Chapter 10: Rejected Again
Juxian Tower, Heaven-class private room.
Yun Yao, Shen Lie, Lin Chang’an, Li Erniu, and also Wei Buyi, five people gathered around a table.
Wei Buyi was also part of the same batch that participated in the entrance examination. Unlike the others, he was the offspring of Elder Lu’s old friend. They only met him at the foot of the sect's assessment mountain.
The other four came together from the mortal realm to this unfamiliar world of cultivation.
Originally, this gathering didn’t include him, but considering that he had also come to bid farewell to Elder Lu for the last time, and that they were once half-classmates, they decided to invite him as well.
“Fairy Yun, please sit.”
In the cultivation world, strength was respected. Yun Yao didn’t decline and directly took her seat.
Seeing each other again after twenty years stirred emotions in all five of them. The once youthful faces had all matured.
Yun Yao, in particular, had changed the most. She had already become a great cultivator at the peak of Qi Refining in their eyes.
“Being able to reunite after twenty years, let’s first toast to ourselves.”
Usually the best at making connections, the Minor Marquis Shen Lie had red eyes as he raised his cup.
Only those who had personally struggled in the cultivation world could understand the hardships. For all of them to still be alive after twenty years, and even to reunite, was luckier than most.
“Cheers.”
No one said much more, even Yun Yao, usually cold and indifferent, had a slight change in expression.
Lin Chang’an also drank his cup in one go, filled with emotions.
With the first round of drinks, the unfamiliarity among them gradually faded, and the atmosphere became more harmonious.
Especially after learning that Erniu had broken through in the Zhou Family and even had a son with a spiritual root, Shen Lie and Wei Buyi were full of amazement.
Who would have thought that the farmer boy with the lowest status back then had turned out quite well and truly rooted himself in the cultivation world.
Even Minor Marquis Shen Lie was a little jealous.
“If I had known, I would’ve gone to Qingzhu Mountain Marketplace with Erniu and Brother Lin back then.”
Though Shen Lie had reached the Qi Refining Fifth Level, only he knew how difficult those years had been.
“But Lin Chang’an, didn’t I hear that you were planning to return to the mortal realm?”
Wei Buyi smiled, then turned to Lin Chang’an with a feigned surprised look and asked curiously.
This scene made Yun Yao and Shen Lie frown. Back then, Wei Buyi had already shown contempt toward those from the mortal world like them.
Who would’ve thought that even twenty years later, he was still like this?
No, Wei Buyi’s temperament had actually improved a lot. At least, his attitude towards Yun Yao and Shen Lie was no longer the same.
Even his view of Li Erniu didn’t carry the same disdain as before.
But Li Erniu glared at him. Back then, he had disliked Wei the most, and twenty years later, nothing had changed.
“Surnamed Wei, you’re wrong about that. Brother Lin can now skillfully draw high-quality first-grade low-grade talismans, not like you, a half-baked alchemist.”
After Erniu responded unhappily, Lin Chang’an smiled and nodded.
“Indeed, I once had the idea of returning to the mortal realm, but after letting go of my inner obsession, I suddenly gained enlightenment.”
Lin Chang’an spoke with a smile, but he was already calculating in his heart.
Only Erniu knew he had planned to return, and he had written a letter to Master Lu back then. Erniu wouldn’t have said anything, and Master Lu wasn’t that kind of person.
Considering that Wei Buyi hadn’t done well in recent years, and that Master Lu had passed away, leaving behind a considerable estate…
Lin Chang’an seemed to understand something, but he only smiled. With the county princess present, protecting this little junior sister would be effortless.
“A high-quality first-grade low-grade talisman!”
None of them were fools. This meant Lin Chang’an already had the ability to learn to make first-grade mid-grade talismans.
Wei Buyi's face flushed red and he let out an awkward laugh.
“I misspoke. Let’s drink.”
Wei Buyi could switch expressions quickly. He could put on airs, but also lower himself. He raised his cup and downed it, expressing his apology.
“A first-grade mid-grade talisman… What plans does Brother Lin have next?”
Yun Yao’s beautiful eyes fell on Lin Chang’an’s face, a trace of nostalgia flashing in her gaze.
Upon hearing her call him “Brother Lin,” Lin Chang’an’s heart paused.
“The marketplace is expanding pioneering efforts. I plan to return to visit the Zhou Family.”
Lin Chang’an smiled as he spoke. He had planned to ask Erniu about it when they returned, but since it came up now, he saw no reason to hide it.
Erniu, sitting beside him, looked happy. Didn’t this mean he could spend time with Brother Lin every day again?
“Then let me congratulate Brother Lin first.”
Shen Lie raised his cup in celebration. The status of a first-grade mid-grade talisman master was far more valuable than his fifth-level Qi Refiner.
“That’s good.”
Yun Yao nodded gently, seemingly thinking of something.
“Since we’ve all embarked on the cultivation path, let’s call each other daoists from now on.”
Lin Chang’an raised his cup with a smile, even taking the initiative.
Although he looked at Shen Lie, everyone knew who he was talking about.
“Yes, yes. May we still call each other daoists a hundred years from now.”
Minor Marquis Shen Lie was the most tactful. Under his influence, the atmosphere grew even warmer.
But Yun Yao gave Lin Chang’an a meaningful glance, and she was the first to address him as Daoist Lin.
As Lin Chang’an chatted with the others, he sighed inwardly.
It wasn’t that he was timid, but that he had experienced too much.
“If I take steady steps now, reaching Foundation Establishment in the future isn’t impossible. I mustn’t be careless and draw unnecessary attention.”
Lin Chang’an pondered deeply. His golden finger only gave him infinite potential, not power to cross realms.
He had a promising future—he couldn’t waste it.
Wei Buyi also joined in the conversation. They exchanged cultivation insights and discussed strange tales of the cultivation world.
…
There was no feast that didn’t end.
As Lin Chang’an and the others walked out of Juxian Tower, they bid each other farewell with blessings of longevity on the path of immortality.
Juxian Tower’s upper floor.
Watching the departing figures through the window, Yun Yao, dressed in white training attire, spoke softly.
“Qingqing, you saw everything. What do you think?”
As Yun Yao spoke softly, Lu Qingqing stepped out from behind a screen.
Although her petite and delicate face looked youthful, her eyes carried a calm and steady gaze.
“Sister Yun, you once said Brother Lin was the most suitable, but what I saw was someone who endured bitter cultivation for twenty years without giving up. Even now, his dao heart remains steadfast. Yet he’s not suitable for marriage.”
Lu Qingqing gently shook her head. She wasn’t an ignorant or blindly infatuated female cultivator. She clearly understood her low-grade spiritual root aptitude.
If she tried to aim too high without solid capital, she would end up as mere decoration.
“And that Wei Buyi, returning to Qingshui Bay frequently in the past two years under the guise of family friendship—I know well he only covets our estate. His motives are too self-serving.”
When Elder Lu was alive, even though he was only at the seventh level of Qi Refining, he had built up a lifetime of wealth and connections.
Wei Buyi’s father died early, and in all these years he hadn’t made much of himself. Clearly, he wanted to take both.
At this point, Lu Qingqing shook her head in self-mockery.
“When Brother Lin sent his letter, Grandpa sighed with sorrow. Wei Buyi only heard a bit and acted like this today.”
“In the cultivation world, even a prodigy like you, Sister Yun, must tread carefully. His attitude will surely bring disaster one day.”
There was no fear in a wrong mind—only in lacking self-awareness.
Listening to Lu Qingqing’s evaluation, Yun Yao gently nodded and sighed.
“You’re right. The cultivation world is ever-changing—it’s never easy.”
As Elder Lu’s granddaughter, Lu Qingqing had no lofty ambitions. She just wanted to live a stable life.
She didn’t mind Wei Buyi coveting their estate. After all, how many in the cultivation world weren’t greedy? But after observing him today in secret…
She could only shake her head in disappointment.
Li Erniu had been the most simple and steady—originally the best choice—but he had long since become the Zhou Family’s live-in son-in-law, and was ruled out directly.
If Lin Chang’an ever learned this, he might be quite frustrated.
Back then, he was rejected by the Zhou Family due to his looks, but now he was being rejected for having a steadfast dao heart.
Meanwhile, Erniu, because of his steady and honest nature, had always been the first choice.
This cultivation world was too unfair.
“Minor Marquis Shen Lie is smooth, good at building connections, knows when to advance and retreat, and has no great ambitions. Besides, Grandpa’s old connections will fade over time.”
“Maybe I and the Minor Marquis can start a chamber of commerce for Sister Yun, to earn some spirit stones for cultivation.”
Finally, Lu Qingqing paused, then looked softly at Sister Yun.
“Have you thought it through?”
“Yes, I have.”
Lu Qingqing smiled. Her greatest strength was knowing her limits.
Right now, her only support was Yun Yao. But over time, even that would fade. The best choice now was to lean on that support while she still could.
It would preserve her grandfather’s legacy and connections. If Yun Yao reached Foundation Establishment one day, her backing would be even stronger.
As the saying went, “Easy to add flowers to a brocade, hard to send charcoal in snow.”
“In that case, I’ll introduce you to Shen Lie. Whether it works out depends on fate.”
Yun Yao gently nodded, a smile blooming on her face.
She was keenly perceptive—how could she not understand Lu Qingqing’s intentions? But it was precisely this awareness of boundaries that made things easy.
After all, as the sole descendant of Master Lu…
Actually, the best choice was Lin Chang’an. As Lu Qingqing brushed aside the strands of hair by her temple, she stole a glance at Sister Yun.
At that moment, Yun Yao looked out the window at the vanishing figure in the distance, the emotions in her eyes slowly fading.
The girlish affection of youth had long faded with growth and experience. Seeing someone fall from the clouds, she felt no more attachment.
But this meeting did not show her a man who had become mundane and fallen—it was still the same confident black eyes as before.
Still, the gap between them now…
Yun Yao smiled faintly. It was just a memory on her life path. Now, she had only one unwavering goal in her heart.
Foundation Establishment!