Yue Qianchou had already become someone else's disciple, so the Fu Xian Token naturally belonged to someone else as well. Everyone had agreed to this beforehand—no matter how unwilling they were, what more could they say now? Elder Liu, who had proposed this method, saw Elder Guan's smug expression and let out a cold snort before his figure flickered and he flew away first. None of the other elders wished to look at Elder Guan's face any longer either, and they all streaked through the air and departed.
In an instant, every elder who had formed a circle around them was gone. Cheng Gengqing glanced at the disciples watching from afar, among whom were quite a few disciples from those elders' lineages. He felt that staying by Elder Guan's side was truly not a wise choice, so he immediately bowed and said, "Elder Guan, this disciple will take his leave as well."
Only after Elder Guan happily nodded did he bid Yue Qianchou farewell and leave. The onlooking disciples had no idea what had happened. Those who knew Cheng Gengqing went over to him, while the rest dispersed in twos and threes.
Seeing Elder Guan still looking so pleased with himself, Yue Qianchou was utterly speechless. He took out the token and presented it with both hands. "Master, the sect leader instructed this disciple to hand the Fu Xian Token over to Master after taking a master."
"Mm! Good, good. The sect leader has always acted impartially. Naturally, I shall obey his decree." Elder Guan smiled as he accepted the token. He examined it carefully in his hand, then casually tossed it into his storage pouch, completely devoid of the fervor he had shown when snatching it. Afterward, thoroughly satisfied, he led Yue Qianchou back. Along the way, the two spoke as they walked.
Yue Qianchou, who had nearly been muddled senseless by the hierarchy, finally cleared up his confusion. When he had just bid Cheng Gengqing farewell, he had called him Ancestor Cheng, yet when addressing Elder Guan in return, he had to call him Master. That had lowered Elder Guan's standing for no reason at all, making the words nearly impossible for him to say.
Now he understood. Titles such as Martial Uncle and Ancestor were honorifics for those whose cultivation had reached certain levels; they had nothing at all to do with seniority. On Fu Xian Island, apart from one's Esteemed Master, there was no such thing as hierarchy. As long as your cultivation surpassed another's, they had to call you Martial Uncle or Ancestor. That was perfectly normal.
Yue Qianchou sighed in amazement. Though Fu Xian Island's forms of address seemed a complete mess, they invisibly contained a mechanism of competition, carrying quite the meaning of the capable rising and the incapable falling. Coupled with the rule that anyone who failed Foundation Establishment three times would be expelled from Fu Xian Island, it was a full-fledged elimination system. Those left behind were talents if not elites. No wonder Fu Xian Island held its present status in the Cultivation World. And from this day onward, he was a disciple of Fu Xian Island's Alchemy Pavilion.
Elder Guan's name was Guan Wei Wu. After learning it, Yue Qianchou felt his teeth ache a little. The name was indeed imposing, sharing the same imposing air as Guan Yu's name within his Golden Pearl. It seemed he truly had an affinity with people surnamed Guan. His newly acquired master was indeed impatient. They had not walked for long before he ran out of patience. After pointing out the location of the Alchemy Pavilion, he transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the mountain peak ahead.
Yue Qianchou had long heard of the Alchemy Pavilion's reputation in the Cultivation World. It was built upon Fu Xian Island's tallest mountain range, with a great hall perched at the very summit. While he was still halfway up the mountain, he caught the rich fragrance of medicinal herbs. After taking several deep breaths, he immediately felt refreshed and clear-minded. The mountaintop was bald and bare, without a trace of green, utterly different from the lush verdure below the mountainside.
Generally speaking, the higher the terrain, the lower the temperature. Yet strangely, the farther one went toward the summit here, the hotter it became. The foot of the mountain and its peak were like two different seasons. Yue Qianchou's cultivation was not high, but such a temperature difference had no effect on him. He only found it strange. Why was there such an odd phenomenon? Could it be because they burned fires to refine pills atop the mountain?
After following the stone stairs to the summit, he saw a white stone archway standing before him, bearing the three large characters: "Alchemy Pavilion." Behind the archway stood an enormous complex of antique buildings. Between the archway and the buildings lay a courtyard paved with blue stone slabs. Quite a few people were spreading out and sunning various herbs on the ground, presumably spiritual herbs used for pill refinement.
Yue Qianchou turned back to survey the mountain below. Looking at the buildings atop the surrounding peaks, all considerably lower than this one, he guessed they were the domains of other elders like his master. This puzzled him. What he could not understand was that, according to his understanding of this world, the higher one's status, the higher one should naturally live. His master's status on Fu Xian Island was not the highest—there was at least the sect leader above him—so why did he live at the highest point?
While he was lost in wild thoughts, someone behind him asked, "Are you Yue Qianchou?"
"I am." Yue Qianchou turned around and replied. Beneath the archway stood a stern-faced, thin, tall middle-aged man. There was a trace of unfriendly intent in the way he sized Yue Qianchou up. The man snorted through his nose and said, "You're the new disciple Elder Guan took in? You don't seem like much to me. Come with me." With that, he turned around and left Yue Qianchou staring at his backside.
Yue Qianchou felt his temper rise as well. Who the hell are you? Did I provoke you somehow? You come right up and start throwing shade at me. Though he dearly wanted to kick the backside in front of him, he knew how to judge the situation. Even if he wanted to kick it, now was not the time. He could only honestly follow behind the middle-aged man, glaring viciously at his backside. His splendid mood was instantly ruined.
The middle-aged man led him into a courtyard and pointed at a room. "Starting today, you will live here and cultivate together with the disciples here. Whatever they do, you do. Remember every word I say. Don't think that being Elder Guan's disciple means you can do whatever you please." He snorted heavily through his nose again. "I heard you are a Rogue Cultivator from outside the island, and your cultivation is only Level Ten Qi Refining. Am I wrong?"
"No, no." Yue Qianchou respectfully said, "May I ask how this disciple should address you?"
"Yan Shu." The middle-aged man cast him another sidelong glance and arrogantly said, "I am at the late Core Formation stage. According to Fu Xian Island's rules, you should call me Ancestor."
"Oh, so it is Ancestor Yan. This disciple Yue Qianchou greets Ancestor Yan." Yue Qianchou bowed, muttering inwardly, When the forest grows large, every kind of bird can be found. I've never seen such a lunatic. Yan Shu, I'll remember you. One day, I'll repay you properly.
"Mm!" Yan Shu grunted through his nose. Being called Ancestor twice seemed to make him feel somewhat better. He continued, "Fu Xian Island has rules. Disciples who have not reached the Foundation Establishment Realm may not wander around the island at will. Stay here and do not run about. Once the disciples sharing your courtyard finish their work and return, you may ask them anything you do not understand. Have you remembered everything I said?"
Yue Qianchou respectfully forced a smile. "This disciple would not dare forget Ancestor Yan's words. I will firmly keep them in my heart."
"Good that you know." Yan Shu left behind the smiling Yue Qianchou and walked out of the small courtyard with his hands clasped behind his back. Someone behind him called out fawningly, "Farewell, Ancestor Yan!"
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