Chapter 16: Song Qingxing
Cultivation knows no years; time in the mountains passes without trace. A year slips by in the blink of an eye.
In the span of an instant, Song Changsheng had turned eighteen. It had been nearly two years since he arrived at Little Qing Mountain. Though he remained at the eighth layer of Qi Refinement, his combat ability was now incomparable to before.
He had cultivated the Water-Fire Commanding Technique to the point of perfection. With the aid of his treasure gourd, he could now gain the upper hand even against ordinary great perfection Qi Refinement cultivators.
Today, Song Changsheng was leaving Little Qing Mountain to return to Cangmang Peak and attend an important family event, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony.
Every clan cultivator who turned eighteen this year was required to participate. On that day, several Foundation Establishment elders and respected family elders would be present.
For these newly-of-age cultivators, it marked their first major trial in life, the Clan Assessment.
According to the Song Clan’s ancestral rules, all cultivators must undergo a collective assessment upon reaching adulthood to evaluate the fruits of their training within the family.
The content and format of the assessment varied each time, but one thing was always certain: it was a real mission involving genuine danger, blood might be shed and lives could be lost.
Although such casualties were rare, every few years there were always one or two unfortunate souls.
“I wonder what kind of mission it’ll be?” A faint sense of anticipation stirred in Song Changsheng’s heart…
The ceremony was held in the greenstone square in front of the clan’s Soul Lamp Hall. When Song Changsheng arrived, a large crowd had already gathered. Nearly all the cultivators on Cangmang Peak were present.
He had shed his usual green robe in favor of a more formal black Daoist robe.
On the back of the robe was the clan’s Silver Moon Crest interwoven with dark golden patterns. The front bore intricate cloud motifs, and the cuffs were lined with dark gold thread, giving off an aura of solemn dignity.
“Brother Changsheng, what took you so long?” A tall figure in a matching black robe greeted him warmly.
“Ah, so it’s Brother Changhu. I was assigned to raise spirit fish at Little Qing Mountain, so I came back a bit late. Have the elders arrived yet?”
Song Changsheng instantly recognized the speaker, another of the clan’s Foundation Establishment seeds. Possessing dual spiritual roots of metal and water, he was two months older than Song Changsheng, yet only at the sixth layer of Qi Refinement.
Among their peers, he was considered quite outstanding, but compared to Song Changsheng, he still lagged far behind.
When Song Changsheng mentioned raising spirit fish, Song Changhu’s eyes involuntarily showed a trace of envy. Everyone knew that tending spirit beasts and fish was an easy, profitable post.
“Having a good mother really makes all the difference,” Song Changhu thought to himself with some resentment.
The two exchanged a few polite words before parting ways, they were familiar but not particularly close.
The ceremony wouldn’t begin for over an hour.
This timing was deliberate. The clan had grown large, and opportunities to gather were increasingly rare. In essence, this kind of major event was a family gathering meant to strengthen bonds.
It was a way of maintaining familial unity.
Song Changsheng had always immersed himself in cultivation and barely knew any peers his age.
Fortunately, many recognized him. Every now and then, someone would strike up a conversation, sparing him from awkward solitude.
“Little Uncle!”
Suddenly, a clear, airy voice rang in his ears. Song Changsheng turned to see Song Xi standing not far away waving cheerfully at him while holding onto the ever-expressionless Song Qingxing, whose face resembled a coffin board.
A smile bloomed on Song Changsheng’s face as he walked over. “You two came as well.”
Song Qingxing cradled an ancient-looking longsword in his arms, his face screaming “Do Not Approach.”
Song Xi, on the other hand, was much more lively. She grabbed Song Changsheng’s hand and chirped, “Little Uncle, Xi’er can cultivate now!”
“Really? That’s wonderful! From now on, you’ll be called Qingxi.” Song Changsheng ruffled her soft hair and pretended to be surprised.
In truth, he’d known for a while. During the Immortal Ascension Assembly six months ago, Song Qingxi had been found to possess wood and water dual spiritual roots, with her wood root reaching a full eight inches, making her the most gifted among her generation.
Now, six months later, the girl had already stepped onto the cultivation path, reaching the first layer of Qi Refinement.
Meanwhile, Song Qingxing, who is two years older, has already reached Qi Refinement second layer. One could only say that as a rare variant spiritual root holder, his potential even exceeded Song Changsheng’s at the same age.
“I heard my little sister say that you’re the number one among the clan’s younger generation?” Song Qingxing suddenly spoke up with a flat tone.
Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow. That tone, was this kid looking for trouble?
Still, he wouldn’t be intimidated by a junior. Looking Qingxing in the eye, he replied, “If you’re referring to those within eighteen years of age, then yes, I do have the highest cultivation level.”
“I’ll surpass you,” Song Qingxing said coldly, as if stating a trivial fact.
“You’re not as amazing as Little Uncle!” Song Qingxi wrinkled her dainty nose in protest.
“I’ll surpass him,” Qingxing replied calmly.
“No, you won’t!” Qingxi crossed her arms and bared her tiny tiger teeth, looking fierce.
Back and forth the two went, bickering non-stop, until Song Changsheng found himself completely sidelined.
He took a sip from his gourd and watched the two with amused eyes.
Back when he asked Song Xianming to arrange for Qingxing and Qingxi to be raised together, it was merely a hopeful experiment. Now, nearly two years later, it seemed to be bearing fruit.
Though Song Changsheng lived in Little Qing Mountain, he often kept in touch with the clan and had paid special attention to Qingxing.
Because the clan intended to keep Qingxing’s existence secret for now, he rarely appeared before others aside from Qingxi.
Those who knew the truth of his talent could be counted on one hand.
The only people who interacted with him regularly were a few Foundation Establishment elders, yet without exception, all had complaints.
They said Song Qingxing took coldness to the extreme, was exceedingly rude, and never addressed people by name, only ever saying “you, you, you.”
He was also terribly impatient, as if even saying one extra word wasted his breath.
It was as if, to him, nothing in the world mattered besides cultivation.
When Song Changsheng first heard these remarks, he even wondered if this guy had already stepped onto the Path of Heartlesness.
But now, it seemed those worries were unnecessary.
Earlier, not only did Qingxing call Qingxi “little sister,” but he also responded to every single one of her words, even the most trivial ones, he still answered them meticulously.
This meant that Song Changsheng’s plan had succeeded. Qingxing still possessed human emotions. For now, they were directed solely at Song Qingxi but that was more than enough.
Isn’t a good beginning the most important step?
As long as he retained his human emotions, he would eventually integrate into the clan.
The siblings bickered for nearly fifteen minutes before Qingxi finally admitted defeat, glaring at Qingxing with puffed cheeks.
Song Changsheng chuckled softly to himself. Anyone arguing with that iron lump was bound to lose.
It was like arguing with a talking chunk of iron, no matter what you said, his face wouldn’t show a flicker of emotion. After a while, you’d lose all motivation.
“Qingxing, as the older brother, you should learn to show some humility toward your younger sister,” Song Changsheng said at just the right moment.
“Humility?” Qingxing glanced at the still-fuming Qingxi. A faint ripple finally appeared in his otherwise emotionless eyes.
(Chapter End)