Chapter 119: Is the Jade Maiden Sect Trying to Poach Cao Xuan?

Ru Hanhan was not surprised that Li Yao addressed Cao Xuan as "Junior Brother." Among those belonging to the same sect, it is standard practice to rank disciples by their seniority of entry. This simply served to highlight Cao Xuan’s immense talent. However, Ru Hanhan could not follow suit; even though her cultivation level was higher than Li Yao’s, she could not simply join in calling Cao Xuan "Junior Brother." As an outsider, it was only proper for her to address him as "Senior Brother" based on his cultivation status.

Upon hearing Ru Hanhan’s question, Li Yao replied, "I am certain. You may not be aware, but Junior Brother Cao only reached the Foundation Establishment stage last year. He wears this exact expression every time he has an epiphany!"

"Wait!" Ru Hanhan suddenly interrupted Li Yao’s recollection. "When you say Senior Brother Cao reached the Foundation Establishment stage last year, you mean he reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage, right?"

High above in the sky, the representatives of the six Great Sacred Lands held a view of the entire Qingyun assembly as if they were looking down upon their own private domain. Naturally, they had heard Li Yao’s words regarding Cao Xuan the moment they were spoken. Ru Hanhan’s question prompted them to nod in agreement; if he had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment last year and spent the year stabilizing his realm, his cultivation aptitude was indeed quite impressive.

Li Yao, however, shook her head. "Junior Brother was merely a Qi Refining cultivator last year, just barely breaking through to the Foundation Establishment stage! His first epiphany brought him to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, and his second brought him to the late stage." She blushed slightly as she continued, "Then, after 'cultivating' with me for a year, he had a third epiphany on the way to the Qingyun Sect, breaking through to the peak of Foundation Establishment!"

Ru Hanhan did not notice the blush on Li Yao’s face when she mentioned "cultivating," and the elders of the six Great Sacred Lands, along with Ancestor Qingmu, likewise failed to grasp any hidden meaning. They were simply stunned. It was already monstrous to comprehend Sword Intent during the Foundation Establishment stage, but to have such monstrous cultivation speed as well?

Among them, the Qingyun Sword Immortal of the Ziyang Sword Sect felt his body tremble. *Oh no,* he thought, *everyone is going to go after Cao Xuan.* To reach the peak of Foundation Establishment in a year—with this level of talent, who could say he wouldn't reach the Golden Core stage in thirty years? Or perhaps even the Nascent Soul stage in a century, or even the Deity Transformation stage!

Ancestor Qingmu furrowed his brow and pulled out his identity jade slip once more to verify Cao Xuan’s aptitude. Looking at the "Top-Grade Spirit Root" and "Seventh-Rank Cultivation Talent" displayed on the slip, he felt it was unbelievable. *Are you sure this isn't a Heavenly Spirit Root with a cultivation talent above the fourth rank?*

At this moment, the people from the six Great Sacred Lands cast strange glances at Ancestor Qingmu. Even though they saw the confusion on his face as he held the jade slip, none of them believed him anymore. Blood Drop Ancestor of the Blood Demon Sect chuckled, "Not bad, little Qingmu, playing the trick of 'substituting the fake for the real,' are we? Is this someone even more monstrous than Xian Xiangqiu that you want to keep for yourselves? Do you really think a second-rate sect like yours is capable of nurturing such talent without ruining him?"

Ancestor Qingmu hurriedly apologized, "Senior Blood Drop, you misunderstand. I have no such thoughts. This boy, like Xian Xiangqiu, was born in a subordinate sect in Yun Prefecture and only came to the Qingyun Sect for testing this time. Perhaps the sect’s testing pillar has fallen into disrepair and is inaccurate!"

Even as he said it, Ancestor Qingmu found it hard to believe. The testing pillar, while not a rare treasure, was a foundational relic of the sect; it was impossible for it to be inaccurate. But having heard Li Yao’s words, even he—a master at the peak of the Deity Transformation stage—could tell there was no falsehood in her speech; it had come from the heart. This was not a pre-arranged act by fellow sect members, but the truth.

