Don't Cause Trouble Chapter 32: Sword Training

Aside from achieving ascension and stepping into immortality, the highest level in the cultivation world was the Tribulation Stage. Even within the two sect alliances and five major schools, there were only a handful of cultivators at that level. Such powerful figures usually stayed secluded in closed-door cultivation and rarely appeared in public.

The advancement from the Great Ascension Stage to the Tribulation Stage was treacherous, often plagued by inner demons that caused many cultivators to fail their breakthrough.

The Wuji Pill could eliminate these inner demons, greatly increasing the chance of success. For any sect, gaining even one Tribulation Stage cultivator meant a major leap in its overall power.

That was what made the Wuji Pill so incredibly valuable.

Ye Su’s two requests, in comparison, were insignificant. To the sect master and elders of Sword Sect, it seemed she had come just to gift them the pill.

That same day, Ye Su and her group were accommodated in the guest residences.

"This place has way more spiritual energy than Broken Origin Sect," Xi Yu exclaimed, raising his arms to the sky and taking a deep breath. "If I stayed here for ten years, I’d break through even without training!"

"Keep dreaming," Ming Liu Sha muttered.

"There haven’t been any secret realms opening up in the east lately," Xia Er commented. "Senior Sister, what kind of sword cultivators should we choose?"

"Personal disciples," Ye Su replied.

Personal disciples were stronger than ordinary sect members and received more attention. If something went wrong, they were more likely to get help.

Technically, Ye Su could have asked for powerful cultivators from Sword Sect to guard them—but most high-level cultivators couldn’t enter the kind of secret realm they were planning to explore. Even if they could, they’d have to suppress their cultivation to get in. Plus, strong cultivators were hard to control. If they got interested in any treasures within the realm, Ye Su and her group might end up with nothing.

Led to their respective quarters, Ye Su had just sat down when Yi Xuan appeared outside her door.

She turned and saw him. She wasn’t surprised.

"Come in," she said.

"Why did you want me to become a dual-sect disciple?" Yi Xuan asked immediately after stepping inside, his tone confrontational.

Ye Su pointed to the chair across from her.

"Sit."

Yi Xuan didn’t move. She stayed silent. After a brief standoff, he finally sat down, dragging the chair noisily as he did.

"Five hundred years ago, the Qianji Sect’s spiritual veins dried up, and our last genius artifact refiner disappeared. Since then, the Slash Gold Sect and Quan Dian Society have been suppressing us together. If we ever want to rise again, we’ll need protection," Ye Su explained. Then she looked him in the eye and asked seriously, "Junior Brother, can that person be you?"

Yi Xuan turned his head away, avoiding her gaze.

After a long silence, he said, "So this is why you want me to stay?"

Ye Su studied his expression.

"What did you think the reason was?"

Yi Xuan poured himself a cup of tea and downed it in one gulp.

"Nothing."

He had just assumed they didn’t want him tagging along.

"When you’re strong enough, I won’t have to go looking for sword cultivators from other sects."

"…Fine. I’ll stay," Yi Xuan finally agreed, his eyes lowered.

It was rare for Ye Su to sit down with Yi Xuan like this. They would soon venture into a secret realm, and she figured now was the right time to say the things she’d been holding back.

"You’ve always had a strong sense of pride. Master told us not to bring up certain things in front of you," Ye Su said, looking at him. "But sometimes, lowering your head isn’t shameful."

Yi Xuan remained silent.

"When those disciples from the Silent Sect mocked you, you gave up and stopped going altogether," she continued. "All of Master’s efforts went to waste."

The agreement between the Silent Sect and Qianji Sect had never been made public—because they were afraid of being targeted by Slash Gold Sect and Quan Dian Society. But the sect leader of Silent Sect had no choice but to accept it; without the agreement, his disciples had no opportunities to rise.

Disciples of Silent Sect could pretend they didn’t know about it, but those from Qianji Sect couldn’t—not when their sect leader was burning his own spiritual power to uphold the pact.

