Chapter 518: Elder Lian Cheng
Shen Qinghong’s face was as cold as permafrost, the temperature dropping several degrees around him. Shen Trifire’s actions had obviously enraged him. He had never imagined that Shen Trifire would take his spirit stones to challenge Jiang Chen and then just enter closed door cultivation without another word.
“That trash must’ve lost!” Nie Chong added fuel to the flame.
Shen Trifire’s actions had caught the entire Shen Qinghong group on the back foot. Multiple people had gone to challenge Jiang Chen and failed in the attempt. If they let this go and didn’t continue to challenge Jiang Chen, then all their momentum, all their previous plans and carefully created slander, would go down as a pitiful whimper. Instead, all it would serve as prime marketing service for Jiang Chen!
If they continued their challenges, who would they send when even Shen Trifire had failed? Rong Zifeng? Nie Chong?
These two were Shen Qinghong’s strongest confidantes, but their pill dao potential wasn’t necessarily stronger than Shen Trifire. Then, who would go? Himself?
Shen Qinghong rather wanted to, but reason told him that he had to be exceedingly cautious before making any decision. With his position as the top genius in the Sovereign Area, many eyeballs would magnify his every action against Jiang Chen. There would be those who spread the news of this far and wide.
If he won, it would be a natural course of order because he was the top genius. That wouldn’t be enough to prove that Jiang Chen was a fake. But if he lost, then his reputation would be ruined, and he would inadvertently raise Jiang Chen as the representative character of the Regal Pill Palace younger generation. This was something he’d never be able to accept!
“You guys are dismissed for now. I’m going to make a trip.” Shen Qinghong was a decisive person. He didn’t hesitate as he immediately left the Rosy Valley, making for the Hundred Elders Peak. He appeared at the doors of a certain residence before long.
This residence was the one of Elder Lian Cheng, the first of the venerated elders. Shen Qinghong’s grandfather, the Hallmaster of the Hall of Spring and Autumn, Elder Jin Gu also happened to be in residence as well.
“Qinghong, you’ve gone overboard in this matter. It’ll be difficult for you to salvage the situation now.” Elder Lian Cheng was an old, bald man, but his brows and eyes were as sharp as a hawk’s.
Elder Jin Gu sighed lightly. “Old brother Lian Cheng, who would’ve thought that this Jiang Chen would be so wild and intractable? Qinghong should’ve been respected as the first personage in the Rosy Valley, but Jiang Chen didn’t even have the most basic of manners. We can’t blame Qinghong for growing angry in this.”
Elder Lian Cheng smiled slightly, a shrewd light flickering in his eyes. “What do you say we do then, Jin Gu? Go challenge Jiang Chen? If Qinghong wins, it’s the natural course of nature. If he loses, then all our previous efforts are lost.”
Elder Jin Gu was also exceedingly dejected. “It’s all Elder Yun Nie’s fault in the end. If it hadn’t been for his ardent backing behind his proposal, how would Jiang Chen had made it to the Sovereign Area if it’d been decided by martial dao?”
His was a typical personality of blaming everyone else for his faults, the type to fault the latrine if he was unable to take a dump.
Elder Lian Cheng however, was completely dismissive. “Jin Gu, you’re just deceiving yourself in speaking thus. If Jiang Chen is a true genius, he’ll make it into the Sovereign Area sooner or later. I rather think that the older generation has no need to overly intervene now that things have developed to this point. Let the youngsters handle it. Whether they succeed or fail will be up to their methods and plans.”
Elder Jin Gu hastily spoke up. “Old brother Lian Cheng, Qinghong has too many problems to cope with in this situation. He’s the first genius of the sect and exists in an environment of unfair competition to begin with. There’s nothing to it if he wins, everyone will think that it should’ve happened. But if he happens to fall behind by just even a tad, he is destined to be mocked. This isn’t fair!”
Elder Lian Cheng shook his head slightly, a bit speechless at Elder Jin Gu’s methods of education. He couldn’t be bothered to respond and turned to Shen Qinghong. “Qinghong, do you think yourself that your position is unfair to you?”
Shen Qinghong had nothing to say in response. He didn’t know what his honored master meant.
Elder Lian Cheng said faintly, “The position you’re in currently normally receives the utmost of treatment and resources. Have you ever thought that this is likewise unfair to others? Therefore, if you wish to complain now that this is unfair, I will be disappointed in you.”
Shen Qinghong grew solemn. He’d actually come to ask his honored master what should be his next step, but he hadn’t expected that his master would give him a verbal blow and lecture right on the head. He was at a loss of what to do for the moment.
Elder Lian Cheng sighed softly. “For you Qinghong, a noble birth and a high start is both a boon and a crutch. Your cultivation path has been smooth and easy, having experienced almost no obstacles in the Regal Pill Palace before. This is also the reason why you are at the end of your rope.”
“What say you, Jin Gu?”
Elder Jin Gu was actually rather dissatisfied at the moment. You’re Shen Qinghong’s martial dao master after all, are you going to sit there and allow your disciple be met with setback on your watch?
Even though Elder Lian Cheng did make some sense, Elder Jin Gu didn’t care about that in the slightest. What he minded was that his grandson’s position was being challenged! This was as if his own territory was being threatened. Why would Elder Jin Gu consider so much with regards to theory and philosophy? The only thing he could think of was to defend his territory and not allow others the chance to threaten him at all.
