This Young Master is not Cannon Fodder

"Congratulations Junior Brother Xi. No, it should be Senior Brother Xi now." 

Tianyi smiled as he thanked Wei Daying for the praise. Contrary to the usual peacefulness and solitude familiar to Jade Peak Palace, numerous guests filled the halls and conjured a festive atmosphere. Members of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, ranging from foundation establishment disciples to unity venerables inhabited the halls, but these were not the usual members of Jade Peak. They were Tianyi's acquaintances or those with sharp ears who had come to congratulate him.

Mengfei had only arrived at the beginning to show her face before immediately leaving, and the immortal elders were not present at all. In their eyes, Tianyi transcending the Nascent Soul Heavenly Tribulation, although impressive at his young age, was not significant. Should he ascend to the Immortal Realm, only then would Tianyi be qualified to have their congratulations, but it was not so for those under the Immortal Realm. To them, Tianyi achieving the Nascent Soul Realm was a near miracle. 

Tianyi recognized a few of them that he had not in a decade. They were the scions of the elders that he had met before. He had derisively called them silkpants back then. Those near his age were few and far between. 

He still remembered when he refused to associate with them because of their immaturity. The ones near his age were still in the Qi Gathering or Foundation Establishment Realm.

As for those older...

Tianyi smiled as a core formation master raised a toast to him, and both sipped the wine from their cups. He remembered the core formation master, who had ostracized him due to the difference in age and seeing him as a little brat. He had disdained Tianyi for his low cultivation base, but now most, the core formation master could only gaze at Tianyi from below. 

A nascent soul grandmaster came forward and also toasted Tianyi. It was a far cry from the lofty attitude from before when Tianyi first met him. Tianyi's smile widened. 

"Senior Brother Lin, your words back then impacted me very deeply. I have to thank the motivation you imparted to me all those years ago. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have reached this height so quickly." Tianyi said with a courteous smile on his face. The smile inside Tianyi's heart, however, turned into a vindictive grin as Lin Mu's smile stiffened. It was a lie. To be honest, Tianyi could have cared less about this senior brother of his, but the stifled smile on Senior Brother Lin's face was just too satisfying for Tianyi. 

"I am overjoyed that my words back then gave Junior Brother Xi proper motivation." Lin Mu said. His grip tightened around his cup. "But you mustn't let your success go to your head. Realm isn't everything. The Dao is most important in the end." Lin Mu said, bringing out a senior's disposition as if lecturing an overeager junior. 

A dark flame smoldered in Lin Mu's heart as he looked at Tianyi's deviling eyes. Had he been born Xi Mengfei's son, then he, Lin Mu, would have even more remarkable progress than the little twerp in front of him. It took him over fifty years to reach the Nascent Soul Realm without any aid from his useless father. Lin Mu had been quite proud of that.

But as if to mock him, Tianyi reached the Nascent Soul Realm before he had even reached twenty! Thinking of the snotnosed brat that had approached him all those years ago, Lin Mu clenched the fist hidden within his sleeves. If back then he had...

"Naturally," Tianyi said. "I don't see what the big deal is. I was quite surprised when so many people came to congratulate me. Once I reach the Immortal Realm, I'll definitely invite senior brother Lin to the celebration then." 

For a moment, Lin Mu's face turned white, then raging red, before it returned to normal, only slightly paler. "Naturally, then I'll have to congratulate junior brother on your future success." Lin Mu said, his lip taut. 

Before Lin Mu could speak anymore, a new voice cut in and joined the conversation. "Congratulations Junior Brother Xi," 

"Many thanks, Senior Sister Ji," Tianyi said as he smiled sincerely at the demure woman. 

"Still, I'm quite surprised," Ji Shuye said. 

"To think that in a blink of an eye, you would have already reached the same realm as me. It took you five years to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm from the Qi Gathering Realm, and then another five years from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation. Going by this pattern, don't tell me you're going to reach Unity Realm in five years?" Ji Shuye joked.

"Don't joke with me, Senior Sister," Tianyi said. "It wasn't exactly five years in between." 

"Same difference." Ji Shuye said.

"Senior Sister Ji, did Eldest Senior Brother also come?" Lin Mu asked. Ji Shuye could be said to be descended from a cultivation clan in the Huang Realm, but to the Buzhou Immortal Sect, there was no difference between her and a disciple from a mortal family. 

Lin Mu rathered admired how Ji Shuye rose through the realms. It was a pity in his eyes that she started to focus on spiritual cultivation instead of concentrating solely on martial cultivation. 

"Yushan said that he was busy," Ji Shuye said. "He also told me to apologize for him for not attending Junior Brother Xi's banquet." 

Tianyi waved his hand. "No worries, I didn't really expect a banquet to occur. It just sort of happened. Besides, Senior Brother Xia is the eldest disciple. He has many duties to attend, so it is natural that his time is precious."

