Chapter 7: Na na na na na na

(T/N: I change the system title from Heavenly Will Heavenly Dao

After confirming there were no further hints, the remaining disciples looked at one another, no one making a sound for a moment.

A few quick-witted youth from prominent families were already using subtle glances to survey their surroundings, attempting to find reliable allies.

Meanwhile, some of the more hot-tempered disciples took the initiative and stepped forward, intending to cross the river with brute force alone.

As the leading disciple walked a few steps barefoot into the Sea of Floating Life, he discovered to his surprise that he was floating right on the water’s surface. He hurriedly called out to his companions, “Come over quickly! This water is different from the usual—we won’t sink!”

Watching this strange scene unfold, quite a few disciples felt an itching urge to try it themselves.

One had to remember that the elders of every sect were currently seated right in front of the water mirror! If one could truly make a stunning impression and gain their favor—even if they couldn’t reach the Four Great Sects—becoming an inner disciple at a mid-tier sect would still be a fine outcome.

“Sister Bingyu, let’s go together.”

Yan Liusu unobtrusively shook off Feng Feishuang’s hand and walked up to Ji Bingyu’s side.

Curving her eyebrows, she said gently, “As sisters, staying together will allow us to look out for each other.”

Ji Bingyu gave Yan Liusu a bizarre look. Recalling her promise to the Heavenly Dao that she wouldn’t break her character persona too excessively for the time being, she firmly remembered her role as the “White Moonlight.”

She gave a faint smile and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.

“Little dumbass, did you forget that you’re actually eleven months older than me~? How could you call me ‘Sister’?”

“Hee-hee, is there something a bit wrong with your brain~?”

The Heavenly Dao: …

I beg you, just kill me! Ji Bingyu, hurry up and kill me!

It wasn’t just the Heavenly Dao; even the sect big shots outside the water mirror were amused by this tone that sounded half-sarcastic and half-playful. After the laughter subsided, one of the disciples raised a question.

“Wasn’t this Ji Bingyu adopted by the Yan family?”

“No, she is the Yan family patriarch’s biological flesh and blood.”

“Huh? How could the Yan family patriarch’s flesh and blood have the surname ‘Ji’?”

“Oh, back in the day, he married into her family as a matrilocal husband.”

“Hiss… then this ‘younger sister’ who is eleven months older…”

The disciple promptly cut himself off, though his mind couldn’t help but wander into wild speculations.

And he wasn’t the only one thinking along those lines.

When ancient gossip from the older generation was dug back up and combined with the present situation, it tasted all the sweeter!

Li Fuqing, who had successfully sparked a heated discussion, hid his fame and achievements.

Sitting upright beside Rong Qingyuan, he had already decided in his heart that the young girl inside the water mirror would be his future junior sister.

“Huh? This girl’s sister has already left, so why hasn’t she moved after all this time?”

An elder from a small sect shook his head, issuing a judgment laced with contempt.

“A pretty face with nothing inside.”

Once someone led the way, a crowd naturally chimed in with agreement.

Li Fuqing glanced back and instantly recognized that this was a small sect subservient to the Yan family.

Apart from the Four Great Sects, other sects and prominent families had a mutually dependent relationship.

If a small sect was fortunate enough to latch onto a major family’s thigh, it would give them bragging rights for a long time.

Regardless of how things were before, now that he was certain Ji Bingyu would be his junior sister, Li Fuqing naturally brought her under his protection.

Hearing Ji Bingyu being insulted again, Li Fuqing couldn’t resist wanting to open his mouth and engage in a verbal battle of three hundred rounds with them. Yet before he could speak, he saw his master set down his teacup.

The bottom of the cup met the tabletop with a crisp clinking sound.

It was neither heavy nor light, yet it inexplicably made everyone’s heart skip a beat.

The disciples who were loudly gossiping subconsciously lowered their voices.

Rong Qingyuan didn’t even look at the others; he merely gave a faint nod to the sect master of Changqing sect, who had cast an inquiring look his way.

“Noisy.”

At once, the people around held their breath, even intentionally suppressing the sound of their breathing.

What kind of joke was this? Although this big shot rarely came out of seclusion, they had all been disciplined by their elders and knew his formidable reputation!

If they kept making noise, what if this big shot started killing people on the spot over a minor disagreement?!

…

Setting aside the brewing storm outside the water mirror for a moment, after Ji Bingyu tactfully (?) rejected Yan Liusu, she thought no more blind fools would bother her.

However, in the very next second, the blind Xuanyuan Fentian walked straight up to her.

“Sister Bingyu, let’s go together,” Xuanyuan Fentian said, acting as if he had forgotten the beatdown he had just received.

He used a tone he thought was boundlessly charming, but was actually outrageously greasy.

“With me around, I can surely protect your safety.”

Ji Bingyu: “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Xuanyuan Fentian frowned.

