I Might Be a Big Shot — Chapter 30
As usual, Changkong Zhuoyu dragged Li Xinglun into the maze formation, and as usual, he set up the formation around them with practiced ease. Though his time with Li Xinglun wasn’t long, this kind of sudden enlightenment that forced a master to guard his disciple was something he’d experienced many times.
Rang Cencen followed after them. With Changkong Zhuoyu’s formation shielding Li Xinglun, no one could see him at all. All she could do was watch quietly as Changkong Zhuoyu sat cross-legged on a boulder, gazing into the distance.
“Xue… Senior Changkong,” Rang Cencen finally knelt before him and said, “I didn’t know your true identity. I was very rude to you before. I deserve death.”
“No need,” came Changkong Zhuoyu’s cold voice. “It’s just that the Twin-Looped Serpent sensed a Nüwa aura on me, which may not even be true. In the future, without concrete proof, the Hundred Flowers sect should refrain from trusting others too easily.”
“…Yes.” Rang Cencen bowed her head low.
“A great calamity is about to descend upon the human world. In the days to come, demonic energy will pervade the mortal realm, and who knows how many will retain their sanity. Take this formation insight back to the Hundred Flowers sect.” He handed her a jade slip.
“This…” Rang Cencen glanced at it and was shocked. The formations recorded inside were exquisitely ingenious. Most valuable of all, they were tailored to the terrain of Hundred Flowers Valley and its miasma. If arranged according to this, the Hundred Flowers sect’s defenses could rise to the level of Mount Shu or Kunlun. Of course, without a divine artifact to anchor it, the formation still fell short, but if calamity truly struck, and the entire sect poured their strength into maintaining it, they might survive.
Just like the jade slip he had given to Elder Yin, it wasn’t a treasure or some profound cultivation method. Even if stolen, it was useless — it was meant only for the one who received it, and to them it was a priceless treasure.
No number of Gu insects could compare to the value of this formation insight.
This time, Rang Cencen lowered her head deeply, a tear slipping down as she left with the jade slip.
She had walked this mountain path twice already. The first time, after being driven out by the Mount Shu sword formation, she had planned to return to the Hundred Flowers sect. But she couldn’t reconcile herself to it. After spending a night at the inn at the foot of the mountain, she came back to wait outside the maze formation for Changkong Zhuoyu. She knew she was no match, but she stayed anyway — whether to demand an explanation, or simply to catch one more glimpse of him, even she couldn’t say.
It turned out that it didn’t matter whether Changkong Zhuoyu was Xue Qianjie or a descendant of Nüwa. He was still Changkong Zhuoyu — dazzling even without those thunderous titles.
Her admiration had never been misplaced. Changkong Zhuoyu was worthy.
It was just a pity that, in her rage, she had struck at him and hurt his most important disciple. From then on, they could only walk separate paths; she could never follow him again.
Rang Cencen wiped away the tears that hadn’t yet fallen, summoned her Twin Serpent Whip, and left Mount Shu.
A man like Changkong Zhuoyu — she had seen him, admired him, followed him, and etched him deeply into her memory. That was enough.
Li Xinglun emerged from seclusion three months later. During that time, Master Wuyin had taken his disciples away from Mount Shu, but Changkong Zhuoyu, to avoid being seen by the Mount Shu disciples, entered the formation with Li Xinglun. Master Wuyin never saw him, thus fortunately missing the truth of his reincarnated Buddha identity — and also preserving his waterfall-like long hair.
When Li Xinglun emerged, he had unsurprisingly reached the mid-stage of the Golden Core, his progress so astonishing that it would scare more than half the cultivation world.
Changkong Zhuoyu nodded at him with satisfaction. “Truly worthy of being my disciple. Not only did you advance quickly, but your foundation is solid, and you even passed without a Golden Core tribulation — very much in the style of my younger days.”
