Chapter 35 Part 1

Although she was the Taiyi Sect Master, Lian Rusu had joined the sect the latest and was the youngest among them. When she had entered the sect, her Fifth Senior Sister and Second Senior Sister had already chosen to end their lives and reincarnate through soldier’s solution. Among the remaining senior sisters, the one with the lowest cultivation was at the Golden Core Realm.

No one had ever called her “Senior Sister” before.

Lian Rusu stared unblinkingly at the two words reflected on the Tianyan Mirror, suddenly wanting to hear the voice behind them.

But she hadn’t accepted the two hundred Spirit Jade Pills she had forwarded to Li Ruoshui earlier, and since she was in the Return to Ruins Gap, she couldn’t swap out the Tianyan Mirror either.

Meanwhile, Li Ruoshui hadn’t received any follow-up from Chen Buyan.

Could Chen Buyan want to become her master? Though their relationship was indeed that of both teacher and friend, having an “elder” looming over her head was unacceptable.

Just then, strange noises came from outside the cave where she was hiding. Li Ruoshui held her breath and focused her mind, leaving a message for Lian Rusu: “Ruin Spirits are coming.” Then she quickly logged off.

She darted out of the cave and saw a fiery red light rising from the pervasive black mist ahead. The red glow blazed like clouds steaming with crimson radiance, shifting through five colors in a dazzling display. Amid the red light, hissing sounds rang out, followed by whip-like limbs flailing wildly in the air, their red and green hues intertwining in an eerie spectacle.

How could Li Ruoshui not recognize this as another Golden Core Realm Ruin Spirit? She didn’t know when her experience bar would fill enough for the next upgrade, but after weighing her options, she flitted forward like a ghost. The techniques she cultivated were all about overwhelming force. As the Taiyi Blazing Fire Profound Light activated, it screeched like metal grinding against iron, sparking a shower of sparks that shot skyward.

About half an hour later, the crimson starfire descended from its peak and gradually scattered in the wind. Li Ruoshui waved her hand to dispel the foul-smelling black mist, then glanced disgustedly at the hideous husk slumped on the ground. With a flick of her finger, flames descended, incinerating the Ruin Spirit’s remains to ashes in an instant.

She still had to stay in the Return to Ruins Gap for a long time, but fortunately, the Tianyan Mirror allowed her to communicate with the outside world.

Time flew by like a startled rabbit or a fleeing crow, and in the blink of an eye, it was the 955th year of the Supreme Nine Eons.

In a valley fifty li from White Sun Town, pitch-black clouds rolled in like surging waves, gathering from all directions like galloping horses. The sky darkened under the oppressive clouds, evoking the gloom of ancient times on the verge of the world’s collapse. Lightning flashed through the clouds like writhing golden serpents. A earth-shattering thunderbolt struck down, echoing endlessly through the valley. The thunder rumbled in fits and starts until noon, when an even more violent explosion rang out, shaking the mountains and sending rocks flying.

But this wasn’t caused by the rumbling thunder.

In the valley, a surge of vast and majestic mana swept outward in all directions. Under that tremendous force, the earth cracked open, and the mountains shattered into pieces. Bean-sized raindrops pelted down like dense hail. A figure suddenly burst out from a cave, followed by hearty laughter amid the downpour.

Breaking through from the Heart Fixing Realm to the Golden Core Realm had indeed been no easy feat. Li Ruoshui couldn’t see her experience growth, but she vaguely sensed that the number of Ruin Spirits she needed to kill had increased exponentially. She had stayed in the Return to Ruins Gap for years, chatting idly with Chen Buyan only in her spare moments—otherwise, it was all about slaying Ruin Spirits from dawn till dusk.

Thanks to the sheer number of Ruin Spirits she had killed, she had comprehended a divine ability on her own—Spirit Identification.

It wasn’t much use in combat, but it let her instantly recognize humanoid Ruin Spirits at a glance, saving her the trouble of exchanging words with them.

They had determined that the methods to identify Ruin Spirits were efficient but singular—what if she ended up somewhere without a network?

Bright lightning illuminated the entire valley. Li Ruoshui found an intact cave and slipped inside. With a shake of her body, she changed into a fresh set of clothes.

After checking her appearance in the Tianyan Mirror, Li Ruoshui sent her divine sense into it.

She kept an eye on the Dharma Realm messages in her downtime, but after filtering out the junk, there wasn’t much news. Instead, the Heavenly Ascension List had gone public, with everyone speculating which newcomers had entered the Golden Core Realm and qualified for the Tianjiao Competition.

Spotting Chen Buyan’s mark lit up, Li Ruoshui immediately messaged her: “Senior Sister, I’ve formed my core!”

She cultivated the Causal Vow Dao, so she didn’t need to endure the arduous process of the three apertures merging into one like others did. Many got stuck at the peak of the Fixed Heart Third Layer not due to insufficient foundation or mana, but because they lacked something during the merger. Without properly integrating the three apertures into a core, they’d be forever stalled at the Heart Fixing Realm.

But Li Ruoshui’s breakthroughs were effortless, like leveling up in a game—once the experience bar was full, a light tap pushed past the bottleneck.

Chen Buyan replied quickly: “Congratulations, Junior Sister.” She had gotten the news before Li Ruoshui’s seclusion and, though she didn’t cultivate the Vow Dao herself, had reviewed plenty of texts on it. She wasn’t worried about Li Ruoshui’s progress.

“The Nine Provinces’ primal qi is so dense that what used to take ten years now takes just one or two. I wonder who else has entered the Golden Core Realm,” Li Ruoshui remarked. Those two female leads must have formed their cores by now, right? How could they miss a flashy event like the Prodigy List? And Feng Qing, with her higher starting cultivation and status as the Wind Moon Heartless Sect’s prized chief disciple, should have stepped into the Golden Core Realm too.

