"Miss Zhangsun was once the envy of all with her beauty, but a mishap in her cultivation ruined her looks. Old Wu, you're certainly not the type to value superficial appearances."
Chen Qingyuan enjoyed teasing Wu Junyan, which always lifted his spirits.
"To me, matters of the heart are but stumbling blocks, offering no benefits to one's cultivation."
Wu Junyan was like a block of wood, indifferent to the charms of women. Of course, he had no interest in the love of men either.
"Then your life must be quite dull." If Chen Qingyuan had to spend his life solely focused on cultivation, abandoning all other interests, he'd surely go mad. "Speaking of which, what's your take on Zhangsun Fengye?"
"Unfathomable."
Wu Junyan pondered deeply.
Zhangsun Fengye, Zhangsun Qian's elder brother and the Holy Son of the Mysterious Palace, was also one of the Ten Heroes of the Northern Wilderness.
"Can you elaborate?"
Chen Qingyuan had met Zhangsun Fengye once before and had even exchanged a few words. Most notably, the man had walked off with one of Chen Qingyuan's bottles of wine, leaving a lasting impression.
"He's widely recognized as the foremost among the Ten Heroes, with a cultivation level that may have already reached the Divine Transformation Realm, far surpassing his peers."
Wu Junyan's eyes were sharp, his tone grave.
"The leader of the Ten Heroes is indeed impressive!"
Recalling Zhangsun Fengye's refined and cultured demeanor, Chen Qingyuan thought of his promise to the Red-Dressed Girl within the Sky Abyss. To defeat all the Ten Heroes of the Northern Wilderness bearing the same name and stand at the pinnacle of the Northern Wilderness's younger generation.
Fulfilling this promise was no simple task.
If Zhangsun Fengye was acknowledged as the leader of the Ten Heroes, then defeating him would surely mean Chen Qingyuan had outshone his peers in the Northern Wilderness!
However, Chen Qingyuan knew he couldn't achieve this in the short term, so he set aside his wild thoughts for now.
"Not long ago, when I went to the Mysterious Palace to challenge Zhangsun Qian, I heard some news. Want to hear it?"
Having spent much time with Chen Qingyuan, Wu Junyan had picked up the habit of being a tease.
"Speak, I'm all ears." Chen Qingyuan was keen to know.
"Zhangsun Fengye has been investigating you; he's quite interested in you," Wu Junyan revealed. "When the new list of the Ten Heroes was announced, you only had the cultivation of the Heavenly Spirit Realm. Such a case has never been recorded in ancient texts; you're a precedent."
The mention of the Ten Heroes' list made Chen Qingyuan rather frustrated.
Traditionally, the list was compiled and issued by the Dao One Academy, and according to the old rules, Chen Qingyuan, if fated with the Academy, could not be chosen as one of the Ten Heroes.
However, his master, Yu Chenran, knowing Chen Qingyuan's identity as the inheritor of the Qing Sect, realized that his life would never be peaceful. It might be better to push Chen Qingyuan into the limelight to toughen him up.
"Alas!" Chen Qingyuan sighed deeply. It was indeed difficult!
"Apart from Zhangsun Fengye, many others are eager to track you down, defeat you, and strip you of your title."
Wu Junyan took pleasure in Chen Qingyuan's predicament.
"I definitely won't show myself in the short term; let them search!"
Chen Qingyuan would only reveal himself to the world once he had sufficient strength. For now, only fools would flaunt themselves.
Wu Junyan just smiled without a word, as it wasn't his problem to worry about.
After a few more drinks and some trivial conversation, dusk fell, and Chen Qingyuan bid Wu Junyan farewell: "Old Wu, I'm off."
"Mhm." Wu Junyan watched Chen Qingyuan depart.
After a while, Wu Junyan murmured to himself, "I have a feeling we'll meet again soon."
It was an intuition from deep within his soul.
Chen Qingyuan had wasted much time and needed to return to the Dao One Academy as quickly as possible.
He hoped he wouldn't be punished by his master upon his return.
After a month's journey across hundreds of Star Domains, Chen Qingyuan finally arrived at the Vast Void Star Domain.
Located in a remote area of the Northern Wilderness, the Vast Void Star Domain was home to few powerful cultivators and sect forces.
The small world of the Dao One Academy was established in a corner of the Vast Void Star Domain.
Taking out his identity jade token, he activated the prohibition leading to the Academy.
Whoosh—
In the blink of an eye, Chen Qingyuan was sucked into a vortex. When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived in the mysterious world of the Dao One Academy.
"Brat, get over here."
As soon as Chen Qingyuan returned, he heard the voice of Yu Chenran.
It's over!
Judging by his master's tone, it seemed he was in for a beating!
Chen Qingyuan braced himself and headed to the White Goose Palace.
At that moment, Yu Chenran was leisurely sipping tea under a willow tree in the courtyard.
"Master." Chen Qingyuan approached and bowed respectfully.
"You finally remember to come back!" Yu Chenran glared at him and huffed.
"Disciple was slightly delayed, please punish me, Master."
Chen Qingyuan's attitude in admitting his mistake was impeccable.
According to the rules of the Dao One Academy, new disciples must learn various Dao Techniques and, upon passing the assessment and gaining unanimous approval from the Elders, are allowed to leave for real-world experience.
After all, every disciple represented the face of the Dao One Academy and could not be taken lightly.
"You do deserve punishment," Yu Chenran agreed, nodding along with Chen Qingyuan's words.
I really should have kept my mouth shut!
Chen Qingyuan inwardly scolded himself.
"Go find Elder Zhao."
Yu Chenran instructed.
"Master, Elder Zhao is very busy; surely there's no need to trouble him?"
Chen Qingyuan really didn't want to be around Zhao Yichuan; it was too oppressive. Most importantly, he feared Zhao Yichuan might make things difficult for him.
"Go now!"
Yu Chenran waved his sleeve, sending Chen Qingyuan flying away.
Dizzy and out of control, when Chen Qingyuan's vision cleared, he found himself in Zhao Yichuan's cultivation cave, with Zhao Yichuan standing right in front of him.
"Greetings, Elder Zhao."
Chen Qingyuan quickly bowed.
"Mhm." Zhao Yichuan, having received Yu Chenran's sound transmission, was not surprised by Chen Qingyuan's arrival and nodded indifferently.
Standing behind Zhao Yichuan was Song Ningyan, dressed in a white gown, her demeanor as cold as frost.
"I have a task for you," Zhao Yichuan said, hands clasped behind his back.
"What task?" Chen Qingyuan wondered.
"Accompany Miss Song on a trip to the Three-Core Star Domain's Milky Way."
Zhao Yichuan stated plainly.
"The Milky Way Star Domain?" Chen Qingyuan asked in confusion. "What are we going there for?"
"To settle a mundane matter," Zhao Yichuan explained. "Young people should gain more experience. Having you accompany Miss Song is also a form of tempering for you."
"Can… can I refuse?"
Chen Qingyuan asked quietly.
"No," Zhao Yichuan said with a slight smile.
"Alright then!"
Chen Qingyuan showed a resigned expression.
He had no choice in the matter.
"Miss Song will fill you in on the specifics. Lad, this trip might not be peaceful, so be mentally prepared."
Zhao Yichuan's smile seemed quite ominous to Chen Qingyuan.
After imparting these words, Zhao Yichuan left, his whereabouts unknown.
In the room, only Chen Qingyuan and Song Ningyan remained, staring at each other in a heavy silence.
"Stop dawdling, tell me what's going on!"
Chen Qingyuan sighed and took a seat on a nearby chair.
Proofreader & Editor: Lotas