I Might Be a Big Shot — Chapter 61

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 Changkong Zhuoyu very much did not want to keep talking to Sect Master Yin. Ever since they had entered the Jade Pool, all his dreams had been shattered: all his identities were gone, his disciple had been slandered as a villain, and after Sect Master Yin was rescued, he hadn’t even received a single word of praise. Changkong Zhuoyu was especially displeased.

Fortunately, at that moment Li Xinglun emerged from seclusion ahead of schedule. The divine pill contained immense power, and by rights, Li Xinglun should have needed at least a year or two of closed-door cultivation to fully absorb it. Yet here he was, awake after only a few short hours — highly unusual.

Even though Li Xinglun’s cultivation progressed at a heaven-defying pace, Changkong Zhuoyu knew his disciple’s physical condition well. Based on Sect Master Yin’s speed and state after absorbing one-sixteenth of the divine pill, he had calculated that Li Xinglun should be able to absorb the remaining fifteen parts, but that it would take a very long time. Now, seeing him wake early, Changkong Zhuoyu was deeply surprised. Putting aside his frustration for the moment, he rushed over and began patting and probing his disciple all over to check his body, exclaiming in shock, “Disciple, you’re only at early Soul Transformation?”

To go from Nascent Soul straight to Soul Transformation in just a few hours — without even facing a heart demon tribulation — was already a heaven-defying speed. For another cultivator, such a leap would be cause for celebration, but in Changkong Zhuoyu’s mouth it became a mere “only.” After all, the divine power in those pills could have propelled Li Xinglun straight to ascension — and not at the lowest level of Heavenly Immortal, but to one of the top ranks among immortals, a Great Golden Immortal. If not for the current shortage of divine power in the world, even leaping straight into the god realm was not impossible.

Yet after absorbing so much divine power, Li Xinglun was only at early Soul Transformation? That was indeed odd.

Li Xinglun nodded calmly. “Master, after using the power in the divine pill to heal my injuries, I took the chance to break through one level. The rest of the divine power was all absorbed by the Time-Space Wheel.”

Changkong Zhuoyu immediately glanced at the ring on Li Xinglun’s thumb. Sure enough, the previously dull-gray ring was now a lustrous jade-green, shimmering with an entrancing light, and etched with strange, unreadable patterns.

“The Time-Space Wheel?” Sect Master Yin looked at Li Xinglun. “Are you the ‘Fallen One’ spoken of in the Heavenly Book?”

“My disciple is not,” Changkong Zhuoyu declared at once. “He’s been with me all along — the most obedient, well-behaved disciple.”

“That’s assuming you’re still in this world,” Sect Master Yin said. As the head of Kunlun, his experience far outstripped that of Wanqi Xian and others, and he understood emotion better than the sentimentless Azure Bird. In a single glance, he saw Li Xinglun’s deep feelings for Changkong Zhuoyu. “If you were to be sealed into the Candle Dragon’s body because of the catastrophe, he would risk bringing another calamity upon the human realm just to free you.”

“My disciple is filial,” Changkong Zhuoyu said smugly, giving Li Xinglun a pat. Such a fine disciple was his, after all.

Sect Master Yin: “...”

So, he wasn’t going to address the point about Li Xinglun possibly becoming another scourge to the mortal realm?

Having traveled with this master and disciple, Wanqi Xian understood their dynamic better than Sect Master Yin and hurried to smooth things over for his master. “What my master means is that Senior Changkong absolutely mustn’t come to harm, or else junior brother here might not be able to bear it. For his sake, Senior Changkong, you must protect yourself.”

Li Xinglun gave Wanqi Xian a long, silent look. What was with this ‘junior brother’ business?

“Junior brother?” Sect Master Yin was puzzled too. “When did I take on another disciple in my sleep?”

“Junior brother is naturally Senior Changkong’s disciple,” Wanqi Xian replied as if it were obvious. “Senior Changkong is the Kunlun divine artifact, surely a member of Kunlun and a senior elder. His disciple, whatever techniques he cultivates, must also be counted as Kunlun. I can’t really gauge Senior Changkong’s seniority, but Li Xinglun is clearly younger than me, so calling him junior brother makes sense, right? After all, Senior Changkong has taught me before.”

