Chapter Fifty-Two: Taking Action

Before the time it took for half an incense stick to burn had passed, they already saw Shen Qingyun’s silhouette approaching. The leisurely, languid expressions of the three changed at once to seriousness and sobriety.

The sword-bearing disciple and the one with a hint of arrogance in his voice both leapt onto the stone beam, standing guard, while the last one grew even more relaxed, simply leaning against the stone wall with his eyes closed, resting.

They chose to stand on the stone beam for several reasons: first, the vantage point was broader, making it easier to keep Shen Qingyun under surveillance; second, it allowed them to guard against Shen Qingyun’s speed, as the narrow path below was entirely in view. This way, even if Shen Qingyun tried to rush through with speed, they could spot him in time.

But what they hadn’t anticipated was that Shen Qingyun had already noticed them…

From the bend in the path, the stone beam and narrow trail came into view, and naturally, so did the three of them.

“What refined tastes you all have, senior brothers!”

His voice arrived before he did.

After saying this, Shen Qingyun stepped out from the corner, smiling at them. “You three senior brothers are here instead of cultivating—did you come especially to wait for me?”

The two on the stone beam were taken aback. The sword-bearing disciple chuckled, “You’re exactly right, junior brother—we are waiting for you.”

The corners of Shen Qingyun’s lips curled up slightly. “Senior brother, there’s something I don’t understand—I hope you can enlighten me.”

The sword-bearing disciple raised an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Are you three, by any chance, disciples originally belonging to this Flying Cloud Peak?”

“No,” the sword-bearing disciple shook his head. “Those who can reside on Flying Cloud Peak are only the Grand Elder and his disciples.”

“So that’s how it is. Now it’s perfectly clear to me!”

Shen Qingyun’s mind was instantly clear. He realized he had misunderstood from the start. At first, he had thought Chen Weijie was a disciple of Flying Cloud Peak, shouldering the task of mountain guardian. But after sensing these three, Shen Qingyun began to doubt his guess.

Chen Weijie stopping him at the outset could be linked to a mountain guardian’s duty. But as soon as the stairs ended, the path wound on, and here at its beginning were three more people. Was that just a coincidence?

But this question of his dispelled his doubts. They weren’t disciples of Flying Cloud Peak, yet they were here, and specifically to block his way. There was only one possibility: they had been assigned here.

There were only two ways to summon disciples not belonging to Flying Cloud Peak: either through the Grand Elder’s authority or by another means. Given the Grand Elder’s character, he would never use his authority for such a trivial matter. The answer was now obvious.

The Hall of Missions.

The Grand Elder had posted a mission at the Hall, which was how these disciples came to be here. They were at the Spirit Aspect realm—already fit to be deacon elders—yet still retained the title of disciple. To bring them in, the Grand Elder had certainly gone to great lengths…

The disciple beside the sword-bearer spoke, “Even if you understand, it’s useless.”

“But since we’re all inner disciples, it wouldn’t be good to resort to violence. Still, our task is to stop you from passing. If you insist, you’ll force our hand.”

“What’s more, our strength surpasses yours, and we outnumber you. If we really fight, we’re worried we won’t be able to hold back and you’ll be hurt. So if you’re sensible, just turn around and go down the mountain. We finish our task, and no one gets hurt—a perfect solution.”

Although the words were meant to persuade, the speaker couldn’t help but let his arrogance show.

Shen Qingyun stood at the corner, raised his head with a smile. “Is that so? Then I must ask for your instruction.”

The sword-bearing disciple was at a loss, unable to fathom where Shen Qingyun’s confidence came from. A mere Qi Refining disciple daring to face three Spirit Aspect cultivators head-on—could it be that Shen Qingyun was a fool?

Only a fool would not know the gulf between Qi Refining and Spirit Aspect, only a fool would be so recklessly bold at the Qi Refining stage.

“So the rumors were true—ignorant of heaven and earth!”

The arrogant disciple gave a cold snort—clearly, he’d heard of Shen Qingyun’s reputation.

“Whether I’m ignorant or not, why not test it?” Shen Qingyun smiled. “Suppose I had a talisman of immense power and attacked the pillar supporting your stone beam. When the beam tilted and you were thrown off balance, if I acted with surprise and speed to defeat one of you, what then?”

The disciple below, who’d been resting with his eyes closed, cracked his eyes open at Shen Qingyun’s words, glanced at him, then closed them again.

But the two on the stone beam were anything but calm. The sword-bearing disciple’s smile vanished, a look of panic flickering in his eyes. He hadn’t considered this possibility!

The arrogant disciple snorted, but the sound lacked its usual decisiveness. “Would you really dare? Destroying sect property is punishable by the Discipline Hall!”

Shen Qingyun stepped forward, smiling faintly. “As I said—if I had one. Which means I don’t.”

“But your reactions taught me something new—even senior brothers can feel fear.”

The faces of the sword-bearing and arrogant disciples darkened—they finally realized Shen Qingyun had played them for fools.

Shen Qingyun shook his head. No matter how gifted these three might be, they were still too young. If he had truly intended to go all out, they wouldn’t have had time to speak at all.

Shen Qingyun walked to the base of the stone beam and called out in a deep voice, “Gentlemen, I’m about to make my attempt!”

The sword-bearing disciple no longer smiled, his tone now somber. “Very well, in that case, we won’t hold back!”

With a low growl, he barked, “Attack!”

At his command, the sword-bearing disciple released the sword from his arms. A cold light flashed—the blade was drawn.

Sword in hand, the disciple descended from above, thrusting for Shen Qingyun’s head.

With a thunderous rumble, a massive boulder materialized in the sky, blotting out the sun.

The arrogant disciple shouted, “Fang Ge, move aside!”

At the call, the sword-bearing Fang Ge looked up, his expression changing at once. Withdrawing his strike, he kicked off, as if stepping on an invisible wall of air, altering his trajectory in midair.

Landing to the side, he glared at the arrogant disciple still atop the stone beam. “Shi Yan, what are you doing?”

Shi Yan gave a cold, mocking laugh. “What am I doing? Seizing the first merit, of course! With your sword, when would you ever drive him off the path?”

“Better let me handle it—falling stone!”

With a shout, Shi Yan conjured a huge boulder out of thin air, sending it crashing down on Shen Qingyun.

From Shen Qingyun’s perspective, it was as if the sky had gone dark. Yet his face remained expressionless, as though the falling boulder were nothing but a pebble.

In truth, Shen Qingyun was inwardly bemused. At least they didn’t seem as united as they appeared on the surface—they were only together for the sake of the mission. But that wasn’t surprising: Spirit Aspect disciples, still called “disciples,” must be considered geniuses in the Cangyun Sect. And what genius, once exalted, is without pride?

Though they stood together, not one of them truly acknowledged the others in his heart.

In a single thought, the boulder crashed down.

Shen Qingyun’s expression was cool. He clenched his right fist, spiritual energy gathering. A fist of pure energy, larger than his own hand, formed and struck out at the boulder.

In an instant, the sound of mountains splitting and earth shattering echoed through the air...