“Old brother Lian Cheng, I feel that no matter what, Qinghong can’t lose this amount of face. If we let that petty character Jiang Chen succeed, then Qinghong’s position in the Sovereign Area will certainly be impacted in the future, not to mention that with his appearance, that Jun Mobai and Ling Bi’er have all started agitating as well. I’m afraid that this is causing a chain reaction!”
Jun Mobai and Lin Bi’er had cast covetous eyes on Shen Qinghong’s position to begin with. With the addition of an even more unreasonable Jiang Chen, Shen Qinghong had to face off with three hotly ambitious fellows at the same time. This wasn’t absolutely not a good thing for him. Therefore, Elder Jin Gu didn’t want to foster the develop of such an atmosphere at all. He wanted to suppress this air and make an example out of Jiang Chen.
Elder Lian Cheng was momentarily speechless by Elder Jin Gu’s resolution. He is truly so short sighted! “Qinghong, you speak. How do you intend on resolving this? What kind of help would you like from your master?” Elder Lian Cheng asked.
“Your disciple still harbors hope, and I wish to wage a decisive fight against Jiang Chen in the pill competition.” Shen Qinghong fully voiced his thoughts.
“Are you certain?” Elder Lian Cheng asked slowly, a look of judgment in his eyes.
Shen Qinghong nodded firmly. “Jiang Chen has already affected my dao heart. If I don’t suppress him, then cracks are sure to form.”
Elder Lian Cheng sighed softly. “We are born with nothing into this world, and leave with nothing in our hands. Troubles do not exist innately in our hearts, but are shoved in when we pursue material goods and psychological enjoyment. Qinghong, your master read these words in an ancient tome one year, and reflected on them for sixty years before coming to this enlightenment. You are precisely thinking far too much, which creates the chance for your dao heart to be affected by others. If you follow the dao with one heart and avoid creating so much trouble, pay no heed to contests of pride, then you wouldn’t have caused so many things to happen at all.
“Your martial dao potential is extraordinary, and you are a genius but half a step away from entering the sage realm. Why do you not have this slightest bit of tolerance? With your level, would you not gain a spot for the Pill Battles? Even if Jiang Chen and Mu Gaoqi have claimed two, you and Ling Bi’er would take the other two with no contest at all. But now? You’re using your position of utmost genius to hassle a few newly ascended geniuses.
“Don’t you think that your goal should be placed at the Myriad Grand Ceremony yet to come? The mysterious Myriad Paramount Realm?” Elder Lian Cheng spoke persuasively, but his gaze never left Shen Qinghong’s face. It was as if he wanted to see through all of his disciple’s thoughts.
Shen Qinghong could only speak woodenly. “Honored master’s teachings make sense. Your disciple is indeed a bit blinded and not seeing Mt. Tai. However, I have made up my mind regarding this challenge and wishes that the honored master would support me.”
A trace of disappointment flashed through Elder Lian Chen’s heart. He really wished that Shen Qinghong would experience spontaneous enlightenment and let go of his convictions towards this challenge, forget the troubles that Jiang Chen had brought him. In all honestly, his disciple had never personally placed himself on the opposing end of Jiang Chen. He could absolutely remove himself with grace and dignity at the moment, displaying his bearing as the first genius. It was even possible to become friends with Jiang Chen.
And yet—
Shen Qinghong hadn’t made this decision.
Elder Lian Cheng was disappointed and absolutely did not look favorably on Shen Qinghong’s battle. Although he and Elder Yun Nie had yelled at each other and pounded a table at each other, they still admired the other. However, they would never admit to this point.
That Palace Head Dan Chi and Elder Yun Nie both so supported Jiang Chen, Elder Lian Cheng would never believe that this youth was someone who’d cheat. Shen Qinghong had made trouble for Jiang Chen all along and slandered his name a month ago—none of this had been Elder Lian Cheng’s idea. It was just that he was Shen Qinghong’s martial dao teacher, and he naturally couldn’t take a public stance to pour cold water on his disciple. At the same time, he wanted to make use of this opportunity to thoroughly assess Shen Qinghong’s will. It now seemed that although his martial dao potential was uncommon, his maturity still needed to undergo necessary tempering.
“How do you plan on competing with him?” Elder Lian Cheng asked.
“Your disciple wishes to compete in pill refinement with him, with one match declaring the winner. Therefore, your disciple would like to borrow the Skypeak Cauldron.”
Elder Lian Cheng’s gaze sharpened with gravity as he looked at Shen Qinghong meaningfully. “As I understand it, Jiang Chen’s cauldron is the Skyweave Cauldron that Palace Head Dan Chi gifted to him. It would place you on the same footing if you borrow my Skypeak Cauldron.”
There were five treasured cauldrons in Regal Pill Palace history. They were the Skyscatter, Skyweave, Skypeak, Skyorigin, and Skywood Cauldron. Of them, the Skyscatter and Skywood Cauldron were honored in the Hall of Ancestors in the Regal Pill Palace. There was yet anyone to appear who was destined to use them.
Palace Head Dan Chi owned the Skyweave Cauldron, and he’d given it to Jiang Chen. Elder Lian Cheng owned the Skypeak Cauldron, and Elder Yun Nie owned the Sky Origin Cauldron. These five treasured cauldrons had witnessed the Regal Pill Palace’s rise and glory. The Skypeak and Skyweave Cauldrons hadn’t appeared in public for a hundred years. Therefore, Elder Lian Cheng hesitated when Shen Qinghong made his request.
When the five divine level cauldrons opposed each other, it would become one of the great, momentous occasions for the sect and be recorded in the annals of history. The elder was hesitating because he didn’t want this to become a record of Shen Qinghong’s failure.