652: Chapter 652 Senichi (17)

Chi Li stood there, looking directly at Elder Sun.

His voice was not loud, but it silenced the clamor on the mountaintop for a moment.

Elder Sun's brows furrowed even tighter.

"What do you have to object to?"

Chi Li raised his hand and pointed at Qin Yun behind him.

"He finished walking the Heart-Questioning Stairs."

"According to the rules of the Yaochi Immortal Sect, anyone who reaches the summit may enter as an Outer Sect Disciple."

"Why can he not enter?"

Elder Sun acted as if he had heard a joke; the corners of his mouth twitched, and the impatience in his eyes was no longer concealed.

"Rules?"

"Rules are dead, but people are alive."

He glanced at Qin Yun, his voice suddenly rising, intentionally making sure everyone present heard clearly.

"My Yaochi Immortal Sect is a top-tier Sect in the Dongming Immortal Domain; it is not a place to harbor useless people."

"This person's Dao Fruit is shattered, his Foundation is completely destroyed, and his immortal path is severed."

"What use is there in taking in a useless person whose path is cut off, occupying a Sect quota and wasting cultivation resources?"

The expressions of the surrounding Cultivators varied.

Some nodded secretly, feeling that Elder Sun was right; the cultivation world was inherently this realistic.

Some felt these words were too hurtful, but they dared not speak up to refute them.

Most others held a spectator's mentality, their gazes sweeping back and forth between Qin Yun and Chi Li, waiting to see if Qin Yun would lose his composure on the spot.

But Qin Yun did not.

From beginning to end, he just stood there quietly.

Not arguing, not debating, not angry, not annoyed.

His calmness formed a sharp contrast with the surrounding noise, causing the mockery of some to lose some of its flavor.

However, Chi Li's expression sank completely after Elder Sun finished that sentence.

He looked at Elder Sun, then glanced at the faces around him, whether sympathetic or mocking, and suddenly laughed.

The laugh was very cold.

"What a Yaochi Immortal Sect."

He withdrew his hand and cupped his fists at Elder Sun, with no trace of respect left in his tone.

"Since your Sect's threshold is too high to accommodate someone who has finished walking the Heart-Questioning Stairs."

"Then I will not join this Yaochi either."

Having said that, he turned to leave.

The whole place was in an uproar.

Elder Sun's expression changed; he had never expected this youth to have such a fierce temperament, daring to quit on the spot in front of everyone.

He wanted to stop him, but the words died on his lips, not knowing how to speak.

Just then, a gentle yet majestic voice came from higher up on the cloud platform.

"Young friend, stay your step."

Everyone looked up and saw an old man in a cyan Daoist robe, who had appeared there without them knowing when.

As soon as he appeared, Elder Sun immediately bowed in salute.

"Greetings, Third Peak Master."

The person who arrived was the Master of the Zhenling Peak, the Third Immortal Peak, which ranked in the top three among the one hundred and eight peaks of Yaochi.

The Third Peak Master ignored Elder Sun; his gaze fell only on Chi Li, carrying unconcealed appreciation.

"Possessing Phoenix blood, a pure Dao Heart, and valuing relationships and righteousness."

"Such an uncut gem; to miss out on him because of this trivial matter would be a loss for my Yaochi."

He spoke slowly, though the words were directed at Elder Sun.

"It is just one Outer Sect Disciple quota; just give it to him."

Elder Sun's face turned pale and then green, but he dared not refute, only lowering his head to agree.

The Third Peak Master then looked at Qin Yun, his tone flat.

"You, for the sake of young friend Chi Li, may enter my Yaochi as an exception."

The surrounding discussions arose once again.

"This Qin Yun is really lucky; he actually benefited from Chi Li's favor."

"Isn't that right? If it weren't for that Phoenix-blooded Prodigy, he would probably have had to slink down the mountain today."

"But the bond between these two is truly good; for the sake of a useless person, he dared to even reject the Yaochi Immortal Sect."

Qin Yun turned a deaf ear to these discussions and just shook his head gently at Chi Li.

Chi Li wanted to say something more, but was stopped by Qin Yun's gaze.

The disturbance subsided just like that.

Led by a deacon, everyone finally officially stepped into the mountain gate of the Yaochi Immortal Sect.

Immortal mist curled around, and Spiritual Qi turned into rain.

Peaks floated between the sea of clouds, with palaces and pavilions, waterfalls and flowing springs, and immortal cranes circling among them.

"My Yaochi Immortal Sect has a total of one hundred and eight immortal peaks."

The deacon introduced the rules while leading the way.

"Later, the Elders of each peak will come personally to select Disciples, and you may also choose your own peaks."

"However, the further forward an immortal peak is, the higher its status and the better its resources; naturally, it is harder to enter."

While speaking, they had already arrived at a huge white jade square.

On the square, dozens of Elders were already waiting there.

The recruitment of Disciples officially began.

"This child possesses a Lightning Spiritual Root, which matches the Cultivation Technique of my Seventh Peak; I will take him."

"That girl has a clear Sword Heart; she is a good seedling. Come to my Twelfth Peak."

Soon, the Third Peak Master also arrived.

