The Social Detonation

The boat plummeted directly downward from high in the sky, diving into the estate of Northmount Peak.

“Senior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning.”

Wang Wei, Yun Zhou, and Yun Lu, the three Zifu Disciple servants, all said respectfully. The Whitewater Hound was also looking at Ji Ning. Ji Ning smiled at him. “Uncle White, I’m going to the quiet room to meditate and gain some insights. Only call me if something extremely important happens.”

The Whitewater Hound nodded.

Ji Ning then walked directly towards his training quiet room.

Yun Lu bit her lip as she watched Ji Ning. “He just glanced at me, not even giving me a proper look. Hmph, back in the tribe, there are plenty of people who want to become my Dao-companion. This ‘Senior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning’ hasn’t even truly spoken to me even once.” Yun Lu’s allure was truly top-tier. The fox-girls and beautiful handmaidens Ji Ning had seen at the Wuyou Caverns were not as good as her, and even Senior Apprentice-Sister Nine Lotus was slightly inferior in comparison.

Only the reincarnated Immortal, the Fire Rainbow Immortal Yu Wei, could rival her. It was no wonder Yun Lu was always so confident. Of course she wanted to seduce this formal disciple of the Black-White College. This Ji Ning was, in her mind, the most perfect candidate for a Dao-companion. What a pity… Ji Ning had yet to speak a single word to her.

“I refuse to accept this!” Yun Lu thought to herself.

“I wonder how the battle at the Dao Debate Palace went.” The nearby Yun Zhou, on the other hand, had bright eyes, filled with anticipation.

“None of us would know that,” Wang Wei said solemnly.

Yun Zhou glanced at Wang Wei and curled his lips.

In the quiet room.

Ji Ning sat cross-legged, while all around him streaks of sword-light danced about. They stabbed, they chopped, they cut, they blocked… every form seemed ordinary, yet contained a keenness that could cause one’s heart to tremble.

Suddenly, all the sword-light around him vanished.

“Hmph.” A smile appeared on Ji Ning’s face. “Meditating for this entire night truly has been fruitful. It has also solidified my previous insights.”

“The Grand Dao of the Sword? A Sword Immortal?” Ji Ning’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

Rumble.

Ji Ning rose to his feet, and the stone door to his room rumbled open as he walked out into the courtyard.

The sky was still dim.

Ji Ning stood in the courtyard, taking a deep breath of the rich natural energy that filled the air. His mood was even better.

“Senior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning.” A gentle, pleasant voice came from nearby.

Ji Ning turned his head to look. It was Yun Lu, dressed in a light pink Daoist robe. Although the robe was loose, it still accentuated her figure in a way that had a subtle but deep allure. Her jet-black hair was tied back simply, yet it naturally exuded a seductive charm.

“What a true temptress. I wonder what Beiwei was thinking sending her to be my servant,” Ji Ning mused. Although Yun Lu was extremely attractive, Ji Ning desired true, ultimate freedom and ease. How could he casually choose a Dao-companion? Even if he did, it would be a matter of utmost importance. At least for now, Yun Lu did not stir the slightest bit of feeling in him.

“Being able to take you as a master, Senior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning, and thus enter the Black-White College… I have yet to properly thank you,” Yun Lu said, her body swaying slightly as she bowed her head in gratitude.

Ji Ning nodded lightly.

Suddenly, a figure ran over from the entrance. It was a young male servant. This young man couldn’t help but glance at the supremely beautiful, lofty female cultivator ‘Yun Lu’, then said nervously, “Master, there is someone outside who claims to be your senior apprentice-brother. He is at the gate. He has been waiting for the time it takes a stick of incense to burn.”

“Oh?” Ji Ning nodded, then said with a loud laugh, “I wonder which senior apprentice-brother has come? I’ve kept you waiting for so long, junior apprentice-brother was truly remiss! Please, come in at once.”

“Go prepare some wine,” Ji Ning said to Yun Lu beside him.

“Yes.” Yun Lu bowed and quickly withdrew.

The mortal young man, his back drenched in cold sweat, also retreated quickly. That single stolen glance at the peerless beauty ‘Yun Lu’ felt to him like he had laid eyes on a legendary celestial maiden. At the same time, he sighed inwardly, “If I could have a celestial maiden like that as my woman, even living for just a few seconds would be worth it. But to the master, a celestial maiden like that means nothing.”

“Junior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning.” A young man in a black Daoist robe walked in. His eyes were like stars, and a smile was on his face. “Although I’ve seen you at the Initiation Ceremony and the Dao Debate Palace, I’ve never had a chance to speak with you. Your senior brother’s name is Hu Yongchun, and my Daoist name is also ‘Yongchun’.”

“Senior Apprentice-Brother Yongchun, please.” As a cultivator, Ji Ning’s memory was naturally crystal clear. He remembered that during the Dao Debate Palace, this senior brother had been standing right next to that slovenly, plump youth. Being able to stand beside that slovenly True Man probably meant that he was one of the more outstanding Wanxiang Adepts.

The two brothers sat down facing each other. Yun Lu approached and presented fine wine and fruit.

“You have quite a beautiful woman here, junior apprentice-brother,” Senior Brother Yongchun said with a laugh, praising her.

A faint red blush crept across Yun Lu’s face.

Ji Ning smiled. “She’s just here to cultivate under my tutelage.”

“Oh.” Senior Brother Yongchun nodded. He immediately realized that this junior apprentice-brother of his didn’t seem to have any intentions toward the seductive servant beside him, so he didn’t bring it up again.

