I Might Be a Big Shot — Chapter 24
Who was this person?
This was the question in every cultivator’s heart.
The demonic energy that even so many Great Ascension cultivators working together couldn’t suppress had been sealed with a single move by this man. His power may not have matched the combined strength of all present, but his understanding of the formation’s operation had reached an inconceivable level. That one sword strike hit precisely at the center of the exorcising formation, patching the breach through which the demonic energy was invading, and successfully perfected the formation, enabling it to keep functioning and suppressing the demonic energy.
But that wasn’t enough. The exorcising formation was only a temporary one and was not powerful enough to completely seal the demonic energy. Yet this man casually drew two swords, which turned out to be the Twin Swords of Purple and Azure. The twin swords awakened the baleful energy within the Sword Tomb, while the iron sword left behind by Xue Qianjie could absorb blood and souls. The blood left by the disciple who tried to destroy the Sword Tomb was completely absorbed by the iron sword.
Perfecting the exorcising formation, awakening the Twin Swords of Purple and Azure, absorbing the blood that broke the seal — these three actions cut off the possibility of demonic invasion at its root, completely resolving the crisis.
Lastly, he used the myriad swords’ resonance to make Xue Qianjie’s remnant image appear in the iron sword, confirming what Sage Yipin had said earlier.
What was truly terrifying about this man was not his cultivation, but his discernment. The two actions he took, though simple, were perfectly linked — striking a sword was easy, but striking the right spot was hard; drawing a sword was easy, but drawing the right sword was hard.
Just who was he, to accomplish this? How deep was his understanding of Heaven's Order that he could resolve a crisis with such effortless precision?
Changkong Zhuoyu descended from the Sword Tomb under the watchful eyes of everyone, not flying but walking down in the air. Though there was nothing beneath his feet, he walked as if stepping on invisible stairs, relaxed and unhurried.
It was impossible to fly at the Sword Tomb of Mount Shu — no one could defy the might of the myriad swords and could only ascend or descend the mountain step by step.
But Changkong Zhuoyu had flown up earlier and now appeared to walk though he was still flying.
Changkong Zhuoyu all but descended from the heavens, his hands clasped behind his back, his robe billowing. He curved his lips slightly, looking at the cultivators.
“You…” The law-enforcing elder of Kunlun stepped forward, incredulous. “The technique you just used… why is it the mind technique of my Kunlun sect?”
It wasn’t that the elder wanted to claim him just because he was strong, but because the technique Changkong Zhuoyu used while descending was unmistakably from Kunlun — and it was a mind technique forbidden to non-core disciples. Kunlun and Mount Shu were similar in that no one could fly within their sacred grounds under the pressure of the divine formation. But Kunlun’s mind technique was special; core disciples trained in it could resist the divine formation’s power and fly within the sect.
Naturally, every major sect with a divine formation had ways to fly within their grounds; otherwise, relying only on legs, they would never respond in time to emergencies. Mount Shu and Emei had such methods as well, but Kunlun was different from the rest.
In the Kunlun Valley lies the ancient Jade Pool. According to legend, this is the dwelling place of countless divine beasts — spirit cultivators who possess a divine spark, tracing their origin to the bloodline of the ancient Four Sacred Beasts. It is said that the Jade Pool houses the Azure Dragon, the Qilin, and the Black Tortoise, among others.
Of course, this is only a legend — even among the Kunlun sect itself, no one has ever seen these divine beasts. But the ancient Jade Pool did exist in the back mountains of Kunlun {the remove, forbidden regions of the mountain range, away from the main peak}, sealing who-knew-how-many treasures within it. Under its divine power, core disciples who entered the inner sect couldn’t even cultivate without learning methods to resist its power. Hence Kunlun’s mind technique was quite unique and recognizable at a glance. And the technique Changkong Zhuoyu just used was precisely Kunlun’s.
Li Xinglun, as a disciple from a minor family, had never heard of such things. Now, everyone had returned to the main hall. Those who were injured, like Master Wuyin, went to their rooms to recuperate, while the rest were all curious about Changkong Zhuoyu and followed him into the hall to observe.
Changkong Zhuoyu himself had harbored doubts about being Yin Changkong, especially after the matter of Xue Qianjie earlier made him less certain, afraid of being exposed again. Failing to recover his memory was one thing, but being humiliated was another. But now, hearing the elder say that, he could finally relax and confirm that he was indeed Yin Changkong.
At this thought, the tassel from the destroyed wooden sword transformed into a knotted cord, tying his hair into a Daoist topknot. His white robe gradually changed into a cyan Daoist robe. Just moments ago, he had seemed like a transcendent immortal; now, sitting in the hall, he exuded a different kind of solemnity, his presence no less than Sage Yipin’s.
Li Xinglun: “…”
He was utterly baffled. How did his master cultivate this ability to play any role perfectly just by hearing others talk? Back at Hundred Flowers sect, if not for his later hands-on-hips and turned-up-nose antics, Li Xinglun would almost have believed he was Xue Qianjie, so flawless was his act.