Changkong Zhuoyu mulled this over and nodded. “Makes sense.”

And with that, he found Wanqi Xian more and more pleasing to the eye. Truly a child he had raised well — speaking exactly to his tastes.

Li Xinglun had been furious at first. He had risked making his master cry just to strip away this ‘Sect Master Yin’ identity and keep his master from having a disciple like Wanqi Xian. Who knew there’d be another layer to their relationship, with Wanqi Xian now clinging to the ‘junior brother’ title — and his master even agreeing! Accustomed as he was to coaxing Changkong Zhuoyu into happiness, Li Xinglun could hardly object, swallowing the bitter address of ‘junior brother’ down into his gut.

But there was no way he’d ever call him ‘senior brother.’

Things had gotten tangled indeed. Sect Master Yin, worthy of his title, quickly sorted out the web of relationships and analyzed everyone’s personalities before calmly saying, “Enough. Let’s get back to business. The immediate priority is to solve the crisis in the human realm. The Azure Bird may be powerful, but she can only hold out for three to five years. According to the original plan of the ancient gods, the Heaven-Mending Stone is the master of the Nine Divine Artifacts — without it, sealing away the demonic creatures is impossible. We must, within these three to five years, find a perfect solution that can both resolve the catastrophe and keep Changkong Zhuoyu from becoming its sacrifice.”

Hearing this, Li Xinglun’s opinion of Sect Master Yin rose a little. In truth, if not for Sect Master Yin’s willingness to risk himself to free the Heaven-Mending Stone from Kunlun, none of this would have happened — Li Xinglun would have been slain by the personally-arrived Azure Bird, and Changkong Zhuoyu would never have even had the chance to take human form, remaining a stone sealed on Heaven-Shaking Peak.

All of this began with Sect Master Yin. Li Xinglun was grateful to him — though still puzzled.

“Sect Master Yin,” Li Xinglun asked, “there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why did you help my master? The Azure Bird was right — you should have convened the righteous sects, announced the situation to the cultivation world, then used the sect master’s token to forcibly control the Heaven-Mending Stone, summon the Nine Divine Artifacts, and seal the demonic energy. That would have been the quickest, simplest method, avoiding so much trouble and sparing the mortal realm from such danger. Forgive my bluntness, but why risk the world’s ruin just to let my master take human form?”

He met Sect Master Yin’s gaze, eyes full of persistence and gratitude. Whatever his reasons, Sect Master Yin had given Li Xinglun the chance to meet Changkong Zhuoyu.

“This...” Looking into the young man’s unwavering eyes, Sect Master Yin sighed. “Perhaps because of my own selfishness.”

“I was born with a heavenly spiritual root. When my master brought me up the mountain eight hundred years ago, I was accepted as the sect master’s personal disciple, drawing much attention. I had free access to all Kunlun’s techniques, the highest cultivation methods in this world, and the best resources. As long as I didn’t go astray, I was destined to be sect master.” Sect Master Yin’s expression turned nostalgic. “But I’ll never forget what I saw when my master brought me past the Kunlun divine formation on that first day.

Eight hundred years ago, Xue Qianjie had been missing for nearly two centuries. The demonic sects, leaderless and unchecked, clashed with the righteous for two hundred years until war finally broke out. The then-leader of the demonic sects had crafted countless puppets at the Soul Transformation level, some even at Great Ascension. Who knows how many vile acts he committed to refine these soulless constructs? He sent them to Kunlun Mountain, intending to detonate them against the Kunlun divine formation to shatter it.

It was a conspiracy — one no one knew about until it happened. On our way up the mountain, my master and I were ambushed. He was injured and had to place me inside the divine formation, telling me that as long as I stayed there, I’d be safe. I was still a child. The night was dark, and when my master didn’t return for some time, I wandered, eventually reaching the formation’s edge. I saw dozens of puppets rushing forward to explode. The self-detonation of a Great Ascension cultivator is world-ending in its power. I froze, certain that in the next instant I would be blown to pieces.

But I wasn’t. No matter how fearsome the demonic sect’s assault, the Kunlun divine formation did not waver. It absorbed attack after attack without end, and I was wrapped in a warm light, shielded from all harm. The terrible battle raged before my eyes, yet I was safe in that gentle radiance.”

