Volcanic Age

The sun could be seen going over the hill.

"ZHESAAAAAAAN!"

Zhao Wuyang's thunderous cry echoed across Mount Hua.

"Elder Zhao, please quiet down. You might rupture my eardrums," Ling Zhen scowled, annoyed. In front of them was Fang Zhesan, unconscious and foaming at the mouth.

The first day of the Lotus Sword Gathering came to an end. Five lost and five won. Among the losers, Fang Zhesan was the only one who lost consciousness.

"He's not badly hurt, just unconscious. He'll wake up soon enough."

As his title, "Pill Apothecary," implied, Ling Zhen could concoct pills. Refining pills was also related to the art of medicine, so although he wasn't as good as a proper physician, he could treat people to some extent.

Zhou Xuchuan… that boy really brings storms everywhere. Heheh.

Ling Zhen inwardly smiled, finding the situation amusing. He kept his amusement to himself, knowing how Zhao Wuyang would react.

"That brat must have used some kind of evil techniques! Otherwise, Zhesan wouldn't have fallen so easily!" Zhao Wuyang snapped.

"Oh geez." Ling Zhen was dumbfounded.

He tried to say something, but Xue Song stepped in first. "Please don't be ridiculous. Are you suggesting that boy fooled one of the Ten Empyrean Overlords and all five of us high elders?"

"Urgh…"

"Elder Zhao, I understand that you dote on your grand disciple. However, bear in mind that your excessive doting can ruin him. You must tell him that his greatest enemy is himself."

From an outsider's perspective, the outcome of the match seemed like a result of Fang Zhesan's arrogance rather than Zhou Xuchuan's strength. He uselessly circled around Zhou Xuchuan with the Five Ways Plum Blossom Steps and even used an imperfect Scattering Petal Shadowless Hand.

"No, but still. How can it be over in just one strike…" Zhao Wuyang protested, his face filled with regret.

What he didn't like was that Fang Zhesan lost so easily. Such a humiliating defeat hurt his pride.

"Don't you know how much internal qi that boy has? And Fang Zhesan's movements were too big."

"Urgh."

Zhao Wuyang looked like he had more to say, but he chose to remain silent.

"That boy, Fang Zhesan, needs to understand the reason for his defeat is his own arrogance. If you do not teach him well, you'll ruin that boy's life, so I implore you to teach him that," Xue Song advised.

*

You Riwen strolled with his hands clasped behind his back.

I should keep a closer eye on that child.

Three fourth-generation members caught his eyes during the Lotus Sword Gathering. One was obviously Luo Xiaoyue, and Fang Zhesan was another, despite his immature actions. The last was Zhou Xuchuan.

Zhou Xuchuan didn't stand out for any particular reason. It was the strange sense of familiarity that intrigued You Riwen. It was surprising that he managed to defeat Fang Zhesan in a single attack during the match, but that was mostly due to Fang Zhesan's flashy movements.

That was why he wanted to watch the next match tomorrow. He didn't have a particular reason; he was just purely curious.

However, the next day, his curiosity was short-lived.

"I surrender."

…as the person in question declared his loss.

*

The next day, the pairings for the Lotus Sword Gathering were announced. Zhou Xuchuan, much to his relief, did not advance by default. However, his opponent was exactly who he'd hoped for.

"This brings back memories."

It was none other than Luo Xiaoyue.

They had faced off like this a few years ago during the entrance examination for the Lotus Pavilion.

"I surrender," Zhou Xuchuan surrendered without a shred of hesitation.

"Huh?"

Luo Xiaoyue's smile faltered, and she looked surprised. It wasn't just her; everyone else felt the same.

"Explain yourself," the examiner, Wei Zhijie, demanded.

"Yesterday, I used up most of my qi to counter junior brother Fang Zhesan's attack, and I sustained internal injuries as a result. I haven't fully recovered from that, so fighting junior sister Luo would only worsen my condition."

"Understood." Wei Zhijie nodded in understanding.

"I see, that's what happened."

"Blocking Fang Zhesan's attack like that wouldn't have been possible with ordinary skill."

"His movements were pretty obvious, but countering it is a different story. No ordinary skill would suffice."

"And facing Luo Xiaoyue in such a state? Impossible."

"Still, I don't like him. His judgment isn't that bad, but as a man, you should still fight even if you have to risk losing."

"Yeah, his attitude isn't befitting of this Lotus Sword Gathering, where future Plum Blossom Swordsmen are chosen."

"I saw him in a new light during the Nine Water Gangs incident, but it looks like he lacks courage despite his skill."

Murmurs could be heard from the audience.

With that, the first battle of the second day ended so easily. Luo Xiaoyue looked like she had something to say to Zhou Xuchuan, but she couldn't do that because of the next match.

Zhou Xuchuan withdrew, and the Lotus Sword Gathering continued.

The victor was Luo Xiaoyue, who won after an arduous last match.

"Gosh, that idiot! He showed off his qi too much. I knew this would happen!" Ling Zhen lamented. He inwardly expected Zhou Xuchuan to showcase more of his skills.

