Zhanxian (Immortal Executioner)

Yang Chen did not encounter any trouble on the way to the Clear Sky Sect. Flying on his flying sword, he also hadn’t seen any people until he had entered the region under the influence of the Clear Sky Sect.

The Clear Sky Sect was also situated near a major city, only it was still in a mountain area. In the opinion of these common people, the Clear Sky Sect was at most an ordinary cultivation sect.

Yang Chen hadn’t thought that he would meet the Snow White Fairy, famous in the future, under such circumstances.

The shy expression was just like the one Yang Chen had seen at the execution ground, which could make anyone behave tenderly towards her. When Sun Qing Xue saw Yang Chen at the gate of the visitor’s courtyard, her eyes started shining and she immediately ran towards him, showing a pleasantly surprised smile on her face.

“Elder brother, is that you?”

Initially Sun QingXue was baffled. She had no connection with anyone from the Pure Yang Palace, so why had someone asked for her? But the instant she saw Yang Chen, she immediately remembered him:

“I have looked for you for a long time, but I haven’t been able to find your whereabouts!”

All these years, Yang Chen’s appearance hadn’t changed much, so Sun QingXue recognized Yang Chen, her gleam of hope when she had given in to despair. That warm feeling had permeated into Sun QingXue’s days of cultivation.

“I was just passing by, so I came to see you!”

When Yang Chen looked at Sun QingXue, his heart was also filled with joy. Discarding formalities, Yang Chen very much admired Sun QingXue’s gratified nature, especially when he was the one receiving the gratitude.

“Are you happy at the Clear Sky Sect?”

Yang Chen casually asked, looking at Sun QingXue happily preparing tea for him. His eyes constantly staring at her merry figure.

Hearing Yang Chen’s voice, which was still gentle and soft like on the execution ground, Sun QingXue suddenly stopped for a moment, then, adjusting her mood again, she started mixing the tea plants. Afterwards she sighed again and slowly sat down, facing Yang Chen. Looking at Yang Chen having an expression of being wronged across her entire face, she slowly asked:

“Am I stupid?”

For a time, Yang Chen couldn’t understand what she meant. What kind of question was this? So he could only ask her suspiciously:

“What happened?”

“I know I am very stupid!”

Sun QingXue slightly drooped her head, as if she was losing face, even tears had started coming out of the corner of her eyes:

“I have followed master to cultivate, but in ten years, I have only been able to reach the ninth qi layer and have no way to rush towards the peak qi layer, let alone the Foundation stage. Elder brother, what do you think, am I not stupid?”

Hearing Sun QingXue’s words, Yang Chen didn’t know what to say. The famous Snow White Fairy of the later generations, Sun QingXue, an extraordinary cultivation talent, surprisingly questioned whether she was slow in cultivation. This dumbfounded Yang Chen completely.

Seeing that Yang Chen did not say anything, Sun QingXue’s head drooped down even more, with emotions choking her voice she said:

“I know I am very stupid, but at that time, whether it was older sister Shi or my master or Great Master, all have said that my innate talent was very good and I am a rare cultivation talent. I have failed to live up to their expectations!”

These words, made Yang Chen clearly realize Sun QingXue’s distress. Surprisingly, Sun QingXue originally had such complications regarding cultivation and didn’t have any confidence.

Although the case was clear, Yang Chen still was at a loss of words. Sun QingXue was definitely a cultivation talent, there was no need to doubt this, but from the time she had been carried away from the execution ground, around thirty four years had passed and her cultivation was only at the ninth qi layer; it was really strange. According to reason, thirty four years were already enough time for Sun QingXue to successfully reach the Foundation stage, why was she still at the upper qi layer and hadn’t even reached the peak qi layer?

Carefully remembering his previous life’s memories, Yang Chen was convinced that there was nothing like that in his memories. Sun QingXue was such a famous fairy, how could Yang Chen know her mistakes in his earlier life? How then could the current situation be explained? Could it be that Sun QingXue had deviated at the time when she had begun her cultivation?

“That should not be!”

Muttering to himself, Yang Chen suddenly could not help but think aloud.

Yang Chen’s voice made Sun QingXue very surprised, raising up her head, she suddenly asked:

“What should not be? Elder brother!”

“You should better call me Yang Chen or perhaps Elder Brother Yang!”

Yang Chen was attentively watching Sun QingXue. First correcting her address of him, then he put his sights on Sun QingXue and began to size her up. On one side he was sizing her up, while saying on other side:

“I am saying that your cultivation speed should not be slow like this.”

