The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 814: Wind, Cloud, Thunder and Lightning

Wind, Cloud, Thunder and Lightning . . .

Prior to the selection, the men had already coveted Cha Eun Xiao as their personal disciple. Their desire was so intense that they were willing to engage in combat to claim him for their own. But after the selection, their enthusiasm had grown exponentially. They were now willing to stake their lives for the chance to mentor him.

Greed ran deep in their hearts.

Cha Eun Xiao's senses returned to him as he opened his eyes. What met his gaze was a group of more than twenty individuals, their eyes ablaze with longing. It was as if they were a pack of ravenous wolves eyeing a piece of meat, or as if men who had been deprived of intimacy for an eternity had suddenly encountered a seductive beauty. Cha Eun Xiao couldn't shake the feeling that if they were to close in on him, they would devour him alive.

Puzzled, he inquired, "What's the matter? Am I not qualified? Why does everyone look so furious?"

"Unqualified?" they thought. "Furious?" They were utterly taken aback.

"Unqualified?" they pondered. "If he's unqualified, then we all ought to eat dirt!"

"Why do you think we're angry?" they wondered. "Our eyes might be bloodshot, but it's not anger we're feeling; it's greed!"

Yue Changtian reassured him, "You are indeed qualified, and you are now a member of our sect," with an air of dignified solemnity. As a Prime Master of a great sect, he knew how to maintain his composure and exhibit appropriate decorum. His words conveyed, "You, Cha Chongxiao, are now part of Cold Moon Palace."

Yue Changtian had accepted that he would not be the young man's personal master due to the grandmasters' intervention. Nonetheless, he found solace in the fact that, in the sect, he remained Cha Eun Xiao's Prime Master. He knew that, had the three grandmasters not intervened, his relationship with the young disciple could have extended beyond the traditional disciple-Prime Master dynamic.

"Qualified?" Cha Eun Xiao furrowed his brow. While he had been confident he would succeed in the trial, he was now puzzled by the group's reaction. He thought, "Alright, I'm qualified. What now? Why do you all appear as if I'm your adversary?"

"Shouldn't I be assigned a specific martial art and a master? Can we proceed?" he pondered.

The ten elders and nine great disciples appeared increasingly despondent. They recognized that, no matter how much they might desire him, they had no opportunity to claim him as their disciple.

Cha Eun Xiao glanced around and finally caught sight of the three great grandmasters, who were watching him closely.

Then, something unexpected occurred. The eldest grandmaster, with his flowing white beard, approached Cha Eun Xiao. "Young man, are you Cha... Cha... Cha... Cha?" he stammered, unable to recall Cha Eun Xiao's name. He then glanced at Yue Changtian. His attempt to ingratiate himself with the young man had backfired, as he had inadvertently referred to Cha Eun Xiao as a grandfather. Yue Changtian sighed deeply.

The scene was nothing short of comical as the white-bearded great-grandmaster struggled to recall Cha Eun Xiao's name. Mocking whispers circulated through the hall. "Great grandmaster, good for you. Why didn't you ask me first if you don't know his name? Look at you. So embarrassing. You just accidentally called that young kid grandfather several times. Well done. You make this Cha Chongxiao an ancestor to us all…"

Seeing the old man's predicament, Cha Eun Xiao felt compelled to assist him. He let out a sigh and uttered, "Cha Chongxiao!"

"Right! Cha Chongxiao! That's it!" The white-bearded old man slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Good name! You have a wonderful name! Your name and mine, they fit! You and me, we are bound to be disciple and master! We are a perfect pair!"

The onlookers couldn't help but shake their heads in amusement, suppressing their laughter.

"Cha Chongxiao! Lei Dadi! One from the sky while one from the land. Land and sky, are they a perfect pair?" the second eldest grandmaster chimed in.

This revelation left Cha Eun Xiao astounded.

Cha Chongxiao!

Lei Dadi!

The symbolism was striking: a leaf rising from the earth toward the sky while lightning descended from the heavens to meet it. Suddenly, Cha Eun Xiao remembered something significant.

Lei Dadi!

This was the renowned Lei Dadi, whose martial prowess was legendary. He was a secret superior cultivator of Cold Moon Palace, known for his extraordinary might. Lei Dadi, often called Lei the Great King, was recognized as an exception among cultivators.

"Listen, kid. You should come with me, Feng Wuying. You and I make a better pair. A leaf should go with the wind, and the wind will carry the leaf to the sky," the second grandmaster, Feng Wuying, remarked.

"That's preposterous," objected the youngest grandmaster, Yin Piaoliu. "A leaf rushing to the clouds finds true freedom when it drifts among the clouds. I am Yin Piaoliu. You and I are meant to be together!"

Cha Eun Xiao couldn't help but find their bickering amusing. However, as he reflected on their names, it struck him that the three grandmasters went by Wind, Cloud, and Thunder, and they were three of the four Peak Cultivators, known as 'Wind, Cloud, Thunder, and Lightning.'

Cha Eun Xiao quickly realized the significance of their names. The fourth Peak Cultivator, Lightning, or Dian Changkong, was absent. Rumors circulated that he had killed one of Wu Fa's disciples, prompting Wu Fa to hunt him down and execute him. Seeking retribution for Lightning's death, Wind, Cloud, and Thunder challenged Wu Fa to a battle, but they subsequently vanished without a trace.

Many presumed they had perished in their pursuit of vengeance against Wu Fa. Little did anyone know that they were indeed alive and well, concealed within Cold Moon Palace. Their existence remained a well-guarded secret.