Chapter 52: I'm Not Some Delicate, Ignorant Little Girl
"Jiang Yu, are you certain you wish to assume the position of Saint Son? It is not too late to reconsider."
Jiang Yu transmitted this message secretly to Jiang Yu.
Though the position of Saint Son brought immense glory and greater resource allocation, with a monster like Gu Qing present, this generation's Saint Son would be difficult to hold.
Therefore, she had subtly reminded Jiang Yu before that the Starry Temple harbored a prodigy, urging him to abandon his pursuit of the Saint Son title and his courtship of Su Qingyue.
Jiang Yu possessed exceptional talent, with the potential to ascend to godhood. Should he fall, it would be a tremendous pity.
Unfortunately, Jiang Yu refused to heed her counsel.
The Starry Temple had a rule: whoever defeated the Saint Son and swept through the current generation of true disciples could apply to become the new Saint Son.
"Thank you for your concern, Palace Master. This disciple harbors no regrets."
Jiang Yu stood calmly in the center of the plaza, his tone firm and resonant as he replied: "In this magnificent era, how can this disciple bind his own hands and confine himself to one place?"
"Though that prodigy possesses unparalleled talent, I have one sword that can sweep through my peers, and another to ask if heaven dares be my enemy!"
Jiang Yu's blood and qi erupted within him, unleashing a brilliant divine light. His blazing battle intent soared straight to the heavens.
Boundless light from the sun, moon, and stars surged wildly toward him. Jiang Yu's cultivation level climbed steadily.
Step by step, he ascended the high platform. With each step, his aura intensified.
Boom!
Under the watchful eyes of all, Jiang Yu's cultivation directly broke through to the Void Dao Realm Eighth Heaven, instantly drawing gasps of shock and astonishment from the crowd.
"Hmph, putting on airs."
Wei Yiqing, who had been defeated by Jiang Yu, was filled with murderous intent toward him.
Clearly, he believed Jiang Yu had deliberately held himself at the bottleneck, choosing to break through during today's grand ceremony.
This was to attract more attention and prove his supreme uniqueness.
After all, the higher the realm, the harder it was to break through.
The Void Dao Realm required comprehending the heavenly laws of heaven and earth. How could one possibly break through simply by taking a few steps?
"Dare heaven be my enemy? Arrogant..."
Jiang Yu shook her head slightly, her gaze resting upon Jiang Yu.
His expression was calm and composed, his battle intent soaring—truly an extraordinary temperament befitting a heavenly pride.
However, this arrogance was simply too ignorant and brazen.
A mere Void Dao Realm cultivator actually dared to challenge heaven itself? Utterly ridiculous.
She had initially considered taking Jiang Yu as her disciple. With some tempering, he would surely achieve greatness.
Now, it seemed her impulse to take him on was rash.
With such a character, even the greatest talent was useless.
Jiang Yu immediately closed her eyes, no longer paying attention to Jiang Yu.
Kind words cannot dissuade the doomed.
Since Jiang Yu sought death, let him have his way.
When he encountered that freak Gu Qing, he would naturally learn that his so-called heaven-challenging sword was less than nothing.
No one could withstand a single punch from Gu Qing.
"How could this be..."
After completing the Saint Son succession rites, Jiang Yu frowned deeply. A sense of unease rose in his heart, and he instinctively felt something was amiss.
The Starry Temple's Saint Son ceremony had begun with grandeur but ended anticlimactically.
Those Ultimate Realm elders maintained cold attitudes, performing the rituals perfunctorily.
Moreover, his breakthrough during the ceremony had only momentarily shocked the crowd before they lost interest.
This shouldn't be happening.
Shouldn't these elders and Saint Realm old monsters be scrambling to take him as their disciple?
"Could it be that the Starry Temple's high command does not favor me? Do they believe I am no match for that prodigy?"
The moment this thought arose, Jiang Yu's expression darkened. He resolved internally to find the prodigy Jiang Yu spoke of and settle matters with a decisive battle.
He would fiercely slap the faces of these contemptible, status-obsessed fools.
"Palace Master, may I ask who this prodigy you mentioned truly is?" he transmitted his inquiry.
"Attend to your duties." Jiang Yu's voice, usually as gentle as celestial music, now carried bone-chilling coldness.
It left Jiang Yu with no doubt that if he dared to be difficult, he would be instantly annihilated by Jiang Yu's will.
This sent a chill throughout his body.
He began to doubt his very worldview.
In his mind, he should be the one adored by the masses, with the entire Starry Temple at his command.
Jiang Yu had long decided: he would take Jiang Yu as his master.
