Chapter 111: Chapter 93: The Young Master Was Once Weak; Today I Ascend to the Blue Clouds

Among the Five Elements techniques revered by all cultivators in the Yanfu Vast Land, the Water and Fire Elements were by far the most widespread. The Metal and Wood Elements were a step behind.

Only the Earth Element was considered rare, no matter which Daoist Lineage you looked at.

It was said that there were almost no First or Second Grade techniques related to it in the current age.

That was why Jiang Yi was so surprised that the Yin Puppet Sect cultivated the Ji Earth element.

’Cultivating Ji Earth and Yi Wood on top of that… they’re basically a construction crew.’

’No wonder they say that among the Inner Sect Dharma Lineages of Beimang Ridge, no disciples are wealthier than those of the Yin Puppet Sect.’

Han Li gazed into the distance. Sewing Peak, carried on the backs of the Golden Armored Warriors, grew ever more distant, shrinking into a blurry silhouette before vanishing over the horizon.

He sighed with emotion, saying,

“Across the three thousand miles of Beimang Ridge, the Zhao You Sect manages shipping and transportation, raking in wealth from all directions and making a fortune.

The Yin Puppet Sect below them isn’t far behind. With their Scattering Beans into Soldiers and Strongman Moving Mountains techniques, any Dharma Lineage that needs to move its sect entrance has to go to them.”

Jiang Yi’s lips twitched. So they really were in the construction business, helping with relocations and building projects.

He picked up the conversation, casually asking,

“Senior Brother Han, I heard back in Sanhe District that the Yin Puppet Sect disciples love going south to the Joyful Union Sect to have fun?”

Han Li nodded.

“That’s true. I don’t know who started it, but it’s become a trend.

Whenever the Yin Puppet Sect finishes a major job that takes months or even years, the disciples go to the Joyful Union Sect in droves. They spend lavishly on drinking and merrymaking to unwind.”

Jiang Yi clicked his tongue. The construction business really was lucrative.

Visiting pleasure quarters was an old tradition, too.

Han Li led everyone back to Heshui Cave, a trace of worry in his eyes.

’I can’t believe the Sect Leader actually gave an Outer Sect peak to the Joyful Union Sect…’

For nearly two hundred years, the power structure of Beimang Ridge had remained unchanged, with two major sects and three smaller ones coexisting.

The Zhao You and True Gu sects took the lion’s share, while the Yin Puppet, Joyful Union, and Qianji sects got the leftovers.

For a long time, things had been peaceful. At most, there were minor frictions, like disputes over mines, rivers, or county towns, but these were never brought out into the open. They had their own civil and martial rules for resolving such troubles privately.

But ever since the True Master from the Taifu Sect arrived in this region, signs of chaos had begun to appear in the outside world.

Han Li had heard rumors that some Zhongyi Sect Remnants were running rampant, killing quite a few High Cultivators.

’These are troubled times! The Sect Leader must have traded the sect’s foundation to raise his Cultivation and secure his footing. It’s a long-term plan.’

Han Li pushed aside his stray thoughts. Sewing Peak being sold to the Joyful Union Sect was a semi-good thing for him.

Senior Brother Xu’s family assets had taken a hit, which would inevitably slow down his Cultivation progress and Merit accumulation. He wouldn’t be able to attempt a breakthrough to the Qi Cultivation Eighth Layer anytime soon.

’Now that the Sect Leader is back, if I can seize this opportunity to distinguish myself, I’ll surely be entrusted with great responsibility by the Dharma Lineage!’

Han Li’s heart burned with excitement at the thought.

Although there were over a hundred Inner Peak Disciples, only two or three were truly supported with the full resources of the Dharma Lineage and cultivated as key talents.

As his thoughts ebbed and flowed, Han Li caught a glimpse of Jiang Yi out of the corner of his eye, head down, playing with the calico cat.

’This Junior Brother Jiang, who cultivates with astonishing speed and brave diligence… perhaps he could be a great help?’

With this in mind, Han Li walked over to get friendly and strike up a conversation.

