When I woke up, the entire cultivation world was talking about my master.

"Cornstarch!"

"Add plenty of cornstarch to the sauce! Keep it clear, don't waste this sacred food!"

At noon, Ling Shan Tang was bustling with activity.

"Not eating enthusiastically indicates a problem with your thinking," Xiao Huandu glanced at Chu Xianlan, stuffing a spoonful of rice into his mouth. "You're not happy that your master is back? Why do you look so worried?"

Before Chu Xianlan could answer, he continued, with an air of "I understand, I understand," and said to himself, "Brother, you're uncomfortable being watched, aren't you? You can't act recklessly behind Master's back anymore, right?"

Chu Xianlan choked, "Stop talking nonsense, are you getting too angry?"

Xiao Huandu lay lazily on the table, casually draped in a dark blue outer robe, the front of which was wide open, revealing a loose white inner garment underneath. Half of his fluffy, messy hair was loosely tied up with a red hair ribbon, while the rest of his hair was scattered around his neck.

He was like a short sword drawn from its sheath, exuding a wild and untamed aura.

"Don't interrupt," Xiao Huandu tapped Chu Xianlan's bowl lightly with his chopsticks, a roguish smile playing on his lips. "What exactly did you do that day when you broke into the forbidden area? Was it really to save someone? Or perhaps... you're secretly hiding some unspeakable secret?"

"Oh, right, right, right," Chu Xianlan replied casually.

"Well done! You really did something big behind your brother's back!"

Automatically blocking out the noisy voices of the person opposite her, Chu Xianlan took a sip of soup and recalled her experience from a few days ago.

After staying overnight that night, Yi Chen was not at Yujing Pavilion for several days in a row, and he did not have any more strange dreams. He did not know whether the magic seal had worked or it was just a false alarm. In any case, it seemed that the matter was over.

Just then, bursts of laughter and conversation suddenly came from not far away.

Many disciples gathered in small groups, discussing amongst themselves:

"A large number of people have arrived, and they've even brought a very large spirit boat!"

"I heard they have an impressive background."

"The recruitment ceremony ended half a month ago, why are people still coming now?"

"You don't understand, that person is..."

Ling Shan Tang is located near the Taiyi Sect's mountain gate, situated in a two-story building surrounded by layered mountains.

Looking along the large bamboo grove beside the stone steps, one can take in the entire scenery of the mountain gate. At this moment, the second-floor railing is already crowded with disciples watching the excitement, and many figures have gathered below. A magnificent spirit boat is also quietly moored in the clouds.

Xiao Huandu put his arm around Chu Xianlan's shoulder and walked forward, asking cheerfully, "Junior sisters, what are you looking at?"

"It's Senior Brother Chu and Senior Brother Xiao." The female disciple beside her smiled and pointed in the direction of the mountain gate, answering kindly, "I heard that a remarkable person has arrived, a young prince of the current dynasty, who specifically requested to cultivate at our Taiyi Sect."

Since the great war between humans and demons a thousand years ago, the world's order has been reshaped by the flames of war. Due to the chaos caused by half-demons, humans and demons had no choice but to join hands to quell the scourge of half-demons and reach a pact of peaceful coexistence.

At that time, the human realm had a human emperor, and the demon realm worshipped a demon king. Each realm guarded its own territory. The demon race occupied the Northern Underworld, while the human race lived in the Southern Cang Continent, and they lived in peace.

Over the years, the bloodline and status of the Heavenly Clan in the cultivation world have been preserved, maintaining a delicate balance with the major immortal sects.

Apart from the crown prince, who had to stay in the palace to be personally taught by powerful figures in the royal family, the other princesses and princes would usually go to various sects and factions to cultivate once they reached a certain age. This not only preserved the lineage but also maintained the bond between the imperial family and the sects.

Therefore, the young prince's visit to the Taiyi Sect must also be for the purpose of becoming a disciple.

"The current prince?! Wow, that's amazing!" Xiao Huandu excitedly bumped his good friend's shoulder. "Have you ever seen him?"

Chu Xianlan was taken aback, then chuckled and said, "How could I possibly have the chance to see anyone from the palace? I wonder which prince has come?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure," the female disciple shook her head.

"Come on! You'll see for yourself!" Xiao Huandu pushed Chu Xianlan forward.

As they pushed through the crowd, the noise grew louder. A young man with rosy lips and white teeth stood with his arms crossed, lashing out at a group of servants kneeling beside him.

"Useless trash!"

Ji Cheng'an is seventeen years old this year and ranks fourth in the palace. He is handsome and delicate, with a face that still has a bit of childishness. His body is covered with priceless magical artifacts, and he wears a celestial black robe, which makes him look dazzling. Unfortunately, his expression is a bit ferocious.

"You can't even handle this small matter! What use are you!" His tone grew increasingly fierce as he raised his golden shoe and kicked the servant kneeling beside him.

It turns out there was a minor accident when we were disembarking from the spirit boat.

Because of a slight oversight by the servant, the foothold connecting the fairy boat to the flat ground was not laid steadily enough, causing the fourth prince to fall in front of everyone.

Even though the servants quickly and skillfully surrounded and covered him, Ji Cheng'an still felt utterly humiliated.

"My lord, spare me! My lord, spare me... Ah!"

