Chapter 18

In an instant, the biting wind and snow vanished. Wen Xu could no longer hold on and collapsed to the ground. When he eventually regained consciousness through his hazy awareness, he discovered—to his astonishment—that he had never truly ascended the final step.

“Still not coming up?”

The blindfold covering his eyes had long disappeared, leaving Wen Xu momentarily disoriented after feigning blindness for so many days. Moreover…he had shockingly revealed his biggest secret without hesitation—how could this not terrify him?!

Despite himself, he lifted his head to gaze upon the man who just moments ago declared his intention to take Wen Xu as his disciple. Unfortunately, despite the man’s immense power, Wen Xu still couldn’t clearly discern his face. It seemed even immortal cultivation couldn’t cure his prosopagnosia.

“Can you see your master’s face now? Oh wait, incorrect phrasing—you haven’t formally become my disciple yet; I should maintain some reserve.”

Wen Xu’s determination to find a mentor had always been unwavering. He was the type of person who, once setting his mind to something, would relentlessly pursue it. Yet at that very moment, for the first time, he felt a rare hesitance.

As a scholar, he fully understood the significance of having a good teacher. Before passing the examination to become a candidate, he hadn’t genuinely sought a formal mentor. In scholarly circles, the bond between a mentor and their pupil closely resembled that of father and son. To rise above others, he needed a teacher willing to guide him wholeheartedly through the door of knowledge.

To put it bluntly, he sought a mentor who could propel him to meteoric heights later on.

Unfortunately, such a teacher had never crossed his path. Now, he found himself standing at the threshold of an entirely different journey. The man before him was undeniably immensely powerful—perhaps stronger than Wen Xu could even fathom—but…no one relishes being utterly exposed before another person. Although this stranger didn’t explicitly state it, Wen Xu knew that every aspect of him had been thoroughly seen through.

Wen Xu thought to himself, If I were someone straightforward and unreserved like Bian Chunzhou, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. Alas, I am not that kind of person.

“Aren’t you…someone who dislikes lying?” Wen Xu ventured cautiously.

The man suddenly lowered his gaze, meeting Wen Xu’s unfocused eyes directly. “Are you unwilling to become my disciple?”

“No, this disciple…”

“Then proceed with your initiation. Once you’ve formally apprenticed, I will reveal certain closely guarded secrets of our sect to you.”

It sounded even more dubious now, but there was no turning back. Wen Xu suspected that if he tried to leave abruptly, this man might forcibly make him swear allegiance right then and there. Oh, how Yonglu Mountain loved to trap him!

Better to take the initiative than be coerced outright. Thus, Wen Xu ascended the final step and, amidst the icy landscape of Gouchun Peak, completed the most crucial apprenticeship ceremony of his life.

“This disciple Wen Xu greets Shizun.”

The weather at Gouchun Peak was bitterly cold; Wen Xu feared his current cultivation couldn’t withstand it for long. However, he soon discovered that within Gouchun Peak’s Gouchun Hall, spring-like warmth flourished, creating a stark contrast to the chill outside.

Such awe-inspiring power from a Nascent Soul great master!

“Let me introduce myself, then,” the man said, shaking off the snow on his robes. With a wave of his hand, he conjured a cup of spiritual tea and handed it to his newly accepted disciple. “Did I frighten you earlier?”

Wen Xu, now holding the cup of spiritual tea, didn’t bother hiding his feelings much. “A little. This secret, this disciple has never shared with anyone else before.”

“Not even your birth parents?” The man couldn’t resist his curiosity.

Wen Xu shook his head. “This disciple has never met them.”

Ah, perhaps he spoke too hastily. The man swiftly steered the conversation back on track. “Your humble teacher goes by the Dao name Cheng Wei, with a cultivation level comparable to Jun Zhaoying’s. Otherwise, those old men wouldn’t have willingly entrusted you to me as my apprentice.”

As intended, Wen Xu’s attention shifted immediately.

