(T/N: Daily updates (1 chapter per day) from today onward, provided my internet doesn’t spontaneously combust or my tablet suddenly decided to go on vacation…hehe)

Chapter 13

“Ya.. a disciple of Yashan?!”

In that instant, Jianchou’s few short words were like a series of thunderbolts exploding from flat ground!

What kind of joke is this?

Since when would Yashan ever take in a disciple like this?!

The female cultivator who called herself “Lan’er” stared blankly at Jianchou for a long moment, even gaping in shock.

She almost thought she had misheard and couldn’t help but turn to look at her two companions beside her—only to find them wearing the same stunned expressions.

Yashan, Yashan.

Just those two words, rolling once on the tip of the tongue, carried a power that cleansed the soul, making one look up in awe, not daring the slightest disrespect.

Xu Lan’er still remembered how, back then, she had relied on her extraordinary talent to seek out Yashan, hoping to be accepted as a disciple…

But who could have expected…

Scenes from that day flashed rapidly through Xu Lan’er’s mind, twisting her expression into something indescribably strange.

Staring fixedly at Jianchou, Xu Lan’er couldn’t help but scrutinize her from head to toe, as if she wanted to count every single strand of hair on her head.

Average looks!

Average clothing!

Average appearance!

Not a hint of immortal aura, and most importantly—no trace of a master’s bearing.

This was a disciple of Yashan?

Why had she never heard of her before?

A flood of questions surged through her mind.

Xu Lan’er stood frozen for a long while.

The others also stared at Jianchou with near-disbelief, as if this were the most inconceivable thing.

Ahem.

Seeing everyone stunned, Fudao Shanren finally coughed lightly, drawing their attention back.

Only then did Xu Lan’er snap out of it, carefully hiding the skepticism in her eyes and softening her previously stiff tone as she clasped her hands toward Jianchou.

“I never imagined this junior sister was a disciple of Yashan. It seems my eyes were dull…”

“Junior sister?”

Before Jianchou could respond, Fudao Shanren frowned first.

Xu Lan’er looked up in confusion, then smiled awkwardly, trying to explain.

“This junior noticed that this sister’s cultivation isn’t very high…”

“She is the disciple of Yashan’s 36th generation. By seniority, all of you should address her as Eldest Senior Sister.”

Muttering “no sense of discernment” under his breath, Fudao Shanren barely held back from rolling his eyes—if not for the juniors present, he would have done so long ago.

After declaring her identity, Jianchou had been standing beside Fudao Shanren like a wooden puppet.

Upon hearing “Eldest Senior Sister,”she nearly lost her footing, stumbling backward.

Fudao Shanren, as if he had eyes on the back of his head, swiftly reached out to steady her, then scolded, “Look at you, so spineless!”

Jian Chou: “…”

The other four: “…”

Xu Lan’er was the quickest to recover.

Though an indescribable irritation churned inside her, she forced a smile and said, “So it’s Yashan’s Eldest Senior Sister. I was presumptuous. I am Xu Lan’er, a disciple of the Jianzhu Sect of the Central Domain. Greetings, Eldest Senior Sister.”

Greetings, Eldest Senior Sister…

Barely suppressing the twitch at the corner of her mouth, Jianchou slowly curved her lips into an extremely stiff smile—

No helping it, she just couldn’t muster sincerity!

She had thought she’d be the youngest junior sister!

“You’re too kind, Junior Sister Xu.”

Xu Lan’er’s eyelids twitched, her fingers nearly digging into her palms.

She couldn’t shake the feeling that this “Eldest Senior Sister” was giving her a fake smile, as if she didn’t like her at all.

Barely resisting the urge to turn and leave, Xu Lan’er lowered her gaze.

Now it was the other three’s turn.

The red-robed youth carrying a sword on his back cupped his hands in salute.

“Zhang Sui of the Demon-Sealing Sword Sect greets Yama Mountain’s Eldest Senior Sister.”

Zhang Sui.

Jianchou nodded silently, repeating the same phrase: “You’re too kind, Junior Brother Zhang.”

Junior Brother…

Zhang Sui, who had cultivated for forty-six years, felt his composure waver for the first time.

This “Eldest Senior Sister” of Yashan still reeked of mortal mundanity—even the nine-jointed bamboo staff in her hand had just been given to her by Fudao Shanren.

Though Zhang Sui was a man of few words, he couldn’t help but wonder: Was she just a last-minute recruit to activate the teleportation array?

But since Fudao Shanren had personally emphasized her status, Zhang Sui held his tongue.

