ARLQLCC chapter 34

The two matches in the morning both ended with the Yun brothers’ victories. The spirit stones Su Ji had bet doubled, so he planned to make lunch more lavish to properly celebrate the two of them getting off to a good start.

Because of yesterday’s stall incident, and because Yun Xicheng was planning to visit the Great Elder that afternoon to ask for a recommendation letter for a teaching position, Su Ji did not plan to set up his stall today. The disciples of the various sects could only let their taste buds suffer for one more day.

When the group returned, Tu Yan still had not left. Completely unconcerned by the glances drifting over from the arena, he casually prepared to tag along and mooch a meal as well.

Su Ji did not have any particular thoughts about him following along. At most, it was just one more person eating anyway. It was a fact that the other party had helped him, and he had even given him a bottle of Spirit Replenishing Pills worth a fortune. Forget mooching one meal—even coming to eat every day wouldn’t be a problem.

However, while he had no thoughts about it, others had plenty.

Quite a few quick-witted disciples had already begun contacting their sects to report Su Ji’s connection with the demon race.

Many small sects were already planning to establish a teleportation formation with Linggu Mountain after the Sword Trial Tournament ended. Perhaps, by borrowing Su Ji’s influence, they could touch the hem of this giant known as the demon race.

As the Young Sect Master, Yun Xicheng had seen many important figures, so he accepted Tu Yan joining them fairly calmly. However, when Yue He and Yan Shao saw this sudden Demon Venerable in the spectator seats, they were just as shocked as the other disciples, so stunned that they hardly dared to speak.

Later, even though Su Ji had set up a soundproof barrier, he had not excluded the two of them, so they heard every word of the conversation between him and Tu Yan clearly.

Being able to converse so naturally with such a great figure, Su Ji truly earned their admiration to the point of complete prostration.

If it had been either of them speaking to the Demon Venerable, they probably would not even have dared to raise their heads.

Previously, their impression of Su Ji was that he was a beautiful chef who cooked delicious food. After last night, another descriptor had been added to that impression, turning him into a genius chef who cooked well, was handsome, and had high cultivation.

Before this new impression had lasted long, Yue He added another phrase to it: “with an unfathomably deep background.”

…

On the plaza in front of the martial arena hall, several elders and sect masters in flowing robes stood together, all watching the Soul Transformation realm arena with undisguised admiration in their eyes.

On the arena, a young man wearing the uniform of Kunlun Divine Palace held a completely black profound iron sword. With only a lift of his hand, he blocked his opponent’s increasingly deadly attacks, his movements appearing relaxed and effortless.

Although there was little expression on that cold face, anyone could tell that this match was extremely dull and uninteresting to him.

One elder stroked his white beard and said to the imposing middle-aged man in the center, “Sect Master Xie, your disciple Xie Yao is truly worthy of being the number one person in the Soul Transformation realm of this Tournament. In just two days, he has drawn three matches, and no one has lasted more than ten moves against him.”

Someone chimed in, “I heard Xie Yao is about to break through to the Mid-Soul Transformation stage. This speed truly makes him a genius among geniuses.”

“As expected of Sect Master Xie’s personal disciple. At this rate of cultivation, he should be able to reach the Mahayana realm within a hundred years. By then, Kunlun Divine Palace will have gained another Mahayana cultivator.”

“Sect Master Xie truly knows how to teach disciples. We are all envious!”

Praise rang out endlessly around him. The man surrounded like the moon among stars did not speak. Only after the flattery subsided did Xie Daoqi wave his hand. “Xie Yao is capable himself. I really did not teach him much.”

“Hahahaha, Sect Master Xie is too modest.”

“I heard Sect Master Xie’s young master also came to the Sword Trial Tournament. Why haven’t we seen him participate in the matches?”

“Young Master Xie seems to have already entered the late Nascent Soul stage. Breaking through to Soul Transformation is just around the corner!”

Speaking of this, Xie Daoqi sighed helplessly and said with a disappointed tone, “That brat. I told him to participate, but he refused, insisting that he’s already invincible among Nascent Soul cultivators. Now he just wanders around everywhere instead of cultivating, and I can’t even find him.”

Although his words sounded annoyed, the doting affection in his tone was impossible to ignore.

Several elders felt their teeth ache from hearing it.

As the Sect Master of Kunlun Divine Palace, Xie Daoqi’s love for his son was known even to ordinary mortals with no cultivation.

Xie Qinghuai did not like cultivating and often skipped classes. To appease the teaching elders who came demanding an explanation, Xie Daoqi once publicly declared before the entire sect that he would let Xie Qinghuai fend for himself. Privately, however, he secretly stuffed all kinds of heavenly treasures into his son’s hands. In the end, this was exposed by his precious son himself. Even after losing a great deal of face, Xie Daoqi still could not bear to beat him.

As the number one sect in the world, Kunlun Divine Palace not only had a Tribulation Transcending realm sect master like Xie Daoqi in command, but also possessed endless gold, silver, treasures, spirit stones, spirit veins, magical artifacts, and talismans piled up like mountains.

Every time Xie Daoqi returned from a trip with something good, he stuffed it into Xie Qinghuai’s room. A thousand-year Cold Spirit Jade was given to him to use as a footrest, and ten-thousand-year Dragon Beard Grass was used to brew his tea.