"I…" Yi Xuan couldn’t find anything to say. Some mistakes, once made, couldn’t be undone.

"You’ve built your foundation now. The road ahead will only get harder. The petty tricks of those Silent Sect disciples are nothing. Disciples of Qianji Sect can’t afford to give up on advancement just because of pride," Ye Su said firmly. "Our sect has been in decline for too long. I want everyone to witness its rise again."

"Senior Sister," Yi Xuan finally looked up at Ye Su after a long silence. "I will become a powerful sword cultivator and protect the Qianji Sect in the future."

—No matter what it takes.

Ye Su nodded and reminded him, "Now that you’re staying in Sword Sect, stay sharp."

Yi Xuan poured a cup of hot tea and pushed it toward her.

Just as he finished, You Fushi walked in from outside and plopped down in the chair between them, casually picking up the cup in front of Ye Su to warm his hands.

Yi Xuan frowned. "...No one ever taught you not to touch other people’s things without asking?"

You Fushi cradled the cup and looked at him. "Nope."

"Enough." Ye Su sighed, already sensing her junior brother’s growing headache. "Why are you here?"

"I’m hungry," You Fushi replied.

"What about the fasting pills?" Ye Su frowned. "I just gave you a bottle yesterday."

"Finished them." He paused. "They taste awful."

Yi Xuan’s lips tightened. He had always been mature for his age and couldn’t understand this kind of behavior.

He glanced at Ye Su—and was surprised that she wasn’t even the slightest bit annoyed.

"Here, something to fill your stomach." Ye Su took out another bottle of fasting pills from her storage bag and handed it to You Fushi. Then she turned back to Yi Xuan. "What do you think of Xin Shenzi?"

In the original novel, he was the second male lead’s master. Just before his breakthrough to the Tribulation Stage, he died under Mount Kunlun to protect Yi Xuan from the protagonist’s sword.

Yi Xuan looked away evasively. "I don’t really know him."

His vague answer was a clear sign he actually had a good impression of Xin Shenzi.

Ye Su understood immediately. "After we leave, you’ll become his disciple."

Xin Shenzi had nearly reached the Tribulation Stage—that alone spoke volumes about his strength. He also treated Yi Xuan well, making him the best possible choice from every angle.

"You’re okay with him becoming my master?" Yi Xuan still remembered Ye Su’s laughter the other day. With his ten years of experience in the Qianji Sect, he could tell she definitely wasn’t pleased at the time.

"If you’re going to take a master, then pick the strongest one," Ye Su said with a squint. "But... let’s wait a few days before we settle it."

The next morning, Xin Shenzi showed up early to wait for Yi Xuan.

"Disciple," he rubbed his hands eagerly, "everyone in Qianji Sect says you’re going to become a dual-sect disciple. I’ve fought all over Sword Sect—hardly anyone can match me!"

Just then, Ye Su opened the door and came out. She said calmly, "The Grand Elder and Sect Master of Sword don’t fight easily, and most of the others aren’t even elders."

Apparently still feeling the sting of being called "ugly" yesterday, Xin Shenzi had dressed up today in a clean sky-blue robe, with his hair neatly tied. He drew his sword and pointed it toward Ye Su. "You’re picking sword cultivators in this sect? I’ll fight for it!"

"I’m not interested in that." Ye Su smiled faintly. "Since you know what I asked for, then you should understand—who Yi Xuan takes as his master is up to me."

Xin Shenzi frowned. "What? Your sect decides who my disciple gets to learn from? That’s absurd!"

"Senior," Yi Xuan interrupted, "my Senior Sister will choose my master for me."

Xin Shenzi panicked a bit. He had tried everything to keep Yi Xuan in the past, failed, and now the boy had returned on his own—he really wanted to make him a dual-sect disciple. So why didn’t he want to become his student?

"Senior," Ye Su glanced at his sword, "we’re just humble artifact refiners—your sword being out like this is a bit intimidating."

