From then on, after the three of them followed their respective masters through the apprenticeship ceremony in the main hall, they were officially accepted into the Qingyun Sect.
Ding!
Congratulations, Host, on successfully becoming a disciple of the Qingyun Sect. You have received the reward: Unrivaled Insight. Comprehending the Heavenly Book and cultivating Daoist Magic will now be as simple as drinking water and breathing.
The system notification rang out at that moment as well.
After the apprenticeship ceremony, the Peak Lords departed one after another. Lin Jingyu and Zhang Xiaofan, the two Caomiao Village orphans, also bid farewell in turn alongside their respective masters.
Finally, Shuiyue led Su Changqing out of the hall. She summoned her Flying Sword and first used spiritual energy to gently lift Su Changqing onto it before leaping up herself.
"Chang Qing, hold tightly to my sleeve. Do not look around, lest you accidentally fall."
Shuiyue instructed him. Then, with a flick of her sleeve, it lengthened by several inches and fell right into Su Changqing's hand.
Su Changqing nodded, then tightly gripped the sleeve and obediently stood behind Master Shui Yue. However, his eyes constantly watched how Master Shui Yue controlled the Flying Sword.
Seeing how well-behaved her disciple was, Master Shui Yue felt quite satisfied.
Although Su Changqing's Bone Root Aptitude was poor, his temperament was good, and he was obedient and sensible. Bringing him back to Little Bamboo Peak might not be a bad thing.
With a sharp whistle, the long sword flew toward Little Bamboo Peak.
Before long, the Flying Sword gradually descended from the sky. Unlike the other peaks, Little Bamboo Peak was covered in all kinds of flowers and grasses. A hundred flowers bloomed in splendid profusion, creating a beautiful sight and a fragrant scent.
"Disciple, we have arrived."
After Master Shui Yue sent Su Changqing down from the Flying Sword, she followed him down herself. The two entered a small hall within the peak, one after the other.
As soon as they entered, the fragrance became even stronger. Then, more than a hundred female cultivators of Little Bamboo Peak came into view, seated in the hall and cultivating their techniques.
"Master!"
Hearing the movement, the more than hundred female cultivators all turned back and greeted Master Shui Yue in unison.
Then they saw a little boy standing behind their master. Everyone was startled. Few men ever came to Little Bamboo Peak, much less a boy personally brought back by their master, who had never been close to men.
"Mm."
After nodding in response to her disciples, Master Shui Yue offered no explanation for their astonished gazes and simply led Su Changqing toward the front of the hall.
"Who is that little boy? Could he be Master's young nephew?"
"I've never seen that little boy in the sect. Perhaps he is a new disciple accepted by another peak, and Master brought him over for us to see."
"This little brother is about the same age as the newly accepted junior sister, Lu Xueqi. He looks so delicate and well-behaved. He is absolutely adorable."
Su Changqing closely followed behind Master Shui Yue as whispers continued around him. However, he did not think much of it. He merely used his clear, water-like eyes to curiously study these senior sisters.
Sure enough, even cultivating immortality depended on looks.
Not a single one of the female cultivators of Little Bamboo Peak was unattractive. In his previous life, every one of them could have been a celebrity, and several were even more stunning, like the most dazzling blooms among a hundred flowers.
Among them was a little girl around Su Changqing's age. His appearance caused no ripple in her tranquil expression. After glancing at him once, she turned back around and resumed cultivating.
If Su Changqing had to guess, she was probably the heroine of this story.
Once Su Changqing arrived at the front of the hall, Master Shui Yue sat in the main seat while Su Changqing stood quietly before her, awaiting her instructions.
"Disciples, this little boy is named Su Changqing. He is the disciple I accepted today. From now on, he will be your junior brother and will live and grow up on Little Bamboo Peak for some time."
Master Shui Yue first introduced Su Changqing's identity. Then, with a solemn expression, she instructed, "Those who cultivate the Dao value purity of the six senses. You need not concern yourselves with the fact that he is male. Focus on cultivating your own Daoist Magic. Senior sisters and junior brother should look after one another. Do not deliberately exclude him. Do you understand?"
"We understand!"
The female cultivators responded in unison.
Yet all of them were deeply shocked. This little brother was actually a disciple accepted by their master? Since when had Little Bamboo Peak accepted male disciples?
Had Master not always kept her distance from men? Yet she had personally broken Little Bamboo Peak's long-standing rule against accepting male disciples. It was truly hard to believe.
Still, many disciples were delighted. Little Bamboo Peak had always been filled with senior and junior sisters. This time, they actually had a little junior brother, and he looked obedient and adorable too.
Forget excluding him—they would not have enough time to dote on him properly.
Of course, they could not say that aloud. Otherwise, they would surely be punished if Master heard it.
"Alright, Chang Qing. From now on, these are all your senior sisters."
"There are one hundred and forty-two disciples under me in total. Excluding those who have already descended the mountain to cultivate, there are still one hundred and twelve disciples on the mountain. I will not introduce them one by one. Once you interact with them, you will naturally learn how to address them."
Master Shui Yue spoke to Su Changqing.
"Yes, Master."
Su Changqing slightly bowed his head in reply.
"Today, you have become my disciple. The sect has twelve rules and twenty precepts. Your eldest senior sister, Wen Min, will teach them to you shortly."
After Master Shui Yue finished speaking, she cast a glance at Wen Min. Wen Min nodded to show that she understood. Master Shui Yue then continued, "Our sect's Daoist Magic places great importance on foundations. Since you have only just entered the sect, I will first teach you basic Daoist Magic. You must remember it well and cultivate it on your own. If there is anything you do not understand, you may ask me or your senior sisters. Do you understand?"
"This disciple understands!"
Su Changqing nodded, secretly feeling rather excited.
Master Shui Yue smiled in response and pointed to a meditation cushion beside her, motioning for Su Changqing to sit. She first taught him how to meditate and contemplate, then briefly explained the body's meridians and the circulation of essence and energy. Finally, she passed on to Su Changqing the cultivation method for the first level of the Taiji Xuanqing Dao.
Following Master Shui Yue's instructions, Su Changqing silently circulated the method once while seated on the meditation cushion. Yet after only one cycle, he noticed something was wrong.
The Daoist Magic he circulated seemed more profound and powerful than what Master Shui Yue had taught him. Even the flow of essence and energy through his bodily meridians was more ingenious.
Because of this, Su Changqing discovered that his dantian seemed like an eggshell cracking open. It was directly reforged, while the surrounding spiritual energy gradually began to gather toward him, entering his body and flowing toward his dantian.
Did this count as truly stepping onto the path of cultivation?
```
Before you continue