Chapter 16: Waiting

An entire spiritual vein ran through the Yonglu Mountain Range, and Yonglu Mountain itself sat directly atop the point where the vein’s spiritual energy was most concentrated. Cultivating within the sect allowed one to gather spiritual energy at least twenty percent faster than in the outside world, to say nothing of cultivating directly over a spirit eye covered by the grand sect array.

There was a reason cultivators did everything they could to squeeze their way into the five great sects. Even outer sect disciples, whose treatment and resources could not compare to those of the inner sect, were still ahead of at least eighty percent of the low-level cultivators in the cultivation world the moment they stepped through the mountain gates.

Sect Master Peak was situated in the area with the most abundant spiritual energy in the entire sect. After all, the Sect Master had to manage all affairs, large and small, which inevitably hindered his personal cultivation. This prime location served as a form of compensation.

The peaks surrounding Sect Master Peak were laid out according to the Five Elements. To the southwest lay Refining Peak. Directly south was Talisman Peak, and to the southeast was Alchemy Peak. Alchemy Peak was also responsible for cultivation and farming, making it the largest in terms of land area. To the northwest stood the famous Discipline Hall, which connected to the trial realm in the back mountains. This realm was said to be extremely perilous, and only disciples at the Foundation Establishment Stage or above were permitted to explore it. Finally, to the northeast was Beast Taming Peak, the second-largest peak after Alchemy Peak, which housed many rare and exotic beasts with eccentric temperaments.

Of course, there were many other peaks of various sizes. For instance, there was Kaiyuan Peak, where sect missions were posted and disciples could earn Sect Contribution Points; Liujiang Peak, where disciples attended lectures and studied; Sword Peak for sword practice; Saber Peak for saber training; and Seven Stars Peak for arrays. In any case, once a cultivator reached the Golden Core Stage, they could claim a peak of their own and name it whatever they pleased. The sect was very relaxed about this management; as long as one could afford the Sect Contribution Points, they could choose any peak they wanted.

Sect Contribution Points, as the name implied, represented a disciple’s contributions to the sect. Tasks like harvesting spiritual herbs, feeding spiritual beasts, slaying demons and eradicating evil cultivators in the outside world, guarding certain secret realms, or representing the sect in grand tournaments to win rankings could all earn Sect Contribution Points. Naturally, the former tasks did not pay nearly as well as the latter.

Kaiyuan Peak, where sect missions were issued, was named after a high-grade spiritual artifact. This artifact was said to have been forged by the founding ancestor of Yonglu Mountain. It could automatically assess the difficulty of sect missions to determine the Sect Contribution Points awarded upon completion. For example, feeding spiritual beasts for a day yielded sixty contribution points, while clearing one Mu [approx. 0.06 hectares] of spiritual fields yielded eighty.

As for the elders sitting in this small consultation meeting, every single one of them had no less than a million contribution points to their name.

In other words, they were the pillars of the sect. Now, all of them wanted to take the disciple with the Mutated Wind Spiritual Root as their personal disciple. It was precisely because there were too many interested parties that the Sect Master had a massive headache.

Gu Wufang had a massive headache. He even felt like throwing in the towel and quitting. Damn it, whoever wanted to be this lousy Sect Master could have the job! Back then, he had suffered from drawing the short straw. He was clearly the last to join the sect; by all rights, it should never have been his turn!

“Senior Brothers, please stop arguing.” If they kept shouting, they would blow the roof off Sect Master Peak.

“Then you tell us, who is best suited to take Wen Xu as a disciple?”

Gu Wufang: …In that case, you all might as well keep arguing.

To be fair, this was a highly practical matter. In this round of disciple recruitment, Yonglu Mountain had been incredibly lucky to net a disciple with a Mutated Wind Spiritual Root. Barring any accidents, he would become the cream of the crop among this generation of Yonglu Mountain disciples.