The Prodigy List was the fame-maker for Golden Core Cultivators, open to those from the First to Third Layer. If she wanted to claim the top spot, she’d need to put in the work—at least push the Universe One Qi Palm to the next level.

Chen Buyan added, “Junior Sister, you’re still in Empire territory, right? The Prodigy List is out, and the next six months are for registrations. On the fifteenth of the eighth month, the secret realm for the prodigies’ competition will open.”

Li Ruoshui probed for more info: “Any particular rules?”

Chen Buyan: “Most cultivators compete under their sect’s banner. Even rogue cultivators rarely go solo.”

Li Ruoshui choked.

Did that mean she’d have to join Taiyi’s team as an outer disciple, trailing behind Xie Chaosheng and Cang Lang?

Absolutely not—she’d rather team up with Feng Qing.

In the plot, those two had a tangled web of love and hate tied to “doomed fellow disciples.” They didn’t seem to be romantically involved now, but what if?

Li Ruoshui: “Got it, thanks, Senior Sister.”

Chen Buyan: “For this Prodigy List, the Demonic Prison Heavenly Palace cultivators probably won’t join, but the Demon Kingdom in the Origin Sea has opened its borders. Plus, there’s new activity from the Specter Path where ghost cultivators gather. Junior Sister, you’ll be facing more than just Immortal Dao cultivators.”

Li Ruoshui’s eyelids twitched. Why did the rich rewards suddenly feel farther away?

But how would she know her limits without trying?

After pondering, she suddenly remembered that her friend Chen Buyan had a disciple too, sparking her curiosity: “Senior Sister, will your disciple join the Prodigy List?”

Chen Buyan: “Yes.”

Staying away from heartbreak had worked wonders. Not long after arriving at the Joy Sect, Chaosheng’s realm had loosened. After years of cultivation, she had successfully entered the Golden Core Realm. She cultivated Sword Dao, with the Taishang Three Pure Ones Scripture as her core text. She had long mastered One Qi Transforms Three Thousand from the sword arts and now comprehended the five swords: Taiyi, Taichu, Taishi, Taisu, and Taiji.

With Chen Buyan’s personal guidance, her progress was lightning-fast.

Li Ruoshui sighed inwardly. She wanted to ask who Chen Buyan’s disciple was, but swallowed the words. What if she learned the identity and couldn’t bring herself to compete against them out of consideration for her friend? Friends were great, but the Prodigy List rewards were lavish enough to propel her to higher realms—she wanted them too.

Li Ruoshui asked again: “Will you come watch?”

Chen Buyan: “The Tianjiao Competition secret realms have always been fully sealed; outsiders can’t peek inside. If there’s danger, you can exit with a Guiding Talisman Edict.

“But after the Prodigy List competition concludes, there’ll be the Immortal Dao Conference. At that time, I—”

Chen Buyan’s words cut off abruptly.

Li Ruoshui followed up: “At that time, what?”

In the Taiyi Sect.

Lian Rusu hesitated.

The Immortal Dao Conference after the Prodigy List had always been handled by her eldest senior sister; she had no need to attend personally.

Did she have to go this time? Had Junior Sister Shangshan suddenly asked about her watching because she wanted to meet?

After thinking it over, Lian Rusu didn’t continue the previous topic. Instead, she asked seriously: “Junior Sister, do you want to meet me?”

Seeing Lian Rusu’s reply, Li Ruoshui let out an “ah.”

It had just been a casual question; she hadn’t thought about meeting. But since Chen Buyan brought it up, after mulling it over, Li Ruoshui figured meeting wasn’t a bad idea. She had originally planned to pull Chen Buyan out of her sea of suffering. Chen Buyan was at Nascent Soul, so her senior sisters were probably around there or even at Cave Heaven. A mere Golden Core cultivator like her had slim chances of conversing with such high-level figures. But with the title of “peerless prodigy,” she’d qualify, right?

Whether for the rewards or to repay Chen Buyan’s kindness, she was determined to win first place.

Her thoughts raced in an instant, and Li Ruoshui resolved herself, replying solemnly: “I want to meet you.”

Chen Buyan: “Good.”

After chatting so much, Li Ruoshui had grown used to Chen Buyan’s curt single words. A cultivation fanatic who trained all day was bound to be a bit taciturn.

Li Ruoshui: “Will you travel with me then? I’ll take you across the Nine Provinces’ thousand mountains and waters.”

Truth be told, she hadn’t visited many places and didn’t know the roads well, but that was fine—she knew maps. Even if they got lost, a carefree “wander where the horse leads” tour would be nice.

But all that would have to wait until the calamity from the Return to Ruins Realm ended, right? Decades? Or a century?

On the other side, Lian Rusu’s gaze sharpened.

It was the first time someone had said such a thing to her.

Was this junior sister proposing a pact?

They had grown close through talks in the Tianyan Mirror, closer than most, but they had never met. After meeting, would they first seal a pact, then spend ten or even a hundred years getting to know each other?

With her Cave Heaven Realm cultivation, if she unleashed her divine sense without restraint, she could traverse the world in an instant.

But that was different from traveling mountains and rivers together, wasn’t it? Where would Junior Sister Shangshan take her after they met?

A seed of anticipation took root in Lian Rusu’s heart. She replied solemnly: “I will.”

This time, she would attend the Immortal Dao Conference personally.

—

After ending the call with Chen Buyan, Li Ruoshui stepped out of the cave.

The torrential rain outside had stopped.

Li Ruoshui mulled over the Prodigy List matters.