Disappointed?

Master said... she's disappointed in me?

These words from Guan Xuelan made a smile creep onto Gu Xiu's face.

It was a smile tinged with bitterness, yet also with a hint of release.

"How dare you, Gu Xiu! Master is questioning you, and you have the audacity to smile!" Lu Qingyao shouted from the side.

"Master, he's provoking you! He must be severely punished!"

Guan Xuelan frowned as well.

After a moment's hesitation, she asked, "Gu Xiu, why are you smiling?"

"Your disciple was just thinking of something amusing," Gu Xiu replied.

Guan Xuelan's expression instantly turned cold. "At a time like this, you still have the mind for idle thoughts? Do you truly feel no remorse at all?"

"Master, may this disciple ask, why should I feel remorse?" Gu Xiu asked.

"You..."

"Is it because I didn't give Little Junior Brother that useless bamboo stick?"

"That..."

"Or is it because my continued presence in the sect is an obstacle to Little Junior Brother inheriting the Zongzhu's position?"

"You... what did you say?"

Guan Xuelan was stunned, staring at Gu Xiu in disbelief. Even Lu Qingyao, standing to the side, covered her mouth in shock.

They never expected...

That Gu Xiu would actually bring this matter out into the open!

"Before I entered the Forbidden Land all those years ago, Master, you promised that if I returned safely, the position of Zongzhu would be passed down to me."

Gu Xiu spoke slowly, pulling a jade tablet from his robes. "To show your sincerity at the time, you even entrusted the Zongzhu's jade tablet to me."

Guan Xuelan said coolly, "At the time, you did indeed have the bearing of a successor. But given the current situation..."

"I'm a cripple, is that it?" Gu Xiu asked with a smile.

Guan Xuelan's brow twitched.

"You know you're a cripple, yet you still have the face to cling to the Zongzhu's jade tablet?" Lu Qingyao had no such reservations and immediately berated him.

"How does that make you any different from a mangy dog?"

"Qingyao, hold your tongue!" Guan Xuelan snapped.

"Master, you can scold me all you want, but I'm going to say it!" Lu Qingyao's temper flared as she continued to rail against Gu Xiu.

"Gu Xiu, do you think the Qingxuan Holy Land of today is the same as the old Qingxuan Sect? Do you think you, in your current state, are still qualified to inherit the Qingxuan Holy Land?"

"You're just a cripple! A cripple whose cultivation, aptitude, and foundation are all completely destroyed! Right now, even a third-rate rogue cultivator could kill you at will!"

"Can you not see the reality of the situation?"

"Don't you understand that the best fate for you would have been to die in battle in the Forbidden Land, to become a hero people would remember fondly?"

"I said, hold your tongue!" Guan Xuelan finally lost her patience and snapped again.

This time.

She unleashed the spiritual pressure of a Great Ascension Stage cultivator.

Lu Qingyao, a mere Jindan, had no way to resist. She was instantly suppressed into silence, but her resentful eyes remained fixed on Gu Xiu.

And seeing that gaze, Gu Xiu suddenly understood.

So.

That's how it was.

Guan Xuelan glanced at Gu Xiu, hesitated, and then said coolly, "Gu Xiu, what your Little Senior Sister said was indeed rather unpleasant..."

"Master, on the contrary, I feel Little Senior Sister's words were like a great bell, deafening yet enlightening, truly thought-provoking," Gu Xiu said softly.

He looked up again.

His gaze swept over the three people present.

Under his stare.

Jiang Xun maintained his apologetic, white-lotus facade. Lu Qingyao met his gaze without flinching, her eyes filled with undisguised resentment.

As for Guan Xuelan.

Her eyes were as placid as water.

Gu Xiu smiled, the last trace of attachment in his eyes vanishing completely. He spoke softly,

"Actually, I had always planned that once Junior Brother Jiang advanced to the Jindan stage and became qualified to be the successor, I would sacrifice my life to the Dao, forcibly severing the bond with this Zongzhu's jade tablet."

His words surprised Guan Xuelan.

Lu Qingyao snorted coldly.

Clearly not believing a word of his nonsense.

Gu Xiu hadn't expected them to believe him anyway. He just smiled again and said,

"But now, I've had a change of heart."

"I've decided... I cherish my life."

Hmm?

Guan Xuelan's brow furrowed instantly.

Even Jiang Xun.

For a fleeting moment, revealed a flash of venomous resentment.

