Chapter 7: If You Cared About Her, You’d Let Her Go

Xun waited for the other students to start their conversations. Soon, the chatter was loud enough to cover what he wanted to say. He turned to Dashan, who was sprawled on the ground next to him.

"Thank you, Dashan. I owe you."Dashan waved him off. "No thanks are necessary between us. You know that.""If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have reached the top and would have lost the chance to become a cultivator. You gave up your own chance to become a disciple to help me. Thank you. And I'm sorry."Seeing that Xun was serious, the dark-skinned boy sat up and nodded."We said that we would become cultivators together," Dashan said. "So what if my starting point is a bit rougher than I hoped? I still got on the path to eternity, right?""Yes, you're right.""That's all that matters. The rest, we can figure out together later." Dashan laid back down in the grass. "Now, I think it's time for my daily dose of the sun."Xun smiled and joined Dashan in the grass. He closed his eyes, just happy to be alive. It was a nice, warm feeling, one that he had missed during the years he spent worrying about his approaching death. He soaked it in as he considered the next steps in his path.The sword path needs drive, an arrogance that everything in the world can be solved with a swing of the blade. And if that doesn't work, then two swings. A long time ago, that would have been perfect. But I don't have that confidence anymore. I need a new path of cultivation.Even though his cultivation path was uncertain, Xun didn't feel dispirited. More important than anything else, his dying wish had come true. So what if his cultivation was gone, his spirit channels broken, and his resources missing? He had decades of life left in this body and uncountable chances to make things better for himself. He was happy.Unfortunately, that feeling of contentment didn't last long."It's a shame that you failed, Anlin." A new gloating voice sounded above Xun. "Anlin and Fangqiu. The only two Silver level talents in our year. But while you've become a laborer, Fangqiu is now an honorary disciple of a senior elder. What a difference."Xun ignored the comment. It didn't take a subtle ear to hear the hostility in the voice. He searched his new memories and found that his body's previous owner, Anlin, had often fought with other students to protect his friends.That's one thing I'll change. But why bother fighting enemies? If I cultivate well, I can simply outlive them. Why fight someone when you can just wait until they're dead and then dance on their grave?"Watch it, Hongdao." Dashan pushed up from the ground to glare at the newcomer."Oh no, the idiot who could have become an outer disciple but became a laborer to help his friend is angry. What will I do?"Xun cracked open an eye to look at the newcomer. Like the other students, Hongdao wore a cotton robe. Unlike the others, he had embroidered the edges of the robe with a light red thread."You think you can say whatever you want just because you're an outer disciple now?" Dashan said."That's exactly what I think." Hongdao turned his attention back to Xun. "You know, I think it does make sense that you lost. You always tried to find shortcuts, while Fangqiu was the slow and steady one. I guess a person's character does matter.""Do you really think your friend doing well means I can't beat you up?" Dashan threatened."With what standing? You had the chance to cross the Wood Path and become an outer disciple. But instead you wasted that chance to be a laborer with Anlin. Now, neither of you can lay a single finger on me. I'm a disciple.""Are you sure about that? You're not a disciple until you pass the entrance gate. Right now, you're just a student like the rest of us.""You're right. But I think you forget that I'm friends with Fangqiu, the honorary disciple of Elder He. Say he tells the elder about a student who started a fight on the day of the entrance exam. What do you think would happen to that student?"Dashan clenched and unclenched his fists but stayed silent."I don't get why you're still friends with Anlin. Sure, he had a silver-tier talent before. But now? He's probably no better than a mortal. You've chained yourself to chalk-level talent, fool. And now you are both sinking, together."Dashan clenched his jaw so tight that the bottom of his face turned pale.Originally, Xun had planned to stay on the ground, waiting until Hongdao left them after getting his fill of gloating. But that plan went out the window when he realized the taunting wouldn't stop. He stood up, suddenly, staring all the ice he could muster into Hongdao's eyes."Perhaps you'd like to tell me why you really came here."Hongdao instinctively flinched away under the glare, then returned to meet Xun's gaze."It's simple, really. I think you should stay away from Yifan. When you and Fangqiu were both the geniuses of our year, you had the right to chase after her. But now you're a laborer and she's an outer disciple. Fangqiu is going to become an inner disciple soon. He's a better match for her. If you cared about her, you'd let her go."