Just Entered the Sect, and My Worldview Collapsed

The commotion at the Azure Cloud Hall had yet to reach the Purple Bamboo Peak, where the clouds and mist still lingered, and the spiritual energy was as thick and sweet as mellow wine.

The "fierce man" Xuanyangzi spoke of, Gu Changge, leaned against a newly built bamboo cot. He twirled a lustrous white spirit fruit between his fingers, his gaze falling on the open clearing not far away.

Fang Hanyu was wielding a black iron axe, chopping bamboo. The youth's figure was thin, but his movements were as steady as a rock. Every strike landed precisely on the bamboo joint, and the emerald green bamboo snapped at the sound.

At the break, faint streams of chaotic-colored airflow lingered. Even a trivial matter like chopping bamboo was subtly tempering the origin of his sword physique.

"Master."

Fang Hanyu neatly stacked the piled bamboo materials. A thin layer of sweat beaded on his forehead, but his eyes were astonishingly bright.

"This bamboo hut will be finished by evening."

Gu Changge nodded and casually tossed over a water skin.

"No rush. Take a break first."

The moment the youth caught the water skin, a faint light flashed in Gu Changge's eyes. The Delusion-Breaking Divine Eye quietly unfolded, and Fang Hanyu's attribute panel clearly surfaced.

Name: Fang Hanyu

Identity: Gu Changge's second disciple

Aptitude: Emperor Grade

Physique: Chaotic Sword Physique (Initially Awakened)

Cultivation: Early Stage of the Core Condensation Realm (Originally Peak of the Purple Mansion Realm)

Gu Changge's Delusion-Breaking Divine Eye pierced through the veil of time, sweeping over fragments of the youth's past—

Fang Hanyu's parents were the lowest rung of odd-job disciples in the outer sect of the Great Yan Sacred Land.

His father, Fang Lin, was responsible for sweeping the stone steps of the forbidden area, while his mother, Su Wan, dried herbs in the alchemy room. Both of their cultivations were stuck at the Foundation Establishment Realm, lacking even the qualifications to step into the Core Condensation Realm.

Fang Hanyu was born on an autumn night with a cold, drifting rain.

The stone house leaked wind. Su Wan wrapped the newborn infant with her body heat and noticed a wisp of chaotic-colored light flash across his brow before disappearing.

At that time, they didn't understand that this was an omen of the Chaotic Sword Physique awakening, only thinking that the child was weak and always cried at night.

When he was ten, Fang Hanyu was playing in the mud outside the alchemy room. He casually picked up a dead branch and scratched the ground, unintentionally shattering the bluestone steps in front of the alchemy room's door.

This scene was witnessed by a passing elder.

"This child is a piece of unpolished jade. Staying with you is a waste."

The elder crouched down and pinched Fang Hanyu's cheek. "Come with me. From now on, you will be a core disciple of the Sacred Land."

Although Fang Lin and his wife were reluctant, they couldn't resist the temptation of the words "core disciple"—it meant the child could rid himself of his odd-job status and have the opportunity to practice top-tier cultivation methods.

Tearfully, they handed Fang Hanyu over. Entering the inner sect, Fang Hanyu was indeed "heavily cultivated."

He lived in the Jade Courtyard, rich in spiritual energy, and practiced the *Heaven-Deriving Sword Scripture* daily.

He broke through the Foundation Establishment Realm at eleven and entered the Purple Mansion Realm at fourteen, becoming an outstanding figure among the younger generation of the Sacred Land.

But he always felt something was wrong—the way the elders looked at him was like sizing up an object, not a disciple.

On his fifteenth birthday, he was taken to the forbidden area.

The altar was icy cold, and runes wrapped around him like venomous snakes. Only then did he clearly see the object in the elders' hands: a bone blade carved with spirit-devouring runes.

"The Chaotic Sword Physique is a rare encounter in ten thousand years, but unfortunately, you were born at the wrong time."

The leading elder sneered.

"There hasn't been a Great Emperor in a hundred thousand years, and the Great Dao has long ceased to manifest. Even with your talent, how far can you go? You might as well fulfill the Sacred Land and forge a supreme Emperor Weapon. Our Sacred Land will rely on two major Emperor Weapons to suppress the Eastern Region. Consider it your good fortune."

When the bone blade pierced his chest, Fang Hanyu saw his parents' figures appear outside the forbidden area.

They had somehow heard the news and desperately forced their way in to save him, only to be cut down on the stone steps by the elder with casual strikes of his sword.

Before she died, his mother was still calling his name, her voice shattering in the cold rain.

Agony and hatred intertwined. The chaotic sword qi within him crashed madly, but was locked down tight by the runes.

Just at the instant his origin was about to be extracted, a cyan figure shattered the clouds. The hand that lightly tapped the void became the last light before he plunged into darkness.

...

Although Fang Hanyu currently didn't know where he was, only knowing that this place was called the Purple Bamboo Peak, seeing the figure of his master Gu Changge set his heart at ease.

He took the water skin, tilted his head back, and took a few gulps. The cool spiritual water slid down his throat, washing away some of his exhaustion.

His gaze unconsciously fell on Gu Changge. This master, who had casually wiped out his enemies, always had an aura about him that made people feel secure, as if he could steadily catch the sky even if it fell.

Towards evening, a faint sound came from the direction of the back mountain, and Xiao Ruobai's figure appeared at the end of the bamboo forest.

His black clothes were soaked in blood and grime, and his hair stuck to his sweaty forehead. The drops of blood falling from the halberd in his hand smashed against the bluestone slabs, blooming into small, dark stains.

Although he deliberately restrained the aura of the late stage of the Core Condensation Realm around him, it still carried the sharpness of someone who had long experienced slaughter.

"Master."

Xiao Ruobai cupped his hands in greeting, his voice somewhat hoarse from exhaustion. His gaze casually swept over Fang Hanyu, and he suddenly froze.

He paused in place, his eyes lingering on Fang Hanyu for a moment.

The youth before him was dressed in a plain white Daoist robe, looking delicate and scholarly, with a cultivation level of only the early stage of the Core Condensation Realm.

Yet, Xiao Ruobai felt an obscure but highly threatening fluctuation from him, like a sword hidden in its sheath. Although unsheathed, its sharpness was already faintly leaking through the scabbard.

This feeling made him subconsciously tighten his grip on the halberd in his hand. He turned to look at Gu Changge, his eyes carrying an inquiry.

Gu Changge twirled the white spirit fruit between his fingers, his tone flat. "This is Fang Hanyu, the second disciple your master has taken in. From now on, he will be your junior brother."

Fang Hanyu took a step forward and bowed slightly to Xiao Ruobai. "Greetings, Eldest Senior Brother."

Xiao Ruobai withdrew his scrutinizing gaze, his tense figure relaxing somewhat. He cupped his hands in return. "No need for formalities. I am Xiao Ruobai."

He looked at the lingering youthfulness between Fang Hanyu's brows, recalled what he looked like when he first arrived at the Purple Bamboo Peak, and a trace of understanding flashed in his eyes.

"From now on, we will cultivate together under Master's tutelage. If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me."

Fang Hanyu nodded, clenching his fists within his sleeves.

He could feel the intense battle aura from this Eldest Senior Brother. It was a scent honed through countless real battles, completely different from the bloody stench he had felt in the forbidden area, carrying a kind of candid sharpness.

Gu Changge looked at the two, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

"Ruobai just returned from his experiential learning in the back mountain. It's a good time to rest and incidentally explain the rules of the Purple Bamboo Peak to your junior brother."

Hearing this, Xiao Ruobai raised his hand and wiped the bloodstains from his face, revealing a bit of a young man's straightforwardness.

"As Master says. Junior Brother Hanyu, our Purple Bamboo Peak has exactly three rules. To say they are simple, they are simple; to say they are complex... you can slowly savor them."

He sat down on the stone stool by the bamboo cot, thumping his halberd on the ground. The tip of the halberd pierced half an inch into the stone slab, carrying the teasing tone of someone who had been there:

"Rule number one: Don't go looking for trouble, but don't be afraid of it either."

Xiao Ruobai tapped his finger on the shaft of the halberd.

"When you go out for experiential learning, you must remember: if it comes to blows, remember to wipe your tail clean—if you kill someone, scatter their ashes. Master doesn't want to add to his troubles."

Fang Hanyu blinked and nodded silently.

"As for the second rule..."

Xiao Ruobai deliberately drew out his tone, glancing at Gu Changge, who was pretending to rest with his eyes closed on the bamboo cot, and lowered his voice.

Stay away from anyone surnamed Ye, Xiao, or Chu. Especially the ones who look completely ordinary but have absurdly good luck. Master says these surnames are natural trouble magnets; once you get involved with them, you will never shake them off.

Fang Hanyu listened with a bewildered expression. There was actually such a rule? But seeing his Eldest Senior Brother speak with such earnestness, clearly not joking, he committed the advice to memory.

The third rule, and the most important one—

Xiao Ruobai dropped his playful demeanor, his tone turning solemn.

Hide your true strength. Do not be too flashy.

He patted his own chest.

Although my cultivation is currently at the Core Condensation Realm, I have always disguised myself as being in the Body Tempering Realm. Just look at Master.

He gestured toward Gu Changge.

Even though Master only appears to be at the early stage of the Core Condensation Realm right now, I will let you in on a little secret: Master's true cultivation has actually reached the mid-stage of the Core Condensation Realm.

But Master is still Master. The last time we sparred, I unfortunately fell short by just a single move and could not beat him.

Fang Hanyu stared at his dead-serious Eldest Senior Brother, then recalled how their Master had effortlessly flipped the entire Great Yan Holy Land upside down with a mere wave of his hand that very morning. A giant question mark slowly materialized in his mind.

Mid-stage Core Condensation Realm?

He silently pinched his own thigh, wondering if his brain was still a bit muddled from having just crawled out of the forbidden zone.

The young man squatted on the ground, cradling his head as he stared at the clouds drifting across the horizon. For the first time in his life, he began to deeply question the entire concept of cultivation realms...