"Thank you for understanding," Ji Shuye said, relief hidden within her eyes.

"Strange, I don't recall Eldest Senior Brother having any prior appointments," Lin Mu said, his eyes trying to read Tianyi's facial expression. 

"How can you understand the difficulty of being the eldest senior brother? Because of some disciples, Yushan is often troubled by them. Especially those with backings and don't know how high the heavens are. Wouldn't you say?" Ji Shuye said, staring at Lin Me.

Lin Mu quickly averted his eyes and nodded. "Eldest senior brother is indeed the eldest senior brother for a reason. We normal disciples will probably never be able to accomplish the same things as Eldest Senior Brother."

"Indeed," Ji Shuye said. "Yushan often visits Jade Peak. Truthfully I'm quite surprised at how often he visits."

Tianyi shrugged, "Perhaps it's the project Junior Sister Jiang and my older cousin are working on. He seemed quite interested in the Xiyi Formation Cards."

"I've heard about them. Quite a number of the Junior Brothers and Sisters are buying them. Now that you've reached Nascent Soul Realm, perhaps it's time to create Nascent Soul ranked Formation Cards?" Ji Shuye asked.

 

"Maybe sometime in the future. I just entered the Nascent Soul Realm after all." Tianyi said, voice not very interested. Tianyi's eyes drifted away and widened slightly as he saw Daoyi drinking cup after cup with a group of unknown males.

Ji Shuye followed Tianyi's line of sight. "Is that Junior Sister Daoyi? I've only seen her from afar. She is drinking quite a bit, you should check up on her." 

"Excuse me for a bit," Tianyi said, and he began to walk towards Daoyi. 

"Senior Brother, congratulations again," Daoyi said, her cheeks slightly flushed, as she raised her cup to Tianyi before drinking it without waiting for Tianyi. 

Tianyi sighed helplessly. He didn't drink from his cup. He rather disliked the wine brought out for the celebration. He preferred fruit or flower wines, lighter and sweeter in taste.

"Junior Sister, I know you like wine, but you shouldn't drink too much," Tianyi said. Then he looked towards the three men talking to Daoyi. All of them could be considered to have a good appearance. "Who are these people?"

The three male disciples hurriedly stood up from their seats or at least tried to. Tianyi had to take a backstep as one collapsed onto the ground face first, the second swayed drunkenly, and the third directly hurled the contents of his stomach. None of them were in the right state to even speak. 

Tianyi looked at Daoyi. "You didn't spike their drinks, did you?"

"You're wrong, Senior Brother," Daoyi revealed a mischievous smile. "They seemed so excited that I kept toasting them. I can't help it if they don't have any alcohol tolerance."

As if to display her innocence, Daoyi shrugged helplessly. Tianyi blinked as he observed the area. He only now noticed the ten plus empty wine jugs. A distance away, several disciples ranging from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation Realm were sitting on chairs, unable to get up or flat out knocked out. There were even a few who were still conscious, walking around with unsteady footsteps. And judging by the wide berth the other people gave them, the aroma of wine must have clung to them heavily.

Tianyi felt his lips twitched as he directed his sight back to Daoyi. She still had that innocent smile. 'I should have known better than to worry about her. She only took a little while to wake up from that immortal wine, after all. Actually, should I give her that wine gourd?'

"That's...you know what? Nevermind." Tianyi ultimately decided not to say anything. He looked back to see a stunned Ji Shuye staring at him, or rather Daoyi behind him.

"Senior Sister?" Tianyi called out.

"Huh?" Ji Shuye said. She blinked before covering her lower face with her blue sleeve. "I was struck by a sudden thought, don't mind me." 

"Junior Sister, you've never met her before, but this is Senior Sister Ji Shuye," Tianyi said.

"Jiang Daoyi greets Senior Sister Ji," Daoyi said. Then she looked at the man who was slightly behind Ji Shuye. "This senior brother is?"

"Ah right, I almost forgot," Tianyi said as he glanced at Lin Mu. "This is senior brother Lin Mu. He's ascended the Nascent Soul Realm for quite a while now, despite his appearances."

Daoyi ignored the strange way Tianyi introduced Lin Mu and greeted Lin Mu as well. 

Tianyi blinked as he looked between Daoyi and Ji Shuye. Now that both of them were standing close to one another, he discovered that both of them actually had quite a similar aura.

After having chased away the rogues that wanted to integrate themselves with Daoyi, Tianyi left Daoyi with Ji Shuye, who seemed to want to talk.

It didn't take much thought as to why they wanted to integrate themselves with Daoyi. Being the disciple of a grand elder of the Buzhou Immortal Sect, her status was nobler than many outer elders, much less the descendants of those elders. Some were even the direct descendants of an immortal elder, just that the clan had just grown too numerous for them to stand out. Making friends with Daoyi for resources wasn't exactly a bad idea. Tianyi still didn't like it, though.

