Ye An's smile was still bright, like a child about to sneak her hand into the cookie jar. There was a glint of playful mischief in her eyes as if this entire encounter was more amusing than threatening. She wasn’t the least bit concerned about any danger I might pose.
Her Qi burst outward in a fluid, almost lazy wave, but there was nothing lazy about its weight. It rippled through the air like silk laced with steel.
A mont later, Song Song’s Qi exploded out to match it. She didn’t say a word. She didn’t need to. While she had promised not to initiate combat, it was obvious her restraint only went so far. Song Song was the kind of person who saw hesitation as weakness, and judging by her stance, she would rather strike first and argue about it later.
But I didn’t wait for them to finish charging their Core Techniques or whatever they were planning to use as an opener.
I clapped my hands, and my Qi surged around , flickering like an invisible fla. It wasn’t showy and was more like a flickering candle next to their Qi.
I activated my Foundation Technique, channeling it with practiced ease while simultaneously pouring half of my Qi into erecting the necessary arrays.
Dark writings pulsed up beneath my feet and climbed outward in a flash. In an instant, both Song Song and Ye An were enclosed in stationary jade armor, with a dozen shimring chains snaking out and wrapping tightly around them. The chains weren’t anchored to the earth or sky but to a flickering fla suspended in midair, my array’s core.
Electricity danced along the bindings, hissing as it stunned the two just long enough to freeze them in place. It was more than just an elental shock; it was a suppression crafted to short-circuit reflexes and stall Qi flow.
But, of course, they were Core Formation Cultivators.
The next mont, their Qi surged like tidal waves, raw and overpowering. They flexed their power, and the jade armor cracked and exploded outward. The chains snapped apart with a sharp screech, and my carefully constructed array was obliterated in under a second, reduced to dust in the presence of absolute force.
“I will help the one who throws the second punch. Not the one who starts the fight,” I said.
Ye An glanced at , her smug, carefree smile vanishing in an instant. Her eyes narrowed, and she let out a sharp snort.
“You’ve helped more than you know, Liu Feng, whether you ant to or not. But don’t get in my way too often… I only have so much patience,” she warned.
“That supposed to be a threat?” I raised a questioning brow.
Ye An should have realized by now that she might have stood a chance against Song Song alone. With my intervention, even just a second of stunning, would be more than enough for Song Song to activate her Ultimate Technique and kill her.
“So? Why not just kill her now?” Song Song said, tone light. “She did threaten you.”
I stared at Ye An, and for a mont, the thought genuinely crossed my mind.
But then I rembered the ti I spent with Xin Ma and the old janitor.
Would one more corpse really solve anything?
Sure, if we let her go now, we might not get another clean shot. Not without sustaining serious injuries.
Ye An’s Qi fluctuated. A dangerous glint appeared in her eyes as if she'd co to the sa conclusion we had. But she resembled a cornered cat more.
While I’d said I’d side with the one who threw the second punch… Song Song and I were always on the sa team.
“No,” I shook my head. “For now, I’ve decided to spare her.”
“Spare ?” Ye An gritted her teeth.
“That wasn’t ant to be an insult,” I said with a sigh.
However, it was insulting. There was no way around that.
Still, we needed every asset we could get our hands on. And despite everything, Ye An was an asset. Who knew what kind of Foundation and Core Techniques she had developed?
“Next ti, pick a better battlefield,” I said. “Trying to fight Song Song at the doorstep of the Sect her clan’s ruled for millennia? Her clan mbers are here. Her father is here. You don’t stand a chance.”
Ye An seed to think for a mont, then sighed and shrugged. “Whatever.”
She let her bubbling Qi fade, the pressure around her easing as her fighting intent dissolved.
Seeing that, I nodded and pulled out a notebook from my storage ring.
“Good,” I said. “Now, let’s begin writing down the nas of the newcors. Did you change your na, or should I just write it down as Ye An?”
“You can write down whatever you want,” she said.
I just wrote down her na. She threw Song Song one last glare, then turned and walked into the Sect.
Hopefully, I’d be able to keep those two from tearing each other apart.
Though, it did seem like Ye An had co here with the wrong mindset. If she thought any Core Elder would support her vendetta, she was dead wrong. Maybe if Song Song’s grandmother were still alive, Ye An could’ve cooked up sothing. But she wasn’t, and that door was long shut.
The rest of the group that had traveled with Ye An smiled awkwardly and looked around as they stepped forward one by one. I wrote down each of their nas.
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They were mostly the sa, people from various backgrounds who’d left their Sects or Clans and co here in search of safety, stability, or just a place to learn an Earth Grade Technique.
It wasn’t until the sixth person approached that sothing clicked.
She was a young girl, likely around seventeen years old, but already a one-star Qi Gathering Cultivator. She had a calm look on her face, unlike the others before her, who seed unsure, nervous, or worried that I might take out my irritation on them. Her clothes were practical, and she wore a large backpack. At first glance, she didn’t even look like a cultivator.
“Hi, my na is Jiang Yeming,” she said, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips, though she seed to hold it back. She looked… pleased about sothing.
I nodded, and my hands moved on autopilot as I began writing her na.
But halfway through, I froze.
Jiang Yeming?