“Don’t tell me you plan to cross the sea alone?”

He looked Ji Bingyu up and down, as if coming to an epiphany, and let out a sigh.

“Sister Bingyu, don’t force yourself. If you don’t want me coming into contact with other women, just say so directly. I definitely won’t blame you, so why make things difficult for yourself?”

Ji Bingyu: “…”

She finally realized that speaking like a normal human to this male protagonist was completely useless.

In Ji Bingyu’s consciousness, the Heavenly Dao turned into a young child, rolling around in laughter.

Since they met, this was the very first time it had seen Ji Bingyu rendered speechless.

“No,” Ji Bingyu politely declined.

“My philosophy is different from yours.”

Xuanyuan Fentian: “?”

Ji Bingyu looked out toward the deep sea ahead.

“What do you think comes after the phrase ‘water can carry a boat’?”

Xuanyuan Fentian answered effortlessly, “‘Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it.'”

“Wrong.”

Ji Bingyu wagged a finger in front of him, speaking with deep gravity.

“It’s ‘water can carry a boat, but it can also row a speedboat.'”

Xuanyuan Fentian: “…”

Facing the completely baffled original male lead, Ji Bingyu smiled faintly, adopting the full posture of an immortal, transcendent White Moonlight.

“I have already found my own Dao, and as for your Dao, you should go look for it yourself.”

Hearing these words, the surrounding new disciples all felt something was off.

It sounded fine on the surface, but…

What on earth was “water can carry a boat, but it can also row a speedboat” supposed to mean?

“This newcomer seems quite interesting.”

Senior Sister Yuyun of Changqing Sect poked the Eldest Senior Brother beside her, Xun Yanchi, with her zither.

“Do you think she can make it to the end?”

Xun Yanchi, who had inexplicably been poked near his kidney, glanced at Yuyun expressionlessly, then looked back at the water mirror with the same lack of expression.

“It remains to be seen.”

“I don’t think she can.”

A Xuantian Sect disciple beside them had been wanting to strike up a conversation with Yuyun for a long time, so he seized this opportunity to show off.

“Look, the other disciples have already crossed more than half of it, yet she remains at the edge of the isolated island. It’s either because she’s weak-willed or hesitant, never daring to take a single step forward.”

Yuyun glanced at the Xuantian Sect disciple, the smile on her face faint, and said nothing further.

She actually thought this girl was quite good—her personality was straightforward and she didn’t let herself get pushed around.

Very interesting indeed.

…

Ji Bingyu declined another young girl’s invitation to travel together and continued standing by the Sea of Floating Life, lost in thought.

Seeing this, the Heavenly Will asked out of curiosity: [So how do you plan to cross this Sea of Floating Life?]

Ji Bingyu: [I told you, water can carry a boat, but it can also row a speedboat.]

Heavenly Will: [Hahahahaha! Then where is your boat?]

Ji Bingyu looked at him darkly.

The Heavenly Will shuddered in alarm.

Ji Bingyu: [Dog son, your dad can’t swim.]

Heavenly Will: [You’re the dog!]

Ji Bingyu smoothly adjusted her phrasing: [Son, your dog dad can’t swim.]

Heavenly Will: …

It was often amazed by this host’s sheer thick-skinned audacity.

[How could you call it thick-skinned? This is called being adaptable.]

Ji Bingyu looked out over the Sea of Floating Life.

The people who had set off early were long out of sight, and even the figures of those slightly later, like Xuanyuan Fentian and Yan Liusu, had become blurry.

[You are the grand Heavenly Will! How can you not even conjure up a single boat? Dog son! Stand up! Let them see the power of our Heavenly Dao!]

Ji Bingyu coaxed him persuasively, continuing her relentless brainwashing.

[Conjuring a boat—that’s style! It’s not just my style, it’s YOUR style!]

[Just think about how many people outside are waiting to see our competition results. Everyone else is wading into the sea, while only your dad doesn’t have to. Think about how grand that looks!]

The Heavenly Will was coaxed until it felt dizzy, actually thinking that… it seemed to make a bit of sense?

The image in the water mirror showed that Ji Bingyu had become the very last person left on the island.

The space belonging to the isolated island was gradually shrinking, and it would soon vanish entirely from the water mirror.

“This girl really is…”

Daoist Qingyuan, who had originally thought highly of Ji Bingyu, felt slightly disappointed.

He shook his head in silence, though he didn’t say much else.

How could Daoist Xuanfeng—who had finally found a legitimate opportunity to mock her—possibly pass up this chance? He sneered immediately, stroking his beard as he said, “Earlier, this old Daoist already wanted to say that this female has a cowardly disposition and acts indecisively. She is truly incapable of great things.”

For today’s trial, Sword Venerable Gu Qingshu of the Xuantian Sect was still in secluded cultivation; thus, Daoist Xuanfeng was considered the person present who held the most sway within the Xuantian Sect.

