✧✧ ~~~~~ ⚜ ~~~~~ ✧ ~~~~ φ ~~~~ ✧ ~~~~~ ⚜ ~~~~~ ✧✧

Hours ago, before the end to the date of Qianye’s destined death ended, as he defended himself against Meng Jue’s accusations ~~~

It was the time into the falling noon sun, earlier in the that same day. The night was encroaching and the sect was alight with the soft, shimmering dusk, naïve to the conniving’s of a transmigrated soul.

Far from the scene of that souls shrewd efforts towards preserving his life, was the massive core disciple mountain. Its thickness and height rose high above the clouds.

Within them and above the clouds, different birds and creatures flew freely.

Amongst the largest of them—the Drifting Spirt Rays—were a flat-bodies race of creature. They were shaped similarly to a manta ray; however, they were, unlike them, built for flying through the humid and thick air of the mountain valley that the sect was within. They spanned about ten to twenty feet across.

They bore tough, leathery skin of a slate grey colour, and from their heads grew backwards sweeping horns etched with pulsing veins.

The edges of its body and the underside of their wings were lined with small, bioluminescent spots and flowing lines that pulsed gently when it used the wind currents, leaving faint trails behind them in their slow undulating rhythms, swimming through the air.

Those trails were followed by four, long tendrils that grew out from their backs, flowing ribbon like through the air—behind the largest of the specimens, it stretched back over six feet.

And stalking behind these creatures, were giant Cloud Turtles. Their mouths were opened, sucking in the trails that the rays created in their flight, following them to their predetermined destination.

Inner disciples were allowed some limited entry to the core disciple mountain. And just like them, although they were more heavily monitored, the menial workers and servants of the sect were allowed entry.

Within the Qi Condensation realm, it was not possible to sustain flight with a flying sword. Thus, all of the hundreds of inner disciples that would be moving to and from the core disciple mountains rode over the backs of the Cloud Turtles, guided by the Drifting Spirit Rays at all times.

Towards the lowest regions of the vast cloud covering, right around where the mountain broke through, was the residence of the lowest rank core disciple amongst the one hundred of them.

Even this low down the mountain, the Qi saturating the air was more abundant than anything that the inner disciples were afforded, with a residence wide Qi Gathering formation constantly drawing from the prana of nature.

Chu Xuan, draped in the core disciple robes that a pale blue colour that they almost looked white, was seated on a wooden chair before a long wooden table. There were several chairs around its rectangular frame, and only one other was occupied, towards his left side.

His medium-length, dark brown hair was held back into a horse tail, and his bright golden eyes were looking through the window, watching as there were a few core disciples who were flying back to their residences.

Beyond those few, his eyes fell as well towards a particularly large cloud turtle that was carrying over two dozen individuals, both travelling inner disciples and a few drudgers of the sect.

His guest, Lian Jian, was dressed in the darker-shaded robes of inner disciples. He was a handsome young man with black hair and blue eyes so dark that they seemed black.

And yet, even with that said, before Chu Xuan, he did not seem as impressive as his brothers and those sisters in the pleasure quarters said that he was.

Chu Xuan glanced back at him as his fist cupped in his hand and he have a slight bow.

"I’ve come to congratulate Brother Chu on your successful breakthrough. How have you been adjusting to the Seventh pillar of Foundation Establishment?"

Chu Xuan released a faint smile and nod, cupping his own hands then and responding, "It has been going well. Truly, the best way to spur a breakthrough is with combat."

"Haha!" Lian Jian’s laugh at that as he settled, was more than flattering, with a deep satisfaction to it. "To fight that tyrant when you were still three layers below him, the pressure that it forced onto your foundation pillars must have been remarkable!

"En!" Chu Xuan released a triumphant smile, and his back sat a little straighter than moments before.

Then, Lian Jian glanced around the place briefly. Though it was wide and even though simple was certainly built from good quality material unlike their basic inner disciple residences, it was rather barren of personal effects.

