Don't Cause Trouble 67: Two Stages

In just a few days, the rumors that Master Muji came from the Zhanjin Sect had grown wildly out of control.

Zhanjin Sect neither confirmed nor denied it. That vague attitude made outsiders even more convinced that Master Muji was connected to them.

Huang Erqian couldn't stop the spread of the rumors. He was fuming on the message jade disc, saying, "For this to spread across the cultivation world so fast, I don’t believe someone isn’t stirring things up behind the scenes."

He had clearly released the statement that Master Muji wasn’t from Zhanjin Sect, but no one believed it. Some even claimed Zhanjin Sect purposely had him deny it to make it look more real.

"Zhanjin Sect just wants to ride the fame," Ye Su said flatly. A sect that had once worked with the major shops to blacklist Qianji Sect clearly wasn't the righteous type.

"A big sect doing something so shameless!" Huang Erqian was beyond angry. "They’ve completely lost face!"

Ye Su lowered her eyes, looking at her fingers, and said indifferently, "They’re probably trying to promote someone."

There was a bit over a year until the major sect competition. After that event, many sect disciples would start having issues with their artifacts. At that time, the artifact refining sect with the most fame would naturally form ties with them.

At such a crucial moment, how could Zhanjin Sect let Master Muji gain the spotlight?

If Master Muji stayed quiet, fine. But if they stepped out and said they weren’t from Zhanjin Sect, they’d probably be suppressed not long after.

At that thought, a deeper chill settled on Ye Su. Without enough strength, they were just open targets for bullying.

She looked at Huang Erqian. "Keep a low profile for now. No need to rush to deny anything. The higher they build the hype, the harder they’ll fall."

"You…" Huang Erqian hesitated, then asked, "Did you use a tracing recording during the artifact refining?"

"No." Although Quan Jiaying had given her one, Ye Su was never used to using it. Once her inspiration struck, her mind was filled only with the structure of the artifact, she didn’t even remember to activate the recording disc. "But I did record an early version of refining the monk's spade."

That monk's spade used different materials than a standard one. Ye Su had calculated the mix herself. Any skilled artifact refiner could tell at a glance. Even if the artifact was upgraded later and filled with random talismans, the core remained unchanged.

"Then that’s good," Huang Erqian said, visibly more relaxed.

That evening, before Ye Su could reach out to Quan Jiaying, she first received a message from him.

【Fellow Daoist Ye, hope you’ve been well. Congratulations on receiving the Heavenly Dao’s blessing.】

Quan Jiaying’s words were direct and simple. The first line alone made Ye Su chuckle.

【We’ve heard the rumors about Zhanjin Sect. I’ve already made ten thousand copies of the tracing video from when you refined the monk's spade. Just say the word and I’ll send the recordings to all the major sects.】

Ye Su couldn’t help but smile. Brother Quan’s methods were a bit blunt—but she liked that.

She opened the message interface and sent back her reply:

【Thank you for your kindness, Brother Quan. Please keep the ten thousand copies safe. When the sect competition comes, I’ll use them.】

When the sect competition begins, even if Zhanjin Sect wants to suppress others, they’ll have to consider whether the other sect cultivators are willing.

No one wants to miss out on a good artifact.

……

Because there was no more word from Huang Erqian’s side, more and more people in the cultivation world came to believe that Master Muji truly belonged to Zhanjin Sect.

Gradually, by the end, almost everyone was convinced that Master Muji's artifact was the result of a joint effort between the two young genius artifact refiners from Zhanjin Sect.

From then on, Hua Daiyu, Zuo Wenxuan, and Master Muji were tightly bound together in the public eye.

……

The day before Ye Su and her group left Guizong City, Lian Lian successfully formed her Nascent Soul.

On top of Wuxing Sect, golden light flared with strange movements. There were even faint rumbles of thunder in the sky, leaving the crowd below stunned as the same thought popped into everyone’s mind:

**Can someone who’s been relying on pills really trigger such a phenomenon?**

"This Nascent Soul formation is making quite a scene," Ma Congqiu said, looking up at the golden light and thunder in the distance. "I didn’t expect Lian Lian to actually have some real skill."