His gaze fell on Chi Li, and he said in a loud voice.

"Chi Li, are you willing to enter my Third Immortal Peak and become a Personal Disciple under my seat?"

Once these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.

A Personal Disciple's status is far beyond that of an ordinary Disciple.

Everyone cast envious gazes at Chi Li.

Chi Li did not agree immediately.

He turned his head and found Qin Yun in the crowd.

Qin Yun nodded slightly at him, signaling him to go.

Only then did Chi Li suppress the displeasure in his heart and bow in salute to the Third Peak Master.

Next, the Disciples were selected one by one; there were fewer and fewer people on the square, and the atmosphere became increasingly heated.

Only Qin Yun.

From beginning to end, no one asked after him.

The gazes of several Elders swept over him, only to move away indifferently, as if he were unremarkable.

"So what if he is in the True Immortal realm? His Dao Fruit is shattered; he will be like this for the rest of his life."

"Indeed, taking him into the peak, occupying a quota, and having to subsidize resources—who would do such a losing business?"

Just then, Qin Yun suddenly felt that the long-silent azure pagoda inside his body vibrated slightly.

It was not a violent reaction, just a faint sense of attraction.

This feeling had been intermittent since he entered the Yaochi mountain gate, but now it was much clearer.

Qin Yun remained calm and looked in the direction of that attraction.

He saw that beyond the one hundred and seven immortal peaks shining with bright immortal light, in the far distance, there was still the outline of a mountain peak.

There was no immortal light, no Spiritual mist, only broken walls and ruins, like a ruin forgotten by the world, completely out of place with the surrounding immortal atmosphere.

Beside him, a Disciple who had not been selected also noticed it and curiously asked the deacon.

"Senior Brother Deacon, isn't Yaochi known for having one hundred and eight peaks? Why do I only see one hundred and seven?"

The deacon glanced in the direction he was pointing and said casually.

"Oh, you mean that one?"

"That is the one hundred and eighth peak; it has long been abandoned, its Orthodoxy severed, so it is not worth mentioning."

He added another sentence.

"In that peak, there is only a crazy old guy guarding it now; who knows if he is dead or not. No one has been there for many years."

Hearing this, everyone took it as an old story and paid no more attention.

Only Qin Yun understood completely in his heart.

That attraction was coming from that abandoned peak.

Seeing that all Disciples had finished choosing their peaks, only Qin Yun and a few Loose Cultivators with truly poor Aptitude were left on the square.

Just when everyone thought he was going to be completely abandoned.

Qin Yun finally spoke.

He looked at the deacon who was preparing to announce the end and asked in a calm voice.

"May I ask, does the one hundred and eighth peak still accept people?"

The whole place went silent for an instant.

Everyone's gaze was focused on Qin Yun.

The next moment, an uproar broke out.

"Did I hear that right? He wants to go to that abandoned peak?"

"Hahaha, it's really hilarious; is this a case of giving up on oneself?"

"It's quite fitting; a useless person matches an abandoned peak, just right."

Even several Elders had strange expressions on their faces.

The deacon was stunned for a long time before looking at Qin Yun with a strange gaze.

"That place hasn't been an immortal peak for a long time; there is only an old madman inside. What are you going there for?"

Qin Yun did not answer, just asked again.

"Does it still accept people?"

The deacon was a bit impatient with his questioning and turned to ask an Elder for instructions.

That Elder waved his hand casually, as if shooing away a fly.

"If he really has nowhere to go, he can just go there himself; no need to record it."

"A useless person, let him fend for himself."

These words were spoken with great disdain.

After Chi Li heard this, he was furious on the spot.

He pushed aside the Third Peak Master's Disciple in front of him, rushed to Qin Yun, and roared in a low voice, suppressing his anger.

"Are you crazy?"

"What is the difference between going to that kind of place and waiting for death?"

"I joined the Third Peak just to find a way to recast your Dao Fruit, and now you are wallowing in degradation—what is the meaning of this?"

Qin Yun looked at him, his expression still calm.

"I just want to go and see."

"See what? See a ruin?"

Chi Li was so angry that his chest heaved.

Qin Yun patted his shoulder, his voice very soft.

"That place may not be a dead end."

Chi Li did not believe it and wanted to persuade him more, but was stopped by Qin Yun's firm gaze.

In the end, he could only suppress his anger and glare at him.

Soon, the Elders of each peak took their new Disciples and turned into streams of light, flying toward their respective immortal peaks.

Chi Li was half-forced away by the people of the Third Immortal Peak; before leaving, he looked back frequently, his eyes full of worry and unwillingness.

Qin Yun waved his hand at him.

The huge white jade square soon emptied.

In the distance, the peaks shone with bright immortal light, and voices were clamorous.

Only Qin Yun stood there all alone.

He turned around and looked toward the abandoned peak hidden by clouds and mist.

But the attraction from the azure pagoda inside his body became clearer than ever at this moment.

Qin Yun lifted his foot and walked alone toward that abandoned peak.

Everyone thought he was walking toward a dead end.

He did not think so.

A mountain need not be high.

He did not believe this was a dead end.