M49S Vol 1 Chapter 50. Ran Yuguan

Today, the scene at Mochou Lake was serene and clear, a perfect day under sunny skies. The gentle breeze scattered the mist that had long hovered over the lake’s surface. Those venturing out to enjoy the spring air stood along the shore, able to glimpse the floating dueling platform at the lake’s center and catch sight of the immortal-like cultivators upon it.

Even if the distance was too great, it did not matter. Immortals belonged beyond the clouds, after all, they were meant to be admired from afar.

Dai Xiaoshan leaned against the railing. The ordinary onlookers lacked the eyesight to see across the lake, but he could clearly make out the excitement on the face of a young scholar standing under the weeping willows. He could not help commenting, “The Wang clan may have joined the cultivation world, but they still can’t give up worldly splendor. This trick of ‘admiring flowers from across the shore’ is as clever as ever. I’d wager that even if the people of Jinling have no idea what the current emperor is called, none of them would fail to recognize the name Wang Changlin.”

“Wouldn’t the emperor be angry about that?” Tu Youqiong asked.

“Of course. But tortoises live a thousand years and softshell turtles ten thousand. With the way cultivators outlive everyone else, there’s probably already been several emperors in the palace, while Wang Changlin is still alive and well,” Dai Xiaoshan joked.

Tu Youqiong burst out laughing, and Xiao Yu’er and Qing Gu couldn’t resist crowding closer, hoping he would tell another. But one glance from Chen Boyan shut him right up.

“Xiaoshan, enough idle talk.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

Dai Xiaoshan rubbed his nose, a little sheepish. He had only wanted to lighten the mood. Today’s duels were nominally just friendly matches. Cultivators were free to choose their opponents, and it was up to them whether they wanted to fight at all. The Wang clan would rank participants based on their performance and post the results on the “Knock upon the Immortal Gate Ranking.” The top three would each receive a rare spiritual treasure as a prize.

The ranking system was simple. Winners were placed above losers. If two cultivators, such as A and B, had both defeated the same opponent, C, then the order between A and B would be decided based on who had the higher cultivation level.

This rule seemed straightforward and fair enough on the surface, but Dai Xiaoshan knew there was a lot going on behind the scenes. With Wang Changlin pulling strings in the dark, what awaited the disciples of Gushan Sword was likely to be one brutal match after another.

Because of this, the senior brothers had spent all of last night discussing countermeasures and came up with a plan to strike first. They would have to fight anyway, and as disciples of the Gushan Sword, they had their pride. They would not sit around waiting to be picked off. They would choose their own opponents.

The cultivators nearby watched as the disciples of Gushan glanced this way and that, sizing up potential opponents, murmuring among themselves, then turning to look elsewhere and doing the same. The atmosphere grew increasingly animated.

One curious onlooker moved a little closer and happened to overhear Tu Youqiong protesting in a low voice, “No, I don’t want to. Why am I the one who has to challenge that guy? He looks terrifying. You can’t do this to me.”

“Senior Brother Youqiong,” Xiao Xiao said comfortingly, “that person may look tall and imposing, but his cultivation level is about the same as yours. He’s really not that scary.”

Tu Youqiong clutched his chest. “Don’t lie to me, junior brother. My injuries haven’t healed yet, and my dantian still aches…”

And so, the aching Tu Youqiong was unceremoniously tossed out by his senior brother to face the storm.

Once Tu Youqiong had gone, Xiao Yu’er and the others each picked their own opponents as well. Gushan Sword launched a full-scale assault, shocking everyone present.

Even Wang Changlin had not expected this. He did not believe that Chen Boyan had failed to notice his deliberate targeting of the Gushan disciples. Since he had noticed, should he not have tried to conserve their strength as much as possible? Yet now, the disciples of Gushan Sword were taking the initiative and pressing forward. This was entirely out of line with Wang Changlin’s usual way of doing things.

But on second thought, they were simply digging their own graves. So why not let them? Wang Changlin calmed himself and cast a sidelong glance at Gu Shutong. Yesterday, he had personally gone to seek an explanation from Gu Shutong, but the man had remained tight-lipped and said nothing further about taking a disciple.

Yet today, Gu Shutong had shown up on his own accord, which left Wang Changlin all the more perplexed.

At that moment, a servant hurried over and whispered a few words in his ear. Wang Changlin’s expression did not change, but a cold glint flashed through his eyes. He rose under a pretense and left his seat. Once he reached a secluded spot inside the tower, he asked in a low voice, “Is this true?”

“It is. The night before last, one of the Grand Elder’s personal men delivered the message. The one who arrived was from Guiluo. There’s no mistake.”

Wang Changlin face darkening dangerously. That old bastard Wang Jing really had some nerve. He had warned him again and again not to act rashly against Meng Qiqi, yet what had he done? Caused a massive disturbance in the city, only to let the man go in the end.

Wang Changlin drew a deep breath, then recalled the other name the servant had mentioned earlier. He frowned. “You said Jin Man might have been there too?”