The servant curled up on the ground was a mortal with no cultivation. He had already coughed up blood after taking a kick to the face and was in a sorry state. If this continued, he would surely be kicked to death.

As more and more people gathered to watch the show, Ji Cheng'an vaguely heard a few low laughs. As someone of his status, how could he bear such public humiliation? He felt utterly disgraced and became increasingly angry. He raised his hand and unleashed a blue energy energy imbued with spiritual power.

"Whoosh—"

Before its aura could even strike the servant, it was dispersed in mid-air by another burst of spiritual energy.

"Who's meddling in other people's business!"

Ji Cheng'an turned his head angrily, his gaze sweeping over the crowd.

However, he didn't need to bother searching at all.

As soon as that person appeared, everyone's eyes were drawn away from Ji Cheng'an.

The public has discerning eyes; compared to the still immature young prince, their dashing Senior Brother Chu is far more eye-catching!

The boy wore the most ordinary blacksmith's robe, which was neatly cinched at the waist with a black belt. What would be an unremarkable outfit on others looked striking on him.

Chu Xianlan pushed through the crowd and walked over, her voice carrying a slightly lazy tone: "Young man, isn't it a bit inappropriate to kill someone in public on our Taiyi Sect's territory?"

It wasn't that he wanted to meddle; he was just telling the truth.

Under the blazing sun, this is a sect, not the Meridian Gate. It would be so unsightly to cause bloodshed here.

"Who said you're my brother? What right do you have—" Ji Cheng'an's raised voice suddenly stopped. He squinted and looked the person in front of him up and down. His disdainful gaze lingered for a moment on the Jade Capital Pavilion token at the other's waist, then he smiled lightly, "I thought the disciple of Immortal Lord Jixue would be something special, but it turns out he's just... the kind of trash you are."

What kind of person am I?

Chu Xianlan found it amusing.

Why does this young prince speak in such a roundabout way? If he wants to praise his handsomeness, can't he just say so?

He then followed Ji Cheng'an's example and looked the person up and down, lingering briefly on those dark blue eyes.

It is said that the Ji family's bloodline has a special eye color, and it is indeed true.

Then, Chu Xianlan repeatedly admired the valuable magical artifacts on Ji Cheng'an's body, and sighed in her heart, "It's so good to be rich. No wonder he has a throne to inherit."

Oh, the Crown Prince is still alive and well; it's not his turn to inherit the throne for the time being.

"Indeed, I cannot compare to Your Highness's golden and precious status." After having seen enough, Chu Xianlan smiled and said in a light tone, "After all, I can only cultivate honestly and learn the principles of being low-key and kind to others."

Ji Cheng'an initially found it quite pleasant, even raising his chin considerably, but upon closer inspection, he suddenly sensed something was amiss.

These words were clearly a veiled criticism of his narrow-mindedness!

"You!" Ji Cheng'an's face immediately darkened, and his right hand immediately pressed on the hilt of his sword. Suddenly, a black shadow flashed out from behind him at an extremely fast speed. Judging from his physique, it was a strong adult man dressed in black, wearing a mask, and his whole body was covered by clothing so that his skin could not be seen.

"Your Highness, please reconsider."

The shadow guard whispered in Ji Cheng'an's ear, "Lord Zhao instructed us to keep a low profile and avoid causing any unnecessary trouble..."

Ji Cheng'an frowned in displeasure. "Lord Yuan is getting more and more slow in getting things done."

Even though he was still dissatisfied, the emotions in his eyes subsided somewhat because of the other person's words.

Under everyone's gaze, Ji Cheng'an gave a low hum and strode up to Chu Xianlan, his tone resolute:

"You don't know yet, do you? This prince will soon become the personal disciple of Immortal Lord Jixue. If you know what's good for you, apologize now. I am magnanimous and can barely tolerate a fellow disciple like you."

Yi Chen is a sword cultivator, and also possesses a rare mutated ice spiritual root; Ji Cheng'an has practiced swordsmanship since childhood, is extremely talented in swordsmanship, and has a single water spiritual root, which complements the ice element.

I am certainly qualified.

In his view, Chu Xianlan was an unorthodox weapon cultivator and was completely incapable of inheriting the sword path.

Based on this alone, there is no possibility of even being compared to myself. It is obvious even to a fool who is worthy of being the true successor of Immortal Lord Jixue.

Of course, if they have to stay in the same sect in the future, it will be annoying to run into each other all the time. Ji Cheng'an doesn't want to have an extra "senior brother" out of nowhere. If this weapon cultivator can be a little more perceptive, it would be best if he packed his things and left.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding disciples all showed expressions of surprise, looking as if they wanted to say something but hesitated.

After all, it's easy for others to sound arrogant when they say such things, but Ji Cheng'an's status is what it is... Since he dares to say such things in public, he must be confident in his abilities.

So... are you serious?

It should be noted that Immortal Lord Jixue never easily accepts disciples. The only exception he made in all these years was accepting Chu Xianlan. In the blink of an eye, twelve years have passed. Is he planning to expand his sect again?

"Brother, what's going on?"

Xiao Huandu also opened his mouth wide and subconsciously looked in Chu Xianlan's direction.

Chu Xianlan remained calm, her hands behind her back, leisurely observing the young prince who was half a head shorter than her, and said with a slight smile, "This isn't a wishing well, you know."