"Should I nod?! Young master, say something, young master!"

 

Lin Jie's face turned green.

He scanned the surroundings, then turned back to look in the direction of the elevator behind him. He found no unusual activity within the sect, which meant that this person, Huo Junxiao, had indeed passed through the multifunctional barrier of Hengtian Gate without alerting anyone. How incredible!

The prohibition was set up by the sect master and the four elders of Hengtian Gate, but this person actually broke it with a flick of his finger! Just who was this Huo Junxiao?!

Most infuriatingly, after this great deity brought two utterly helpless individuals inside, he actually turned back to look at the security door, now restored to its usual state, and then arched an eyebrow at Lin Jie, asking, "The prohibition level is too high?"

Is this mockery? This is blatant mockery, right!

Lin Jie silently spat out a mouthful of blood, then forced a dry laugh and said to Huo Junxiao, "For me."

While Lin Jie was surprised by Huo Junxiao's strength, the changes in Lin Jie also surprised Bai Ke and Bai Zixu, who had stood still after passing through the security door.

They had just seen this person wearing a short-sleeved white T-shirt and casual denim shorts, with a short prickly haircut, suddenly transform into someone wearing a bun and a gray-blue hemmed robe with broad sleeves.

And the four elevators behind him didn't look normal either. Instead, they had ancient-style doorways, each labeled with Stone Screen Peak, Cloudwater Cliff, Hengtian Hall, and Wan Tide Valley.

"This door..." Bai Ke looked at everything in front of him, then turned back to look at the security door, feeling quite surprised.

After putting on his robe, Lin Jie seemed to have changed into a more respectable appearance. He pointed to the door and explained, "This prohibition also includes illusions, disguise techniques, and other charms. The view outside the door is completely different from the view inside."

Bai Zixu, whose attention was diverted by this magical trick, finally stopped muttering like Tang Sanzang (NT: the Buddhist monk, main character of ‘Journey to the West’) and found some peace for his ears. Bai Ke, who rarely had a moment of quiet because of his blindness and Bai Zixu's constant chatter, couldn't help but thank Hengtian Gate.

But as soon as Lin Jie finished his explanation with a pretense of solemnity, he suddenly jumped up, revealing his impetuous nature. Pointing at Bai Ke, he shouted, "Aren't you blind?"

Bai Ke calmly nodded, "Yes, I'm blind. But I can see without opening my eyes."

Lin Jie: "...”  What kind of nonsense is that?

So what exactly were the people he encountered this time? One was a mysterious expert whose cultivation was comparable to that of the sect master, and the other was a blind person who could see even with his eyes closed, accompanied by a crazy father.

Lin Jie felt a bit uncomfortable.

But clearly, now was not the time to dwell on these things. So he swallowed his doubts and turned to Huo Junxiao. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Huo Junxiao, who was standing next to Bai Ke, pulling Bai Zixu and disappearing in front of Bai Ke and Lin Jie.

Lin Jie: "..." This senior was truly a charlatan. He hadn't even spoken yet, and Huo Junxiao automatically took Bai Zixu with him into invisibility.

"Let's go," Bai Ke patted Lin Jie's shoulder and then looked at the four elevator doors, asking, "Where are we going?"

"Hengtian Hall," Lin Jie said, then touched a relief sculpture of a beast's head on the side of the elevator door, and the door opened.

Instead of a regular elevator compartment, inside the elevator door was a misty white fog. Bai Ke even felt a moist mist on his cheeks, bringing a freshness not found in the city.

Lin Jie stepped into the fog first, followed closely by Bai Ke.

As soon as they entered the mist, Bai Ke felt a dizziness and a buzzing in his ears. The next moment, the scenery in front of him changed.

They seemed to have instantly arrived at the top of a mountain. It was a vast square, with an elegant building to the east, winding steps to the west leading down the mountain, and as far as the eye could see, there were undulating mountain ranges and a sea of clouds. Directly in front of them to the north stood a towering building, ancient and solemn, with a strange stone in front of the door, bearing three characters: Hengtian Hall (NT: 恒天殿).

 

Born and raised in Yishi City, Bai Ke had never seen such a sight before. Although what he saw was different from what others saw, it didn't diminish the awe-inspiring feeling brought about by the vast scenery.

However, unlike what he usually saw, the contours of the scenery here were so clear that it was surprising.

He could even see the clouds swirling and moving around the mountaintop.

But before he could take more than a few glances, he heard a hoarse voice abruptly sounding beside him, "Xiao Lin, are these the children your two senior brothers picked?"

