After Saving the Immortal Sect, I Became a Heartthrob - Chapter 30

On the border of the Central Yuzhou, clouds surged like an ocean.

A giant spirit ship, engraved with profound sword spiritual patterns, sailed through the flowing clouds. Young cultivators clad in disciple robes looked on with high spirits, gazing at the landscape in the distance.

A silver-robed youth stood at the prow of the spirit ship, his robes snapping in the wind like a white bird about to spread its wings and fly.

A year had passed; the roundness on Gu Congxing’s cheeks had faded, replaced by a sense of calm and awe, making him appear even more refined and spirited, radiant and exceptional.

“Congxing.” A soft call came from behind, and a moment later, a sky-blue figure appeared beside him.

“Senior Brother.” Gu Congxing turned his head.

Lan Jue followed his gaze, seeing the giant “Sansang Wuzhi” tree piercing through the sea of clouds, leading straight to the firmament.

“Is Congxing thinking about the Sansang Wuzhi tree?”

“Mm. Senior Brother, you came from the mortal world and reached the cultivation realm. In the future, do you wish to ascend to the Divine Realm?”

Lan Jue laughed: “Those who seek immortality naturally all wish to ascend.”

Gu Congxing raised an eyebrow: “But don’t you like the mortal world very much?”

Lan Jue fell silent at this. He gazed into the boundless flowing clouds, his voice drifting: “I lingered in the mortal world for years, not just out of attachment.”

Gu Congxing intended to ask more, but he noticed a trace of sorrow beneath Lan Jue’s nostalgic gaze. He didn’t speak further, simply moved a bit closer to Lan Jue, silently accompanying him.

“Junior Brothers, would you like to taste some fruit brew?”

Zhong Ming had appeared from somewhere, smiling as he held out spiritual fruit brew, offering it to Lan Jue and Gu Congxing.

Ever since Lan Jue and Gu Congxing began sipping wine together, Zhong Ming had learned this art of brewing spiritual fruit, often feeding it to Gu Congxing himself.

It wasn’t until a time when his hand shook, spilling the brew on Gu Congxing’s clothes, and he had wiped the area over and over—brushing across Gu Congxing’s skin in the process—that Gu Congxing had put a stop to his actions and forbidden him from feeding him by hand again.

“Little Junior Brother’s skills are improving daily. This fruit brew also has the effect of increasing spiritual power; it truly is a rare delicacy.” Lan Jue tilted his head back, draining the brew in one gulp.

The three senior and junior brothers stood talking and laughing with their fine wine in hand, and before they knew it, they were overlooking a vast continent.

The most fertile land in the Hexu Realm, the Donglai Continent.

Sixteen disciples from the Qingxuan Sword Sect participated in the grand competition, including Mei Ci, Tao Xueting, and Ruan Wei, whom they had met during the Qingsang Manor mission, as well as Ling Yao from Lingxu Peak.

The disciples flew down from the spirit ship. Ling Yao and Tao Xueting were talking, and upon spotting Gu Congxing, they waved their arms: “Senior Brother Gu!”

Gu Congxing nodded in acknowledgment.

“Humph, you seem to be more popular than before.” Not far away, Mei Ci walked over. His gaze rested on Gu Congxing’s face, but he looked away before Gu Congxing could meet his eyes.

Gu Congxing retorted with a smile: “Yes, certainly better than yours.”

“You!” Mei Ci furrowed his brows, about to continue, but was interrupted by a cheerful voice.

“Hey, Senior Brother Gu.” Ruan Wei approached them, casting a glance around. “How come Senior Brother Lan and Junior Brother Zhong aren’t here?”

“Senior Brother was summoned by Elder Duan, and Little Junior Brother went with him.”

“How rare. Usually, if I want to find you, Little Junior Brother is always stuck to your side… That look in his eyes, ugh, it’s actually quite frightening.” Ruan Wei shrugged.

Gu Congxing raised an eyebrow: “Little Junior Brother? How could he be frightening?” He’s clearly obedient and cute.

Mei Ci rolled his eyes at these words.

“One is a man-eating flower, the other is an unseeing blind man.”

“Hahahahahaha!!” Ruan Wei burst into a joyous fit of laughter.

“What are you juniors chatting about so happily?”

The group looked toward the sound to see Lan Jue approaching with a smile, followed by Zhong Ming dressed in black tight-fitting robes.

“Senior Brother Lan.” Mei Ci and Ruan Wei bowed in greeting.

Lan Jue and Zhong Ming naturally stood on either side of Gu Congxing. At this moment, Elder Duan’s loud and dignified voice entered everyone’s ears: “Disciples, the time has come; follow me to Mount Shen!”

“Yes!”

The youths responded in unison, taking to the air on their swords.

The Qanyang Sect was located south of Mount Shen; giant spirit ships were not permitted to enter. The crowd saw the clouds and mist disperse before them, and in no time, they arrived before a black arched gate nearly ten meters high, with spiritual power surging upon it.