Gu Xiu paid their gazes no mind, simply holding out a piece of paper he had already prepared.

"What is this...?" Guan Xuelan frowned.

But then she heard Gu Xiu say, "The Abandon Sect Covenant!"

At these words, Guan Xuelan's outstretched hand.

Trembled slightly.

She looked up at Gu Xiu, and for the first time, a different emotion appeared in her eyes besides indifference. "You want to abandon the sect?"

"Yes." Gu Xiu nodded.

"Once this Abandon Sect Covenant is signed, I will be considered to have voluntarily left the sect, with no further ties to the Qingxuan Holy Land."

"Naturally, the bond established with the Zongzhu's jade tablet will also be severed. It will save Zongzhu Guan the trouble of worrying about the tablet any longer."

The three of them stared in disbelief.

The Abandon Sect Covenant was used when a disciple left the sect, but in truth, it was rarely used.

This was because once the covenant was signed.

It meant.

All debts and grievances between the signatory and the sect were severed completely. All ties would be cut, even the bond of shared heritage, and whatever happened to the sect in the future would no longer concern them.

Even those who truly left a sect would rarely sign such a thing, preferring to preserve some small measure of shared history and camaraderie.

After the initial shock, Lu Qingyao's face lit up with excitement. Jiang Xun was better at hiding his feelings, but he still couldn't suppress a hint of delight.

This eyesore was finally leaving!

Only...

Guan Xuelan frowned, looking at Gu Xiu with displeasure. "Is this your way of rebelling?"

"Rebelling?" Gu Xiu was confused.

"You know full well I will not agree, yet you present this. If this isn't rebellion, what is it?" Guan Xuelan questioned coldly.

"Do you feel I have punished you too harshly?"

"Or do you feel the sect has wronged you?"

"I must say, this tactic of advancing by retreating is quite clever!"

Gu Xiu didn't understand. "Advancing by retreating?"

"Am I wrong? Do you take me for a fool, or for a blind woman?" Guan Xuelan sneered.

"As a core disciple of our sect, hailed by the outside world as a hero of the Qingxuan Holy Land, you know very well that if you leave the sect, it will cause a storm of criticism. People will say our Qingxuan Holy Land discards the bridge after crossing the river."

"By presenting this Abandon Sect Covenant now, what are you doing if not threatening me?"

Hiss—!

Search "pawread.com" for the original.

At these words, Lu Qingyao's gaze toward Gu Xiu grew even more disgusted.

She had thought this junior brother had finally seen reason.

She never imagined.

His schemes ran so deep!

To think he would try to threaten the sect in such a way!

He deserved to die!!!

As for Gu Xiu, he was also taken aback. Although he had lost all expectations for his master the moment she came to condemn him.

He truly never thought.

That when he presented the Abandon Sect Covenant, this would be the first thing she would think of.

"Master is truly wise beyond compare," Gu Xiu couldn't help but sigh.

"Hmph!" Guan Xuelan snorted.

"Although your behavior over the past three years has been a great disappointment, I still held onto a sliver of hope for you. I never imagined your jealousy ran so deep."

"In that case, you need not go to the water prison. Go to the Reflecting Cliff instead. Stay there for three years and reflect on your transgressions today."

Gu Xiu didn't move.

Guan Xuelan frowned. "Are you still not satisfied?"

"This disciple wishes to leave the Qingxuan Holy Land. I hope Zongzhu Guan will grant my request."

Seeing Gu Xiu's persistence, Guan Xuelan's eyes flashed like lightning. "Do you still wish to threaten me?"

A terrifying spiritual pressure from the Great Ascension Stage crashed down.

Even Gu Xiu couldn't help but stagger.

Nearly falling to his knees.

But...

Gu Xiu did not kneel!

Instead, he withstood the terrifying pressure and slowly bowed.

"I hope Zongzhu Guan will grant my request!"

"Do you really think I am someone you can manipulate?" Guan Xuelan roared, the pressure intensifying.

The immense force made Gu Xiu's bones creak and groan. A tightness seized his chest, and he couldn't stop himself from spitting out a mouthful of blood.

As if that wasn't enough, Guan Xuelan snorted in anger again.

Gu Xiu felt as if he'd been struck by a heavy hammer. His long white hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

But he.

Still did not kneel!!!

He only took half a step back, his back as straight as a spear. Wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth, he repeated in a loud voice,

"I hope Zongzhu Guan will grant my request!"

