Chapter 115: Only the Useful Are Kept

Zhang Ning noticed where Chu Hanyu’s gaze had just fallen. He then lowered his head and stared at the peony in his hand, momentarily stunned. Could it be that his master was… Of course! His master was a Martial Venerable of the Azure Sky Realm! Surely, he valued strength above all else. Would he think it strange that Zhang Ning had picked the “ugliest” flower? What should he do now…

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Ning tilted his head slightly, as if responding to Han Zun’s earlier question, and said firmly, “Only the useful are kept!” The words rang with undeniable conviction.

Unbeknownst to Zhang Ning, at that instant, Chu Hanyu’s eyes deepened with complexity.

As for Zhang Yicheng, he was indeed somewhat clever, though luck had never favored him. Yet this time, he had done something so bold that even many far stronger individuals dared not attempt—it was that he had stirred trouble right under the nose of the Demon Lord of Myriad Phenomena, who had become aware of it!

This was quite reasonable, however. After all, Chu Hanyu was no longer in his previous state of prolonged seclusion nor suffering from memory loss or poor health. Even without counting his Martial Venerable spirit reaching from the highest heavens to the deepest abyss, his formidable body alone was enough that no disturbance within the vast territory of the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect could escape his notice. Yet he was not a pervert who constantly eavesdropped; ordinarily, he paid little mind to petty squabbles among junior disciples. This time, it was pure coincidence that he overheard the matter.

Even hearing of disciple casualties rarely stirred Chu Hanyu’s emotions. Within the Azure Sky Realm, the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect was renowned for its generous disciple welfare, though they adhered strictly to survival of the fittest. Injuries and deaths in contests among disciples were common, let alone battles against outsiders.

Chu Hanyu initially thought the garden had been tampered with by outsiders and only cared because of the recent alien invasion, which left him uneasy. Moreover, his mood had been grim due to the mysterious powerful figure he was dealing with, so he came personally to inspect, treating it as a way to clear his mind. But upon seeing the strange plants, his mood worsened.

As a Martial Venerable whose combat power was unparalleled, Chu Hanyu’s aesthetic sense was far from twisted like Han Zun’s. Seeing those bizarre plants, especially the extensive renovations Zhang Yicheng had made within the sect, Chu Hanyu felt displeased.

He was the one who had arranged formations throughout every corner of the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect, not exempting even the healing chambers or the flying artifacts of his inner disciples. This showed Chu Hanyu’s strong traditional sense of territorialism and possessiveness. Zhang Yicheng’s actions were tantamount to raising a hand against a tiger.

Thus, when Zhang Ning saw Chu Hanyu strolling the garden, she mistakenly thought her master was in a good mood with leisure to spare. In truth, Chu Hanyu’s irritation had accumulated to a breaking point. And with Zhang Ning constantly lingering under his watchful eyes, Chu Hanyu felt a trace of helplessness.

Yet that rare emotion vanished the moment Zhang Ning spoke. “Only the useful are kept.” The phrase inadvertently struck a chord within Chu Hanyu.

He had already realized the mysterious strong figure treated Zhang Ning like a disposable pawn, utterly indifferent. This made Zhang Ning’s previously genuine attachment to the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect all the more credible. Chu Hanyu hadn’t expected that beneath Zhang Ning’s cheerful and lively exterior lay fragile sorrow—believing that useless things could never be retained. What then did Zhang Ning think of himself?

He recalled his fourth disciple Han Zhifei, who searched among heaps of bones for his fallen family on the battlefield; his third disciple Zhuge Yi, a puppet heir who appeared glamorous but was on the verge of collapse; his second disciple Ming Chen, the “little beggar” rescued by the eldest; his eldest disciple Qin Guanlan, whom he had taken in after finding lost in the market; and his own unfulfilled childhood, except for his looks.

The similarities gently, ever so gently, stirred something in Chu Hanyu’s heart.

Still, this did not change his prior stance. And frankly, though the mysterious figure looked down on Zhang Ning, who could say if Zhang Ning was not deeply attached to him? After all, judging by the strange mark on Zhang Ning’s brow, that mysterious figure was likely the first person Zhang Ning met after arriving in this world.

Like a child’s irrational attachment to a parent, which does not waver regardless of the parent’s attitude, even if Chu Hanyu sincerely intended to accept Zhang Ning as his fifth inner disciple, he remained cautious. Therefore, he planned only to accept Zhang Ning as a registered disciple, though he would be open in his teachings. Though Chu Hanyu thought this way, he involuntarily felt a subtle difference toward Zhang Ning.

He first looked at Han Zun, who stood obediently with his head lowered, showing no trace of arrogance. Chu Hanyu ruffled his hair in greeting: “Little Zun.” Then he glanced at Zhang Ning, hesitated for a barely perceptible moment, and pinched Zhang Ning’s arm in encouragement before striding away.

Zhang Ning initially did not react, but once he realized, he exploded with anger.

“Han Zun, you’re setting me up! Inviting me to stroll the garden was a trap, right? You’ve got your own master, yet you try every trick to curry favor with mine. No more brothers, no more brothers!”

Zhang Ning’s imagination ran wild as he glared at Han Zun. Han Zun, unaware of Zhang Ning’s thought process, fully understood the reason for his sudden, almost absurd anger. Instead of getting mad, he laughed aloud: “Why are you jealous? He favors me because of our closeness, but he’s strict with you… After all, your master and mine are good friends, you know?”

To Zhang Ning, Han Zun’s smile was infuriating—he even stuck out his tongue and licked his canine tooth.

“Stop explaining, I don’t want to hear it!” Zhang Ning declared firmly. “I’m never talking to you again!”

The next day,

Zhang Ning clung tightly to Han Zun’s sleeve, looking like a startled bird. “What do I do? There’s only a month left until the second half of my apprenticeship ceremony… and a banquet for guests! But I haven’t prepared anything! What should I do?”

“Hmm?” Han Zun didn’t mock him but asked sincerely, “Prepare what? That’s the servants’ job. You just kowtow, right?” Zhang Ning froze, then buried his face in his arm.

Influenced by his past life, Zhang Ning had expected an exam or something at this time. But then again, given how he was pampered in the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Sect, he probably only needed to kowtow. Still, having nothing to do made him anxious all the same.