Chapter 3

On March 28th. Yu Tao paused for a moment, calculating the time. Isn’t that the day she and Zhu Mingyu had agreed to go to the library?

Someone was going to fight that day?

She clicked into the post and skimmed through it.

Sure enough, the disciples in the post were eagerly discussing the matter.

The post’s owner had omitted the names, referring to the two parties as “Newcomer A” and “Newcomer B.”

The main idea of the post was:

“Newcomer B,” in front of other disciples in the sect, recklessly issued a challenge to “Newcomer A,” who was a whole cultivation stage higher, and the two of them agreed to meet at Qingdeng Peak on March 28th for a duel.

【I’m so curious, who is it? Come on, post owner, tell us!】

【This damn charming confidence… Ao Tian, is that you?】

【Ahh, why is someone revealing this about the fight in twenty days? Someone, drag this wicked woman away! Interrogate her!】

【I think I know who it is…】

Yu Tao wasn’t interested in the duel between others, nor was she curious about who it was, so she just glanced at it briefly before closing the post without continuing to scroll.

Furrowing her brows, she thought about whether she should tell Zhu Mingyu to go earlier that day to avoid the duel.

If there were a lot of people, it would probably ruin the mood for reading, right? If it got noisy, it would make it even worse. Maybe they should just pick another day?

This was Yu Tao’s first time inviting someone out, and she didn’t want her first attempt to make the other person feel uncomfortable, possibly ruining their chance of becoming friends.

While she was thinking, the latest reply in the ^[1]“Liuli Mirror” (琉璃镜) refers to a magical or spiritual artifact within the story. The word “琉璃” (liuli) means “glass” or “colored glaze,” … Continue readingLiuli Mirror caught her attention.

Looking at the two words “Yu Li,” Yu Tao froze for a moment and stared at them for a while, then hesitated before clicking on it.

【Listen up, Senior Brother Yu Li is back!】

【Really? Didn’t he leave the sect?】

【I saw him yesterday on Yunjing Peak, even though it was just for a moment… Ahhh, he’s really handsome!】

【There’s a saying, “^[2]“A man like jade on the road, unparalleled in the world” is a poetic expression used to describe a person of exceptional beauty, grace, and elegance, often in a refined and noble way. The … Continue readingA man like jade on the road, unparalleled in the world.” That’s exactly how he feels—so perfect!】

【He was apparently sent to Mohe to subdue that thousand-year-old black flood dragon and stop the flooding?】

【Yes, originally, the elders of the sect expected it would take at least half a year, but he came back in just two and a half months! No one knows how he did it, but he’s amazing, truly worthy of being called Senior Brother Yu Li.】

The posts were full of praise for him. Yu Tao scrolled down slowly, and as she read, a faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips, revealing two dimples.

She propped up her chin, her eyes curving into soft arcs.

He really is amazing, both before and now.

She knew Yu Li, but it was one-sided.

Yu Li was her little brother.

Although they were from the same sect, they had never formally met. When she joined the sect, Yu Li had been out handling sect matters.

As for how she knew him, it was actually two years ago when the people of Haicheng experienced a sea monster invasion. She was one of the hundreds of trapped civilians, and it was Yu Li who arrived just in time to rescue them, single-handedly clearing the sea monsters with his sword.

Since then, Yu Tao had quietly kept him in her heart.

It was also after that event that she decided to learn swordsmanship, to become a strong sword cultivator, and worked hard in her cultivation. Two years later, she finally entered Wuchang Sect.

Originally, she just wanted to follow in his footsteps, and being a part of Wuchang Sect was already enough to satisfy her. But she didn’t expect her luck to be so good—she was taken in as a disciple by Xuan Yuzi, who hadn’t accepted a disciple in hundreds of years. That was how she naturally became his junior sister.

Looking back now, everything felt a bit surreal, too perfect to be true.

Before she knew it, it was already deep into the night. The spring evening breeze stirred the fine strands of hair around her ears, carrying a hint of coolness.

The empty room was bathed in moonlight, which illuminated the entire room but stopped just at her desk.

It wasn’t until she reached the bottom of the page that Yu Tao finally had the heart to close the Liuli Mirror and set it back on the desk.

Returning to reality, she saw the shadows cast by the moonlight in front of her, and she paused for a moment, slightly dazed.

In the half-lit, half-dim light, Yu Tao looked up and immediately saw the moon outside the thin window lattice.