“Why, Elder brother Yang?”

Sun QingXue was completely submissive and directly turned changed her address to elder brother Yang. Moreover, Yang Chen’s words gave Sun QingXue a new hope, similar to the time on the execution ground, when Yang Chen had informed her that she would certainly not die. Sun QingXue seemingly already blindly trusted Yang Chen.

“Your cultivation should certainly not be so slow!”

Yang Chen declared his judgement again very certainly, soon after that he reached out his hand:

“Come, let me hold your wrist, I will check your pulse to see what the problem is.”

For cultivators, using spiritual awareness to examine was a simpler method then checking her pulse and the results were also far better, but Sun QingXue was a woman, Yang Chen could not use an unbridled method, such as using spiritual awareness, to examine Sun QingXue’s body. This was a problem because of being male and female and was not related to cultivation.

If it was an enemy, Yang Chen would not have paid any attention, but Sun QingXue was a friend. Yang Chen wanted to help, so this was basic courtesy.

“Elder Brother Yang, do you think my body has some problems?”

Sun QingXue didn’t refuse Yang Chen even a little and directly extended her snow white hand:

“But master has said that my body has no problems!”

Yang Chen closed his eyes and started inspecting Sun QingXue’s pulse. Just from the information from the pulse, Sun QingXue’s body didn’t have even the slightest problem and was absolutely fine.

“Could you find anything?”

Sun QingXue was very nervous and asked in a low voice.

Hesitating for a moment, when Yang Chen looked at Sun QingXue’s face which was full of expectations. He released a low sigh within his heart and then opened his mouth:

“I want to use spirit power and spiritual awareness both to thoroughly inspect your body. The premise is, you have to release your spiritual awareness and must not try to move any spirit power, allowing my spirit power and spiritual awareness to enter your body.

Hearing Yang Chen’s words, Sun QingXue’s face flushed red. Completely releasing her spiritual awareness and spirit power, this clearly meant that her body didn’t have any reservations in front of Yang Chen, she was a girl, how could she not blush?

Previously, even her master and great master had also done this, but they were elders and in addition to that they were also female, Sun QingXue would naturally not resist. But Yang Chen was male and at a similar age, how was this even doable?

In reality, Sun QingXue was living under privileged conditions at the Clear Sky Sect. At the time, she had entered to formally become disciple, she was discovered to have an almost-full wood spirit root. This kind of cultivation talent was rarely seen. The Clear Sky Sect immediately gave the green light to this kind of greatly talented disciple: not only was she given a master who had already reached the JieDan Stage, but also all the resources she needed.

Because of this, Sun QingXue felt even more pressure. Even after cultivating for 34 years she had only reached the ninth qi layer. This was completely unsuitable with her extremely high cultivation talent. The only possible explanation was that, although Sun Qing Xue’s spirit root was good, her perception was extremely bad, otherwise she would not have such bad performance.

Sun QingXue’s hesitation was perfectly normal, otherwise Yang Chen would not have asked such a question. Although Yang Chen wanted to help Sun QingXue to settle her problem, some things Yang Chen also had to pay attention to. In case something went bad, it would certainly not remain a matter between Yang Chen and Sun QingXue and could even involve the entire Pure Yang Palace and Clear Sky Sect. Yang Chen had already learned this from the incident regarding the Green Jade Immortal Islands.

“Little Xue, this fellow daoist of the Pure Yang Palace has good intentions, but he has only reached the Foundation stage not too long ago, so you need not trouble him!”

Sun QingXue still hadn’t made her decision, when suddenly a tranquil voice was heard from outside the door.

“Master!”

Sun QingXue’s body suddenly jolted, apparently she hadn’t anticipated to hear her master’s voice there.

Following Sun QingXue’s call, an extremely beautiful woman slowly walked in from outside of the gate. Looking just around twenty four or twenty five years old, she was composed and dignified, a silent pressure being emitted from her body. After entering, she swept a glance at Sun QingXue and then her gaze shifted to Yang Chen and she started sizing him up.

“My respects to senior!”

Yang Chen also had to respect Sun QingXue’s master, so he greeted her according to the rules of respecting one’s elder.

Zhou Sulan was completely satisfied by Yang Chen’s etiquette, even though Yang Chen was Sun QingXue’s old friend, his courtesy made her treat Yang Chen in a completely new light.

