459: Chapter 103 Zhang Lingyu Descends the Mountain

Longhu Mountain, Celestial Masters Residence.

Inside Zhang Lingyu's bedroom.

Zhang Lingyu bolted upright from his couch, his face etched with lingering terror; clearly, he had a nightmare.

It wasn't until a cool breeze blew in, bringing a touch of chill, that he finally snapped out of the shock of the nightmare. He then wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, glanced up at the clock on the wall, saw it was almost time for morning exercises, and swung his legs out of bed to begin washing up.

After Zhang Lingyu finished his routine morning exercises, a young Daoist came to find him.

"Junior Martial Uncle, Master has asked you to go to the Unfortunate Pavilion for a moment."

Zhang Lingyu nodded: "I understand. I will go right away. You may attend to your duties."

After dismissing the messenger Daoist, Zhang Lingyu headed toward the Unfortunate Pavilion.

This Unfortunate Pavilion was a newly erected pavilion in the back mountain of the Celestial Masters Residence, funded by Lu Jin.

On the eve of the Luotian Grand Ritual, Lu Jin lost control while releasing the Heavenly Scroll, demolishing one of the Celestial Masters Residence's pavilions, thus obligating him to compensate with a new one.

The new pavilion had a couplet inscribed on it. The upper line read: "Our generation only begins to know how to learn a little bit of formless spell," and the lower line read: "This fellow shamelessly extorts a lot of ill-gotten money."

The horizontal plaque bore four large characters—Injudicious Association!

The pavilion was thus named the "Unfortunate Pavilion."

Arriving at the Unfortunate Pavilion, Zhang Lingyu saw that not only Zhang Zhiwei but also Tian Jinzhong were present. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Disciple pays respects to Master and Junior Martial Uncle."

Then, he got straight to the point: "May I ask why Master summoned this Disciple here?"

Tian Jinzhong remained silent, looking toward Zhang Zhiwei.

Zhang Zhiwei stroked his beard and said in a calm tone: "It's nothing major. I just heard that you've been waking up startled from dreams these past few days."

"Are you troubled by any worries?"

Zhang Lingyu was slightly stunned. A vision of a pink-haired beauty swinging on a swing, dressed in a white skirt, flashed through his mind. He quickly suppressed it, then replied against his true feelings: "Thank you for your concern, Master. My recent awakenings from dreams are due to the lingering shock from witnessing the chaos when the Quanxing evildoers attacked the Celestial Masters Residence some time ago."

"This is because my cultivation is insufficient. After some time, it will naturally be fine. Master need not worry."

"Is that so?" Zhang Zhiwei looked at Zhang Lingyu and let out a soft 'Oh.'

Zhang Lingyu kept his gaze lowered: "Yes."

A hint of playfulness immediately entered Zhang Zhiwei's expression: "I thought it was because of that girl, Xia He."

Zhang Lingyu's heart tightened, and he quickly defended himself: "Master, please do not misunderstand. There is absolutely no possibility between her and this Disciple. How could I be moved by her?"

He spoke these words decisively, yet his head instinctively bowed, unwilling to look at Zhang Zhiwei or Tian Jinzhong.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhiwei narrowed his eyes: "Really?"

"Really!"

Zhang Lingyu replied without hesitation, though he still dared not look up.

Zhang Zhiwei's gaze dimmed slightly, tinged with a degree of listlessness: "Go down the mountain."

Zhang Lingyu suddenly looked up, confused: "Why?"

Then, as if realizing something, he emphasized: "Everything this Disciple has said is the absolute truth."

Seeing his reaction, Zhang Zhiwei smiled, the emotion in his smile very complex: there was helplessness, disappointment, as well as self-mockery and relief...

However, because Zhang Lingyu had something to hide, he failed to notice any of this.

Nearby, Tian Jinzhong looked thoughtful.

After a moment, Zhang Zhiwei retracted his smile and said to Zhang Lingyu: "Didn't you say the trouble stems from the chaos of the Quanxing attack? To overcome obstacles of that nature, merely staying on this mountain for quiet cultivation is not very helpful. You must go down the mountain to see, to experience, to confront it directly."

"Only then can the problem be completely resolved."

"Furthermore, on the path of cultivation, one cannot just avoid the world for pure cultivation; one must also enter the Mortal World to gain experience and temper the heart in the Mortal World."

"Back then, I, your Junior Martial Uncle Tian, and that big-eared thief all came up this way."

"So, go down the mountain."