Sect Master Yin smiled wistfully. “It was truly a light — when I was about to cry in fright, it embraced me like a mother’s gentle but powerful arms, holding me close so that I feared nothing.”

“I know that feeling, Master!” Wanqi Xian nodded vigorously. “When I was young, living inside the formation, whenever I was sad and wanted to cry, I would feel warm and safe, like someone was holding me.”

Li Xinglun’s gaze shifted to Changkong Zhuoyu. Changkong Zhuoyu gave a violent shiver. Why did he feel so guilty, even though they were praising him?

“Yes,” Sect Master Yin went on, oblivious to Li Xinglun’s increasingly cold stare. “So when the demonic sects were repelled and I formally joined the sect, I swore I would comprehend the divine formation — to understand the greatest power in the world, to see clearly the formation that had guarded Kunlun for millions of years, and to feel that warm light again.

In the process, I gradually realized something: the formation has a spirit. Its personality... well, let’s just say it’s hard to describe, but not unpleasant — in fact, quite endearing. As I probed its mysteries, I tried to communicate with it and discovered that it had a self-awareness. It didn’t like being trapped on this peak. It wanted to go out into the world, to see the vastness of heaven and earth with its own eyes. It wanted to be human.

And I wanted to help it realize that wish.

The more I understood the formation, the more I knew that Kunlun’s divine artifact had little time left in its freedom. By then I was already eight hundred years old. If I chose the easier path, the mortal realm would be saved, and I would ascend to the god realm with glory and merit. But... that lively, slightly spoiled, childlike, self-proclaimed ‘number one under heaven’ yet gentlest of divine artifacts would never have the chance to be human. After millions of years guarding Kunlun Mountain, it would die locked in battle with the demonic energy, never once seeing the mortal realm it had protected. Wouldn’t that ending be far too cruel?”

Sect Master Yin looked at Changkong Zhuoyu with eyes soft as water — like a revered elder gazing on a beloved junior, or a guardian watching over a child. His voice was gentle. “Compared to other cultivators who face the Five Decays of Heaven and Man before even reaching Golden Core, I have lived many years. Eight hundred is enough. I need no more glory. Since I am the only one who can grant Kunlun’s divine artifact some measure of freedom, I will do so. When I reached the center of the formation and touched the stone man’s fingertip, I had only one wish — that when it succeeded in taking human form, it would remember me. If it even shared my surname, all the better. And you did — Changkong Zhuoyu.”

In that moment, Li Xinglun felt as if he were back in the Soul-Breaking Gorge, the first time he met Changkong Zhuoyu. A figure in the white mist had told him he liked the name ‘Changkong’ and would take it as his own surname.

And ‘Zhuoyu’? Like an unpolished piece of jade, needing to be slowly shaped and carved — with Sect Master Yin as the one who helped it reach its final form.

Changkong Zhuoyu — so that was the meaning.

After breaking the divine formation, Sect Master Yin had used great power to send the Heaven-Mending Stone to the most divine-power-rich place in the world — the Soul-Breaking Gorge. There lay the divine power left by the ancient gods, which became the final aid in the Heaven-Mending Stone’s transformation.

And just as Changkong Zhuoyu took shape, Li Xinglun fell into the gorge — and met the greatest fortune and trial of his life.

“Wait, wait!” Changkong Zhuoyu’s eyes widened. “Then who carved the words on the cliff at the gorge’s bottom? ‘Sever the past; in the death tribulation discover life.’ Wasn’t that me? To leave an inscription in the gorge, wouldn’t it have to be me?”

Everyone: “...”

“There are words at the bottom of the gorge? I’ve never been there, so I wouldn’t know,” Sect Master Yin said innocently at Changkong Zhuoyu’s disappointed look.

“My master’s never been, so of course I haven’t either,” Wanqi Xian said, equally innocent.

They were all familiar faces, so Changkong Zhuoyu didn’t bother to maintain any air of mystery. Eyes brimming with tears, he looked at his disciple, silently pleading for Li Xinglun to give him an answer.

"This... was probably carved by someone else, right?" Li Xinglun said with some difficulty. "Master, I actually noticed long ago that when it comes to imitating others, you have an uncanny talent. When you copy someone’s handwriting, it’s very convincing. The characters you wrote at the bottom of the gorge looked exactly like those on the cliff... it must have been an unconscious imitation, right?"

