Chapter 8
Lin Queli felt himself half-asleep, his consciousness seeming to drift for a moment. The feeling was all too familiar; he often did this in class.
But now, he was sitting on a cold stone platform with no backrest. His head drooped, bobbing up and down a few times before he finally couldn’t hold on any longer and his body slumped to the side.
Helan Xue was right in front of him. When Lin Queli fell, his head landed on Helan Xue’s lap.
Helan Xue didn’t react much, just opened his eyes and looked down at the fluffy head.
【Congratulations, Host, for completing physical contact: Lap Pillow. Reward: 3 points!】
The System’s voice rang in Lin Queli’s mind, startling him awake. He immediately jumped up.
Gaining points was a good thing, but Lin Queli’s whole body was stiff. He felt as if he had turned a “physical contact” mission into an “assassination” mission. He tried to explain, “This disciple wasn’t sleeping, this disciple was just, just…”
Helan Xue: “Did I say you were sleeping?”
“Well, that’s true too. What this disciple means is…”
“…Never mind, I won’t say it. Shizun, this disciple was wrong! This disciple will never dare to do it again!”
Helan Xue: “The discipline ruler was just given to you, and it already needs to be used?”
Lin Queli: “…”
Now Lin Queli really wanted to cry.
He dazedly took out the discipline ruler and offered it with both hands. Seeing Helan Xue take it, he tremblingly held out both his palms, facing up, but still tried to plead his case, his voice shaking, “Shizun… seeing as this is this disciple’s first offense, could you, could you be lenient with this disciple?”
Helan Xue’s face was expressionless. When he raised the ruler, Lin Queli was so scared he immediately pulled his hands back.
Sob, sob, sob, I don’t want to be spanked!!
Helan Xue grabbed Lin Queli’s wrist and straightened his palm.
The icy cold feeling spread from his wrist to his whole body. Lin Queli shivered and said softly, “How about… Shizun hits a little lighter, okay?”
The next moment.
【Congratulations, Host, for completing physical contact: Holding Hands. Reward: 3 points!】
“?!”
Lin Queli was stunned. Just then, Ji Chun’s voice came from outside the cave.
“Xianzun, Immortal Lord Shouyang has returned! He is now in the main hall with all the elders.”
Lin Queli quickly took the opportunity to pull his hand back.
Seeing Helan Xue end his meditation and get up, Lin Queli’s eyes lit up.
It seemed like he had just heard Ji Chun say yesterday that this Immortal Lord Shouyang had sent a letter back. He didn’t expect him to arrive so soon.
Good, good, good, Immortal Lord Shouyang, no matter who you are, you are my savior!
Helan Xue glanced at Lin Queli, who was clearly overjoyed at having escaped his punishment, and said slowly, “I’ll punish you when I get back.”
“…”
Lin Queli pouted. Well, that was for later. He could stall for as long as he could. Who knows, maybe Helan Xue would be so happy to see an old friend that he would forget about the punishment?
The two walked out of the cave. Ji Chun smiled. “Ah, Young Master Lin is here too. It’s a good time to go and meet him together. If you successfully pass the grand competition, he will be your senior martial brother.”
Senior martial brother?
On the way, Ji Chun introduced him. Shouyang was Helan Xue’s eldest disciple. He was called Immortal Lord because he was also a great power who had cultivated for a thousand years, his cultivation having reached the Nascent Soul stage.
Helan Xue himself was only a step away from godhood, and all three of his disciples were at the Nascent Soul stage, which showed the caliber of the Myriad Sword Sect.
Lin Queli gave a dry laugh.
He felt like the black sheep of the family.
He asked curiously, “My eldest senior martial brother is Immortal Lord Shouyang… then who are the other two?”
Ji Chun: “Second senior martial brother is Shui Yun. Like Shouyang, he spends his years outside slaying demons and exterminating evil, bringing fortune to the common people. He generally doesn’t return unless there’s something important. Shouyang’s rare return this time is for the once-a-decade immortal sect grand competition. The last time someone returned for the competition was Shui Yun… ah, so Shouyang hasn’t been back for twenty years.”
How many??
Lin Queli then remembered that the lifespan of cultivators was different from that of ordinary people, especially high-level cultivators.
He subconsciously glanced at Helan Xue.
Before meeting him, Helan Xue had long seen all the states of the world, all the things in the mortal realm.
“As for third senior martial brother… after he sacrificed himself and fell, the Xianzun gave him a new name, Zhaoye.”
Lin Queli was stunned. Fell?
By this time, the three of them had reached the main hall, and they didn’t continue this topic.
After entering the room, besides a few elders, Lin Queli saw his eldest senior martial brother—a tall man with well-developed muscles, but his features looked righteous and awe-inspiring, even with a hint of honesty and simplicity.
Although he was as prim and proper as Helan Xue, and his cultivation pressure was not to be underestimated, at least his face was kind.