“Junior Brother Jiang, I saw you arriving on a cloud just now? It’s only been a few days, have you already mastered the Cloud Soaring and Flame Riding Skill?”

Jiang Yi looked up and smiled.

“I’ve been in seclusion lately, focusing on my comprehension. I’ve made some small gains.”

Just as the Cat Master had said, such minor skills weren’t difficult to learn. It only depended on whether one’s Cultivation was profound and one’s Divine Thought was condensed.

The former powered the Daoist Skill, while the latter controlled the Qi Mechanism. When the two were combined, success came naturally.

Jiang Yi had spent a little effort, and with some minor help from the Celestial Book answering his questions, he had already reached the level of Small Success.

“Junior Brother Jiang, your talent is extraordinary! Elder Xu of the Skill Transmission Institute loves people with your kind of ability.”

Han Li laughed heartily.

“Just a few days ago, Senior Brother Xu was even asking me about you, Junior Brother. He wanted to know who it was that day at Heshui Cave who outmatched all the other Inner Peak Disciples in the test of strength.”

An almost imperceptible twitch went through the corner of Jiang Yi’s eye, but his expression remained unchanged.

“I was just showing off some crude tricks. I’m embarrassed that word reached Senior Brother Xu.”

Han Li said meaningfully,

“The Sect Leader has returned from his search for a Spiritual Mechanism Great Medicine, and his Merit has reached a new level. There are bound to be changes on the Inner Peak.

In two days, Junior Brother Jiang, you’ll be ascending the Qingyun Road to take your place on the Inner Peak. If you can win the Sect Leader’s favor and the elders’ approval then, it will be a golden opportunity to soar to the heavens!”

Jiang Yi frowned. Han Li was clearly reminding him not to pick the wrong side.

But his Grandpa, Yang Xun, was one of Sui Liushu’s old followers. What other choice did he have?

“From what you’re saying, Senior Brother Han, it sounds like the Sect Leader and Elder Sui don’t get along?”

Jiang Yi stroked the Cat Master’s perked-up ears. The master and disciple were truly cast from the same mold, both loving a bit of gossip.

“You may not know this, Junior Brother Jiang. The old Sect Leader made his name at the North and South Dipper Sword competition two hundred and twenty-eight years ago, placing in the top ten.

Afterward, he worked for a certain True Master from the Innate Sect and earned great merit, which is how he received the Talisman Decree and established our Dharma Lineage.”

Han Li didn’t shy away from the topic and explained,

“But because his Merit was damaged and his lifespan depleted, he passed away not long after.

Before his death, he gave half of the Dharma Lineage Decree to Elder Sui and tasked him with assisting the current Sect Leader.”

’So there was this whole backstory of entrusting the heir at Observing Sun Peak.’

Jiang Yi roughly sorted out the timeline. Back then, Elder Sui held great power and acted like a founding elder, paying no mind to the Young Sect Leader, Liu Huan.

The latter silently endured and focused on his Cultivation, breaking through to the Qi Cultivation Tenth Layer in one go. He then decisively suppressed Sui Liushu, forcing him to retreat into seclusion on Observing Fate Peak.

But Elder Sui held half of the Dharma Lineage Decree, and after years of building his influence, his trusted followers were spread throughout the inner and outer ranks. Liu Huan couldn’t move against him rashly.

In addition, Liu Huan himself prioritized Cultivation and had no time to manage the sect’s mundane affairs. So, he simply let Elder Sui continue to run things, leading to the current situation.

’It’s rather like the relationship between a monarch and his minister in certain dynasties,’ Jiang Yi mused.

“Let me be frank with you, Junior Brother Jiang. Elder Sui’s Observing Fate Peak and the Sect Leader’s Observing Sun Peak have never seen eye to eye.”

Han Li said in a low voice,

“Once you enter the Inner Peak, whatever you do, don’t pledge allegiance to the wrong mountain. Elder Sui controls the Resource Lands, while the Sect Leader has the power of recommendation. It just depends on which one you care about more, Junior Brother.”