“Yes. According to the informant we planted inside Guiluo, there was a man in black wearing a mask who was with Meng Qiqi. Meng Qiqi called him Brother Jin.”

“Brother Jin…” Wang Changlin narrowed his eyes. At the time, Jin Man had been at the dueling platform in the center of the lake. How could he have been inside the city? Those assassins must have been deceived by Meng Qiqi. But if that man wasn’t Jin Man, then who else, with such formidable cultivation, could have been helping Meng Qiqi? Wang Changlin recalled that a damaged Wang clan vessel had been found drifting in the canal near the scene, and the more he thought about it, the less simple this matter seemed.

“Have you found out where that boat came from?” he asked.

The servant hesitated slightly before replying, “It’s registered under the Grand Elder’s name.”

“Impossible.” Wang Changlin refused to believe that Wang Jing would be foolish enough to have assassins ride a Wang clan boat to kill Meng Qiqi. “Keep checking. Take my command token and compare it against the ledger. See if the Grand Elder might have gifted that boat to someone in the clan. Go, quickly.”

The servant took his orders and left, while Wang Changlin’s worries only deepened. He had no way of predicting Meng Qiqi’s next move, which meant he couldn’t prepare in advance. That could completely disrupt his plans.

After a moment of thought, Wang Changlin turned and headed back to the seventh floor. As he was walking up the stairs, he unexpectedly ran into Jin Man. Jin Man was on his way down, dressed in red with black hair flowing, phoenix eyes half-smiling, though that smile held a trace of mockery and ridicule.

“Patriarch Wang, where have you been off to?” Jin Man stood boldly in the middle of the stairwell, blocking Wang Changlin’s path.

Wang Changlin responded with a question of his own. “And where might Lord Jin be headed?”

Jin Man leisurely tapped a white jade-boned fan against his palm and said, “It’s far too stuffy in this tower. I felt like going out for a walk.”

“Lord Jin would do well not to forget the promise he made to me.” Though Wang Changlin’s tone remained polite, his words carried a pointed warning. That day, he had orchestrated a plan to bring Jin Man into the Wang clan’s fold, hoping to use the Chen family’s authority to keep him in check. As long as Jin Man did not take the lead in opposing the Wang clan, then publicly, things would remain manageable.

But Jin Man was not someone who compromised easily. In the end, Wang Changlin had been forced to agree to lend him the Wang clan’s treasured remnant of the Heaven’s Secret Diagram in exchange for three days of peace during the competition.

Jin Man said, “Whether I keep my word or not depends on my mood. Perhaps, once Patriarch Wang is willing to bring out that copy of the Heaven’s Secret Diagram for me to see, my mood will improve.”

“We agreed that you would see it after the competition is over,” Wang Changlin said firmly.

“But I’ve changed my mind,” Jin Man said. “Either Patriarch Wang lets me take a look at it now, or we can forget the whole thing. The Wang clan is not the only one that holds a fragment of the Heaven’s Secret Diagram.” He was still smiling, but a sudden chill flashed through his eyes.

Wang Changlin silently pondered the reason behind Jin Man’s sudden change of heart and said, “Lord Jin, my giving you some leeway does not mean the Wang clan fears Wuhou Manor. It is only—”

“Only because of the Knock upon the Immortal Gate, and so you’ve decided not to make an issue of it with me. Am I right?” Jin Man interrupted him, speaking lazily. “I know that Wuhou Manor can’t compare to the Wang clan. If Patriarch Wang wishes to issue a formal challenge against us right now, be my guest.”

Wang Changlin narrowed his eyes but did not respond. Jin Man’s threat was blatant. If he dared to act against Wuhou Manor, Jin Man would retaliate by sabotaging the Knock upon the Immortal Gate.

Wang Changlin could not afford that risk. He simply couldn’t. Even with fury burning in his chest, even as rage threatened to break free, he had no choice but to endure it. “Very well. I will trust you one more time. The diagram will be delivered shortly. I hope Lord Jin will keep his word.”

“But of course,” Jin Man said with a smile, finally stepping aside. As the two passed one another, Jin Man looked back at Wang Changlin’s retreating figure, a trace of coldness flickering in his eyes.

Since the fragment of the Heaven’s Secret Diagram had yet to arrive, Jin Man had no intention of leaving the tower just yet. He wandered over to the fifth-floor gallery and leaned against the railing, looking down.

This time, Wuhou Manor had no intention of competing for top ranks, so their performance had been mediocre and caused barely a ripple. Futu Temple, Ruizhu and Tianlao had all performed as they had in previous years, each displaying their own strengths. The only notable difference came from Gushan Sword and Beidou.

Jin Man glanced at the newly updated ranking list. The disciples of Gushan Sword were all ranked near the top. But just beneath Dai Xiaoshan, a name suddenly appeared. One both unfamiliar and strangely familiar. Ran Yuguan.

Who was that?