It hung high, cold and aloof, beyond her reach.

In fact, he was not only the life-saving benefactor who pulled her out of the sea monster illusion.

He was also the little senior brother she had never met, after joining Xuan Yuzi’s sect.

And he was the one who had quietly occupied the deepest, most secret corner of her heart for the past two years.

Yes, she had a crush on Yu Li.

However, Yu Tao had a fairly clear self-awareness. She felt she was good at nothing, lacking in every way, so how could someone like him possibly be interested in her?

Yu Tao thought there was a term that perfectly described their relationship, and it was very accurate.

It was the difference between heaven and earth.

That’s why she had never imagined being able to interact with Yu Li, let alone confess her feelings. She was content just quietly watching him from afar, that was enough for her.

—

The Teaching Hall was where new disciples in the sect attended their morning classes. Here, the elders would teach them various kinds of knowledge, introduce them to the culture of the cultivation world, improve their cultural literacy, and instruct them in proper etiquette.

In the cultivation world, martial power was supreme, and everyone focused on cultivation, starting from a young age. As a result, some people became a bit… well, specialized.

For example, twenty years ago, an elder in the sect spent decades writing a sword manual, intending to distribute it widely for charity. When they got the book and opened the first page, it read: “To practice this skill, one must first castrate themselves.”

The crowd was left stunned.

Rumor has it that the Immortal Alliance had to dispatch two hundred immortal birds to stop disciples from attempting it, all of whom fainted from exhaustion.

Further investigation revealed that the elder had misunderstood the meaning of the phrase: “To practice this skill, one must first lock themselves in a room.”

Another example is a few years ago, when a certain elder from the sect attended the birthday celebration of a family head named Su. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the first line of his congratulatory speech read: “May you live a long life.”

The second line: “May you smile in the afterlife.”

According to insiders, the family head, who was ninety-nine years old, turned a color so interesting it could be used as a painter’s color palette.

Even the elders and uncles occasionally made such mistakes, so it was no surprise that the new disciples, a bunch of hot-headed youngsters, were prone to the same.

That’s why the Wuchang Sect made it mandatory for the new disciples to attend classes: they simply wanted them to avoid embarrassing the sect when they went outside.

Senior Uncle Lin Lin, holding a ruler, stood at the door, looking at the long line of tardy disciples with a face full of sorrow.

Since he started teaching a month ago, only a few disciples had shown up on time every day. The rest either strolled in lazily at the last minute or arrived late.

Among them, his favorite was Yu Tao. She came on time every day, and while the other disciples would fall asleep after a short time, Yu Tao listened attentively, sitting straight and blinking her eyes as she listened to the entire lesson, which gave him a great sense of accomplishment.

With a cold, stern look in his narrow eyes, Lin Lin’s tone was icy: “Look at you lazybones, always late, always late. Why can’t you learn from Yu Tao? She’s so diligent—she comes before the sun rises and is already reading by the time we start the lesson.”

Yu Tao, among the late arrivals, quietly raised her hand. “Senior Uncle Lin Lin, I’m here.”

Lin Lin: “…”

How did you manage to be late too!?

Because she had stayed up late last night, troubled by her thoughts, Yu Tao had accidentally dozed off in the morning. She rushed in a hurry but still ended up being late.

“Looks like I’ll have to punish you all today.”

Lin Lin said firmly, raising his ruler and preparing to strike each disciple’s palm. This ruler was made of thousand-year-old cold bamboo, and a couple of strikes would hurt for at least three to five days.

The disciples, seeing the situation, knew there was no escape and immediately let out a wail.

Senior Uncle Lin Lin was usually the most easygoing and rarely showed any temper, which was why they dared to be so reckless and late. They didn’t know what had happened today, but suddenly he was blocking them and scolding them.

The disciples who had been struck covered their hands, eyes filled with tears, and sniffled as they entered the Teaching Hall.

When it was Yu Tao’s turn, she obediently extended her hand, but Lin Lin hesitated with the ruler in his hand, not striking immediately.

Yu Tao was usually very well-behaved, and this was the first time she was late, so it was likely something had delayed her.

He privately didn’t want to hit her, but today was the day, and he should treat all the disciples equally.

In the two seconds of hesitation, a calm and indifferent male voice suddenly came from behind.

“Uncle Lin Lin.”

