117. Loss

"Hmm?" Master Duanyue glared at Wei Wuxian. His messy, intertwined white eyebrows arched slightly, a clear sign of a threat. That concentrated, restrained pressure nearly crushed the three foundation-building disciples.

Wei Wuxian remained silent for a moment, then slowly curled his lips into a smile and said steadily, "He is just a disciple; surely Uncle Master Duanyue wouldn't hold a grudge against a junior?"

Master Duanyue did not speak. His eyes were clear and his posture stood upright, instantly transforming his image from that of a bedraggled old man into that of a high-ranking master.

Wei Wuxian maintained his humble smile throughout, refusing to back down.

After a long while, Master Duanyue snorted, "Canghua has a good disciple!" He turned and began to walk away. Reaching the doorway, he turned back and beckoned to Qian Jiale, "Kid, what are you still standing there for?"

Qian Jiale was stunned. He shot a quick glance at the core-formation cultivators, and seeing Master Shanghuan nod with a smile, he hurriedly followed. Before leaving, he gave Lingyu a look, and she returned a smile.

"We respectfully see off Uncle Master Duanyue," the five core-formation cultivators said in unison. Lingyu and Xu Jibo quickly followed suit.

Master Duanyue came and went like a whirlwind, sweeping in and whisking Qian Jiale away. His stay had not even lasted the time it takes to burn a stick of incense.

The five of them sat down again. Wei Wuxian glanced at Lingyu, "Are you disappointed?"

Lingyu was startled, then shook her head sincerely, "Master Ancestor Duanyue didn't come early or late, but chose this exact moment; it shows he has a connection with Brother Qian, but not with me."

This answer satisfied Wei Wuxian, "At least you are sensible."

"..." Lingyu lowered her gaze, weeping silently in her heart. Disappointed? How could she not be? A sword cultivator? She had spent so much effort trying to join the Zixiao Sword Sect with Luo Yun. Luo Yun had been accepted, but she hadn't even been allowed to sign up, the excuse being that the Zixiao Sword Sect did not accept female disciples. Now, having reached the Foundation Establishment stage alongside Qian Jiale, when choosing a master, Qian Jiale was taken away by a sword cultivator ancestor, while she was left behind...

"This girl, which one of you wants her?" With Xu Jibo still needing a master, Master Shanghuan spoke up.

Lan Muyang took a look and shook his head, "The Hall of Battle Orders is busy, and I already have two disciples under my tutelage. I came here today because I heard there was someone else with dual spirit roots like me. Since she is not suitable for my sect, let it be."

Wei Wuxian only offered two words: "No time."

Ling Xiao and Dan Jin exchanged glances and sighed, looking somewhat helpless, "These two sword cultivators... they aren't suitable for my lineage. I only came to join the fun, but I didn't expect an extra one. Her wood-type spirit root, however, is compatible with mine."

"So, Junior Sister Ling is willing to take her as a disciple?"

Ling Xiao said, "If she is willing to join my lineage, it would be acceptable."

Master Shanghuan nodded lightly and asked Xu Jibo, "What about you? Are you willing to enter Ling Xiao's lineage?"

Xu Jibo looked at Ling Xiao, then at Dan Jin, her expression struggling. Finally, she gritted her teeth, "This disciple admires Uncle Master Dan Jin..."

Ling Xiao smiled and said to Dan Jin, "Senior Sister, since this child has such a preference, just take her in."

Dan Jin said indifferently, "Very well. The Sect Master has decreed that all future Foundation Establishment disciples must have a master. Then let her join my lineage."

Xu Jibo was overjoyed, "This disciple greets her Master!" She turned to Ling Xiao, looking apologetic, "Uncle Master Ling..."

Ling Xiao waved her hand, still wearing a smile. She was a core-formation cultivator; she wasn't that petty. In the matter of masters and disciples, both sides had the right to choose.

"Very well, let it be so." With the matter concluded satisfactorily, Master Shanghuan clapped his hands and kindly instructed Lingyu and Xu Jibo, "Go back and wait for news. Once the apprenticeship ceremony is arranged, you will be notified."

"Yes, this disciple obeys."

After the two respectfully exited the back hall and left the Ask-Dao Palace, Tu Qiurong, who had been waiting outside, hurried up to them, "How did it go?"

Xu Jibo was beaming with joy, "Senior Sister Tu, Uncle Master Dan Jin of Xuan Nü Peak is willing to take me as a disciple." She paused, "Senior Sister Cheng has joined the lineage of Uncle Master Wei of Guanyun Peak."

"Oh?" Tu Qiurong was overjoyed, "Is it Uncle Master Wei, the first disciple of Master Ancestor Canghua?"

Lingyu nodded, "Indeed."

"Good, good, good!" Tu Qiurong said three times, her face full of smiles and pride, "That's wonderful! You have become direct descendants of the Five Peaks, winning glory for our Lanyue Peak!"

Tu Qiurong brought them back to Lanyue Peak, walking with a spring in her step and greeting everyone she met, eager for the whole world to know that not only had Lanyue Peak produced new Foundation Establishment disciples, but they had also become direct descendants of the Five Peaks—two at once!

Having been an initiate for three years, Lingyu was stunned to see this side of the usually stern and serious deacon elder.

Upon returning to Lanyue Peak, well-wishers arrived in an endless stream. Not only did nearby fellow disciples come to get acquainted, but even the Foundation Establishment cultivators living at the peak came to offer their congratulations, and they even hosted a farewell banquet for them.

Having lived on Lanyue Peak for three years, there was naturally some affection. Lingyu and Xu Jibo were both gracious, attending the banquet as promised and turning no one away.

