Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 62 - Climbing Yue Peak

Using Liang Qiushan’s appearance, Dugu Zhuo walked through the sect without any obstacles.

He didn’t feel any nervousness about impersonating someone else. Calmly, he entered the Steward Hall, skillfully presenting the token disciples received when leaving the mountain to verify his identity with the Steward Hall disciple.

He also had the tokens of his remaining teammates. After verifying them tonight, Dugu Zhuo could bring them into the mountain gate tomorrow.

After confirming his identity, Dugu Zhuo confidently walked to the teleportation array that led to the various elders’ mountain gates, looking towards Xingchui Peak.

The Qingtian Sword Sect had strict rules, and no one was allowed to enter other peaks without orders from the Steward Hall or the elders.

In the Qingtian Sword Sect, outer disciples were placed on a small peak right after entering the mountain gate. Some inner disciples in the Jindan stage, who took on teaching duties, instructed them on how to draw Qi into their bodies. These outer disciples did not have personal masters; they were all recorded under the Steward Hall, receiving spirit stones and food monthly for cultivation. Some also farmed on the mountain for self-sufficiency.

Once outer disciples successfully established their foundation, they had the opportunity to be taken under an elder’s wing. Every ten years, the Qingtian Sword Sect held a grand competition, where the top performers would become inner disciples. Occasionally, when elders came out of seclusion, they would choose a few disciples they favored to take as personal disciples.

Of course, there were also some exceptionally gifted disciples who, upon entering the sect, were immediately noticed by the elders and became personal disciples. These were the true chosen ones.

Dugu Zhuo, being the biological son of Dugu Yue, was supposed to be one of these chosen ones. However, when he ascended the mountain back then, Dugu Yue merely glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and said, “I can’t teach him.”

With that, he flicked his sleeve and left, pushing away the trembling Dugu Zhuo who was reaching out to him, leaving behind a note with the name “Dugu Zhuo,” indicating this would be the child’s name.

Since Dugu Yue refused to care for him, no one else had the authority to register him as an inner disciple. Just as they were about to place him among the outer disciples, Ye Zhou appeared at the main peak of the Qingtian Sword Sect, and on behalf of Dugu Yue, registered Dugu Zhuo under Dugu Yue’s Ta Yue Peak, casually changing “Dugu Zhuo” to “Dugu Zhuo.”

“Senior Brother Liang, that’s the teleportation array to Xingchui Peak. Ta Yue Peak is over here,” a Steward Hall disciple reminded Dugu Zhuo, seeing him standing still in front of the Xingchui Peak array.

“Sorry, I was thinking about something,” Dugu Zhuo explained casually.

The disciple said, “I understand, Senior Brother Liang must be thinking about how to address Elder Ye Zhou in the future, right? The disciples of Ta Yue Peak indeed have to worry about this.”

Dugu Zhuo replied coldly, “Naturally, it’s still Elder Ye Zhou.”

Sensing his anger, the disciple didn’t dare to say more.

Dugu Zhuo took a deep look in the direction of Xingchui Peak before stepping into the teleportation array to Ta Yue Peak, arriving at a place he had once stayed for a while.

After Ye Zhou registered his name, he no longer paid attention to Dugu Zhuo, and Dugu Yue went into seclusion. Dugu Zhuo spent his days at Ta Yue Peak under the guise of an inner disciple, learning from Liang Qiushan.

It was no secret in the sect that Dugu Zhuo was Dugu Yue’s biological son. The people of Ta Yue Peak were well aware of this. Initially, they kept their distance from Dugu Zhuo, while Liang Qiushan secretly envied him.

These people did not deliberately exclude or bully Dugu Zhuo, but no one cared for him. Liang Qiushan threw him a cultivation manual, leaving Dugu Zhuo to cultivate on his own, not knowing that Dugu Zhuo was illiterate.

At that time, he had experienced the pain of losing his mother, only to be abandoned by his father when he reached out for help. After arriving at the mountain gate, he couldn’t cultivate the method due to his illiteracy, and his heart was filled with resentment.

When the first sect competition came around, everyone discovered that Dugu Zhuo had no true Qi and was extremely weak.

Inner disciples often practiced fasting and rarely took food from the Steward Hall. The food available in the sect was mainly fruit and similar items. No one cared for Dugu Zhuo, and he had no one to ask or seek help from, surviving on fruits and occasionally digging up wild vegetable roots in the mountains. He could barely remember how he survived those days.

In the end, the disciples of Ta Yue Peak were not at fault. They had given him the rulebook and the cultivation method, and if he wanted food, he could go to the Steward Hall and eat with the outer disciples. It was just that no one knew Dugu Zhuo was illiterate, and no one from Ta Yue Peak cared.

Fortunately, the sect competition came early, or Dugu Zhuo might have starved to death.

When it was discovered that Dugu Zhuo was illiterate and had not cultivated, Ye Zhou took the skinny child, Dugu Zhuo, to Xingchui Peak. He never returned to Ta Yue Peak after that.

How many years had passed? One hundred years, two hundred years… Standing on the soil of Ta Yue Peak again, Dugu Zhuo felt very calm.