“There was one thing you mentioned earlier that wasn’t quite accurate.”

“This disciple is foolish.”

“You’re right—this secret hasn’t been shared with another person. To be precise, your humble teacher isn’t human, which isn’t much of a secret in the cultivation world.”

Wen Xu was utterly stunned! Not human? Then what was he? A monster? An enchanted spirit?

“I heard you came from the Mortal Realm? At first, this master didn’t believe it, but now I do.” Divine Venerable Cheng Wei possessed exceptional looks. During his tumultuous reign over the cultivation world, books about him had piled high enough to rival skyscrapers. Despite everyone knowing that he could discern their inner thoughts—making it impossible for any cultivator with lesser skill to escape his scrutiny—some were still bewitched by his appearance, believing him to be a good person.

Alas, Divine Venerable Cheng Wei was far from human. He was the offspring of a black dragon and a cultivator. Later, in pursuit of cultivation, he renounced his human lineage and transformed into a true celestial dragon soaring through the skies.

“In truth, this master used to be quite renowned in the cultivation world. But then…” Cheng Wei sighed dramatically, “they all refused to play with me anymore, so I’ve been stuck here on Gouchun Peak, becoming a lonely old dragon.”

For a moment, Wen Xu found himself at a loss, unsure what to think or say. Eventually, the composed scholar couldn’t resist asking, “Shizun, is this the closely guarded secret of our sect you mentioned?”

He began reflecting seriously: Wen Xu, must you absolutely take this teacher? Perhaps emulating Lü Bu as a thrice-renamed servant wouldn’t be so bad after all, even if it means risking expulsion from Yonglu Mountain.

Having a dragon as one’s Shizun was indeed awe-inspiring, but Wen Xu understood the unspoken words beneath his master’s explanation. This formidable divine dragon of a Shizun had clearly survived solely through sheer strength!

Well, now things were great. The prime elder from the neighboring sect likely wouldn’t come to beat up his Shizun anymore, but all the powerful beings offended by him would probably send their disciples to thrash Wen Xu instead!

Upon careful consideration, Wen Xu became absolutely certain—he’d been thoroughly duped by Yonglu Mountain.

“Ah, well, not at all,” Divine Venerable Cheng Wei replied, wagging his index finger. “With your mutant Roots, you must possess a unique destiny. Some destinies hinder cultivation, while others pose no significant harm. For instance… Melxi Jian from the Heaven-Splitting Sword Sect, with his innate sword affinity, embodies the concept ‘sword as destiny.’ Consequently, his sword cultivation progresses a hundred times faster than most.”

Destiny? Yet another term unfamiliar to Wen Xu.

“Let me see—what is your destiny like? Do you require any…?” For the first time, astonishment flashed across Divine Venerable Cheng Wei’s face. Unfortunately, Wen Xu couldn’t perceive it; he only felt a surge of potent spiritual energy gently sweep over him before everything returned to normal.

“You… my little disciple, you’ve got quite an auspicious background.”

Wen Xu didn’t quite grasp the meaning behind these words. “This disciple was abandoned as an infant, ever since I was young…”

“That’s impossible. You clearly possess an imperial destiny. Hm? Your fate is being severely suppressed—could it be that you’re not from any earthly royal lineage? Perhaps you’re destined to lead a rebellion and establish a new dynasty… No, wait; now that you’ve entered the cultivation realm, your imperial destiny should indeed be restrained. But claiming you were abandoned makes no sense.”

With curiosity piqued, Divine Venerable Cheng Wei examined his newfound disciple closely. To his slight embarrassment, despite being over a thousand years old, this marked his first time accepting a disciple—and what a peculiar one he turned out to be! However, it wasn’t entirely surprising; if not for such uniqueness, Wen Xu likely wouldn’t have been sent to Gouchun Peak.