Watching Ji Ning and Brother Yongchun, two formal disciples of the Black-White College, chat and laugh with ease, the serving Yun Lu went from an initial eagerness to a quiet, growing pain. That Brother Yongchun had even complimented her earlier! But later, neither he nor her master, Ji Ning, even glanced at her while they talked.

These two favored sons of heaven clearly didn’t care about her looks at all. It saddened her deeply.

“Junior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning!” A voice suddenly came from outside.

“Here comes another one,” Ji Ning thought to himself. The reason he had come out from the quiet room so early this morning was because he understood… his performance at the Dao Debate Palace yesterday would probably attract some senior apprentice-brothers and sisters willing to befriend him. The more senior brothers and sisters he got to know, the better it would be for him.

After all, formal disciples of the Black-White College were not people just anyone could get to know.

One after another, formal disciples of the Black-White College arrived. Some came alone, others in groups of two or three, making the courtyard quite lively. From time to time, senior brothers and sisters would leave, but there were always three to five people in the courtyard.

As the handmaiden, Yun Lu naturally had to attend to them.

What upset her was that, aside from a single friendly compliment or two, among the more than twenty formal disciples who had come and gone, only one senior brother actually took a few glances at her. It was a senior brother with the Daoist name ‘Joyful’, who, based on what he said, loved dual cultivation the most.

“These disciples of the Black-White College… except for that Joyful one who loves dual cultivation… every single one of them truly has an extraordinary Dao-heart,” Yun Lu marveled inwardly. To be able to enter the Black-White College, every single one of them was a peerless genius.

And from what she could gather…

Her master, Ji Ning, was the most outstanding among these peerless geniuses. He could be called a monstrous talent! He was the one who attracted the senior brothers and sisters to come and befriend him.

“Junior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning, I’ve brought two senior apprentice-sisters to visit. I hope you don’t mind.” A gentle voice rang out. Ji Ning and the two others who had been talking all turned to look, soon seeing three streaks of light flying in from the distance.

“Senior Apprentice-Sister Nine Lotus wishes to see me; how could your junior apprentice-brother dare to refuse?” Ji Ning raised his head to look at Senior Apprentice-Sister Nine Lotus in the sky.

Beside Senior Apprentice-Sister Nine Lotus was a graceful woman in red robes and a silver-clad girl with an extremely sharp aura. All three women descended together.

“These…”

Seeing these three senior apprentice-sisters, Yun Lu was immediately struck by a deep sense of inferiority. The refined aura of these three senior apprentice-sisters… they were the true celestial maidens.

“This is Junior Apprentice-Sister Qingqing, and this is Senior Apprentice-Sister Baishui,” Senior Apprentice-Sister Nine Lotus said, looking at Ji Ning with a smile.

“Greetings, Junior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning,” said the graceful woman in red, looking at him.

“Greetings, Junior Apprentice-Brother Ji Ning,” the silver-clad girl said as well.

By the time dusk arrived, things had finally quieted down on Northmount Peak. The senior apprentice-brothers and sisters had all left, but… another person came. It was Beishan Baiwei.

“Baiwei, have a seat.”

Ji Ning and Beishan Baiwei sat down.

“I knew you’d be very busy today, with many fellow disciples coming to visit you. So I deliberately waited until nearly dark before coming,” Beishan Baiwei said with a smile.

“Baiwei, you really are brilliant,” Ji Ning praised.

Beishan Baiwei laughed heartily. “It’s not hard to guess such a thing. Ah, right, the reason I came today is on my father’s orders.”

“Your father?” Ji Ning was startled.

Beishan Heihu…

That man whose aura made him feel fear, a man definitely not weaker than the Black-White College’s Principal, and even more domineering! One of the candidates for the next Anchan Marquis!

“You came to see me?” Ji Ning was confused.

“Clap, clap.” Beishan Baiwei clapped his hands.

Immediately, the two Zifu Disciple attendants who had been following him stepped forward and took out several black jade plates from their storage treasures. The black jade plates were exquisitely carved, with the image of a black tiger. The plates themselves were translucent and beautiful, like works of art. Upon each black jade plate rested an item.

All told, there were six black jade plates.

There were two jade bottles, a small boat, a pair of black wings, and two sets of flying swords that looked as small as embroidery needles.

“This first set of flying swords has seventy-two swords, and this second has eighteen. All of them are high-grade Human-ranked flying swords.”

“These black wings are a top-grade Human-ranked wing-type magic treasure.”

“This boat is an extremely high-grade Human-ranked flying treasure.”

“This jade bottle contains a miasma-type treasure, a life-saving item.”

“This other jade bottle contains a thousand jin of Primordial Liquid.” Beishan Baiwei spoke freely and easily as he introduced the items. “Please, accept them all.”

Ji Ning was stunned.

Even with his judgment, he could tell these were all extraordinary items. Other than the black wings, which were slightly inferior, the rest were extremely valuable.

“This… how can I accept this?” Ji Ning said hurriedly. “It’s far too precious.”

“My father ordered me to come here. The gifts have been delivered, and I don’t care about the rest,” Beishan Baiwei said, waving his hand. “There’s no need to be so modest. You and my father have already met. Giving a celebratory gift is a gesture of good will. Just accept it.”

Ji Ning hesitated for a moment.

Earlier, Beishan Baiwei was his friend. The connection between him and the Beishan Heihu Estate was already undeniable. Since that was the case, he might as well accept it.

“Alright.” Ji Ning nodded.

“That’s more like it. There’s no reason to refuse my father’s gifts. This is nothing to him.” Beishan Baiwei then continued, “Ah, right. That Meng Yan you asked me to investigate—I’ve found out about him. It’s true he wasn’t accepted by any sect. Do you want me to send someone to bring him to the Black-White College for you?”