"Good work." Liu Zhengmu welcomed Zhou Xuchuan with a soft smile when Zhou Xuchuan walked toward him.

"I'm sorry, Master," Zhou Xuchuan apologized.

"There's no need to apologize," Liu Zhengmu assured him. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"Despite being your disciple, I went to the Lotus Sword Gathering, only to…"

"Forget it. I get what you're thinking." Liu Zhengmu knelt down to meet Zhou Xuchaun at eye level. "That boy yesterday was quite incredible, but I find it hard to believe that you would sustain internal injuries from that. You should be completely fine."

The master had easily seen through the disciple's obvious lie. This wasn't too surprising.

"From what I know about you, you should have been evenly matched with Luo Xiaoyue. However, no matter who wins, both of you would have consumed a lot of qi, affecting the next match."

He got a weird misunderstanding instead.

"Huh?" Zhou Xuchuan was puzzled.

However, Liu Zhengmu continued speaking as if he could read Zhou Xuchuan's thoughts. "I've known for a while that you had no interest in joining the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, so there's no need for you to pretend."

Liu Zhengmu once dreamed of joining the Plum Blossom Swordsmen. He still had regrets about it, so he tried to raise his disciple to be a Plum Blossom Swordsman after seeing his potential.

However, after living together with his disciple, he eventually realized that the boy did not have any desire to join the Plum Blossom Swordsmen. It would be a lie to say that he had no regrets about it.

As a master, he wanted his disciple to surpass him, which would make him more proud. What he wanted even less, however, was to force that on him. He didn't want to force his own dreams on his disciple. He wanted Zhou Xuchuan to forge his own path and walk on it freely and proudly.

"Why does it come to that…?"

"You do not need to act oblivious. You have no interest in the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, so you do not need to try so hard in the Lotus Sword Gathering. Isn't that why you yielded to Luo Xiaoyue?"

Liu Zhengmu got it entirely wrong.

"Err… no," Zhou Xuchuan responded reflexively, clearly taken aback.

Sure, he wasn't interested in the Plum Blossom Swordsmen. If anything, he did not want to join at all. That was it. He wasn't being considerate.

In the first place, he wasn't equal to Luo Xiaoyue in skill. He was far more powerful. He was afraid that he might make the same mistake as when he fought Fang Zhesan, which was why he surrendered.

"You do not need to be so embarrassed. You're truly my proud disciple." Liu Zhengmu said, eyes welling with emotion.

Zhou Xuchuan was about to say something, but he eventually decided not to. Despite the misunderstanding, he had managed to avoid suspicion, so he decided to accept it. Though he felt uneasy about lying to his master.

*

"Was it just me?" You Riwen muttered with his hands behind his back. There was a hint of disappointment on his face.

Although he had seen many young people with talent, this was the first time he felt such a sense of familiarity with someone. As such, he had some high expectations, but it turned out to be just him in the end. At best, the boy just had some talent.

With that, Zhou Xuchuan managed to avoid You Riwen's suspicion, just like he originally planned.

Well, he did manage to make his master have a weird misunderstanding.

"You're still as humble as ever." Qiu Feng came over and patted Zhou Xuchuan on the head with a faint smile.

"Eh?"

Zhou Xuchuan almost ended up saying, "What the heck is it now?"

"You were like that with Zhang Hong and Zhang Xuen, weren't you?"

Zhou Xuchuan wasn't.

"You were more powerful than your seniors, but you humbled yourself instead of showing off."

That wasn't it.

"Oooh, er, yeah…"

Zhou Xuchuan couldn't find the right words to say after seeing those eyes that seemed to say, "I know everything." He decided to give up despite the weird misunderstanding.

"I look forward to the day you set off into the world again."

Qiu Feng left, still caught up in the weird misunderstanding.

"I feel so weird…"

He hadn't done anything wrong, but he had unexpectedly left a weird impression on the people around him, which made him feel strange.

To make matters worse, Qiu Feng wasn't the last one.

"We greet the elder!"

One of the five high elders came over. It wasn't Ling Zhen, whom he usually talked to, either. It was Shen Yulian.

Shen Yulian regarded Zhou Xuchuan silently.

What now?

There was no expression on her face. Zhou Xuchuan could not begin to predict what she was thinking, even if he thought back to his previous life. She was such a cold person.

"Zhou Xuchuan."

There was no emotion in her voice.

"I will not forget this debt."

She stared at Zhou Xuchuan for a while before turning around.

"I appreciate it."

She left after saying those words. Zhou Xuchuan looked at her back for a while before coming to a realization.

"Did she just thank me for being considerate toward her grand disciple? What a weird misunderstanding."

For some reason, he came off as having sacrificed himself for Luo Xiaoyue, even though he didn't intend to do so.

"Well, it doesn't feel bad."

He still felt strange, but he just ended up chuckling. He managed to hear thanks from that Iron Blood Plum Sword. That was enough.

"Senior brother!"

He was just about to leave in satisfaction when he saw someone rush over.

"Before, why did you…"

It was Luo Xiaoyue.

"Again?"

Zhou Xuchuan sighed.