Chapter 115: Chapter 115 - The Master’s Recovery and the Sect’s Arrangements
Lu Canghai returned to Clear Cloud Peak.
When he landed on the peak, Su Bai raised his head, then he paused.
He was still not used to it.
Lu Canghai’s white hair had turned black. His face had regained youthful vitality. His back was straighter than before, and the old exhaustion in his aura had faded greatly.
He now looked like a dignified middle-aged expert who had only chosen to keep a beard because he felt it made him look wiser.
Lu Canghai had not cut it, and the first thing he did after landing was stroke it.
Su Bai immediately relaxed.
It was still his master.
The face had changed slightly, but the habit remained.
Su Bai stood and cupped his hands.
"Master."
Lu Canghai looked at him.
For a moment, his expression softened, then he laughed.
"Good disciple!"
His voice was loud and full of delight.
"You truly gave this old man a great fright today."
Su Bai lowered his head slightly.
"This disciple troubled Master."
"Troubled?" Lu Canghai snorted. "If this is called trouble, then the entire cultivation world should beg for more trouble."
He walked over and examined Su Bai carefully.
After confirming that Su Bai was stable and standing properly, the warmth in his eyes became harder to hide.
Then Lu Canghai suddenly said, "You are the greatest achievement that bastard Su Qingshan ever left behind."
Su Bai froze.
For a moment, he did not know whether to laugh or cry.
This praise sounded sincere.
It also sounded like an insult to someone else.
Perhaps that was Lu Canghai’s preferred method.
Praise the disciple. Curse the father. Very balanced.
Lu Canghai stroked his beard again. Then his expression became more serious.
"Disciple, I have good news."
Su Bai looked at him.
Lu Canghai smiled.
"Thanks to you, the hidden cracks in my foundation have begun to heal. The damage from my fall has loosened."
He paused.
Then he said the most important words.
"I can cultivate again."
Su Bai’s eyes brightened. This time, his reaction was genuine joy.
"Master!"
Lu Canghai laughed.
"Gahaha! What? Did you think this old man would remain half-crippled forever?"
Su Bai shook his head quickly.
"No. I only..."
He stopped.
He had followed Lu Canghai for some time now.
He had seen how his master protected him, taught him, and covered for him.
Su Bai had always wanted to repay him.
But Lu Canghai’s old injuries and fallen foundation were not things an ordinary disciple could help with.
Now, his own absurd tribulation had indirectly helped his master.
Su Bai’s chest felt warm.
He bowed deeply.
"Congratulations, Master."
Lu Canghai’s smile became even wider.
"You deserve much of the credit."
Then he lifted his chin.
"Besides, how could this old man lag too far behind his own disciple? If word spread that my disciple shook the heavens while I could only sit at home drinking tea, where would I put my face?"
Su Bai looked at him.
Lu Canghai looked back.
Both master and disciple were silent for a moment.
Then Lu Canghai laughed again.
"Gahaha!"
Su Bai also smiled.
The two talked for a while after that.
Lu Canghai looked livelier than before.
The old heaviness in his eyes had faded. The knot in his heart seemed to have loosened.
A man who had lost his path could now cultivate again. That alone was enough to change the air around him.
After some time, Lu Canghai finally spoke of business.
"Prepare yourself. Tomorrow, we leave for the gathering."
Su Bai looked up.
"Tomorrow?"
Lu Canghai nodded.
"We are already somewhat late. I can already imagine what those old fools will say."
He imitated an old, nasal voice.
"Radiant Sky Sect truly has great airs. Making everyone wait."
Su Bai almost laughed.
He quickly lowered his head.
"I am already prepared, Master."
Lu Canghai looked at him with a knowing expression.
"Oh? You seem quite eager for this gathering."
Su Bai coughed into his fist.
"Perhaps there will be opportunities to grow stronger."
Lu Canghai stared at him.
Su Bai looked calm.
Lu Canghai’s eyes narrowed.
"Opportunities?"
"Yes, Master."
"Poisonous opportunities?"
Su Bai looked away.
Lu Canghai laughed out loud.
Then, Su Bai quickly changed the subject.
"Master, will you come with us?"
Lu Canghai paused. Then he nodded.
"I will."
Su Bai’s eyes moved.
Lu Canghai continued, "This time, it will be me and the Sect Master accompanying you."
Su Bai was slightly surprised.
"The Sect Master as well?"