After all, Jiang Yu was at the peak of the Saint Realm, known alongside Zhi Meng as the twin peerless beauties of their generation, and poised to break through to the Divine Fire Realm at any moment.
And having such a beautiful master? That would certainly be pleasant to look upon.
But the reality was the complete opposite.
Jiang Yu guessed this might be due to the hidden prodigy in the Starry Temple.
This strengthened his resolve to kill that prodigy.
But before that, he had more important matters to attend to.
Jiang Yu walked step by step to Su Qingyue, his gaze calmly fixed upon her.
The original host had been a super sycophant, but he was not.
That's right, Jiang Yu was a transmigrator with a check-in system.
The original host had given Su Qingyue countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures. The thought pained him; he must get them back.
He would also publicly clarify that he, Jiang Yu, was no sycophant.
Su Qingyue's willow brows furrowed, her heart tense, but her aura remained undiminished as she coldly met Jiang Yu's gaze, her eyes like frigid ice.
Like an ethereal fairy from the Guanghan Palace, beautiful yet cold.
Su Qingyue resolved that if Jiang Yu dared declare his affection, she would reject him mercilessly.
"Hah."
"So what if he became Saint Son?"
"A dog can't change its nature to eat shit."
The disciples watched Jiang Yu with mocking eyes, waiting for him to be humiliated.
Although Jiang Yu's sudden surge in cultivation and combat power had changed their impression of him somewhat, his sycophantic image was deeply ingrained.
After a moment of eye contact, not waiting for Su Qingyue to speak first, a flash of embarrassment crossed Jiang Yu's face before he said flatly.
"Saintess Su."
"What is it?"
"You..."
Jiang Yu hesitated, then said coldly, "Since Saintess Su dislikes me, please return the heavenly materials and earthly treasures I've gifted you over the years."
"..."
Su Qingyue's beautiful eyes showed astonishment.
Chu Yao was equally stunned by Jiang Yu's words. Her fox-like eyes carefully examined Jiang Yu, suspecting he might have been possessed.
After all, she knew how much of a sycophant the original Jiang Yu had been.
Moreover, the current Jiang Yu's temperament and personality were completely different from before.
"Eh, did Jiang Yu just say something? He wants the Saintess to return the gifts she received? Did I hear wrong?"
"I suspect I heard wrong too."
The onlooking crowd wore stunned expressions, then they looked at Jiang Yu with contempt and spoke mockingly.
"Tsk tsk, I never thought the young master of the immortal Jiang family would be so classless, wanting gifts back after giving them."
"Exactly. If he couldn't bear to part with them, why pretend to be generous in the first place?"
"Ptui, truly disgraceful to us men."
"Junior sister, see? I told you this kid was all show and no substance, but you didn't believe me."
"Stop talking."
Many female prodigies who had been fond of Jiang Yu stomped their feet in annoyance, wanting to cover their faces.
Hearing the crowd's ridicule, Jiang Yu curled his lips in disdain and said flatly. "Saintess Su, since you disliked me from the start, why did you accept my gifts?"
Though asking for returned gifts was embarrassing, they represented real value.
Besides, what was wrong with reclaiming his own possessions?
Sure enough, the crowd fell thoughtful upon hearing his words, their gazes shifting to Su Qingyue.
Su Qingyue grew nervous under their stares. She took a deep breath.
"Alright..." She wanted to return the treasures. What was fed to pigs could be exchanged for replacements.
"Wait."
Chu Yao quickly stopped Su Qingyue, pulling her behind her.
Su Qingyue had a simple personality and didn't understand the serious implications; Chu Yao knew all too well.
Once Su Qingyue returned the treasures, regardless of right or wrong, her image as an untainted fairy would be shattered.
"Saint Son Jiang, you want back the gifts you gave?"
Chu Yao asked with a smile.
Her fox-like eyes were bright, the corners slightly raised, like a cunning vixen.
"That's right."
Jiang Yu nodded, standing calmly with his hands behind his back.
"Giggle."
"In all my travels, Chu Yao has seen countless customs, but this is the first time I've heard of someone demanding gifts back after giving them."
"If I recall correctly, Qingyue made it clear she didn't like you from the beginning. You were the one who shamelessly begged and forced them upon her."
"Now you regret it and want them back? Saint Son Jiang truly opens my eyes."
Chu Yao covered her mouth and laughed coquettishly, a cold glint in her eyes.
She was not some delicate, ignorant little girl.
Jiang Yu wanted to salvage his reputation, reclaim his treasures, and step on Su Qingyue to rise—had he asked her?
Hearing this, Jiang Yu's face darkened, fury raging within him.
