Speechless

Qiu Hanyun gazed at Bai Lan, silent for a long moment. She couldn’t quite place why, but Bai Lan’s aura felt profoundly strange. Even at a distance of nearly three zhang, she stood there like an iceberg, emanating a chilling, bone-piercing cold.

“Why is this young woman’s cultivation so remarkably stable?” Qiu Hanyun murmured to herself. “It’s entirely unlike other Qi Refining cultivators. She feels as though she’s been at this stage for a long time, not like a newcomer to cultivation at all.”

As Qiu Hanyun stared, a sense of unease settled in Bai Lan’s heart. She felt as though the woman’s gaze could pierce through her very being.

She knew, of course, that this was due to her superior cultivation and powerful divine sense. Fortunately, her Chaos Body remained veiled by the power of the Heavenly Dao, rendering it imperceptible to her.

This woman is staring at me, likely because my Qi Refining stage is unusually stable, isn’t it? Bai Lan mused inwardly.

The two of them held each other’s gaze for nearly a minute, leaving the surrounding disciples utterly bewildered. A disciple from Tianyin Pavilion, seeing Bai Lan stand silently before Qiu Hanyun, immediately felt compelled to reprimand her.

“Junior Sister, why do you not pay your respects upon seeing an elder?”

The woman’s voice jolted both Bai Lan and Qiu Hanyun back to reality. Bai Lan, without hesitation, bowed deeply to Qiu Hanyun.

However, her bow was unmistakably a male’s gesture, which once again stunned the onlookers. The etiquette for men and women in this world was distinctly different.

Such a blatant disregard for proper decorum was rarely seen, causing the Tianyin Pavilion disciple to grow deeply displeased. Using the wrong etiquette was a clear sign of disrespect towards an elder.

“How audacious!” the female disciple to Qiu Hanyun’s left immediately chastised. “Who taught you to bow like that? Did your elders not inform you that, as a woman, you should perform a woman’s salutation?”

The outer sect disciples behind them couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Who is that?”

“Acting like a man. I’ve never seen a woman perform a man’s bow before.” someone jeered.

While such an offense could be significant, it fortunately wasn’t in the mortal world. Bai Lan, for her part, remained entirely unconcerned. She certainly had no knowledge of “women’s etiquette.”

“Enough, enough, let it go,” Qiu Hanyun interjected, cutting off the disciple beside her. She turned directly to Bai Lan. “Disciple, why were you engaged in other activities while listening to this elder’s discourse? Or perhaps, you believe what this elder imparts is of no use to you?”

Cultivators, after all, were cultivators; they weren’t always so strict in adhering to worldly etiquette.

The moment Bai Lan heard this, she knew Qiu Hanyun was looking for trouble. However, she also had a way to deal with it.

“To answer the Elder,” Bai Lan replied without reservation, “I was born into a cultivation family and have already practiced my inherited family technique. Therefore, after joining the Luoshen Sect, I did not cultivate the Hundred Flowers Technique. Since I have no intention of cultivating it, why should I merely sit idle on the Hundred Flowers Terrace? Why not use these few hours to improve my cultivation instead?”

Her words, it must be said, sounded somewhat confrontational. The disciples beside Qiu Hanyun again felt the urge to reprimand her, but Qiu Hanyun stopped them.

She knew Bai Lan spoke the truth. This also perfectly explained why Bai Lan’s Qi Refining stage was so stable, unlike someone who had just begun cultivating. She hailed from a cultivation family.

A cultivation family, by definition, was one with a cultivator background, typically residing within the mortal world.

“I see,” Qiu Hanyun said gravely. “However, are you aware that what I impart is not merely an understanding of the Hundred Flowers Technique? It also includes my own insights into cultivation during the Qi Refining stage. Since you are already a cultivator, you should understand the immense importance of an elder’s cultivation insights. If you can comprehend them, you can avoid many detours.”

Although Qiu Hanyun was a Nascent Soul cultivator, the Xue Clan, it must be said, possessed cultivators at the Mahayana stage. A Nascent Soul cultivator, in the presence of a Mahayana one, was no different from a mortal.

Bai Lan had been exposed to powerful individuals since childhood and likely knew more than Qiu Hanyun. Naturally, she had reasons to refute her.

“While that may be true, Elder,” Bai Lan stated, “as the saying goes, ‘The master leads the way, but cultivation depends on the individual.’ Everyone has a different physique and cultivation method, destined to be unique. Furthermore, forgive this disciple’s impolite remark, but the path of cultivation is like a tree: though all paths may lead to the same destination, there are countless branches. Your insights, while valuable, may not necessarily be the only truth. After all, Elder, you yourself do not seem to have reached the end of the cultivation path.”

Bai Lan’s words verged on arrogance, at least to the ears of the lower-level cultivators present. It was akin to a student telling their teacher, ‘You are not qualified to teach me.’

The Hundred Flowers Terrace fell silent. It wasn’t that Bai Lan was arrogant; rather, she believed she had the capital to be so, so why feign ignorance? Moreover, what she had said was simply the truth, with no intention of disrespect.

Qiu Hanyun, meanwhile, was utterly stunned by Bai Lan’s remarks. In all her years of cultivation, this was the first time she had heard a mere Qi Refining cultivator speak such words to a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Yet, the other party’s words were well-reasoned and logical. She was not an unreasonable person. While confrontational, her statement was indeed true; her own cultivation path was still halfway, and she hadn’t necessarily reached its end. What right did she have, then, to impart her cultivation insights as absolute truth? Bai Lan’s words, in fact, served as a reminder to her.

“Who is she?”

“Speaking so wildly? How dare she say such things to an elder?”

“Exactly! Isn’t she just telling the elder, ‘You’re not qualified to teach me’? So arrogant.”

The outer sect disciples erupted in outrage. They felt Bai Lan was truly too arrogant, displaying an utterly disrespectful attitude towards an elder.

These were merely the thoughts of fools. Bai Lan was no fool; she had her own cultivation path and had never intended to follow in anyone else’s footsteps.

“Master, this girl is impolite,” the Tianyin Pavilion disciple suggested angrily. “I recommend immediately expelling her from the Luoshen Sect.”

Below, Li Yunxi froze, a wave of worry washing over her. If Qiu Hanyun were to get angry because of Bai Lan’s words, then Bai Lan would be in serious trouble.

“What? Sister Bai Lan, what’s gotten into you? How can you speak to an elder like that? Aren’t you just asking for trouble? Sister Linglong, what should we do?” Li Yunxi asked anxiously.

Xue Linglong, however, appeared remarkably calm. In just a month’s time, the young woman’s mind seemed to have matured considerably, quite unlike the childish demeanor she had a month prior.

“It’s fine,” Xue Linglong replied calmly. “The elder isn’t such a petty person. Besides, what Sister said wasn’t wrong. I believe she was right.”

Li Yunxi was taken aback, finding herself completely unable to fathom what Xue Linglong and Bai Lan were thinking.

As for Qiu Hanyun, she was at a loss for words. It felt as though everything she had intended to say had been completely blocked by the young woman before her.

“Sigh! Never mind,” Qiu Hanyun finally said, waving a hand. “Since you possess such confidence, you must have great faith in yourself. In that case, I hope that in the near future, you will swiftly enter the inner sect. Only then will your words truly command conviction. You may return.”

Seeing this, Bai Lan also let out a sigh of relief, then returned to Xue Linglong and the others.

“You startled me,” Bai Lan admitted, a hint of lingering fear in her voice, as she sat down.

She had appeared calm moments ago, but in truth, a certain tension had gripped her. She had simply put on a very convincing act.