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Chapter 306 The Disciple's Resentment
Chen Xuan did not stand with King Louis and the group of nobles.

He flew up to the dome of the cathedral, sat alone on the roof, and gazed at the burning flames in the distance until night completely swallowed the setting sun.

"Master?" A voice suddenly rang out from beside him, "It really is you... What are you doing here?"

The voice sounded quite familiar.

Moreover, the number of people who call themselves "master" is extremely small in this world.

Chen Xuan turned his head and saw that it was indeed Xu Xuanling who had come forward.

Upon seeing her appearance, Chen Xuan was slightly taken aback, because she looked to be only in her early twenties at most, and her youthful vitality had not yet faded from her face; she was practically unchanged from the last time they met.

Thirty years have passed...

"You..." Chen Xuan opened his mouth for a long time before realizing that too many questions were on the tip of his tongue. In the end, he could only pick a trivial one to start with, "You come here representing the Ascension Platform?"

Joan of Arc was a key figure in the formation of this coalition and enjoyed high prestige within the sect. Now that she has passed away peacefully, it is quite normal for the sect to send people to pay their respects.

"Hmm, you really don't care about us at all." Xu Xuanling pouted and sat down next to him. "I'm representing the Lianyun Sect now. By the way, where's Master Liu? Why isn't she here?"

You've joined the Lotus Cloud Sect too?
Seeing Chen Xuan's suspicious expression, she couldn't help but glare and say, "The Ascension Platform has already merged with the Lotus Cloud Sect. I am now the sect's vice sect master. Is it strange that I represent the Lotus Cloud Sect?"

"merge?"

“That’s right, there’s only one sect left in the west now. What else could it be but the Lotus Cloud Sect?” Xu Xuanling spread her hands. “Ji Yun and Ji Lian are, after all, descendants of immortals. Their magic is more powerful than others. Cultivators who want to learn immortal techniques all want to join them. Naturally, other sects have no reason to exist.”

After listening, Chen Xuan finally understood how this process had occurred—the twins were disciples of the immortal sect, the Sovereign Sect, a "secret" known to many cultivators, but Ji Yun had confirmed this rumor with his exceptional talent. Whether it was newly developed spells or the level of disciple training, they all surpassed other sects by a significant margin. Furthermore, without the constraints of the Immortal Alliance, the Lotus Cloud Sect had effectively achieved a kind of "technological monopoly."

In the past, old-school sects at least had the resources of their grotto-heavens to rely on. Now, demons and monsters are everywhere. As long as cultivators dare to fight and struggle, they can achieve a cultivation speed that they never dared to dream of in the past. Therefore, high-grade mental cultivation techniques and spells have become the most valued things for them.

Ji Yun was well aware of this as well.

Unlike other sects in the past that kept their research tightly under wraps for fear of outsiders stealing it, he took a completely different path. He not only welcomed disciples from other sects to join the Lotus Cloud Sect, but also abandoned the difference in training between inner and outer disciples, treating all cultivators who joined the sect equally.

Even the merger of Dengxiantai and Lianyun Sect was discussed by Ji Yun himself with Xu Xuanling.

Now, there are only two sects left among all the cultivators in the world.

One is the Lotus Cloud Sect, which is developing in the west, and the other is the New Immortal Alliance, which stayed in the local area... The latter also calls itself the Alliance Sect.

Chen Xuan couldn't help but sigh, it seems that a lot has indeed changed in the past thirty years.

"So what about Master Liu?" Xu Xuanling pressed on, "Why didn't she attend the funeral?"

"She is unaware of this matter..." Chen Xuan replied vaguely, "She is currently in seclusion... It is inconvenient to disturb her."

"Really? I thought I would be able to see my master again..." She showed a hint of regret, but it quickly disappeared, and even Chen Xuan thought he had seen wrong.

A strange feeling arose in his heart. Xu Xuanling used to be extremely respectful and admiring towards Liu Shuyue, and this regret did not seem to be the kind of regret of missing someone but not being able to see them.

"Ji Yun and Ji Lian didn't come either, did they?"

Last time, Liu Shuyue even asked the twins for help...

