Chapter 15 Qingshan

Clamping onto Qingshan unwilling to let go,

its roots originally nestled within cracked rocks.

Enduring thousands of hardships and countless strikes, yet still robust,

it withstands the winds from all directions.

At this moment, the first floor of Qingfeng Pavilion was silent as a graveyard, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

The scholar picked up his brush, splashed the ink, and ceased writing, his actions flowing smoothly as though in one breath.

Observing his expression, he appeared composed and serene, seemingly without effort.

It was as if composing a poem of the Falling Flower Grade for him was as simple as eating and drinking!

But before the crowd could ponder further, their attention was captured again by the new poem on the table.

Still in that elegant and fresh script,

floating like clouds and as striking as a startled dragon.

Some knowledgeable cultivators furrowed their brows.

What style of calligraphy is this? Regular script? It doesn't seem so; it appears to be some variant of it, maintaining the upright stability of regular script, yet flowing freely and unrestrained.

However, most people weren't focused on Zhao Rong's script but rather on the "miracle" of the new poem.

On the paper, a green mountain emerged out of thin air, thousands of feet high, with a proud and upright bamboo standing alone in the rock crevices. Despite the strong winds from every direction, it remained firmly unyielding and steadfast.

This new poem actually managed to bring its scenery beyond the paper!

The crowd suddenly felt as if the air around them had grown heavier.

Cultivators with considerable cultivation levels even noticed that the Spiritual Energy in their Qi Seas was beginning to stir.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

"Falling Flower Grade... possesses my realm,"

someone spoke up, lips parched.

Most remained silent, yet the breathing within the hall had notably coarsened.

Especially those cultivators below the Vast Realm, their eyes fervently fixed on the Falling Flower Grade poem.

Previously, upon seeing an Ascending grade poem, they could still stay somewhat calm since those were only usable by cultivators of the Vast Realm and above, enhancing their Spiritual Energy Cultivation.

But now, the poem in front of them was of the Falling Flower Grade!

The bottleneck of the Fu Yao Realm had trapped many mountain-top cultivators for ages, and now a chance to advance directly to the Vast Realm was right before their eyes—how could they remain composed?

After signing his name on the new poem, Zhao Rong set down his brush and coldly surveyed for a moment, noticing some people's covetous gazes. Realizing what was happening, he quickly rolled up the two sheets of paper bearing the poems.

Gui had told him that a poem of that realm, once comprehended and absorbed by someone, would turn into a mundane object.

Luckily, no one had managed to resonate and merge with the Falling Flower Grade poem in that brief moment.

Otherwise, wouldn't he have suffered a great loss? After all, he had intended to give this to Brother Sanbian. He would need to be more careful when writing such poems in the future...

Seeing Zhao Rong protectively rolling up the poems like guarding against thieves, those with fervent gazes appeared ravenous.

Zhao Rong chuckled softly, playing with the pair of Beautiful Jade at his waist while indifferently meeting the eyes of those people.

Instantly, most impulsive onlookers cooled down, and the very few who might still harbor thoughts did not dare to show them.

The scholar before them might have lacked cultivation, but he was clearly a reader from Linlu Academy, capable of casually producing a Falling Flower Grade poem. This indicated he might not just be a regular student but possibly a disciple of the Mountain Master or a Teacher.

One must know, the Mountain Master of Linlu Academy is one of the few with the highest level of cultivation in the clear light of Wangque Continent, famously protective and "reasonable" on the mountains.

Zhao Rong arched an eyebrow, finding the tiger skin of Linlu Academy quite useful.

He turned to look at Liu Sanbian beside him, whose expression was complex, and smiled gently.

"This is a little gesture of my goodwill, please do accept it, elder brother," he said.

To Zhao Rong's surprise, Liu Sanbian didn't hesitate at all and directly accepted the two poems.

"Thank you, young master," he said.

Then, Liu Sanbian looked over the crowd, his eyes darkly sweeping over certain individuals.

Zhao Rong followed his glance towards those whose expressions looked unpleasant, contemplating that he needed to be more cautious in the future, not as reckless as today. Although the flag of Linlu Academy was there, what if some didn't buy into it?

Among the crowd, those who knew the full story looked at Liu Sanbian with admiration.