Sect Master Yin couldn’t resist adding a jab, nodding as he said, "The Kunlun divine formation can already perfectly replicate and rebound an opponent’s attacks after absorbing them. Naturally, its ability to mimic is... first-rate."

Changkong Zhuoyu: “...”

Li Xinglun took the opportunity to pull his master — who was about to melt into a puddle — into his arms. “Master, I know you’ve been holding in a lot of grievances. Go ahead and cry.”

Unable to hold back anymore, Changkong Zhuoyu buried himself in his disciple’s embrace, rubbing his head against Li Xinglun’s shoulder as tears silently fell. Wailing and bawling weren’t his style — not for someone of his stature. Even in tears, he shed them quietly, a few drops of manly tears without letting anyone see.

Li Xinglun finally had his master in his arms, contentedly patting his back, then looking smugly at Sect Master Yin and Wanqi Xian.

You’ve been hugged by Master, but I’ve hugged Master myself. Even if we’ve all been saved by him, the most important one is still me.

Sect Master Yin and Wanqi Xian: “...”

They had no desire to compete in that regard.

Changkong Zhuoyu had endured so much lately — perhaps a lifetime’s worth of grievances — that this time he truly cried his fill, soaking Li Xinglun’s shoulder. Fortunately, his disciple knew his master’s prideful nature best. After Changkong Zhuoyu had cried for a full hour, Li Xinglun used his true essence to dry his shoulder, leaving no trace that anyone had ever wept there.

At last, Changkong Zhuoyu lifted his head with a look that said, “We should get back to business,” and said, “We’ve encountered too much lately and I’m exhausted. I couldn’t help but take a nap just now. Now let’s search the Jade Pool Divine Palace for ancient records to see if we can find a solution.”

Wanqi Xian: “...”

He quickly sent a voice transmission to Sect Master Yin: “Master, Senior Changkong’s personality...”

“Quite impossible to sum up in a few words, isn’t it?” Sect Master Yin winked at his disciple.

Wanqi Xian nodded emphatically.

Still... very endearing, Sect Master Yin thought with a smile.

Perhaps even the ancient gods who foresaw everything hadn’t imagined that the last divine being in the world would have such a personality. In millions of years atop Kunlun Peak, he had seen countless people and events, and should, like the Azure Bird, have become detached. But Changkong Zhuoyu hadn’t. After all he’d experienced, he still retained the heart of a child.

If possible, Sect Master Yin would never want that childlike heart destroyed. Using the special authority of the sect master’s token, he led the group of four in combing through the records in the Jade Pool Divine Palace, searching for a sliver of hope — not just for Changkong Zhuoyu, but for the world.

Sect Master Yin glanced at Li Xinglun. The way the young man looked at Changkong Zhuoyu was as gentle as water. Both men, both master and disciple — one righteous, one demonic — under normal circumstances he would never approve of such a pairing. But now... remembering how Changkong Zhuoyu had thrown himself without hesitation into Li Xinglun’s arms and cried, Sect Master Yin sighed inwardly. If possible, he hoped the Kunlun divine formation could travel the rivers and mountains for a lifetime with the one it trusted most.

The four of them found many jade slips in the palace — treasures left behind by the Queen Mother of the West. There were mental techniques to help spirit cultivators increase their power and take human form, incantations to control the Nine Divine Artifacts, alchemical formulas for using the palace’s divine medicines to refine pills, and methods for purging small pockets of demonic energy. The Jade Pool Divine Palace was a veritable treasure trove, containing almost all relics from the Primordial Wilderness — divine pills that could make one soar instantly, peaches of immortality, immortal brews to boost cultivation, all kinds of top-grade immortal artifacts... Even Sect Master Yin was dazzled.

But Changkong Zhuoyu and Li Xinglun were utterly indifferent to these treasures coveted by the world.

It was natural for Changkong Zhuoyu — he was the number one divine artifact in existence, and nothing could compare to himself. But Li Xinglun? He was a penniless cultivator who had once had to copy books to buy even a fan, yet faced with such treasures, he didn’t even blink. Anything that wasn’t a way to resolve the catastrophe was tossed aside without a trace of greed.