Zhou Sulan was Sun QingXue’s master, so she was very clear about Sun QingXue facing such pressure. But no matter what kind of inspection she did, she couldn’t find any problem in Sun QingXue’s body, which left behind only one possibility: that Sun QingXue’s perception was insufficient.

Initially Zhou Sulan had not intended to appear personally, she cherished Sun QingXue very much and after these few decades she even considered her as her own child. But hearing Yang Chen wanted to do such an inspection on Sun QingXue, she became afraid that Sun QingXue would lose hope again, so she immediately stopped it. If it was just not effective, that was a trivial matter, but if such an inspection gave her other worries, then the losses would certainly not make up for the gains.

“I have checked little Xue’s body many times, there were no problems with it.”

Zhou Sulan sat down in front of Yang Chen. She did not assume the airs of an elder in front of Yang Chen and instead directly occupied the seat Sun QingXue had occupied just a moment ago and pulled her towards her side.

Sun QingXue, taking advantage of the opportunity, directly snuggled into her body. She was good to Sun QingXue and Sun QingXue also liked to snuggle up to her.

“There is definitely some problem, senior!”

Yang Chen knew that Zhou Sulan was just worried that his actions would increase Sun QingXue’s worries, so he continued:

“Little Sun is like my younger sister, I request you to let this junior be slightly impudent, maybe I can find a solution.”

“Elder Wu’s Heaven Seizing Pill, were you the one who refined it?”

Zhou Sulan didn’t reply directly and instead asked an unexpected question.

“This junior had only participated in it. The refining was done by other people!”

Yang Chen naturally would not reveal everything in front of other people. But Zhou Sulan didn’t seem to believe that.

Pondering by herself for a moment, Zhou Sulan turned to Sun QingXue and asked:

“Little Xue, do you believe fellow daoist Yang?”

“I believe elder brother Yang!”

Sun QingXue had a trust in Yang Chen which couldn’t be expressed in words. Hearing her master’s question, she slightly bit her lip and replied, nodding her head.

“Fine then, you can inspect little Xue!”

Perhaps it was Sun QingXue’s trust, or perhaps it was Yang Chen’s achievement of refining the Heaven Seizing Pill which stopped Zhou Sulan from insisting. Infact, she also wanted Sun QingXue to break away from this trap. This last decade, Sun QingXue had truly stopped speaking much.

Completely releasing her spiritual awareness, releasing her spirit power and ignoring Yang Chen’s spirit power and spiritual awareness entering her body… Even if Sun QingXue knew that this was for her diagnosis, her face still had completely turned red. This was even more shameful than letting Yang Chen see her naked.

When a cultivator wanted to examine someone, he could only do it as long as the other party was willing. If not, it could not be done thoroughly. But Sun QingXue was in the end a woman, so even if she knew that Yang Chen was doing this for her own good, she could not help but feel shy.

But at this moment, Yang Chen was not concerned with her expression. He was wholeheartedly immersed in examining Sun QingXue’s body. From top to bottom, he left no stone unturned, he was inspecting her very thoroughly. A cultivation talent unexpectedly thought herself to be slow, then surely there had to be some problem with her body.

What made Yang Chen even more apprehensive was that he still couldn’t find any problems with her body. Surely her master and great master would have also researched this and with Yang Chen’s confirmation, this point became even more clear.

A weak perception? Nonsense! Otherwise there wouldn’t have been the Snow White fairy in his previous life. But even in his previous life, Sun QingXue was indeed not very famous in the beginning, only after the incident with the LongTai Spirit Supporting Secrets had she risen to fame, so could it have some relation with the LongTai Spirit Supporting Secrets?

So only after her cultivation had been crippled, she had become an overnight success? What kind of problem was this? Yang Chen suddenly seemed to think of something and suddenly grabbed Sun QingXue’s hand:

“Pass some spirit power to me, I will take a look!”

Sun QingXue passed a trace of spirit power without any hesitation. Yang Chen quickly discovered that, the spirit power passed on by Sun QingXue surprisingly contained both the first wood and the second wood attributes at the same time and not just first wood.

“How many cultivation methods have you cultivated to lay your foundation?”

Yang Chen seemed to have grasped something and asked again. He had only asked how many and not which cultivation method, so that he did not seem to steal them.

“One!”

Sun QingXue glanced at her master and only then answered:

“Master said not to bite off more than I can chew, there I have practiced only one cultivation method.”

“Who taught this cultivation method?”

Yang Chen’s gaze turned to Zhou Sulan, he had already determined that the problem laid with this cultivation method.