Watching the Mountain

Not long after parting ways with Flowing Clouds Master, the Communication Jade Talisman on Xu Ran suddenly buzzed.

Xu Ran picked it up and saw that, surprisingly, it was from Qin Yufeng of the Flame Sun Sect again.

"Fellow Daoist Xu, run! Our Ancestor seems to have discovered that you’re the Spirit Plant Master from the Profound Pure Sect. He’s on his way to your Sect right now, and it looks like he’s brought reinforcements. Our Ancestor has gone completely mad! I’m sorry, I can’t stop him. You should have your Sect escort you somewhere to hide, quickly!"

Xu Ran frowned as he read Qin Yufeng’s message. After a moment of thought, he sent a reply.

"Thank you for the warning, Elder Qin. However, I’m truly not that Spirit Plant Master. If your Ancestor does come to our gates, it will have nothing to do with me. Still, I appreciate your kind reminder. I will pass this information on to my Sect."

A moment later, another message arrived from Qin Yufeng: "Is that so? Then I understand. As long as it isn’t you, Fellow Daoist Xu, I can rest easy. In that case, let’s leave it at that. Don’t worry about me; just act as if nothing ever happened."

Xu Ran frowned, a heavy feeling settling in his heart. ’It seems that, for whatever reason, Qin Yufeng is already convinced of my identity.’

He thought about what Qin Yufeng had said—that Ancestor Yanyang was on his way to the Profound Pure Sect. ’Even if I can’t be sure it’s true, I should still report this to the Sect.’

With Yue Qingyu away, the only people he could turn to were his teacher, Qing Xuan True Monarch, and the Spirit Stream Peak Master. He wasn’t familiar with anyone else.

But just as he made this decision, an oppressive aura suddenly washed over him from the distance, and the surrounding temperature seemed to skyrocket.

Sensing this strange phenomenon, Xu Ran jerked his head up and saw what looked like a second, blazing sun appear on the distant horizon.

He was stunned by the sight. Before he could even think of what to do, a gentle voice suddenly echoed in his ear. "Xu Ran, come to me."

The moment the voice faded, a gentle force enveloped him and pulled him toward the summit of Qing Xuan Peak.

"Master." Xu Ran looked at Qing Xuan True Monarch beside him. For some reason, he felt that his master’s aura was a little strange, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

Qing Xuan True Monarch nodded at him. "Stay here," he said. "Don’t go anywhere."

After speaking, he waved his hand, placing a Restriction around Xu Ran, and then walked out.

Xu Ran didn’t know what happened after that. He only vaguely heard a few furious roars, but there were no earth-shattering tremors.

Half a day later, Qing Xuan True Monarch returned.

When he came back in, he saw Xu Ran’s furrowed brow. He smiled faintly and said in a gentle voice, "It’s over now."

Xu Ran breathed a sigh of relief at his words. He then looked at Qing Xuan True Monarch with a puzzled expression, opening his mouth to speak but not knowing how to ask. Seeing his reaction, Qing Xuan True Monarch took the initiative to explain.

"Earlier, Zi Yun Supreme sent me a transmission. He said that the Ancestor of the Flame Sun Sect was on the attack and guessed it might be related to you. He told me to watch over you."

Zi Yun Supreme is the Supreme Elder of Purple Cloud Peak. After the war against the Evil Demons, he was one of the three Nascent Soul True Monarchs tasked with guarding the Sect. His cultivation is at the Nascent Soul Middle Stage.

"So, what’s the situation now?" Xu Ran asked eagerly.

Qing Xuan True Monarch gave him a reassuring look and explained:

"That Ancestor Yanyang brought a Nascent Soul Late Stage expert as a reinforcement. What they didn’t expect was that our Zi Yun Supreme also recently broke through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage.

"He and Dao Inference Supreme of Inference Dao Peak, both at the Nascent Soul Late Stage, struck together. With the other two Supreme Elders providing support, Ancestor Yanyang knew he was outmatched. After a brief struggle, he chose to retreat."

Hearing this, Xu Ran asked with a hint of unease, "Will they come back?"

"That’s hard to say."

"I don’t quite understand. If Ancestor Yanyang just needs a large quantity of Gold Attribute Spiritual Objects, would he really need to go to such great lengths to find me?"

Qing Xuan True Monarch narrowed his eyes at him. "It seems you still don’t realize your own importance."

"What?" Xu Ran looked at Qing Xuan Master in confusion.

Qing Xuan True Monarch looked at him with admiration and said:

"Over the long development of the Spirit Plant Master profession, most practitioners today are only skilled in basic techniques like planting, nurturing, and transplanting. A Spirit Plant Master like you, who can breed entirely new species, is exceptionally rare—to say nothing of the sheer number of your successes."

"Those Spirit Fruits alone were astonishing enough, and now you’ve even cultivated a new species of Spirit Rice."

He sighed with emotion. "That’s only because word of the Spirit Rice hasn’t gotten out yet. If it ever spreads throughout the Cultivation Realm, you would be hailed as an honored guest wherever you go, respectfully addressed as a ’Shennong.’ By the same token, if the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race were to learn of you, they would stop at nothing to eliminate you."

Seeing the worry on Xu Ran’s face, he added reassuringly, "But you don’t need to be overly concerned. The Sect realized your importance long ago and has been taking measures to conceal your identity. The value the Sect places on you is far greater than you can imagine."

*

*

*

Perhaps to avoid unsettling Xu Ran further, Qing Xuan True Monarch didn’t say much more, simply telling him to put his mind at ease.

The disciples of the Profound Pure Sect had no idea what had just occurred. All they knew was that their Supreme Elder Zi Yun had broken through to the Nascent Soul Late Stage, giving the Sect another powerhouse at that level. This, combined with Qing Xuan True Monarch’s recent promotion to the Nascent Soul Stage, meant the Sect had received two pieces of wonderful news in a very short time. This sent everyone’s morale soaring. It seemed that ever since the disaster during the previous Secret Realm incident, the Sect’s fortune was finally starting to turn around.

After Xu Ran returned to his Cave Mansion, Little Xiyue stared at him with a serious expression. "Master," she asked, "were the people who attacked the Sect today here for you?"

Xu Ran looked at her in surprise. "Where did you hear that?"

"Don’t forget I’m your disciple, Master. Of course the Sect would tell me."

"Ah, I see." Xu Ran nodded in understanding. He then gave Little Xiyue a reassuring look and said:

"You don’t need to worry. You know what I’m like; I never take a single step outside the Sect. As long as I stay here, I’ll be fine."

Little Xiyue stared at him, pondering for a moment before letting out a sigh of relief. "You’re right," she said, her worries seemingly assuaged. "In that case, Master, you have to remember not to leave the Sect, okay? If you absolutely have to go out, just tell me. I’ll protect you."

Xu Ran waved his hand. "You should be the one to stop running around all day, so I don’t have to worry about you. As for me, when have you ever seen me leave?"

"You’re right. Then I won’t run around recklessly anymore either," Little Xiyue said with a cheerful grin.

After chatting for a little longer, Little Xiyue said her goodbyes to Xu Ran and took her leave.

Afterward, she looked up at the full moon in the sky, then silently made her way to the back of the mountain. She found Ye Shan and stared at him, her face devoid of expression.

"I must become stronger."