Bai Ke suddenly turned around, subconsciously stepping back. He saw a slender middle-aged man of about forty standing in front of Lin Jie, stroking a strand of beard on his chin, squinting as he looked Lin Jie up and down.

This man had an ordinary appearance, but he stood tall and straight. Coupled with his meticulously arranged bun and a robe with a wide black border on a white background, he looked very spirited and suitable for intimidating people.

However, influenced by Huo Junxiao's previous evaluation of Hengtian Gate, Bai Ke unavoidably viewed Lin Jie's master with a subjective color, always feeling that Lin Jie's master looked very stern and not like a good person.

Despite appearing much more mature than his actual age on weekdays, and although he spoke little, he was polite to others, beneath this deceptive appearance lay a rebellious nature, occasionally poking out to challenge people.

So, when Lin Jie bowed to his master and introduced Bai Ke, Bai Ke didn't even nod his head, standing straight beside him pretending to be deaf and dumb.

The Elder Hongxian's hand, stroking his beard, trembled, and he turned to Lin Jie, "Xiao Lin, is this person not only blind but also deaf and dumb?"

Lin Jie: "..." Should I nod or not! Young master, say something, young master!

After staring at Bai Ke for a long time, Lin Jie dryly said, "No, he's probably just dumbfounded by the momentum of our sect and hasn't come to his senses yet."

Elder Hongxian shook his head again, "He can't see at all, he hasn't even opened his eyes. How can he feel the momentum of our sect?"

Lin Jie: "...With his heart."

Elder Hongxian: "..."

After Bai Ke had enough of being ignored, he spoke blandly, "I'm just blind."

Hearing him speak, Elder Hongxian frowned and asked, "Then why didn't you speak earlier?"

Bai Ke: "Shy."

Lin Jie: "...”  You're standing so straight, with a face that says 'I disdain to talk to you,' is it really necessary to say this one word?

Elder Hongxian: "...” I don't want to talk to this person anymore.

With a "humph," he flicked his sleeve and led the way forward. Throughout the whole encounter, he didn't even spare a glance at Bai Ke’s neck, as if he had only come to see the new disciples and assess their aptitude, completely different from his demeanor on the phone yesterday. It was obvious he was putting on a show.

Lin Jie and Bai Ke followed behind him into the Hengtian Hall. To accommodate Bai Ke's "blindness," Lin Jie pretended to support him all the way, reminding him to climb stairs and step over the threshold.

The layout inside the Hengtian Hall matched the overall tone of the entire hall exterior, with a primary color scheme and a solemn yet elegant atmosphere. The hall was tall and wide, making people naturally stand up straight.

In the innermost part of the main hall stood a jade statue, with delicate contours and a slim and handsome figure, dressed in elegant robes. However, the statue was covered with a black cloak over his face, leaving only his slim jaw visible.

Beneath the statue stood a person with his hands behind his back, also looking up at the statue, lost in thought. He wore a robe similar to Hongxian's, but he was much taller and more imposing than Hongxian, and even his posture exuded a commanding presence. It seemed that he was the sect master of Hengtian Gate.

After Bai Ke and the others stood still, the man turned around.

To Bai Ke's surprise, this man appeared much younger than Hongxian, probably only around thirty years old, with attractive features. However, his eyes lacked the vigor and vitality that a person in their thirties should have. Instead, they were lifeless, making people feel extremely uncomfortable when he stared at them. Contrary to his mismatched eyes, he had naturally upturned lips, which seemed to carry a hint of a smile at all times.

Such lips on someone else's face would probably add three points of affinity out of thin air, but on this man's face, they seemed extremely awkward.

Despite his excellent features, he failed to show any charm at all. It had to be said, he was also quite talented.

In front of this man, Hongxian became extremely respectful, and Lin Jie seemed a bit nervous, but Bai Ke remained the same as before.

By now, he had vaguely grasped the pattern of how his eyes worked —

Until just now, among all the people he had seen over the years, Huo Junxiao's clarity far exceeded that of others, almost like a black and white photograph. Then came Elder Hongxian, who, although inferior to Huo Junxiao, was far better than others. Next were the two who blocked the door with three monsters; Lin Jie was far worse than them...

It seemed that this clarity was very likely linked to their cultivation. The more powerful a person is, the clearer they appeared.

Most of the people he had previously encountered were ordinary people, so he couldn't discern this pattern. However, lately, he had encountered one person after another related to cultivation, so the logic behind it became apparent.

However, after understanding this pattern, Bai Ke's mind was filled with several questions —

Firstly, if it was linked to cultivation, then why were Auntie Pang and Zongzi placed between Elder Hongxian and the two disciples of Hengtian Gate... What kind of people were they?

