Free and Unfettered

Just then, a faint sigh suddenly echoed through the grand hall, followed by a resonant, unfamiliar man's voice. "Junior Brother Chen, Fellow Daoist Huayang has traveled far and is our guest. Do not be discourteous." Silence fell over the hall. The cultivator surnamed Chen curbed his anger. "Senior Brother Pavilion Master, you have returned." Old Daoist Huayang raised his head slightly. Facing the master of Yanmiao Pavilion, even he did not dare be negligent, given his standing; he could not treat him the same way he treated the cultivator surnamed Chen. The old Daoist bowed with clasped hands toward the empty air. "This old Daoist visited Yanmiao Pavilion hoping to discuss a few matters with Fellow Daoist Qi, not expecting that you would happen to be away..." "Qi went out on an errand and has only just returned to the mountain gate. Entangled with urgent business, it is inconvenient for me to appear in person and meet Fellow Daoist Huayang right now. I hope Fellow Daoist will not take offense." The speaker was none other than Pavilion Master Qi of Yanmiao Pavilion. He spoke as if unaware of what had just transpired, his tone casual, like an idle chat between friends. The incarnation stood with hands at his sides, quiet and unassuming. Inside his sea of qi, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly was just as obedient, concealing itself and not daring to make the slightest movement. This was a renowned expert on Landou Island, an existence on the verge of attempting to break through to Nascent Soul, with a cultivation level even higher than Xiang Yi's. Fortunately, even after its Second Metamorphosis, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly had been able to conceal itself from the perception of Core Formation cultivators. Now, as long as it remained cautious, there was no need to worry about being detected. And so long as the incarnation did not stand together with Qin Sang, he would not be easily seen through either. Old Daoist Huayang spoke repeatedly, "This old Daoist visited uninvited, so how could I blame Fellow Daoist Qi? The matter I was just discussing with Brother Chen—surely you must already know something of it? This old Daoist is no villain who robs by force; it is truly that circumstances have forced our hand, leaving us no choice. Of course, we would never let you suffer a loss in vain. If there truly is a suitable disciple, we will generously compensate your pavilion..." Pavilion Master Qi gave a free and easy laugh. "Yanmiao Pavilion and the Landou Sect were originally one and the same; why speak of compensation or lack thereof? They are merely a few disciples, and cultivating anywhere is the same." His implication seemed to agree to Old Daoist Huayang's request, and without attaching any conditions. This secretly astonished Old Daoist Huayang; he had not expected Pavilion Master Qi to be so agreeable. Although Pavilion Master Qi had practically repeated the words Huayang had used earlier, with hidden mockery, Old Daoist Huayang could only pretend not to hear it. "Senior Brother!" The cultivator surnamed Chen had not expected the pavilion master to say this, and he was thoroughly dissatisfied. Old Daoist Huayang turned slightly and cupped his hands to the cultivator surnamed Chen. "This old Daoist gave much offense earlier; I hope you will not take it to heart, worthy brother. You know as well that our Yin-Yang lineage has demands of disciples that border on harsh; good innate talent is not necessarily of any use. Among these disciples, there might not even be a single one who meets our criteria." "It is also possible you will sweep them all up!" The cultivator surnamed Chen sneered with dripping sarcasm. "Junior Brother Chen..." Pavilion Master Qi stopped him, transmitting something via voice projection. The cultivator surnamed Chen wore a look of indignation. He gave a cold snort, said no more, and flicked his sleeves to leave at once. "Hold on!" Just then, Old Daoist Huayang suddenly darted in front of the cultivator surnamed Chen, blocking his path, and pointed at Fang Ting behind him. "This young lady is also a newly recruited disciple, is she not? Why not also step into the Yin-Yang Plate to test..." "Insolence!" The cultivator surnamed Chen had already been forcibly suppressing his anger. Seeing that Old Daoist Huayang dared to target Fang Ting, fury overwhelmed his reason. Ignoring even the rules of the Ancestral Hall, he drew his blade and slashed. The blade was like autumn water, and a swift beam of chilling light shot straight for the old Daoist's face. Old Daoist Huayang seemed to have anticipated this; with a flick of his horsetail whisk, countless white threads shot forth. His cultivation was a layer higher than the cultivator surnamed Chen's, so he showed not the slightest fear. The others in the hall had not