Volcanic Age

The early plums receded, and the snow plums blossomed. The snow plums receded, and the winter plums blossomed as well.

A year had passed since Zhou Xuchuan joined the Lotus Pavilion.

Time went by in a flash.

He had diligently been cultivating the Plum Blossom Life Art. As a result, at eleven, he possessed forty-five year's worth of internal qi.

As for the Violet Haze Divine Art, he had reached the third stage. Progress was still excruciatingly slow.

This wasn't because Zhou Xuchuan had intentionally held himself back. On the contrary, he consumed a lot of mental energy in training.

Other martial arts didn't take that long to train if he focused his mind. This past year was enough to master most of them, including the Five Ways Plum Blossom Sword Technique. For basic sword arts like the Six Cardinal Sword Technique and the Falling Petal Sword Art, he only needed a few months.

Of course, he had kept these accomplishments secret from those around him.

"Phew."

Despite his prior experience in the Harmony Realm resolving most of the obstacles in his path, the Violet Haze Divine Art still proved to be challenging. It truly lived up to its name as a divine cultivation art.

It would be much easier if someone taught him, but the only person who could advise him on the Violet Haze Divine Art was the sect master, whom he couldn't approach for help. He had to resolve this by himself.

*

There was a reason why the fourth-generation members of Mount Hua wanted to spend their childhood in the Lotus Pavilion. The treatment at the Lotus Pavilion was exceptional. What Zhou Xuchuan liked, in particular, were the personal training sessions where he was given almost infinite freedom with practically no restrictions.

Since joining the Lotus Pavilion, he had learned a few advanced martial arts. One of them was his cultivation art, which was now the Plum Blossom Six Cardinal Cultivation Art.

There were four cultivation arts that represented Mount Hua.

First was the Plum Blossom Cultivation Art, which was the foundation for everything. The second was the Plum Blossom Six Cardinal Cultivation Art, and the third was the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra.

The Plum Blossom Six Cardinal Cultivation Art and the Jade Maiden Heart Sutra were reserved for the legitimate successors of the sect. That was because they formed the core base of the sect.

The Jade Maiden Heart Sutra was a cultivation art created exclusively for women; men couldn't learn it.

The fourth and final was the Violet Haze Divine Art the only divine art that Mount Hua had.

Zhou Xuchuan trained in both the Plum Blossom Six Cardinal Cultivation Art and the Plum Blossom Life Art simultaneously.

Both of them were cultivation arts he had mastered in his previous life, so he could practice them at the same time and at an incredible pace.

Aside from that, he was taught the Fourteen Forms of the Plum Blossom Sword Art, tracking techniques, detoxification routines, and other techniques aside from martial arts that were necessary for survival in the world of cultivators.

Those admitted to the Lotus Pavilion received unique education, setting them apart from other fourth-generation members.

Today, Zhou Xuchuan displayed the Fourteen Forms of the Plum Blossom Sword Art in moderation in front of an instructor before having some personal training time.

Most of the time, he circulated his qi according to the Plum Blossom Life Art near a plum tree. Training consistently like this helped him acquire a lot of internal qi.

"Apprentice brother."

He saw a familiar face when he opened his eyes after cultivating.

"I might really suffer a cultivation deviation one day like this," Zhou Xuchuan remarked, calming his surprised heart.

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One year ago, the two of them had joined the Lotus Pavilion. It had caused quite a stir, it was still brought up from time to time.

"I'm sorry if I surprised you," Luo Xiaoyue apologized. She sounded sincere.

"You don't have to apologize like that. That aside, you're still acting so mature… wait, I guess it's natural since you're that grandma's grand disciple."

Despite being only ten years old, the maturity in her actions and thoughts had not changed during the past year. She always tried to be thoughtful and considerate of others. Sometimes, disciples several years older than her came to her for advice.

Her demeanor was quite different from that of a typical ten-year-old.

This was partly due to the extraordinary talent she showed from a young age, but it was also heavily influenced by the strict education from her grand master, the Iron Blood Plum Sword.

"Apprentice-brother." Luo Xiaoyue puffed her cheeks.

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. I apologize." Zhou Xuchuan shrugged and admitted his mistake.

The Iron Blood Plum Sword might appear emotionless to others, but maybe that wasn't the case for the disciples of her direct descent.

When Zhou Xuchuan apologized obediently, Luo Xiaoyue looked satisfied.

"I think it's good to admit your mistakes readily."

"Yeah, yeah. That aside, you're quite peculiar, hanging out with someone like me."

Zhou Xuchuan had managed to get himself a title before he entered the world of cultivators.

All Bite, No Bark.

It was the opposite of All Bark and No Bite, which was used to refer to people who looked all impressive on the outside, but actually weren't that powerful.

One year ago, during the examination, Zhou Xuchuan achieved victory against Luo Xiaoyue using reckless sword-waving that could hardly be considered a sword art.

At first, people thought it was some kind of evil art, but that suspicion was dissolved when it was announced that Zhou Xuchuan had a lucky encounter and managed to eat a spiritual medicine.

"It's really pearls before a swine."

"Urgh, I can't believe someone like him managed to get a lucky encounter."

"So that means he's just a lucky guy?"

That consequently resulted in an even lower evaluation of Zhou Xuchuan.

The fact that he won with the help of spiritual medicine, in other words, brute internal qi, meant that his martial prowess was actually insignificant.

From the perspective of the disciples who had prepared for years for that moment, Zhou Xuchuan was even more resentful than their worst enemy.

The title "All Bite, No Bark" was given to him because, despite possessing a lot of internal qi, his martial arts skills were lacking.

Obviously, Zhou Xuchuan was unconcerned. On the contrary, he was satisfied with that evaluation.

