I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

Rescue

Being taken as a direct disciple by an elder, especially for a small cultivator like Long Tian who had no background, was akin to gaining a powerful shield, making night travels much less worrisome. But since the other party was surnamed Bai, if Long Tian truly became a disciple, it wouldn’t just be a matter of being cautious at night; he’d have to be careful even during the day to avoid being stabbed in the back.

“Who did you hear this from?” Long Tian wanted to understand the source of Qiu Li Gao’s information.

“A certain inner sect senior brother from our hall. His intel has always been accurate; it’s not just baseless gossip.” Qiu Li Gao didn’t mention that he had spent his saved 20 low-grade spirit stones to buy this information. His intention was simple: to understand how the upper echelons of the Sword Pavilion viewed Long Tian. Knowing some things in advance and preparing could yield twice the result with half the effort.

Qiu Li Gao was genuinely concerned about Long Tian’s future, hoping he could be taken as a disciple by a powerful manager or elder. Who would have thought he’d stumble upon such news? Qiu Li Gao was well aware that Bai Song was constantly targeting Long Tian; Elder Bai wanting to take Long Tian as a disciple could not possibly be out of admiration for his potential: “But I don’t understand, if he takes you as a disciple, the Bai family would be less likely to act against you, right? After all, you’re still under the attention of other elders. If something happens to you, it would be a loss of face for Elder Bai.”

“Ha…” Long Tian’s gaze was sharp, his words laced with coldness: “By saying it in advance, he’s afraid that other elders will take me as a disciple first, making it harder for him to act. Once I become his disciple, he has plenty of ways to manipulate me, like throwing out some useless techniques to wear me down, and once the heat dies down, he’ll send me into a trap he’s already set up, catching me like a turtle in a jar…”

“What should we do then? If you refuse, you’ll definitely be accused of disrespecting your elders, right?”

It’s really too easy for those in power to tarnish the reputation of small figures like them. Qiu Li Gao truly regarded Long Tian as a friend, and at this moment, he was incredibly anxious, as if he himself were in crisis.

“Hmm…” Long Tian’s mind raced; he couldn’t think of any way to break the deadlock. It was too difficult to confront an elder in the Tian Luo Sect. Leaving the Tian Luo Sect? That was even less possible; once he left, the outcome would definitely be worse.

“Let’s do this.” The old man, who had seen many storms, quickly offered a suggestion: “The strength you’re currently displaying isn’t enough to make other elders compete with the Bai family for the right to take you as a disciple. As long as you can make others feel it’s worth offending the Bai family for you, everything will be resolved.”

“But how do I do that?”

“You could showcase your alchemy skills. Just imagine, your disciple not only being a sword cultivator but also an alchemist…”

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of light flashed in Long Tian’s eyes. Although this would provoke jealousy and bring more targeting, it could help him get through the current crisis.

One must make choices in life, and Long Tian was quite decisive, deciding to follow the old man’s advice.

Time was of the essence, and Long Tian prepared to make a trip to the Dan Huo Hall, the most authoritative place when it came to alchemy. As long as the alchemists acknowledged his strength, others would naturally have no grounds to question it.

Soon, Long Tian set off for the Dan Huo Hall, accompanied by a bewildered Qiu Li Gao.

— Echo Peak;

—

As a modern person, Ye Yong found it quite easy to liven up the atmosphere, especially since his senior sisters were very accommodating and supportive of him. After explaining the rules of a few drinking games, the banquet became lively, and everyone was having a great time engaging with something new.

“Shimeng, Xiaorou, Echo Peak usually prohibits outsiders from entering. You two coming to find me is entirely the result of the hall master turning a blind eye. Why don’t you go toast her with a drink?” It wasn’t difficult to get the three female leads to speak; the key was to keep them engaged in conversation.

Mu Qingyin was the hall master and a powerful figure in the transformation realm. Toasting her didn’t faze Qin Shimeng and Liang Xiaorou at all. The two raised their glasses and approached Mu Qingyin.

“Hall Master, my name is Qin Shimeng. I’ve come to disturb the disciples of the Yinhua Hall, particularly Ye Yong, several times before. I hope you can forgive me.” Qin Shimeng wasn’t the type of girl who couldn’t speak; she simply didn’t go out of her way to flatter or please her elders, which made her seem quiet and impolite in the eyes of outsiders. In reality, she had the proper etiquette, but only for those she deemed worthy.

Mu Qingyin nodded, “No problem. You are Ye Yong’s friend, and as long as it doesn’t disrupt the order of Yinhua Hall, you are very welcome here.”

“I’m Liang Xiaorou, and I’ve long admired the name of Hall Master Mu. In fact, I used to love Yinhua and even considered joining the hall, but unfortunately, I lack the talent for it.” Liang Xiaorou wasn’t being polite; she genuinely had thought about it, and her understanding of Yinhua Hall was greater than that of Ye Yong, who had only been a disciple for a few months.

“Isn’t Liang the daughter of the previous elder? I believe I’ve seen you once before, though you didn’t notice…” Mu Qingyin looked her up and down for a moment. “You haven’t changed much since you first entered the sect.”

“Um, yes, I’ve had some health issues.” Liang Xiaorou’s expression was a bit strange. If it had been in the past, when she didn’t know she possessed a celestial body, she would have sulked, feeling that the other party was bringing up an awkward topic. Now that she knew, she felt no anger; instead, she had an inexplicable urge to show off her mature figure.

“I didn’t mean anything by it…” Mu Qingyin thought Liang Xiaorou was sensitive about her height and regretted her words. She had intended to find a topic of conversation, but it seemed she had gone in the wrong direction.

The atmosphere became awkward for a moment, and seeing this, Ye Yong quickly joined in, “This is a rare opportunity; could we ask the hall master to play a piece? To be honest, they asked me earlier what your music is like, but I couldn’t describe that profound melody…”

“Yes, yes! I’ve heard that the hall master excels in both music and painting. I wonder if I have the honor to appreciate it?” Liang Xiaorou was indeed very curious.

“Sorry to trouble you, hall master.” Qin Shimeng was also curious about how the music played by a transformation realm expert differed from that of ordinary cultivators.

“Of course, it’s no problem.” Finding topics wasn’t Mu Qingyin’s strong suit, but playing music was. Just as she wanted to ease the awkward atmosphere, she took out a jade zither from her storage ring, her delicate fingers resting on it.

“Deng…” The clear and melodious sound of the zither rang out.

The surroundings instantly fell silent, and the senior and junior sisters who had been playing games all turned their attention to Mu Qingyin. For others, a piece of music was just music, but for sound cultivators, the piece played by Mu Qingyin carried opportunities for comprehension. If one felt something, their understanding of music could deepen, and breaking through their cultivation level wouldn’t be a dream.

“Deng deng deng…”

Soon, the hall was filled with the beautiful sound of the zither, the lingering notes resonating, stirring the heart.

Ye Yong’s cultivation was stuck at the critical point of the fifth layer of crystallization. Since the banquet began, he hadn’t dared to eat spiritual food or drink spiritual wine. Asking Mu Qingyin to play was meant to save the situation, but unexpectedly, it backfired. At that moment, hearing the waves of music crashing one after another, the spiritual energy within him surged once more.

After being suppressed twice on the competition stage, he could no longer hold it back this time. It was too late to run; the spiritual energy surged in rhythm with the music, crossing that line, and he broke through right where he stood.