Chapter 395: Recorders of Past and Present (Part Six)

Su Chen realized
Fifteen years had passed since he arrived at the Tianyuan Sect.
Looking at his reflection in the water,
Su Chen realized he had aged; his hair was turning gray, and the wrinkles on his face resembled the bark of a withered old tree.
Fourth-grade pills weren't divine medicine; they couldn't grant him immortality.
They only gave him more strength and more energy.
Su Chen looked at his savings accumulated over the years.
Hmm,
He still had savings; all those years of hard work hadn't been in vain.
......
"You want to have a mask made?"
Li Li looked at the old man with surprise.
He had actually saved so many low-grade spirit stones in fifteen years.
"This many spirit stones are more than enough to forge a mid-grade magic weapon,"
Li Li said, then looked at Su Chen with some regret.
Su Chen knew Li Li was lamenting that his aptitude was too poor, making cultivation impossible.
Su Chen didn't care.
He nodded.
Li Li didn't ask further questions. He simply said, "Leave this to me. Once the mask is finished, I'll send it to the Records Pavilion."
A month later, a finished bronze mask was delivered to Su Chen.
Su Chen took the mask. The cool touch traveled from the mask to his fingertips; it was indeed a high-quality mid-grade magic artifact.
He put the fine mask on his face.
It concealed his increasingly aged face.
Another major event occurred within the Tianyun Sect.
Wei Wu, the genius disciple of the Tianyuan Sect, died.
Wei Wu was the most talented prodigy after Sun Ao, and ranked second on the Mu Jing Dynasty's list of geniuses. He had achieved fame at a young age and was naturally quite proud. Now, however, he was dead. The entire Tianyun Sect seemed to be shrouded in dark clouds, as if a terrible storm was about to erupt.
Su Chen saw Li Li again.
Li Li looked at Su Chen, who was now wearing a mask, and laughed, "You had no name, and now with this mask, you're truly nameless."
Su Chen asked, "You came because of Wei Wu?"
Li Li sighed, "The news of Wei Wu's death has probably spread throughout the sect; even you've heard rumors."
"I knew this calamity might come... It's a pity Sun Ao left the sect to travel, and there's been no news of him for five years. The sect was afraid Wei Wu would suffer the same fate as Sun Ao, so they acted a little too drastically."
There are many versions of why Wei Wu suddenly died.
Su Chen had heard no fewer than ten versions.
Killed by a demonic beast, or accidentally entering a forbidden area while searching for an opportunity—these are all plausible explanations, but unfortunately, they're rare.
More often, it's said that Wei Wu took a fancy to a beautiful woman from another sect and tried to forcibly take her, incurring relentless revenge, or that his arrogant and domineering behavior offended powerful figures from outside sects, leading to his death... Clearly, Wei Wu's reputation within the sect wasn't good; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many negative comments.
However, he was ultimately a genius disciple of the Tianyuan Sect. From the sect's perspective, although Wei Wu was arrogant, he possessed the potential to become a pillar of the sect in the future.
Su Chen slowly memorized Wei Wu's description under Li Li's guidance.
Wei Wu, a true disciple of Elder Jin Yuan Zhenren of the Tianyuan Sect, was exceptionally intelligent and talented from a young age, surpassing all others on his cultivation path. He ranked second among the Ten Prodigies of the Mu Jing Dynasty, his cultivation journey proceeding smoothly. However, he was ruthless and arrogant, relying on his sect's background and his own strength to act with unbridled arrogance.
He schemed against the disciples of the Yu Jia Sect, attempting to seize their treasures, but was ultimately killed by them.
The Yu Jia Sect was not a force within the Mu Jing Dynasty, but a behemoth from outside the dynasty. Even a single elder from them could easily destroy the Mu Jing Dynasty… Wei Wu, relying on his sect's inexperience in facing setbacks, was ignorant of his own limitations and the principle that there are always stronger individuals out there. His eventual death at the hands of the Yu Jia Sect disciples is truly lamentable.
After Su Chen finished recording Wei Wu's deeds, Li Li left.
Su Chen placed Wei Wu's life story in a prominent position, serving as a reminder to the others in the Tianyuan Sect.
With the Tianyuan Sect Master, one of the top five experts in the Mujing Dynasty, in charge, Wei Wu's death, though regrettable to the Tianyuan Sect, could only be ignored... after all, the Yujia Sect was far beyond their ability to provoke.
Five years passed...
Su Chen had been with the Tianyuan Sect for twenty years now.
He was over eighty years old, and although he wasn't dead... his health was gradually declining.
Li Li was now middle-aged.
He had also become an elder of the sect... In the past five years, many faces had appeared, but this was the first time Su Chen had seen Li Li in all of them.
"What happened in the sect this time? Why did you come in person?"
Su Chen knew that Li Li was no longer what he used to be; he now held a prestigious position in the sect.
Li Li shook his head: "I didn't come to see you to record someone; I just happened to be passing by and wanted to see you, old man."
Su Chen was still alive, which made Li Li somewhat happy.
The two shared a couple of cups of spiritual wine.
Su Chen learned about Ruan Hongyao, whom he hadn't heard from in a long time, from Li Li.
Ruan Hongyao was filled with remorse after Wei Qiong's death. The sect leader, seizing the opportunity, sent her to a major power outside the Mu Jing Dynasty for ten years of training. She had only recently returned.
Perhaps the death of her loved one had taught Ruan Hongyao to grow.
"Old man, you must live well."
"I don't want to send you away so early; that's a big no-no."
Su Chen smiled and shook his head: "How many more years these old bones of mine can live, nobody knows."
"However, I do want to train a successor, which would be a contribution to the sect. Even if I die one day, the recorder won't be interrupted."
Li Li thought for a moment and nodded: "That's a small matter; leave it to me."
Training an uninterrupted recorder for the sect was ultimately a good thing.
Li Li agreed.
After Li Li left, Su Chen removed the bronze mask from his face and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
He had to do something.
Even if it meant burning his bridges, even if it was a desperate struggle, he had to do something, he had to not give up.
Not long after, Li Li fulfilled his promise and brought a young boy to Su Chen.
The boy was just a menial disciple, and he was overjoyed to be able to meet an inner sect elder.
He began to stay by Su Chen's side, carefully studying him.