Junior Disciple

Chapter Three

Looking at the boy in front of him, his eyes tinged red at the corners, Yu Qingwei suddenly found himself unable to muster any anger.

Awkwardly, he let himself be pushed out of the room. The door slammed shut with a bang, though the old wooden door didn't quite close properly, leaving a crack through which he could see the boy inside. Xie Wuhán had already stripped off his clothes, his brows furrowed as he took the spiritual medicine Yu had left on the table and sprinkled it over the wounds on his back.

It seemed that, despite his reluctance, the pain had forced him to use Yu Qingwei's medicine after all.

Inside, Xie Wuhán glanced toward the door. Through the crack, he caught sight of Yu Qingwei's figure still standing outside. The young man had turned his back the moment he caught a glimpse of pale skin, his demeanor distant and lofty like an immortal untainted by the mundane world. Just standing there felt almost surreal.

Xie Wuhán clenched his fist tightly, a glimmer of something unspoken flickering in his gaze.

Yu Qingwei returned to his courtyard at Shuyun Peak in a daze, the scenes of the boy from earlier playing over in his mind.

Even as an outer disciple, Xie Wuhán shouldn't have been left in such a pitiful state, forced to train in an area so barren that even cultivators avoided setting foot there.

Judging by the attitudes of the other disciples toward him, it was clear he'd been suppressed for quite some time.

Yu Qingwei sighed. Tomorrow, he decided, he would send a voice transmission to the outer sect steward elders. If this situation truly stemmed from negligence in management, it had to be addressed.

This sort of thing had no place in the Qingxiao Sect.

As for that disciple... they likely wouldn't cross paths again in the future.

Yu Qingwei sat down on his mat and began to meditate.

In the room, the spirit-gathering formation faintly activated, drawing threads of spiritual energy into his dantian. The moment his eyes closed, he was completely immersed, staying in that state until dawn.

Yu Qingwei was diligent by nature. Every moment spent cultivating was a moment he felt he lived up to the title of a disciple of his master.

The next morning, he headed to the back mountain to meditate, intending to gain insights into his techniques amidst the natural spiritual energy. The fresh air brushed past his nose, and he paid no attention to the quiet murmurs of sect disciples he overheard along the way, discussing how he had been defeated yesterday by an outer disciple.

Some cast curious glances at him as he walked by.

Other than feeling slightly uncomfortable, Yu Qingwei paid it no mind. He cared little for victory or defeat. However, when he overheard a disciple groaning as if their world had ended, he couldn't help but find it amusing.

"How could Senior Brother Yu lose? This is a disaster. I shouldn't have followed Senior Brother Fu in betting. Even if I had bet on any random inner disciple, I wouldn't have lost everything before the preliminary trials..."

Yu Qingwei smiled faintly and sat cross-legged beneath a massive tree, ignoring the scattered glances in his direction as he focused on his cultivation.

The moment he began reciting the Qingxin Mantra, the spiritual energy in the area seemed to grow more abundant, almost as if responding to his words.

Nearby disciples, especially those with lower cultivation levels, felt a wave of clarity wash over their minds. Their spiritual consciousness sharpened slightly, and they immediately sat down to meditate, taking the opportunity to cultivate alongside their senior brother.