Yun Jin's words were answered with quiet assent from Tian Po Sword and An Tong. Both knew she was only offering comfort. So many years had passed. The chance that Wan Dao Saint were still alive was negligible. Her words were meant only to ease their hearts.
"Young Master, Li Xiaoran seems to have inherited a large part of Fairy Mie Jues aptitude. Perhaps, if given time, she could become a second Fairy Mie Jue," Tian Po Sword said.
It was nothing more than a hopeful thought.
Even if she was no longer the same person, if he could see the soul of an old acquaintance blaze once again in a new form, that too was a kind of solace.
"Li Xiaoran is only Li Xiaoran. She will never be a second Fairy Mie Jue." Yun Jin's tone was calm as she looked at Tian Po Sword and An Tong. "I understand your hopes, but do not interfere too much in Li Xiaoran's cultivation. The Golden Flame Codex you gave her, let it be. Beyond that, let her choose her own path."
Yun Jin had never once thought to mold her disciples into another version of someone else. Not even if that someone was a Wushuang Sect senior. Not even if it was her own past incarnation. Since she had been reborn, the road she must walk was, naturally, one entirely her own.
Tian Po Sword and An Tong froze for a moment before nodding. They had only been carried away by excitement, not with any intention of truly forcing her.
"From here on, treat her as an ordinary disciple of Wushuang Sect." Yun Jin was about to continue with further instructions when—
Her gaze suddenly wavered.
At that moment, all of her communication tokens began flashing wildly, message after message flooding in.
Why had Lin Xiao suddenly fallen?
Yun Jin raised her brows. Several days had already passed since Lin Xiao's death.
Why was the news erupting only now?
Suddenly, a deep rumble resounded within her sea of consciousness, the voice of the Shan Dian echoing: "Master, the Immortal Artifact of Qingxiao Pavilion has begun to resonate for unknown reasons. The sound has spread across the entire Qingxiao region."
Yun Jin understood immediately. Immortal Artifacts had always been under the custody of the four Holy Lands' sect masters.
Now that Lin Xiao had perished, the Earth Ruler naturally responded.
Her masters had sent her inquiries. That proved the other Immortal Artifacts too must have sensed the disturbance and were reacting.
The Earth Ruler's resonant cry had spread through the entire Qingxiao region. The only reason she had not heard it was because she resided within the Wushuang Sect's secret realm, not fully part of the material world.
"I will go out and see." Yun Jin left a final instruction, then stepped beyond the secret realm.
The moment she emerged, her eyes narrowed slightly.
Across the distant sky, the phantom of the Earth Ruler had appeared. Its shadow loomed across the heavens, vast and boundless. The Earth Ruler trembled again and again, and with every shudder, it let out a low, mournful hum.
This sound was strange.
Mortals could barely hear it at all.
But the higher one's cultivation, the louder and more deafening it became.
"The Earth Ruler mourns. The Sect Master of Qingxiao Pavilion has fallen!"
In the Sky City, cultivators' faces grew dazed.
Lin Xiao?
Fallen?
Only recently, they had seen Lin Xiao in Sky City.
And now, so soon, he had died?
Who in this world could silently slay Lin Xiao?
Although Lin Xiao's strength as Pavilion Master of Qingxiao Pavilion might have been slightly inferior to the likes of Ji Wusi and other supreme powers, as the pavilion master he could always call upon the strength of the Immortal Artifact.
Defeating him was possible for a select few.
But to kill him outright? Even Ji Wusi himself would be hard pressed.
What in the world had happened?
Yun Jin lifted her gaze to the phantom Earth Ruler, eyes flashing with a strange light.
Lin Xiao's death had been several days ago. Yet Qingxiao Pavilion had shown no reaction. She had assumed it was because Lin Xiao still retained a fragment of his soul, masking his fall.
But now, after several days, the Earth Ruler suddenly wailed. Clearly, something within Qingxiao Pavilion had changed.
The entire cultivation world was abuzz over Lin Xiao's demise. Previously, Lin Xiao had been suspected of colluding with demons. Now that he was dead, some suspected he had been assassinated by the demon race.
Regardless of how he died, another question arose.
