After the centennial Enrollment Ceremony concluded, the Xuantian Sect regained its tranquility.
However, the various miscellaneous duty peaks of the Xuantian Mountain Range had welcomed a new generation of disciples.
Qingxuan Blessed Land.
Having returned from watching the Enrollment Ceremony, Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu were excitedly describing the interesting events that had taken place during the ceremony to Ye Qingxuan.
Ye Qingxuan, meanwhile, sat quietly sipping tea, listening to the brothers’ account with serene composure.
Finally, Ye Zhaoheng added, still brimming with enthusiasm:
“Oh, right, Young Master. This Enrollment Ceremony produced a peerless genius with twelve-element spiritual roots named Liu Tai’an!”
“At first, other Law Enforcement Elders were trying to snatch Liu Tai’an as their personal disciple; it nearly came to blows. In the end, the Sect Master himself appeared, personally took Liu Tai’an as his final disciple, and that finally quelled the competition among the elders.”
Hearing Ye Zhaoheng’s words, Ye Qingxuan paused slightly, raised an eyebrow, and said softly:
“Twelve-element spiritual roots? Liu Tai’an?”
Then, looking at the two brothers, Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu, he said:
“Alright, you two may go now. Strive to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm soon.”
“Yes, Young Master!”
After Ye Zhaoheng and Ye Zhaoyu left, the stone pavilion at the entrance to the Qingxuan Blessed Land returned to its quiet state.
Of the entire Enrollment Ceremony, the only thing that interested Ye Qingxuan was that peerless genius with twelve-element spiritual roots, Liu Tai’an.
But his interest was merely passing. No matter how high Liu Tai’an’s talent, it had nothing to do with his own cultivation.
It was just Ye Qingxuan’s first time hearing about twelve-element spiritual root talent, so he was somewhat curious about the cultivation speed of such an aptitude.
What Ye Qingxuan didn’t expect was that his encounter with Liu Tai’an would come so swiftly.
A little over three months later.
A still-youthful figure appeared outside the Qingxuan Blessed Land and called out loudly:
“Junior Brother Liu Tai’an has come to pay a visit to Senior Brother Ye. I hope Senior Brother will grant me permission!”
Inside the Qingxuan Blessed Land, Ye Qingxuan put away the freshly refined pills, feeling a bit surprised:
“Liu Tai’an? Him? What does he want with me?”
Unable to guess the reason for Liu Tai’an’s visit, Ye Qingxuan gave a light shake of his head, left the Qingxuan Blessed Land, and arrived at the outer stone pavilion.
Observing Liu Tai’an not far away with his divine sense, Ye Qingxuan was genuinely astonished:
“Foundation Establishment realm? True Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment?”
He knew the cultivation speed of twelve-element spiritual roots was terrifying, but he hadn’t expected that, even with the physical limitations of the early stages, Liu Tai’an could still cross the Qi Refining realm and achieve Foundation Establishment in just around a hundred days.
Suppressing his inner surprise, Ye Qingxuan said calmly:
“Since you’re here, Junior Brother Liu, come join me at this stone pavilion for a chat.”
Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s words, Liu Tai’an not far away brightened up and hurriedly flew over on his sword to the stone pavilion where Ye Qingxuan was.
Ye Qingxuan looked at the slightly green and very reserved Liu Tai’an before him, finding it hard to connect him with the image of a peerless genius.
Seeing Liu Tai’an’s youthful demeanor reminded Ye Qingxuan of his own younger self, and he chuckled lightly:
“No need to be so formal, Junior Brother Liu. Please, have a seat.”
As he spoke, Ye Qingxuan poured Liu Tai’an a cup of tea.
Hearing this, Liu Tai’an relaxed a little, sat down opposite Ye Qingxuan, and curiously picked up the tea to take a sip.
Once Liu Tai’an was seated, Ye Qingxuan inquired:
“Might I ask why you’ve come to see me, Junior Brother Liu?”
Upon Ye Qingxuan’s question, and to Ye Qingxuan’s surprise, Liu Tai’an immediately stood up and bowed to him in thanks:
“Tai’an has come this time to thank Senior Brother Ye for saving my life years ago!”
