The Old Ancestor’s Decree and a Peculiar Alliance

Bai Qiuyuan sat at a table in a VIP room, lost in thought.

By asking the disciples passing by, Bai Qiuyuan learned some things about Han Qianqiu.

In the history of the Sword Pavilion, it is said that a certain Old Ancestor, having failed to find a Dao Companion for two hundred years, declared a harsh decree.

Whoever physically occupied the position of Sword Pavilion Master would have the chance to become her Dao Companion!

After making this declaration, she placed a restriction on the Pavilion Master’s seat. Anyone who sat there for more than three seconds would trigger the restriction, finding their body confined and unable to move.

The Old Ancestor, currently in secluded cultivation, would immediately sense this and arrive at the hall where the seat was located as quickly as possible.

She would then check who had dared to sit in that particular seat.

Historically, one Pavilion Master had been overjoyed upon ascending to the position, believing he had not only become the leader but also won the heart of a beauty.

However, after the Old Ancestor arrived, she found the Pavilion Master unattractive and proceeded to give him a severe beating.

Only after venting her frustration did she depart.

Subsequently, an additional condition was added for anyone wishing to occupy that seat: they had to be handsome!

Later, another refined cultivator, quite pleasing to the eye, arrived at the Sword Pavilion.

This refined cultivator “accidentally” sat on the seat, drawing the Old Ancestor’s attention.

The Old Ancestor, deeming his cultivation and talent too poor, ended up severely beating both the cultivator and the elder who had tricked him into sitting there.

Thus, another two hundred years passed.

The Old Ancestor still had not found a Dao Companion.

The Pavilion Master’s exclusive chair, due to the certainty of a beating from the Old Ancestor upon anyone sitting in it, became the only unoccupiable seat in the entire Sword Pavilion.

And that Old Ancestor’s name was Han Qianqiu!

She was now one of the Grand Ancestors of the Sword Pavilion!

Bai Qiuyuan: “…”

‘She mentioned before that if my face wasn’t pleasing, she’d beat me…’

‘She wasn’t lying!’

Bai Qiuyuan thought, a shiver of dread running through him.

Creak

Just then, a girl who appeared to be seven or eight years old, clad in a white feather robe adorned with golden patterns, pushed open the door and entered the VIP pavilion.

After turning to close the door, she looked at Bai Qiuyuan and smiled.

“Fiancé, what have you decided?~”

Bai Qiuyuan gazed at the girl, who was clearly younger than him, feeling an inexplicable sense of familiarity, yet unable to recall who she was. He asked, bewildered,

“You are?…”

“It hasn’t been that long, and you’ve already forgotten me?”

As she spoke, the girl raised her hand and gave it a slight shake, showing Bai Qiuyuan a bracelet-like magical artifact on her left wrist, seemingly carved from white jade.

Upon seeing it, Bai Qiuyuan immediately looked down at the identical black bracelet-like artifact on his own right wrist.

“You’re Han Qianqiu? How did you become like this?”

Han Qianqiu didn’t answer, instead walking to the table with a smile, pouring herself a cup of tea before finally speaking.

“My previous appearance looked too old; standing next to you, we didn’t seem like Dao Companions.”

“Once cultivation reaches the Nascent Soul (TL Note: A stage in cultivation where a practitioner’s spiritual essence has coalesced into a nascent soul, granting them significant power and abilities, including control over their physical appearance) stage, one can control their physical age and appearance. Rejuvenation is not impossible.”

“How about it? Don’t we look like a pair of Golden Boy and Jade Girl (TL Note: A traditional Chinese idiom referring to a perfectly matched, beautiful young couple) now?”

Bai Qiuyuan: “…”

‘Is this the cultivation world?’

“What’s your name?”

Han Qianqiu asked, taking a sip of her tea after speaking.

“…Bai Qiuyuan.”

Bai Qiuyuan silently grumbled in his mind.

‘Her actual age is probably enough to be my great-grandmother…’

Han Qianqiu, as if having seen through Bai Qiuyuan’s thoughts, chuckled.

“Compared to my current lifespan limit, I would still consider myself a maiden in the prime of youth!~”

Bai Qiuyuan immediately fell silent upon hearing this, yet he harbored no doubt about the truth of Han Qianqiu’s statement.

