Chapter Fifty-six is Formerly Fragrant

  Since that day, the sword dance on the Pinghuang platform has been ablaze with flames, even startling the Taiching True Man and several other elders. The entire Qionghua Sect was shaken by this event. Even though some of the senior masters and younger disciples were not present at the time, they heard about it from others, and it turned out that the one who had unleashed such a powerful divine ability was not one of the deeply skilled senior masters of the sect, but rather a young man who had only just entered the sect less than half a year ago.

  Everyone says that Xuán Xiāo's innate talent is exceptionally good. As soon as he entered Qīng Huá, he was valued by the Taì Qīng True Person and taught him the superior heart method of the sect. Not to mention, he also gave him a peerless immortal sword. That sword was even more extraordinary, on that day, the entire sky above Sword Dance Platform was burned red, wasn't it its credit? If the listener showed a hint of doubt, the speaker would become even more eloquent, continuously gesticulating, as if the person wielding the sword to control the fire that day was not Xuán Xiāo but him. The way he spoke was vivid and convincing, making people unable to disbelieve.

  But one thing gradually faded away during the time when Xuan Xiao's name was widely spread in the Qionghua Sect. Those young disciples only envied and admired Xuan Xiao's good qualifications and good luck, but the rumor that Huihui, who was burned to ashes on Jianwuping without leaving any residue, and the first of the 24th generation of Qionghua Sect disciples, mistakenly brought back a demon to Kunlun Mountain, seemed to have quietly disappeared with the flames in the sky.

  Time flies like water flowing out of Kunlun Mountains, never turning back. Unconsciously, three years have passed.

  Xuan Zhen's days returned to the usual routine before going down the mountain. The Taichang True Person had an order, and the Qionghua Sect was about to have a major event, so all the disciples of the sect had to work hard to cultivate themselves without slackening off. As the eldest senior brother, he had to set an example for others, spending his days either attending early morning classes or sitting in meditation in his room, occasionally taking on the responsibility of teaching and advising his junior brothers and sisters on behalf of his master. His life was quite fulfilling.

  Taiqing Zhenren, because he was preoccupied with the matter of the twin swords and the host body, looked at Xuanyue and Subao with a higher regard among his disciples. Whenever he had some free time, he would often summon them to test their skills, and sometimes even took the opportunity to instruct these two disciples in secret. Xuanyue and Subao were originally intelligent, so they made rapid progress compared to others. However, other fellow disciples gradually began to murmur privately, but Xuanyue's calm and gentle nature didn't make him feel anything unusual as he was also a senior brother.

  She was even more so than Xuan Yao. She had a strong personality, always striving to be the best, and was extremely strict with herself and others. Since entering the sect, she had received much guidance from her superiors, and the younger disciples in the sect also showed great respect for her. However, now that the attention of her master and elders was no longer focused on her, not to mention that her junior brothers and sisters who entered the sect many years after her were secretly surpassing her, the disciples who originally surrounded her had turned to curry favor with Xuan Ling and Su Yu instead, how could she endure this?

  Su Xuan and Su Yao had always been on good terms, practicing and living together in the same place. As a result, they gradually drifted away from Xuan Xiao and Su Yu. Only Yun Tianqing was still close to them because of her lively personality and pleasant words. Xuan Xiao and Su Yu were originally cold and distant by nature, and whether others kept their distance or drew near, it didn't matter much to them. The Taichang True Person had repeatedly instructed them to focus on cultivating their skills diligently and not bother with trivial matters, so the two of them paid even less attention to these minor details, devoting themselves solely to their daily ascetic practices.

  Xuan Zhen was indeed helpless among these few junior brothers and sisters. Fortunately, he was the eldest senior brother, and Su Yao, Su Xiang, and he had been together for many years, taking his words and actions as a model. Yun Tianqing, that mischievous monkey, was also very close to him, calling him "brother" every day. Even Su Yu was grateful to him for the past in the small town of Nanfang, and felt closer to him. As for Xuan Xiao, the young man had a cold expression towards everyone, but he didn't ignore Xuan Zhen like he did with Su Yao and Su Xiang, perhaps showing some respect towards his senior brother.