The insults are a little annoying, but this is ideal.

He joined the Lotus Pavilion, but his talent wasn't scrutinized. This way, he could avoid the eyes of the enemies that would appear in the future.

Although he regretted how he lived in his previous life, and vowed to live this one on his own terms, he had to stick to that rule.

"You know, apprentice-brother." Luo Xiaoyue stared at Zhou Xuchuan.

"What is it?"

"Is what you usually display really your true skill?"

"That's right."

Zhou Xuchuan lied with a straight face.

His actions after joining the Lotus Pavilion were rather unconventional, drawing the attention and curiosity of many people.

Back when he just joined, most people didn't view him favorably. However, some believed that even if luck got him into the pavilion, with proper guidance, he might change for the better.

This was the majority opinion of the instructors of the Lotus Pavilion.

In place of Liu Zhengmu, who was absent because of a mission, they tried to teach Zhou Xuchuan seriously even if he wasn't their disciple.

However, there was no way Zhou Xuchuan would comply with their wishes when he had to hide his true skills. He downplayed his abilities and displayed a moderately less-than-average performance.

"You're aware High Elder Shen Yulian hates me. So it's better if you keep your distance."

Zhou Xuchuan stood up from his seat. Luo Xiaoyue tried to follow him, but he raised his hand to stop her.

Ugh, what a pity.

Although he acted all disinterested on the outside, he really wanted to go back immediately and continue talking with Luo Xiaoyue. His memories of Luo Xiaoyue, the Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix, had left a deep impression on him even to this day.

She was at the forefront of the younger generation of the Orthodox Faction, and she was praised as the Plum Blossom Sword Phoenix. There were many men who tried to win her heart.

Due to the difference in their reputation and skill, Zhou Xuchuan had only watched her from a distance and never had the courage to approach her.

Such a person was willing to be with him, call his name, smile, and talk to him. That was a joyful matter.

In a few years, Luo Xiaoyue would become a world-class beauty, and a heroine at the same time.

She was someone Zhou Xuchuan, a nobody, had once admired.

She was among the many people he had chased years—maybe even decades—ago.

"Hold yourself back a little more, Zhou Xuchuan."

Luo Xiaoyue was a little troublesome, but there was the issue with Shen Yulian as well.

Shortly after he joined the pavilion, Shen Yulian blatantly expressed her disdain for Zhou Xuchuan and watched him closely.

Not long after that, when she found out that Zhou Xuchuan had pathetic talent and kept a low profile without causing problems, she lost interest.

Now is the time to endure and stay low.

Zhou Xuchuan kept reciting that in his mind.

*

The Lotus Pavilion was the gathering of geniuses, prodigies and talented disciples of Mount Hua. In total, there were nine people aside from Zhou Xuchuan.

When Zhou Xuchuan saw the other members for the first time, he couldn't hide his amazement, even though it wasn't unexpected given most of the members were heroes who had fought alongside Luo Xiaoyue on the battlefield.

When he thought about it, it was quite natural. The Lotus Pavilion was a gathering of the most talented people in Mount Hua, and the sect naturally looked out for them in many ways to raise them into young heroes and heroines.

Those who truly stood out were sometimes offered advanced martial arts and even spiritual medicines early on. After all, their future was almost guaranteed and their contribution to the sect would be immeasurable.

Nine out of ten important members of the sect, such as the sect master, the five high elders, and the Plum Blossom Swordsmen were from the Lotus Pavilion.

How should I put this?

Including Luo Xiaoyue, he had never been involved with any of these people in his previous life. They all lived in a different world from him.

These people didn't know Zhou Xuchuan's name, much less his face, even in his previous life when he had managed to become one of the five high elders.

All of the people present… will fall in the Era of War and Chaos.

The Era of War and Chaos continued for decades. The main forces of Mount Hua had undergone several changes during that time, including the Plum Blossom Swordsmen, the Five High Elders of Mount Hua, and even the sect master.

The ones who were called heroes and heroines early on had lost their lives to pay for peace, including these sect brothers and sect sisters in front of him. Zhou Xuchuan was the only one who managed to survive.

'No, I guess I won't know what will happen to me anymore either.'

The reason Zhou Xuchuan was able to survive until the end of his life was his ordinary skills and a little bit of luck. The ones who were called elites were sent on important missions and had become targets of assassinations.

On the opposite end, cultivators on the level of Third Class and Second Class were treated like common soldiers and disappeared by the day.

It was the people in the middle, who had a moderate amount of strength, that managed to protect themselves and survive.

However, now that Zhou Xuchuan had crossed the barrier from the middle group to the genius class that was the Lotus Pavilion, it was unknown what would happen to him in the future.

Would someone come after my life too?

Such a thought crossed his mind.

"Hey, All Bite No Bark!"

He turned around when someone called out his title. There, he saw a boy who had a very angry expression. Zhou Xuchuan didn't know what he was so dissatisfied with, but he had a very vicious expression on his face, and was breathing heavily in agitation.

His stature was larger than most other children, and his spiky hairdo made him stand out.

"Yes, apprentice-brother Li Jian."

Li Jian was a member of the Lotus Pavilion who was three years older than Zhou Xuchuan, which would make him fourteen.

"You!"

Li Jian glared at Zhou Xuchuan with bloodshot eyes. His eyes contained a clear hint of jealousy.

Zhou Xuchuan scratched the back of his head, not knowing what to do. Meanwhile, Li Jian glared straight at him and walked towards him. Then he grabbed Zhou Xuchuan by the collar with his large hands.

"You dare ignore what your senior brother tells you? I should have told you to stay away from Sister Luo. And yet you still have the galls to talk to her!"