Chapter 127: Outstanding, but Not a Genius

Perhaps having watched for too long, Ye Yang grew impatient. He snatched the jade pendant from the Sect Leader’s hand and snapped, "Have you seen enough? Do you expect it to sprout flowers?"

The disciples of the Xuanji Sect standing nearby could no longer stomach his attitude. Several shouted, "Do you think your Yongle Sect is so grand? This is Xuanji Sect territory; don't be so arrogant."

Ye Yang offered a mocking smile—not toward the disciples, but toward the Xuanji Sect Leader. "Is this how the Xuanji Sect treats its guests?" he asked coldly.

The Sect Leader forced a bitter smile, waved his hand to signal the disciples to fall back, and said with strained politeness, "The juniors are ignorant; pray, do not take offense. As for this jade pendant, I have never seen it before."

Ye Yang cast a flippant glance at the disciples, as if to declare that even their superiors had to show him respect, so these disciples truly lacked discernment.

Below the Sect Leader, an old woman in black sat motionless nearby. She appeared completely indifferent, looking starkly out of place among the crowd standing in the main hall.

The young man in black beside her lowered his head and whispered, "Master, is that man Xiao Mingyu, the newly promoted disciple of the Yongle Sect—the genius who achieved Foundation Establishment in a year, Golden Core in five, and Nascent Soul in thirty?"

The old woman responded dismissively, "He is indeed outstanding, but... he cannot be called a genius."

The young man in black suddenly did not know how to continue. If such heaven-defying progress could not be called genius, then he himself was utterly worthless. Thinking of how it took him fifty years to reach the Nascent Soul stage, his eyes swept over Ye Yang with a mix of longing and hesitation.

The old woman calmly raised her head, gazing into the distance as if she could see ten thousand miles away, or perhaps pierce through the fog to witness the scene on the mountain path.

After a moment, she said, "You have done well enough. Reaching the Nascent Soul stage in fifty years is a realm that countless people in this world can never achieve, let alone without the immense material support that Ye Yang has enjoyed."

Hearing these words, the bitter expression on the young man's face faded, replaced by his usual pride. He held his head high, looking toward the Sect Leader and the insufferably arrogant Ye Yang on the platform.

Without even glancing at the Sect Leader, Ye Yang asked impatiently, "If you haven't seen it, so be it. Just keep an eye out for me. I saw formations activated on the mountain path earlier—are you recruiting disciples again?"

The Sect Leader nodded slightly, unwilling to say more. He feared that if a true talent were discovered, the Yongle Sect would take them away, which would be a devastating loss for the Xuanji Sect.

Ye Yang suddenly laughed. "Thirty-five years ago, I participated in the tests here at the Xuanji Sect, only to be taken away by my master, causing the sect to lose a genius. Does the Sect Leader still harbor lingering fears about that incident today?"

The Sect Leader laughed as well, quite naturally. "We are sending talent to the main sect, after all. So, for a talent like yourself, nephew, going anywhere is for the best. Besides, the Xuanji Sect is remote and weak; we would only hold you back if you stayed here."

Ye Yang looked at the Sect Leader thoughtfully and roared with laughter. "The Sect Leader is truly magnanimous. In that case, I shall take a look today to see if there is any talent worth finding. If there is, I will grant them a stroke of fortune."

The Sect Leader’s expression stiffened for a moment before returning to normal. He waved his hand and said, "In that case, please feel free to watch."

At his gesture, most of the lower-ranked disciples retreated, leaving only those of higher seniority and cultivation to remain outside the hall to watch.

The old woman stretched, gave a light cough, and said, "If you want to watch, stay here. If not, come back to the pavilion with me."

The young man in black bowed respectfully to the old woman. "Master, I wish to see what that gray-haired youth is truly capable of."

The old woman waved her hand impatiently. "Fine, fine, go ahead and look. But remember, put away your arrogance, for you have no capital to be proud of there—everyone else has better aptitude than you."

The young man in black was silent for a moment. He bowed deeply once more to the departing figure before walking to the side of the Sect Leader to continue watching the tests on the mountain path.

"A bunch of idiots! They can't even pass this, and some even left before reaching the first trial. What a pack of losers. At this rate, how will the Yongle Prefecture handle the Drill of the Thirty-Six Prefectures ten years from now?"

Hearing these familiar words, the young man in black snapped his divine sense back and looked up at the speaker.

Ye Yang was glaring into the distance, roaring, occasionally waving his hands as if he wished he could slaughter every one of those useless mortals in a single blow.

The young man in black tensed, but a sudden hand blocked him, preventing him from acting. He had intended to repeat the old woman's lesson, but the Sect Leader restrained him. Helplessly, he looked at the Sect Leader and asked, "The Yongle Sect is strong, but Ye Yang is just a disciple. Why must we..."

The Sect Leader smiled calmly. "It is necessary, very necessary. His arrogance will naturally be curbed by someone even more arrogant than him, but that someone is not us. As for you, it seems your cultivation at the Lake Heart Pavilion has yielded results."

The young man blushed, thinking to himself, *I was just so impulsive, yet you say this—are you mocking me on purpose?* However, since the other person was the Sect Leader, such words could not be spoken aloud.

The Sect Leader seemed to see through his thoughts and smiled. "In the past, you wouldn't have just reasoned with him; you would have attacked. I wouldn't be surprised if you had already started fighting."

The young man in black was stunned, then said quite embarrassedly, "If you put it that way, I suppose I have made some progress, but..."

The Sect Leader looked at the young man with deep meaning. "There are no 'buts.' I have watched those three; none of them are worthy of the Yongle Sect's notice."

The young man in black nodded silently, continuing to watch the mist, hoping to see someone emerge from it, yet fearing that if they did, they would be snatched away by Ye Yang.

...

The mist grew thicker, so dense that one could not see the person standing beside them, and even the sound of breathing was lost.

Su Fan kept his eyes tightly shut, taking only a single step after a long interval.

Suddenly, he shouted, "I can definitely cultivate!"

The scene gradually cleared: a youth in a mountain academy, clutching a stack of books on cultivation day and night. Even past noon, past mealtime, and deep into the night, the youth would fall asleep while reading, yet he still held the books tightly, unwilling to let them go.

The scene shifted: in a garden, a man who looked like an owl was locked in a struggle with a familiar youth. The youth’s expression was ferocious as he swung his weapon, severing the man’s head.

Heavy breathing echoed. The scene continued to shift, faster and faster: the Ancient Tomb of the Underworld King, the Dusty Fate Inn, a tavern. The image finally settled on a girl dressed in pink.

Su Fan, trapped in the mist, used all his strength to raise his fist, shouting, "Dissipate! The past is in the past—all of you, dissipate! Do not block my path any longer."

With that, the girl in pink vanished.