Wait a minute, Chen Xuan suddenly frowned. How many years ago was the last time Ji Yun and Ji Lian helped him fight the demon? He hadn't paid attention to the passage of time back then, mainly because the twins' appearances hadn't changed much...

When he saw the two of them, he thought only a few months had passed.

How does this illusion form?
"They've gone into seclusion too, saying they've found the key to breaking through their inner demons. When I see them next time, their cultivation level will probably be even further behind mine," Xu Xuanling complained. "Every time I get close, the gap widens. Geniuses are really annoying."

These three started competing back when they were still in the Sovereign Sect.

However, this enthusiasm remained focused solely on cultivation and did not affect the relationship between the two disciples. Therefore, Chen Xuan did not take her complaints to heart. He only wanted to know another thing: "Why haven't you two changed at all?"

"Of course, it's because we've cracked the Immortal Master's little secret."

Chen Xuan frowned. "What do you mean?"

Xu Xuanling turned her head in surprise and stared at him for a long time. "You don't know either? Didn't Master Liu ever tell you her secret?"

"Stop beating around the bush, just say what you want to say!" Chen Xuan said sternly.

In an instant, Xu Xuanling softened considerably, lowering her head slightly as she said, "It's normal that you don't know... after all, those immortal techniques were all taught by Immortal Master Liu. Over the years, the Wei siblings and I have repeatedly studied them and discovered that several of the techniques contain hidden secrets. There are clearly better ways to operate them, but it seems like they deliberately chose a more difficult and worse path. Simply put, the methods that Immortal Master Liu taught us were all deliberately restricted; she didn't pass on her true skills to us."

Chen Xuan was stunned.

Liu Shuyue? No… she’s definitely not that kind of person!
Moreover, Liu Shuyue is not at that level... She is not a true immortal master, but merely a disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect.

He suddenly remembered something and quickly put on his glasses. "Let me see your abilities."

"Huh? Ah... Okay, what do you think?" Xu Xuanling asked, looking puzzled.

But at that moment, Chen Xuan had already pressed the scan button.

The first ability that caught his eye immediately took him by surprise.

"True Dharma of Heavenly Clouds and Clouds" LV2, Gold.

"It can permanently evolve the body and take the first step towards ascension. People's understanding of transcendence is contained within it, but pursuing the limits too much will also bring corresponding repercussions. I hope you are ready to accept the challenge."

Damn, what is this?
A revised and improved version of Tianxia Gong?

When we last scanned Ji Yun's abilities, he was still practicing "Tianxia Gong. Modified"... There was a sentence in the description at the time that roughly meant something like "removing the restrictions on the lifespan of the physical body".

Could it be that Xu Xuanling was referring to this?!

Chen Xuan's expression immediately turned serious. "The cultivation method you're practicing now is the version improved by Ji Yun, isn't it?"

Although Xu Xuanling was somewhat unfamiliar with the term "version," she still understood what he meant. "Yes."

"After practicing the new cultivation method, you have achieved near-eternal youth and discovered that it can significantly extend your lifespan, right?"

Xu Xuanling blinked. "It's not just this one advantage, but you're right."

"So you believe that Liu Shuyue is deliberately withholding the complete and good immortal techniques from you, and deliberately teaching you to castrate..." Chen Xuan paused for a moment, then changed his wording, "to degraded spells, or even incorrect cultivation methods, is that right?"

Xu Xuanling seemed to sense his annoyance and did not speak immediately.

However, she hesitated for only a few seconds before straightening her chest and stiffening her neck, saying, "Yes! But this disciple only represents my personal opinion! I have no say in what the Wei siblings think!"

Chen Xuan raised his hand and flicked his finger hard at her forehead.

This was a finger snap enhanced by the mental technique! The moment the middle finger left the hand, it even produced a crisp popping sound!

Xu Xuanling was completely unprepared. Her head was knocked back by the finger strike, and she cried out in pain.

She covered her head with her hands, looking at Chen Xuan with a wronged expression, "Master, I will accept any punishment you want, but there has to be a reason!"

"The reason is that your Master Liu absolutely did not hold anything back, and I can vouch for that on her behalf!" Chen Xuan said, word by word. "Her contributions to you are completely selfless."

(End of this chapter)