That na sounded familiar…
It only took a second before I rembered where I’d heard it.
Oh. Right.
She was the one who wrote the Autumn Edition of my book and had demanded an absurdly high price for it.
I finished writing her na and made sure to keep my expression neutral. No need for anyone to know I recognized her.
“You can go ahead,” I said, waving her forward.
Jiang Yeming nodded… but didn’t move. She just stood there, watching .
“You’re Liu Feng, right?” she asked.
I nodded.
“I’m a big fan,” she said. Her voice was as flat as a stone skipping once and sinking.
“Fan?” I repeated, more confused than flattered.
Honestly, she looked more like a disapproving professor than a fan. That steady, unreadable gaze didn’t hold even a hint of excitent.
“We’re both scholars, in a sense,” she replied as if that explained everything.
Before I could respond, she began rummaging through her backpack. She pulled out a scroll and handed it to .
“This is the next thing I was planning to publish. Tell what you think of it,” she said. Her gaze carried more weight than simply handing over a scroll.
Still, I saw no harm in indulging one of my so-called fans.
I opened the scroll and looked it over. It was a complicated diagram, one I couldn’t fully grasp at first glance. I had to take a mont to decipher what it was even trying to do.
But no matter how I approached it, the scroll was several layers deeper than I expected. And I wasn’t too proud to admit when sothing flew over my head.
“What does this part represent?” I pointed at a central section, which resembled so array-like structure within a brain.
The creator of this had so knowledge of arrays and likely a background in ntal-type techniques.
From what I could gather, it was a diagram of a very complex ntal technique. Or rather, a combination of ntal techniques that ford what looked like an Earth Grade one.
Its primary function was to temporarily increase ntal fortitude. On its own, that wasn’t all that impressive.
However, it was revolutionary when considered in the context of a breakthrough. If I’d had this before reaching Foundation Establishnt, my chances of success would’ve been almost guaranteed.
I imdiately understood the value of it and glanced back at the girl who had "created" such a thing.
No matter how I looked at Jiang Yeming, she didn’t give off the vibe of an Array Conjurer. But perhaps she had the insight or maybe sothing else entirely. I had a more radical theory on how she ca across this.
“What do you want for this?” I asked.
She stared at for a mont. Then she smiled a genuine smile for the first ti.
“You really are fair,” she said, sounding surprised.
That reaction caught off guard. Sure, I could’ve stolen the scroll. But what would that gain besides killing the spark of a budding genius?
“I hope this doesn’t sound rude... or weird,” she said. “But… would you take as your disciple?”
“Disciple?” I echoed. “Didn’t think I was famous enough for soone to deliberately ask to study under .”
I played along for now.
“Why ? By contributing this technique, you could have asked anyone to take you on as a student. A Core Formation Elder could offer you better protection. You could’ve even gone to soone like Zun Gon.”
“Well… I’m a big fan,” she said again. “Also, I wanted to study under an academic who would understand . Your na was on all the recruitnt posters, so you’re clearly important.”
“Sure,” I said with a shrug. “Just don’t co crying to when reality kicks in, and be prepared to be disappointed."
When I said that, she didn't seem discouraged at all. There was a knowing look in her eyes.
"I doubt that," she said.
Wow. She wasn't even trying to hide where she ca from.
Just as I was about to explain the harsh reality of the situation she'd be stepping into by studying under , she cut in:
"Oh, I also have soone I'd like to keep close," she said, then turned around to the three people left behind her.
She grabbed one of them by the arm and pulled him forward.
The guy she dragged up was a bald kid, around fifteen or sixteen, with a sword in hand. But the most impressive thing about him wasn't the sword; it was his blindingly shiny bald head, gleaming like a freshly polished gemstone under the sun.
He stared at with a calm, unnerving gaze until Jiang Yeming nudged him. Only then did he bow his head slightly.
"Hi," he greeted, then stood up straight again with that sa blank expression. "Can I try cutting you?"
Jiang Yeming's face went pale, and she tried to drag him away. But he didn't budge, despite her having a higher cultivation than him.
"Why do you want to cut down?" I asked, caught off guard by the request.
"I've never t soone who feels so... uncuttable," he said, like that explained everything.
"…Then you haven't t a lot of people," I replied.
"No. It feels like no matter where or how I slash at you, my sword wouldn't even scratch your skin. Can you tell why?" he asked.
He felt like he couldn't cut ? How was I supposed to answer that kind of weird sword-sense? I had no idea what kind of feeling he was trying to describe.
What was that even supposed to an?
I shook my head and smiled faintly. Trying to understand a mind like that sounded like more work than it was worth.
"Sorry, but I'd prefer not to be cut down," I said, jokingly turning him down.
"I apologize, Elder Feng!" Jiang Yeming bowed quickly, and then forced the boy's head down into a bow too.
"Just tell your na and move on. We'll talk again later," I said, waving them along.
"My na is Tingfeng. I don't have a family na. I grew up on the streets of so no-na town I won't bother ntioning," he said.
"Alright, move along," I repeated.
This ti, they actually listened.
It felt like a lot of headaches were gathering in the Sect this winter.
Perhaps this announcent wasn't such a good idea. It felt like the Sect was turning into a magnet for misfits.
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