The mountain fire started right here.

The mountain gate had turned into a wasteland, with charred earth all around.

Originally, there was a grand stone archway marking the entrance to the mountain, with the words “Yù Luán Shān” inscribed on the plaque.

But now, that stone archway had vanished without a trace. Among the ruins, two blackened stone pillars remained, likely struck by lightning just moments ago.

In the midst of the crumbling walls, the sect leader and four other elders stood together. Hearing the sound of wind from a flying sword, they all looked up.

Under their watchful gaze, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè descended on his sword, landing gracefully on the ground.

From a distance, he could see Qián Yào’s face was extremely grim.

Before he could ask any questions, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè heard a strange buzzing sound.

It sounded like the crackle of electricity in real life.

Turning his head, he saw Bái Rěn Dōng lying on the ground, face up, eyes tightly shut, in a deep slumber. His white clothes were so dirty that they were unrecognizable as white.

He was emanating a shimmering lightning aura.

Lightning crackled around him.

The spiritual energy from the lightning surged towards Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, causing even him, a sect elder with a lightning spiritual root, to feel momentarily suffocated, as if he had been slapped by a tidal wave.

Truly, he was the protagonist, gifted with extraordinary talent. Just the awakening of his spiritual root released such terrifying energy.

“What is this…?”

A low voice of astonishment came from behind, belonging to the Ling Zé elder.

Though she had mentally prepared herself, she had only anticipated that Bái Rěn Dōng had a lightning spiritual root, not that the energy he emitted would be so overwhelming.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè remained unfazed; he already knew this was a person who would rise to become an Immortal Emperor in the original story.

He bowed to the elders, saying, “I apologize for disturbing you all. I represent my disciple in expressing my regrets.”

The sect leader waved his hand dismissively, “No need. No one could have anticipated this; it’s unprecedented.”

“Indeed, there’s no need for apologies,” Elder Bái Yú frowned and said, “But, Junior Brother, how could your disciple possess such a powerful lightning spiritual root?”

“Brother, I don’t know either,” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè replied with a wry smile.

Elder Bái Yú pressed on, “Has he ever shown any signs of being different?”

“Not at all. I wonder if Brother recognizes him; he is a child brought back from the foot of the mountain by Sister Ling Zé last year. When he was brought back, we tested his spiritual root using ordinary methods, but we couldn’t detect any anomalies, so I treated him as an ordinary person without any spiritual roots.”

“While he has been in my sect, he has never shown any extraordinary abilities. I took pity on him, thinking it better to give him a meal and teach him some scriptures than to let him wander at the foot of the mountain. I never expected him to have any cultivation, let alone be a lightning spiritual root.”

Guāng Hán nodded in agreement, “What Yù Luán says is true. This lightning spiritual root is a mutated one, and ordinary methods can’t detect it. If we don’t use the Ling Xuan Tian Ji from the Spirit Machine Pavilion on the mountain, it would be impossible to discover it in a lifetime.”

“However, this child didn’t use the Ling Xuan Tian Ji; instead, he awakened with the help of a sudden thunderclap,” the Ling Zé elder said softly from behind Zhōng Yǐn Yuè. “Sect Leader, having the heavens assist in awakening a spiritual root is not something an ordinary cultivator can achieve…”

“Indeed, it’s not ordinary,” Qián Yào stroked his chin, his expression growing serious. “Moreover, this energy is abundant; it’s beyond mere talent. This child will surely be a remarkable talent in the future.”

“If this child is a remarkable talent, then… keeping him under Yù Luán’s name…”

Elder Yún Xù, standing beside the sect leader, said this.

He only spoke half a sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè was the lowest-ranking elder of Tiān Jué Mountain.

With a disciple who awakened thanks to a heavenly lightning strike under his care, he would likely end up wasting the child’s potential.

This scene had also appeared in the original story. After discovering that the protagonist had a mutated spiritual root, a group of elders had gathered seriously to hold a small meeting in front of him and the other disciples.

Their lines were almost identical to those from that time, the only difference being that Zhōng Yǐn Yuè didn’t bow and scrape, belittling himself while elevating others, nor did he eagerly hand over his disciple to Qián Yào, who had expressed a desire to poach him.

At that time, after Elder Yún Xù finished speaking, relying on Zhōng Yǐn Yuè’s usual habit of belittling himself and praising others, the others immediately followed suit, subtly expressing that such a rare talent indeed shouldn’t be wasted in Yù Luán Palace.

But recently, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè’s temperament had changed dramatically, and they had all witnessed it, so for a moment, no one spoke up.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè didn’t respond. He took a few steps forward, bent down, and extended his hand.

The lightning energy on Bái Rěn Dōng immediately responded, rushing toward his palm.

In an instant, the lightning spiritual energy on him was absorbed by Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, and he finally quieted down.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè stood up, clenched his fist, and the gathered lightning spiritual energy merged into his body.

After doing all this, he turned around and bowed to them, saying, “Rest assured, Yù Luán knows its own cultivation level and understands that this child would be better off following his brothers and sisters than staying with someone like me.”