Furthermore, judging by the past three days of examinations, Wen Xu was impeccable in both character and talent. Taking such an excellent disciple was the ultimate dream of every master. Even Gu Wufang himself had entertained the idea of taking him on, let alone the others.

Setting aside Wen Xu’s personal preferences for a moment, a Wind Spiritual Root was extremely rare. At the very least, there were currently no powerful cultivators with a Wind Spiritual Root in the sect. Since they could not provide a perfect match in specialization, the next best option would be a cultivator with a wood attribute, a earth attribute, or at worst, a dual wood-earth spiritual root.

Yonglu Mountain was full of talents. Even after narrowing it down, there were still… too many choices.

Seeing that they were about to start arguing again, Gu Wufang could not help but look to his most reliable senior brother, Du Qiujin, for help. Speaking of which, this senior brother of his had a steady personality and should have been the most suitable candidate for Sect Master. Unfortunately, Senior Brother Du was too honest and easily deceived by the old foxes of other sects.

Du Qiujin still looked out for his junior brother. Seeing this, he took over the conversation. “Everyone, could you listen to me for a moment?”

“Then spit it out.”

Du Qiujin said, “I am sure everyone is well aware of who the most famous wind-attribute cultivator on the Hengze Continent is right now.”

They were indeed all too aware. It was none other than the Grand Elder of the Hehe Sect, Jun Zhaoying. She was the undisputed number one below the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, and her wind-manipulating techniques remained unmatched to this day. Moreover, she acted flamboyantly and held immense seniority. She was truly the type who would show up at their doorstep to snatch a disciple.

At Du Qiujin’s mention of her, everyone’s expressions turned solemn.

“Therefore, I believe we must find a master for Wen Xu who… can suppress Jun Zhaoying. At least someone who will make her think twice before trying to snatch him openly.”

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

After a long pause, someone spoke up grumpily, “Putting it that way, does it mean we have to invite a Tribulation Transcendence patriarch out of seclusion?”

Cultivators in the cultivation world progressed through Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Soul Formation, and Body Integration. The very pinnacle was the Tribulation Transcendence Stage, also known as being half a step to ascension. Those at the Tribulation Transcendence Stage possessed the power to move mountains and fill seas. However, because their power was too immense, they were restricted by the laws of heaven and earth and could not easily make an appearance unless a major event occurred.

Generally speaking, these Tribulation Transcendence patriarchs remained in closed-door cultivation to comprehend the great Dao. However, they were actually very well-informed. Some would even send out a clone to wander the mortal world in search of opportunities for ascension, though this was a rare exception.

“Actually… there is such a candidate.”

Amid the collective silence, someone suddenly stroked their beard and spoke up. “Have you all forgotten? We still have our Little Grand-Uncle Master^[1].”

The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell into an even deeper silence.

Even the honest Du Qiujin could not help but shrink back. He asked himself fiercely in his heart: Is it absolutely necessary for Yonglu Mountain to keep this Wind Spiritual Root disciple? Would it really be so bad to just let Jun Zhaoying have him?!

But Gu Wufang, proving why he was the Sect Master, remained quiet for a long moment before suddenly making a decisive call. “Fine. I will go… and consult Little Grand-Uncle Master right away.”

Everyone: “…”

*

The next day, the thirty-five new disciples finished washing up early. This included Chen Zui. Actually, the disciple leading the way almost failed to recognize him, as his transformation was simply too drastic. Fortunately, the saber in his hand and the spiritual energy swirling around him proved his identity.

The group soon arrived outside Juyong Hall. Juyong Hall was a grand hall opened only when the sect had important matters to handle. Located on the first major peak past the mountain gate, it was a place many Yonglu disciples could only visit once in their entire lives.

Yet even that single visit was enough to make outsiders green with envy.

According to the queue, Wen Xu was at the very back, with Xia Ying and Lin Congcong right ahead of him. It was clear that the order was determined by the difficulty of cultivating their respective spiritual roots.

