Chapter 117: Chapter 117 - The Myriad-Catastrophe Ring and Tang Ziyan
The cultivators on the landing platform only noticed Su Bai properly after he spoke.
Earlier, their attention had been on Li Xuanzong, Lu Canghai, and the plain flying sword that looked too poor to belong to a major sect.
But when Su Bai called Lu Canghai "Master," several gazes immediately shifted toward him.
Lu Canghai’s disciple. That title had not been quiet recently.
In the past few weeks, rumors about Lu Canghai having a disciple had already spread.
No one knew the full truth about him, but everyone knew one thing. Lu Canghai did not accept disciples casually.
So when they finally saw Su Bai, many cultivators instinctively tried to sense his aura.
Then they froze.
There was nothing.
Su Bai stood there with a pale face and gentle expression, looking like a terminally ill mortal who had accidentally followed the wrong group.
The nearby cultivators fell silent.
Their worldview shook slightly.
This was Lu Canghai’s legendary disciple?
A mortal?
A few people looked at Lu Canghai.
Then at Su Bai.
Then at Li Xuanzong.
No one dared laugh.
Even if Su Bai truly looked like a mortal, no one wanted to be the first person to say it aloud and test whether Radiant Sky Sect had become more forgiving after receiving heavenly blessing.
Su Bai noticed the strange gazes.
He remained calm.
Being stared at by strangers was no longer enough to move him.
Besides, he was pretty. People staring was normal.
Li Xuanzong did not pause for long.
"Let us enter the city first."
The others nodded.
The group walked toward the gate of Azure-Jade City.
When Li Xuanzong presented the Radiant Sky Sect token, the guards immediately stepped aside.
"Radiant Sky Sect may enter." Their tone was respectful, but not flattering.
After entering the city, Li Xuanzong glanced around once, then said, "Let us find an inn first."
Lu Canghai nodded.
After walking for some time, they found a modest inn on a quieter street. It was modest only compared to the palace-like residences occupied by some major forces.
A small plaque hung above the entrance.
[Quiet Jade Inn]
The group checked in.
Li Xuanzong arranged rooms for everyone and told the disciples to rest first. They would discuss the schedule later.
Su Bai entered his room and closed the door.
For a moment, silence returned.
He sat down beside the window.
Azure-Jade City’s Qi was clean and stable.
Since he had arrived at a new place, Su Bai decided to sign in.
[Ding! Signed in at Azure-Jade City.]
[Reward: Myriad-Catastrophe Thumb-Ring.]
Su Bai’s eyes moved.
The name sounded dangerous.
That was usually a good sign.
He checked the description.
[Description: An ancient training item used by extreme body-refining cultivators. To test a genius’s willpower, the ring randomly injects painful spiritual debuffs into the wearer’s meridians every ten minutes, such as Minor Qi-Rot, Meridian Stiffening, Spiritual Heaviness, Dantian Frostbite, etc.]
Su Bai stared at the description.
Then his eyes slowly brightened.
This reward was useful.
To him, it was like a broken gambling machine that only knew how to give prizes every ten minutes.
Su Bai summoned the ring.
It was a dark thumb-ring made from some unknown black metal. Thin red cracks moved across its surface like sleeping veins.
It looked ominous.
Su Bai wore it immediately.
Then he waited.
Ten minutes passed. The thumb-ring warmed slightly. A small amount of his Qi was absorbed.
Then the first debuff activated.
Meridian Stiffening. A sharp force entered his meridians, trying to make the channels rigid and slow.
The Reversal Body moved.
The stiffening force changed. Instead of locking his meridians, it widened their response.
His Qi moved much faster.
Su Bai’s eyes brightened.
His Qi Flow Velocity had increased sharply.
For a short while, his circulation felt smoother and quicker than before.
Su Bai looked at the thumb-ring.
Then he smiled.
This thing was excellent.
Every ten minutes, it would try to harm him.
Every ten minutes, he would receive a benefit.
Su Bai felt that his cultivation path was becoming more refined.
Just then, a knock came from the door.
"Disciple. It is me."
Su Bai stood and opened the door.
"Master."
Lu Canghai stood outside with a wide grin.
For some reason, the grin looked somewhat suspicious.
"Come," Lu Canghai said. "We are visiting the Tang Clan."
Su Bai paused.
Then he nodded.
"Yes, Master."
Before leaving, Su Bai adjusted his robes.
Then he took out the Tang Clan token and hung it at his waist.
The token landed beside the Blood-Soaked Sword Shard.