"You..." A murderous intent flickered in Guan Xuelan's eyes, but in the end, she just gave a cold snort.

"Fine. Very fine."

"You are very fine!"

With that, the immense pressure vanished. The weight on Gu Xiu lifted, but he couldn't help but spit out another mouthful of blood.

However, Gu Xiu couldn't be bothered with that now.

He saw Guan Xuelan actually pick up the Abandon Sect Covenant. Then, she manifested her Qi and wrote her name, Guan Xuelan, upon it.

With only the final stroke left, Guan Xuelan looked at Gu Xiu, her expression cold.

"If you think I am someone who can be so easily schemed against and threatened."

"Then you are wrong!"

"I will ask you one last time."

"Do you..."

"Truly wish to abandon the sect?"

Was there even anything to hesitate about?

According to the events in that Illusory Realm, this sect was a cage that imprisoned him, a den of demons that would suck him dry!

Naturally, he felt no hesitation now. He immediately shouted again,

"I hope Zongzhu Guan will grant my request!!!"

This time, it was Guan Xuelan who hesitated for a moment. But seeing the hopeful look on Gu Xiu's face, she finally steeled her heart and wrote the final stroke.

Instantly!

The Abandon Sect Covenant, originally just a normal piece of paper, erupted in a golden light after Guan Xuelan signed her name. It slowly rose into the sky above the Qingxuan Holy Land as a law of heaven and earth manifested.

Gu Xiu could feel something being stripped away from him.

It was the power of the sect's fortune that had been bestowed upon him.

As the sect's fortune was stripped away, the Zongzhu's jade tablet in Gu Xiu's hand also flew out.

It landed in Guan Xuelan's grasp.

Gu Xiu had abandoned the sect; naturally, he no longer had any right to inherit it.

In the eyes of the other disciples, this was the stripping away of a monumental opportunity. But in Gu Xiu's eyes.

What was stripped away...

Was a shackle!

He felt not a shred of regret, but an unprecedented sense of freedom.

A tiger crouches in deep mountains, listening for the howling wind; a dragon lies in shallow waters, waiting for the ocean tide!

Now.

The wind has arrived, and the tide has come!

The tiger returns to the forest, the Flood Dragon enters the sea!

Ahead...

Lies a path of boundless opportunity!!!

"Thank you, Zongzhu Guan, for granting my request!"

Gu Xiu bowed once more and said loudly,

"According to sect rules, one who abandons the sect must return all sect treasures and have their sect cultivation methods abolished. Fortunately, I already returned all treasures bestowed by the sect three years ago, and my cultivation has long been crippled."

"Now, we owe each other nothing. I shall take my leave today!"

With that, Gu Xiu turned and walked away.

Without a trace of lingering attachment.

As Gu Xiu departed, Lu Qingyao and Jiang Xun finally snapped back to reality. Lu Qingyao was ecstatic, her eyes filled with excitement as she watched Gu Xiu's retreating back.

Jiang Xun was more reserved, putting on a troubled expression. "Master, Senior Brother Gu was just confused for a moment, we should..."

"Do not speak of this matter again!" Guan Xuelan waved her hand, her attitude utterly cold.

"He wanted to threaten me, so I will let him understand."

"I, am never threatened!"

"Pass down my order."

"From this day forward, Gu Xiu has no connection to the Qingxuan Holy Land. No disciple is to aid or shelter him in any way."

"I would like to see."

"Without the protection of the Qingxuan Holy Land, how he, Gu Xiu, will survive!"

"..."

Her voice was not quiet, and Gu Xiu, who had just reached the mountain gate, heard every word clearly.

However.

He merely smiled faintly.

He turned for one last look at the gates of the Qingxuan Holy Land, then finally turned away for good.

May this parting be an eternal one.

As for the difficult road ahead...

It was nothing.

He would simply cross it!

And just as Gu Xiu completely left the mountain gate, in the Qingxuan Holy Land's Wen Tian Pavilion, a peerlessly beautiful woman in a black robe, with features as if painted.

Suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Her face turned ashen, her beautiful eyes filled with shock.

"What happened?"

"The fount of fortune that has blessed the sect for five hundred years..."

"Why..."

"Has it suddenly dissipated?"

"Could it be... the sect has done something to incur Heaven's Retribution?"

---

Proofreader: Peter Pan