The first person went in and came out quickly, followed by the second, and then the third. Some emerged with smiles, while others looked solemn. However, since Wen Xu was currently blind, he could only sense the queue moving forward. As for anything else, given his low cultivation level, he did not dare stir even a shred of his spiritual energy in a place like this.

“Are you nervous? I saw your good friend, Bian Chunzhou, go in.”

The speaker was Lin Congcong. She had a baby face and a youthful voice. Although they had barely spoken before, Wen Xu remembered her. “No, you saw wrong.”

“He has Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots. Don’t you feel…”

“Quiet! If you don’t want to choose a master, why don’t you leave right now?”

Lin Congcong choked on her words. She knew Xia Ying’s background and did not dare offend her, so she could only swallow her anger. In any case, after today, the one named Bian would head to the outer sect. Although Chen Zui had decent talent, he was terrible at socializing. Among the new disciples entering the sect this time, only Xia Ying and Wen Xu would be her rivals.

Xia Ying had a powerful background, so she naturally did not dare play any tricks on her. But as for Wen Xu, if she could become close friends with him while he was still weak, it would surely be a great help when she traveled the world in the future.

While waiting, Bian Chunzhou had actually been quite nervous. But once the hall doors swung open and a beam of light guided him inside, his anxiety suddenly faded.

The interior of the hall was magnificent and solemn, with spiritual energy so dense it felt almost viscous. As he walked step by step across the crimson floor tiles, he suddenly felt like a minor, small-town influencer stepping onto a grand international stage.

Well, that’s a spot-on comparison, Bian Chunzhou could not help but praise himself inwardly.

Thus, by the time he stood before the lone prayer mat on the floor, his nervousness had completely vanished.

“Disciple Bian Chunzhou pays respects to the Sect Master and the Elders.”

Oh my god, all the Buddhas in heaven, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Jesus, and the Virgin Mary, please bless me and let me enter the inner sect!

“Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots? Am I seeing things?”

“Speaking of which, isn’t this spiritual root even rarer than a Wind Spiritual Root? How about…”

“It’s not out of the question. Since we can’t get a Wind Spiritual Root anyway, we might as well try taking in a novel one…”

And so, things began to take a ridiculous turn. Bian Chunzhou had assumed no one would want him, but who would have thought… Oh my god, they’re actually fighting over me! It’s like every mentor is turning their chair^[2] for me. Ah, my damn irresistible charm!

“Um, this disciple is not very good with weapons, so I would like to study talismans.” Facing the gaze of the powerhouse elders lining the hall, Bian Chunzhou spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.

In truth, he really wanted to practice swordsmanship, but he simply lacked the talent. Over the past three days, he had gone out of his way to practice at the Sword Practice Terrace for two days, and he had come dangerously close to injuring himself. Bian Chunzhou was a highly self-aware person, so he had happily given up on the sword right then and there.

“Talismans are excellent. Since that is the case, why haven’t you formally acknowledged your master?”

The representative from Talisman Peak this time was a female cultivator named Chang Ruoshui. Venerable Ruoshui had just entered the Soul Formation stage this year. She specialized in the Dao of Talismans, to the point of obsession. In truth, cultivators could take disciples once they reached the Nascent Soul stage, but she had never been inclined to waste her time on it. This time, she had simply run out of excuses to avoid it and was forced to come to Juyong Hall. She had not expected to run into such a promising candidate.

She had long wanted to experiment with water-fire talismans, and now, a cultivator with Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots had actually delivered himself right to her.

The moment she heard he wanted to study talismans, she immediately struck first to claim him.

Bian Chunzhou looked up. Wow, a beautiful older sister! He immediately knelt and kowtowed. “Disciple Bian Chunzhou pays respects to Master.”

For the next several hundred years, a certain cultivator surnamed Bian, who wished to remain anonymous, would deeply regret agreeing so quickly. As for what happened next… let’s not talk about it. It was a tale of pure misery.