The difference between “Chief Disciple” and “Head Seat” was only a single word, yet they were worlds apart.
The sword marks of the Five Peaks were the lifeblood of the Sword Sect—as long as the auspicious clouds did not fall, Shenhua would not collapse.
Although Qin Cha did not feel any significant change in her cultivation, her Golden Core had become much more refined, now shrouded in a green mist of mist rain.
Tomorrow, the Great Competition would officially begin.
The Four Academies had suspended classes to allow the Inner Disciples to rest and build their strength.
For the past few days, Shenhua Pavilion had been a sea of people, more bustling than it had ever been.
Visitors from outer regions flocked to the city, arriving in droves to watch the battles above the Sea of Clouds.
The fellow cultivators from the Heavenly Concord Alliance and the unaffiliated rogue cultivators who had rushed here upon hearing the news had a clear goal.
They were all there to catch a glimpse of the Sword Sect’s rising stars who had recently gained fame.
Two heavenly girls had made it onto the Asura Rank, bringing the once-declining Sword Sect back into the world’s spotlight.
Walking along the street, Qin Cha felt as if she were still in a dream when she recalled the previous night’s encounter.
She had never imagined that one day she would receive this honor from her Master’s own hands.
She was happy, of course, but she was even more nervous.
Taking on such a heavy responsibility at such a young age made her worry that her limited abilities would fail to convince the masses.
From a distance, she saw a dense crowd gathered inside Shanhai Pavilion.
Early in the morning, it was already packed so tightly that not even a drop of water could trickle through.
‘Whoa, are they all here to dig for information on Junior Sister Ji and Junior Sister Xiao?’
One truly didn’t realize how much drama was swirling outside until they left the mountain.
The aftershocks of the Black Crow Night of the Stolen Kingdom were still fermenting, and the most eye-catching parts of the story were the two rising stars.
During the Shengyu Festival, Xiao Xinran had decisively defeated Zhuang Heng, and Ji Shiyu had fought Bai Yu to a draw.
Both of their opponents were the cream of the crop among the younger generation of the Radiant Light Sect, yet they had been brutally suppressed by the Sword Sect’s newcomers.
Subsequently, the national religion’s disciples had joined forces to thwart the Demon Sect’s conspiracy, turning the tide to save the Vermilion Bird.
The reports heavily emphasized the two talented and beautiful young girls.
There was no need to ask who had spread these rumors.
Yun Liu certainly knew how to manipulate public opinion.
These days, throwing a piece of gossip into the cultivation world was enough to stir up a frenzy.
Whether it was true or false didn’t matter in the slightest.
Topic equaled traffic, which once again boosted the Sea of Clouds’ GDP.
This was enough to make the Lord of the neighboring Mist City weep with envy.
In short, the East Extreme Pavilion Master had been secretly building momentum, praising the two silly girls as if they were peerless geniuses.
Claiming they each possessed the potential of a future Sword Immortal undoubtedly pushed them to the forefront of the storm.
Qin Cha watched this play out and found it somewhat amusing.
She felt as if a certain someone was raising his daughter and sister as idols, step-by-step grooming these two stars of the cultivation world to step onto the stage of the Nine Provinces.
His tastes were truly unique.
To her surprise, Huo Tian Tian was also there.
A group of girls in qipao, who should have been at the Rosy Fragrance Pavilion, were instead pestering Yu Steward with questions.
When they saw Qin Yao arrive, their gazes turned strange, and they hesitated to speak.
“Senior Sister, something terrible has happened!”
“We all heard. About Mr. Xiao Yun and that person… Is it true or false?”
“What’s true or false? Have you finished your morning lessons? Why are you here slacking off? If you’re eliminated in the first round, don’t blame Elder Zhu if he whips you!”
‘Could it be that they all know?’
Qin Xing’s heart skipped a beat.
She didn’t dare respond, lowering her head guiltily as she hurried upstairs.
In the Mist Tower’s top pavilion, a crowd had also gathered outside the Pavilion Master’s office.
The various shopkeepers of the Money Guild were excitedly seeking an audience, but they were all coldly kept out by Lin Shu.
Qin Xing was even more surprised.
She nodded to Lin Shu and squeezed past the door, only to see Yun Liu slumped over his desk with a bitter smile.
“Uh, An’er, you’ve come at just the right time. Listen to me first, I can explain!”
The white-robed youth was inexplicably nervous.
But when he turned around and caught sight of the Azure Cloud Sword Mark on the beautiful older girl’s forehead, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
He remained speechless for a long time.
“W-what is it? Go on, I’m listening.”
Qin Cha blinked.
The change that had occurred to her seemed even more inconceivable than whatever Yun Liu was about to explain.
