NOVEL NEXT Chapter 173 Change
Yun Zheng slowly rose from his bed.
The sword wounds that had troubled him yesterday had vanished by today. Inside his body flowed two strains of Sword Qi, one Yin and one Yang, which according to a tacit agreement, complemented and honed each other.
Yun Zheng did not know that this was a cultivation routine deliberately arranged by Qing Yu to prevent Yun Zheng's body, containing two completely opposite Sword Qis, from colliding and causing this newly transformed Xuanyin Host to explode and die.
He merely thought that he had turned ill luck into good, and that from extreme Yin came Yang; he considered himself extremely fortunate.
With his hands held up, the yet unclear Yin Attribute Sword Energy and the Pure Yang Sword appeared in his left and right hands respectively, and the two True Qis inside his body also accelerated in circulation, making his whole body feel filled with strength.
"This sensation, I am without rival in the Divine Origin Realm," Yun Zheng excitedly said to himself.
He was already one of the top experts within the Divine Origin Realm; otherwise, he could not have been selected to represent Chunyang Palace in battle. Unfortunately, he had encountered Zhu Kong, a cheater, and was defeated by him.
Now, having acquired this Yin Attribute Sword Qi and having improved his own power, Yun Zheng was confident he could easily defeat the version of himself from yesterday.
In fact, he was still underestimating the prowess of Xuanyin Sword Energy. If it weren't because Yun Zheng was only in the Divine Origin Realm and could not withstand too much power, the Xuanyin Sword Energy would not be so limited in power.
Even with only a single Sword Qi, it was intrinsically a Divine Communication Sword Qi, much more powerful than thousands of Yun Zhengs combined.
"What should this Yin Attribute Sword Qi be named?" he wondered.
At this moment, Yun Zheng was still completely unaware of the changes within his body, pondering over what name to give this yin-and-yang-erroneously cultivated Yin Attribute Sword Qi.
"The Sword Qi is of a Yin nature, opposite to the Pure Yang Sword; maybe it should be called... 'Xuanyin Sword Energy'."
Yun Zheng suddenly zoned out for a moment – he initially intended to call it "Pure Yin Sword Qi" but unconsciously switched to "Xuanyin Sword Energy." Still oblivious to his own transformation, he was very excited about his newfound power.
At this time, the sound of footsteps and conversation once again came from the hall; Yun Zheng knew that his second senior brother and third senior brother had returned.
Last night, suddenly a Daoist came seeking them, saying that the Four Great Taoist Sects had an urgent matter and requested Chunyang Palace to discuss it.
His second senior brother, Yun Feng, and third senior brother, Yun Miao, could not decide who should go, and in the end, both went together.
The discussion lasted from late night until now. They had just returned.
Yun Zheng's face momentarily darkened; he would never forget the disgraceful behavior of his senior brothers from last night. However, his expression quickly returned to calm.
Since suddenly seeing the light last night, Yun Zheng was no longer the unsociable introvert he used to be. While he somewhat loathed these worldly manners, he had a very clear understanding of them.
He knew that if he wanted Chunyang Palace to rise, changes were essential, whether it was the change in Chunyang Palace or in himself.
Now was the first step in that change.
Yun Zheng slowly walked out of the partition, displaying a faint yet somewhat sad smile to the two returning senior brothers.
Their master had just passed away; even if he wanted to feign cordiality with the two senior brothers, a too cheerful expression was not appropriate—this smile was just right.
Yun Zheng, who had never been good at socializing, actually didn't understand that there were so many nuances to smiling, nor did he know how to show a faint and slightly sad smile at just the right moment.
Yet, he inexplicably had the confidence that he could do it, and indeed, he accomplished it.
When he put on the intentionally crafted mask, Yun Zheng felt somewhat disheartened, sensing something drifting away from him. However, his fellow disciples' words helped him cast aside that sense of loss.
"Junior brother, have you recovered?" his second senior brother, Cloud Peak, exclaimed joyfully.
His smile didn't seem feigned; it appeared genuinely joyful, which brought a faint warmth to Yun Zheng's heart. However, he then remembered the other's disgraceful behavior from the previous night, and the warmth vanished.
"Yes, senior brother, perhaps it was our master's blessing from heaven that allowed my fortunate recovery," Yun Zheng said with a feigned sorrowful tone.
This was another inexplicable feeling, and following this feeling, Yun Zheng demonstrated acting skills that not even a decade-long actor might possess.
"That's great," Cloud Peak and Yun Miao said in unison.
The two held great care for this junior brother, after all, since he was only at the Divine Origin Realm and posed no threat to their ascendancy to the position of Pure Yang Palace Master.
If the master were still alive, the two might worry that he would appoint Yun Zheng as the Young Palace Master after advancing to the True Pill Realm. But now, in the master's absence, Yun Zheng naturally posed no threat.
Since there was no threat, the affection from many years of living together naturally prevailed, making them genuinely glad for Yun Zheng's recovery.
After all, as warriors at the True Core Realm, even if they coveted the position of Pure Yang Palace Master, they would not show such disgrace as they did last night. Last night's incident was all stirred up by Qing Yu behind the scenes, deliberately orchestrated.
Alas, Yun Zheng was unaware of these intricacies.
His personality, which had turned somewhat cold after his injury recovered, led him to disregard the momentary warmth he had felt and only remember the disgraceful behavior from the previous night.
"Senior brothers, you were called last night to discuss something, was there an important matter?" Yun Zheng asked, pretending to be curious.
"Alas, it was about the matter of the Debating Conference…" Cloud Peak sighed heavily and sat down somewhat despondently, "Last night, the Supreme Daoist was attacked by a warrior from the Divinity Realm. Although it is said he managed to escape unscathed, the attacker used Taoist Mysterious Skill, employing Yin Yang True Qi.
This incident heavily implicates Zhenwu Sect, but Dragon Tiger Mountain is also somewhat suspicious. Yin Yang Skill is the most common among the Taoist skills, and other sects, even if not as proficient as Zhenwu Sect in this regard, are quite skilled at it too.
Palace Lord Hua from Luo Fu Palace suspects someone within the Taoist sects orchestrated this attack in secret, suggesting that the Debating Conference be called off and all sects return to their mountains.
If even our own ranks have those from the Divinity Realm with mal intentions, how can we stand against the Blood Demon Sect?"
"He does come up with good solutions, doesn't he? If the Debating Conference is called off just like that, wouldn't our master's death have been in vain?" Yun Miao scoffed coldly.
True Master Tianyang had just died yesterday at the hands of Hua Yufei; if today's Debating Conference ended abruptly, then Tianyang's death would become a complete farce. In the end, the Four Great Taoist Sects would maintain their status quo, with Luo Fu Palace remaining one among them.
"Dragon Tiger Mountain won't let Hua Yufei get off so easily; the Debating Conference will definitely not end in such an anticlimactic manner," Yun Zheng stated coldly.
This Debating Conference was convened by Dragon Tiger Mountain. However, with the series of unfortunate events during the conference, Dragon Tiger Mountain had already lost face. If it ended so anticlimactically, Dragon Tiger Mountain would completely lose face and credibility.
For Zhang Yuanchu, who was determined to see Dragon Tiger Mountain surpass the Supreme Taoist Sect, this was absolutely unacceptable.
A burst of ideas suddenly emerged in Yun Zheng's mind, and with a thorough understanding of the situation, he spoke with confidence, his expression of self-assuredness making Cloud Peak and Yun Miao glance sideways.