Lu Yuzhe met Zheng Jiaxing, who had already attained enlightenment, when he was still a mere handyman disciple.
The two, with completely different, even diametrically opposite, personalities, unexpectedly became good friends.
On one occasion, when a fellow handyman disciple was being bullied, the former, in a fit of anger, went to seek justice. It was only when the latter, leading a few outer disciples, arrived in time that the situation was prevented from escalating into a severe injury.
Several years passed in the blink of an eye, and their friendship had deepened to an extraordinary degree.
However, none of these matters were known to Lin Miaoyi, nor had she ever seen the two of them so close before.
After spending a comparable amount of time, the group returned to the area where outer disciples typically lived.
Under Lin Miaoyi's guidance, they soon arrived outside a small courtyard near the center.
At that moment, a disciple was returning and bumped into them. Upon hearing their purpose, he immediately invited them into the courtyard.
During this process, Ji Yuan noticed that this disciple was an old acquaintance of Lu Yuzhe beside him, and their relationship seemed to be good. Although it wasn't overtly displayed, subtle signs could be detected in their every move.
Upon entering the courtyard, it wasn't long before a young man, around Lu Yuzhe's age, emerged from his room with a smile.
Although he wore the attire of an outer disciple, it couldn't conceal his demeanor. He didn't seem like a cultivator seeking immortality, but rather like a young master from a wealthy family out for a stroll.
Without a doubt, this was Zheng Jiaxing, who was as renowned as Lu Yuzhe among the outer disciples.
He seemed surprised for the first time that his reclusive friend had brought people over, but his expression quickly returned to normal.
After the customary greetings, Lu Yuzhe directly stated their purpose, explaining concisely before directly asking his friend to join them in entering Xuantian Peak.
"Coming or not?"
Seeing the other man ponder, Lu Yuzhe asked expressionlessly.
Hearing this, Zheng Jiaxing's lips twitched. He suddenly felt his fists tighten.
However, he seemed to know that he couldn't defeat this annoying fellow in front of him, so he could only put aside his urge to nod.
He pushed Lu Yuzhe aside and stepped forward, his gaze falling on Ji Yuan, who was dressed in a Daoist robe.
"Entering Xuantian Peak is acceptable, but there's a problem here."
Zheng Jiaxing chuckled, "Since we are joining, who will we be joining under?"
His implication was clear: if they were to become disciples under the young man in front of them, they would be one generation lower. But if not, there was no one else to join.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan fell silent. This was indeed a problem.
According to the plans of the Nine Xuan Sect, when he one day successfully formed his core, he would naturally pay respects to the sect's ancestors, thus being of the same generation as the sect leader.
But for now, he only held the position of an elder in Xuantian Peak and had no actual seniority.
"Actually... I don't mind having a few more juniors."
After a long period of contemplation, Ji Yuan slowly raised his head and said with a serious expression.
Hearing this, Li Junxian and Zheng Wanrong's lips twitched. Lin Miaoyi by their side instinctively covered her forehead, seemingly surprised by the young man's sudden remark.
Zheng Jiaxing was even more astonished, not expecting such an answer after his prolonged silence.
"I think it's fine."
Lu Yuzhe said emotionlessly, seeing no issue with it.
Zheng Jiaxing's face darkened upon hearing this. He pointed at his friend, speechless for a long time.
He really wanted to ask how he could find such a preposterous idea acceptable!
"One sentence, are you coming or not?"
Lu Yuzhe raised his hand and slowly clenched it into a fist.
His posture and intent were clear.
"What do you mean, coming or not! This is not as simple as you think!"
Zheng Jiaxing almost jumped up, his brows furrowed as he pointed at his friend, "Don't you know this concerns our path of cultivation? How can you make such a hasty decision..."
"Hey, hey, hey!"
"What are you doing!"
Before he could finish speaking, he saw his friend approaching and, thinking he was about to be beaten, stumbled back several steps.
However, Lu Yuzhe merely reached out and felt him up and down, rendering the conciliatory words he had prepared useless.
A moment later, Lu Yuzhe turned and walked up to Ji Yuan without even looking at his friend.
"Here, his disciple's jade token."
He extended his hand, holding Zheng Jiaxing's identity token.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan's lips involuntarily twitched. The three people beside him fell into silence, their gazes cast strangely upon the expressionless young man.
A sigh came from behind Lu Yuzhe, tinged with a sense of resignation.
Not long after, Ji Yuan and the others emerged from the courtyard, their expressions somewhat dazed as they walked forward along the path, none of them speaking.
From the courtyard behind them, a few angry roars of "You're not living up to my expectations!" could be heard.
"You seem... to have changed a lot?"
After snapping back to reality, Li Junxian suddenly looked at the young man beside him.
Ji Yuan was slightly taken aback, then smiled and nodded. He had indeed changed somewhat during this period.
In the underground arena, he had faced his inner demons several times. In the Juixian Valley, influenced by Luyin and Jiang Yunzhou, he had discovered his state of mind issues and resolved the subconscious suppression he had harbored.
Now, he was more in line with his age. He no longer acted overly mature, and he displayed more youthful spirit in his interactions.
For instance, the sentence "I don't mind having a few more juniors" would have been something the old Ji Yuan could never have said.
"You have changed, but at least I feel quite good about it myself."
Ji Yuan said cheerfully, resting his hands behind his head.
At least for now, the changes had brought him no harm; instead, he felt more relaxed.
Unlike before, when he often felt a weariness that no amount of rest could alleviate, and every interaction felt troublesome and resistant.
Now, at the very least, he didn't have to pretend so much and could express his inner thoughts.
"Lingyu, you're much more likable like this than before."
Zheng Wanrong covered her mouth and chuckled, unable to resist teasing him.
Hearing this, amidst Li Junxian's laughter, Ji Yuan's face darkened. Although he was still a youth, he preferred to be described as handsome or dashing rather than likable or cute.
"Let's go, let's go! The sky is still bright, let's go see a few more outer disciples!"
He shouted a few times and strode forward.
However, after a few steps, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at Lin Miaoyi, who was trying to suppress her laughter, "By the way... which way should we go?"