Watching the Mountain

Chapter 15: Chapter 11: Epiphany

When Xu Ran heard the news about Ning Caique, he was shocked by the sudden turn of events.

’It all happened so suddenly, without any warning at all. She had just come to give me Cultivation Insights and a Cultivation Technique; how could she get into trouble out of nowhere?’

He didn’t learn the reason until he heard it from the senior sister who came to inform him.

It all started with Ning Caique competing for the position of Steward in the Foreign Affairs Bureau.

The reason Ning Caique vied for that Steward position was to participate in the exploration of a large Secret Realm, jointly discovered by the Profound Pure Sect and several other Major Sects in the Eastern Domain.

This Secret Realm was said to have an astonishing origin and contained numerous opportunities, so countless people wanted to take part in its exploration.

However, the spots were limited. Given Ning Caique’s status in the Sect, she naturally wouldn’t have qualified. After becoming a Steward, though, that was no longer a concern.

The gains from that Secret Realm were indeed astonishing. After spending just one year inside, Ning Caique had amassed enough resources and Contribution Points to break through to the Purple Mansion Stage, and so she came out.

However, considering her own talent, she felt that a single share of resources wasn’t enough to guarantee her breakthrough to the Purple Mansion Stage.

It was just like back at the Foundation Establishment Stage, where she had needed three Foundation Establishment Pills to break through.

Ning Caique was a proud person. She didn’t want to rely on the help of her Senior Sister Yue Qingyu to break through to the Purple Mansion Stage.

This time, she intended to break through by her own efforts. Furthermore, having spent a year in the Secret Realm without encountering any danger had filled her with confidence.

That was why, before she left, she had generously spent a large amount of Contribution Points to redeem the Ten Thousand Woods Transformation Spell, a Cultivation Technique, for Xu Ran.

But things did not go as she had expected. Not long after she entered this time, she was ambushed by a joint force of disciples from the other sects and was severely injured.

This was not an isolated incident. It was said that during this period, many disciples of the Profound Pure Sect had been ambushed by the other sects working together.

It wasn’t because the Profound Pure Sect was too strong. On the contrary, the real reason was that, compared to the sects that ambushed them, the Profound Pure Sect was too weak.

Five sects were participating in this Secret Realm. Aside from the Profound Pure Sect, the other four were all ranked among the Ten Major Sects of the Eastern Domain.

Now that the exploration of the Secret Realm was almost complete, judging by the current trend, the other four sects were planning to join forces and kick the Profound Pure Sect out.

The Cultivation Realm was just that brutal. If you weren’t on the same level, what right did you have to sit at the same table?

The Profound Pure Sect had also noticed the intentions of the other four sects. However, based on the current situation, the Sect was unwilling to simply withdraw and intended to resist to the very end.

Xu Ran wasn’t surprised by the Sect’s choice. ’It’s perfectly normal. With such great benefits at stake, who could let go so easily? Still, these matters aren’t my place to worry about. After all, I’m not even considered an Official Disciple yet.’

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When Xu Ran saw Ning Caique, she was lying in bed, her face deathly pale. She looked incredibly weak, completely devoid of her usual vigor.

Upon seeing Xu Ran arrive, she showed no great emotion. Instead, she seemed incredibly calm. ”You’re here,” she said, her voice weak.

’This was perhaps the calmest he had ever seen her since they’d met.’

Xu Ran nodded slightly, then walked forward. Without a word, he took out the Fourth Grade Elixir Ye Shan had given him, the Jade Marrow Heart Protection Pill, tipped one out, and held it out to her.

Ning Caique froze, staring at the elixir Xu Ran was offering.

She had called Xu Ran over this time to arrange her final affairs. She had no family in the Sect, and because she had been too blunt in her youth, her relationships with her peers weren’t very good.

Therefore, she had planned to leave some of her resources to Xu Ran, someone she had spent time with when she was very young.

But now, suddenly seeing the elixir Xu Ran was offering, she naturally recognized what it was. She had thought about redeeming one after she was injured, but the required Contribution Points were far beyond what she could afford. So, she had resigned herself to her fate.

可是,现在她感觉自己似乎又不用死了.

”Did you go find Senior Sister Yue?” she asked, her voice trembling with emotion.

She had actually considered that herself. But her cultivation foundation was already destroyed. Even if her injuries healed, she would never be able to cultivate again, and her Cultivation would drop drastically. That’s why she never went to find Senior Sister Yue in the end. She just couldn’t find the courage to ask her Senior Sister to save someone who had no future.

Hearing this, Xu Ran shook his head. ”I had a fortunate encounter and ran into Senior Brother Ye Shan. This was his reward from the sect competition.”

Ning Caique was taken aback at the name. She had heard of Ye Shan’s deeds before.

She then looked at Xu Ran and remarked with a sigh, ”You really are lucky.”

After a moment of silence, she solemnly took the elixir from Xu Ran’s hand and swallowed it. ”Please, stand guard for me.”

With that, she closed her eyes and began to refine the elixir’s power.

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Yue Qingyu had arrived much earlier, but she happened to see Xu Ran on his way, so she didn’t go in.

’She knew Xu Ran had the elixir from Ye Shan, and she also knew he would definitely offer it.’