Watching the Mountain

Xu Ran wasn’t normally a competitive person, but after arguing with Flowing Clouds Master all night, his competitive spirit had been roused.

In all fairness, he had watched both Zhang Zhentian and Little Xiyue grow up. The greater Zhang Zhentian’s achievements, the prouder Xu Ran would feel.

But as the saying goes, you treat your own differently. Compared to Little Xiyue, his dear disciple, Zhang Zhentian was practically a stepson. The place he held in Xu Ran’s heart could never compare to Little Xiyue’s.

After parting ways with Flowing Clouds Master, Xu Ran found Little Xiyue and gazed at her with a loving expression, as if admiring a priceless treasure.

His intense gaze confused Little Xiyue. She tilted her head and asked, "Master, what’s the matter?"

Xu Ran chuckled. "My dear disciple, let me ask you, how far do you think you are from becoming a Tier Four Array Master?"

Little Xiyue hesitated for a moment before replying in a quiet voice, "I dare not hide it from you, Master. I actually became a Tier Four Array Master a long time ago."

"What? When did this happen?" Xu Ran stared at Little Xiyue in shock.

Generally, the Tiers corresponded to Cultivation stages. Tiers One and Two were equivalent to the Qi Cultivation Stage, Tiers Three and Four to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and so on.

However, for an Array Master to advance from Tier Three to Tier Four, they needed to comprehend certain innate runes, a feat that demanded exceptionally high Spiritual Power. Normally, only a Cultivator who had reached the Purple Mansion Stage would have sufficient Spiritual Power. This was why most at the Foundation Establishment Stage could only ever be Tier Three Array Masters.

Of course, this wasn’t an absolute rule. Those with extraordinary talent in the Array Dao could become a Tier Four Array Master ahead of schedule.

Xu Ran calmed himself and asked for confirmation, "But as I recall, your Spiritual Power is only about average. How did you manage to comprehend those innate runes?"

"I just did," Little Xiyue replied without thinking. The moment the words left her mouth, she realized her answer was no answer at all and hurriedly tried to explain,

"Master, what I mean is, it was just like my usual Cultivation..."

But before she could finish, Xu Ran patted her shoulder, his eyes welling with tears. "That’s the right answer. That’s it, that’s exactly it. You don’t need to explain. Your master understands everything."

’It’s the world of geniuses,’ he thought. He’d encountered it before, after all. He had seen it many times from Ye Shan and Ye Qingxue.

’"I just did." That was the secret code of the world of geniuses.’

He just never expected that his very own disciple would be one of them.

Just as his heart was swelling with pride, Little Xiyue spoke again in a soft voice, "Actually, I’ve already comprehended the innate runes for Tier Five, too. It’s just that my Cultivation is too low, so I can’t set up a Tier Five Array yet."

Upon hearing this, Xu Ran shot to his feet, grabbed Little Xiyue’s hand, and started walking outside.

"Master, where are we going?" His sudden action left Little Xiyue completely bewildered.

"To pay our respects to your mother."

"Huh? Why so suddenly?"

"Don’t ask questions. Just come with me."

Xu Ran looked up at the blue sky, and for a moment, it was as if he saw a Phoenix soaring through the heavens.

No, that wasn’t a Phoenix. It had to be a Vermilion Bird—the one and only Vermilion Bird from the legends.

Just like his disciple, Little Xiyue.

’Had Heaven not blessed me with my disciple Xiyue, the Array Dao would be lost to an endless night.’

’Xiaoque’Er, you truly sent me a wonderful disciple!’

On the way, Xu Ran glanced back at Little Xiyue, whose hand he was holding. "Since you became a Tier Four Array Master so long ago, why didn’t you ever mention it?" he asked, curious.

"Because Master once said that the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be broken by the wind. Sometimes, it’s best to hold something back," Little Xiyue replied demurely, though her gaze secretly drifted to the hand Xu Ran was holding.

’Ever since she had grown up, her master rarely held her hand. He had always been careful to avoid physical contact. She understood he was doing it out of respect and affection for her, and she was very touched by it.’

’But back when she was little, she had been so headstrong that her master had rarely hugged her or held her hand the way other elders did with their children.’

’Now that she was older, she rather regretted it. Why did she have to be so stubborn?’

’Being led by her master’s hand now made her very happy. It felt like it was making up for all the hand-holding she missed out on as a child.’

’This is so nice... hehe.’

Xu Ran nodded, his face filled with gratification. "You did the right thing. It’s good to feign weakness when necessary. There’s no need to be so high-profile. As long as I know how incredible you are, that’s all that matters."

"I’ll remember, Master. I won’t hide things from you in the future," Little Xiyue answered obediently.

’Since Master is holding my hand, I can be considered a child right now, can’t I? I should act a bit more obediently, then.’

*

*

*

Flowing Clouds Master had been quite idle since his injury, with nothing much to do all day. Arguing with Xu Ran a few days ago had been a blast for him; he hadn’t had that much fun in a long time.

Still, he felt it wasn’t quite enough. That day, they had only been halfway through their drinks when Xu the Kid beat a retreat and went home.

When he saw Xu Ran today, his eyes lit up. He eagerly sidled up to him and, with a smug grin, began to boast,

"Xu the Kid, have you heard? My grandson defeated several more prodigies from the Major Sects these last few days. And his opponents were all famous prodigies in the Cultivation Realm from way back! But so what? They were still beaten by my grandson! Hehehe, how about that? My grandson’s amazing, isn’t he?"

Xu Ran nodded in agreement. "Oh, absolutely. Junior Brother Zhang is just incredible. Once he fully matures, he’ll definitely be a peerless talent who defines his era."

Even as he said this, he tilted his head back arrogantly and shot a sidelong glance at Flowing Clouds Master.

’He was inwardly scornful. ’Zhang Zhentian? Please. As if I don’t know what that little brat is like. Even if he gets stronger, can he compare to my Xiyue?’’

’Hmph. My disciple Xiyue is the Vermilion Bird of the Array Realm. Ten—no, a hundred bratty Zhang Zhentians couldn’t hope to compare to her.’

Flowing Clouds Master’s expression froze when he saw Xu Ran’s reaction. He stared, dumbfounded, before finally managing to choke out, "Wait, what? You’re just going to agree with me?"

"That’s right. Junior Brother Zhang is genuinely outstanding," Xu Ran replied, a smirk playing on his lips as his eyes narrowed.

Ever since he learned of Little Xiyue’s true abilities, Xu Ran had no desire to argue with Flowing Clouds Master anymore. It all seemed so pointless now.

"You... how could you do this? Aren’t you supposed to argue with me?" Flowing Clouds Master was exasperated, feeling a knot of frustration tightening in his chest.

"Why would I argue? Like I just said, Junior Brother Zhang really is outstanding. I think you’re right, Elder Flowing Clouds."

Flowing Clouds Master stared at him for a long moment, then banged his cane on the ground a few times and spat. "Hmph. How dull."

With that, he turned and left, leaning on his cane.

Xu Ran squinted as he watched the elder’s retreating back, a cheerful thought crossing his mind. ’My apologies, Elder Flowing Clouds. I know you wanted to argue, but if you had a disciple as brilliant as my Xiyue, you’d understand.’

’There’s really nothing for us to argue about. It’s meaningless.’