The Prodigies War

The Tianling Sect handled the matter with notable restraint. When Qing Feng was stopped at the mountain gate, they did not take excessive measures. After all, he was still a supreme elder of Tianwu Sect and the junior brother of Emperor Ancestor Qing Heng. The Tianling Sect had no intention of offending the Tianwu Sect over someone like him.

Instead, they proposed a condition. If Qing Feng could defeat a Tianling Sect disciple of the same cultivation level, he would be permitted to enter the sect and see Tian Ruojing.

Qing Feng agreed without hesitation. Then, he was beaten senseless. Even as he lay bloodied and broken, he refused to admit defeat. The entire battle was recorded on a jade slip. When the Tianling Sect sent Qing Feng back, unconscious, they also delivered the recording as well.

With that evidence in hand, Sect Leader Fu Yunzi had no grounds to lodge a complaint. Qing Feng had gone to the Tianling Sect of his accord. He had agreed to the challenge. Who could they blame?

After inheriting all of this, Lin Xun could not help but sigh. The man the sect called its disgrace, the figure others mocked as a laughingstock, was in truth simple-hearted and kind. His greatest flaw was that he understood neither human nature nor the ways of the world.

A man so lacking in worldly awareness would inevitably invite criticism. Whatever he did could easily be dismissed as overestimating himself, ignorant of his own limits, blind to the vastness of heaven and earth, and even courting death.

Despite that, Qing Feng did not care. His only wish was to remain by Tian Ruojing’s side and grow old with her. As for the malice and ridicule of the world, he paid them no heed.

Unfortunately, reality was merciless. A simple-hearted and almost foolishly naive man like Qing Feng was destined to struggle in the ruthless world of cultivation. Gaining a foothold there for him was no easy matter.

“So...it was love.”

After combing through Qin Feng’s memories once more, especially those concerning Tian Ruojing, Lin Xun finally understood. When a person endures endless setbacks and hardships, there were usually only two outcomes: either they collapse into despair, or they grow stronger, tempering their dao heart like steel forged in fire.

Qing Feng had done neither. He had not forged an indomitable dao heart nor had he fallen into despair. This was because, from the day he first met Tian Ruojing until now, for nine hundred long years, his heart had never changed. He remained hopelessly devoted.

Because of that devotion, he did not care about any slander or ridicule. Because of that devotion, he did not mind becoming a laughingstock or even a disgrace.

“Unfortunately...it is nothing more than one-sided love.” Lin Xun could not help but feel both a trace of amusement and a sense of sorrow. Immediately, he couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

Qing Feng had cultivated for a thousand years and held the title of supreme elder, so why had his cultivation remained stranded at the Cyclic Derivation Stage? If his aptitude was truly mediocre, how could he have been accepted into the Tianwu Sect in the first place? Something did not add up!

Lin Xun stilled his thoughts and quietly began to examine Qing Feng’s condition. It did not take long before he found the source of the problem. A shocking fissure tore through Qing Feng’s dao foundation! It was as though a massive boulder had been cleaved cleanly in two.

Under such circumstances, it was no wonder his cultivation had remained stranded at the Cyclic Derivation Stage. Even the most gifted genius would have been reduced to the same fate.

“Who inflicted such an irreparable wound upon his foundation?” Lin Xun began to sift through Qing Feng’s memories once more. After a long moment, his eyes narrowed. Understanding dawned.

Nine hundred years ago, Qing Feng had already reached the Cyclic Derivation Stage. At that time, he had cultivated for only a hundred years, and was already able to achieve such cultivation. That alone marked him as astonishingly gifted.

It was during that period that he first met Tian Ruojing and fell hopelessly in love. Back then, Tian Ruojing was merely at the Heaven Ascension Stage. However, her beauty was breathtaking, and her talent equally dazzling. Admirers surrounded her wherever she went.

At the time, Tian Ruojing held Qing Feng in high regard, and the two often traveled and explored together. Unfortunately, during one expedition into a secret realm, disaster struck. Tian Ruojing was caught in a deadly calamity. Without hesitation, Qing Feng stepped forward, stood against the killing tribulation and saved her life.

The calamity was ultimately resolved, but Qing Feng paid a devastating price. Though he survived, he was grievously wounded. When he finally recovered, he discovered that his dao foundation had suffered irreparable damage.

For any cultivator, there was no crueler blow. Despite that, Qing Feng did not regret it. What mattered to him was that he had saved Tian Ruojing, the woman he loved. At that time, Tian Ruojing had been deeply moved. She promised that one day she would remain by his side and grow old with him. Hearing those words, Qing Feng was overjoyed.

However, not long after they returned to their respective sects, a letter arrived from Tian Ruojing. In it, she gently explained that she had entered a critical juncture in her cultivation and would likely be unable to see him for some time.

Qing Feng was understanding. He waited with quiet hope, frequently writing to her, pouring his longing and devotion into every line of ink. At first, Tian Ruojing replied to each letter promptly. Then replies came every three to five days. Then every three to five months.

Any ordinary person would have sensed her feelings have changed. Qing Feng did not. He continued to wait, full of expectation.

Once, Tian Ruojing wrote to him with a request. What happened in the secret realm and how he had saved her must never be spoken of to anyone. He agreed without question. To this day, even his senior brother Qing Heng, his martial nephew Fu Yunzi, and the others remained unaware that the devastating damage to Qing Feng’s dao foundation was the price he had paid for saving her.

That alone revealed how deeply Qing Feng cared for Tian Ruojing. Even though he had endured years of ridicule and humiliation, he had never once exposed the truth. Year after year slipped by.