“Don’t worry, I won’t make you marry me now. I’ll wait until you’re of age to marry me~”

“A mere decade or so passes quickly for cultivators~”

Han Qianqiu smiled.

Bai Qiuyuan: “…”

“Why me?”

“Have you ever considered that the Half-step Core Formation (TL Note: A stage in cultivation where a practitioner is on the verge of forming a golden core, a crucial step towards immortality) pressure I exuded earlier might have been cast through some magical artifact?”

“What if my actual cultivation and talent are both quite poor?”

Bai Qiuyuan asked, a slight headache beginning to form.

Han Qianqiu chuckled upon hearing this.

“Do you know? The cultivation world is not lacking in talented cultivators.”

“But you are different.”

Bai Qiuyuan asked, puzzled.

“How am I different?”

Han Qianqiu said with a serious expression.

“Even if you just stand there motionless, others will still perceive you as a genius!”

“And not just any genius—a peerless one!”

“What’s more, you’re so handsome; bringing you out and introducing you to others will definitely bring me great prestige!”

Bai Qiuyuan: “…”

‘Are people who’ve lived for hundreds of years all as eccentric as you?’

“How about this? As long as you agree to pretend to be my fiancé, I can be your enforcer for the next decade or so.”

“Whoever bullies you, I’ll beat them back for you!”

“There won’t be many in the entire cultivation world stronger than me, you know~”

“However, I’ll act according to the situation. If you do something wrong, I won’t cover for you, but if you’ve done nothing wrong…”

Han Qianqiu smiled.

Bai Qiuyuan listened, then after a moment of silence, asked,

“What about after those ten-plus years?”

Han Qianqiu chuckled.

“If, after twelve years, you still don’t wish to become my Dao Companion, then I, Han Qianqiu, will let you go. How does that sound?”

Bai Qiuyuan considered this for a moment, then smiled.

“It’s a deal.”

Watching Bai Qiuyuan agree so readily, Han Qianqiu chuckled inwardly.

‘He’s the most handsome one in nearly a hundred years! There couldn’t possibly be anyone more attractive than him!’

‘If I miss him, I might never find a Dao Companion in this lifetime!’

‘This old lady refuses to believe that after living for several hundred years, I can’t win you over in twelve!’

Bai Qiuyuan thought with a smile.

‘With Han Qianqiu’s protection, I can finally develop discreetly.’

‘Then, as long as my cultivation surpasses hers…’

With that, the two exchanged glances, both sporting a business-like smile, and then, sipping their tea, began discussing the specific arrangements.

—Training Ground—

“Combat begins!”

Yang Xueqing instantly surged forward, her sword clashing against the sword in her opponent’s hand.

After a resounding clash, both individuals froze in place as if petrified, making no further move.

Approximately ten seconds later, Yang Xueqing withdrew her sword, and only then did the opposing cultivator collapse to the ground, a faint wisp of smoke rising from his body.

As Yang Xueqing slid her sword back into its sheath, sparks generated by electricity danced along the blade!

Yang Xueqing chuckled inwardly.

‘A metal sword is a conductor!’

The elderly referee, seeing the man unconscious, announced,

“Yang Xueqing, victorious!”

Time swiftly advanced to evening.

The first round of combat in the Disciple Recruitment Ceremony concluded, with many participants directly eliminated.

Fortunately, Yang Xueqing’s opponents happened to be rogue cultivators who didn’t possess much knowledge of spells.

Using her Palm Thunder (TL Note: A technique where a cultivator generates and controls lightning from their palm), Yang Xueqing channeled a portion of the electricity into her sword, then, by means of electrocution, rendered her opponents unconscious, effortlessly securing consecutive victories!

Concurrently, she had preserved her strength to the greatest extent possible!

After the competitions concluded, everyone was guided by the Sword Pavilion’s arrangements to temporary accommodations to receive hospitality.

“Have you heard? Something significant seems to have happened at the Sword Pavilion.”

“Oh?”

“All the elders, including the Pavilion Master, were summoned to the Sword Pavilion’s main hall for a discussion immediately after the competitions ended!”

“It appears to be related to the Grand Ancestor of the Sword Pavilion!”

While everyone was discussing, Yang Xueqing, eating silently, pondered with a hint of confusion.

‘Where is Senior?…’

Perhaps it was because she had been eating with Bai Qiuyuan on the way to the Sword Pavilion for the past few days; having grown accustomed to dining together, suddenly returning to eating alone made Yang Xueqing feel somewhat unaccustomed.

—Sword Pavilion Main Hall—

“Cough, cough. The reason I’ve gathered everyone here today is about a matter.”

An elder said, looking at the various elders below the platform.

This elder was none other than the current Sword Pavilion Master, who had previously seen Bai Qiuyuan!

After the Pavilion Master finished speaking, under the bewildered gazes of the elders, he walked towards a jade seat adorned with two plaques.

Everyone: “?”

For a moment, all the elders looked at the Pavilion Master with puzzled expressions, not understanding what he intended to do.

Then, to everyone’s shock, the Pavilion Master sat down in that chair!

“Woc!”

It could only be said that they were indeed elders of the same sect; upon seeing the Pavilion Master sit in that chair, everyone simultaneously uttered an expletive!

Just as the elders despairingly believed that the Grand Ancestor would appear and severely beat everyone present,

the elder seated in the Pavilion Master’s chair chuckled.

“Today, I have some good news to share with all of you.”

Everyone: “?”

“The restriction set by the Old Ancestor on this seat has been lifted!”

The moment the elder finished speaking, a brief silence fell over the hall, which then erupted into instant commotion.

Some were shocked, some were bewildered, and some even shed tears of old age!

Upon seeing this, the Pavilion Master also displayed an expression of sympathy.

In the past, after this chair was restricted, an elder had proposed moving it to another location a few years ago.

After all, this chair occupied the main seat in the hall.

However, shortly after they began to move the chair, the restriction on it was triggered!

Consequently, almost everyone present at the time was unilaterally beaten by the Old Ancestor who rushed to the scene!

From then on, no one dared to touch the chair again.

The most despairing was the Sword Pavilion Master himself; despite being the Pavilion Master, he dared not sit in that position.

Nor could the Pavilion Master simply move a chair to sit beside the main seat.

Thinking that he could finally sit in this position during his lifetime, the Pavilion Master was actually filled with deep emotion.

After all, his Old Ancestor possessed extraordinary talent and unfathomable cultivation; he couldn’t defeat her in a fight, nor could he outlast her.

Creak

At this moment, the hall doors were opened from the outside.

A pair of young boy and girl walked directly into the Sword Pavilion’s main hall.

The girl appeared to be eight or nine years old, clad in a white feather robe with golden patterns, looking utterly adorable—a definite beauty in the making!

The boy, whose hand the girl was holding, was dressed in a black feather robe, possessing a countenance as exquisite as an immortal from a painting!

Everyone felt they had never seen such beautiful people in their lives!

Walking together, the young boy and girl exuded an aura of a perfect match, a delightful sight to behold.

Just as some elders were about to reprimand the arriving youngsters, another elder stopped them.

And prompted him to look at the pair’s wrists.

Thus, everyone quickly noticed the pair of bracelets on their wrists!

Everyone present still vividly remembered that magical artifact that had once beaten them so severely!

Coupled with the girl’s subtly familiar appearance,

All the elders instantly recognized the young girl!

‘It’s the Grand Ancestor of the Sword Pavilion, the one who set the restriction on the Pavilion Master’s seat!’

Since one could freely rejuvenate after reaching the Nascent Soul stage, no one found it strange.

Everyone then turned their heads to look at the young boy, whose hand was held by the Sword Pavilion’s Old Ancestor.

Then, to their astonishment, everyone realized that they could not discern the boy’s cultivation level!

‘What?! We can’t see his cultivation? Is his cultivation above mine?!’

‘Then could he actually be an old monster above the Spirit Transformation (TL Note: A high stage in cultivation, typically following Nascent Soul, where the practitioner’s nascent soul transforms into a spirit or soul body, granting immense power) stage?!’

‘No wonder he earned the Old Ancestor’s favor!’