Secondly, Bai Zixu, such a crazy person, and even his own father, why was he sometimes clearer than other ordinary people, and could even keep up with Lin Jie; but sometimes he was dim and dull, lost among the crowd?

Lastly, the grandmaster of the legendary top sect Hengtian Gate...

Why was his clarity not as good as Huo Junxiao's?!! And it was not just a little bit worse?!

 

--

Small theater:

Huo Junxiao's daily life at the Yunfu Hall:

1 - Teasing Junior Brother Wunan

2 - Teasing Junior Sister Shenhan

3 - Getting teased by Senior Ancestor Salted Fish

4 - Getting punished by Master

One day, Jun Xiao successfully teased the "boring" junior brother into becoming "lively and animated," the latter wanting to slap him to death; then he teased the junior sister from laughter to tears, and then from tears back to laughter, almost causing her facial nerves to malfunction.

Then, this ancestor nonchalantly walked out of the hall with a piece of cloud bamboo leaf in his mouth, only to be grabbed by his collar and dragged onto the roof by Lord Yu Xian, who was drinking wine on the rooftop.

These two, the old and the young, were so incorrigible that they made an agreement a while ago.

It all started when Huo Junxiao, who had been bored at the Yusheng Gate for nearly a year, wanted to go home and visit during the Mid-Autumn Festival and play around with his fellow disciple. According to the rules, once a disciple of Yusheng Sect ascended the mountain, they severed worldly ties and were not allowed to descend the mountain without reason. However, Huo Junxiao, who usually didn't bother to use his brain, had a rare moment of smartness. Instead of asking Bai Lingchen, who had a dull personality, he went to his salty fish senior ancestor, who wasn't very rule-abiding himself.

Yu Xian readily agreed to Huo Junxiao's request, but with one condition — he would snatch Huo Junxiao's waist pendant, symbolizing the disciple of the sect master, every day. Before sunset, as long as Huo Junxiao could catch up to him and touch the pendant, it would count as a win. If Huo Junxiao could win once before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Yu Xian would take him down the mountain.

Of course, for the sake of fairness, Yu Xian could only use the most basic spells.

On this day, after Yu Xian dragged Huo Junxiao onto the roof and casually took away the pendant, he disappeared with a flicker. After being played with for over a month, Huo Junxiao had made significant progress recently. Almost without any hesitation, he jumped out like a monkey and chased after Yu Xian's disappearing figure, vanishing as well.

Two figures dashed around the top of Yunfu Peak like epileptic ghosts, startling the young disciples who were watching.

Yu Xian muttered to himself, "This brat's reaction is getting faster and faster!" as he dodged Huo Junxiao's claws time and time again.

Until the sun was about to set, Huo Junxiao seized the last opportunity, swiping at Yu Xian with his claws. The angle of this swipe was tricky, and the speed was astonishing, almost impossible to avoid.

The shameless Salted Fish Immortal saw that he had been forced to the edge of the Yunfu Peak's boundary and that Huo Junxiao would touch the pendant in the next moment. So, he reached out and made a finger gesture, tapping on the barrier with a smile. With a flicker, he disappeared outside the Yunfu Peak.

As for Huo Junxiao behind him, he didn't brake in time, crashing into the barrier like hitting an invisible ice wall. With a "puh" sound, he stuck to the barrier, then slowly slid down, his nose bleeding profusely.

"......"

The Salted Fish Immortal looked guilty and felt that he had played enough, so he cleared his throat and walked back into the forbidden area with the pendant in hand, saying, "Alright kid, I'll count it as your win. You can come out with me for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Huo Junxiao, who was pretending to be dead, suddenly sprang up with a cheer, happily taking the pendant and bouncing back to the Yunfu Hall. As he bounced, he turned back and shouted to Yu Xian, "Senior Salted Fish, wait for me! One day, I'll also be able to pass through this barrier easily! And, there's a little bit of wine left in your pot that I accidentally poured into the little junior sister's milk bowl earlier!"

Yu Xian: "......"

That night, Bai Lingchen, who returned after dealing with matters, looked at the three brats standing in front of him with black heads, feeling like he was probably going to have a shortened lifespan — Wu Nan, who had always been gentle and quiet, was rolling around somewhere like a muddy dog; Shen Han, who had just learned to walk and was still swaying a bit, had a toothy grin with two drunken blushes on his cheeks, smiling foolishly; and finally, the upright Ke, playing with the pendant in his hand, with disheveled hair and dragging two conspicuous streams of nosebleeds.

Since he took in three direct disciples, the once tranquil Yunfu Hall had never been peaceful for half a day.

 

Translator : DarNan