“Zhou Kuang of the Chongxiao Sect greets Eldest Senior Sister!”

A booming voice rang out next.

Jianchou’s ears buzzed from the sheer volume—it felt like the dust on the cavern ceiling might shake loose.

No need to guess—this was the burly, fierce-looking man with the giant axe on his shoulder.

Zhou Kuang.

His stature matched his name perfectly, though his personality seemed…

Jianchou thought he seemed rather simple and honest.

She pondered for a moment, then calmly cupped her hands and repeated: “You’re too kind, Junior Brother Zhou.”

“You’re too kind!”

Couldn’t she at least change the phrasing?!

Fudao Shanren nearly sighed aloud.

But seeing Jianchou stiffly going through the motions, he found it oddly amusing.

Ahem.

“Alright, now that introductions are done—”

“W-wait, there’s still me…”

A timid voice suddenly piped up.

Fudao Shanren paused, glancing around—no one.

Then he looked down and spotted the girl a full head and a half shorter than Xu Lan’er.

“Ah, forgot. There’s still this little one!”

He smacked his forehead and said to Jianchou, “This little girl’s here too.”

The girl stood there pitifully, as if frightened by being overlooked.

Honestly, Jianchou was puzzled.

A girl barely over ten years old—why was she in such a dangerous-looking place?

She studied the girl curiously.

Feeling Jianchou’s gaze, the girl flinched as if scalded, her cheeks flushing red.

She lowered her head and mumbled, “I’m Nie Xiaowan, a disciple of the Wuwang Pavillion. Greetings, Eldest Senior Sister Jianchou.”

This time, Jianchou finally changed her response:

“How old are you?”

“Huh?”

Shouldn’t she have said, ‘You’re too kind, Junior Sister Nie’?

Nie Xiaowan, used to Jianchou’s previous script, froze for a long moment before stammering, “Thirteen.”

Jianchou sucked in a sharp breath.

Fudao Shanren couldn’t help but ask, “What’s wrong? Is something amiss?”

“Nothing’s wrong…”

She shook her head, seemingly sighing in amazement.

Jianchou turned and finally couldn’t resist adding, “Kids these days are truly impressive. Now I understand why I’m the Eldest Senior Sister.”

At that age, she’d still been playing in the mud.

The moment she said this, Xu Lan’er shot her a look—one filled with disbelief, confusion…

Cultivators in the Nineteen Continents all start young—what’s so surprising about that?

This is Yashan’s ‘Eldest Senior Sister’?

Xu Lan’er thought back to her own failed attempt to join Yashan years ago, and a nameless fury surged into her chest, making it hard to stay calm.

Zhou Kuang, meanwhile, blinked before chuckling.

He seemed to understand—Jianchou was just marveling at Nie Xiaowan’s age.

Hoisting his giant axe, he said earnestly, “Eldest Senior Sister, you may not know, but for cultivators, the earlier they start, the better. Xiaowan may only be thirteen, but she’s already at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment—second only to Senior Brother Zhang among us four.”

Zhang Sui snorted but said nothing.

Nie Xiaowan blinked but also stayed silent.

Jianchou had already grasped the situation, hence her earlier remark—but Zhou Kuang seemed genuinely well-meaning, so she nodded.

“So Junior Brother Zhang’s cultivation must be the highest?”

“Exactly.”

Zhou Kuang nodded, scratching the back of his head with his free hand, looking a little bashful.

“Though I’ve been cultivating for eight years, I’ve only just reached Foundation Establishment—I can’t compare to them.”

Beside him, Zhang Sui’s face darkened, his eyelid twitching.

Eight years of cultivation—Foundation Establishment, early stage.

Fifty-plus years of cultivation—Foundation Establishment, late stage.

Zhang Sui didn’t feel particularly accomplished.

But Zhou Kuang, blunt as ever, wasn’t one for tact—and given the urgency of their situation, there was no time to argue.

Only Xu Lan’er burst into laughter at Zhou Kuang’s words, as if she’d heard the funniest joke in the world.

The atmosphere turned awkward.

Jianchou swept her gaze over them.

Though she didn’t fully grasp the underlying tensions, she could tell these four had been thrown together by chance—and they didn’t get along, merely putting on a united front.

She stayed silent.

Fudao Shanren glanced back at the giant golden door and said gravely, “Now that you’re acquainted, I won’t waste words. Activate the array with your tokens.”

“Yes.”

The four responded in unison.

Xu Lan’er retrieved a square jade-like token from her sleeve.

After exchanging glances with the others, she nodded and walked toward the pool’s edge.

The rest quickly followed.

