Su Qinghuang flew through the air and landed in Cloud Palace. She walked in. The palace was originally devoid of people, but suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and Headmaster Fuyun appeared in the room.
"Younger Sister Su, you came so hurriedly. What is the matter?" Headmaster Fuyun asked.
"What is with Chen Jingzhai?"
Su Qinghuang stared coldly at him from behind her veil.
"Is he taking advantage of how there is no one in Hongluan Peak? He dares to plot against me?"
"You are exaggerating!"
Headmaster Fuyun waved his whisk and activated the restrictions within the Cloud Palace. Transforming into a faint fiery red, he streaked forward and asked, "Older Sister, why are you so furious?"
"Chen Jingzhai rose to the Foundation Plane in 72 days. He has clear celestial bones in his entire body and even has phoenix chirps within him. He is not like a mortal being at all." Then Su Qinghuang asked, "What ulterior motive does he have?"
"You also missed the Dragon and Phoenix Consummation Seal Script," Headmaster Fuyun said, chuckling.
"As expected, you already know." Flames of fury flickered in Su Qinghuang's eyes. "Is this the opportunity that you told me to be patient and wait 300 years for? Do you want me to become his cultivation partner? Or his cauldron?"
"Younger Sister, there is no need to be so furious. This was not my doing at all." Headmaster Fuyun shook his head. "Anyway, this traces back to before Master-Uncle Mu entered seclusion. You hadn't reached the Foundation Plane yet at the time."
"Master?" Su Qinghuang's eyes were filled with doubt.
"Back in the times of Master Mingyue, Hongluan Peak was one of the 18 visible peaks of the Luo Sheng Sword School. It could compete with the sword branches." Headmaster Fuyun sighed softly. "Have you ever thought about why we became a hidden branch?"
"It is because the Hongluan Sky Scripture has a limit to entry and very high requirements for one's mind," Su Qinghuang said in a low voice.
"That is not wrong, but it's not the full answer. You did not address the root of the problem." Headmaster Fuyun shook his head. "When Master Mingyue entered the Celestial Plane, he discovered a flaw in the techniques. This is what caused the Hongluan line to start falling."
"A flaw? Impossible!" Shock colored Su Qinghuang's eyes.
"This pertains to our school's secret. How can I be speaking nonsense?" Headmaster Fuyun said wryly.
"That year, Master Mingyue secretly descended the mountain after successfully practicing his Qi. He returned to the mountain after traveling the world for 12 years. He sat atop the huge boulder of Hongluan Peak. He entered the Path with his longing and melded his emotions into the heart of the Path. He created the Hongluan Sky Scripture after hearing Archmage Tianluo's lecture about the Luotian Celestial Scripture. He formed his core in 100 years, became the Nascent Zhenjun in 300 years, and became a Daozun in just 600 years. But he was tormented by longing for 2,800 years." This was a secret.
Even the headmaster, aside from the heirs of the Hongluan Peak, would be unaware of it.
However, this case was recorded in the Headmaster Bill. The former headmaster, Mu Siqing, had told him.
Su Qinghuang was not willing to believe it, but with the Headmaster Bill there, she had no choice.
"Hongluan rules over love and is good for marriage. This carries the wishes of Master Mingyue," Headmaster Fuyun said, sighing. "Back then, Archmage Luotian had said that the Hongluan Sky Scripture seemed to be from the mortal world instead of a celestial school. It's because cultivating this sky scripture will provoke one's seven emotions and six desires, opening one's inner body by filling it with lust."
There were thousands of cultivation methods. The sky scriptures were below the celestial scriptures, so naturally, there were differences.
For example, the Reversed Yin Yang Grand Technique formed the Path with formations. The Hongluan Sky Scripture needs to invoke one of the seven emotions or six desires to open one's inner body. After that, one would become two, two would become three, and so on until the seven emotions and six desires were formed in the inner body. Once the inner body was completed, one could touch the outer body and continue to combine the two, thus becoming a god. This went against the orthodoxy of the celestial schools. Rather than spirituality, it was more human.
"And so why was the Hongluan Sky Scripture lost?" Su Qinghuang asked when she heard this.
"Master Mingyue had wanted to destroy the stele before becoming a god, but he had already calculated that the Hongluan Sky Scripture had a chance to reach nirvana," Headmaster Fuyun said. "Thus, he left some leeway. It is recorded in the bill that if the Hongluan stele is destroyed, it means that an opportunity will come within 500 years."