Elder Duan summoned the Qanyang Sect’s invitation, and the giant gate slowly opened, revealing a magnificent realm that felt like another world—

Pavilions and towers stood in rows, vermilion beams rose from the ground, and dougong brackets clustered like clouds, supporting nine layers of flying eaves and tiled waves.

The group looked to the sides and saw three layers of white marble railings lined up, like snowy waves surging.

Dong,

As the morning bell shattered the thin mist, the figures of celestial musicians appeared in the distant dawn light.

Their skirts swirled as if fairy music lingered around the beams; behind them followed giant flower carts, carrying flower-scattering fairies, whose every smile and glance made it impossible to look away.

Behind the flower carts followed several gray elephants, draped in fine silk and hanging with long chains of jewels, refracting gorgeous, colorful light.

“Moo”

The gray elephants raised their trunks, following the music-playing musicians.

The Qingxuan Sword Sect disciples stared blankly at the scene, only coming to their senses when several petals drifted down before them.

“Have we… arrived in a fairyland?” Ruan Wei murmured.

“Worthy of being the largest sect in the Donglai Continent; it truly is extraordinary.” Lan Jue also sighed in admiration.

Even though Gu Congxing had experienced this scene in his past life, seeing it in person again still felt deeply moving.

Just then, two figures in navy blue robes flew from the distance. The elder had white hair and a white beard, and beside him was a handsome, tall youth holding a silver spear, looking dignified and imposing.

The two landed before the Qingxuan Sword Sect disciples. The elder stroked his beard and spoke loudly:

“Everyone, welcome to the Qanyang Sect!!”

Gu Congxing and the others were led into the Qanyang Sect and arranged into small courtyards on the mountain peak, which were filled with rich spiritual energy and luxuriously furnished.

“How incredibly bold; to actually provide an independent courtyard for every person,” Zhong Ming said with emotion.

“Although the Qanyang Sect is wealthy and resplendent, not every sect offers such treatment,” Lan Jue said. “I fear that only the Qingxuan Sword Sect would occupy an entire peak.”

Zhong Ming gave a sudden “oh” in realization, his eyes gazing expectantly at Gu Congxing.

“Senior Brother, this way we won’t be together.”

Gu Congxing raised an eyebrow: “If you want to come over, who could possibly stop you?”

Zhong Ming’s eyes lit up, and Lan Jue smiled silently.

At this moment, there was a light knock outside the courtyard gate. The three turned to see the spear-wielding youth walking in.

“Excuse the intrusion.” He held a stack of scrolls, scanned the room, and his gaze landed on Lan Jue.

“I am Yao Qi, a disciple of the Qanyang Sect. This must be the Sword Sect’s first disciple—the Gentleman’s Sword, Lan Jue. Pleased to meet you.”

Gu Congxing watched him, his gaze shifting.

In his past life, when Gu Congxing was besieged by hundreds, Yao Qi and Xiao Wangyou had also arrived. But at that time, neither of them had attacked him, instead trying to persuade him to abandon his demonic arts and return to the righteous path.

Even though they hadn’t succeeded, they had remained neutral. They had even gone so far as to argue with the Tianlin Sect disciple who was filled with malice toward Gu Congxing.

Recalling this, Gu Congxing lowered his eyelids.

Back then, in order to pass his divine consciousness to Xiao Wangyou, he had even attacked Yao Qi, forcing him to stage a dramatic battle between good and evil. Now that he thought about it, he truly owed that man an apology.

“Qanyang Sect, Mixed Origin Spear, Yao Qi. Long admired.” Lan Jue smiled lightly.

“Daoist Lan’s promotion speed is truly fast; to have already reached the Nascent Soul realm.”

“It’s a pity I can’t spar with Daoist Yao.”

After Yao Qi and Lan Jue exchanged pleasantries, his gaze shifted to Gu Congxing. The moment he met Gu Congxing’s gaze, surprise appeared on his handsome face, and even his tone faltered.

It wasn’t until Zhong Ming, standing behind Gu Congxing, coughed with a dark look in his eyes that Yao Qi gave a “haha” laugh and said: “Disrespect, disrespect. This must be Gu Congxing, the youngest legitimate son of the Gu clan.”

His expression was calm: “Although I had long heard that the Zhuoguang Sword Venerable’s disciples were all extraordinarily gifted, I truly did not expect Daoist Gu to already be a Golden Core cultivator.”

Lan Jue squinted, his smile unchanging.

Zhong Ming let out a silent snort through his nose.

Gu Congxing remained calm, taking the initiative to reach out and shake his hand: “Daoist Yao can call me Congxing.”

Yao Qi raised his thick brows and readily agreed.

“Cough, cough, cough!” Zhong Ming began to cough loudly as if he were choking.

“Little Junior Brother?” Gu Congxing immediately released his hand, his gaze turning to Zhong Ming, “What’s wrong?”

Zhong Ming coughed so violently that even his dark golden eyes brimmed with small teardrops.

“Nothing, Senior Brother.”