The two objects lightly clinked together.
Then, Lu Canghai led him out of the inn.
As they walked through Azure-Jade City, Su Bai noticed that his master seemed livelier than usual.
Su Bai looked at Lu Canghai’s straight back and black hair.
Then he understood.
His master probably wanted to show himself to Martial Aunt Tang Yuyan.
Before, Lu Canghai’s damaged foundation may have left some inferiority buried in his heart. Even if he acted shameless most of the time, such things were not easy to ignore.
Now, he had recovered. His path had reopened.
The Utmost Gentleman had returned.
Su Bai almost smiled.
It seemed his master’s love life might finally progress.
This was good.
A disciple should hope for his master’s happiness.
After some time, they arrived before an elegant pavilion.
The pavilion stood beside a clear canal. Its pillars were dark red, and the lamps hanging beneath the eaves gave off a gentle amber light.
A plaque hung above the entrance.
[Thousand Fragrance Pavilion]
The name was elegant. The faint scent drifting from within was also elegant.
Lu Canghai walked inside with Su Bai.
The moment they entered, several older cultivators on the first floor turned their heads.
Some recognized Lu Canghai immediately.
Their expressions changed.
"Lu Canghai?"
Lu Canghai smiled broadly.
"Old fossils, long time no see."
His tone was casual.
His face was bright.
His beard was stroked with great dignity.
Su Bai quietly watched from the side.
His master had definitely come to show off.
Lu Canghai had only exchanged two sentences before he suddenly paused.
Then he turned back to Su Bai.
"Disciple."
"Yes?"
"You go to the second floor first. Wanyue’s daughter should be there."
Su Bai blinked.
"What about Master?"
Lu Canghai’s expression became solemn.
"I will greet the old fossils here first."
After saying that, he walked toward the older cultivators with the stride of someone entering a battlefield he had personally chosen.
Su Bai stood at the staircase.
He was silent for a moment. Then he shook his head.
His master had abandoned him very naturally.
Still, Su Bai would be lying if he said he was not a little interested in going upstairs.
Tang Ziyan was there.
He had not forgotten her.
To be more accurate, he had not forgotten her poison.
The taste had been memorable.
As that memory surfaced, Su Bai’s stomach suddenly growled.
Su Bai froze.
’Wait.’
He lowered his head.
’Why am I hungry?’
Before, hunger usually came when his Qi had been consumed too much.
But now, he had only thought about something delicious...
And his stomach had reacted.
Su Bai’s expression became strange.
Was this a side effect of the Reversal Body?
A trait of his unknown origin?
Or had his body simply begun to develop expectations?
He did not know.
That was slightly worrying.
Su Bai pressed one hand against his stomach and quietly walked up the stairs.
When he reached the second floor, he immediately paused.
There were more people than expected.
Young cultivators from different forces sat around the second floor in groups. Some drank tea. Some spoke in low voices. Some had weapons placed beside them. Others wore clan tokens at their waists.
This was not a Tang Clan resting place...
This was a small gathering of younger-generation cultivators.
Su Bai almost cursed.
His master had not mentioned this.
Lu Canghai had only said Wanyue’s daughter was upstairs.
He had not said that half the younger generation seemed to be here too.
Now it was too late to turn back.
Because the moment Su Bai appeared, the conversations slowly stopped.
Eyes turned toward him.
At first glance, Su Bai looked out of place.
His face was pale. His aura was nonexistent. His presence did not carry the obvious sharpness or pressure of a cultivator.
He looked like a sickly mortal who had somehow walked into a gathering of geniuses.
But no one immediately mocked him.
Because his appearance and temperament were not ordinary.
His features were too refined.
His calmness was too natural.
Was he someone important? Or was he truly just a beautiful sickly young man who had wandered into the wrong place?
Su Bai ignored most of the gazes.
He had gotten used to being stared at.
More importantly, he was looking for someone.
His eyes moved across the second floor.
Then he found her.
At one corner of the pavilion sat a young woman in dark clothes.
Her posture was relaxed, but her gaze was fierce. She looked as if the entire world owed her an explanation and she was willing to poison it slowly until it confessed.
Tang Ziyan.
She was sitting with Tang Sisi.
At first, she looked impatient.
Then her eyes locked onto Su Bai.
Her expression changed.
The next instant, she stood up abruptly. The chair behind her scraped against the floor with a sharp sound.
Everyone looked at her.
Tang Ziyan did not care.
She stared at Su Bai.
Su Bai also looked at her.
For a moment, the second floor became strangely quiet.