By the time the banquet ended, the moon was high in the sky. The tables were left in disarray as the guests scattered. Lingyu bid farewell to the remaining people and prepared to leave.

"Senior Sister Cheng," Xu Jibo's voice came from behind, "I'll walk with you."

Lingyu did not refuse and set off first toward the mountainside.

The night on Lanyue Peak was exceptionally quiet, filled with the chirping of insects and the rustling of the wind. Between the mountain rocks, the moonstones embedded in the ground glowed with a faint fluorescence.

"Senior Sister Cheng, do you hate me?" Xu Jibo spoke suddenly in the night breeze.

Lingyu paused her steps and said faintly, "Does that matter?"

"You can't even be bothered to talk to me now," Xu Jibo's voice held a trace of resentment, "Because I only cared about my own advancement, do you think I'm not qualified to be your friend?"

This tone was different from the usual Xu Jibo, making Lingyu recall the enthusiastic, cheerful, and slightly naive girl from three years ago.

Her eyes flickered. She thought back earnestly and shook her head, "No, that's not it."

"Then why? Brother Qian is one thing—I wasn't close to him anyway—but what about you? Senior Sister Cheng, we've known each other for three years; I always thought we were friends. Was I wrong?" Xu Jibo stopped, tugging at her sleeve and looking up, her gaze filled with sadness. Regardless of her intentions, she had genuinely invested emotions into this friendship.

In the night wind, under the moonlight, Xu Jibo said as if letting off steam, "I know you are destined to shine. Even if you walk a different path, it won't change your fate. My aptitude isn't as good as yours, my comprehension isn't as good as yours, and even my opportunities aren't as good as yours. Even my apprenticeship was something I had to fight for. But don't I have the right to pursue strength? I just want to be strong, to be like you, standing at the pinnacle of the world. Am I wrong?"

"You are not wrong." Lingyu looked up at the night sky and said slowly, "Junior Sister Xu, if I had disliked you from the start, I wouldn't have become friends with you. The past three years were good. If we could have maintained that relationship, I wouldn't have disliked you."

"Then why..."

"You ask me why; I have thought about it carefully. It is perhaps because we are not the same kind of people."

Xu Jibo was stunned and let go of her sleeve.

"You are not a bad person. You are enthusiastic and cheerful. I always thought you were a good friend. However, since this trip to Mount Zhurong, you seem different. You are too eager. You are always desperately trying to seize every opportunity, as if you are terrified of being left behind. Why? You weren't like this before."

Xu Jibo's gaze dropped involuntarily, her fists clenching tightly. Yet, the next moment, she straightened her chest and looked her directly in the eyes, "The path of immortality requires seizing every opportunity. Is that not right?"

Lingyu sighed and looked at her with a probing gaze, "Junior Sister Xu, you keep asking if it's right or wrong. Does this not show that you are struggling within yourself? You have found many reasons for yourself, yet you cannot fully convince your own heart."

"No, that's not it!" Xu Jibo denied it vehemently.

Lingyu furrowed her brows slightly, "Our personalities are different; it is hard for me to guess what is in your heart, but I think your current state is not good. To seek immortality without a tranquil heart—what are you using to pursue it? You are so tense; how will you temper your Dao heart? Why can't you let go a little and walk your own path with a peaceful mind?"

"What do you know?" Her calmness only provoked Xu Jibo, "Look at you, everything has gone so smoothly for you. On the trip to Mount Zhurong, a disaster occurred and many died, yet you were safe and sound, and you even reached Foundation Establishment in one go. When meeting the core-formation masters, I had to struggle just to be accepted by Uncle Master Dan Jin, while you didn't have to do anything and were favored by Uncle Master Wei. I just want to be like you, strong, confident, and admired..."

"Wait!" Lingyu's feeling grew increasingly strange, "Junior Sister Xu, what are you saying? I am just like you, having just reached Foundation Establishment. My status is not higher than yours, nor is my strength greater than yours. Where is this 'smoothness' you speak of? Besides, Uncle Master Ling clearly favored you and wanted to take you as a disciple, but you were the one who refused and insisted on joining Uncle Master Dan Jin's lineage. How are you any worse than us?"

"That's not the same!" Xu Jibo cried out, "How can Uncle Master Ling compare to Uncle Master Dan Jin..."

"Enough!" Seeing Xu Jibo becoming increasingly paranoid, Lingyu grew annoyed. Were they in a position to gossip about core-formation masters? If someone overheard them, it would invite disaster!

She smoothed her emotions, trying to remain calm, "Junior Sister Xu, I do not like this attitude of yours. Our personalities, our ways of acting, and even our mindsets toward cultivation are completely different. If we continue this friendship, the relationship will only grow worse; it is better to end it here. What I said to you earlier came from the heart—don't let your heart for seeking immortality become clouded with dust. That is all I have to say." With that, she walked away, no longer waiting for her.

Xu Jibo was left standing alone on the stairs.

A long time later, after Lingyu's figure had vanished from the mountain path, she finally came to her senses.

"Have I... really taken the wrong path?" she whispered to herself, looking at the spot where Lingyu had disappeared, her eyes growing moist. Regardless of the answer, she knew she had lost this friend.

PS: Writing this character is not intended to challenge or compete with certain rebirth novels. It was just that while reading a rebirth novel, I suddenly thought that such a character actually has a depth of soul that can be explored. Is rebirth truly invincible? I feel that what is truly precious about rebirth is the experience bestowed by that past life. If the heart cannot grow, doing it all over again is useless.

Additionally, I must emphasize again: this is not a typical rebirth story. I will provide an explanation later. This is an orthodox cultivation novel, not a satire.