With his assertion, disciples naturally followed suit.

“That’s right, that’s right! Even with that punch earlier—if Junior Brother Xuanyuan hadn’t been good-tempered and let her have her way, how could she have possibly succeeded?”

Everyone chimed in, starting to count out her flaws one after another.

“I see her looking left and right earlier; she clearly wanted to find someone to rely on.”

“Then why didn’t she seek out Junior Brother Xuanyuan?”

“Bah, didn’t she just hit him? I think she feels she isn’t worthy of Junior Brother Xuanyuan!”

Someone else shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“She’s just a female after all. Possessing nothing but a pretty face, she ultimately lacks courage and foresight.”

Just as this disciple finished speaking, a lazy female voice sounded.

“What’s wrong with being a female?”

Yun Qingruo, the Sect Master of Lingxiao Pavillion, let out a yawn and lifted her eyelids.

Yet she didn’t look at this disciple, addressing Daoist Xuanfeng instead, “Your Xuantian Sect’s goods—ah, my apologies, I mean your Xuantian Sect’s disciples—heh, in this Sect Master’s eyes, they seem to be nothing more than this.”

Yun Qingruo spoke unhurriedly, drawing out her tone, which inexplicably carried a bit of deep meaning.

That disciple was flushed red with shame by these pointed words.

The fellow sect members beside him glared at him in anger for losing face for the Xuantian Sect, while figures from other sects nearby watched the spectacle unfold. This left the disciple caught in an awkward position, wishing he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

In his excitement just now, he had only wanted to flatter Daoist Xuanfeng and agree with his words, forgetting that people from Lingxiao Pavillion were also present.

Lingxiao Pavillion was a sect consisting almost entirely of women.

They were harsh toward men, and even harsher toward men who looked down on women.

Daoist Xuanfeng was choked up and left in a tight spot. Just then, a smiling voice cut into the conversation, rescuing him from his embarrassment.

“The one currently leading in the Sea of Floating Life… seems to be that male disciple Elder Xuanfeng thinks so highly of?”

The one who spoke was surprisingly Rong Qingyuan.

Daoist Xuanfeng hadn’t expected that he would actually be willing to bail him out; alongside his surprise, a strangely touched feeling inexplicably welled up within him.

“It is him.”

When talking about Xuanyuan Fentian, Daoist Xuanfeng regained his previous calm and composure.

The two small tendrils of his mustache twitched, and he—who was usually serious—was filled with pride and glory when discussing Xuanyuan Fentian.

Not only because he possessed the bloodline of the Xuanyuan family, but also because Daoist Xuanfeng truly held high hopes for him.

Brave, resourceful, valuing loyalty and righteousness.

Compared to him, this “Miss Ji” who bore the title of his fiancée seemed considerably inferior.

Possessing nothing but an outstanding appearance and hyping herself up with some title like “White Moonlight Beauty,” she completely lacked a matching temperament and strength. Muddling through each day in cowardice and incompetence, she was the type Daoist Xuanfeng disliked most.

“Fentian has cultivated since childhood and possesses extraordinary innate talent. Naturally, he cannot be spoken of in the same breath as these novices who are just entering the door.”

Daoist Xuanfeng feigned modesty, though the pride in his tone was impossible to conceal.

“Only a disciple with such bravery, resourcefulness, affection, and righteousness is worthy of learning my true legacy, the Flowing Water Moon-Cleaving Sword.”

“Daoist Xuanfeng speaks with great truth! This young man clearly is no ordinary creature at first glance.”

“Indeed, indeed! He comes from a noble family after all—one look and you can tell he possesses the dragon-like stature and extraordinary nobility of a leader!”

The crowd praised him one after another, as if they had already treated Xuanyuan Fentian as the rising star of hope in the cultivation world.

However, just as an elder’s lavish praise fell, Xuanyuan Fentian suddenly wobbled and fell straight flat onto the Sea of Floating Life!

The entire venue instantly fell dead silent—so quiet that a falling pin could be heard.

The air stagnated to a suffocating degree, and within this suffocation, a subtle awkwardness emerged.

Daoist Xuanfeng’s fingers tightened around his jade cup before slowly releasing it.

Then, he heard a slow male voice coming from beside him.

“I wanted to say earlier—the one leading can’t even stand firm and is about to fall over.”

Daoist Xuanfeng: …

I saw it!

I fucking saw it!

Do you really need to state it again?!

When Daoist Xuanfeng turned his head, he met Rong Qingyuan’s punchable, handsome face, and the rage in his heart burned even hotter.

He couldn’t help but begin to suspect that Rong Qingyuan’s original intention in raising this topic wasn’t to bail him out, but rather to watch him make a fool of himself.

…But how could Rong Qingyuan have predicted that Fentian would fall?