He stepped forward and bowed to Helan Xue.
Helan Xue just nodded.
Lin Queli was greatly shocked. He had thought Shouyang and Helan Xue would have a touching reunion after twenty years. But he didn’t expect one to bow solemnly and the other to just move his eyelids expressionlessly.
You and your Dao of Cangsheng.
Lin Queli once again deeply felt the Myriad Sword Sect’s ethos of asceticism and emotional detachment, as well as the difference between a cultivator’s lifespan and an ordinary person’s.
As an ordinary person, Lin Queli felt that with his lifestyle and eating habits, he couldn’t hope to live to 100. 80 would be a stretch. So 20 years… was a quarter of his life!
Shouyang noticed Lin Queli’s gaze and turned to look at him. “Is this the junior from the Changming Clan they were talking about?”
He was more delicate than he had imagined, looking like a little young master. He actually wanted to enter the Dao of Cangsheng?
Lin Queli quickly put on his signature smile and said cheerfully, “Hello, senior martial brother!”
“Ah.” Shouyang thought to himself, he’s not my junior martial brother yet. Didn’t they say Shizun would only take him after he passed the grand competition? But…
Shouyang rubbed his nose, thinking that the little young master was quite good-looking.
One of the elders asked, “Immortal Lord Shouyang, did you call us here to discuss the grand competition?”
Regarding the grand competition, Lin Queli had also learned about it from Ji Chun before. It was next month, so the date was fast approaching.
In previous years, the grand competition and its judging were handled by the number one immortal sect—the Myriad Sword Sect. Helan Xue’s disciples would defend the arena, allowing various prestigious immortal sects to show off their skills and exchange pointers. Therefore, this was a matter of face for all the sects, and not a single mistake could be made.
As for Helan Xue’s task… he just had to sit in the main seat at the grand competition to represent the authority of the immortal sects and supervise the competition, so that no one would dare to cause trouble.
Lin Queli was not Helan Xue’s real disciple, and he didn’t know any immortal arts yet. He couldn’t use the Demon Lord’s skills, and he certainly wasn’t allowed to. Naturally, he couldn’t defend the arena. His task was to pass the melee battle in the grand competition. This was Helan Xue’s test for him, or rather… a way to discourage him.
This melee battle was also one of the highlights of the grand competition. Besides the competitions between immortal sects, many rogue cultivators could also participate. If they performed well, they could submit a letter of recommendation to the Myriad Sword Sect and get a position as an outer-sect disciple. Those who were not selected still had a chance to be noticed by other immortal sects.
Now that the grand competition was approaching, and Immortal Lord Shouyang had even returned for it, Lin Queli finally started to feel nervous.
It felt like the final exams were coming, the top student was already prepared, and he hadn’t even read a single page.
Lin Queli scratched his head. He didn’t even know the difficulty of his test or what he had to do.
“I have naturally returned this time to handle the grand competition, but I also want to discuss what I have recently discovered with Shizun and the elders.”
Shouyang solemnly took out a brocade pouch from his robes and undid the layers of seals. When the item inside was taken out, everyone’s expression changed, and even Helan Xue frowned slightly.
It was a silvery-white metal fragment.
Lin Queli didn’t know what it was, but he felt the bracelet on his wrist, which belonged to Helan Xue, start to heat up and glow red.
Could it be… the thing in front of him had demonic energy?
Shouyang took a deep breath. “It is a fragment of the Demon Sword.”
He looked at the map spread out on the desk before him and pointed to one of the peaks. “A few days ago, this disciple, along with fellow Daoists and disciples, was entrusted by the public to go to Changyang Mountain, where demons had suddenly appeared, to slay them. We encountered people from the Demon Palace.”
Lin Queli’s body trembled.
The Demon Palace, the Demon Lord’s main base.
Shouyang continued, “We fought with them for several days and only then learned why demons had appeared on Changyang Mountain. It turned out that a fragment of the Demon Sword was sealed in the mountain. The fragment had recently awakened, and one of the elders of the Demon Palace had brought demons to occupy Changyang Mountain. Unfortunately, we only managed to retrieve the fragment and failed to capture a single demon.”
The atmosphere in the hall visibly became serious and heavy. One of the elders frowned. “Years ago, the previous Demon Lord forged this Demon Sword to bring disaster to the world. Our Xianzun finally managed to kill the Demon Lord, seal and shatter the Demon Sword. Those fragments have been scattered for thousands of years without incident. Why did they suddenly awaken…”
Another elder was filled with righteous indignation. “No wonder! No wonder! This is why the Demon Lord came to the Myriad Sword Sect to steal the sacred artifact a few days ago! That sacred artifact was the magical tool the Xianzun used to seal the Demon Sword back then!”
Lin Queli recalled the plot and was horrified to find that this was indeed the case.
