Chapter 104: The Issue of Face

Su Qinglin stayed in Xuanji City for one night and left early the next day. At parting, Su Che gave his “father” a Qiankun Bag filled with his discarded low-grade magic tools, 500 spirit stones, and special products from the Yinwind Gorge worth 1,000 spirit stones. To Su Che, these were just a small gift, but for a declining family like the Su family, they represented a considerable sum of wealth. Additionally, since Su Che had become an inner disciple of Tianxuan Sect, Su Qinglin’s status rose as well, making his return to the family to compete for the position of next clan leader a foregone conclusion.
At present, if the Su family wanted to rise again, it had to rely on Su Che’s support. Thus, it became only natural for Su Qinglin to become the clan leader…
Of course, Su Che thought these matters had little to do with him. As long as it didn’t require much effort, it wouldn’t hurt to offer occasional help—nothing serious.
When Su Che returned to the Lingherb Garden on Xuanji Peak, there was a little girl by his side. The two went to the exquisite residence on the second floor of the garden.
“What a cute little girl…”
Linglong took a close look and then asked, “Is she your sister?”
Cultivators in the later stages of Qi training could master some vision techniques that allowed them to see things ordinary people couldn’t. At that moment, Linglong could tell that this little girl was related to Su Che by blood.
“Yes,” Su Che nodded with a smile. “Our Tianxuan Sect encourages bringing family members into the sect, right? Today, I learned that too.”
Linglong was extremely intelligent and immediately understood Su Che’s intention. As always straightforward, she nodded and said, “Okay, leave it to me. I’ll take good care of her.”
After Su Che introduced her, Su Nianer politely said, “Thank you, Senior Sister Linglong.”
With Linglong’s care, it would be no problem for Nianer to become an outer disciple, and no one on Xuanji Peak would dare to bully her.
After that, Linglong brought up the matter of the Xiaomi Immortal Realm. She said in a low voice, “Yesterday, my old man mentioned that the ten spots for entering the Xiaomi Immortal Realm this time have been determined, and you’re one of them!”
Su Che nodded with a smile.
“I really can’t understand. Do you really think you’re so lucky that you can’t die no matter what?” Linglong’s tone sounded slightly annoyed.

“Senior sister, the reason is simple,” Su Che replied calmly. “With my aptitude, if I lack both courage and luck, how can I go further on the path of cultivation? The Xiaomi Immortal Realm tests precisely my courage and luck. I’m really willing to take on this challenge.”
“Sigh, as you wish,” Linglong sighed softly. “No one can predict what your luck will be. But when it comes to courage, I’m far inferior to you.”
Stimulated by Su Che’s rapid progress in cultivation, Linglong had also reached the ninth level of Qi Cultivation after over a year of hard work. However, fearing the disasters in the Xiaomi Immortal Realm, she had stopped cultivating in recent months, afraid that advancing to the highest level of Qi Cultivation might make her a candidate to die there.
Su Che asked again, “Are the ten spots I was given all from Qi Cultivation disciples of the ten main peaks?”
“No.”
Linglong shook her head. “The ten main peaks only provided seven people. Tianji Peak, Tianlu Peak, and Xuan Yuan Peak couldn’t select suitable disciples. Two more spots were taken from ordinary outer disciples, who are already quite old and have no hope of reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. Even if they die in the Xiaomi Immortal Realm, it wouldn’t be a great loss for them. The last spot couldn’t be found either, so the sect leader had to pick a ninth-level Qi Cultivation disciple from his own family to make up the number.”
“He sacrificed his own family member?” Su Che was amazed. “It shows that being a sect leader may seem glorious, but it’s not easy at all—one must set an example in everything.”
“Setting an example?!” Linglong boldly spat out without hesitation. “That ninth-level Qi Cultivation guy is a complete scoundrel who committed unforgivable crimes. Even if he didn’t go to the Xiaomi Immortal Realm, the sect leader would kill him with his own hands!”
“I see.”
Su Che smiled, but he also thought to himself, “If I don’t step forward from Xuanji Peak, it’s possible that my master really won’t be able to find a suitable candidate…”
Meanwhile, Su Nian’er, who had been standing quietly nearby, stared with wide eyes, listening carefully to every word Su Che and Linglong said. She realized that her brother Su Che seemed about to participate in an extremely dangerous sect activity, and from what Senior Sister Linglong said, it seemed like he might die easily…
At that moment, Su Nian’er’s heart tightened with worry.