Every disciple who used to keep their distance now warmly greeted “Senior Brother Liang,” indicating their deep respect for Liang Qiushan.

Dugu Zhuo went to Liang Qiushan’s usual room to rest, planning to leave as soon as Ye Zhou came online the next day to complete the task.

Unexpectedly, he received a message from Dugu Yue: “Qiushan, come to me.”

Receiving the message, Dugu Zhuo felt a mix of emotions.

He went to the main hall of Ta Yue Peak, where Dugu Yue’s cultivation field was located.

As soon as he entered, he saw Dugu Yue standing with his back to him, gazing at the statue of the founder of the Qingtian Sword Sect in the main hall.

Dugu Zhuo approached, cupped his hands, and said, “Master.” 

Dugu Yue turned around. He bore a five-point resemblance to Dugu Zhuo, also exceptionally handsome. However, Dugu Zhuo’s eyes were deep, always hiding countless emotions, whereas Dugu Yue’s eyes were distant, as if nothing concerned him.

The most ridiculous thing was that, as Dugu Zhuo’s father, the laundry woman had been worn down by life, becoming old and haggard, while Dugu Yue’s appearance remained that of an eighteen-year-old. He was young and handsome, appearing to belong to a completely different world than the laundry woman.

Seeing such a Dugu Yue back then, Dugu Zhuo found it hard to regard him as his father. He looked up to confirm for a long time before cautiously reaching out, only to be brushed aside.

From then on, Dugu Zhuo never reached out to his father again.

At this moment, Dugu Yue stood before him and said, “Qiushan, go to Xingchui Peak for me and tell Elder Ye Zhou not to choose either of the two.”

“What are ‘the two’?” Dugu Zhuo didn’t ask but lowered his head and said, “Yes.”

Dugu Yue continued, “Recently, I need to suppress the demonic energy of the Xuanjian. Tell the disciples to keep at least three feet away from me when they see me.”

Dugu Zhuo raised his head and saw a trace of black energy between Dugu Yue’s brows.

As a child, he couldn’t discern Dugu Yue’s condition, but now, as the foremost cultivator in the cultivation world, he could see that Dugu Yue was on the verge of Qi deviation.

Dugu Yue… could it be that he couldn’t suppress the Xuanjian?

The master of the Sujian was cultivated by the Qingtian Sword Sect from a young age, and the Sujian’s sword energy was gentle. As long as one’s heart was righteous, they would not be counterattacked by the Sujian.

But the Xuanjian was different. It absorbed the world’s turbid energy, and the master of the Xuanjian had to have extremely strong power to suppress its demonic energy.

When Dugu Zhuo obtained the Xuanjian, he also felt a huge demonic energy, but he quickly suppressed it without suffering from it. He didn’t expect Dugu Yue to struggle so much with suppressing the demonic energy.

“Master, are you feeling unwell?” Dugu Zhuo deliberately took a step forward, reaching out to grab Dugu Yue’s sleeve for the second time in his life.

“Get away!” Dugu Yue shouted, flicking his sleeve to brush away his hand. Even with just a touch, a cold energy surged from Dugu Yue’s arm into Dugu Zhuo’s body. He used up a lot of his experience to dissolve this energy.

The backlash from Dugu Yue’s demonic energy was this severe. So, back then, when Dugu Yue brushed him away, it was because…

Dugu Zhuo collected his thoughts. Bringing up the past now was meaningless.

“You weren’t harmed by the demonic energy, were you?” Dugu Yue asked.

“No,” Dugu Zhuo slowly shook his head.

“That’s good. Stay away from me during this period,” Dugu Yue emphasized again. “Also, I have another matter to entrust to you.”

“Please instruct me, Master.”

Dugu Yue seemed to have difficulty speaking. He was silent for a while before saying, “I have a mortal blood relative who has been brought back to the mountain gate by Junior Brother Lian. Come with me to see him.”

Dugu Zhuo was slightly stunned. Did his father visit him back then?

“Yes,” he replied after a moment’s hesitation.

With the guidance of a senior sect member, inner disciples could go to other mountain gates.

Dugu Yue took Dugu Zhuo and flew with his sword directly to the main peak of the Qingtian Sword Sect. After returning to the sect, Lian Haokong didn’t go directly to see Dugu Yue but, following the sect’s instructions, brought Xiao Bao to the main peak. The sect elders would decide who would take care of Xiao Bao and then send him to that person’s mountain peak.

Xiao Bao was temporarily placed in a bedroom next to the side hall. While the sect master and elders discussed important matters in the council hall, Dugu Yue and Dugu Zhuo entered the bedroom and saw the sleeping Xiao Bao.

Cleaned by the Purification Technique, Xiao Bao slept quietly. His features already had a trace of the adult Dugu Zhuo’s outline and bore a strong resemblance to Dugu Yue. Their kinship was evident at a glance.

Dugu Yue quietly watched the sleeping Xiao Bao. His gaze was somewhat unfamiliar. After a long while, he slowly reached out his hand, stopping three feet away from Xiao Bao’s forehead, then slowly withdrew his hand.