"What does that have to—" Xin Shenzi cut himself off mid-sentence, realizing she had a point. He quickly sheathed his sword and gave Ye Su an awkward smile. "Right, you’re my disciple’s Senior Sister? Sorry, I tend to talk rough sometimes."

"We noticed yesterday," Xia Er muttered from the side.

Xin Shenzi: "..."

Really? You’re just going to climb up the ladder I gave you like that?

If not for wanting to take on this disciple, he’d have cut these brats down with a single strike!

Whatever he was thinking, Xin Shenzi kept up a polite facade. "Apologies again for yesterday. I’ll be sure to visit the Qianji Sect when I have the time."

"No need," Ye Su said with meaning in her voice. "We haven’t even had breakfast—our spiritual energy is running low."

Xin Shenzi immediately sent a message to a servant: "Quick, prepare spiritual food for our esteemed guests!"

Soon, servants came carrying dish after dish. Ye Su turned and walked toward You Fushi’s room.

"Does Senior Sister always have to wake Junior Brother up?" Yi Xuan asked Xia Er.

"Pretty much," Xia Er scratched his head. "He sleeps all day."

Yi Xuan didn’t know what to make of that. You Fushi did seem quite close to Ye Su.

"Little... Junior... Brother... rich," Ming Liu Sha said slowly. "Can... sleep."

On that note, Xi Yu had been planning to tell Yi Xuan about the Zili gallwood situation, but when he saw Xin Shenzi nearby, he decided to hold back.

Ye Su opened the door and entered. You Fushi was lying on his side facing the wall, his long black hair falling over half his face, cascading down the side of the bed. He wore a dark robe.

"Junior Brother," Ye Su called as she stood beside the bed.

You Fushi heard her voice and rolled over—turning his back to her.

Ye Su said flatly, "Give me back the Mistflower Fang."

The next moment, You Fushi opened his eyes and sat up, deliberately hiding the hand wearing the Mistflower Fang behind his back.

Ye Su noticed but didn’t press him. She just said, "Weren’t you hungry yesterday? The attendants brought spiritual food."

You Fushi instinctively reached out his hand to her, expecting her to help him up.

Ye Su gave a slight smile, then calmly took the Mistflower Fang off his wrist and put it back into her storage bag. "Let’s go."

This mortal is so stingy!

You Fushi’s handsome features nearly scrunched into a pout, but after rubbing his belly, he reluctantly gave in and followed her out to eat.

As soon as Ye Su stepped outside, Xin Shenzi rushed over. "Little Ye, the spiritual food is ready. How about letting your disciple acknowledge me as his master now?"

"I thought that was just standard hospitality from Sword Sect," Ye Su replied coolly as she took a seat. You Fushi, familiar with the routine, tugged at her robe and sat down on the hem.

Xin Shenzi: "……"

"Yi Xuan used to be our youngest disciple in the Qianji Sect. He reached the Foundation Establishment stage just by studying our sword manual, without anyone guiding him." Ye Su casually picked up her chopsticks. "If someone wants to take a gifted student like him as a disciple, they should at least show some sincerity."

Xin Shenzi instantly pulled out his storage bag, wiped the seal off it, and tossed it to Yi Xuan. "Disciple, take whatever you want from inside!"

Yi Xuan didn’t move.

Ye Su lazily added, "It’s only proper for an elder uncle to give his junior nephew a gift, too."

Xin Shenzi was so anxious he could hardly keep still, wishing he could go back in time and sew his mouth shut yesterday.

Now he fully understood—these little brats only listened to Ye Su. Offend her, and you offend all of them.

"Senior, before my junior brother picks a master, we’ll need to see some skill first," Ye Su said. "How about showing us your swordplay today, so we can judge for ourselves?"

Sitting quietly nearby, Lu Jiu didn’t dare make a sound: ...they’re treating Xin Shenzi like entertainment to go with their meal.