Xuan Yuan

"Only Holy Trinity Saint~ a small grand polarity~ universally enduring the fate of great calamities~ receiving boundless praise of immeasurable rank~ bestowing blessings and relieving misfortune, universally aiding the living and the dead, the Way crowns all heavens, grace extends throughout the three realms, great compassion and great vow, great sage and great mercy."

The rhythmic chanting echoed within the spacious cavern. All six disciples of Qingfeng Temple, including Li Huowang, sat cross-legged on their prayer mats, following the Master in morning lessons.

No one had a scripture before them. Li Huowang could only mumble along with his senior brothers during the morning lesson.

While chanting, Li Huowang lifted his head, his gaze fixed on Danyangzi seated at the front. The murderous intent in his eyes had barely surfaced before he quickly suppressed it.

For this disgusting creature, he now wished he could eat his flesh and peel his skin, but Li Huowang knew he was far too weak and no match for him.

The other party was powerful; he couldn't act rashly. His main priority now was to endure and secretly look for an opportunity.

It might be fraught with difficulty, and he might even be discovered by Danyangzi and die horribly, but Li Huowang no longer cared about anything.

When he saw Danyangzi turn slightly, Li Huowang's gaze quickly shifted upward, past the three tall incense sticks, to the three Divine Statues placed in the hollowed-out rock wall.

Three immortals of different appearances, clad in yellow Daoist Robes and holding dusters, gazed down at the insignificant mortals below with eyes devoid of sorrow or joy.

They had none of the ethereal bearing of immortals; instead, their features were ordinary. If not for their robes, they would have looked like three oversized commoners.

Li Huowang naturally didn't know who these three Divine Statues were, but he etched their faces deeply into his memory.

At this point, the chanting began to slow. As the final short passage of scripture was uttered, the Daoist Child beside them struck the red drum three times heavily, signaling the end of the morning lesson.

All the disciples stood up with Danyangzi, simultaneously pinching their left thumb with their right hand, placing the four fingers of the left hand over the fingers of the right, and raising their hands above their heads to bow to the Divine Statues.

After the bow, Danyangzi slowly turned around, surveying the disciples behind him.

When he saw Li Huowang, clad in his Daoist Robe, standing calmly at the very end of the group, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Xuan Yuan, Xuan Yang has just joined our sect and surely has many things he doesn't understand. As his senior brother, teach him."

"Yes, Master." A middle-aged man with a round, slightly plump face bowed to Danyangzi.

"Alright, past Mao Hour, there's nothing much to do. Go eat your meal." After speaking, Danyangzi clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward a Cave Entrance nearby.

A young man with a gloomy expression, wearing a Hunyuan Headband, followed him out.

"That's Senior Brother Zheng Kun. Ever since Senior Brothers Zheng Kan and Zheng Zhen defected, he's been the Master's only inner disciple. When you see him in the temple from now on, remember to show respect. He's not as good-tempered as the Master."

Xuan Yuan walked up to Li Huowang and explained the man's background to him.

Li Huowang nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother Xuan Yuan, for clarifying. Does he also possess the Master's divine abilities?"

He didn't know much else, but Li Huowang knew Danyangzi had the power to move objects with his mind and was astonishingly strong, able to lift a Stone Urn weighing several hundred jin.

These weren't even the most concerning things. What Li Huowang feared most was that Danyangzi knew everything that happened in the cavern—whether it was him calling him a piece of shit or his earlier refusal to join the escape.

If he truly wanted to deal with him, he had to figure this out first.

"He's an inner disciple. How would I know what he learned from the Master?" Li Huowang caught the jealousy in the other's words.

"One person's strength is too weak. Should I find other allies within Qingfeng Temple?" The thought flickered through Li Huowang's mind, but it quickly died out.

Anyone with a rebellious heart had probably already been eaten by the Black Tai Sui last time. Those who remained, even if not utterly devoted to Danyangzi, were likely cowardly and timid.

"Let's go. We'll talk as we walk." Xuan Yuan turned and led Li Huowang toward the kitchen. "I know what you're thinking. Don't dwell on the Master's Immortal Ascension Technique. You're last in line from the top down."

"You just focus on your work. Do whatever the Master tells you to do. When your turn comes by seniority, it'll naturally reach you."

By now, they had arrived at the cavern used for meals. Other senior brothers who had arrived earlier were already drinking their porridge.

He recognized three of them. Two Daoists with long swords on their backs were Chang Ming and Chang Ren, and one he had briefly met before was Xuan Yin.

Adding Xuan Yuan beside him and himself, Xuan Yang, all five registered disciples of Qingfeng Temple were now gathered here.

"Qingfeng Temple's rule: no talking while eating or sleeping. I'll teach you other things after the meal." Xuan Yuan sat down and began drinking his porridge.

Li Huowang sat down, picked up the Black Pottery Bowl, and took a sip, silently observing the behavior of his other senior brothers.

These people all looked different—no one was particularly striking or ugly. But sitting together in their Daoist Robes, Li Huowang felt something was off.

When he saw Xuan Yin press one side of his nose and blow snot forcefully onto the ground, while the other two senior brothers frowned slightly, Li Huowang finally realized—their temperaments were different.

Some among them had more of a Scholar's air, while others had thick, rough joints that suggested manual labor.

"Where did Danyangzi find these five disciples? Could they have been promoted from Medicinal Guides like me?"

One by one, empty bowls were set down. The other senior brothers didn't spare a glance at the new junior brother, Xuan Yang, as they strode toward the door.

After the meal, Xuan Yuan continued showing Li Huowang around Qingfeng Temple. From him, Li Huowang learned that the five registered disciples each managed different areas of the temple.

Some were in charge of the Daoist Children, some handled purchasing outside the temple, others were responsible for raising the Black Tai Sui, and the more senior ones even held multiple duties.

It hadn't been this busy before, but after that batch of people died, their responsibilities had to be forcibly distributed among the remaining disciples.

As for Li Huowang's duty, it went without saying—everything in the Material Room was his responsibility. And everything these disciples did was to assist the Master in his quest for immortality.

Thus, after a full day of wandering, Li Huowang finally gained a detailed understanding of the entire temple from Xuan Yuan.

Li Huowang committed all this firmly to memory. This was no longer a hallucination he could leave at any time. Whether he could kill Danyangzi might depend on this information proving useful.

After spending the day together, the relationship between Xuan Yuan and Li Huowang had warmed slightly. The two were walking back from Zhengyi Hall.

"Junior Brother Xuan Yang, there's no need to be so tense. Your work won't be that busy, and the Master doesn't refine Pills every day."

"Oh? Please enlighten me, Senior Brother Xuan Yuan."

"Refining Pills is closely tied to celestial phenomena and the Double Hours. Some Pills must be made at specific times to achieve their maximum effect. For instance, today and tomorrow aren't suitable for refining, but the Zi Hour the day after tomorrow is an excellent time."