Although Su Che no longer remembered her, in this little girl’s heart, “Brother Su Che” held immense weight—he had always been an idol among the younger generations of the family. In the declining Su family, only Su Che among all ages was qualified to go to Tianxuan Sect and strive there. The day Su Che left home, nearly a hundred key members of the Su family escorted him for dozens of miles; his back carried the hopes and blessings of the entire family. Su Nian’er and her younger siblings cried bitterly, for their “leader,” their figurehead, seemed unlikely to return for many years… So when Su Che said goodbye and stepped out of Linglong’s residence, the little girl ran after him as well. “Brother Su Che…” She didn’t know how to express her worries, but her big eyes revealed everything in her heart. Su Che understood this and was deeply moved. He raised his hand and tapped her small, upturned nose gently, saying softly, “Nian’er, do you trust your brother?” “I do!” The little girl nodded firmly. “Good,” Su Che smiled. “I promise to take care of you until the day you become a great cultivator at the Yuan Ying stage.” “Mm!” She nodded again firmly. Su Che thought it was just a phrase to comfort her, but unexpectedly, Su Nian’er remembered it forever. … Two months passed in a flash. One day, Venerable Xuanji took Su Che out of the mountain gate and to the plain outside Xuanji City. There, a huge flying shuttle magic artifact was already parked—said to belong to some supreme elder. This trip to the Lesser Immortal Realm would be led by four supreme elders at the Yuan Ying stage, with all the venerables from the ten main peaks joining forces, leaving only the sect leader and the other Golden Core elders to guard the sect. Other top sects would also send similar teams. Everyone brought their best fighters, leaving their bases weakened. No one had to worry about or be cautious of anyone else, creating a rare period of peaceful coexistence among the human, demon, and fiend races in the cultivation world once every fifty years. Su Che followed Venerable Xuanji into the silver-white flying shuttle. Its interior was extremely spacious, capable of holding hundreds of people without issue. He also saw several others who, like him, were at the Great Completion stage of Qi Cultivation—their expressions grim. Two older outer sect disciples had stiff expressions and vacant eyes, completely indifferent to life and death.

There were three inner disciples meditating with their eyes closed, but from their somewhat disordered auras, it was clear they were merely forcing themselves to stay calm. The other two inner disciples looked around nervously, their expressions complicated, as if ready to flee at any moment. There was also a young man at the ninth level of Qi cultivation, sitting in a corner with a pale face, muttering to himself as if he had some mental issue… After waiting a while, the last two “death-seeking fools” followed their master into the flying shuttle magic artifact, their expressions just as poor. This made Venerable Mysterious Insight feel a sense of pride, for it was obvious to anyone that only his disciple Su Che appeared calm and composed, his aura steady, as if he were just going out for a short trip and would return soon. Although no one could predict the outcome of the treasure-seeking journey, Su Che’s demeanor at this moment greatly enhanced Venerable Mysterious Insight’s reputation. The other nine venerables also noticed Su Che and began to observe him closely. “I say…” Venerable Mysterious Insight immediately grew displeased and said in a deep voice, “Brothers, why are you staring at my disciple? Don’t scare him.” Venerable Heavenly Object, who had known Su Che for a long time, laughed and said, “Younger brother, I’ve long known the courage of your precious disciple. A few glances from us certainly won’t scare him.” Venerable Mysterious Insight said proudly, “My disciple is extremely filial. He volunteered to enter the Little Mi Immortal Realm to fetch what I need. I couldn’t stop him even if I tried.” The nine venerables nodded and smiled on the surface, but they all knew that Venerable Mysterious Insight was showing off his ability to manage his disciples, who were willing to die for him. The leaders of the ten main peaks of the Heavenly Mystery Sect all had the same cultivation level at the later stage of the Golden Core phase, and their status was equal. Although there was an open competition within the sect, it was difficult to determine who was stronger, so most of the time, their rivalry was merely about face. To ordinary people, such a struggle for face seemed pointless compared to something tangible like food, but in the realm of cultivation, the more advanced and esteemed one was, the more they valued face, often leading to massive battles. An ancient saying goes that when cultivators reach the highest levels, what they compete for is no longer resources but the intangible fortune.

This leads to another saying: For cultivators, gaining face is equivalent to gaining good fortune; losing face can have a significant impact on their fortune… The masters of the ten major peaks are also stuck at the late Golden Core stage and unable to advance. Whether they can succeed in reaching the Nascent Soul stage ultimately depends on factors of luck. Therefore, they pay great attention to anything related to “fortune” or “luck,” including face. What Master Mysterious Fate didn’t expect next was that something even more beneficial to gaining face also appeared.