Chapter 209 - 129: Meteoric Rise
Deep within the Gui Water Institute, surrounded by waterside pavilions, a thin mist lingered.
Nie Shanshan glided through the covered corridors with light steps, holding a Sect document as she headed directly for Lishui Pavilion, where her master, Chu Jinyun, was in secluded cultivation.
Inside the pavilion, Chu Jinyun sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, her eyes closed as she regulated her breathing.
A faint aura of Gui Water True Gang enveloped her, leaving her moon-white robes unstained by a single speck of dust.
Nie Shanshan waited respectfully outside the pavilion. Only when her master’s breathing had completely calmed did she report in a low voice:
"Master, the Sect’s grand celebration is imminent. The list of Chief Disciples for each institute has been finalized, and the documents have been distributed."
Chu Jinyun slowly opened her eyes. "Read."
Nie Shanshan unfurled the document, her voice steady and clear as she recited the names one by one. When she reached Chen Qing, Chief Disciple of the Cyan Wood Institute, she hesitated for a moment, her gaze subconsciously flicking toward her master.
Chu Jinyun’s previously placid expression tightened slightly upon hearing the name "Chen Qing."
She repeated subconsciously, "Chen Qing? Cyan Wood Institute... Chief Disciple?"
"Yes, Master."
Nie Shanshan offered the document. "Here is the document. It has been stamped with the Sect Leader’s Seal."
Turmoil churned within her as well.
In just two years, Chen Qing had gone from a mere Transmutation Force Disciple to the Chief Disciple of the Wutai Sect’s Cyan Wood Institute.
Had she not seen it with her own eyes, she would have found it impossible to believe.
Chu Jinyun took the document, her gaze falling upon the name that was both familiar and distant.
Only then did she truly believe it.
She looked up at Nie Shanshan, a trace of subtle inquiry in her voice. "What... is his cultivation now?"
Nie Shanshan answered truthfully, "As far as I know, Junior Brother Chen... had already broken through to the Embracing Pill Force before the trip to Nine Waves Island. During his recent debriefing at the Fishery, his aura was deep and stable, and his True Qi circulated flawlessly. He is... undoubtedly at the Mid-stage of Embracing Pill Power."
"Mid-stage... Embracing Pill Power..."
Chu Jinyun repeated in a low whisper.
A maelstrom of complex emotions instantly washed over her.
’That boy with the Four Forms Root Bone... The one I personally struck from the list all those years ago, replacing him with Zhang Rui simply to repay a favor... And now, at the Cyan Wood Institute, he’s risen at such an astonishing pace. He hasn’t just entered the Mid-stage of Embracing Pill Power; he’s claimed the position of Chief Disciple!’
It was truly unbelievable.
In contrast, Zhang Rui, who had received her personal guidance and a lion’s share of the Gui Water Institute’s resources, was still struggling at the peak of Transmutation Force, his breakthrough to the Embracing Pill stage nowhere in sight.
The difference between them was as vast as heaven and earth.
’If... If I had chosen Chen Qing back then?’
’Given the comprehension, perseverance, and resilience he has displayed—rising as he did in a place like the Cyan Wood Institute—what heights might he have reached by now if he were here, in the Gui Water Institute? If he had received my personal instruction in the Thousand Layered Wave Sword Technique, with my careful guidance and the Institute’s systematic training?’
’Would the Gui Water Institute have gained another genius disciple, one who could have become a pillar of our generation?’
’The gap in the younger generation of the Gui Water Institute, just below Nie Shanshan’s level, could have been filled...’
She remained silent for a long time, the only sound in Lishui Pavilion being the gentle murmur of water.
At last, she looked up, her gaze resting on Nie Shanshan’s serene face. "Shanshan," she asked quietly, "what are your thoughts on this..."
Seeing the complex, unreadable emotion in her master’s eyes, Nie Shanshan felt her own heart stir.
She was keenly aware of her master’s pride and understood the turmoil she must be feeling.
"Master,"
Nie Shanshan’s voice was gentle. "I believe that the ways of the world are unpredictable and opportunities are fickle. Everyone has their own path and destiny. Junior Brother Chen’s current achievements are certainly due to his own talent, perseverance, and fortune. If he had really entered our Gui Water Institute back then, cultivating the Thousand Layered Wave Sword Technique conventionally under your wing, Master, perhaps... he might not have made such astonishing progress."
She paused before continuing, "Though Junior Brother Zhang Rui’s progress has been slower than expected, his disposition is sound and his foundation is solid. With time, it’s not impossible that his slow accumulation will lead to a sudden breakthrough."
Nie Shanshan’s words skillfully reframed the mistake as a matter of "different paths" and "individual destiny."
Chu Jinyun listened quietly, the turmoil in her heart gradually subsiding.
’Yes,’ she thought. ’It’s already come to this. What’s the point of regret?’
Chu Jinyun was the Dean of the Gui Water Institute, after all, and had held her high position for many years. She had only lost her composure for a moment, stunned that a disciple she once cast aside had become such a pillar of strength. She quickly composed herself.
"Enough of this."
Chu Jinyun took a deep breath. "At this Sect celebration, you must perform well and bolster the prestige of our Gui Water Institute."
Nie Shanshan nodded firmly. "Yes, Master. I will not let you down."
.....
「Inside a private room at Linfu Restaurant.」
Melodious music from string and bamboo instruments filled the air. On stage, the new production of the Jade Hairpin Record was reaching an emotional peak, the lead actress’s long water sleeves swirling like clouds and mist.
Wu Manqing leaned back in a wooden chair padded with a soft brocade cushion, her gaze fixed on the stage, completely engrossed.
To her left sat Gu Ruo Hua, dressed in a goose-yellow Yunjin Brocade dress. She picked up an exquisite pastry and chuckled, gesturing toward the stage. "Manqing, look at that actress’s costume. The fabric of her sleeves looks like that new Flowing Cloud Brocade. It makes her seem more delicate than a flower. You know, Liu Han used to love this opera. We’d sometimes run into him here. It’s such a shame..."
Her tone shifted, thick with regret. "The heavens grow jealous of true talent. To think he’d fall in a treacherous place like Nine Waves Island. One of the Seven Talents, nurtured with all the Liu Family’s resources... gone, just like that."
Although Liu Han’s body had not yet been found, news of his death had already spread throughout Yunlin Prefecture.
Across from them, Li Wan, clad in a moon-white, Su-embroidered long dress, added, "It’s true. With Liu Han’s fall, the balance of power among the younger generation of the Prefecture City has shifted once more."
Wu Manqing listened to her friends’ chatter and casually agreed, "These young prodigies always seem so far removed from our world. Admirable, but untouchable..."
Before she could finish, the door to the private room was thrown open violently!
It was Wu Manqing’s personal maid, Xiaohuan. Her chest was heaving, and she was panting so hard she could barely speak, having clearly sprinted there. "Ma... Madam! Madam! Some... something terrible has happened!"