“As long as it’s for the good of the disciple, Yù Luán is willing to let him go to another mountain. Although my disciples are few, I am still called Master by some, and I will wholeheartedly care for my students, so please don’t worry.”

“However, although we are esteemed elders of the sect, this matter is ultimately related to the disciple’s future, and his own thoughts are extremely important. You are all top figures in the immortal cultivation world, and it’s not appropriate for us to decide who he should follow.”

“Why don’t we do this? It’s getting late; I’ll take him back to the mountain first. Once he wakes up tomorrow, I will report to the sect leader and all the brothers and sisters. At that time, Yù Luán will bring this disciple to discuss this matter with you all, how does that sound?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the elders exchanged glances.

Elder Guāng Hán said, “I think that sounds good. Although we are teachers, we cannot decide his future without consulting the disciple.”

Elder Bái Yú nodded, “What you said is very true… Junior Brother Yù Luán is also aware of this, so we can rest assured.”

After saying this, they all looked at the sect leader, waiting for his final decision.

“Hmm.” The sect leader slowly nodded, “It’s getting late, and the ceremony has just ended…”

He paused, looking around at the charred earth, his expression melancholic. “This thunderstorm has caused great harm to your Yù Luán Mountain… It can be considered a disaster without cause. You… must have grievances in your heart. But don’t blame it on the disciple.”

“Yù Luán understands.” Zhōng Yǐn Yuè replied, “This matter was not caused intentionally by my disciple. I know this is a natural disaster and human misfortune, and I will not blame anyone.”

The sect leader nodded, suddenly saying, “Qián Yào.”

Elder Qián Yào hadn’t said much; at this moment, he was glaring at Shěn Chàng Xuě, who stood behind Zhōng Yǐn Yuè, seemingly deep in thought.

Suddenly being called out, he was taken aback, turning to bow, “Sect Leader.”

“There are still some things to clean up over at the ceremony. Originally, it was Yù Luán’s responsibility… but with the fire at Yù Luán Mountain tonight, I fear Yù Luán won’t have much time.” The sect leader said, “You take care of it.”

As soon as these words were spoken, Qián Yào stood there in silence for a moment before bowing, “Understood.”

After arranging everything, the sect leader waved his hand, dismissing the elders. Before leaving, he reminded Zhōng Yǐn Yuè to remember to come to the Shàng Xuán Mountain gate when Bái Rěn Dōng wakes up tomorrow.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè nodded in acknowledgment, and the sect leader and the others left.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè bowed slightly to see them off, “I apologize for disturbing you all.”

He lowered his head, waiting for the noise to fade before straightening up.

To his surprise, Elder Qián Yào had stayed behind.

With everyone gone, Elder Qián Yào’s face had completely darkened.

He glared at Shěn Chàng Xuě with an extremely displeased expression, “What are you doing here?”

Shěn Chàng Xuě stood behind Zhōng Yǐn Yuè.

When Qián Yào’s scrutinizing gaze swept over, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè momentarily thought it was directed at him, stunned for a moment.

Until Shěn Chàng Xuě calmly said from behind him, “Disciple saw that Yù Luán Mountain was on fire and, feeling worried, took the initiative to come and help.”

Only then did Zhōng Yǐn Yuè realize that Qián Yào was questioning Shěn Chàng Xuě.

Jǐng Míng Jī sneered, mocking, “How come you never showed such concern for Qián Yào Palace on ordinary days?”

“Master misunderstands; I care just as much for Qián Yào Palace.”

Jǐng Míng Jī suddenly scolded sharply, “Why are you worrying about an outsider’s mountain as if it were your own?”

Shěn Chàng Xuě fell silent.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè didn’t like what he heard; he frowned and said, “Brother, there’s no need to question him like that. It’s a good thing for a disciple to care for others; how can that not be considered having a heart for the world?”

Jǐng Míng Jī snorted coldly, no longer speaking to him, and said to Shěn Chàng Xuě, “Come back with me!”

Jǐng Míng Jī turned and walked outside.

Shěn Chàng Xuě silently followed behind.

Seeing Jǐng Míng Jī getting angry, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè couldn’t help but imagine what he would do when they returned to the palace. In a moment of frustration, he opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say to keep him.

As Shěn Chàng Xuě passed by him, Zhōng Yǐn Yuè instinctively grabbed his arm.

Shěn Chàng Xuě turned back, seeing the anxious look on his face, and smiled gently.

He patted Zhōng Yǐn Yuè’s hand, signaling him to let go.

“There’s no need for the elder to worry.”

He left behind this sentence and turned to leave.

Zhōng Yǐn Yuè couldn’t find the words, only watching as Shěn Chàng Xuě walked away without looking back, following Jǐng Míng Jī.

He stood there, feeling the snow begin to fall again from the sky, and the mountaintop grew cold once more. Zhōng Yǐn Yuè felt a bone-chilling chill; he stood for a moment, suddenly realizing this wasn’t just cold—it seemed to be a kind of heart-wrenching helplessness.

He couldn’t keep Shěn Chàng Xuě.

At this moment, no matter what he said, he couldn’t hold onto him.