Chapter 026: A Parent’s First Gift?

Leading the team into the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm were Liu Zhiqing, Master of Wu Lian Peak; Meng Yu, the eldest disciple under Wen Youhe, the soon-to-be head of the sect; and Lu Changfeng, the third disciple of Shi Wanqing, Master of Wu Xu Peak and, incidentally, Qiu Shuoran’s teacher.

Liu Zhiqing was merely overseeing the group, ensuring that nothing untoward befell the sect’s disciples. The real responsibility for organization lay with Meng Yu and Lu Changfeng. Although both were personal disciples, everyone knew that with Wen Youhe about to become the new sect leader and move to the main hall, Meng Yu would be the next Master of Wu Wang Peak.

Meng Yu stood off to the side, listening to the murmurs among the disciples without saying a word. She simply lifted her gaze, studying Xiao Jihan, who seemed entirely oblivious. Watching Xiao Jihan standing against the wind, Meng Yu felt a pang of bitterness. Was this truly the kind of person she liked?

Beside Meng Yu, Lu Changfeng also remained silent, giving Xiao Jihan a fleeting glance before withdrawing his eyes. Seeing that neither Meng Yu nor Lu Changfeng intervened, the disciples grew bolder. Their whispered gossip escalated into blatant insults.

“Hey, useless fake spirit root, if you get scared in the secret realm, just call me ‘ancestor’ and I might protect you!” As soon as the words fell, laughter erupted among the crowd.

Xiao Jihan stood at the very front of the group, not even bothering to look back at the speaker, as if the man didn’t exist. The man, seeing Xiao Jihan’s indifference, grew angry. “Hey! Useless fake spirit root! I’m talking to you!”

Still, Xiao Jihan ignored him. The man, his pride wounded, lifted his foot to confront Xiao Jihan. At that moment, Qiu Shuoran in the crowd sneered, “Senior brother, best keep your cool. Don’t end up like me, taking a slap. Elder Yan dotes on him now.”

Hearing this, the man withdrew his foot and turned to Qiu Shuoran with a grin. “Thanks for the reminder, junior brother. I almost forgot—this useless fellow is Elder Yan’s favorite now!”

This provoked a wave of suggestive laughter. Suddenly, a woman’s cold voice rang out from the crowd, “Have you laughed enough?”

The speaker was Pang Feiyan, who had entered the sect decades before them, a disciple of Meng Yu. Now at the mid-Golden Core stage, she was one of the most outstanding members of the group. Pang Feiyan swept her gaze coldly across the crowd. “Whatever you say, he is still your senior. He may have a useless spirit root, but does that hinder you? All this mocking and insult only makes you look ugly—what else do you gain?”

A voice argued, “That’s not right, senior sister. Someone like him, not just as a personal disciple, but even as an ordinary disciple, makes the sect look incompetent. He only brings shame on us!”

Others quickly agreed, “Senior brother is right! Someone like him is a mistake for the sect!”

Pang Feiyan snorted coldly, “A mistake? Elder Wen himself brought him into the sect, and personally guided his energy. If you think it’s a mistake, take it up with Elder Wen. What’s the point of harassing him here? And while insulting him, why drag Elder Yan’s name into it?”

The previously confident crowd fell silent. Someone stammered, “Senior sister, please don’t say that. When did we ever insult Elder Yan?”

Pang Feiyan glared at him. “You call him useless, then say he’s Elder Yan’s favorite and receives special treatment. Even if you only mean it literally, you’re questioning Elder Yan’s conduct!”

As she said this, she glanced unobtrusively at Meng Yu, noting the bitterness in his eyes and feeling even more unsettled. Someone tried to protest, but Meng Yu suddenly spoke coldly, “Enough! If I hear anyone gossip about Elder Yan again, you won’t be going to the Brahma Heaven Secret Realm!”

Meng Yu was not merely a personal disciple—he was the next Master of Wu Wang Peak. The moment he spoke, everyone fell silent. Pang Feiyan gave him a complex look before withdrawing her gaze.

Liu Zhiqing arrived leisurely, glancing at Xiao Jihan standing at the front, then sweeping his eyes over the crowd, surprised by their unexpected quiet. He nodded in satisfaction, “Not bad, much more composed than in years past.”

The crowd’s expressions grew complicated, but Xiao Jihan’s handsome face remained as impassive as ever.

Liu Zhiqing stepped forward, came to Xiao Jihan’s side, and took out a porcelain bottle from his mustard seed pouch, handing it to him. “These are ten Qi-replenishing pills I refined recently. The Brahma Heaven Secret Realm is fraught with danger—use them sparingly.”

Qi-replenishing pills restored not blood, but spiritual energy. In the secret realm, battles were inevitable, and these pills would provide much-needed sustenance, granting a clear advantage and greater vitality.

Moreover, these pills were crafted by a fifth-tier alchemist. Even though Xiao Jihan was only at the Foundation Establishment stage, with these pills, he could hold his own in a fight.

The crowd eyed the porcelain bottle with a mix of envy, jealousy, and bitterness. Why should a fake spirit root, who had won Elder Yan’s favor, also receive special treatment from Elder Liu?

Xiao Jihan looked at the porcelain bottle in Liu Zhiqing’s hand, surprise flickering across his otherwise calm face. Fearing Xiao Jihan might refuse it like he had done with the Blazing Furnace, Liu Zhiqing shoved the bottle into his hand, then turned to the crowd, “Now that everyone’s here, let’s set out. Meng Yu, you take the middle section, Lu Changfeng, you bring up the rear!”

Meng Yu and Lu Changfeng replied in the affirmative, and the group prepared for sword flight. Though a flying craft could easily accommodate so many, sword travel was also a form of cultivation, so Liu Zhiqing had no intention of using a vessel.

Just as they were about to depart, Bing Shien appeared atop Wu Xu Peak. Ignoring the crowd’s surprise, he strode straight to Xiao Jihan, took something from his mustard seed pouch, and handed it to him, “This is a Heartshield Mirror I forged a few days ago. It will protect your heart meridian; the secret realm is perilous, keep it with you.”

Xiao Jihan glanced at the Heartshield Mirror, frowned faintly, and was about to refuse, but Bing Shien pressed it into his hand and vanished with a flick of his sleeve.

Now, the crowd’s gaze toward Xiao Jihan changed dramatically. If Elder Yan’s fondness for this “useless” disciple could be attributed to his looks or his status as a close companion, what about Elder Liu and Elder Bing?

Could it be… a meeting gift from the family elders?

The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Everyone in the cultivation world knew that, though Elder Yan was nominally the junior of several elders in Xuantian Sect, the peak masters treated her as their own daughter.

Now, seeing each elder so concerned about Xiao Jihan, what other explanation was there besides affection for Elder Yan extending to him?

A complex mix of emotions stirred in their hearts. He was already recognized by their elders—why did they feel a strange sense of envy?