Who would now shoulder the burden of Qingxiao Pavilion?
Yun Jin paid little attention to the speculation. With only a glance, she returned to the Wushuang Sect's secret realm.
She began answering the flood of messages.
For most, she simply replied that she did not know the details.
But to her teachers, she sent the truth.
"Lin Xiao was killed by my design."
A single, simple line.
Ji Wusi and the others who received the message were stunned into silence.
They had suspected such a possibility.
But to see Yun Jin state it so casually, so lightly—it still left them shaken.
Lin Xiao!
The other three Holy Lands had doubted Qingxiao Pavilion.
Ji Wusi, certain of Lin Xiao's corruption, had longed to slay him.
But longing was one thing.
To actually kill a Holy Land master was another matter entirely.
Even Ji Wusi knew he could not.
But Yun Jin…
She had done it quietly, cleanly, without anyone even noticing.
Before their communication tokens, the masters fell into silence.
A long while later.
Within the Tianxing Sect.
Lin Ya raised his wine gourd, laughing as he took a hearty swig.
Back then—
When Lin Xiao came to Tianxing Sect, so lofty, so arrogant, had he ever imagined this?
That the disciple he once thought he could easily suppress—
Just two years later, would be the one to end him!
Such was fate. Mysterious and strange.
In Kunlun Sword Sect, Ji Wusi looked utterly dazed. If Yun Jin could kill Lin Xiao, it meant her strength had already surpassed his own. He had always known Yun Jin would one day outstrip him.
But this soon?
His first meeting with her at Tianxing Sect felt like only yesterday.
Now she had already surpassed him, becoming the number one of the human race?
Ji Wusi could not resist asking: "How did you do it?"
Yun Jin's reply was brief: "I have reached Mahayana."
Ji Wusi fell silent.
Two short years.
From mortal to Mahayana.
When he had first taken Yun Jin as his disciple, he had never imagined he was taking in a living legend.
"At least, in one thing, I still surpass Xiao Jin," Ji Wusi muttered to himself. "My eye for disciples is better than hers. No matter how many she takes in, none will surpass the disciple I accepted!"
This thought filled him with some comfort.
But his satisfaction lasted only a moment before Yun Jin transmitted several manuals to him.
Ji Wusi took one look and froze. They were the very sword techniques he had once taught Yun Jin. Now she was returning them unchanged?
No.
He probed them carefully, then gave a wry smile.
This scoundrel.
They were all improved versions.
Even the Azure Lotus Sword Art had been refined by her hand.
And if that were not enough, she had left a final note.
"Master, I had already improved these manuals long ago, but out of fear of hurting your pride, I withheld them. Now, I imagine your pride is not much left, so I can safely return them."
Ji Wusi ground his teeth.
What did she mean by "fear of hurting your pride"?
And what did she mean by—
"your pride is not much left"?
This scoundrel!
Yet even as he cursed in his heart, a smile crept across his lips.
In the Beastmaster Sect.
Liu Li received Yun Jin's improved Soul Control Art. As she read, she clicked her tongue in admiration. Her own creation, refined across a thousand years, had been given to Yun Jin barely two years ago. And already Yun Jin had elevated it to a new level.
Yun Jin's mastery over soul and spirit was astounding.
As Liu Li read, a faintly proud smile surfaced. This was her disciple.
At Xuandan Gate, Qing Yun was wholly absorbed in Yun Jin's revised Thousand Veil Perception Technique.
Just then, a young boy reported that Man Sen had returned from his travels.
Qing Yun's expression brightened.
Man Sen was his junior brother, and their bond was deep. Unlike Qing Yun, who pursued the orthodox path of alchemy, Man Sen had always had astonishing talent but focused only on combat.
Before leaving, he had declared he would carve out the path of a battle alchemist.
Now he was back. Could it be he had succeeded?
Qing Yun rose to greet him personally.
After centuries apart, the two brothers rejoiced to meet again.
Over tea, Man Sen finally said: "Brother, in my centuries of travel, I have forged a complete path for the combat alchemist. From now, I will remain in the sect to perfect it. Alchemists need not remain in the rear. We too can charge to the front lines!"