Fudao Shanren patted Jianchou’s shoulder, giving her an encouraging look.

A strange unease churned inside her, but the weight of his hand steadied her.

Gripping the nine-jointed bamboo staff tightly, Jianchou took a deep breath and followed.

Near the pool, an ancient array was carved into the ground—interlocking lines sunken deep, intersecting at points marked with larger indentations.

Xu Lan’er now placed translucent, white-jade-like stones into each indentation.

Jianchou stepped forward, standing beside Nie Xiaowan as they all watched.

Was this the teleportation array?

Could this really send her to the Nineteen Continents?

Doubt lingered in her heart.

Once Xu Lan’er finished, she straightened, holding the teleportation token aloft as she stood at the array’s center and nodded to the others.

Zhang Sui, Zhou Kuang, Nie Xiaowan, and Jianchou stepped into the array, gathering around her.

Fudao Shanren approached, stopping just outside the array.

His gaunt frame seemed even smaller against the towering golden door behind him, the massive orb above still pulsing with light.

“This trip to the Secret Realm of Qingfeng Temple has been a disaster. Once you return to the Nineteen Continents, your sects will hold you accountable. Remember—in trials, know your limits!”

Xu Lan’er and the others flushed with shame.

Given Fudao Shanren’s fearsome reputation in the Central Domain, none dared retort, murmuring instead, “We will remember, Elder.”

“Good.”

Only then did Fudao Shanren nod.

Xu Lan’er crushed the teleportation token in her hand and bowed.

“We take our leave, Elder.”

In an instant, radiant white light erupted from the array’s grooves.

The dozens of white-jade stones shattered with a crack, dissolving into mist!

Jianchou felt an overwhelming force descend with the light.

Her body grew weightless, light as a feather.

The ground trembled.

The golden door shook violently. High above, the massive orb embedded in the stone wall quaked, its chaotic five-colored rays scattering wildly!

Xu Lan’er relaxed—the array was activated. In three breaths, they’d be back on the offshore island of the Nineteen Continents.

But Zhang Sui, ever vigilant, suddenly widened his eyes at the shuddering golden door.

“LOOK OUT!” he bellowed.

At the same moment, Fudao Shanren whirled around, as if sensing the danger.

He stomped down—a colossal battle disk flared to life in the cavern!

BOOM!

The golden door roared as something massive slammed into it from within—

The towering doors were forced open a crack!

A foul, rotting stench gushed out.

Clatter—

Rubble rained from the ceiling.

Fudao Shanren raised his sword, and a deep blue blade-light slashed toward the gap with precision!

The sword-light collided with the golden radiance—

A shockwave blasted outward!

The teleportation array flickered wildly.

Xu Lan’er paled, staggering.

Nie Xiaowan, beside Jianchou, turned deathly white, nearly collapsing—Jianchou grabbed her hand just in time.

“Eldest Senior Sister!”

Though Nie Xiaowan’s cultivation was higher, she seemed inexperienced in crises—far more panicked than Jianchou.

Jianchou’s palms were slick with cold sweat.

How could she have seen anything like this before?

The creature beyond the door was terrifyingly strong, ramming the door with increasing frenzy.

After Fudao Shanren’s strike, it let out a pained screech—then redoubled its assault!

Everyone around Jianchou tensed, summoning their artifacts as battle disks lit up beneath their feet.

At a glance, Jianchou saw their disks resembled Fudao Shanren’s—white Kun-lines dotted with black Dao-seeds, some linked like constellations.

For a moment, she froze.

Ahead, Fudao Shanren battled the monster.

Beside her, four cultivators stood ready.

Before her, the teleportation array’s light stabilized, growing brighter.

Almost there…

She felt the mysterious power drawing nearer, like a vortex about to swallow her.

Yet she couldn’t tear her eyes away—

From the massive orb atop the stone wall.

Its pockmarked surface cast prismatic rays, spinning slowly.

The colors dazzled the eyes.

But…

A golden rune flashed through Jianchou’s mind, followed by the Dao-seeds and symbols beneath the others’ feet…

Those beams of light weren’t mere rays—they were projected symbols, shooting into the darkness!

Jianchou’s gaze turned dazed, awestruck.

As Fudao Shanren clashed with the monster, the cavern quaked—water churned, debris flew!

The teleportation array’s light surged, bleaching everyone’s faces.

Final moment—

Departure!

BOOM!

The golden door groaned under the strain—

For a heartbeat, silence.

Crack.

A tiny sound—but to Fudao Shanren, it was thunder.

A hairline fracture snaked across the golden door…