  As a fellow disciple, Xuan Zhen treated his five junior brothers and sisters with equal respect and care. Xu Yao looked up to him and suppressed her dissatisfaction with Xuan Xiao and Xu Yu. However, in the third year of their joint cultivation, Tai Qing True Person summoned Xuan Xiao and Xu Yu to the Qiong Hua Palace and spoke to them in private about something that Xuan Zhen was unaware of. But from that day on, Xuan Xiao and Xu Yu's behavior became increasingly unpredictable, which he noticed clearly.

  He had already made up his mind that the True Man of the Supreme Clarity was afraid to have given the Xī Hé and Wàng Shū swords to Xuán Xiāo and Shù Yù, allowing them to cultivate together with their swords. After accidentally hearing Yun Tianqing mention that Xuán Xiāo had an extra piece of jade on his body, he became even more suspicious about the place where these two were cultivating.

  Only these sect secrets, he as the head of the first disciple only slightly knew a little, and the rest of the disciples didn't know at all. Su Yao and others just saw Xuan Xiao and Su Yu going in and out together every day, and after a long time, they found that the cultivation of these two people had made rapid progress, and their suspicions gradually appeared on their faces. Xuan Zhen had to mention his master's deep meaning to her briefly, intending to guide her, but unexpectedly, Su Yao's face changed greatly after listening, taking this matter as a great shame, and secretly worked harder, for a time, the state of neglecting sleep and forgetting food was actually frightening to others.

  One day after early class, Su Xuan rushed to Xuan Zhen's room and pushed the door open, shouting: "Big Brother Xuan Zhen! Big Brother Xuan Zhen! You go see what's wrong with Sister Shuang! Just now when we were practicing the Water Spirit Incantation taught by Heavy Light Elder together, Sister Su Yao... she actually spat out blood!"

  At the moment when Su Xuan entered the house, Xuan Xiao happened to come to ask him about the difficulties in his cultivation. Upon hearing Su Xuan's behavior, Xuan Zhen was taken aback and just turned his head, but with a glance, he saw a clear look of disdain flash across his usually cold and indifferent face.

  Xuan's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but he only glanced at him before turning to face Su Xiang, who was full of anxiety, and asked: "The Water Spirit can't be summoned to the Seventh Realm, it's difficult to control. You and Su Yao have just entered the initial stage of the Sixth Realm, why would Master Chong Guang teach you this technique?"

  Su Xuan was taken aback, and involuntarily lowered her eyes to avoid Xuan Zhen's puzzled gaze. She stuttered: "Shi Jie... she said that Su Yu is only at the sixth realm, but has already mastered 'Rain Sorrow Cloud Longing' water technique... as her senior sister, we can't fall behind her..."

  "Nonsense!" Xuan Zhen interrupted Su Xun before she could finish, "Su Yu has a top-grade immortal artifact in hand and is a pure yin body, so using water magic will naturally be twice as effective. Su Yao's 'Bing Xue' sword may not be bad either, but compared to Wang Shu, it still pales in comparison. She should be clearer than anyone else about this, how can she still act so rashly? Hurry up and ask Qing Yang Shifu to take a look, if the meridians are damaged, it's no small matter!"

  Su Xiang listened and nodded repeatedly, without even thanking him, he quickly ran out again, almost tripping over the threshold.

  When only he and Xuanshuang were left in the house, Xuanshen shook his head and said to Xuanshuang: "Su Yao is indeed jealous and strong-willed, but after all, she is your senior sister. You... Alas." He sighed and stopped talking.

  Xuan Xiao slightly curled up the corner of his lips and coldly smiled: "This person has a narrow heart, but Master Brother overestimates her."

  Xuan Zhen's expression changed, and he couldn't help but notice the deep-seated resentment between him and Su Yao. He decided not to mention it again and instead brought up various things to pay attention to in cultivation, changing the subject.

  After that, Su Yao and Xuan Xiao, Su Yu were even more tense, they could barely maintain a harmonious attitude in front of Tai Qing Zhen Ren and several elders, but at other times, they didn't even bother to say a word. Xuan Zhen saw it with his own eyes, he wasn't without ideas to resolve the resentment between them, but ultimately, there was nothing he could do.

