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For a day and a night, two days and two nights... After three whole days, there was no news of Spirit Stone from the people sent out.
In the Nine Vermilion Peaks Three-Story Pavilion, all eight disciples of Spirit Stone were present except for Chu Qiu. They had not gone anywhere during these three days, waiting for news in the Three-Story Pavilion.
Time passed slowly, and the hope for Spirit Stone's survival grew increasingly dim. Gradually, some began to entertain different thoughts.
If Spirit Stone were to pass away, the position of Elder Brother would inevitably be filled by someone else. Normally, the disciple of the Elder Brother would be the most likely candidate to become the next Elder Brother—generally, an Elder Brother would designate one of their disciples as their successor before stepping down. The prerequisite was that this disciple had reached the Golden Core Stage.
In the past, as cultivation levels increased, this was not a difficult task. However, an unexpected event occurred; Spirit Stone left too early, and none of his disciples had reached the Golden Core Stage.
The four disciples who had joined not long ago, including Li Hong, were not worth mentioning. Among the first five disciples, excluding Chu Qiu, the third disciple, Chu Li, had the highest cultivation level. This person had long secluded himself in practice and rarely interacted with others; in two years since Li Hong joined, he had seen him no more than a handful of times. He was at the mid-stage of Refining the Heart, just two levels away from reaching the Golden Core Stage. However, due to his infrequent appearances, he lacked popularity. The most respected senior brother, Chuming, was not as skilled as Chu Li, only at the early stage of Refining the Heart, similar to Fifth Senior Brother Chu Gang.
Whether at mid-stage or early stage of Refining the Heart, neither was qualified enough. The only situation where someone unqualified could take on the role of the next Elder Brother was if the retiring Elder Brother had previously designated someone.
However, Spirit Stone had not designated anyone at all. In this case, the chances of producing a new Elder Brother from among his current disciples were extremely slim; it wasn't that it had never happened before, but such situations were very rare.
Another possibility was that the sect leader could appoint an outstanding individual from outside to take on the role of Nine Vermilion Peaks Elder Brother. Such individuals generally lacked support from within and would require a long time to win over people's hearts, which could lead to greater losses.
Lastly, there was a scenario where one of Spirit Stone's fellow brothers from his lineage, such as Ling Panzai Ling Shizi, could be promoted to Elder Brother. However, this would create issues regarding their own disciples' affiliations—each lineage selects their best disciple as an apprentice for the position of Elder Brother every five years when they open their mountain gate for recruitment. The disciples of people like Ling Panzai would inevitably vary in quality and would not be suitable candidates for the next Elder Brother.
These circumstances resulted in a state of unease among those at Nine Vermilion Peaks, with everyone secretly speculating about who might be chosen as the next Elder Brother. It seemed that anyone could be a candidate while simultaneously no one seemed likely.
In the quiet room of the Three-Story Pavilion, eight disciples sat together in a circle, shrouded in gloom.
Suddenly, fourth senior brother Chu Shi spoke up: "Should we call second senior brother back?"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned their attention to him, especially Li Hong, who found these words particularly jarring.
Chu Shi wiped his tears and sighed: "Second senior brother was sent down the mountain by master for some reason; now that master... it’s time to call him back... After all we've been through together as master and disciple, we should at least pay our respects before his spirit..."
Chuming is a kind-hearted person. Initially, he was unaware of the incident where Chu Qiu framed Li Hong and always found his master's attitude towards Chu Qiu quite perplexing. Upon hearing the news, he nodded and stood up, saying, "I will report to Shibo and have them summon Chu Qiu back."
Li Hong's heart skipped a beat, and he suddenly stood up, saying, "Eldest Senior Brother, wait! Our master may not have passed away yet; we should wait for definite news before making any decisions."
As soon as he said this, Chuxuan and Chu Liang turned to look at him.
Li Hong stood firm and calmly met their gazes.
Chuming hesitated, "Old Six is right. We should wait a bit longer; we can't just assume the master has already left without any concrete news..." As he spoke, his eyes reddened.
However, Chu Liang spoke up: "I think Fourth Senior Brother is correct. It's always better to be prepared. Are we not allowing Second Senior Brother to send our master off on his final journey? He can go down the mountain afterward; that wouldn't go against the master's wishes..." The words "final wishes" were difficult for Chu Liang to utter.
Chuxiong couldn't help but shout, "Old Nine, stop talking nonsense! What does someone like Second Senior Brother matter!"
Chu Liang was furious and opened his mouth to retort. Just then, Chu Li said, "Everyone, please calm down. If you're truly tired, go meditate for a while; don't just talk aimlessly." His tone carried an air of authority reminiscent of Elder Brother.
Chu Shi shot him a glance, revealing a hint of sarcasm.