A spirit stone of the lower grade was exchanged for a poem of the Ascending grade and a poem of the Falling Flower Grade that captured the essence of 'being' and even secured a fruitful acquaintance with a Reading Seed of Linlu Academy with boundless potential.

This was already considered a great stroke of luck on the Wangque Continent.

Some were green with envy and regret.

Others lamented that every drink and every peck was predestined.

Liu Sanbian whispered a few words to Zhao Rong.

Zhao Rong nodded, shouldered his bookcase again, and prepared to leave with him.

A young girl in green, who had been watching Zhao Rong's every move, blushed intensely.

She had witnessed the creation of a Falling Flower Grade poem with her own eyes—something that she had only ever seen in copied scripts or books on the mountain, and now it was happening right in front of her!

Dizzy from the excitement, she watched Zhao Rong about to leave, quickly pulled out her handkerchief, and chased after him.

Wondering if he would be willing to exchange letters with her as pen pals…

But many others were more eager than the young girl; as soon as they saw Zhao Rong about to leave, they hurriedly crowded around him.

The girl couldn't push her way through to the front and spun around anxiously on the periphery.

Behind her, her Senior Brother sighed. A Reading Seed from Linlu Academy was not someone we from smaller sects could hope to reach.

"Does the young master have any more poems of the entry grade? Qingfeng Pavilion is willing to buy them all at a premium price."

"Please stay, young master, I would like to invite you to visit my residence."

"Would the young master care to visit Stone Machine Mountain as a guest?"

"Young master…"

"Young master…"

Zhao Rong waved his hand as he walked to the outside, and the crowd surrounding him dared not block his path, thus parting to create a small lane for him and Liu Sanbian to walk through.

Only then did Zhao Rong truly appreciate the allure a cultivator who could produce entry-grade poems held for the common cultivators. Such scholars of the academy probably held a status akin to pop stars of his previous life on the mountain…

It was no wonder they were so zealous.

The Xuanhuang Realm was vast, and just the southwestern part of the Wangque Continent alone contained over twenty nations and dynasties, millions of mundane mortals, yet only a small fraction had any talent for cultivation, most were like Zhao Rong, undesirable for cultivation.

Apart from a tiny minority of geniuses among these cultivators, the majority would spend decades stuck at the Fu Yao Realm bottleneck, let alone advancing to higher realms like the Vast Realm. For them, the Taiching Four Mansions' graduation standard of reaching the Golden Core Realm by twenty-eight years old was nothing short of a fantastical tale.

Such is the brutal reality of the Cultivation World on the mountain; those with exceptional talent progress swiftly, acquiring the most resources, while those of mediocre ability face insurmountable bottlenecks like chasms, beset by scarcity of resources, left to scavenge the "leftovers."

Hence, the overwhelming allure of entry-grade poems that could save decades of cultivation time was tremendous, highly sought after by the mountain cultivators.

Zhao Rong finally squeezed through the crowd and reached the entrance of Qingfeng Pavilion.

Standing at the door was someone Zhao Rong hadn't expected to see still waiting for him.

Still hasn't run away?

Zhao Rong glanced at Lin Qingxuan and then averted his eyes, intending to leave directly.

However, Lin Qingxuan actively "blocked" him.

At that moment, Lin Qingxuan's face was pale, and he held no folding fan in his hand.

"It was my mistake not to recognize Mount Tai and to have troubled the Teacher. I hope for your vast forgiveness!" he said with a deep bow to Zhao Rong.

He bowed extremely low.

Zhao Rong did not speak, and he dared not rise.

He felt very humiliated at the moment.

But when he thought of Linlu Academy, his heart shook, and he could only bear it.

Although his family, the Lanxi Lin, might not necessarily fear making an enemy of a Reading Seed from Linlu Academy, it depended on whether it was worth it.

Ordinarily, outside the family, relying on the identity of a direct descendant of the Lanxi Lin, he was arrogant and domineering, but he knew in his heart that he was not valued within his own family, although a direct descendant, he did not compare to his brother who was the hope of the whole clan.

If his brother knew the cause of today's events, his outcome would be even worse than now.

Zhao Rong stared at him for a while, finally spoke the first words since their meeting.

And it was the question Zhao Rong had always wanted to ask those villains when he read novels.

"Why did you provoke me on purpose?"