19 Who Shall Bear the Burden

As the long-tailed tit flew off to deliver the reply, the inexplicable fervor that had gripped the group began to cool.

Master Qingyan looked toward Cui Huai, who had been the most spirited and seemingly calculating from the start. "With your Martial Aunt living in seclusion, the mid-stage Nascent Soul leader must surely be me. Not to mention the difficulty of me suddenly pushing through to the next minor realm, who among your fellow disciples is suitable to be the two Foundation Establishment cultivators?"

Cui Huai’s brain, previously intoxicated by the thought of spirit stones, cleared instantly.

To begin with, she was uncertain about herself. Her own strength was beyond her control; while she was confident in her ability to defeat a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the influence of her seven-and-a-half spirit roots made her current progression more inscrutable than the sword techniques of Sword Venerable Lingye.

Cui Huai turned her gaze toward the motley crew standing in a line.

Jiang Xuan had to be one of the choices. As the protagonist of the male-oriented novel mentioned by the system, he could hardly be a freeloader.

Zhu Yu was out; trying to turn a mortal with no spirit roots into a Foundation Establishment cultivator within a year was better left to a pipe dream. It was more likely that she would wake up tomorrow to find the system vanished and herself transformed back into Sword Venerable Lingye.

The weight of the final slot had to be decided between Zhao Zhixu and Fu Qin.

Both had their respective limitations in cultivation. Her Senior Sister was a single water spirit root cultivator—slow to progress and weak in offensive power; she would have to suffer greatly to reach Foundation Establishment in such a short time.

Fu Qin, theoretically, possessed good talent. However, since arriving at the Xiaoyao Sect, while his strength was formidable, his cultivation progress had been sluggish; he was likely someone with a very poor state of mind.

In an instant, Cui Huai decided that Fu Qin should be the other main candidate. It was better to leave the hardship to him, while her Senior Sister could continue to progress steadily, one step at a time.

Having settled on the candidates, Cui Huai recommended to Master Qingyan, "I believe the Eldest Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother are the most suitable."

Jiang Xuan, as the Eldest Senior Brother and the one most desperate for the three-thousand spirit stone reward besides Cui Huai, readily agreed.

Fu Qin did a quick mental calculation of the timeline; he should be able to restore his strength to the Foundation Establishment stage by early next year. Since participating was the only way for Cui Huai to get the spirit stones to pay off her debts, he offered no objection.

Master Qingyan nodded; these two were his best choices as well.

He gave them a few words of instruction to focus on their cultivation and to come to him for private lessons every three days. Once finished, he was eager to dismiss the disciples so he could find time to cycle his own energy arts a few more times. After all, if the disciples succeeded while he remained stagnant, leading to a failure to qualify for the tournament, it would be truly humiliating.

Just as they reached a consensus and were about to disperse, Zhao Zhixu did not move. She looked at her master, then at her junior sister, and mustered the courage to ask, "Why can it not be me? Why can I not be one of the candidates?"

***

Zhao Zhixu was someone with a good fate but terrible luck.

She was born into the main branch of a prominent cultivation family, with parents who were high-level cultivators. In the cultivation world, spirit roots are tested at age eight; by the age of two or three, she had already demonstrated a high affinity for spiritual energy, becoming the primary focus of her entire clan.

After she learned to read, the elders of the clan taught her mental cultivation methods one by one. She was the first child in the clan to own a small sword, and every time she performed a move with proper form, it was guaranteed to draw thunderous applause. She was the future on which the entire clan had placed their bets.

She would always remember the day of the spirit root test. Her parents had dressed her in new robes and, before leaving, patted her head: "From today on, Zhixu, you can begin formal cultivation. You must work hard to become the pillar of support for us, and indeed, the entire clan."

Yes, everyone could see that her comprehension was excellent and her affinity for spiritual energy was high; her future was bound to be limitless.

Though young Zhao Zhixu felt the pressure of becoming the clan's pillar was a bit heavy, she loved her parents, aunts, and uncles, and they had sacrificed much for her. The little girl resolved to cultivate diligently, ready to repay the Zhao clan.

But when the test results came out, she awoke from this beautiful dream.

"How is it a single water spirit root? This..."

"The purity is almost reaching that of a Heavenly Water spirit root; it’s quite rare."

"Don’t all pull such long faces, the child is watching. Besides, it still has its uses."

...

Little Zhao Zhixu numbly endured the disparity. At first, she didn’t quite understand why no one was teaching her mental cultivation methods anymore, or why, when other children received sharp new swords, her own sword became increasingly ornate and impractical—more like a toy than a weapon.

As she grew older, she understood. The clan’s resources flowed to those most worth investing in; she was merely a single water spirit root cultivator.

Why did she have to be a single water spirit root?

Water spirit roots were slow to cultivate and weak in combat; they were considered the best candidates for Daoist companions, or, to put it bluntly, mere cauldrons.

She was pained and lost, but she could change nothing.

No one cared anymore if she practiced or if she hit a bottleneck. When she was a little older, her family arranged a marriage for her, telling her this was her chance to contribute to the clan.

After struggling for a long time, she eventually fled the Zhao family without a shred of responsibility. She had wanted to repay her family, but this was not the way she wished to do it.

She ran far away to a remote place and took a master at a small sect. Here, it seemed no one cared whether she had a water spirit root; she was the same as her fellow disciples.

Yet, in this place that gave her peace, how had she unconsciously become an excluded option again?

In that home, she hadn't had the courage to ask why she couldn't be chosen, or why resources couldn't be shared with her. She could only run, fleeing before she fell into the abyss of fate.

But the Xiaoyao Sect was different. She inexplicably believed that this place was not like that home. She wanted to try, so she summoned her courage and asked them, "Why can it not be me? Why can I not be one of the candidates?"

***

Cui Huai felt a sense of annoyance. For the first time, she realized that the things Immortal Yanchi had once whispered behind her back were not entirely without merit.

Immortal Yanchi had once secretly conspired with several elders to badmouth her, calling her arbitrary and self-willed. She had heard it clearly, but had scoffed. It was merely the grumbling of the weak who lacked the power to make decisions.

But now, as her Senior Sister stood before her asking why she couldn't be chosen, Cui Huai wanted to say it was for her own good, that she didn't want her to suffer.

Yet, looking at the tears in her Senior Sister's eyes, she suddenly understood that this was not the answer her Senior Sister wanted; it was merely Cui Huai’s own self-righteous decision.

What kind of person was her Senior Sister?

Before, Cui Huai had thought of her as someone kind and gentle, someone she wanted to protect. Now, Cui Huai realized that her Senior Sister was also a cultivator who longed for strength and possessed unyielding perseverance. She should not be denied her efforts and resources under the guise of "protection."

Realizing this, Cui Huai first asked Master Qingyan, "Shouldn't the five of us work hard together? No one should be lazy. Heaven knows which of us will reach Foundation Establishment first! Besides, the tournament requires at least two, and surely the more the better."

Upon receiving Master Qingyan’s affirmative reply, Cui Huai unhooked her sword and handed it to her Senior Sister, wearing a resolute expression. "Senior Sister, I was rude just now. I am sorry. But verbal apologies are of little use. If you are still upset, feel free to strike me with your sword—just don't kill me."