“Saving your life? When did I ever save you? Junior Brother Liu, have you mistaken me for someone else?”
Faced with Liu Tai’an’s actions and mention of a life-saving grace, Ye Qingxuan was utterly perplexed.
He had cultivated for many years, rarely leaving the Xuantian Sect, and simply had no memory of saving the Liu Tai’an before him.
Unexpectedly, Liu Tai’an looked steadily at him and shook his head firmly:
“It was you, Senior Brother. This junior would not remember wrongly.”
Then Liu Tai’an reminded him:
“I am from Willow Village in Qingmu Prefecture, Qingzhou. Years ago, Senior Brother passed by Willow Village, slew a demon beast for us, and saved our village!”
Though young at the time, his impression of Ye Qingxuan had been extremely profound. Moreover, Ye Qingxuan hadn’t hidden his name or origins back then.
Therefore, after joining the Xuantian Sect and being taken in by the Sect Master, once Liu Tai’an successfully established his foundation and obtained his master Cen Zhe’s permission to move about the Xuantian Mountain Range, he had pleaded with his master to find information about Ye Qingxuan.
After all the details matched up, he had sought out the Qingxuan Blessed Land.
Prompted by Liu Tai’an, Ye Qingxuan suddenly realized and laughed softly:
“So you’re from that Willow Village? Back then, I just happened to be passing by and acted on a whim. There’s no need to thank me!”
Seeing that Ye Qingxuan remembered the Willow Village incident, Liu Tai’an’s face lit up with joy. But hearing Ye Qingxuan’s final words, the young man grew anxious:
“To Senior Brother, it may have been just a casual act, but it truly did save our Willow Village and saved me.”
“Though my cultivation is still weak now and I cannot repay Senior Brother’s life-saving grace, I will definitely find a way to repay you in the future.”
Seeing the firm resolve in the youthful Liu Tai’an’s eyes, Ye Qingxuan did not refuse again and said casually:
“Very well, then. This senior brother will look forward to your repayment in the future!”
Then, Ye Qingxuan took out a storage bag and tossed it to Liu Tai’an:
“However, since you call me ‘senior brother,’ consider these a meeting gift from me to you on our first encounter!”
“No, Senior Brother Ye, I cannot accept your things!”
Instinctively catching the storage bag, Liu Tai’an reacted as if he had grabbed a hot coal, his face anxious as he tried to return it.
He had come to thank Ye Qingxuan for saving his life; how could he possibly accept a gift from him?
Seeing Liu Tai’an’s desire to refuse, Ye Qingxuan directly chided:
“If you still acknowledge me as your senior brother, then accept it!”
Over all these years, Liu Tai’an was the first person to call him ‘senior brother.’
The Xuantian Sect had many disciples, and there were certainly those who had joined later or had lower cultivation than Ye Qingxuan.
But precisely because the sect was so large, it was impossible for everyone to have interacted with each other.
Among disciples in the Xuantian Sect, unless they were under the same master, there were no strict requirements regarding forms of address.
Disciples who interacted could address each other based on time of entry or based on cultivation level.
But most would use cultivation level as the basis, as it was impractical to ask every fellow disciple you met about their entry date.
Unfortunately, having been in the Xuantian Sect for many years and cultivating in seclusion most of the time, Ye Qingxuan had basically only become acquainted with senior brothers and sisters.
Liu Tai’an was currently his only junior brother and the first person to address him as ‘senior brother.’
Hearing Ye Qingxuan’s words, Liu Tai’an could only blush and accept the storage bag, bowing once more:
“In that case, Junior Brother Liu Tai’an thanks Senior Brother Ye!”
The storage bag given to Liu Tai’an contained only some third-grade pills and middle or low-grade true artifacts casually refined by Ye Qingxuan, representing his sentiment as a senior brother.
These items might be precious to others, but to Liu Tai’an, they perhaps weren’t much.
After all, Liu Tai’an was the closed-door disciple of the Xuantian Sect Master!
But Liu Tai’an firmly committed Ye Qingxuan’s kindness to memory.
