After Sheng Jun Chapter 13 (Part 1)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 13 Too Close (part 1)
Jiang Xingzhi was extremely driven.
After returning from Qingfeng Pavilion, his figure appeared successively in various major sects.
The opening of the secret realm was a major event across the Three Realms. While everyone was delighted, they couldn't help but ask, "How does Divine Lamp Daren know this so clearly?"
Jiang Xingzhi, face unruffled and breathing steady, replied, "This Lord is an ancient remnant spirit who has lived for countless years. How could I not know about a minor secret realm that appears only once every thousand years?"
His tone was arrogant, but his manner was completely natural, making those who had harbored a trace of doubt feel ashamed of their own shallow ignorance.
After successfully spreading the news, Jiang Xingzhi proceeded to mobilize enthusiasm from all sides, calling for everyone to work together and search for precious materials.
He also emphasized that the key step to opening the secret realm required ancient bloodline, to prevent the sects from joining forces and betraying him afterward.
Someone cautious asked, "May I ask, Daren, when will the secret realm open?"
Jiang Xingzhi fell silent for a moment, then clasped his hands and looked toward the heavens, devoutly closing his eyes. "Wait for the second divine revelation."
"......"
However, while he might be deceiving others, he couldn't truly just sit and wait for divine revelation from the heavens.
After distributing the task of collecting precious materials, Jiang Xingzhi prepared to personally set out for Youpo Lake to investigate the situation and calculate when the secret realm would open.
****
Guixue Sect, Main Hall.
Inside the newly built main hall, the first sect meeting was taking place.
As Jiang Xingzhi was about to leave for an unknown number of days, he first arranged everything in the sect.
"I have matters to attend to and must go on a distant journey. I may not be able to return at any time. Remember to carry the barrier pass, try to reduce outings, don't open the door to strangers..."
Zhu Yan did not know whether to cry or laugh, nodding in agreement.
Zhong Ming listened with a headache. "Are you also going to tell us not to talk to strangers and not to follow them home?"
Jiang Xingzhi pointed and admonished, "You two shouldn't be impatient. Look how seriously Xiao Xu is taking this."
Two gazes turned, and they saw Zhu Xu diligently writing. Zhu Xu looked up from his little notebook, eyes reverent. "The Sect Master's words are all adages, which should be recorded for self-encouragement!"
Jiang Xingzhi was gratified. "A promising youngster indeed. No wonder I felt you had potential the first time I saw you."
As he spoke, he glanced at Zhu Xu's little notebook, his gaze seemingly catching the phrase "who's on top is still uncertain."
...Wait, why was he recording that?
"By the way, Sect Master," Zhu Yan spoke up, interrupting his stare.
Jiang Xingzhi temporarily stopped trying to figure out what this child was recording and turned to ask, "What is it?"
"The sect has been tidied up quite well, most of the pavilions and courtyards have been built, the mountain weeds have all been cleared, and 'Guixue Sect' has been hung at the mountain gate. Is it time to start recruiting people?"
"No hurry," Jiang Xingzhi leaned back in his red wood armchair, completely at ease. "The time is not yet ripe. When the time comes, we'll make a big splash."
Zhu Yan's heart skipped a beat. "What?"
...What timing? What big splash??
Beside him, Zhu Xu was again diligently writing.
After arranging the sect's trivial matters, Jiang Xingzhi returned to his room to pack and prepare to leave. As he stepped out of the courtyard, he found a figure standing under the pear blossom tree in front of the yard, as if waiting for him.
"Brother Bai, what is it?"
"What is it?" Zhong Ming said. "Naturally, I'm waiting to set out with you."
"You're coming too?" Jiang Xingzhi asked. "This isn't a sect banquet; we don't need to be bound together."
Zhong Ming gave a cold laugh. "Don't need me anymore, discard after use."
Jiang Xingzhi felt weary. How did this person twist his meaning? "Aren't you still seeking revenge?"
"My life isn't just about seeking revenge. I'm also interested in the news about the secret realm."
"Indeed," Jiang Xingzhi nodded. "If you're willing, then let's go together."
A satisfied smile finally appeared on that cold face. "Of course I'm willing."
****
Youpo Lake was located in a remote valley south of Jiuzhou.
Jiang Xingzhi remembered that a thousand years later, that valley would be called "No Return Valley." There was some mysterious mechanism in the sky above the valley; space was twisted and overlapping, making it impossible to fly into the center where Youpo Lake was. To enter the valley, one could only travel through the ground below.
The terrain of the valley below was deep and shrouded in mist, with dense forests and ancient trees blocking the sun. Even cultivators could easily get lost within.
When the two arrived at the valley, they saw that the foliage was not as dense as it would be a thousand years later, but the towering rocks and strange terrain remained.
Jiang Xingzhi took the first step forward, cautioning Zhong Ming behind him, "Stay close to me; don't get lost."
