, the more attractive it is, and the more people will come to participate in the examination.
In many sects of the Three Thousand Mountains, there would also be some secret competition, an undercurrent of rivalry, on this day.
Mo Beipo escorted Tianhe Shangren to the grand entrance of the Tianque Gate.
Even through the closed door, the noise from outside could be heard.
It seemed like there were quite a lot of people.
The door opened.
The opening of the door signified the beginning of the examination.
Tianhe Shangren, assisted by Mo Beipo, took a glance outside.
His sight wasn’t so good now, so he straightened up and leaned his body slightly forward to see better.
Just like an old man waiting for his grandchildren at the school gate.
Outside the door…
It was a sea of people!
If Lu Xun was present, he would definitely notice that there were also a large number of players among them.
Tianque Gate had already made a name for itself among the players. Naturally, those who have just arrived in the vicinity of the Three Thousand Mountains would choose it first.
Many large guilds and professional clubs have stationed some of their second and third line members in Tianque Gate just to explore the subsequent storyline between Tianque Gate and the Purple Palace.
These people are considered high-level players in the Three Thousand Mountain Area!
As you can imagine, after this battle, Tianque Gate will be different.
“There are so many people.” He turned his head to look at Mo Beipo and laughed like a child.
“Yes, a lot of people indeed.” Mo Beipo also laughed along.
It was an unprecedented grand occasion!
None of the sects in the entire Three Thousand Mountain Area could rival the splendor before their eyes!
After the founder of the Tianque Gate, Tianhe Shangren, passed away, the Tianque Gate has been on the decline. But starting from this moment, perhaps things would really change?
The persistence of generations finally paid off at this moment.
Tianhe Shangren, now no different from an ordinary old man, looked around with his cloudy eyes.
What he saw…
was hope.