Ru Hanhan and Li Yao might have thought this level of power was normal for a Seventh-Rank cultivation talent, but the elders knew that such feats usually required at least a Heavenly Spirit Root and a cultivation talent of the fourth rank or higher. However, since Li Yao mentioned that Cao Xuan’s progress was largely due to epiphanies, his spirit root might be slightly inferior, but his cultivation talent must be even higher—perhaps reaching the top three ranks.

Realizing this, Ancestor Qingmu quickly added, "As a small sect, we could never hinder Xian Xiangqiu, nor would we ever hinder Cao Xuan! If you wish, and provided it does not violate his own will, you are free to take him with you. My only wish is that he achieves great success in his cultivation!"

Ancestor Qingmu’s words were clever; mentioning that it must not violate the boy's own will was a necessity. After all, the six Great Sacred Lands were in competition, and they had to respect Cao Xuan’s wishes on the surface to ensure his loyalty, lest they raise a tiger only to be bitten in the end.

The Blood Demon Sect and the Jade Maiden Sect, the two demonic sacred lands, were only classified as "demonic" due to their cultivation methods. In matters of internal unity, they were just as tight-knit as any other, or their sacred lands would have collapsed long ago. Despite the cruelty Blood Drop had spoken of earlier—the "cannibalism" within their ranks—that only applied to low-level disciples. Once one became a personal disciple, the Blood Demon Sect was famously protective of its own, from the Sect Leader down to the elders and protectors. Furthermore, as a demonic sect, they were unrestrained; once one became a "Holy Son," they could command other low-level disciples as they pleased, enjoying a life even more imperial than that of a mortal king.

As for Ancestor Qingmu’s final wish for Cao Xuan to succeed, that was all the more reason for them to accept; if Cao Xuan succeeded, he would still carry the sentiment of his origins at the Qingyun Sect, and they had no reason to refuse that. Thus, after hearing Ancestor Qingmu’s words, the six Great Sacred Lands stopped picking fights.

Qing Xuzi waved his hand. "Enough, Blood Drop. Do not judge others by your own standards. The Qingyun Sect is merely a second-rate sect, not a first-rate one. Do you think they are like you were back in the day, secretly hiding two geniuses to eventually overthrow their superiors and become a sacred land?"

Qing Xuzi was still somewhat sensitive and did not name the sacred land that the Blood Demon Sect had replaced, but it still caused Blood Drop’s expression to shift. "Qing Xuzi, watch your tongue!"

Hearing Blood Drop’s retort, Qing Xuzi remained expressionless and said nothing more. He glanced at Ancestor Qingmu. Normally, he wouldn't be this way, but while the six Great Sacred Lands accepted that Ancestor Qingmu had no intention of hiding Cao Xuan, in Qing Xuzi’s eyes, the old man was hiding something from his own Xuanhua Sacred Land. *Trying to hedge your bets with multiple investments?* he thought to himself.

To him, the Qingyun Sect was a subordinate of the Xuanhua Daoist Sect, and he generally looked down upon their so-called "genius disciples." But looking down on them was one thing; they should still be the reserve talent for the Xuanhua Daoist Sect. Moreover, for someone like Cao Xuan or Xian Xiangqiu, they not only looked down on them—they wanted them. Yet, this little Qingmu fellow seemed to be spreading his bets.

Qing Xuzi looked at the Qingyin Sword Immortal and observed the expressions of the other sacred land elders. He remained calm, having realized one thing: if their Xuanhua Sacred Land were to take Xian Xiangqiu, they could forget about getting Cao Xuan. The Xuanhua Daoist Sect was currently the target of everyone’s scrutiny.

"This boy is mine!"

Just as everyone was deep in thought, Liu Ruyan suddenly spoke up.