Xie Qinghuai and Xie Daoqi’s personal magic artifacts were a pair of linked mother-and-child artifacts forged by the greatest artifact master of the era. The two artifacts were connected, meaning Xie Daoqi’s private treasury was open to Xie Qinghuai at any time, allowing him to take whatever he wanted.

The wealth in the private treasury of a Tribulation Transcending expert was easy to imagine. Some even speculated that Xie Qinghuai’s personal fortune alone could rival that of a hundred medium-sized sects.

There was no better way to describe this young master than “wealthy enough to rival a nation.”

Therefore, if someone wanted to flatter Xie Daoqi, all they had to do was praise Xie Qinghuai as if he were unmatched under heaven, and this great figure would certainly be delighted.

Immediately, another wave of praise for Xie Qinghuai rose up, and the smile on Xie Daoqi’s face never faded.

As the flattery gradually subsided, someone noticed that Fang Que, who was usually the first to flatter others, had hardly spoken today. Instead, he kept glancing toward the iron chain bridge connecting the martial arena to Lianshuo Peak, his expression carrying a trace of unease. Curious, they shifted the conversation to him.

“Sect Master Fang, why do you seem so distracted today? Has something gone wrong with the Sword Trial Tournament?”

“That’s right, Sect Master Fang. I noticed you’ve been staring toward Lianshuo Peak. Did you see one of your sect’s disciples?”

Only then did Fang Que come back to his senses. Somewhat embarrassed, he said, “I was distracted. My apologies, everyone. I was simply curious. After Demon Lord Tu left, he never returned, so I looked over a few times.”

The person who asked showed nothing on his face, but sneered inwardly.

A few times? You were practically trying to stare the chain bridge into breaking.

Usually, you’re the one who talks the most, and your flattery can be heard for a hundred miles. Now that someone from the demon race has arrived, flattering Kunlun Divine Palace is no longer enough for you—you want to flatter the Demon Venerable too.

Most likely, he is avoiding you precisely because he does not want to be pestered.

Everyone had different thoughts, but they still agreed aloud.

“I saw that Demon Lord Tu seemed to leave with several disciples from Yunxian Sect. I didn’t expect the demon race, who usually doesn’t interact much with sect disciples, to have connections with people from Yunxian Sect.”

“I don’t think they were all disciples of Yunxian Sect. One of them wasn’t wearing the sect uniform. From the back, he looked more like a rogue cultivator.”

“That’s true. Demon Lord Tu only spoke with him. I didn’t see him interact with anyone else.”

“It’s not surprising for him to know a rogue cultivator. They may have met sometime before.”

Everyone assumed Fang Que was merely frustrated that he had failed to curry favor with the demon race. After chatting about it for a few more moments, they dropped the subject and turned their attention back to the arena.

But after hearing them, Fang Que felt even more uneasy. Recalling the figure he had seen earlier, both the height and the bamboo-like bearing were far too similar to Su Ji.

Yet that person had kept his back to him the whole time, and he was wearing very ordinary clothes.

Fang Que felt uncertain, but he did not want to believe it.

Leaving aside the fact that Su Ji had left the sect less than a month ago, he had never been very social while in Chenxin Sect. Before his master died, he would occasionally go out, but after his master’s death, he spent nearly every day in that little courtyard and was never seen leaving the sect.

He had no friends during all that time before leaving the sect. How could he possibly have gotten to know a Demon Venerable after being away for such a short time?

Fang Que knew of Tu Yan. Like the Demon King, his true form had been born from heaven and earth. He was mysterious and cold-blooded. Although his cultivation was only half a step into the Tribulation Transcending stage, his ancient beast bloodline was extraordinarily domineering, making him no less formidable than a true Tribulation Transcending expert.

Other than the Demon King, Chu Zhaoye, and his Dao companion, he had never submitted to anyone. Even when facing Xie Daoqi, his attitude remained neither humble nor arrogant. How could he possibly think highly of a mere Soul Transformation cultivator?

Thinking this, Fang Que cast one more glance toward Lianshuo Peak, then withdrew his thoughts and rejoined the other elders in watching the matches.

…

In the courtyard residence on Lianshuo Peak.

The mysterious and cold-blooded Tu Yan pulled a plump rabbit, a deep-sea fish longer than Su Ji’s arm, and a string of squabs tied together with thin thread from his storage artifact—the string was so long it nearly dragged on the floor.

Looking at the somewhat numb expression on Su Ji’s face, he said brightly, “I don’t eat much. This, plus the dishes you just mentioned, should be enough.”

Su Ji: “…” Could this guy’s true form be a pig? He eats so much.

Tu Yan smiled.

Su Ji took the ingredients he handed over and asked hesitantly, “Th-this… do I really have to cook all of it? Will your stomach really be okay after eating so much?”

Tu Yan glanced at Chu Zhaoye, whose face clearly said “I’m not familiar with him,” and forcibly held back his laughter as he said, “N-no problem. I… I’m still growing too. It’s normal to eat more.”

Su Ji: “…”

Chu Zhaoye: “…”

Tu Yan, you’re dead.

Author’s Note:

Fang Que: Spread the word—Tu Yan is mysterious and cold-blooded!

Su Ji: Spread the word—Tu Yan eats a lot. His true form might be a pig.

Chu Zhaoye: Understood. Tu Yan is about to get beaten up by me. 🙂

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