At that moment, only Lian Lian, under the golden light, knew how dangerous her situation really was.

Her true form had just begun to emerge, and her Nascent Soul was about to form, but her state of mind was far too unstable.

Countless memories flashed through her heart like nightmares that refused to let go.

She recalled the high spirits she had as a young prodigy in talisman arts, and later, her realization that no talisman cultivator had ever successfully ascended.

Because of her obsession with the path to ascension, she abandoned talismans in secret and started practicing swordsmanship instead.

Practicing the sword alone, hoping to prove her Dao with it, she hunted beasts across the land—only to be caught, seriously injured, and toyed with by one.

Both her hands were completely skinned and crushed.

If Cheng Huaian hadn’t found her, she wouldn’t have survived.

Even after surviving, she had to go through painstaking medical treatments to have her shattered fingers slowly reconstructed.

Yet she could never forget the moment when she saw her own fingers being skinned and crushed.

There was no point in talking about wielding a sword, she couldn’t even hold a brush anymore.

Her father knew nothing of this.

He only thought his daughter had once shown promise and, unwilling to lose face as the Wuxing Sect’s leader, went to great lengths to get a Miao Ling Pill and forced her to take it.

Since she couldn’t wield a sword or hold a brush anymore, there was no Dao left for her.

Taking the pill would be best for everyone.

Under the golden light, Lian Lian’s forehead was drenched in sweat. Her newly formed divine sense was unstable and started spreading uncontrollably.

Outside stood her father, his face full of pride and excitement.

Lian Lian’s divine sense barely lingered on him before continuing to spread outward.

She "saw" Cheng Huaian and… Zhou Yun.

The two of them stood side by side in the distance, looking toward the place where she was in seclusion. Their expressions were grave.

Lian Lian suddenly paused.

She still remembered how Cheng Huaian had carried her to the healer, stayed by her side day and night comforting her and shielding her from the rumors within Wuxing Sect.

Back then…

He was still young. She didn’t understand how he could be so steady, especially since he was clearly someone with a rebellious streak.

Maybe it was all vented through his "old man" act and selling talismans.

Within the golden light, Lian Lian’s expression gradually softened, even revealing a slight smile.

Her divine sense fell again on Zhou Yun standing nearby.

It was Zhou Yun who had stopped her from taking the Miao Ling Pill, scolded her harshly, and since then, the two had fallen out.

Yet here she was again, coming all the way to Wuxing Sect, her eyes full of worry she couldn’t hide.

Her divine sense expanded faster and faster, even spreading beyond Wuxing Sect.

Lian Lian saw so many people—those talisman cultivators in the city showed all kinds of expressions, but on every face was hope and longing for the Great Dao.

She saw Xu Chengyu and Ma Congqiu outside the inn, and she also saw Ye Su.

—Ye Su, a strange person, always carried an air of certainty about her, as if there was nothing she couldn't do.

She could both refine artifacts and draw talismans. Her sensitivity to talismans was even stronger than Lian Lian’s had been in her prime.

Lian Lian’s divine sense landed on the slip of paper in Ye Su’s hand that belonged to Senior Tu.

Senior Tu’s Golden Core had been destroyed, and he had nearly died in the Desolate City secret realm. But he fought to survive, rebuilt his core, reformed his true body into a Nascent Soul, and even reached the Integration Stage.

He endured two hundred long years, and when he finally had a chance to escape, he chose instead to sacrifice himself so that they could leave safely.

With so many people helping her, what right did she have to wallow in self-pity?

Behind Ye Su, the room door opened, and You Fushi walked out.

He lifted his eyelids and gave a calm glance toward the void.

Lian Lian's body trembled within the golden light, and her divine sense instantly snapped back into place—

But it wasn’t over yet.

"Look!"

More and more people walked out into the streets, gazing in the direction of Wuxing Sect.

"What’s going on? The golden light is getting brighter!"