even had time to react. Right at that moment, dense arrays of talismans suddenly surfaced upon the hall's walls. Immediately afterward, the surrounding space tightened mysteriously. The blade light dissolved into thin air, while the threads shot from the whisk were likewise completely extinguished, returning to their original form. "Enough! Junior Brother Chen, have you forgotten the ancestral precept forbidding the drawing of weapons within the Ancestral Hall?! Dare to violate the ancestral precepts again, and Qi will enforce sect discipline upon you!" Then, Pavilion Master Qi said coldly to Old Daoist Huayang, "Fellow Daoist Huayang, though my Yanmiao Pavilion is a small and humble sect, we will not permit anyone to insult our sect rules." "This old Daoist was reckless." Old Daoist Huayang did not defend himself, merely gazing at Fang Ting. "This old Daoist only saw the young lady's spiritual brilliance and was delighted by the sight, hence losing my composure a bit." Pavilion Master Qi sighed. "This girl's talent is indeed quite good, but she has already been accepted by Junior Brother Chen as a personal disciple. She cannot be yielded to you, Fellow Daoist Huayang." "Oh?" Old Daoist Huayang still was unwilling to give up. "I see that this young lady carries no Yanmiao Pavilion token on her person. She should also be a new disciple who has just entered the sect and has not yet had time to formally acknowledge a master, right?" Suppressed by the power of the Ancestral Hall, the cultivator surnamed Chen was unable to speak, his face flushed red with indignation. "Young lady, you should know of the Landou Sect? If you enter our fold, not only will our Yin-Yang lineage spare no effort in nurturing you, but should you encounter obstacles in your cultivation in the future, you may even ask the sect master to personally guide your cultivation. A Nascent Soul Patriarch's magic power is unfathomable; this is an opportunity that countless cultivators dream of but cannot obtain..." Ignoring the cultivator surnamed Chen, Old Daoist Huayang patiently enticed Fang Ting. How could Fang Ting ever have experienced such a situation? She stood at a complete loss. Pavilion Master Qi said in an unhurried voice, "I must disappoint Fellow Daoist Huayang. Fang Ting has received Junior Brother Chen's guidance since childhood and has already acknowledged him as her master. It was only because Junior Brother Chen wished to temper her temperament that he had her come to Yanmiao Pavilion alone to participate in this ceremony." Fang Ting finally came to her senses and hurriedly chimed in, "This disciple obeys Master." "So that is how it is." Old Daoist Huayang revealed a look of regret. He had a sharp eye and could tell that the others were mediocre, while Fang Ting alone was exceptional, no worse than the top disciples the Landou Sect had previously recruited. He had cast aside his pride and come in person to Yanmiao Pavilion to snatch disciples precisely for top-tier talents like Fang Ting. The others, however, felt pity for Fang Ting. That was a Nascent Soul Patriarch! To receive guidance from a Nascent Soul Patriarch was such an immense blessing, yet the young girl had muddledly missed out on it. The incarnation, however, felt that the young girl's choice might not be a bad thing. The Landou Sect was powerful and had abundant resources, but the competition was also far fiercer. How much effort the Yin-Yang lineage would devote to her remained an unknown. The so-called guidance from a Nascent Soul Patriarch sounded wonderful, but was nothing more than an empty promise. Back at Shaohua Mountain, before forming his core, Qin Sang had never even seen the face of a Nascent Soul Patriarch. Only an elite figure like Qiu Mubai could catch a Nascent Soul Patriarch's eye and have painstaking effort expended upon him. Cultivating to this day, Qin Sang had long since gained clear understanding. Low-level cultivators had the difficulties of low-level cultivators, and Nascent Soul Patriarchs were likewise far from free and unfettered. Not to mention that the overall strength of cultivators in the Canglang Sea far surpassed that of the Lesser Cold Domain, with an exceptionally complex situation, and above the Nascent Soul Patriarchs stood late-stage Great Cultivators. The heavenly tribulation that struck once every three hundred years was a recurring death warrant hanging right before them! Advance, or die. "Junior Brother Chen, take Fang Ting and withdraw for now. You are ordered to face the wall in seclusion for one year to properly temper your disposition. An act like this is something I do not wish to see a second time." Pavilion Master Qi withdrew the restrictions of the Ancestral Hall. The pressure upon the cultivator surnamed Chen lifted, and without looking back, he walked out of the hall. Fang Ting hurriedly followed.