  Three years passed in such a way, the mountain wind of Si Fan Valley howled day by day, the phoenix flowers of Zui Hua Yin bloomed and withered, the Qing Hua Sect was still as beautiful as spring all year round, like a paradise, but something was quietly changing.

  In the third month of spring, grass grows and swallows fly. Although the grotto heaven where Kunlun Mountain's Qionghua faction is located has different seasons than the mortal world, it also has more vibrant vitality than before. The willows are lush everywhere, with flowers in clusters, especially Xianwu Ping and Hou Shan's Zuihua Yin, which are full of life and energy.

  The intoxicating flowers and lush vegetation are like brocade, especially the peony flowers that bloom with unparalleled beauty. The fragrance of flowers is constant throughout the four seasons, and bees and butterflies often fly about. However, because the back mountain is very close to the Taiyi Palace where the elders reside, few people visit, allowing it to grow exceptionally lush. On the other hand, Jianwuping has become a hub of activity in recent years due to the sudden surge in new disciples, with young practitioners diligently practicing their martial arts skills under the trees, by the water's edge, and on the grounds, creating an atmosphere that is truly vibrant and full of life.

  "Dong, dong", the distant sound of a bell came from somewhere. The wind carried the clear and crisp sound into the small room, causing the windows to creak. A young man sitting cross-legged on the bed suddenly opened his eyes, which still had a hint of moisture in them, but quickly returned to their usual gentle gaze. The breeze seemed to sense that he had finished meditating, and like a mischievous child, it swirled around him, gradually growing stronger as the young man stood up, until it spread out in all directions like ripples on water.

  At that moment, the tables, chairs, cups and saucers in the house all started to tremble slightly. The painting hanging behind him was swaying back and forth like a boat on a stormy sea, and at times it seemed as if it would detach from the wall. The young man closed his eyes slightly, his hands and feet unmoving, but his mind was racing with thoughts, and the wind gradually subsided, until finally, if not for the fact that the silk-like black hair behind his head was still gently swaying, one could hardly notice that there had been any wind in the house at all.

  With such a carefree and unrestrained control of the wind, if it weren't for breaking through the ninth level of cultivation, it would be impossible to achieve. Xuan Zhen thought this way, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curve upwards slightly.

  Qionghua Sect's superior Taoist practice became increasingly profound as it progressed, and among the 24th generation of disciples, only he and Xuan Xiao had reached this level. Even Su Yu and Yun Tianqing, who were extremely talented, could only barely reach the eighth heavy boundary, while Su Yao and Su Xiang were already far behind.

  Thinking of Xuan Xiao, a hint of appreciation flashed in Xuan Zhen's eyes. Six years had passed, and the once slightly immature and aloof young man had gradually grown into a mature adult, his height already surpassing his own, with a more refined and stern aura between his eyebrows, which was like a distant mountain covered in white snow back then, but now, just like his name, he possessed an overwhelmingly powerful presence that seemed to pierce through the clouds.

  Since breaking through the ninth layer of the boundary, his cultivation has been even more diligent. As he sees that the day of the demon realm's arrival calculated by Taiching Zhenren is getting closer and closer, he stays in the forbidden land with Su Yu for a long time, intending to help Su Yu break through the ninth layer before that day arrives, so as to increase their grasp on the demon realm. When Taiching Zhenren learned of this, he was overjoyed, not only ordering the three elders to take turns to guide them, but also instructing Xuanzhen to go to the forbidden land in his spare time to listen and benefit together.

  "Dong, dong", the bell's tolling startled Xuan Zhen out of his reverie. He had already discerned that this was the routine bell-ringing after the morning lesson. As for him, with his current level of cultivation and attainment, he no longer needed to attend the morning lesson together with the young disciples inside the sect. Hence, he didn't pay much attention to it. Suddenly remembering that he hadn't been to the forbidden land in several days, his body moved with his heart, and his feet had already naturally stepped out of the door. That streak of clear wind also followed him, gently closing the door behind him.

  P.S. So a certain exam was finally passed quickly, and six years were brought over with one stroke o(*￣︶￣*)o