Chapter 270: Cui Clan
“Yes,” replied the Heavenly Maiden, her face showing shame at Xu Xuanji’s question. “It’s a pity the task my Master gave me is not yet complete.”
“Any disciple taught by Sun Yuanlang is bound to be formidable,” Xu Xuanji reassured the Heavenly Maiden. “The fact that you could force her to not show her face is enough to satisfy Senior Brother. Speaking of which,” he smiled, “come back with me this time. Your disposition isn’t suited for your current life.”
The Heavenly Maiden shook her head and said softly, “I have no face to return without completing my task.”
“Alas…” Xu Xuanji looked at the Heavenly Maiden’s exquisitely beautiful face, a trace of unnoticeable stubbornness hanging on it. In a daze, he seemed to see another woman; their temperaments were almost identical.
“You don’t have to go back, but you can’t drift around outside,” Xu Xuanji retracted his gaze and looked at the white clouds in the sky. “You should stay at the Heavenly Master Mansion. There are many responsibilities you need to shoulder.”
“I’m used to living outside,” the Heavenly Maiden wanted to refuse. She knew very well that once she took up residence in the Heavenly Master Mansion, her life would undergo earth-shattering changes.
“The Heavenly Maiden of our Heavenly Master Dao must have the honor she deserves and bear the responsibilities she must bear,” Xu Xuanji said without room for negotiation. “Otherwise, you will come back with me.”
The Heavenly Maiden thought of the secluded and aloof Guiyin Peak, and of an even more secluded and aloof Master. Finally, she nodded and agreed, “I’ll stay.”
“Good,” Xu Xuanji smiled. “In fact, within the Imperial Court, human hearts are the most unpredictable. If you wish to cultivate your Sword Heart Wisdom Eye to perfection, this is the best place for your cultivation.”
“Yes,” the Heavenly Maiden accepted his teaching humbly.
“Sigh…” Xu Xuanji sighed again and said, “It’s better than practicing that damned Supreme Forgetfulness Dao…”
“Martial Uncle, why do you say that?” the Heavenly Maiden asked, astonished.
“…” Xu Xuanji wanted to speak but stopped. After a long pause, he said in a low voice, “In short, you should practice that kung fu less.”
“Yes,” the Heavenly Maiden never forced others. Seeing that her Martial Uncle did not wish to speak, she didn’t ask further.
.
The Grandmaster calamity that occurred in the winter of the initial decade had a profound and far-reaching impact on Great Xuan, destined to change the fate of countless families and individuals…
Currently, although the various clans had not yet realized the immense impact of this change, they were still acutely aware that many things would change after this battle. As soon as the Grandmasters returned, the high-level officials of the various clans immediately convened secret meetings to discuss the future situation and their next steps.
The stances and attitudes of the various clans differed, but one point was surprisingly unanimous: they must seize this rare opportunity, fully support their own Grandmasters in making further breakthroughs, at least to glimpse the Innate Realm, and absolutely not let the Lu Clan monopolize the glory!
“Furthermore, we need to re-evaluate the Lu Clan.” In the Minglun Hall of the Cui Clan’s Ancestral Hall, a plaque inscribed with ‘Cultivation, Regulation, Governance, Peace’ hung on the wall. Beneath the plaque, the Cui Clan Leader, Cui Yan, said to the assembled high-ranking officials with a serious expression, “After this event, Lu Xian may very well enter a realm we cannot comprehend. We must no longer treat him as a mere Grandmaster.”
“Yes,” Cui Dingzhi, seated to Cui Yan’s right, lost his usual carefree expression. “Previously, we all thought the Innate Realm was a legend, but this time we witnessed it with our own eyes. This realm truly exists, and the situation is completely different.” He would never forget the scene where a move that achieved Unity of Heaven and Man turned mountains of ironstone to dust.
