Is Being Good-Looking Any Use?

After class, as soon as Wei Yuan returned to his small courtyard, he saw Zhang Sheng. After he walked over and bowed in greeting, Zhang Sheng asked a few questions about his studies before smiling. "Your grandmaster specially emerged from seclusion today because he wants to meet you. You brought great honor to our Sky Azure Hall this time, and your grandmaster is thrilled. In a moment, we'll see what fine treasures we can squeeze out of the old man!" Hearing Zhang Sheng say this, Wei Yuan looked forward to it eagerly as well. He quickly washed up and tidied his appearance. Zhang Sheng then released a flying sword. The flying sword instantly expanded from palm-sized to two zhang long. Zhang Sheng brought Wei Yuan onto the sword, and they soared into the sky. Flying on a sword for the very first time, Wei Yuan was both excited and terrified. Watching the courtyards and valleys shrink rapidly below, his legs felt somewhat weak and limp, giving him the distinct feeling that he might plunge headfirst at any moment. Zhang Sheng lightly patted Wei Yuan's back. Wei Yuan's entire body instantly felt as if submerged in warm water—indescribably comfortable. Furthermore, the flying sword seemed to merge into one with him; he was the flying sword, and the flying sword was him. He no longer had to worry about suddenly tumbling off. Zhang Sheng did not fly fast. From time to time, figures flew past nearby, vanishing in the blink of an eye. Standing on the flying sword, Wei Yuan ascended higher and higher, heading straight toward a floating peak in midair. Moments later, they finally landed on a green jade plaza at the foot of the mountain. Zhang Sheng put away the flying sword and led Wei Yuan up a winding mountain stone path. Along the way, they traversed woods and crossed streams before finally arriving in front of a hall. The most striking features of this hall were two massive pillars of red jade, inside which flames continually surged upward. Even from a distance, waves of blazing heat washed over Wei Yuan. Fortunately, wisps of azure rain manifested around Zhang Sheng, shielding Wei Yuan within and bringing him relief. At that moment, the hall doors swung open on their own without any wind, and a deep, resonant voice drifted from within: "Come in!" Wei Yuan felt a mixture of anticipation and trepidation. In between classes over the past two days, he had heard many tales about Sky Azure Hall. True Monarch Xuanyue rarely took action in recent years, but whenever he did, it shook heaven and earth. Among the various Perfected under him, Perfected Fenhai had the most storied exploits and the most glorious record of battle; his Dao arts of incinerating the heavens and boiling the seas were virtually unstoppable. The mere thought of meeting such a legendary figure could not help but stir Wei Yuan's excitement. Zhang Sheng led Wei Yuan straight through the main hall and into the rear courtyard. There, Wei Yuan saw an elderly man in Daoist robes feeding fish beside a pond. However, the pond did not contain water, but rather roaring subterranean fire. The fish swam through the molten earthfire and magma with utter ease and grace. The old Daoist turned around slowly, his gaze falling upon Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan felt a stream of searing fire enter through the crown of his head and circulate throughout his entire body in an instant, nearly igniting him from the inside out! Right then, a jade toad emerged within Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness. Opening its mouth wide, it took a deep breath and swallowed the fiery stream that had entered his body in a single gulp. The jade toad's body instantly turned crimson, but several wisps of black qi flickered in its eyes. The crimson receded, and its body gradually reverted to a translucent white, leaving only a single red stripe along its back. In just that fleeting instant, billows of white vapor rose from the crown of Wei Yuan's head. He was drenched in sweat and parched with thirst, yet his body felt far lighter and much more lucid. The old Daoist was greatly surprised. "The Heavenly Fire this old Daoist used to temper your foundation—you actually swallowed it whole?" The anomaly in Wei Yuan's sea of consciousness just now had been seen clearly by both the old Daoist and Zhang Sheng. Zhang Sheng had never witnessed such a development either and was at a total loss for a moment. The old Daoist stepped directly in front of Wei Yuan, scrutinizing him from head to toe. His gaze was sharp as a sword, inspecting Wei Yuan thoroughly inside and out. Wei Yuan looked up and finally got a clear look at the old Daoist's appearance. The Daoist was not tall—scrawny, even—with plain features, save for a smudge of dark red at the tip of his brow. Beyond that, he looked just like an ordinary rustic old man, bearing no resemblance at all to the illustrious Perfected Fenhai. As he looked, a smile slowly spread across the old Daoist's face. "Before his foundation is even formally established, his visualization chart already possesses divine charm. This child is quite good! My disciple, finding him means your past few years haven't been wasted after all." Zhang Sheng said, "Wait, what do you mean by that?" Perfected Fenhai said, "The future glory of our Sky Azure Hall rests entirely on this grand-disciple of mine!" Zhang Sheng was stunned. "Now