In the original novel, the Demon Lord was not beaten to a pulp by the hyper-competitive Helan Xue. He successfully stole the sacred artifact, the Demon Scabbard. Without the Demon Scabbard to restrain it, and without the hyper-competitive Helan Xue’s hyper-competitive disciple to obstruct him, the Demon Palace quickly gathered all the fragments of the Demon Sword, allowing it to be reborn. First, they caused trouble at the grand competition, then they started a war, causing widespread devastation.
Of course, the final outcome was that the Demon Lord was captured by Helan Xue, turned into a human swine, and sealed in the immortal sect.
This was all a prequel. The main event was many years later when the Demon Lord broke through the seal and once again caused trouble for the Long Aotian, going on a killing spree in the Myriad Sword Sect and almost killing the Long Aotian’s junior martial sister. He was then dealt with by the powered-up Long Aotian and completely annihilated.
It had to be said, the Demon Lord was also a workaholic, first serving as a villain for Helan Xue, and then as a villain for the Long Aotian.
The corner of Lin Queli’s mouth twitched. But now the System was asking him to be Helan Xue’s “wife” and the Long Aotian’s mother.
Lin Queli swallowed hard. Could it be that they would find out in the next moment that the Demon Lord was not dead…
Shouyang continued, “I heard that after the Demon Lord’s death, the spiritual energy of the Demon Palace would dissipate, but there has been no movement from the Demon Palace so far. And they are trying so hard to restore the Demon Sword, both by guarding the fragments and stealing the Demon Scabbard… The Demon Sword can only be used by the Demon Lord. Could it be that the Demon Lord is not dead?”
…!!
Lin Queli wanted to cry but had no tears.
Ah, ah, ah, ah…!!
Watashi doesn’t know!
Lin Queli suddenly realized that he had not yet contacted the “Demon Clan” from the original novel.
Of course, this had a lot to do with him being in the Demon Lord’s arch-enemy’s main base. It was impossible to make contact.
An elder hesitated. “But the Xianzun personally saw the Demon Lord’s soul scatter…”
Helan Xue shook his head. “Not necessarily. It could be the Demon Clan’s illusion or trickery.”
“Exactly!” Shouyang nodded vigorously. “We must be on guard against the Demon Clan’s movements, in case they cause trouble at the grand competition!”
Lin Queli’s heart was filled with despair.
He didn’t know about the Demon Palace, but the Demon Lord himself would not cause any trouble.
Besides, with Helan Xue and his disciples around now, who the hell could successfully cause trouble?
Shouyang said, “What we can do now is to be on guard and continue to investigate, such as finding the locations of the other Demon Sword fragments and guarding the Demon Scabbard, so that the Demon Clan cannot obtain any more fragments or the scabbard.
“It just so happens that several great powers of the Righteous Path will gather at the Myriad Sword Sect for the grand competition. At that time, we can ask them to discuss countermeasures with Shizun. If the Demon Lord is still alive and intends to do something wrong, then it is our duty to crusade against him!”
Lin Queli: “…”
Is this the caliber of Helan Xue’s head disciple? So righteous it’s evil, spontaneously combusting with righteousness everywhere he goes.
Then, the few of them began to discuss the details of the grand competition, with Helan Xue sitting to the side, listening and drinking tea.
After most things were decided, the elders took their leave one by one.
The hall became quiet again, with only the three of them left. Shouyang was still focused on looking at the map, thinking, presumably trying to determine the locations of the other fragments.
Lin Queli’s eyes darted around. He took a deep breath, walked to a corner, knelt before Helan Xue, and took out the discipline ruler, saying pitifully, “This disciple made a mistake earlier. I ask Shizun to punish me.”
Helan Xue scraped the rim of his cup with the lid, making a crisp sound of porcelain clinking, noncommittal.
【Host, you’re amazing. You just managed to escape, and now you’re asking for a beating?】
Lin Queli: “Da Zhuang, I’ve grown up… I’ve seen the light.”
The Righteous Path might crusade against the Demon Lord in the future, and he might not be able to pass the immortal sect grand competition. He didn’t have much time left.
Seducing Shizun and building a good relationship to have a chance to get points was a billion times too difficult.
But getting choked got him points, and getting his palm spanked also got him points. As long as he made a mistake every day, his points would go kuku up. The difficulty… was as easy as pie.
Lin Queli blinked and offered the discipline ruler with both hands, saying softly, “Shizun… please hit me! Hit me hard, hit me with force! Grab this disciple’s hand and just hit! It’s just…”
His doe-like eyes were sparkling, as if he were about to cry. “This disciple is afraid of pain. After you’re done, I want Shizun to apply medicine for me, sob, sob…”
The plan had changed. Instead of trying his best to make Helan Xue like him, it was better to make him hate him, want to beat him every day, so his points would increase every day.
With points, what was there to be afraid of?
A college student’s roundabout way to save the nation: skipping class, talking back, and eating roasted chicken. This was his true calling.
Lol, 🤣😂🤣😂😂😂