Chapter 11: A Lifelong Rival

Normally, a cultivator at the Dao Seeking stage could live for one thousand nine hundred years. Of course, whether it was ordinary people who lived seventy or eighty years, or cultivators who easily lived hundreds or thousands of years, there were always exceptions among them. Those with exceptional talent, if they worked hard enough, might manage to extend their lifespan by a few more years. Or perhaps, by other means, they could prolong their lives even further.

This year, Luo Twelve was already two thousand years old—one hundred years longer than the usual lifespan for the Dao Seeking stage. Yet, it wasn't due to any innate gift of his own, but entirely because Luo Xingchen had employed life-extending methods and refined longevity pills to keep him alive. But every method to extend life had its limits. Now, none of these methods could help Luo Twelve any longer. Unless he broke through to the Tribulation Crossing stage, he would certainly die within a year.

There was a sad truth: not only was he untalented in prolonging life, he was equally lacking in cultivation ability. Reaching the Dao Seeking stage was thanks to Luo Xingchen; without her, he wouldn’t have even managed to reach the Upper Three Stages in his lifetime, let alone Dao Seeking. Now, having failed to break through to Tribulation Crossing, and thinking about the sect's situation after his demise, Luo Twelve was utterly hopeless.

Luo Xingchen cursed, "You truly are as stupid as a pig. Even if you die, isn't there still me?"

Luo Twelve said, "But... Grandmaster, aren't you going to ascend?"

He knew Luo Xingchen had gone out to cross tribulation.

Luo Xingchen replied, "I failed the tribulation."

"Congratulations, Grandmaster! Felicitations, Grandmaster!"

Luo Twelve shot up from his bed, all traces of despair swept away, his face bright with joy as if celebrating a festival. It wasn’t that he was being disrespectful—this was once a standing instruction from Luo Xingchen herself. Every time she failed a tribulation, he was to congratulate her.

Besides, Luo Twelve was genuinely happy. With Grandmaster’s failure, she could shelter the sect for another hundred years. And with her strength, as long as she remained, not only in the Northern Xuan Province but throughout the entire Nine Provinces, no one could threaten the Supreme Qi-Guiding Sect. Luo Twelve knew this well.

"It’s fine, there’s a whole year left, no need to worry," Luo Xingchen said.

"Until I find a suitable successor as sect master, you can't die even if you want to," she added, though she was already calculating when next to head out and gather resources.

Luo Twelve said, "Grandmaster, you needn’t trouble yourself over me. With you in the sect, I feel at ease."

"Speaking of which, Grandmaster, should we set off fireworks tonight to celebrate?" Luo Twelve asked again.

"Of course!" Luo Xingchen replied matter-of-factly. "Failing the tribulation is such a great thing—it must be celebrated with fireworks!"

"I’ll go make arrangements right away," Luo Twelve said, preparing to leave, his former gloom gone without a trace.

"Wait, not so fast," Luo Xingchen stopped him.

Luo Twelve was puzzled. "Grandmaster, what is it?"

Luo Xingchen said, "I’ve brought two promising disciples. I intend for them to join the sect. In a moment, you’ll come with me to help with their admission."

Luo Twelve had no objections, only asking, "Which elder will you have them follow, Grandmaster?"

Luo Xingchen shook her head. "None of them."

Luo Twelve froze, "Do you mean me? But I have only a year left—"

Before he finished, Luo Xingchen interrupted, "They’ll follow me."

Luo Twelve was stunned, then delighted. "Grandmaster will personally take them under guidance?"

Luo Xingchen said, "Not as disciples, just to follow me."

Luo Twelve sighed in admiration, "They must be extraordinary talents, then. I can’t wait to meet them myself."

...

Tie Pipi and Wang Zhengyu were very obedient. Luo Xingchen told them to wait here, so they did exactly that, standing motionless. Occasionally, disciples of the Supreme Qi-Guiding Sect passed by, casting curious glances, but none questioned them.

Until a rotund figure waddled past, then stopped a few steps away and shuffled back. His face, laden with excess flesh, stared at Tie Pipi with disbelief, as if unable to trust his own eyes. He rubbed them hard, looked again, rubbed, looked, rubbed—repeating several times until he could no longer hold back.

"Tie Pipi, it really is you! Why have you returned again?" His voice trembled, a mix of shock and anger.

His gaze grew subtly hostile. Wang Zhengyu didn’t know Tie Pipi had once been a disciple of the Supreme Qi-Guiding Sect, so hearing the fat man’s words and seeing his expression, she instinctively guessed there was some bad blood between them.

But Tie Pipi tilted her head, staring in confusion at the fat man, "Who are you? Do we know each other?"

"What did you say?!"

Her words made the fat man even angrier, his whole body quivering.

"I, Fan Tong, have regarded you, Tie Pipi, as a lifelong rival on the path of eating, and you claim not to know me?!"

"Eh?" Tie Pipi still looked completely puzzled.

Fan Tong pointed at her, furious, "How dare you, Tie Pipi! It’s not been long since you caused all of us to go hungry, and you’ve already forgotten?"

At last, a hint of understanding dawned in Tie Pipi’s confusion.

"So you’re the ones—those dreadful people who kept me from eating my fill!"

Tie Pipi remembered her days in the Supreme Qi-Guiding Sect. Not only in times of true hunger, but even at normal times, she could never fill her belly.

As for the reason... it was because those people had to eat too, which meant she couldn't eat her fill!

"Good heavens!" Fan Tong exploded, fuming. "You alone made all of us go hungry, and now you blame us?"

Before Tie Pipi could respond, Fan Tong’s face twisted in anguish.

"Do you realize, during your time here, I lost ten whole pounds? Even now, I haven’t regained them all—do you know how painful that is? Why have you come back? Who brought you—Sect Master?!"

Fan Tong’s eyes widened, staring past Tie Pipi and Wang Zhengyu.

Luo Twelve stood expressionless, beside him was Luo Xingchen.

Fan Tong didn’t know Luo Xingchen, but he recognized Luo Twelve. Every disciple of the Supreme Qi-Guiding Sect knew their sect master.

Fan Tong was confused by the sudden appearance of the sect master. Could it be that the sect master saw in him some extraordinary potential, destined one day to cross tribulation and ascend, and thus planned to take him as a disciple?

The thought excited him. Under his hopeful gaze, Luo Twelve looked at him and said, "This is none of your concern. You may leave."