"Five hundred years?" Su Qinghuang did not believe it.
"This Path is very strict. Even Master Mingyue at the time could only calculate the most recent 500 years," Headmaster Fuyun said. "But Master Mingyue also left a prediction on Hongluan Peak. It says, 'A phoenix on Hongluan Peak, the reversed Yin and Yang will return to fast'."
"A phoenix on Hongluan Peak, the reversed Yin and Yang will return to fast?" Su Qinghuang murmured.
This line did not make any sense, but it precisely explained everything. She was obviously the phoenix on Hongluan Peak. She had formed her core in 98 years, a feat unrivaled by others in her generation.
She was number one in both talent and appearance. What else could she be if not the phoenix?
"Master-Uncle Mu already knew that he could not go past the Tribulation of Life, so he explained everything to the previous headmaster after adopting you," Headmaster Fuyun said. "That's why I told you to bear with it."
"Why must I wait 300 years, and why is it Chen Jingzhai?" Su Qinghuang looked at him.
"The reversed Yin and Yang were very puzzling." Headmaster Fuyun sighed. "I watched the Daoxuan Peak in secret. There were some suitable ones among the new disciples and inner disciples."
"Sun Changrong, the second disciple of Elder Fu, studied under the elder and completed his foundation in 24 years. He has unique ingenuity in his formations, and he even created a new formation ten years ago."
"Inner disciple Li Yifei was born with the Yin Yang Eye. Using the Yin Yang Formation as his base, he created a rare Yin Yang Double Pupil Pattern. He entered the Foundation Plane and became an inner disciple that the elders all fought for."
"Zeng Wangbei, the youngest disciple of the Daoxuan Peak's leader, is a formation genius. He improved rapidly with the Reversed Yin Yang Grand Technique and his double spirit root happens to be water and fire. His future potential is unlimited."
"The three are all prime figures of the Daoxuan Peak's new generation, but they can't compare to you. After all, when you entered the Foundation Plane, the sky had been filled with light, covering the entire Hongluan Peak and causing hundreds of birds to flock to the mountains to worship."
Su Qinghuang was a true pride of her generation, despite being from the Hongluan Peak, a hidden branch. It was just that outsiders did not know about her. Within the clan, even Headmaster Fuyun was below her level.
One should know that Headmaster Fuyun had already formed his core when Su Qinghuang joined the clan!
"Because I couldn't find a suitable candidate in Daoxuan Peak, I focused on the Aspirant Cultivators Academy," Headmaster Fuyun explained. "Finally, eight years ago, I saw Chen Jingzhai's name on the list of aspirant cultivators. The 'zhai' in his name means 'to fast'."
"You noticed him eight years ago?" Su Qinghuang was a bit shocked.
"I only noticed him slightly. I stopped paying attention because he has three spirit roots." Headmaster Fuyun smiled faintly. "Now, it seems that those who are truly fated will not shine so brightly. Instead, it will be like a pearl cast in the dark and only show itself at the most critical moment."
"Then, what about the Dragon and Phoenix Consummation Seal Script?" Su Qinghuang asked.
"This book was always in the Blessed Land of Western Sands and Miraculous Illusions. Back then, the Master of the Blessed Land and Master Mingyue were friends. In reality, Master Mingyue created the Hongluan Sky Scripture after seeing a portion of the Dragon and Phoenix Consummation Seal Script. Master Mingyue and the second headmaster's conversation is recorded in detail in the bill.
"Afterward, the master of the Blessed Land disappeared, and the Blessed Land vanished. The Dragon and Phoenix Consummation Seal Script also disappeared. Your master traveled often to find the remnant scripts left outside. He wanted to use the scripts to make up for what was missing. Unfortunately, the years passed and he finally died in the Tribulation of Life."
Headmaster Fuyun continued, "Coincidentally, Pulao Kingdom had interactions with the celestial clans. They sent over the descendants of the northern elite clans. Using a bit of the Pulao Kingdom's fortune, I invited Elder Hong of the Tianyan Peak to help. He calculated that White Cloud City would have some changes and secretly sent the aspirant cultivators of the north to White Cloud City. The rest is history."
He had not really done anything. He just changed the destination of Miao Yun's Soaring Clouds Ship. The aspirant cultivators who should've gone to the east instead arrived at the White Cloud City in the west, and thus, a change occurred.
"The reversed Yin and Yang will return to fast" has come true!