I have a high-risk profession in the cultivation world.

Although that made sense, Chu Chenmu was still very worried. However, he respected Tian Yige's idea, but he also gave her a lot of things and told her not to go to dangerous places, to be careful when traveling alone, and to send a message to her master if she was wronged, etc.

When do you plan to come down the mountain?

"There's no time like the present. I've already mentioned this to my two junior brothers. Now that we've bid farewell to Master, I'll pack up and set off immediately!"

Why are you leaving in such a hurry? Chu Chenmu nodded, not wanting to continue this upsetting topic, and said, "Do you have a name for your sword? Give it one, as a kind of ritual."

"A sense of ritual?" Tian Yige was a little confused by this word, which she was hearing for the first time, but she roughly understood its meaning. After examining the sword in her hand, Tian Yige said, "It's called Tinghan." Then she stroked the blade, "From now on, you will be called 'Tinghan'."

Hearing the cold, there was no response.

Seeing that the atmosphere was about to get out of control again, Chu Chenmu changed the subject once more: "The Spiritual Cultivation Alliance will be held in a year. We need to rush to Echo Valley, so you must come back within a year at the latest."

Tian Yige nodded in agreement.

After seeing Tian Yige off, Chu Chenmu sat alone in the courtyard, lost in thought.

He was constantly worried about whether his apprentice would encounter danger or be bullied while he was away, and he even lost the desire to read storybooks.

Sigh, I feel a kind of melancholy, similar to a mother's worry when her son travels a thousand miles away.

……

one year later.

On the platform outside the main hall of Wanjun Peak, a large group of disciples stood. At the front were the disciples selected to participate in the Spiritual Cultivation Alliance in Echo Valley, all dressed in inner sect or personal disciple robes.

On the high platform, Li Chenglin and everyone else stood in place and said, "This April, the Spiritual Cultivation Alliance will be held in Echo Valley. This is another opportunity for our Wuji Sect to prove ourselves to the world. You are all the best among the young disciples of our Wuji Sect. I have only one request for you to represent our Wuji Sect in this competition: win the championship."

Li Chenglin's voice, imbued with spiritual energy, spread out, silencing the whispers below. He continued, "I know that we disciples of the Wuji Sect are powerful, but it's not enough for only me to know. We should show it to the world!"

"Show your true strength and shock all cultivators in the world!" The disciples arranged by Wu Chushan were the first to raise their arms and shout, which caused a thunderous sound in the crowd before they could react. Soon, more and more disciples joined in, and the whole square was filled with heroic shouts.

"Unleash your true strength and shock all cultivators in the world!"

"Unleash your true strength and shock all cultivators in the world!"

……

Li Chenglin watched the actions below with satisfaction, his eyes gleaming with a captivating light.

This spiritual gathering is his best chance to prove that he is more suitable than Ren Junmo to manage the Wuji Sect!

The other elders then gave some instructions, setting the departure date for seven days later. After everything was explained, the crowd slowly dispersed.

Chu Chenmu remained a mere background figure, standing among the elders. He hadn't spoken, and no one had mentioned him. Chu Chenmu was perfectly content with his situation; giving a speech in public was practically the same as being forced into a social death.

The elders and disciples began to leave. Chu Chenmu found the pitiful last remaining members of his Lingtian Peak—Su Chengdian and Luo Suichen—in a corner of the square, and together they returned to Lingtian Peak. The other peaks were bustling with activity and overflowing with people, but his Lingtian Peak had no servant disciples, no outer disciples, only three personal disciples, and now one of them had not returned.

Seven days later, the team was assembled, but Chu Chenmu and his two companions, who were standing at the end of the line, still hadn't seen Tian Yige.

"Master, has Senior Sister sent another message?" Su Chengdian asked.

Chu Chenmu shook his head. Eight days ago, Tian Yige sent a message saying that she would return to the mountain in ten days at the latest, but there has been no news since.

Just then, everyone received another message from Tian Yige – she was delayed on the road for a day, but would definitely arrive tomorrow.

"Master, should we continue with the group?" Su Chengdian asked from the side.

Chu Chenmu shook his head. If that was the case, they could wait another day and go to Echo Valley on their own. Perhaps they were faster and would arrive before the main group.

Chu Chenmu went ahead to explain to the elder in charge, who was Cheng Zian's Daoist partner, Dongfang Shu. Dongfang Shu didn't ask too many questions. Junior Brother Chenmu was always sensible, and besides, there were only four people in Lingtian Peak, including Chu Chenmu, so let them go.

The next day, Tian Yige returned to Lingtian Peak and first went to pay her respects to Chu Chenmu.

Seeing that Tian Yige was unharmed, Chu Chenmu smiled and patted her shoulder, "It's good that you're back safe and sound. I'll call your two junior brothers up as well."

A year has passed, and Tian Yige's temperament has become more mature and reserved, unlike before when she was so sharp and outspoken.

A short while later, Su Chengdian and Luo Suichen came up. The four of them hadn't seen each other for a year, so they naturally had a lot to talk about. However, three of them were taciturn, so it was Su Chengdian who kept the conversation going. On the other hand, Tian Yige, who was alone outside, only briefly mentioned her experiences before falling silent.

"Senior Sister's sword tassel is so beautiful." Hearing her junior brother speak, Tian Yige looked down at it, smiled, and when she looked up again, her eyes were filled with a bit of shyness. She mumbled a few words, only saying that it was a gift from a friend she met while traveling.

Chu Chenmu observed the newly added tassel on Tian Yige's sword hilt, a light sapphire blue tassel with a white jade lotus flower on top. The knot of the tassel was handmade, somewhat rough, and must have been tied by the person who gave the gift. It looked rather androgynous, not like something a girl would do.

Seeing Tian Yige's unusually shy demeanor again, Chu Chenmu's alarm bells went off. He had guessed correctly—it really was a male friend? And she treated him with such affection; was he really just an ordinary friend?

Could his naive young disciple have been deceived by some random man outside?

The brief conversation caused Chu Chenmu immense emotional trauma. He thought of countless cases of girls being deceived, and recalled the plots of killing one's wife to attain enlightenment in the novels he had read in his previous life. He secretly resolved to observe carefully in the future and nip all dangers in the bud.

After Tian Yige finished packing, the group set off.

Chu Chenmu's prediction was correct; they did indeed arrive earlier. The four of them settled in Liuyin City, next to Echo Valley, and did not find any trace of other Wuji Sect disciples until the third day when the main group finally arrived. Chu Chenmu and the other three joined the main group and headed to Echo Valley together.