Jiang Yi rubbed the Cat Master’s ears, then cupped his hands and said,

“Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Han.”

Han Li chuckled a couple of times and didn’t say much more, only adding,

“In two days, I will await you at Guanlan Peak, Junior Brother, to watch you ascend step by step, straight into the azure clouds.”

After bidding farewell to Han Li and leaving Heshui Cave, Jiang Yi had just returned to Red Flame Peak when he heard a piece of news.

Zhou Can, a Servant from the Sewing Peak Laundry Room, had committed suicide by jumping off a cliff.

As he passed the Forging Room, he happened to see Servant Zhou Guang, who was wailing and crying, looking utterly grief-stricken.

’Was Zhou Guang that close with him? They both have the surname Zhou, could they be related?’

But as soon as the thought arose, Jiang Yi heard Zhou Guang cursing up a storm.

“That son of a bitch Zhou Can! He died without paying back the three hundred fifty thousand talisman-coins he borrowed from me!

That bastard! The scoundrel fed me some Mistaken Soul Soup, telling me how Sewing Peak was going to get big…”

Jiang Yi shook his head and chuckled. For a miser like Zhou Guang, who loved money more than his own life, losing three hundred fifty thousand talisman-coins was like cutting off his own flesh and bleeding out.

He walked slowly to the Quenching Room, which was much livelier than before.

With spring approaching, the Mortal Servants who had been away were gradually returning to the mountain to resume their work, bringing a bit of life back to Red Flame Peak.

When the crowd saw Jiang Yi, they all stepped aside, bowed, and said in unison, “Senior Brother Jiang.”

“Senior Brother, what brings you here?”

Li Ruohan was also among them.

She had already transferred to Red Flame Peak, and her face lit up with pleasant surprise when she saw Jiang Yi.

“I worked here for many years. Now that I’m about to leave, I came to take one last look.”

Jiang Yi stood at the workshop entrance, his gaze sweeping over the large furnaces inside that had once made him sweat buckets.

A short while later, he turned and went to the Labor Institute, where he saw a few Daoist Children busy organizing Divination Tubes.

The familiar scenes before him left him in a bit of a daze. As his thoughts drifted, his body and mind suddenly felt light, as if a shackle had been removed.

Dressed in a Daoist Robe, the calm-browed Jiang Yi’s gaze sharpened, and he laughed heartily.

“From now on, there is no more Mortal Servant Jiang Yi.”

With that, he strode away, disappearing down the snowy mountain path.

The sight left Li Ruohan almost dazzled, her mind in a slight trance.

A sense of loss immediately welled up in her heart. In two more days, Senior Brother Jiang would be an Inner Peak Disciple, and the distance between them would likely grow ever wider.

’Aren’t I just like Senior Sister Luo in this regard? I must encourage myself, work hard, and cultivate!’

Li Ruohan clenched her fists, her expression resolute. She made up her mind then and there: today, she would attempt to break through to the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer!

…

…

「Two days passed in a flash.」

White clouds drifted lazily across a uniformly azure sky.

Jiang Yi, wearing a brand-new Daoist Robe, walked at a steady pace to the foot of Guanlan Peak.

A bustling crowd had already gathered there, a vast sea of people. Most were Mortal Servants from the various Outer Sect peaks who had come to watch the excitement, with some Village Clan Direct Lineage members and Lower Courtyard Stewards mixed in.

Gaze after gaze shot toward Jiang Yi. Through the senses granted by his Embrace Thought Nourishing Spirit Seven Emotions Curse, he could faintly capture a jumble of their inner thoughts.

There was envy, admiration, jealousy, and resentment—all sorts of different emotions.

It was noon, and the sun hung high in the sky.

Jiang Yi’s expression was calm as he looked out at the crowd and declared in a clear, loud voice:

“Today, I ascend to the azure clouds and leave my mortal form behind!”

The moment his voice fell, his Qi Mechanism erupted outward. The brilliant light of fiery rays gathered in the sky, forming a broad cloud of smoke and mist.

It steadily lifted his upright figure, carrying him into the air and up toward the peak!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep