Chapter 4
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Mu Huan disappeared into the Scripture Pavilion. Elder Cao didn’t have the patience to wait for Mu Huan to come out. He looked at the crowd again and called out another name: “Heng Yu, you go in as well. This way, there will be more suspense.”
Because of his good relationship with Heng Yu’s master, You Yun, he treated Heng Yu with considerable kindness.
“It’s your turn to go in.” Wu Mei smiled gloatingly. “Lord Luo, don’t disappoint my expectations.”
Heng Yu had been waiting for this moment. She straightened her Daoist robe sleeves and slowly walked out from the crowd. The disciples in front of her instinctively moved aside, creating a path for her.
Passing by the elders, Heng Yu paused briefly to bow before calmly walking to the Scripture Pavilion. The doors of the pavilion, originally carved from ancient redwood, were now completely obscured by white mist.
Heng Yu took a deep breath and stepped forward, her figure disappearing into the mist.
After Heng Yu entered the Scripture Pavilion, the blue-robed elder asked the other elders, “We were most optimistic about Wu Mei, but she received a quasi S-rank mission. Between Luo Heng Yu and Mu Huan, who do you think is most likely to receive the mission to pursue the Buddha-son?”
The elders exchanged glances.
One of them pondered for a moment and said, “It’s hard to say, but between the two, I think Mu Huan has the advantage. She possesses a seductive physique, her dual cultivation techniques are masterful, and her cultivation level is also higher.”
Some nodded, clearly agreeing with his assessment.
But just as he finished speaking, Elder Cao, who had been calmly standing at the front, turned around. “I think Heng Yu is more likely. That Buddha-son of the Undying Sect is known as the Light of Buddhism, indicating his strong willpower. Charm arts or dual cultivation techniques are unlikely to sway him. So, when selecting someone for this mission, they might focus more on the disciple’s character.”
Although Liaowu was a junior in Elder Cao’s eyes, he spoke of him with great respect — that young Buddha-son was only a matter of time away from reaching the pinnacle of the cultivation world.
The blue-robed elder who had asked the question first laughed. “It seems we’ll have to wait until they come out to get a definitive answer.”
Everyone outside waited with bated breath.
Inside the Scripture Pavilion, Heng Yu passed through the mist and entered a world of darkness. She narrowed her eyes slightly, looking around while using her spiritual energy to probe the surroundings. She confirmed that she was indeed the only one present in this darkness.
There wasn’t even a single stone or blade of grass.
“Nothing at all? It seems this isn’t the final testing ground.”
Having figured this out, Heng Yu took a step forward. As she walked steadily forward, her vision gradually became clearer and brighter.
In the vast white space, a giant water mirror floated in the air.
Over the past few days, Heng Yu had inquired about many of the sect’s secrets and naturally knew what this water mirror was. It was a sacred artifact of the Hehuan Sect, created by the sect’s founder. No one knew how it worked, but for nearly ten thousand years, all inner sect missions had been assigned by this water mirror.
A distant, ancient voice echoed through the void: “Step forward and place your hand on the water mirror.”
This was probably the voice of the Sword Spirit.
Heng Yu stepped forward and placed her right hand on the surface of the water mirror. As her hand touched the mirror, ripples spread across its previously calm surface.
Heng Yu lowered her gaze and waited patiently.
After a while, words gradually appeared on the blank surface of the water mirror. Seeing the words, Heng Yu’s face darkened.
“Lord Luo and Lord Mu have been inside for half a quarter of an hour. Why haven’t they come out yet?”
“They should be out soon—they’re coming out!”
Two figures appeared at the previously empty entrance of the Scripture Pavilion. Chi, Wu Mei, and the others, who had been standing casually, all stared at the two figures, trying to discern the outcome from their expressions.
But—
One was dressed in a green Daoist robe, her hair tied up, her face grim.
The other wore a pink gauze dress, her long hair flowing down her back, her expression equally grim.
Some disciples felt that their expressions were too strange and whispered among themselves.
“Could it be… that they both failed?”
“No way, could such a difficult mission fall on an ordinary inner disciple?”
Even the elders were puzzled.
Just as Elder Cao was about to speak, golden words slowly appeared above the Scripture Pavilion.
[Mu Huan, peak Foundation Establishment, inner sect mission: pursue Dao Sect Leader’s direct disciple Dao Zhuo, time limit: three years, A-rank mission.]
Mu Huan only received an A-rank mission?
That meant…
[Luo Heng Yu, late Foundation Establishment, inner sect mission: pursue Undying Sect Buddha-son Liaowu, make him fall in love, break his Buddhist golden body, time limit: ten years, SS-rank mission.]
Boom.
On the platform of the Scripture Pavilion, over a thousand inner disciples buzzed with whispers. This time, not only were there quasi S-rank and S-rank missions, but even the once-in-a-millennium SS-rank mission had appeared.
However, considering the difficulty of pursuing the Buddha-son and the impact of success, everyone felt that the SS-rank rating was not surprising.
“An SS-rank mission. Has this ever happened before since the founding of our sect, besides this time?”
“It’s quite exciting to think about. If that high and mighty Buddha-son falls in love and gets entangled in worldly desires, wouldn’t the whole world see the Undying Sect, see those bald donkeys, as a joke?”
“Actually, this mission is more suitable for Lord Mei. A forbidden Buddha-son and a seductive demonic woman, the combination is even more thrilling.”
“You’ve read too many mortal stories. Don’t tell me that high and mighty Buddha-son wants to convert our demonic women of the Hehuan Sect?”
The discussions of the men and the giggles of the women filled the air.
With her high cultivation level, Heng Yu naturally heard these discussions. She took a deep breath. This mission was truly troublesome. Was the Light of Buddhism so easy to seduce? If the Buddha-son abandoned Buddhism, countless Buddhist cultivators would see her as a thorn in their side.
She hated dealing with such troublesome matters.
Unexpectedly, despite all her hopes, this mission had still fallen on her.
That woman Mu Huan was truly useless!
Heng Yu glanced at Mu Huan, who was standing beside her, and couldn’t help but complain inwardly. She had been so confident before, saying that the mission to pursue the Buddha-son was meant for her, but she ended up with only an A-rank mission!
Heng Yu was almost more disappointed than Mu Huan herself.
Closing her eyes, Heng Yu calmed herself. She bowed to the elders and returned to the crowd.
Mu Huan glanced at Heng Yu’s calmly retreating figure, then thought of her own mission and stomped her foot in frustration.
Heng Yu casually found an empty spot and stood there. She lowered her head, playing with the tassel on her sword hilt, when a shadow suddenly appeared before her.
It was Wu Mei.
Wu Mei clasped her hands behind her back and looked at Heng Yu with a smile. “Not bad, not bad. Now it’s up to you to find a way to take down that lofty flower.”
Heng Yu scoffed. “You’re here to gloat, aren’t you?”
Wu Mei’s words from ten days ago were still ringing in her ears. She had said that Heng Yu’s charm arts were terrible, her admiration value low, and that she was destined to fail the mission.
Wu Mei’s long nails were painted with brightly colored polish. She stroked her face. “That’s partly true. You stole the mission I was looking forward to. Can’t I be a little dark inside?”
Her frankness made Heng Yu laugh.
Fine, it was hard to dislike a woman who was so openly wicked.
“But I’m also here to offer you some advice.” Wu Mei smiled charmingly. “Chi has always wanted to try and get you. Maybe you can take this opportunity to get involved with him and learn some charm arts and how to pursue others from him?”
“Among the ten young masters, Chi has the best looks and the best dual cultivation techniques. I think he would be a good choice.”
Heng Yu smiled.
Her wrist flickered, and the blade of her sword, previously fully sheathed, was now half-exposed. Heng Yu held her sword horizontally, pointing the sharp blade at Wu Mei.
“Rather than learning charm arts, I’d rather spar with you in swordsmanship.”
Wu Mei’s expression remained unchanged. “Are you angry and embarrassed?”
“I just want to teach your mouth a lesson.”
Heng Yu sheathed her sword completely. She twirled the sword in her hand and placed it back on her waist. “There’s nothing interesting to see here anymore. I’ll take my leave.”
But as she descended the nine hundred and ninety-nine steps, Heng Yu couldn’t help but ponder something.
— Cultivating charm arts was out of the question.
But, acquiring a few aphrodisiacs that could even knock out a Nascent Soul cultivator, just in case… might that work?
Soon, Heng Yu dismissed the idea. After drugging the Buddha-son, someone would have to make an antidote… It was clearly a losing proposition. How could she allow herself to suffer a loss?
Perhaps she should consider abandoning the mission and defecting from the Hehuan Sect.
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