“To someone in that realm, Grandmasters are nothing more than weaklings,” Cui Dingzhi said with lingering fear in a deep voice. “At that point, one person could change the tide of an entire war. It would no longer be a myth, but something that would realistically happen before our eyes.” He then sighed heavily. “If, at that time, no one in our clan can contend with him, I fear we will have no choice but to submit and beg for mercy.”
The assembled Cui Clan high-ranking officials listened with trepidation. In their eyes, Grandmasters were already legendary figures. With Grandmasters stationed, they felt as secure as Mount Tai. Now, hearing Cui Dingzhi speak this way, that solid sense of security instantly receded like a tide, replaced by a bone-chilling fear they had never experienced before.
“Has Lu Xian truly reached that realm?” Cui Pingzhi asked his elder brother with some difficulty.
“Not yet,” Cui Dingzhi smiled slightly, calming the frightened crowd. “He merely glimpsed that door under very special circumstances. He cannot ascend in one step.”
“That’s a relief…” The Cui Clan high-ranking officials all breathed a sigh of relief. If Lu Xian had achieved the Innate Realm now, life would be unbearable.
“However, having glimpsed the threshold twice, he must now know how to progress towards that goal,” Cui Dingzhi’s tone shifted. “Moreover, even if he can never ascend in his lifetime, with his understanding of that realm, he will still be an unimaginably terrifying existence.” He paused, then said softly, “For example, Zhang Xuanyi…”
Cui Dingzhi now fully understood why Lu Xian, after challenging Zhang Xuanyi, had completely ignored all mundane affairs and gone into seclusion for over ten years. It must have been like his own situation now: having witnessed the Half-step Xiantian realm, he had completely lost interest in other matters, focusing all his energy on reaching that realm himself.
With this thought, he surveyed the crowd. “After today, I will go into seclusion. I will only come out once a month, on the first day, to seek guidance from Lu Xian. Unless there is a paramount issue in the clan, do not bother me.”
“That is natural,” Cui Dingzhi’s uncle, the Cui Clan’s Great Elder Cui Sheng, immediately agreed. “Is there anything more important than this?”
“Indeed,” Cui Yan nodded and also stated, “Cui Dingzhi’s early attainment of the Heavenly Dao is related to the future of our Cui Clan.” He then sighed, looking deeply at Cui Dingzhi, “Moreover, you don’t have much time left.”
“Yes.” Cui Dingzhi understood his father’s worries. Cui Yan was the Minister of Personnel, the Great Xuan Dynasty’s chief steward. No one knew better than he that the Great Xuan Dynasty, which appeared to be in an era of peace and prosperity, was on the brink of collapse.
After speaking, Cui Dingzhi rose and bowed to his elders, saying, “Time waits for no one. I shall take my leave then.”
He did not wish to waste even a moment.
“Go.” All the high-ranking officials rose together and bowed to him, including his father Cui Yan. Everyone said in unison, “We entrust this to you.”
“Oh, right. Lu Xian’s disciple, what was his name…” Cui Dingzhi reached the doorway and suddenly remembered something. He paused slightly and said, “Ah, yes, Lu Yun. Please take care of him at an opportune moment.”
“Oh?” Cui Yan didn’t understand why he said that. The Lord still had some impression of the name Lu Yun.
“He saved our lives. I don’t have time to repay his favor, so I can only pass the debt to my father.” Cui Dingzhi laughed heartily, finally showing a bit of his unrestrained nature again.
Watching his son’s departing figure, Cui Yan gave a helpless bitter smile. He looked at Cui Pingzhi beside him and said, “Pingzhi, did you hear that? In the future, take good care of that young man for your elder brother. Do what you can to help him, and if you encounter any difficulties, tell the clan.”
“This son understands,” Cui Pingzhi replied softly. He did not have his elder brother’s talent in martial arts, but he was adept at handling human affairs and was always groomed by Cui Yan as the future Clan Leader.
Cui Pingzhi immediately understood his father’s intention. Asking him, the future Clan Leader, to look after a junior was, in the end, about showing goodwill to Lu Xian…