Lin Lin turned around upon hearing the voice and, as expected, saw a figure in white. He smiled and greeted, “You’re here, Disciple Yu Li.”

At the sound of the name, Yu Tao’s breath caught.

She couldn’t control herself and looked up. The figure standing behind Lin Lin was, indeed, him.

The young man had cold, clear features, and his pale gold eyes seemed as though veiled by mist, indifferent and distant, completely separate from the mundane world. He looked as serene as pine snow, chill and elegant like jade.

He seemed a little taller than he had been two years ago, and his expression was even colder.

Yu Li glanced at the ruler in Lin Lin’s hand. “Uncle Lin Lin, what are you doing?”

Lin Lin awkwardly smiled and explained, “These students have been late every day, too reckless, so I have to teach them a lesson.”

Yu Tao immediately felt embarrassed and lowered her head, pretending to be invisible.

If she could, she would not want to be recognized by Yu Li in this situation.

She silently prayed that Yu Li wouldn’t notice her.

Whether it was because he had heard her thoughts, the young man really didn’t cast a glance her way. He only looked at Lin Lin and said, “Uncle Lin Lin, corporal punishment is not advisable, it only backfires.”

With Yu Li present, it was impossible for the punishment to continue, so Lin Lin waved his hand, signaling the remaining disciples to enter the teaching hall.

Yu Tao quickly passed by the young man, her head lowered, and the wind caused the sleeves of her robe to flutter slightly.

Lin Lin put away the ruler, eagerly looking at him. “Nephew, since you say so, do you have any better methods for teaching students?”

The first light of the sun pierced through the gap in the eaves, casting two long shadows on the ground that crossed and then separated.

Yu Li slowly withdrew his gaze and looked at Lin Lin, speaking slowly, “No.”

Lin Lin: “…”

If there’s none, why say anything at all?!

Yu Tao, now sitting in the teaching hall, couldn’t calm down. Just yesterday, she had seen a post saying that he had returned to the sect, and now, here he was this morning.

The teaching hall was a place only for new disciples—what was he doing here?

Lin Lin soon provided the answer: “This is your senior brother, Yu Li. You all know him, right?”

“Of course, we know him!”

“Who wouldn’t know him? Come on, he’s Yu Li, senior brother!”

Lin Lin lightly hummed, “Today, he’s here to give you a lecture. You all better pay attention! No sleeping!”

The disciples fell silent for a moment, but the next second, the room erupted in excitement.

“Uncle Lin Lin, why didn’t you say so earlier!!”

“If I had known yesterday, I would have been waiting here first thing this morning!”

“Exactly, exactly! Uncle Lin Lin, you really underestimate us. Don’t even talk about sleeping, I’ll just faint right here in front of you!”

New disciples were probably all like this, full of boundless energy and vitality.

Lin Lin knocked on the table, “Alright, settle down. Save your energy for the lecture. Once it’s finished, I’ll call on each of you to answer.”

Sitting in the first row, Yu Tao blinked and stared intently at the figure that was now so close.

The seats were chosen by the disciples themselves. Everyone scrambled to sit at the back, leaving the first row empty, so Yu Tao, who usually paid attention in class, sat in the front row for convenience.

Now, it was perfect for her to observe him up close.

It was probably only during moments like this that she could openly stare at him.

He was talking about common mistakes new disciples make when cultivating and how to correct them.

However, Yu Tao’s mind was elsewhere—was he just back from Mohe and hadn’t rested properly? Beneath his dark lashes, there was a faint trace of fatigue in the form of a light blue shadow under his eyelids.

Perhaps she was staring too intently, because the young man, who had been lecturing, seemed to notice her gaze and looked over at her. Their eyes met unexpectedly.

Yu Tao’s heart skipped a beat.

But in the next moment, the young man shifted his gaze, his beautiful light golden eyes turning towards the back as he continued speaking calmly and normally, without any change in his expression.

Yu Tao let out a quiet sigh of relief, realizing it was just a casual glance.

“One must not rush the process of cultivation, it needs to be balanced and moderate. The spirit energy in the training platform is intense, and when using it, you must proceed step by step, starting from the corners to slowly adapt. Otherwise, it will cause harm to your body in the long run.”

Yu Tao was stunned for a moment, then finally understood why her dantian had been aching after her cultivation sessions a few days ago.

So, it turns out… that black cat occupying her training platform actually helped her?