Qing Feng, who had long dreamed of growing old at Tian Ruojing’s side, eventually could no longer restrain himself. He began visiting the Tianling Sect in person to seek her out. Unfortunately, every time, the answer was the same: Tian Ruojing was in closed door cultivation.

Still, Qing Feng refused to give up. Every few days, he would return to inquire again. Gradually, word spread throughout the Tianling Sect that Qing Feng, the so-called laughingstock, was actually attempting to pursue Tian Ruojing. This ignited waves of ridicule and scorn.

Qing Feng did not waver. As time passed, mockery turned to open disdain. The entire Tianling Sect came to regard him with disgust. They had never expected his persistence to descend to such shameless extremes.

Meanwhile, the Tianwu Sect felt deeply humiliated by their supreme elder’s conduct. Many tried to reason with him, telling him that he and Tian Ruojing no longer belonged to the same world and urging him to let go. Even his senior brother Qing Heng personally sought out beautiful and accomplished women, hoping to persuade Qing Feng to shift his affections.

Despite that, Qing Feng’s devotion never wavered. In the end, no one in the Tianwu Sect bothered trying to dissuade him anymore.

After digesting these memories, Lin Xun’s brows slowly knit together. If Qing Feng’s love had merely been unrequited, if Tian Ruojing had never returned his feelings, then so be it. After all, blossoms may fall in longing while the water flows on in indifference. Such sorrows were common in this world.

Now it seemed the truth was far more complicated! Had Qing Feng not risked his life to save her back then, Tian Ruojing would likely have perished.

What troubled him even more was that, if she had never promised to remain by Qing Feng’s side, perhaps he would not have waited so stubbornly for nine hundred years. Even if she had changed her mind, would it not have been simple enough to tell him directly? Why drag it on, letting him cling to the faintest sliver of hope?

“It would be one thing if this woman had merely failed to honor her promise,” Lin Xun murmured inwardly. “But Qing Feng once saved her life. To repay kindness with indifference, to stand by and watch him become a disgrace to his sect and a laughingstock of the world because of her...how cold and selfish must her heart be!”

A flicker of anger stirred within him.

“Very well. Since I, Lin Xun, have temporarily borrowed your identity, your memories, and your life, then when I depart, I shall leave behind a favorable karmic destiny for you.” Lin Xun let out a long breath and his mind gradually settled into calm.

......

Three days later.

The Scripture Pavilion of the Tianwu Sect.

Lin Xun, now as Qing Feng, sat alone at a wooden desk, quietly turning the pages of a book in his hands.

From the side, Sect Leader Fu Yunzi spoke in a lowered voice, “Martial Uncle, Senior Martial Uncle Qing Heng has instructed that you are not to leave the sect again. From this day forward, you will remain here in the Scripture Pavilion. If there is anything you require, simply inform the disciples. So long as it lies within my power, I will see that it is done.”

“I understand,” Lin Xun replied absentmindedly.

Fu Yunzi turned to the two disciples stationed within the Scripture Pavilion. “From this day onward, attend to Supreme Elder Qing Feng with the utmost care. If there is even the slightest negligence, you will answer for it!”

“We respectfully obey the sect leader’s decree!” The two disciples cupped their fists and bowed in acknowledgement.

Fu Yunzi then turned back to Lin Xun. “Martial Uncle, is there anything further you would like us to attend to?”

“Nothing for now.” Lin Xun replied after a brief pause. “Staying here is in truth rather peaceful. Oh, one more thing. Convey a message to Senior Brother Qing Feng on my behalf. Tell him that I will not be going to see Tian Ruojing again and tell him to not worry about me.”

Among all within the Tianwu Sect, Qing Heng was the one who treated Qing Feng with the greatest kindness. The two had entered the sect together in their youths and to this day they were as close as true brothers.

Over the years, although Qing Feng had become the subject of countless jokes, Qing Heng had always shielded him with his power. That was precisely why, although many within the sect regarded Qing Feng as a disgrace, none dared openly slander or show him disrespect.

Fu Yunzi stood there in stunned silence, disbelief written across his face. “Martial Uncle...are you speaking the truth?”

Heavens! Could it be that after that brutal beating, Martial Uncle had finally come to his senses?

“Whether it is true or not, time will tell.” Lin Xun said calmly, giving a casual wave of his hand. “You are the sect leader. There are countless matters demanding your attention. There is no need for you to frequent the Scripture Pavilion in the future.”

Fu Yunzi let out an awkward sound, casting Lin Xun a doubtful glance. Only then did he turn and depart.

“You two may withdraw as well.” When Fu Yunzi had departed, Lin Xun turned his gaze toward the two disciples stationed within the Scripture Pavilion. One was called Chun Ning and the other Dai Yan.

“Elder, we...” They hesitated.

“I know why you are here,” Lin Xun said casually. “You were ordered to keep watch over me so I do not slip out of the sect again. But there is no need to remain inside. Simply stand guard outside the pavilion.”

Chun Ning and Dai Yan exchanged a glance before bowing in acknowledgement and withdrawing from the Scripture Pavilion.

“Remaining here in the Scripture Pavilion is not a bad arrangement. As long as I keep a low profile, no one should notice anything unusual about me...” Lin Xun murmured.

As a Dao Deriver, the moment his identity was exposed, the enemies scattered throughout this world would descend upon him without hesitation. After all, in his current state at the Cyclic Derivation Stage, he was at his weakest. Any enemy who arrived could easily eliminate him.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!