"She’s breaking through again," said a knowledgeable cultivator, sighing with admiration. "A double-stage advancement... As expected from Wuxing Sect’s own daughter."

"Wasn’t her progress from taking pills? She must’ve taken some powerful elixir this time too."

"Nonsense. How could this kind of celestial phenomenon be caused by pills. Unless the sect master of Wuxing Sect got their hands on a god-grade elixir."

God-grade elixirs only existed before the Divine Fall Era.

There’s no way something of that level still exists, and even if it did, it wouldn’t be fed to some young girl.

Any top-tier cultivator who took it could dominate an entire region.

Ye Su glanced into the distance from upstairs, then looked away.

She turned to You Fushi, who had just walked out of the room. "Hungry?"

The young junior brother immediately held out his hand in front of her. "Hungry."

Not the slightest bit embarrassed.

Ye Su took out a bottle of Fasting Pills and a qiankun bag with a hundred top-grade spirit stones. "Just bought these. I heard this batch of Fasting Pills is good, try them."

"You’ve got money now?" You Fushi accepted the bottle and the spirit stones from her hands and asked curiously.

Ye Su raised an eyebrow slightly. Her junior brother was finally showing some growth at least he was starting to understand life wasn’t easy.

"I made a bit recently."

"When I find what I’m looking for," You Fushi said generously, "I’ll give you spirit stones."

Even though he didn’t actually know what he was looking for, Ye Su didn’t take it seriously.

"Alright, I’ll be waiting."

……

That night, Lian Lian advanced again, rising from the late Golden Core stage to the mid Nascent Soul stage. The entire city of Guizong was thrown into a stir of shock and disbelief.

The sect master of Wuxing Sect was overjoyed and immediately sent out celebratory invitations to all the major sects, eager to show off.

As soon as Lian Lian came out, he stepped forward and said proudly, "As expected of my daughter."

"Father, you only formed your Nascent Soul after turning a hundred. We might be a bit different," Lian Lian replied coldly.

The sect master’s expression shifted slightly, but at this moment, wanting to save face, he ignored the sarcasm in her words. "Among the younger generation, Nascent Soul cultivators are already rare and you’re the first to advance two stages in a row. You’ll surely do well in the upcoming sect competition. Focus on your talisman cultivation."

Lian Lian poured cold water on him: "There’s still more than a year until the sect competition. Who knows how many hidden geniuses will surface in that time?"

"You—" The sect master’s face finally turned a bit grim.

"Sect Master, Senior Sister just advanced. She’s probably tired," Cheng Huaian walked over and said, "Why not let her get some proper rest?"

"Huaian, you’re always so considerate," the sect master sighed. He pointed at Lian Lian and then flicked his sleeve and left.

After sending him off, Cheng Huaian returned.

"Where’s Zhou Yun?" Lian Lian asked while standing in the courtyard. She still remembered seeing Zhou Yun when her divine sense had spread out.

"She returned to Sword Sect. Xu Chengyu came to pick her up," Cheng Huaian replied, then paused briefly and added sincerely, "Senior Sister, congratulations."

"I’m no good with the sword," Lian Lian suddenly said.

Cheng Huaian stayed silent, quietly waiting for what else she had to say.

"But I can still draw talismans," Lian Lian’s beautiful face lit up with a dazzling brilliance. "This so-called ascension along the Great Dao—only a handful have achieved it over thousands of years. I don’t have to be one of them to live a good life."

Cheng Huaian gave a soft "Mm." "I’ll be with you."

"Then you might really end up an old man," Lian Lian smiled. "Next time I’ll try pretending to be an old woman, see how it feels. Has anyone ever seen through your disguise?"

Cheng Huaian nodded. "Last time I wore a face-changing talisman, someone saw through it."

"Did you mess up the talisman?" Lian Lian asked. "Next time I’ll draw it for you."

"Okay."

"Who spotted you?" Lian Lian asked curiously.

"Ye Su."

"Ye Su? When was that?"

……

The two continued talking in the courtyard for a long while, while the person they were talking about had already stepped into the teleportation array, heading back to Sword Sect.