“My disciple, strive to reach the Gold Core stage swiftly,” said Cheng Wei softly. “Then return to the Mortal Realm and help resolve my perplexities.” He clicked his tongue lightly before producing a storage ring and tossing it to Wen Xu. “Here, take this as your initiation gift along with basic cultivation techniques. Since you bear an imperial destiny, ruling Earthly empires may not be possible, but becoming a sovereign who shapes the world’s course certainly is!”

“Let’s set a small goal, disciple,” Cheng Wei continued, “how about surpassing Jun Zhaoying within a hundred years?”

Finally, Wen Xu burst out indignantly, “Shizun, you might as well just tell this disciple to die—it’d be quicker!”

Ah ha, he’s pushed it too far now! Divine Venerable Cheng Wei had never before coddled any younglings. Thankfully, being used to appeasing his family, he quickly stuffed another pocketful of spirit stones into his disciple’s hands as an apology. Then, declaring that he was going into seclusion, he allowed Wen Xu to go down the mountain for a couple of days.

Wen Xu remained speechless.

“Oh right, if you’re pretending to be blind, make it more convincing,” Cheng Wei added. “This ribbon has been imbued with my spiritual energy; unless someone possesses greater power than me, they won’t be able to discern the true condition of your eyes.”

At this point, Wen Xu was utterly convinced that his brand-new Shizun—no, wait, dragon—delighted in stirring up mischief purely for amusement. Despite realizing this, after some thought, he still placed the ribbon over his eyes. After all, having started the charade, he ought to see it through to the end. Being blind wouldn’t hinder his cultivation anyway.

As night fell completely, Gu Wufang stood at the foot of the mountain, thinking, No news is the best news.

“Whoa, when did you appear?!” This was the only downside of Gouchun Peak: even as sect leader, Gu Wufang had to restrain his spiritual energy, allowing the junior disciple to approach unnoticed.

“Sect Leader, I’ve been standing here all this time,” Wen Xu softly spoke.

“Did…did your young grand uncle agree to take you as his disciple?” Seeing the storage ring on Wen Xu’s hand, Gu Wufang knew it was settled. However, he couldn’t help but ask, “Your eyes—couldn’t even your young grand uncle remedy them?”

In a certain sense, that was indeed true. Wen Xu nodded and promptly applied what he’d learned earlier: “Shizun said it relates to my destiny.”

Ah, one’s destiny—that explained it. It did seem unlikely for a cultivator to remain blind after embarking on their path.

Gu Wufang had no doubts whatsoever, yet soon found himself conflicted again. With great courage, he had sent this promising seedling up the mountain for apprenticeship, only now realizing that by doing so…when considering seniority, he inadvertently acquired a young shishu for himself?!

Or rather, he procured a young grand uncle for all the disciples of Yonglu Mountain!

Well, when put that way, it instantly felt more acceptable.

Embracing this new development cheerfully, Gu Wufang declared, “Very well, since your young grand uncle is willing to accept you, focus diligently on your cultivation. If there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to ask your Shizun.”

Wen Xu hesitated before quietly thinking, I thought you meant ‘feel free to ask Sect Leader Gu’.

“Ugh, so slow—where’s Wen Xu? I’m starving to death! I purposely skipped the Fasting Pill today, and if we wait any longer, the hot pot broth will boil dry.” Bian Chunzhou patted his stomach, which conveniently grumbled on cue.

However, Chen Zui paid him no heed. If not for his keen interest in discovering which elder Wen Xu had apprenticed under, he would have already returned to his peak for cultivation. His own shizun was a Divine Zunzhe specializing in blades, with two senior disciples who were currently off-peak on sect missions. Naturally, Chen Zui seized every opportunity to learn more from his master during their absence.

“You’re sure he’ll come?”

“Of course, we made plans! Wen Xu isn’t one to break his word. You… Ah, Wen Xu, you finally arrived! So, tell us, which mighty cultivator did you apprentice under?”

Wen Xu managed a delicate smile at just the right moment.