The greatest treasure in the world was already in his arms — he needed nothing else.

Even with their powerful spiritual senses, it took the four of them a full three months to read through all the records in the palace, and still they found no solution. It seemed the ancient gods had left only one method, and Changkong Zhuoyu’s fate allowed for only one ending.

Sect Master Yin’s face darkened. Had he risked everything, only to find there was no perfect resolution?

Li Xinglun said gravely, “Master, I remember you once said you had a way. Could you tell us what it is?”

Though his master was often unreliable, he could be trusted in serious matters.

Changkong Zhuoyu set down the jade slip in his hand. “There is a feasible method, but... at present, no one but me can carry it out. And I can’t use myself on myself.”

“Tell us the method first, and we’ll discuss how to make it happen,” Li Xinglun said, holding on to his last thread of hope.

“It’s like this.” Changkong Zhuoyu drew in the air the ancient divine formation he had found in the records — using the Candle Dragon’s body as the vessel, with the Heaven-Mending Stone at its center to seal the demonic energy. “This formation matches what I’d already envisioned: use the Candle Dragon’s unique traits to trap all the demonic energy within it, then have the Nine Divine Artifacts fight with it, until they wear each other down. After about a thousand years, both the artifacts and the demonic energy will be exhausted. That way, the human world’ spiritual veins will no longer be absorbed by the artifacts, and the mortal realm will be free of demonic threat. Without me, the Nine Divine Artifacts would have no one to command them, and the formation couldn’t be established. Even if it could be set up, without all nine artifacts, it couldn’t completely erase the demonic energy. A thousand years later, the artifacts’ power would be gone, but the demonic energy would remain — and the grievances of the human realm would draw new demonic energy. In ten thousand years, catastrophe would return. Not a complete solution.”

“And your method?” Li Xinglun’s heart sank as he listened, but he still asked patiently.

“The ancient gods had only this one idea, but the existence of the Soul-Breaking Gorge gave me another path,” Changkong Zhuoyu said. “The gorge is a relic of the Primordial Wilderness that even the ancient gods never considered. Its divine power barrier is immensely strong — without me, no one could escape it. It’s a barrier left behind unconsciously by the gods, the place in the world with the strongest divine power. We could set up the formation there in advance. After the Nine Divine Artifacts seal all the demonic energy into the Candle Dragon’s body, someone could control me with great magic and move all of Heaven-Shaking Peak into the gorge. The formation I lay would merge with the Candle Dragon’s body, and the gorge’s divine barrier would replace me in continuing to suppress and consume the demonic energy. I could then be freed. The problem is, the one controlling me to move the entire peak must be incredibly powerful — at the god realm level. Even the Azure Bird can’t reach that level.”

Here Changkong Zhuoyu sighed. “It all comes down to me being too powerful. In this world, there’s no one stronger than me who can control me.”

Sect Master Yin and Wanqi Xian: “...”

Even now, he couldn’t resist praising himself. Truly, the Kunlun divine artifact...

Was very adorable.

“What if one person isn’t enough — could many work together?” Sect Master Yin asked. “I could set up a formation to combine everyone’s power...”

“No,” Changkong Zhuoyu said. “From what I know of myself, once I revert to an artifact, I’ll still be able to absorb and release any attack. If the one trying to control me isn’t someone who can make me submit through sheer power, then a formation’s combined strength won’t be enough to command the number one divine artifact in the world.”

In other words, artifacts have tempers too — they can’t just be used at will.

Li Xinglun, who had been silent until now, said, “I’ll do it.”

“You?”

It wasn’t that Wanqi Xian and Sect Master Yin underestimated him — his cultivation had risen astonishingly fast — but he was still far from the god realm.

“I won’t allow anyone but me to be Master’s master,” Li Xinglun said coolly. “No one else in this world can command the Heaven-Mending Stone.”

“At most, you have three to five years. Your strength...” Sect Master Yin looked at Li Xinglun in concern.

“It’s not just three to five years,” Li Xinglun said, extending his hand. “I have this.”

On his finger, the Time-Space Wheel — now filled with divine power — gleamed with a mysterious light.

{Hello, sad intermission. We've been waiting for you.}

~ Chapter End ~

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