Jin Man furrowed his brow. Then he noticed the Beidou insignia next to the name and suddenly recalled who it was. Ran Yuguan, the eldest senior brother of Beidou, was twenty-five this year. Since he hadn’t shown up before, Jin Man had assumed he was over the age limit and therefore disqualified. But now that he had appeared after all… could this be deliberate?

The cultivators on the terrace were even more shocked than Jin Man.

Ran Yuguan had defeated Zhong Wu the moment he appeared, then went on to beat the junior disciple of Master Yinian. His cultivation level was unfathomable. All of Beidou’s disciples had gathered behind him, their expressions fired with excitement. The low profile they had maintained over the past two days was gone. No matter whom they looked at, there was a flash of pride and provocation in their eyes.

Gushan Sword would be the first to bear the brunt.

Dai Xiaoshan stepped up beside Chen Boyan and asked in a low voice, “Senior Brother, can you tell what stage Ran Yuguan is at?”

Chen Boyan replied, “Second realm, full perfection. On the verge of a breakthrough.”

“You mean… he just attempted a breakthrough and failed?” Dai Xiaoshan said, then suddenly caught on. “Wait, could that be why he showed up late? He was trying to advance his cultivation?”

Chen Boxi, standing nearby, said in surprise, “Have the standards among the major sects gotten this high already? At the last Knock upon the Immortal Gate, not a single one made it to the third realm.”

“All of them?” Tu Youqiong looked confused.

“You didn’t notice?” Chen Boxi blinked, then leaned in, speaking in a hushed and conspiratorial tone. He gestured toward Tianlao. “Tsk, over there. That Shen Qingya has already stepped into the third realm.”

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone from Gushan Sword, except for Chen Boyan, was visibly stunned. Generally speaking, if someone’s cultivation level was higher than your own, you would not be able to sense it at all. And aside from Chen Boyan, everyone else in the Gushan Sword was below Shen Qingya in cultivation.

But this was the third great realm. A realm that marked the threshold of true mastery.

“You’re sure you didn’t misjudge?” Tu Youqiong couldn’t help asking.

Chen Boxi immediately puffed up, clearly offended. “No one from the Chen family has ever been wrong when it comes to judging people. Right, Brother?”

Chen Boyan said nothing, which was as good as confirmation. Tu Youqiong clutched his chest again, his nerves flaring up. “Then Senior Brother must’ve reached the third realm too, right?”

Otherwise, how were they supposed to win?

Chen Boxi blinked. “Nope. My brother’s still at full perfection of the second realm.”

Tu Youqiong didn’t believe him. “That can’t be. You must’ve read it wrong. Our senior brother is amazing, let me tell you…”

“I know that already!” Chen Boxi blurted out, too excited to stop himself before Chen Boyan could intervene. “My brother’s sword-body awakened late. He was already eighteen at the time. My mother said if he hadn’t awakened, he’d have had to live as an ordinary person. At eighteen, he was already old enough to be betrothed.”

Chen Boyan: “…”

“He’s coming,” Mu Guinian suddenly said, his eyes fixed ahead. His expression had grown serious.

The one approaching was Ran Yuguan. The Gushan disciples immediately stopped their banter and braced themselves. On the surrounding balconies, cultivators who had heard the news began gathering to watch.

The atmosphere grew faintly tense.

Ran Yuguan had arrived in full force. Who would he set his sights on?

---

Meng Qiqi was still investigating the assassins’ identities. Although he had found no clues on the corpses, that didn’t mean he had nowhere to start.

The matter had ultimately been handed over to the Wang clan for handling, but their evasive silence was highly suspicious. So Meng Qiqi had secretly tailed the Wang clan cultivators sent to deal with the bodies. Just moments ago, he had finally noticed something off.

The people who had just met with Wang Changlin’s subordinates appeared to be from Guiluo. Meng Qiqi had caught bits and pieces of their conversation, though he hadn’t heard everything clearly.

As soon as the two parted ways, Meng Qiqi immediately switched targets and followed the Guiluo assassin all the way to a rocky mountain outside the city. The path was rugged and winding, and at one point Meng Qiqi thought the man had noticed him. But he had to get to the bottom of this, no matter the risk.

If Wang Jing had really been provoked by the Blood-robed Man into colluding with Guiluo to kill him, then Guiluo was very likely one of the co-conspirators from back then.

Guiluo was an extremely secretive assassin organization, said to come and go without a trace. To this day, no one knew where their base was. If Wang Jing had no special connection to them, there was no way he could have hired them to kill someone in such a short span of time.

After following for another half a stick of incense, the target finally stopped. He entered a crumbling pavilion halfway up the mountain, then knelt respectfully before the lone figure seated inside and said, “Ding Qi greets the Lord.”

The Lord? That single title sent shockwaves through Meng Qiqi’s heart. To be addressed as “Lord” could only mean one thing. This was Guiluo’s leader, the one whose name and temper were both infamous: Guiluoluo.

Meng Qiqi was so stunned that his breath slipped out slightly, and in a clash between masters, even a heartbeat’s delay could be fatal.

“Who’s there?!” the man in the pavilion shouted. In the same instant, an attack swept toward him.