Soon after, Lin Mu excused himself, but on his way out, he bumped into someone. Upon seeing who he bumped into, Lin Mu's face dramatically paled. "S-Senior Brother Lovespot!"

The man frowned as he heard Lin Mu. "Is my name something a mere outer elder's child can randomly say?"

"I-I'm sorry, Senior Brother."

"Remember to address me lord from no. Scram," Lovespot ignored Lin Mu as he continued towards his destination.

As Lovespot left, Lin Mu's pounding heart gradually calmed down. Upon seeing Lovespot's goal, his lips couldn't help but quirk upward. Originally, he planned to leave, but now, he was waiting for the show to begin.

"Shuye, I didn't think you ever go anywhere without that bastard around."

Hearing this voice, Ji Shuye frowned as she turned and faced a frivolously smiling man. Her eyes zeroed in on the mole under his eyes, and her breath unconsciously quickened. "Why are you here, Lovespot?"

"There is no place this lord cannot go," Lovespot said as he saddled unwelcomely into the group and scanned the people present. His eyes passed over Tianyi and caught sight of Daoyi, causing his eyes to brighten.

"Yo, what a pretty little lass. How about coming with this lord and having a good time?" Lovespot said as he focused all his attention on Daoyi.

Daoyi's face heated up, and her eyes glazed over. Before she could sink into a trance, she bit her lips, causing blood to leak out, and clarity returned. She quickly averted her eyes and looked away.

"Oh? Fiesty, but I like it. Come, don't be shy." Lovespot said as he reached out towards Daoyi's trembling arm, but he frowned when he felt a hand clamp over his wrist. "Let go of this lord's hand, scum."

"Leave. You're not welcomed here." Tianyi coldly said as he used his body to block Lovespot's view of Daoyi.

"There is no place this lord cannot go to, now let go before I make you." 

Tianyi smiled, but the anger flowing from his eyes caused that smile to become terrifying. "Nowhere you cannot go? You'll find that you cannot visit Jade Peak ever again."

Before waiting for Lovespot to speak again, Tianyi used his control over the Jade Peak Seal, an immortal artifact that controlled everything on Jade Peak, including the formations, to expel Lovespot.

And before Lovespot knew, he found himself at the foot of Jade Peak. Flabbergasted, he tried to enter again, only to discover he had been blocked by an invisible barrier. No matter what he tried, he could not succeed.

"Good, good. Xi Tianyi, is it? I'll remember your name. Just because you're a grand elder's son, I'll have you know that there are some people you cannot offend!" With a huff and wave of his sleeve, Lovespot left.

Back in Jade Peak Palace, Tianyi frowned as he watched Lovespot leave. He vaguely saw the image of Xi Longyi overlap with Lovespot, despite the two of them have completely different features.

"Who was that?" Tianyi asked Ji Shuye after having Daoyi leave. 

"Lovespot. The only grandchild of the Justice Hall's Head Elder, Immortal Redseal," Ji Shuye said. "Pray that you never have to interact with him again, but with his personality, you should be careful of any actions he might take."

Tianyi nodded. After the Lovespot fiasco, he was no longer in the mood to celebrate, and the guest left not long after, sensing his displeasure. After Ji Shuye left, a disciple appearing in his mid-twenties appeared in front of Tianyi. 

"Junior Brother Xi," Tianyi glanced at the newcomer who came forward. Since he was no longer in the mood to smile, he didn't. 

"Don't you remember who I am?" The man asked, seeing unrecognition in Tianyi's eyes. 

"Have we met before?" Tianyi said. 'He couldn't be another person wanting to suck up, right?'

"I guess you wouldn't have remembered. We met when you were five. I'm Su Bojing." The man said.

Tianyi frowned as he tried to put the man's face to anyone in his memories. "Sorry, can't remember."

"No worries." Su Bojing waved it off. "Junior Brother Xi, I actually have official business to talk with you. Have you heard about the Heavenly Connection Gathering?"

Heavenly Connection Gathering, just from its name, one could gather its connection to the Three Heavens Connection Meeting. The two events were related in a certain sense. In fact, Heavenly Connection Gathering wasn't anything the Buzhou Immortal Sect elders officially acknowledged. 

It was initially a small gathering created from a meeting of scions descended from immortals from the Buzhou Immortal Sect and the various other first-rate sects. With the passage of time, it slowly morphed into its modern form.

The Heavenly Connection Gathering was the most well-known name for the event. The second name of the event was known as the Young Masters' Gathering because the participants were headed by the children or grandchildren of true immortals.  

"I am representing Lady Su Wanyu to invite Junior Brother Xi to attend the Heavenly Connection Gathering. This meeting will be slightly different in that the participants will be allowed to invite geniuses to contend."