Junior Disciple

Chapter One

The Azure Sky Sect held its disciple competition every five years, and nearly every time, the title would fall to Yu Qingwei, the prodigious senior disciple who formed his core at fifteen and his nascent soul at twenty. Yet this year, things took an unexpected turn.

"What?! You were knocked off the arena during the preliminary round?!"
The door burst open with a loud bang, and a man stormed in, rushing straight to him.

Yu Qingwei was in the middle of applying medicine. Hearing the outburst, he frowned, draped his half-removed robe over his shoulders, and corrected calmly, "I was dragged off the arena by a disciple who clung to me."

It was an embarrassing incident, to say the least. He could have easily sent the opponent flying with a single strike, but he accidentally fell for a trick. The opponent used a secret technique to latch onto him tightly, and fearing he might hurt them while trying to break free, he was ultimately pulled off the stage.

The intruder seemed relieved. "So it was a draw? You scared me to death! If you, the Azure Sky Sect's top disciple, lost, how would the sect's reputation survive?"

He plopped down onto a redwood table and was about to take a sip of water to calm his nerves when he suddenly heard, "I hit the ground a moment before they did. I lost."

With a crack, the teacup shattered in his hand.

"Wh-what?!" Yu Qingwei watched as the young man wailed dramatically, his voice echoing across the peak. "My wager—my bet! Now I've lost everything! Yu Qingwei, you owe me! It took me ages to save up those hundred top-grade spirit stones, and now they're all gone!"

Yu Qingwei stared at the young man, who was sobbing pitifully with snot and tears streaming down his face, threatening to smear them on his desk. Quickly, he got up and dragged the man outside.

"It's only a hundred spirit stones. One month of my stipend would cover it. Stop crying here—you'll disturb the junior disciples in closed-door cultivation nearby."

The man, Pu Zhu, pouted and looked at him aggrievedly. "One month's stipend? That's a privilege for personal disciples like you! It would take me half a year to save up that much!"

Unconvinced, he blocked Yu Qingwei's path back to his room, protesting angrily, "You're just going to sulk in your room? Who ambushed you? If you don't settle this today, your title as the Azure Sky Sect's top disciple will become a laughingstock!"

Yu Qingwei frowned, disagreeing with his logic. For cultivators, victories and losses were part of the journey. He was about to comfort Pu Zhu and return to applying medicine when his arm was suddenly yanked. Before he knew it, Pu Zhu had activated a teleportation talisman.

"You're not going? Fine, I'll help you settle this myself!" Pu Zhu said with a sinister grin. "I'm always happy to lend a hand!"

"..."

In an instant, the scenery around them shifted. When it came back into focus, they found themselves in a bustling, crowded area.

Yu Qingwei looked up and saw three large characters carved prominently above: Disciple Residence. His eyelid twitched, sensing trouble. Something about today just didn't feel right.

He had studied divination with his third martial uncle for a few months, and a strong sense of foreboding welled up within him now.

"...Forget it." He turned to leave but was immediately dragged back to the front gate.

"Forget it? What's there to forget? They used underhanded tricks! If we don't put a stop to this, what kind of reputation will our sect have in the future? They need to be taught a lesson!" Pu Zhu declared loudly, his dissatisfaction clear.