Watching the Mountain

"Senior Sister Yue, why did you announce your Scattering and Rebuilding to the public?"

In a lull during their meal, Xu Ran looked at Yue Qingyu across from him and voiced his doubts.

After Chen Chang’an and Zhang Zhentian broke through to the Nascent Soul Stage one after another, all eyes in the Cultivation Realm turned to Yue Qingyu.

At that moment, the Profound Pure Sect suddenly announced that Yue Qingyu was Scattering and Rebuilding her cultivation, which left everyone utterly astonished.

Many couldn’t understand her reasoning. She was already on the cusp of the Nascent Soul Stage. To suddenly undergo Scattering and Rebuilding at such a critical juncture—even for a peerless prodigy, it seemed far too reckless.

Starting her cultivation from scratch... no one could guarantee she wouldn’t encounter some mishap along the way.

Xu Ran was breaking out in a cold sweat for his Senior Sister Yue. Announcing her Scattering and Rebuilding now was incredibly dangerous. This was the time she was at her most vulnerable.

Facing Xu Ran’s doubts, Yue Qingyu replied with a calm expression, "When the other sects came to probe us, I was at the most critical stage of the Scattering Technique. I couldn’t make an appearance, so I had to let the Sect receive them. Now, I have completed the process."

Hearing this, Xu Ran grew slightly agitated. "That’s not what I’m asking. I want to know why you didn’t keep it a secret!"

Seeing his reaction, Yue Qingyu waved her hand gently, motioning for him to calm down before she explained:

"As the Chief Disciple of the Sect, I’ve always benefited from its support. It’s not that I must do something grand like lead everyone to glory, but at the very least, I can’t be a burden. I can’t let everyone sacrifice their own cultivation paths for me."

Hearing this, Xu Ran froze for a moment, staring blankly at his Senior Sister Yue.

In his mind, his Senior Sister Yue had always been like this. She looked cool and detached, but she was incredibly kind and possessed a profound sense of responsibility.

It was just like when she had persuaded Xiaoque’Er by explaining that a sect is made of individuals. Her words, so gentle yet so full of responsibility and duty, were truly befitting her status as the Chief Disciple.

Although Xu Ran had guessed Yue Qingyu’s intentions, he couldn’t help but ask, "Senior Sister Yue, if you hadn’t revealed this information, would the consequences really have been that severe?"

’We still have the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race as enemies. Besides, Ye Shan and my Little Xiyue just eliminated a huge threat for the Cultivation Realm. Even if they’re wary of Senior Sister Yue, they wouldn’t resort to a killing blow at a time like this, would they?’

Yue Qingyu nodded lightly, let out a soft sigh, and said in a serious tone:

"Junior Brother, never underestimate the evil in the human heart. And don’t underestimate the shock that Junior Brother Ye Shan’s sword strike sent through the world."

"It is precisely because of that strike from Junior Brother Ye Shan, which eliminated a potential crisis for the Cultivation Realm, that we now have no external threats. What everyone wants now is to consolidate their own power from within. At a time like this, if there’s someone who could threaten their own path to power, do you think they would tolerate it?"

After a moment of silence, Xu Ran said slowly, "But isn’t the peace supposed to last only ten thousand years? When the time is up and the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race attack again, what happens then?"

Yue Qingyu shook her head. "That’s what I mean when I say you underestimate the evil in the human heart, Junior Brother. If the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race had only promised two or three thousand years of peace, everyone would undoubtedly band together, united as one."

"But ten thousand years... that’s a bit too long. Even the Divinity Transformation Daoist Monarchs alive today aren’t guaranteed to live that long."

"To many, it’s better to trust in themselves. With ten thousand years, if they can acquire enough resources internally and become powerful enough, then when the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race do attack in the future, they believe they can be the ones to resolve the crisis."

"People are always more inclined to trust themselves, and more inclined to be the savior themselves."

Hearing this, Xu Ran was taken aback. He never would have thought someone as gentle as his Senior Sister Yue could say something like that.

After a moment of silence, he asked, "Senior Sister Yue, are you pessimistic about the future of the Cultivation Realm?"

Yue Qingyu shook her head gently. "The human heart has evil, but it naturally has good as well. In the Cultivation Realm, there are also many who, generation after generation, champion goodwill."

"It’s just that we must be prepared to defend against the evil."

"If I hadn’t announced my Scattering and Rebuilding this time, let’s not even talk about others—the sects right here in our Changqing County would have undoubtedly done everything in their power to test me."

"It isn’t because they are inherently evil. It’s because they don’t know whether we are good or evil. Their actions are a matter of self-preservation."

"This inability to determine if others are good or evil is the greatest obstacle to unity in the Cultivation Realm. I believe most people are willing to stand together against the Evil Demon Race and Phoenix Race. But before they can do that, they must first consider their own survival. That’s unavoidable."

"So, their testing me, their fearing me... it’s actually beyond the concept of good and evil. It’s more about their anxiety for their own future."

"By announcing my Scattering and Rebuilding, while there may be some danger, it won’t be sudden or overwhelming. It remains within a range the Sect can control."

After listening to Yue Qingyu’s explanation, Xu Ran couldn’t help but recall something Xiaoque’Er had once told him. She had said:

"Actually, Senior Sister Yue understands everything. She seems to see the true nature of all things and the hearts of all people. It’s just that most of the time, she chooses not to engage with it, preferring to simply be herself."