“You… her… the Azure Cloud… Sword Mark?”
Snapping back to his senses, Yun Liu’s gaze turned gratified.
He smiled and bowed with his hands clasped.
“Greetings to the Head of Qingxia Peak. No, at a time like this, I should be saying ‘congratulations’ instead?”
“Mhm.”
Qin Yao looked down at her toes and nodded in admission.
This was no fun.
She had rushed here the moment it happened, thinking about how she would share this joy with her beloved.
“I haven’t even said anything yet. How do you seem to know everything already?”
‘How could I not know?’
In the shadows of the future, when the Demon Lair summoned the Sea of Clouds, the Shenhua Sect would suffer devastating casualties.
At the brink of death, the Head Seat, Gelan, would pass on the Azure Cloud Sword Mark.
The Senior Sister, who was ordered to take command in the crisis, would also fall in battle.
The weeping blood of Qingxia was one of the most despairing scenes in the game.
Though he didn’t know why Gelan had made this decision ahead of time, it was an excellent signal.
Qin Xing’s fate was being rewritten bit by bit.
However, Qin Xing soon realized why her Master had done this.
There was a profound meaning behind it.
“Don’t worry about it. This belongs to you anyway, so accept it with peace of mind.”
“That’s not it. The Chief Disciple is merely the representative of a lineage. Any Elder or Inner Disciple of the Qingxia orthodox line is eligible to inherit it. Cases of the eldest disciple succeeding the position only account for a small portion of the Sword Post’s records.”
Qin Xing held up an index finger, still lecturing her young Junior Brother on the traditions of Divine Radiance.
At that moment, Lin Shu slipped inside to seek refuge, wiping the sweat from her brow.
There were so many people outside seeking an audience that she could no longer handle them.
Hearing the frequent knocking and the voices offering congratulations, Qin Yao asked curiously, “What are they making such a fuss about outside?”
“You don’t know yet?”
Lin Shu glanced at her boss, who was currently covering his face with his hands, and couldn’t help but chuckle.
She leaned in to whisper into Qin Yao’s ear.
An explosive piece of news was sweeping through the Zhusheng Dynasty with the speed of a lightning bolt.
Today, it had finally reached the distant southern territory of the Sea of Clouds.
Everyone across the Five Peaks was discussing it, and the level of attention it received even surpassed that of the Yanding Sword Contest.
It was all because, when the young Nation Master rightfully ascended the throne, the Commanding General of the guards had publicly brought out the former king’s secret edict.
The news that the former king had arranged a marriage for the Princess before his passing had sent shockwaves through the dynasty.
It was obvious that someone was stirring up trouble.
Not only had Jing Tan’er not mentioned a word about it, but even Youyou, the head of intelligence, had deliberately kept it hidden just to watch the chaos unfold.
Yun Liu had just returned from a house call at Celestial Phenomena Peak.
He had barely caught his breath before being cornered in the pavilion.
The neighbors of Shenhua Pavilion had all come to congratulate the East Extreme Pavilion Master, throwing him into a panic.
He refused to see any of the eavesdropping crowd.
He had almost forgotten that Commander Geng held the late king’s mandate.
Tan’er hadn’t said anything in her letters, but she had quietly delivered a massive surprise.
Without a doubt, this was the Empress’s unconventional confession.
If the previous “surprise inspection” didn’t count, she was now making sure the entire East Pole Province knew about it the moment she had a free hand!
As for the person she was betrothed to, he was right before their eyes.
“That’s essentially what happened.”
“Heh. I see. It looks like I’m the one who should be saying congratulations. To the honorable Prince Consort, I wish you a hundred years of harmony and a union of two hearts.”
Qin Yao rolled her eyes at Yun Liu.
Although she had expected this, her heart still felt a bit sour.
No wonder those girls were acting so strange.
Their First Senior Brother-in-law was being stolen away; how could they sit still?
‘Good grief, no wonder Master was in such a hurry.’
In the past, it was just small-scale flirting.
But now that the Vermilion Saint Princess and the East Extreme Pavilion Master were being joined by the former emperor’s decree, it was a different story entirely.
The Sage Empress Zhu had made such a high-profile confession that the situation was critical.
It was no longer a question of whether he was the Prince Consort or the First Senior Brother-in-law—the man was about to enter the palace to become the Prince Consort!
Thus, Gelan had refused to be outdone and forcibly elevated a new generation’s Head of Qingxia.
She couldn’t afford to lose even an inch of momentum.
Her efforts were truly painstaking.
Yun Liu explained with the utmost sincerity, “First of all, I did not authorize this, and I was completely unaware of it.”
“You’re saying you didn’t know about the former king’s betrothal?”
“I… did not!”