Volume One, Chapter Two: The Saintess Proposes!

After a short while, Chu Tianxing’s cultivation level settled at the ninth level of the Spirit Master realm.

The boiling blood within him also gradually returned to calm.

“Four great realms in one leap!”

Chu Tianxing was trembling with excitement. The Spirit Master realm was already the highest realm an outer sect disciple could reach.

Beyond it lay the Spirit Profound realm, the Spirit Sect realm, and more, each divided into nine levels.

“Once I step into the Spirit Profound realm, I can soar straight to the status of core disciple!”

Chu Tianxing clenched both fists without realizing it. “Xing Bofan and Mu Yao can at best reach the Spirit Sect realm. Half a year will be more than enough to surpass them!”

At that very moment, a cool voice sounded outside the room. “Chu Tianxing, come out for a moment.”

“That voice... the Saintess?” Chu Tianxing froze for an instant, then got up from the bed.

Outside, a young woman in a white dress stood with her hands behind her back. She had a graceful figure, exquisite features, and snow-white hair that outshone fresh snow.

It was none other than Ye Qingxuan, the Saintess of the Demon-Slaying Sacred Ground, and the strongest senior disciple among the direct disciples.

Chu Tianxing slowly looked at her. She was just as she had always been: cool and noble, like an unattainable goddess.

“These past two years, thank you for your protection, Saintess.” Chu Tianxing bowed in gratitude.

Had Ye Qingxuan not shielded him, then even as the Crown Prince of Chu, he would long since have been expelled from the sacred ground for his dull talent.

After all, the State of Chu was already in decline and could not compare with the Demon-Slaying Sacred Ground.

According to the rules of the sacred ground, if an outer sect disciple made no progress within a year, the result would be expulsion.

Once expelled, Chu would lose the protection of the Demon-Slaying Sacred Ground and would surely be devoured by other nations and powers.

Chu Tianxing had remained a mortal for two full years, with no progress whatsoever, yet he could still cultivate in the outer sect of the sacred ground entirely because of Ye Qingxuan’s protection.

“You are the disciple I personally brought into the sacred ground, so I naturally bear responsibility for you.”

With her hands still behind her back, Ye Qingxuan said coolly, “Besides, since I brought you in, we have not seen each other for two years. During that time, I heard you suffered a great deal of humiliation in the outer sect, especially at the hands of the outer sect elders. I did not intervene. Do you resent me for that?”

Chu Tianxing shook his head. “The Saintess preserving my place in the outer sect, and thereby allowing Chu to remain under the sacred ground’s protection, is already a grace as immense as heaven itself.”

“Good. It is well that you think so. I cannot protect you in everything.”

Ye Qingxuan nodded, then asked in a cool voice, “Mu Yao and Xing Bofan have come to see you, have they not?”

At the mention of those two names, Chu Tianxing’s eyes turned cold. Suppressing the intent to kill, he clasped his fists and replied, “Yes.”

“So you already know.”

Ye Qingxuan said coolly, “There is nothing you can do to change what is coming. There is only one way to resolve this crisis.”

“And what way would that be, Saintess?” Chu Tianxing asked, startled.

Ye Qingxuan looked directly at him. “Marry me. I will take you back to Chu and make you emperor of Chu. In return, you will make me your empress.”

“What?” Chu Tianxing’s breath caught. Had he heard wrong?

“I know you have many doubts, but I am sorry—I cannot answer them for you.”

Ye Qingxuan said coolly, “I will give you time to think it over. If you encounter any difficulty in the meantime, come find me.”

“This may seem like I am taking advantage of the situation to pressure you, but there is something you must remember.”

“I am truly helping you. No matter when or where, I will never harm you.”

With that, Ye Qingxuan turned and left. One step carried her beyond a thousand paces, and in the blink of an eye, she vanished from sight.

Trust her? Or not? Whether he trusted her or not, the arrow was already on the string, and he had no choice but to let it fly.

Chu Tianxing drew a long breath. Right now, there was only one path before him: become stronger. Otherwise, in the end, all his reliance would prove vain—lean on a mountain, and the mountain falls; rely on people, and they run.

“The outer sect has no resources that can satisfy my cultivation needs. Only by rising to the inner sect or the core academy can I hope to break through to the Spirit Profound realm.”

Thinking of this, Chu Tianxing got up and headed for the outer sect martial arena.