“Never mind,” Dugu Yue said. “From now on, this child will be your responsibility to guide him into the path of cultivation. He will shoulder heavy responsibilities in the future, and his foundation must be solid. If the foundation is unstable, he will suffer like me. You must personally teach him and ensure that he makes no mistakes during the Qi Refining stage. Understand?”

“Yes,” Dugu Zhuo agreed.

“Go, relay my message to Elder Ye Zhou and tell him to come to the main peak,” said Dugu Yue.

Dugu Zhuo walked out of the bedroom and looked back, seeing that Dugu Yue was still inside, not coming out. Who knew what he was thinking as he looked at the sleeping Xiao Bao.

So, back then, did Dugu Yue push him away because of the demonic energy that could have harmed him? And did Dugu Yue care for him, specifically instructing Liang Qiushan, only for Qiushan’s jealousy to make him suffer so much when he first came to the mountain?

Holding Dugu Yue’s command token, Dugu Zhuo flew towards Xingchui Peak. The mountain wind blew against his face, and Dugu Zhuo’s heart felt as cold as the wind atop the peak.

What difference did it make to know what had happened back then now? Could he return to the past and have a heartfelt father-son reunion with Dugu Yue?

Even if he knew that Dugu Yue was not indifferent but had his reasons, could it change the fact that he killed his father?

The fact was, Dugu Yue died at Dugu Zhuo’s hands. Not only that, but Dugu Zhuo also absorbed all his power, using it to successfully suppress the demonic energy of the Xuanjian.

According to Dugu Yue’s last wishes, he cremated his body and scattered his ashes across the world on his way back to the Qingtian Sword Sect.

This was his fate. Even if the game could take him back to the past, none of this could change.

Dugu Zhuo arrived at Xingchui Peak, where Ye Zhou had not yet logged in. The peak was empty.

Dugu Zhuo stood quietly at the top of the peak where Ye Zhou often stood, looking down.

A misty expanse lay below, obscuring the view of the world.

The peak was cold, and despite Dugu Zhuo’s cultivation being enough to resist the cold, he still felt bone-chilling cold.

He didn’t know how long he stood there, long enough for the system to notify him that Ye Zhou had logged in before he slowly descended from the peak.

The first thing Ye Zhou did after logging in was open the map to find Dugu Zhuo’s location. When he woke up that morning and checked his phone, he saw a message from his cousin sent at around three in the morning, telling him that the “Journey to the Qingtian Sword Sect” task was completed and they could meet today.

Ye Zhou was thrilled. He hurriedly ate breakfast and at 8:30 asked the nurse to give him the game helmet, logging in half an hour early.

Seeing that Dugu Zhuo was right next to him on the friend location display, Ye Zhou was delighted. Just as he was about to follow the map to find Dugu Zhuo, a cold body embraced him.

“Don’t turn around, and don’t speak,” Dugu Zhuo’s voice came from behind him.

Ye Zhou obediently held Dugu Zhuo’s icy cold arm, wanting to bring him some warmth.

After holding each other for a while, Dugu Zhuo’s arm gradually warmed up. Ye Zhou felt something cool and soft touch the back of his neck.

Then, Dugu Zhuo let go of Ye Zhou and respectfully bowed, saying, “Elder Ye Zhou, Master asked me to convey a message: Don’t choose either of the two.”

Ye Zhou touched the back of his neck in surprise, his heart racing as if it would leap out of his chest. But he had to get back into character as Elder Ye Zhou. He pinched his arm hard, took a deep breath, and slightly turned to the side, saying, “He doesn’t need to meddle in my affairs. I have my own plans.”

When he turned, he realized that the person behind him didn’t look like Dugu Zhuo but an NPC with “Liang Qiushan” written above his head.

But he clearly heard Dugu Zhuo’s voice just now. Was it a task where Dugu Zhuo disguised himself? Ye Zhou guessed.

“Also, the elders ask that you go to the main peak,” said Dugu Zhuo.

“I understand,” Ye Zhou said flatly.

Xingchui Peak had a teleportation array to the main peak. Ye Zhou used the array to go to the main peak directly, while Dugu Zhuo received a message to join his teammates. He could only head to the Steward Hall to guide teammates who didn’t know the way to the main peak.

Dugu Zhuo composed himself, formed a team with a few others, and confirmed that everyone had their weapons, items, and pills before taking out Dugu Yue’s command token and informing the disciples of the Steward Hall that he needed to go to the main peak.

With the elder’s command token, the disciples of the Steward Hall naturally let them pass. Dugu Zhuo led his teammates to the main peak.

He passed through smoothly and entered the council hall as Dugu Yue’s disciple, where he saw Ye Zhou and Dugu Yue standing before the sect master, with the marriage items they had collected and the Stealing Heaven Scale bought by Lian Haokong piled between them.

The sect master of the Qingtian Sword Sect said to the two of them, “To maximize the combined power of the Twin Creation Swords, the sword masters of each generation have been Dao partners. Are you two still unwilling?”