The disciple that had been moved up on the rankings by virtue of Chu Xuan’s victory over Qianye had thoroughly cleaned the place out of his belongings, and despite Chu Xuan having been granted the belongings that were within Qianye’s top tier manor, in here nothing had been set up to make it as if a core disciple were living here.

"I see that you are yet to move many of your belongings in," Lian Jian said at these observations. "Have I perhaps come at an inconvenient time?"

"No," Chu Xuan shook his head as he reached for the tea before him, taking a brief sip. "It is only that I do not plan to stay here long." He lowered the cup, and drifted a grave and determined expression over to Lian Jian and declared, "I intend to challenge the 25th spot on the rankings."

"This..." Lian Jian’s eyes widened, and then he laughed, "Brother Chu certainly has great ambitions! To dare to fight Wei Changfeng so soon after your breakthrough? Unlike Ouyang Qianye, he is a true warrior. All core disciples in the top ten and even the Sect Leaders personal disciple respect his skill, you know!? However, even if he is at the same realm that Ouyang Qianye was, I’m afraid unlike that pirate, this time... Why not focus on missions? Even if you defeat him, you will not rise too much higher in the rankings like you may want without significant contributions to the sect..."

"This is not merely for raising my rank." Chu Xuan faintly shook his head and said, "It is to help consolidate my realm, and..." There, as his head settled and his brows, furrowed faintly, a sharp glint shining through them, he continued, "to show the Grand Elder my talents."

Lian Jian’s eyes gradually widened in realisation, "You are aiming to become his personal disciple!"

Recently, in the sect, the Grand Elder had made the announcement that having witnessed the Patriarch’s bond with his own disciple, he as well has grown to, in his age, wish to take on a disciple himself. And he made it clear that he would be selecting from amongst the Core Disciples.

Thus, amongst the hundred of them, there was an ongoing war for both contributions to the sect and performances in sparring. Only with a greater reputation could they even begin to enter the Grand Elder’s considerations after all.

And crucially, what added to their urgency was he had said if there was no one amongst them who satisfied him, then he would seek a disciple externally.

Chu Xuan grinned faintly without responding. There was nothing more to say, and he had already laid important plan out towards this end.

And the windfall of the wonderful, profane secret of Ouyang Qianye that he had discovered was going to play a key role in this.

His mind flashed to the sight of that tall, half-elven servant who had been accompanying him. The sensation that he had gotten when looking at her was unlike anything that a meagre half-elven servant should have given him.

It might have been concealed very well, however, with the inheritance of the that he had received, he was extremely sensitive to the essences of beings now.

’She must have a dormant physique that is yet to awaken. And with her elven blood it would definitely not be one that is weak. Or...’ He grinned wider in his thoughts, ’Considering elven capabilities, it might have even been sealed by whoever her elven parent was. If I can study that sealing technique... not to mention having an elf by my side at all times...’

Suddenly, their eyes widened as a wooden token flew itself out of the spatial pouch that had been tied to Chu Xuan’s side.

It was shining with light through the calligraphical inscriptions over its surface, hovering before him. Then an urgent voice spilled the words out of it:

"Senior Chu Xuan, it has been a disaster! The profane technique was just proved by Ouyang Qianye, after he swore on his Dao Heart, to not be his! Seniors, Meng Jue, Xiao Bo and Mo Chen have all been apprehended by the Disciplinary Hall! Ouyang Qianye even—this brutal schemer—he bisected one of the outer disciples that Senior Meng Jue had apparently hired to assassinate him! Ouyang Qianye even hinted that you and Senior Meng Jue might have planted it to defame and have him executed!"

Chu Xuan’s brows furrowed sharply, and Lian Jian’s did as well as the message spilled on.

’What? How?’ Was all that Chu Xuan could think before the light in the wooden token’s inscriptions died and it fell to clatter over the table. ’I clearly felt the stain of profanity in his Qi!’

✧✧ ~~~~~ ⚜ ~~~~~ ✧ ~~~~ φ ~~~~ ✧ ~~~~~ ⚜ ~~~~~ ✧✧