At that moment, Outer Sect Elder Lu Lingquan was teaching martial arts in the arena.

When he saw Chu Tianxing arrive, Lu Lingquan clearly froze.

A good-for-nothing who could not cultivate, the most worthless waste in the history of the sacred ground, had actually come on his own to the martial arena?

“Chu Tianxing, you have arrived at just the right time. Come over and demonstrate the Spring Rain Sword.”

Lu Lingquan beckoned him over, then looked at the many newly admitted outer sect disciples and slowly introduced, “This is the outer sect senior brother, Chu Tianxing. He is also the Crown Prince of Chu. He is the only disciple in the history of the outer sect to have cultivated the outer sect’s highest-grade Spring Rain Sword to mastery.

The Spring Rain Sword is the most difficult sword technique in the outer sect. Do you know why only he managed to cultivate it?”

The outer sect disciples nearly answered in unison, “Naturally because Senior Brother is gifted and intelligent!”

“Senior Brother is not only handsome, his swordsmanship is amazing too!”

“Exactly! He is a crown prince of a nation; his background is not something ordinary people can compare to.”

In an instant, the eyes of all the female disciples grew hot with admiration as they looked at Chu Tianxing.

The other male disciples, though jealous, felt even more envy and longing.

“Nonsense!”

Lu Lingquan pointed at Chu Tianxing disdainfully. “He is the most useless disciple in the history of the Demon-Slaying Sacred Ground! His talent is utterly stupid!”

“What?” All the disciples froze, wondering if they had heard wrong.

Chu Tianxing remained calm and composed. He showed not the slightest ripple of emotion, for he had long since grown used to it.

In the past, whenever new disciples joined the outer sect, Lu Lingquan would make Chu Tianxing demonstrate the Spring Rain Sword just to humiliate him.

And over these past two years, all the cultivation resources that should have been issued to Chu Tianxing had been withheld and swallowed by Lu Lingquan for himself.

Since Chu Tianxing could not cultivate and had no use for resources, and since he had joined the sacred ground to ensure Chu received protection, he could not be bothered to quarrel with him.

“He entered the sacred ground’s outer sect two years ago to cultivate, and after two whole years he is still a mortal trash!”

Lu Lingquan sneered. “The reason only he cultivated the Spring Rain Sword in the outer sect is that all the other disciples advanced to the inner sect.

Even mediocrities can smoothly rise to the inner sect after half a year. Only he has spent two years idling away in the outer sect!

Tell me, once you rise to the inner sect in a few months and can cultivate higher-grade martial techniques, will you still be willing to practice the outer sect’s low-level sword arts?”

At once, the newly admitted outer sect disciples understood.

So the outer sect senior brother Chu Tianxing was merely a waste!

“He’s been in the sacred ground for two years and is still cultivating in the outer sect? So that’s how the outer sect senior brother title came about?”

“If I stayed in the outer sect for two years, and faced newly arrived disciples, I could be a senior brother too!”

“Bah! What good does a handsome face do? So what if he is a prince? Who in the world doesn’t know Chu has long since declined?”

“Chu was once a peak power of the continent a thousand years ago. Sadly, a thousand years later, it is only a minor force now.”

The faces of the newly admitted disciples, men and women alike, changed in an instant. They mocked him one after another, all of them looking at Chu Tianxing with utter contempt.

Lu Lingquan said mockingly, “The funniest part is still his fiancee and his attendant. Two years ago, they entered the sacred ground’s outer sect together with him.

The two of them rose to the inner sect in only one month, then went on to the core academy three months later. I hear they are about to become direct disciples.”

“And his attendant and his fiancee are very close indeed, always coming and going as a pair. It seems they have already become dao companions.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the disciples were briefly stunned, then burst into laughter.

“The Crown Prince’s attendant actually formed a dao bond with the Crown Princess?”

“Hahaha! Isn’t Chu Tianxing too pitiful?”

“A pitiful person must have something detestable about him. Who told him to be a waste?”

“Exactly. If it were me, I would choose a husband with boundless prospects too.”

For a moment, the newly admitted outer sect disciples sneered again and again.

Chu Tianxing said coldly, “Old dog Lu, if you have finished your nonsense, then let the promotion assessment begin.”

“If I don’t smash every one of your dog teeth today, my name is not Chu Tianxing!”