I wonder what you were like back then… Li Xinglun silently swallowed his words and asked curiously, “I found it odd too. Why didn’t I face a Golden Core tribulation when I formed my core?”
In cultivation, one defies Heaven's Order, and every major breakthrough from Foundation Building onwards brings a heavenly tribulation. The most perilous are the two at Golden Core and Nascent Soul — the former being a lightning tribulation, the latter a heart demon tribulation . Logically, when Li Xinglun formed his core, he should have endured lightning strikes, yet he felt nothing — simply opened his eyes and found his core complete. It was baffling.
{Heart demon - a psychological stumbling stone, stagnation point; some mental issue left unresolved, such as fear, hatred, denial, inappropriate love.}
Changkong Zhuoyu also found it strange. But at the time, he was studying the Mount Shu sword formation and hadn’t been watching Li Xinglun closely, so he didn’t understand either. Luckily, Li Xinglun’s cultivation stage was stable, his core showed no signs of collapse, and now that he’d advanced to mid-stage, it seemed all was well.
Neither of them knew that Li Xinglun had actually gone through the lightning tribulation. But the Twin Swords of Purple and Azure had shielded them both. Those ancient divine swords had nothing to fear from a mere Golden Core tribulation — after a few strikes, the lightning dispersed, and the Twin Dragons didn’t even bat an eye.
“She left?” Li Xinglun asked.
Changkong Zhuoyu nodded. “Before leaving, I gave her a formation insight to help the Hundred Flowers sect strengthen their defenses. She looked pleased enough at the time — that should repay what we took from them.”
“She got off easy.” The jade slip Changkong Zhuoyu had produced at that time had made even Kunlun’s disciplinary elder ecstatic. The Hundred Flowers sect was getting quite the bargain — they really should’ve paid more.
Still, seeing his master so at ease, Li Xinglun felt that settling things with the Hundred Flowers sect like this was good — at least his master wouldn’t feel guilty toward them anymore.
“What do you think about what the Twin-Looped Serpent said?” Li Xinglun asked. After his seclusion, his mind had grown calmer, and he could now discuss his master’s identity without agitation.
So what if he’d gained yet another identity? No big deal. Surely more would surface in the future — Li Xinglun was already prepared. It was nothing.
At the mention of this, Changkong Zhuoyu grew troubled. He sighed. “Becoming a divine spirit is good, of course — you know the cultivation world has no gods anymore. The problem is, the yao race… I don’t mean to disparage other races, but I’ve always thought of myself as human. It’s a complicated feeling.”
“Once you’re a god, does it really matter whether you’re human or yao?” Li Xinglun soothed his rare melancholy.
“But…” For the first time, Changkong Zhuoyu showed a helpless expression. “I know I should have reincarnated as a human — it’s just that my body carries yao blood. All beings are equal; human or yao, it shouldn’t matter. But I’m the head of Kunlun. If I restore Yin Changkong’s identity, yet turn out to be of the yao race, I fear I won’t be able to lead Kunlun anymore. And… back in the Sword Tomb, the Twin Swords of Purple and Azure refused to acknowledge me — was it because one of my past incarnations as a sword immortal carried yao blood? Why did I choose this body to undergo tribulation?”
Hearing this, Li Xinglun nearly spat blood.
Master, even with different races, you’ve somehow managed to weave all these identities together — your disciple is truly in awe!
Before he could say it aloud, Changkong Zhuoyu sighed again. “Do you think the Mount Shu sword immortal first reincarnated as Xue Qianjie? That would explain Xue Qianjie’s uncanny swordsmanship. Then, after falling into the demonic realm, he escaped and reincarnated directly as Yin Changkong — but this body happened to carry yao blood and was a descendant of Nüwa. Because of the bloodline change, neither the Twin Swords nor the original sword recognized him anymore.”
Li Xinglun: …
That’s it. Just when they’d finally let go of the Xue Qianjie identity, his master had picked it right back up.
~ Chapter End ~
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