Zhong Ming leaned naturally against the arm Gu Congxing reached out toward him, flashing a smile at Yao Qi.

“Daoist Yao, I am Zhong Ming.”

“Daoist Zhong.” Yao Qi watched his movements, nodded with a smile, and said nothing more.

“What are those scrolls in Daoist Yao’s hand?” Lan Jue asked.

“Oh, these are the rules for this grand competition. I am here specifically to distribute them to the Qingxuan Sword Sect disciples.”

Yao Qi distributed the scrolls in his hand to the three before him and introduced them loudly: “This grand competition has two rounds; the first is a team competition, and the second is an individual competition.”

“In the team competition, every sect forms a team of four. The winning team, depending on their performance, can start their matches from the top ten in the individual competition. The losers must start from the very last place.”

Lan Jue nodded: “In this way, winning the team competition also increases the odds in the individual competition.”

Yao Qi replied: “Precisely. The individual competition is a one-on-one mode; the more you know about your opponent, the greater your chance of advancing.”

“However, I believe that Congxing and Daoist Zhong will certainly rank at the top.”

Gu Congxing raised his lips: “Then we shall wait and see.”

Just then, a young boy stepped forward and handed spiritual tallies to Gu Congxing and his companions.

“Everyone, you may draw your team tallies for the team competition now. Would you like to draw them now?”

Gu Congxing and Zhong Ming exchanged a look and nodded slightly.

They simultaneously picked one from the pile of spiritual tallies and flipped them over together—

Both bore the characters “Group C.”

“Great! Senior Brother! We are on the same team!” Zhong Ming exclaimed joyfully.

“Mm, truly not bad.” Gu Congxing smiled lightly as well.

Yao Qi retrieved the remaining spiritual tallies and scrolls, bowed, and retreated: “In that case, I will go distribute these to the other disciples. Until we meet again.”

After Yao Qi retreated, the gazes of both Lan Jue and Zhong Ming lingered on Gu Congxing’s face, unblinkingly.

Gu Congxing: “?”

“Senior Brother, you know him?” Zhong Ming asked.

“But it seems you haven’t met him before,” Lan Jue followed up.

Gu Congxing internally cried “not good,” but his expression remained calm: “I heard of him previously. It is said he is a cultivator who practices the righteous path.”

Lan Jue gave an “oh” with a slightly rising tone, saying no more.

Zhong Ming’s gaze also flickered, and he moved closer to him.

“Senior Brother, why don’t we discuss our tactics.”

Gu Congxing silently let out a breath and began to discuss with them.

Night descended in silence.

On another peak, the residence on the summit was brilliantly lit.

Tiaotiao, shining with silver light, lay on the carpet, its tail swaying with the candlelight. The youth dressed in red robes with scale patterns leaned against its neck, silently gazing at the spiritual tally in his hand.

Group C.

“Oh my, oh my, our Tianlin Sect’s top ranking, why are you so melancholy? This is enough to break the hearts of many young boys and girls.”

Si Junjian glanced sideways, spotting the leisurely figure holding a wine gourd.

“Xie Duyin, why are you here?”

The youth named Xie Duyin was uninhibited and free-spirited, yet possessed a pair of grinning fox eyes.

He sat opposite Si Junjian without a care, curling his eyes: “Hey, I came to bring you information. Big news!”

He took another large gulp of wine, wiped his mouth, and said: “Our opponents for this team competition are the Qingxuan Sword Sect! I’ve already asked around for the roster: Zhong Ming, Mei Ci, Tao Xueting, and one more person; guess who it is?”

Si Junjian’s phoenix eyes lifted slightly, intending to stop him.

But before he could speak, Xie Duyin had already announced: “It’s Gu Congxing! It is rumored that he is someone’s marriage contract partner?”

Si Junjian’s gaze sank.

Xie Duyin gave an “oh my,” covering his mouth: “Look at my memory, clearly it was the youngest son of the Gu clan who didn’t want it, breaking the engagement, so it can’t really be called a marriage contract partner anymore.”

He leaned toward Si Junjian with a sly grin: “Right?”

Swish,

A fierce sword intent grazed Xie Duyin’s ear, slicing off a few strands of hair.

“Shut up,” Si Junjian said coldly.

Xie Duyin was unfazed, rising leisurely: “If you ask me, you’ve been rated as the top of the ‘Most Beautiful Youth in the Cultivation World’ by those guys in Qianyan Hall; the reason for the broken engagement must be that the other guy hasn’t seen you.”

“…Or, have they heard that your temper is too foul?”

Si Junjian’s peony face was covered in frost. He sneered: “You came to me just to say this bunch of nonsense?”

Xie Duyin shook his head.

“Of course I came to help you regain your beauty’s heart—hey, don’t pull your bow!”

He spun around to dodge a flying long arrow and shouted: “I have a tactic!!”

“Tomorrow, we shall launch a surprise attack! We will take down that ungrateful Gu Congxing in one go!!”

Si Junjian’s movements paused.