strictlysupreme Chapter 5 Meeting Su Qingyuan for the first time
Chapter 5 Meeting Su Qingyuan for the first time
The next morning.
The registration point for the sect selection was set up in the Dao Discussion Square in the center of Qingzhou City. When Ling Chen arrived, the square was already packed with people.
Hundreds of young cultivators lined up in several long queues. Some were dressed in fine clothes, some in the robes of their sects, and others, like Ling Chen, were simply dressed as independent cultivators. But regardless of their background, everyone's face was filled with anticipation and nervousness.
"Name, cultivation level, recommended sect."
The registration officer didn't even look up, mechanically asking the questions.
"Ling Chen. Peak Body Tempering. Recommended by the Ling family."
The steward paused in his writing, looked up at him, and asked, "The Ling family? Which Ling family?"
"The Ling family of Qingzhou border town."
The steward nodded knowingly, noted it down on the roster, and casually said, "It's been many years since anyone from your Ling family has participated in the selection. I think you applied once three years ago, but you didn't even make it past the first round. Good luck."
His tone was flat and indifferent, clearly just a routine matter.
Ling Chen didn't pay any attention and took the number plate.
"Number 97, number C. Primary election tomorrow morning."
Just as he was about to turn and leave, a commotion suddenly arose behind him.
The crowd parted to both sides like a tide, and everyone was looking in the same direction.
Ling Chen followed the gazes of the crowd.
A snow-white jade sedan chair was seen flying through the air, pulled by four cranes with feathers as white as ice crystals. The curtains of the sedan chair fluttered in the wind, and a slender figure could be vaguely seen sitting inside.
A blue-white token hangs on the jade sedan chair.
The pattern on the token is simple—a snowflake, suspended above a bright moon.
"Ice Moon Decree!"
"The Central Continent Immortal Sect! It's the Central Continent Immortal Sect!"
"Heavens! Why would people from the Central Plains Immortal Sect come to a small place like Qingzhou?"
An uproar erupted in the crowd.
The Central Continent Immortal Sect. The most prestigious cultivation sect in the entire mortal realm, rumored to be overseen by a terrifying being at the Mahayana Realm. Its influence spans both the mortal and spirit realms, granting it an unparalleled status. For a remote eastern border region like Qingzhou, the existence of the Central Continent Immortal Sect is nothing short of a myth.
At this moment, the myth hovers above the Forum.
The jade sedan chair was parked on a high platform in the center of the square.
The sedan curtain was lifted.
A white figure gracefully landed.
She was a girl who looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in snow-white, with flowing black hair and a light veil covering her face. The veil obscured most of her face, but it couldn't hide her eyes.
cool.
Aloof and proud.
Like the ice on the summit of a snow-capped mountain that has remained frozen for millennia.
She simply stood there quietly, and an invisible chill emanated from her. Several cultivators near the platform involuntarily took two steps back, their breath condensing into white mist in the air.
"Su Qingyuan, the Holy Maiden of the Central Plains Immortal Sect, has come to observe the selection process of the Qingzhou Sect by order of her sect."
Her voice was like shattered jade falling on ice, clear and crisp, yet utterly cold.
The square was completely silent.
Everyone was looking up at that figure, who resembled a fairy from the moon palace.
Ling Chen was no exception.
But he was different from others—he didn't just look at her appearance.
The Eye of Truth, silently activated.
In the vision of the Eye of Truth, Su Qingyuan was surrounded by an almost tangible ice-attribute spiritual energy. The trajectory of that spiritual energy flowing within her body formed an extremely mysterious loop.
"Nascent Soul Realm..."
Ling Chen's pupils contracted slightly.
This girl, who looked to be about the same age as him, had actually reached the Nascent Soul Realm in cultivation.
Moreover, she was no ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator. The level of refinement of her spiritual energy far surpassed that of any Nascent Soul cultivator he had ever seen. Even Ling Tiefeng, the Great Elder of the Ling family, was far inferior to her in the purity of his spiritual energy.
"Is this the true foundation of the Central Plains Immortal Sect?"
Ling Chen was shaken.
Su Qingyuan seemed to sense something, and suddenly turned her head, looking in his direction.
Their gazes met in mid-air.
A barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in those icy blue eyes.
"Ice-type Heavenly Spiritual Root... No, this person's aura is rather strange."
Su Qingyuan frowned slightly, but then quickly looked away.
A cultivator at the peak of Body Tempering is not worth her excessive attention.
That glance was merely a Nascent Soul cultivator's instinctive reaction to prying.
The jade sedan chair rose again and flew towards the post station in Qingzhou City.
The discussions in the square lingered for a long time.
"Su Qingyuan...is she the Su Qingyuan who is known as the 'Ice Fairy'?"
"Legend has it that she was born with an ice-type spiritual root, entered the True Condensation Realm at the age of ten, and transformed into a deity at fifteen. Now at seventeen, she has already reached the peak of the Deity Transformation Realm."
"People like this coming to the sect selection... isn't this like gods watching mortals fight?"
"What do you know? It's said that she came to Qingzhou this time ostensibly to observe the selection process, but actually she's looking for something. What exactly it is, no one knows."
Looking for something?
Ling Chen kept those words in mind and turned to leave the square.
-
Meanwhile, in the room on the top floor of the Qingzhou City Inn.
Su Qingyuan removed her veil, revealing a face that could be described as stunningly beautiful.
Her features were so exquisite they seemed otherworldly, her skin was as white as snow, yet her eyes held a coldness beyond her years.
"Miss, you glanced at that man a little too long in the square just now."
Behind them, an old woman in a gray robe spoke in a low voice.
"Grandma Fu saw everything?"
"I've served you for so many years, Miss, I know every glance you give me." The old woman smiled, then said seriously, "Is there anything special about that young man?"
Su Qingyuan remained silent for a moment, then shook her head.
I can't quite explain it.
"Can't explain it?"
"His cultivation level is indeed only at the peak of Body Tempering, I have no mistake about that. But within his body..." Su Qingyuan carefully chose her words, "there is a power that I cannot see through. It is very weak, yet it caused a slight fluctuation in the ice-type spiritual power within my body."
The old woman's expression changed slightly.
Su Qingyuan possesses an ice-type celestial spiritual root, making her naturally extremely sensitive to fluctuations in spiritual energy. Any power capable of evoking a reaction in her is certainly extraordinary.
"Should I go and investigate?"
"No need." Su Qingyuan walked to the window and looked at the bustling street. "He's just a minor cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm. Perhaps I'm overthinking it."
"The main purpose of this trip is to find clues about the Myriad Paths Returning to the Void Map. Master said that if that thing really exists, it is very likely to appear in the Eastern Wilderness. Qingzhou is the area with the most chaotic spiritual energy in the Eastern Wilderness. If the scroll is in the mortal realm, it is most likely to be here."
The old woman nodded: "Don't worry, Miss, I have already sent people to inquire everywhere. If there is any news of a rare treasure appearing, I will report back immediately."
"Um."
Su Qingyuan responded, her gaze falling on a certain direction through the window.
That's where Yunlai Inn is located.
For some reason, she always felt a vague sense of familiarity about that boy.
It felt as if she had seen him long, long ago.
But she searched through all the people in her memory and could not find such a face.
"Perhaps... I'm just overthinking it."
Su Qingyuan withdrew her gaze.
Outside the window, a bright sun hangs high in the sky.
The sect selection in Qingzhou City is about to begin.
-
Late at night, at the Lingcao Market in the west of the city.
Ling Chen led Ling Xue through the various stalls. Tomorrow was the preliminary selection, and he wanted to buy a few spiritual herbs in advance to try to absorb and refine them using the Myriad Dao Heavenly Venerable Technique, to see if he could improve his strength before the selection.
"Three-leaf Green Spirit Grass! Ten-year-old variety! Last three plants, selling cheap!"
"Defective Qi Gathering Pills, five spirit stones per bottle, limited quantity!"
"Come and see, come and see, these are ancient spiritual herbs that have just been unearthed..."
The shouts from the last stall caught Ling Chen's attention.
It was an old man wearing a tattered Taoist robe. His stall was cluttered with a few withered spiritual herbs and a pile of rusty fragments of magical artifacts.
Ling Chen squatted down and rummaged through the pile of trash, his Eye of Truth scanning over it.