Before Daoist Xuanfeng could think further, Xuanyuan Fentian in the water mirror didn’t completely fall over.

An acquaintance happened to be near him and pulled Xuanyuan Fentian, allowing him to stabilize his footing.

A false alarm.

Daoist Xuanfeng gave Rong Qingyuan a cross look. Thinking of his unforgiving mouth, he ultimately couldn’t hold back the anger he had suppressed for half the day.

“Daoist Qingxu is quite talkative,” Daoist Xuanfeng snorted coldly.

“In previous years’ trial assemblies for new disciples, it was never this lively.”

These words seemed tactfully phrased, but paired with Daoist Xuanfeng’s tone, they were already quite direct.

The elders of Lingxiao Pavillion and Liuming Valley all wracked their brains to think of how to change the subject, yet only the members of Changqing Sect, where Rong Qingyuan belonged, remained as immovable as a mountain.

What kind of joke was this? When it came to sarcastic banter, could their Master/Martial Uncle Qingxu ever lose?

Sure enough, the noble and serene Qingxuzi showed not a single trace of anger.

Instead, the corners of his mouth curled up, smiling exceedingly handsome.

“Daoist Xuanfeng speaks with great truth. I am indeed very ‘adept at plucking’—especially skilled with the zither, while possessing a fair understanding of the konghou and pipa as well. When I have time in the future, I shall certainly come to seek your guidance.”

As soon as these words were spoken, not only Daoist Xuanfeng, but everyone in the Xuantian Sect changed their expressions.

A single tune slays ten thousand demons; a single string shocks the entire world.

Rong Qingyuan’s titles were not hyped up by hired help from families or self-proclaimed by modern youths; they were solidly forged, soaked in the blood of those bloodthirsty demons.

Among them, there was no shortage of blood from certain noble family youths who had colluded with the Demon Realm.

And the Xuantian Sect happened to be the sect with the highest concentration of noble family cultivators.

“Ahem, it is right for young people to make steady progress step by step!”

He Zhongxian let out a soft cough, coming out to smooth things over.

“Take those few in front, for instance—as their speed increased, they inevitably became arrogant, which will ultimately brew a great disaster. It is better to take things slowly, step by step; though there may be setbacks, one will ultimately reach the shore.”

Indeed it was so.

The few disciples who had rushed into the Sea of Floating Life first had committed precisely this mistake.

At first, their speed was very fast, taking the lead when the sea was calm and free of obstacles. However, as these few disciples walked on, having nothing to do, they couldn’t help but start sizing each other up out of the corner of their eyes, secretly competing.

In the end, no one knew who made the first move, but these five or six disciples actually ended up in a scuffle in the middle of the sea.

It was as if they had completely forgotten they were in a competition, entirely ignoring the towering giant wave that had formed behind them at some unknown moment!

Rumble—

As a giant wave crashed down, it also signaled the fate of these few individuals being eliminated.

“The meaning of the Sea of Floating Life lies in testing a disciple’s disposition,” Daoist Qingyuan spoke up.

“If one is heavy with desire, obsessed with fame, or clings to the floating dust of the mortal world, they will certainly not pass.”

Yun Qingruo raised an eyebrow.

“These are all new disciples who haven’t even entered a sect yet. Why start off with such a difficult topic this year?”

He Zhongxian smiled triumphantly.

“This is a bit of truth I comprehended from Daoist Qingxu’s Cloud Dream Illusion Sea.”

The blue veins on Daoist Xuanfeng’s forehead throbbed violently.

Only seeing that Xuanyuan Fentian, whom he favored, was still in first place enabled him to forcibly endure and refrain from speaking out again.

Truly bad luck!

Why was it that for this trial, the person coming from Changqing Sect happened not to be his good friend Qianming?

Even a bad-tempered fellow like Leshui would look far more pleasant than this bizarre Qingxuzi!

Compared to Daoist Xuanfeng, Rong Qingyuan—who had been mentioned—behaved far more relaxed.

His expression was as composed as ever, a faint smile gracing the corners of his lips.

Though he didn’t speak further, his demeanor was like an immortal walking the world, exceptionally elegant and refined.

The Sect Master of Changqing Sect, who knew Rong Qingyuan’s personality well, suddenly felt his heart tighten.

This man was habitually fond of causing trouble. If Changqing Sect were compared to a classroom, then Chang Qingzi was their pitiful homeroom teacher, while Rong Qingyuan was the ringleader who led the troublemaking.

And Rong Qingyuan didn’t just cause trouble himself—he particularly liked dragging his disciples along with him!

Things like burning zithers to cook cranes were entirely normal at Xueyu Peak.

Even though the scene in the water mirror appeared entirely normal right now, Chang Qingzi always felt that if this Sea of Floating Life truly had something to do with Rong Qingyuan…

Then the time until something big happened was not far off!