Qing Yun's eyes shone with interest. "Then study in peace. You may take disciples who are interested in this path and guide them carefully."
Man Sen nodded, then added gravely: "There is one more thing I must ask of you."
"What is it?" Qing Yun asked, curious.
This junior rarely spoke with such solemnity.
"I wish to find someone," Man Sen said, serious. "She saved me several times. You know I dislike owing debts. If you help me find her, once I repay this favor, I can enter seclusion with peace of mind."
"Who? Do you have a name?" Qing Yun's expression grew sober.
Every cultivator's Dao was different.
Some could slaughter without restraint, so long as it matched their dao heart.
But Man Sen was one who valued retribution, whether gratitude or vengeance. If he left such a debt unpaid, his dao heart would falter, leading eventually to inner demons. That would mean nine deaths without life.
"That place allowed no recording. I have only a name," Man Sen admitted with a bitter smile. "I know, trying to find someone by a single name is like searching for a needle in the sea, but I have no choice."
"Tell me," Qing Yun urged.
Man Sen described slowly: "She is very young, yet already at Tribulation stage. Her talent is unparalleled."
Qing Yun's eyelid twitched.
Man Sen continued: "She has snow-white hair, within which the marks of laws are imprinted."
Qing Yun's lips spasmed.
Very good. This person would be impossible to miss.
"She possesses deep understanding of the Yin-Yang Laws. That hidden place we entered, Cang Li was also there. Out of ten present, only she and Cang Li were Tribulation. Among the rest, there were many peak experts. Yet she crushed them all with only Tribulation cultivation!
And another thing, she seemed to know Cang Li, but she is not from the four Holy Lands."
Man Sen's tone grew heavy.
"A peerless genius outside the Holy Lands. Someone like this must live in extreme seclusion, otherwise the Holy Lands would have claimed her long ago!
She must be a cultivation fanatic, buried in seclusion for years. That is the only way such talent could remain unknown. We can search on our own. If that fails, we can thicken our skin and ask Cang Li. But such a person, clearly wishing for anonymity, Cang Li may not reveal her whereabouts.
Oh, and one last detail. A demon was present, who claimed this girl was first on the Demon Race's wanted list. I do not know if that was true."
Man Sen looked at Qing Yun, worried. "That is all I know. The information is scant, but… do we have a chance of finding her?"
Qing Yun's mouth twitched. "Her name… would not happen to be Yun Jin, would it?"
Man Sen froze. "Brother, how do you know? I have not spoken her name yet!"
Qing Yun sighed, giving him a look reserved for fools. "Have you not spoken with a single cultivator on your journey?"
Man Sen shook his head. "I was rushing, I never stopped."
Qing Yun clapped his shoulder. "Go ask any disciple in the sect about Yun Jin. Then you will see just how 'low-key' she really is."
His tone was beyond words.
Man Sen blinked in confusion.
What did he mean? Could Yun Jin be famous?
"I will ask!" Man Sen hurried away.
An hour later, he returned, dazed.
His mind now overflowed with Yun Jin's countless feats.
"Low-key enough?" Qing Yun asked, watching his shattered expression with some schadenfreude.
Man Sen gave a bitter smile. He had fretted endlessly about failing to find Yun Jin. And in the end…
"So, every cultivator knows of Yun Jin?" he asked.
"Not just cultivators," Qing Yun said. "Even mortals could tell you a story or two. And if you are truly curious, you can buy image stones engraved with The Yun Jin Saga in any marketplace."
Man Sen: "…"
He digested this painfully, then said: "Brother, since Yun Jin is your disciple, I will gift her two alchemy formulas as repayment. Could you pass them on for me?"
"Only two?" Qing Yun frowned. "As her martial uncle, where is your proper meeting gift?"
"Three, then…"
"Your nephew is this exceptional. Should you not feel proud?"
"Four…"
"Do you remember when you broke Master's porcelain vase, and I bore the blame?"
"Five…"
"When you nearly exploded from misusing pills, I saved—"
"Seven!"
"…."
Half an hour later.
Man Sen stumbled out of Qing Yun's cave dwelling in a daze.
Just now—
He had agreed to pass his entire combat alchemist system to Yun Jin.
Truly.
This was brotherhood.