Suddenly, his gaze stopped.
Among the pile of broken magical artifact fragments was an inconspicuous black iron bead. Its surface was rusted, and it looked like a failed refining project.
However, within the vision of the Eye of Truth, an extremely pure spiritual energy was slowly circulating inside this bead.
That spiritual energy resonated faintly with the Myriad Dao Returning to Nothingness Diagram in his dantian.
"Boss, how much is this?"
He picked up the black iron bead, trying to make his voice sound casual.
The old man glanced at it and lazily held up three fingers: "Three spirit stones."
Three spirit stones. Ling Chen only had thirty spirit stones on him, which was equivalent to one-tenth of his wealth.
"Too expensive. Just one."
"Two, take it or leave it."
"……make a deal."
Ling Chen took out two spirit stones and exchanged them for the bead.
Just as he turned to leave, a hand reached out to another spiritual herb on the stall.
It was a fair, slender hand, as if carved from jade.
Ling Chen looked up.
Under the moonlight, a girl in white was looking down at him.
The two of them were stunned at the same time.
Su Qingyuan.
What is she doing here?
"It's you." Su Qingyuan recognized him; he was the boy who had made her feel strange in the square during the day.
Alarm bells rang in Ling Chen's mind.
"Does the fairy know me?"
"I don't know him." Su Qingyuan's tone remained indifferent. "I only saw him once in the square today."
Her gaze lingered for a moment on the black iron bead in Ling Chen's hand.
"What did you buy?"
"An iron essence bead used for refining weapons. As a rogue cultivator trying to make a living, you have to know a little bit of everything." Ling Chen casually made up a reason without changing his expression.
Su Qingyuan looked at him, her eyes deep and unfathomable.
She wasn't sure if the boy was lying. But the ice-type spiritual energy within her stirred again the moment he approached.
This person must have a secret.
"What's your name?"
"Ling Chen".
"Ling Chen." Su Qingyuan repeated the name softly, as if trying to memorize it.
"I will be there for the primary election tomorrow."
After saying that, she walked straight past him and headed towards another stall.
Ling Chen stood there, his back soaked with cold sweat.
He wasn't sure if Su Qingyuan had seen through his secret or if it was just a passing fancy. But in any case, being targeted by a Nascent Soul Realm expert was definitely not a good thing.
"Brother, that lady is so pretty." Ling Xue tugged at his sleeve. "Who is she?"
"Someone whose identity as friend or foe is currently unknown."
Ling Chen gripped the black iron bead in his hand tightly.
"Let's go back to cultivate."
-
Back at the inn, Ling Chen placed the black iron bead in his palm and began to circulate the Myriad Dao Heavenly Venerable Technique.
The rust on the surface of the bead peeled away inch by inch, revealing a deep black interior. An extremely pure spiritual energy surged from the bead, flowing along his meridians and into his dantian.
The properties of this spiritual energy are extremely strange.
It is not any of the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
It is not a rare attribute such as lightning, wind, or ice.
Rather, it is a more fundamental and purer force.
It's like... the primordial chaos at the very beginning of time.
The Myriad Paths Return to Ruins Diagram suddenly trembled violently.
The second seal cracked slightly.
Elder Mo's shocked voice echoed in Ling Chen's mind: "This is... the Chaos Origin Pearl! A divine artifact left behind during the ancient war between gods and demons! Boy, where did you find this thing?!"
Just as Ling Chen was about to answer, he felt a terrifying torrent of information surge out from the cracks in the seal and rush into the depths of his soul.
His vision went black, and he lost consciousness.
In the instant before losing consciousness, he seemed to hear Elder Mo's next words—
"This is troublesome... The aura of this thing will attract everyone searching for the Myriad Paths Returning to the Void Map."
-
Outside the window, the night was deep.
On the top floor of the inn in the city, Su Qingyuan suddenly opened her eyes.
She sensed it.
That aura.
The aura was exactly the same as the one recorded in the secret scroll given to her by her master.
"The Map of All Paths Returning to Nothingness..."
"It really is in Qingzhou."
She stood up, her gaze piercing through the night, looking towards the west of the city.
There, there was an inconspicuous inn.
His name is Yunlai.
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