Watching the Mountain

Chapter 250: Chapter 160: Hidden Mountain

Xu Ran thought he was refusing because the gift was too precious and tried to reassure him:

"Don’t worry. It may be precious, but it’s nothing to me. Please, just accept it."

But to his surprise, Li Daoyi shook his head and said, "That’s not it. I simply have no need for Healing Elixirs."

"Hmm?" Xu Ran uttered, surprised. He stared silently at Li Daoyi.

Those words sounded familiar. Someone else had once said the same thing.

Li Daoyi continued, "I’ve heard that Sword Dao Ye Shan never uses Healing Elixirs. He believes they’re only for the weak, so every time he acquires some, he gives them away to random fellow sect members."

"It’s not my place to judge his words, but I agree with him on one point: for those who aspire to greatness, Healing Elixirs are a crutch. They hinder your path to power and breed complacency."

"The strong stay strong. They never entertain the thought of defeat. Ever since I set foot on the path of cultivation, I have never once prepared a Healing Elixir for myself."

"So, my apologies, Martial Uncle. I cannot accept your welcoming gift."

His tone was calm and concise, lacking the boisterous energy of most youths, but it concealed an absolute pride.

Xu Ran silently stared at the reserved youth before him. After a moment of contemplation, he asked:

"Is Ye Shan your goal?"

He had assumed from Li Daoyi’s words that the boy was one of Ye Shan’s ardent admirers.

But Li Daoyi replied without a moment’s hesitation, "I stand in awe of Sword Dao Ye Shan’s power, but he is not my goal."

Xu Ran gave him a puzzled look. ’Is it just my imagination, or does he seem to dislike Ye Shan? It’s almost like he looks down on him.’

As Xu Ran was pondering this, Li Daoyi paused for a moment before continuing:

"Sword Dao Ye Shan is strong, but he has never brought anything to the Sect, nor has he made the Sect stronger. In this regard, he is far inferior to my Master."

"My Master fought for our Sect in the New Domain, acquiring vast resources. Although the New Domain is now occupied by the Demon Race, that cannot erase my Master’s achievements."

"And Sword Dao Ye Shan? What has he ever done for the Sect?"

Li Daoyi had surprised Xu Ran several times since they’d met, and his words now did so once more.

"But didn’t Senior Brother Ye Shan resolve a major crisis for the Cultivation Realm?" Xu Ran tried to defend him.

Hearing this, Li Daoyi nodded. "On that point, he is indeed admirable. But at the same time, the Sect gained nothing from his actions, did it?"

"In fact, after all he did, the Sect didn’t even receive a single word of thanks from the Cultivation Realm."

"People only remember Sword Dao Ye Shan, but they don’t know of the Profound Pure Sect."

"I’ve heard the stories. The first time he emerged to fight for the Sect, he cost us the chance to develop a Secret Realm. His actions later led to retaliation against the Sect, causing grievous losses. Even Divine Sword Peak, his own home, was destroyed because of it."

"After that, he vanished. The next time he appeared, it was to unleash that brilliant sword strike, making the world remember the name Sword Dao Ye Shan. No one knows what he saw in the interim that made him unleash that strike so suddenly."

"His heart had long since melted into Heaven and Earth, allowing him to perceive things ordinary people could not. Judging from everything that happened after, he truly did save this land ahead of time."

"However, it is also true that he never brought anything to the Sect. To put it bluntly, he only brought disaster to the Sect."

"I admire him, but I will not see him as my goal. I will surpass him, and then lead the Sect to greatness."

Xu Ran remained silent. He and Ye Shan were close, but he didn’t rebuke Li Daoyi for his statements.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. He could dislike and disagree with Li Daoyi’s statements, but he couldn’t force the boy to share his own views.

Besides, strictly speaking, the boy’s point wasn’t wrong. Looking at the results, the Profound Pure Sect hadn’t truly grown any stronger because of Ye Shan.

After the Secret Realm incident, Ye Shan had done nothing more for the Sect. The only thing he left for the Sect was Ye Shu, who was still practicing the Basic Sword Technique, his Cultivation stuck at the Purple Mansion Stage, with no telling when he might break through.

Of course, this didn’t mean Xu Ran agreed with Li Daoyi’s viewpoint.

Ye Shan had indeed done little for the Sect, but without that one sword strike, this land would have long ago fallen into endless turmoil. It was anyone’s guess whether the Sect would have even survived.

’No matter what, in my heart, Ye Shan will always be the Senior Brother who saved the world, the one who allowed me to continue living a peaceful life within the Sect instead of being forced to wander as a refugee.’

Perhaps feeling Li Daoyi had said more than enough, Zhang Zhentian, who had been standing to the side, finally intervened. He raised a hand, stopping the conversation.

"Alright, Daoyi. I brought you here to introduce you to a senior brother of mine. His Cultivation may not be on my level, but he is a powerful and reliable man. A large part of why I have the strength I do today is thanks to him."

He paused, and as if recalling something, added:

"Oh, right. The Sword Dao Ye Shan you mentioned is also his closest friend. In fact, his Swordsmanship was taught to him by Senior Brother Ye Shan himself."

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