"Afraid I'll get lost?"
"Of course, otherwise it would take a lot of time to fish you out."
After saying this, Jiang Xingzhi proceeded toward the direction of Youpo Lake at the center of the valley, relying on his memory.
Zhong Ming curved his lips into a smile and followed closely.
Upon first entering the valley, they could still distinguish objects ahead, but as they approached the deeper parts, the mountain mist grew increasingly thick until everything was almost completely white. They could only rely on their divine consciousness to discern direction and terrain.
Fortunately, Jiang Xingzhi had traveled this path several times before, and the terrain hadn't changed much in a thousand years. Before long, the dense fog gradually cleared, and their vision became clearer.
The two had passed through the outer mist barrier and reached the central area of the valley.
After bringing Zhong Ming in, Jiang Xingzhi arrogantly patted himself. "Am I impressive or what?"
Zhong Ming said, "Very impressive, finding it so quickly on your first visit."
That phrase "first visit" was slightly emphasized.
Jiang Xingzhi gently dropped his affected posture. "...Not really, just a man's intuition."
Zhong Ming laughed once but didn't pursue the matter further.
Moving forward around a small path at the bottom of the valley was Youpo Lake. As the two approached the lake, they suddenly heard several faint voices.
Two males and one female, all sounding very young:
"Senior brother, do we really have to go down?"
"After all, it's a test; we can't not complete it. Junior sister, if you're afraid, eldest senior brother will go down first to test the water."
"Yes, you wait on the shore, and I'll go with eldest senior brother."
...Test the water? What kind of water? Weak water??
Jiang Xingzhi's pupils contracted in shock, and his feet moved quickly toward the source of the sound.
The rapidly moving figure turned around a bend, and the scene suddenly opened up—a quiet lake lay in the embrace of surrounding mountains. The lake surface reflected the sky and the surrounding mountains. There wasn't even a slight breeze in the valley; the huge lake was perfectly still.
Near the lake's edge stood two males and one female. All three wore uniform blue and white robes, suggesting they were fellow disciples from the same sect.
The young woman stood slightly farther away, while the two young men were about to leap into the lake.
Just as their forms took to the air, a pair of hands grabbed their collars—the next moment, the two fell back to the ground with a "thud." "Who...!" They looked up to see a figure in indigo blue standing by the lake, as clear as moonlight and graceful as the wind.
Jiang Xingzhi asked, "Do you know the difference between jumping in and putting dumplings in water?"
The three were still confused, their minds blank. "What difference?"
Jiang Xingzhi smiled warmly. "Dumplings float back up when put in water, but people who jump into weak water can't even float their corpses back up."
"......"
After a moment, the older youth finally came to his senses. "This, this is the legendary weak water!"
"You don't even know what this is, yet you dare to jump in?" A different voice from before resonated deeply. The three disciples from Yuhua Sect then noticed another figure had appeared behind Jiang Xingzhi at some point.
Zhong Ming, dressed all in black, approached with a look of natural intimidation.
The three felt a tightness in their hearts. Then they saw the blue-robed youth pat the other person, and turn to them, saying, "So who told you to come here?"
****
Shortly afterward, the five sat down on the shore of the lake.
The three slowly explained: they were fellow disciples from Yuhua Sect, Ping Lan was the eldest senior brother, Lin Kuo was the second senior brother, and Pei Yin was the junior sister. Yuhua Sect disciples had to complete tests arranged by their masters whenever they broke through to a new level. This test required them to retrieve a budding "flower" from the bottom of the lake.
"A budding flower?" Jiang Xingzhi asked. "Who assigned you this test?"
Ping Lan said, "It was our martial uncle, and he also gave us the map. We almost couldn't get out of the mist barrier earlier; we were trapped inside for five days. Fortunately, junior sister led us out."
Jiang Xingzhi looked at the young woman.
Pei Yin proudly raised her head, the small bells on her hairband jingling, "You may not believe it, but this is woman's intuition!"
The familiar phrase seemed still warm, and Jiang Xingzhi firmly supported it, "Of course I believe it."
Zhong Ming glanced at him, "......"
Pei Yin giggled, "This fellow cultivator is so agreeable."
Soon she put away her smile, "But according to what you said, if the outer ring of this lake is all weak water, isn't our martial uncle sending us to our deaths by assigning us this test?"
The two senior brothers opposite her exchanged glances, seeing gravity in each other's eyes.
Jiang Xingzhi was also grave, "The adult world is just that complex."
Everyone, "......"
After making this comment, he temporarily set aside the complexity of the adult world.
People who entered Youpo Lake never returned, yet Yuhua Sect's "martial uncle" said there was a budding "flower" at the bottom of the lake, and even made this a test item for several Foundation Establishment disciples.
Was it simply made up to harm fellow disciples, or had he received some information from somewhere?