In the cultivation world, appearances could be changed, and identifying someone by sight was unreliable. Often people relied on divine sense, techniques, aura, intuition — appearance was just a small factor. Looking different, or even having a different gender, didn’t matter — perhaps someone chose to change gender upon reincarnation.
At this moment, Li Xinglun couldn’t help but feel a faint suspicion. No matter how good his acting, could his master really impersonate someone so perfectly just based on hearsay, unless he had actually met both Xue Qianjie and Yin Changkong…
Perhaps he even had some deep connection to Yin Changkong.
Given what he knew of his master, the name ‘Changkong’ was surely not chosen casually — perhaps it really referred to Yin Changkong.
And when he thought of how his master might have such a deep connection to someone that he forgot everything else but still remembered their name, Li Xinglun felt a pang of sourness in his heart. He didn’t quite understand why he felt this way, but now was definitely not the time to let it fester. He steeled himself, stood properly behind Changkong Zhuoyu, and kept a close watch on him, ready to intervene the moment his master faltered.
After these days of wandering the cultivation world, Changkong Zhuoyu had clearly grown more composed. Even now he hadn’t spoken, his eyes carrying a complex mix of friendliness, nostalgia, unspoken words, and unacknowledged ties as he looked at the elder.
That deep gaze made the elder feel a strange guilt, as if he had wronged this man before. He shook the thought from his mind and said to Changkong Zhuoyu: “Daoist friend, you said you’d explain once we returned, but you’ve said nothing and even changed clothes. What does this mean?”
Changkong Zhuoyu continued looking at him with eyes that seemed to say, “Do you not recognize me either?” — so much so that the Kunlun elder’s hair stood on end. Then, in a tone of helpless resignation, he sighed: “Elder Yin, I have my reasons. Please don’t press me.”
Elder Yin forced down his goosebumps and hardened his heart: “No matter your reasons, this is Kunlun’s forbidden mind technique. How do you explain that?”
Changkong Zhuoyu looked at him for a while with eyes full of reproach, then turned his gaze to Sage Yipin, silently asking for help.
Sage Yipin: “…”
Li Xinglun: “…”
He realized that since discovering he wasn’t Xue Qianjie, his master had become more mature. He no longer spoke unnecessarily but used his eyes instead. If others misunderstood, that wasn’t his fault.
It seemed his master was an incredibly fast learner. In just a few days he had mastered this — at this rate, wouldn’t there be nothing his master couldn’t do?
Seeing Changkong Zhuoyu’s gaze, Sage Yipin recalled him saying he’d lost his memory and stubbornly believed himself to be a demonic cultivator. He assumed Changkong Zhuoyu was now at a loss for how to explain why he knew Kunlun’s mind technique, not realizing Changkong Zhuoyu already saw himself as a righteous leader and was enlisting him to help explain.
Sage Yipin thought he looked helpless and spoke up to smooth things over: “Elder Yin, whatever the case, Daoist Changkong turned the tide today. Without him, the human realm might have already fallen into disaster. Perhaps he really does have unspeakable difficulties?”
Since even Mount Shu’s master had spoken, ordinary people wouldn’t dare cause trouble here — any matter, no matter how big, would wait until they were down the mountain. But Elder Yin was Kunlun’s law-enforcing elder. First, Kunlun was powerful and not afraid of Mount Shu; second, Elder Yin was the stubborn type. He frowned and said: “I know the whereabouts of every one of Kunlun’s core disciples except for the missing Sect Master Yin. None of them could be this man. Kunlun’s secret mind technique has been stolen — do you expect me to let it go just because of a vague ‘unspeakable difficulties’?”
Clearly, having spoken here on Mount Shu, he had no intention of letting it go and would pursue it to the end.
Changkong Zhuoyu let out a long sigh, didn’t answer directly, and instead turned to look at his disciple.
Li Xinglun: “…”
Those big eyes clearly said, “This time I’m being forced.” — making it impossible to refuse.
He was wrong. Even if his master had learned to speak with his eyes, he hadn’t learned patience. To have come this far today was already impressive.
He was already suspected of stealing Kunlun’s secret technique and now about to impersonate Kunlun’s sect master… well, it wasn’t so bad. At worst it would be just that. If somehow his master fooled them, it might even resolve the crisis.
So Li Xinglun resigned himself, closed his eyes, and nodded quietly to himself, thinking: “As long as you’re happy.”
Changkong Zhuoyu was indeed happy. He suppressed his excitement, turned back to Elder Yin, and said steadily: “You’re right. You know the whereabouts of all the disciples — except one.”
“Who…” Elder Yin started to ask who, then realized what he’d just said and froze.
What brazenness — after stealing Kunlun’s mind technique, he even dared impersonate their sect master?
Even Sage Yipin couldn’t sit still now. Even if he’d grown fond of Changkong Zhuoyu after their sparring, he couldn’t just watch him claim identities everywhere. He started to speak: “Daoist Changkong…”
But he stopped mid-sentence, stunned.
That name — Changkong Zhuoyu…
“Fine!” Elder Yin laughed in anger, slapping the table and rising. “Since you insist you’re our sect master, then show me the sect master’s unique technique — and face my Sumeru Ruler!” {Named after a holy mountain.}
~ Chapter End ~
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