"This gathering was already important. After today, it has become even more important." Lu Canghai’s smile faded slightly. "Other forces will certainly hear fragments of what happened. Even if they do not know the truth, they will know Radiant Sky Sect had a major heavenly phenomenon."
Su Bai nodded slowly.
That was unavoidable.
A tribulation that covered the main peak and produced golden rain could not be completely hidden.
Even if the sect sealed the disciples’ mouths, the sky did not belong to Radiant Sky Sect.
Su Bai thought of something and asked, "Master, have the aftermath and sect affairs been settled? If the Sect Master leaves, will the sect be affected?"
Lu Canghai smiled.
"You do not need to worry about that."
He sat down on a nearby stone and stroked his beard.
"The Peak Masters are more reliable than you think. Especially now."
Su Bai listened quietly.
Lu Canghai continued, "Jian Wushuang has gained enough from the Blessing Rain to prepare for his Void-Shattering breakthrough. He will remain in the sect and guard it. With him here, ordinary trouble will not become trouble."
Su Bai’s eyes changed slightly.
That was not a small matter.
Lu Canghai continued, "Huo Yan will repair and strengthen the damaged formations. After seeing how useful your load-balancing array was, he is probably going to lock himself inside Heavenly Forge Peak for a while."
Su Bai imagined Huo Yan surrounded by formation plates and laughing loudly.
That sounded very possible.
"Yao Ding will check the disciples and elders who absorbed the golden rain. Too much blessing can also create instability if their foundations cannot digest it properly."
Su Bai nodded.
That was reasonable.
"Mo Shanyue will manage the spirit beasts and outer disciple logistics. That man looks rough, but when it comes to moving large numbers of people without chaos, even the Sect Master trusts him."
Lu Canghai paused.
Then his expression became meaningful.
"And most importantly, Shen Youran will remain in charge of the sect while we are away."
Su Bai was slightly surprised.
"Martial Aunt Shen?"
Lu Canghai looked at him, then he looked toward the clouds.
"In the past, among our generation, your father Su Qingshan was first in talent."
His expression became complicated.
"I was second."
Su Bai blinked.
Lu Canghai said it very naturally, but Su Bai could tell there was pride there.
"The third was Li Xuanzong," Lu Canghai continued. "But the world rarely knew that."
Su Bai frowned slightly.
"The Sect Master?"
Lu Canghai nodded.
"Li Xuanzong never cared for rankings. He was quiet, patient, and good at hiding his edge. While others fought for fame, he cultivated. While others showed off, he endured. But when he acted..."
Lu Canghai smiled faintly.
"It was usually too late for his enemies to regret it."
Su Bai silently remembered this.
Li Xuanzong had always seemed calm and gentle.
But after seeing him bring ancestor coffins to bathe in lightning with a perfectly serious face, Su Bai already knew the Sect Master was not simple.
Lu Canghai then said, "But besides the three of us, there was also Shen Youran."
Su Bai’s attention sharpened.
Lu Canghai’s expression became more cautious.
"Her talent was not below Li Xuanzong’s."
Su Bai was truly surprised this time.
Lu Canghai continued, "Before she crippled her own path to change cultivation manual, she was... difficult."
"Difficult?"
Lu Canghai looked at him.
"That is the polite way to say it."
Su Bai became even more silent.
Lu Canghai stroked his beard.
"I cannot tell you the full details. Some matters involve old oaths, old grudges, and things that might attract divine wrath."
His voice lowered.
"But know this. In those days, some old monsters from major sects were beaten black and blue by that old witch."
Su Bai’s expression changed.
Lu Canghai’s eyes showed a trace of amusement.
"And those wounds were not only on their bodies. They were etched into their bones, their pride, and possibly their nightmares."
Su Bai did not know what to say.
Lu Canghai continued calmly, "Even now, some Void-Shattering experts from that generation would rather walk around Radiant Sky Sect than face Shen Youran directly."
Su Bai slowly turned his head and looked in the direction of the Disciplinary Hall.
Lu Canghai nodded as if satisfied with his reaction.
"So with Shen Youran here, nothing will go out of control. At least, nothing that values its bones."
Su Bai fell silent.
It was good that she was an ally.
Perhaps among all the Peak Masters, the one who looked least dangerous was actually one of the most terrifying.
That was another lesson.
In the cultivation world, never judge danger by volume.
Some people shouted before attacking.
Some people smiled before attacking.
And some people simply looked calm while making old monsters remember childhood fear.
Lu Canghai stood.
"Rest tonight. We leave in the morning."
Su Bai cupped his hands.
"Yes, Master."