At this point, Li Hong felt he had nothing more to say. He looked towards Chuxuan. Chuxuan sat still, expressionless like an old monk in meditation.
This person is indeed a descendant of the Zhao Family; he has deep family roots and is becoming increasingly shrewd. Moreover, Fourth Senior Brother Chu Shi's earlier suggestion was quite intriguing; he usually doesn't speak much—why did he suddenly speak up today? Could it be that he had a good relationship with the departing Chu Qiu? Li Hong glanced at him.
As they all pondered their thoughts, Li Hong felt a stir in his heart, which Chuli and the others also sensed. Everyone rushed to the window.
In the sky, a large group was flying on swords and boats directly towards Nine Vermilion Peaks.
From afar, someone shouted: "The Spirit Stone is safe! Disciples of Jiu Zhu Peak, return to your places!"
Chuming and Chu Gang sighed in relief, raising their hands to their foreheads in excitement, unable to articulate their feelings. However, Chu Shi and Chu Li exchanged glances like lightning; their eyes nearly sparked with intensity before both revealed expressions of joy.
Li Hong watched and sighed inwardly, only to realize that he felt neither joy nor sorrow at this moment.
For this master, he had unknowingly developed a barrier over time. The scene of the disciple Corpse being turned to ashes by Spirit Stone was deeply etched in his heart. If he had failed to pass those trials back then, perhaps his fate would have been the same as theirs. Thinking of this made Li Hong unable to let go of his resentment towards Spirit Stone.
********
After ten days, Spirit Stone finally summoned his disciples.
During those ten days, he had been healing. His spiritual energy had been exhausted and he was stuck between the rocks, unable to move. If he hadn't been discovered and rescued, he would have likely become a fossilized corpse trapped among the stones. Centuries later, someone might find him and mistakenly think he was a mountain spirit or ghost Avatar! The thought made Spirit Stone chuckle, but then it turned into fear. He told his disciples to be cautious when using Spirit Talismans.
As Li Hong listened, he became distracted, thinking of another terrifying issue. The Demon Sect Monster was incredibly powerful!
Earlier, he thought that the Nine Li Sect alone had many experts; how could the entire Immortal Sect be a concern? But now, with living examples before him, even Spirit Stone had nearly fallen at their hands! And he was at the late stage of Golden Core cultivation!
Cold sweat trickled down Li Hong's forehead as he realized he had underestimated them. Strength! He must strive to improve his strength! Whether for the revenge of the Heavenly Danzi senior or to preserve his own life, he needed to enhance his power.
Strength determines life and death, honor and disgrace, everything!
Without realizing it, Li Hong clenched his fists.
At that moment, Chuxiong nudged him. He heard Spirit Stone curiously ask, "Old Six, what are you thinking? I was just getting to the good part, and you spaced out again?!"
Li Hong looked up and met Spirit Stone's amber eyes. He wasn't angry; instead, there was a hint of concern in his gaze as if he cared about Li Hong's thoughts.
Li Hong steadied himself and calmly said, "If Master has no other instructions, I would like to go cultivate."
As soon as these words were spoken, Chu Li and the others glared at him, even Chuming shot him a reproachful look.
However, Spirit Stone understood Li Hong's intentions. He smiled kindly and said, "It seems Old Six has been stimulated by my injury. It's alright; I'm fine now." He looked around at everyone: "You all need to work hard on your cultivation and remember this lesson!"
He asked a few questions about the Spirit Stone and then instructed the disciples to leave. Just as Li Hong was about to exit, he heard the Spirit Stone call out, "Old Six, you stay."
Once again, he was left alone! Li Hong turned around helplessly.
The Spirit Stone smiled, looking much better than before. He stroked his beard and suddenly asked, "Old Six, how long have you been in the Nine Li Sect?"
Li Hong was taken aback; he never expected that question.
He had been in the Nine Li Sect for two years. Although there had been some ups and downs during this time, life had been fulfilling enough that he had almost forgotten his past. But could he truly forget?
The painful and helpless face of his elder brother when he was taken away by the strongmen, his mother dying tragically at the hands of the Jin Army, Wanyi working barefoot in tattered clothes in the fields, himself sweating profusely while laboring hard with his face to the dirt and back to the sky, the Jin Army burning down mountains, and his fellow villagers being burned alive... Scenes flashed before Li Hong's eyes.
He thought he had forgotten all of this! It turned out he had never forgotten!
A gentle and beautiful face surfaced in his mind, "Li Hong, I am lonely..."
The Spirit Stone gazed kindly at Li Hong: "People often think that immortals are heartless and devoid of love, but that is not true. Only with feelings in your heart can you wield a righteous sword. Go down the mountain. It has been two years; you should go see your family."
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