What did he mean by shamelessly begging and forcing gifts?
Was the original host really that much of a sycophant?
Well, yes, he was.
"I can't believe you're that kind of person."
"Ptui..."
The crowd instantly looked down on him, feeling a chill.
They dared not imagine how "beautiful" the scene of shamelessly begging and forcing gifts must have been.
Jiang Yu had shamed all men.
Jiang Yu's face was dark as he cursed the original host in his heart.
Now he found himself in a difficult position.
If Su Qingyue had rejected him from the start, reclaiming the gifts wouldn't have put him in such a passive position.
But Su Qingyue wasn't playing by the script, remaining coldly silent.
But it was too late for anything now.
An arrow released cannot be recalled.
Jiang Yu's gaze was sharp as a knife, wishing he could cleave this vixen in two. He said coldly, "Surely Saintess Su isn't trying to have it both ways—to accept benefits while playing the innocent?"
"Saint Son Jiang, spouting such slander—Is this how the Jiang family teaches its manners?"
"To tell you the truth, the heavenly materials and earthly treasures you gave were all used by Qingyue to feed pigs."
Chu Yao retorted logically. Her stunningly beautiful, charming face showed mockery.
"Feed pigs?"
Jiang Yu's expression instantly shattered.
The crowd present also couldn't hold back, their eyes widening.
They knew without thinking that the treasures Jiang Yu gave must be extraordinary.
How could such precious treasures be wasted on feeding pigs?
Damn it.
"You don't believe me?"
"I have a recording stone here. Though it only recorded a few short clips, it clearly shows them being fed to pigs."
Chu Yao immediately took out a recording stone, displaying scenes of Su Qingyue feeding the pigs.
This was her own mischievous whim, finding the sight of a fairy feeding pigs hilarious, so she'd secretly recorded it to threaten her dear friend anytime.
Whoa!
The scene was too much.
Su Qingyue smiled purely and beautifully, hugging a pink, tender little fragrant pig, poking and stroking it, playfully tugging its ears and baring her teeth in a gleeful grin.
Where was any trace of her cool goddess demeanor?
"No!"
Su Qingyue covered her face. Her carefully maintained cool goddess image instantly collapsed.
"The goddess is so cute..."
"The Saintess is so beautiful..."
"This little girl."
Jiang Yu's tone was doting, yet tinged with regret. Such an outstanding disciple, snatched up by Zhi Meng—what a pity.
"Jiang Yu, don't go too far! What kind of skill is it, deceiving the Saintess Su like this?"
"That's right. Once given, gifts belong to the recipient."
"Tsk, is this how the young master of the Jiang family behaves?"
The prodigies attending the ceremony, upon understanding the situation, grew angry and began to mock.
Jiang Yu's face turned ashen.
He knew he was finished.
Today was supposed to be his moment of glory.
Instead, he'd become the object of public ridicule.
No matter how great his future achievements, he'd likely never wash away this shame—it would follow him for life.
"Oh right, I forgot to tell you, Saint Son Jiang. The treasures you gave were also thrown away by the Saintess."
"So I regret to inform you that Qingyue cannot return anything you gave."
"Of course, if you're truly so poor as to miss those trivial things, I, Chu Yao, wouldn't mind giving you some."
Chu Yao's words were beautifully crafted.
Though clearly mocking Jiang Yu, they left no room for criticism.
Jiang Yu was so angry the veins throbbed on his forehead. His handsome face twisted slightly.
He took a deep breath, shot Chu Yao a killing glare, and turned to leave.
Though he desperately wanted to slap Chu Yao to death on the spot, Jiang Yu wasn't stupid. The elders and the Palace Master ignored him.
He currently only held the title of Saint Son, with none of its actual power, and had no backing in the Starry Temple.
If he dared kill Chu Yao publicly, he would undoubtedly die.
The Jiang family couldn't save him either.
The Starry Temple was no ordinary sect.
Even a supreme divine body couldn't act with impunity.
But he wouldn't let Chu Yao off.
If he couldn't kill her today, tomorrow would be soon enough.
Just an inner disciple—find any excuse, kill her and it's done.
"Palace Master, when do you think he'll die?"
Jiang Yu's gaze shifted to the one who transmitted the message.
"Cough, just joking, joking."
He laughed awkwardly, then turned to converse with others.
"Once that Gu Qing comes out of seclusion, he's dead for sure."
"Who doesn't know that? We're guessing—how many moves will it take to kill him?"
"That's hard to say. Who knows how many treasures the Jiang family gave him?"
"Tsk tsk, so tragic. In this magnificent era, he's destined to be buried by a single punch."
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