that you have a grand-disciple, I don't matter anymore, is that it?" Perfected Fenhai's gaze remained fixed on Wei Yuan, his face beaming like a blossoming flower. "The rear waves of the great river push the front waves. The front waves... well, you're the front wave! It's the inevitable march of things! Disciple, just look on the bright side!" Zhang Sheng's expression turned rather sour. "And are you not a front wave as well?" Perfected Fenhai stroked his beard and said, "Doesn't matter. It will take several decades for this little rear wave to grow up! That's not a long time; your master can afford to wait!" With that, Perfected Fenhai scooped Wei Yuan up in his arms. "Come, good boy! Let Grandmaster give you a hug!" However, Perfected Fenhai was short, while Wei Yuan was tall and sturdy, making the embrace look rather awkward. Zhang Sheng raised his sword-like eyebrows and said testily, "Even if you want to play favorites, you don't need to make it so obvious, do you? In what way is this brat better than me?" Without even turning his head, Perfected Fenhai replied, "He's better-looking than you!" "Uh..." Zhang Sheng nearly choked on his breath. His long hair rose without any wind, and faint green sword qi flickered in his eyes. He fumed, "This is merely a vessel, a vessel! What's the point of comparing him to my vessel?! How about comparing him to my true self?" Still examining Wei Yuan, Perfected Fenhai said, "Fine, then your master won't speak of looks, lest you feel inferior. This child swept through the martial test, beating every aristocratic family until they couldn't hold their heads up—the first time that has happened in a thousand years. This isn't merely about bringing honor to me or Patriarch Xuanyue. Do you truly not understand the significance behind it?" "If not for the Outlaw of Heaven and Earth I created, how the hell could he have swept through anything?! And what do you mean by 'lest I feel inferior'? Judging by looks alone, who am I inferior to?!" Zhang Sheng was now utterly unhinged. Perfected Fenhai said leisurely, "It may be your creation, but you couldn't use it yourself!" Zhang Sheng's face darkened like the bottom of a wok; he was completely struck dumb. Perfected Fenhai's sharp tongue had always been as legendary as his Heavenly Fire. Perfected Fenhai finally parted with Wei Yuan and set him down. "This child's otherworldly destiny is no small matter, though at present it's hard to say whether it's a blessing or a curse. Therefore, teaching him the Jade Toad Gazing at the Moon Chart was the right choice; converting destiny into supplementary foundation brings benefits without harm. However, otherworldly destiny does not belong to our world after all, so the foundation converted from it will inevitably be superficial and unstable. Additional effort must be invested to shore it up." Perfected Fenhai stroked his beard in thought. After a moment, looking thoroughly pained at the prospect of parting with his treasures, he said, "How about this: I still have three Chonglou Sea-Calming Pills here, which possess miraculous efficacy for supplementing one's foundation. Once he finishes taking them, he must take an Origin-Nourishing Pill every three days thereafter. As his master, you'll have to figure out a way to provide those!" Zhang Sheng snapped, "I'm not as good-looking as him, and I still have to procure pills for him?" Perfected Fenhai glared at him. "And what of it? Back when you were small, did I ever mistreat you? To cast your Dao Foundation, I humbled myself and begged and borrowed all over, barely gathering enough materials! Just paying off the immortal silver I owed others took this old Daoist three whole years!" Zhang Sheng's heart softened. He sighed, "All right, I'll figure something out." Perfected Fenhai let out a huff. "That's more like it. Oh, right, that copy of Outlaw of Heaven and Earth has already been submitted to the Palace. But since no one else can likely use it, the reward probably won't be much." Zhang Sheng said, "I created it in a fit of impassioned impulse anyway, and only ever intended for Yuan'er to use it. What about the Patriarch? Has he still not emerged from seclusion?" "On the day of your exams, the Patriarch had a dispute with some people. Fighting one against three, he took a slight injury. Otherwise, how could those aristocratic families have ever tolerated you taking first place?" Zhang Sheng was startled. "One against three? How is it that I only sensed two opponents?" Perfected Fenhai snorted. "Bao Manshan of the Bao family launched a sneak attack from outside the realm. Of course you couldn't sense him." Zhang Sheng fell silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Good! I will remember this. Yuan'er, you remember it too!" Wei Yuan nodded vigorously. Perfected Fenhai's weathered face bloomed with smiles again. "Hey, what are you doing? Don't corrupt the child! We people of Sky Azure Hall don't hold grudges!" Looking at Wei Yuan, Perfected Fenhai grew ever more fond of him. He could not resist patting the boy's head and saying, "Child, when a True Monarch seeks vengeance, three hundred years is not too late. We'll wait until your Dao arts achieve greatness. When you cross paths with that Bao Manshan then, don't take things too far either. After all, we've known each other for so many years—just break a few of his legs as a token gesture, and that'll do!"