Zhang Lingyu immediately understood.

This was Master's test, not related to Xia He.

Thinking of this, his heart relaxed, and he respectfully asked: "When should this Disciple return? What should I pay attention to during that time?"

Zhang Zhiwei thought for a moment and replied: "As for the time, let's set it at one year for now. If you have made progress after a year, I will summon you back. If you remain stubbornly unyielding and stagnant, then continue to wallow in the secular world."

"As for what to pay attention to..."

"After descending the mountain, you are not allowed to claim to be a Disciple of the Celestial Masters Residence, nor can you act under the name of the Celestial Masters Residence."

"In short, whatever you do must have no connection to the Celestial Masters Residence."

"As for where you go and what you do, that is up to you."

Hearing that he had to sever ties with the Celestial Masters Residence, Zhang Lingyu was startled, but then he reasoned that this was a test—tempering the heart in the Mortal World—and thus it should be so.

Therefore, he cupped his hands and accepted the order: "Yes."

"Go now." Zhang Zhiwei waved his hand.

"This Disciple takes his leave."

However, after Zhang Lingyu had walked only a few steps, Zhang Zhiwei seemed to recall something and suddenly spoke to Tian Jinzhong: "Junior Martial Brother, what exactly did Old Lu call to tell us yesterday?"

Tian Jinzhong was momentarily taken aback, then said: "He said there is an incredible young man down the mountain who defeated Ding Shanan with a single slap."

"He also told Senior Brother to take it easy, otherwise the title of The Pinnacle might change hands one day."

Zhang Lingyu's heart jolted, and his steps froze.

Someone slapped down one of the two magnates, Ding Shanan? Who was so powerful?

Moreover, judging by the situation, that person even intended to challenge his Master, The Pinnacle.

Instantly, Zhang Lingyu became interested and wanted to turn back to ask for clarity.

But just as he turned around, Zhang Zhiwei spoke: "Whether the title changes hands or not is irrelevant. In the Jianghu, the waves behind drive on the waves ahead; one wave is stronger than the next, which is normal. However, I heard from Old Lu that that girl Xia He seems to be mixed up with that young man, and they appear quite intimate."

"I wonder what their relationship is."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lingyu's heart tightened, and he subconsciously clenched his fist.

Just then, Zhang Zhiwei cast his gaze toward him: "Eh, Lingyu, why haven't you left yet?"

Zhang Lingyu loosened his fist and replied: "This Disciple was captivated by what Master and Junior Martial Uncle said, and thus stopped involuntarily."

Zhang Zhiwei immediately smiled broadly: "Oh, is that so? Then, what captivated you was what your Junior Martial Uncle said, or what I said?"

"Naturally, it was what Junior Martial Uncle said," Zhang Lingyu replied without hesitation, then asked: "May I ask the name of the outstanding talent Old Lu mentioned? To so easily defeat the long-established Ding Shanan."

Zhang Zhiwei stroked his beard as if in thought: "What was that young man's name again?"

"Ah, I’m getting old and forgetful."

"But it doesn't matter. Those of us on the mountain know about it. It must have spread down the mountain by now."

"You can ask around yourself after you go down the mountain."

After saying that, he waved his hand at Zhang Lingyu.

"Yes." Zhang Lingyu agreed and turned to leave.

After Zhang Lingyu departed, Zhang Zhiwei sighed softly: "When it comes to a successor, we still fall short of that big-eared thief."

Tian Jinzhong smiled: "People are different. Child Lingyu is upright and proper; it's normal that he can't learn Chu Lan's slick slipperiness."

"Senior Brother, why force it?"

Zhang Zhiwei sighed lightly: "Of course I know that. I am not planning to make Lingyu become like Chu Lan."

"That kid Chu Lan and the big-eared thief share the same lineage; they are both rats from the gutter, afraid of the light, lacking a sense of security, and fond of hiding things."

"This is caused by their personalities and experiences."

"Lingyu's personality is different, and he hasn't had similar experiences."

"To demand he become like Chu Lan is, as you said, forcing it. But as a cultivator, if you want to go far, you must understand the principle of 'sincerity.'"

"I don't demand he be sincere to others, because the human heart is hard to fathom, but at the very least, he must be sincere to himself."

"But right now, he is twisted up like a pretzel."

"If this continues, problems will eventually arise."

"The trouble is, no one can help with this kind of thing; it relies entirely on him."

"Senior Brother, you mean...?" Tian Jinzhong didn't quite understand.

"Xia He."