Three years passed in the blink of an eye after Jin Ling joined the Jie Sect.
During this time, Wu Dang and Gui Ling joined one after another, completing the Five Inner Core Disciples of the Jie Sect. Xian Junyu had also successfully bound four of them.
As for the Chan Sect, after three years, Nan Ji also became a disciple of Yuanshi and took the position of First Disciple of the Chan Sect.
Naturally, quite a few ordinary disciples had come to seek instruction as well. However, seeing that their character was not very good, Xian Junyu had refused to let them in and sent them away directly.
By now, Xuandu and Xian Junyu were no longer serving as gate boys. One was the First Disciple of Renjiao, and the other was the First Disciple of the Jie Sect.
How could they keep serving as gate boys?
The job had already been handed over to the Daoist Children of Mount Kunlun, while Xuandu and Xian Junyu had each returned to their own sects.
After returning from Mount Kunlun with Spiritual Fruits, Xian Junyu flopped down in his own cave dwelling.
"Damn! The Spiritual Fruits nearby have all been eaten, so I had to go find some farther away. I'm exhausted!"
He lay on the bed and complained.
Mount Kunlun was no ordinary mountain. On top of that, every time he went out searching, he had to gather enough Spiritual Fruits to last a hundred years. Feeling a little tired was perfectly normal.
"The Earth Immortal Realm really is lacking. If I were in the Heaven Immortal Realm or a higher realm, this wouldn't be so exhausting!"
"Duobao really is useless. He's been in seclusion for three years without making a sound, leaving me with nothing to gain. What a waste!"
In the Journey to the West, Duobao, who became Tathagata, had been praised to the heavens. People claimed he had reached the Great Perfection of Quasi-Saint and could rival a Saint. But in Xian Junyu's eyes, he was utterly unimpressive.
There was also the Head of Female Disciples, Jin Ling. She was called Saint Mother Jin Ling, yet she too had been in seclusion for three years without making a sound.
Wu Dang and Gui Ling had joined only a year and a half ago, so their lack of movement was understandable. But the former two had been silent for three years, so Xian Junyu could hardly be blamed for being dissatisfied.
Of course, these were merely Xian Junyu's own thoughts.
Among Primordial cultivators, which breakthrough did not take a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand years? A mere three years proved nothing at all.
"Dong! Dong! Dong..."
While Xian Junyu was lying there complaining, the bell calling the Jie Sect disciples together also rang.
Once the Jie Sect had grown large, Tongtian stopped notifying everyone personally and came up with the system of Gathering by Sound.
"Damn! They called us together right after I got back. My luck is terrible. Master is really something—couldn't he let me sleep for a few days first?"
Xian Junyu muttered under his breath.
Though he complained, he still left. He had no choice. If he arrived late, Master Tongtian would really punish him.
After Jin Ling joined, he had gone to escort Junior Disciple Sister Wu Dang to the Daoist Sanctuary. Master Tongtian had beaten him simply because his right foot stepped into the sanctuary first. After that incident, Xian Junyu had cursed Master Tongtian more than once.
On the way to his Master's Daoist Sanctuary, he also ran into Duobao and Jin Ling.
"Greetings, Senior Disciple Brother!"
Upon meeting their Senior Disciple Brother, the two cupped their hands and greeted him in unison.
"Mm. Let's go."
Having received no system rebate from the two, Xian Junyu could not summon any interest in them. He merely nodded indifferently.
Seeing how coldly Senior Disciple Brother Xian Junyu treated him, Duobao looked puzzled. He quietly asked Jin Ling, "Senior Disciple Sister, what's wrong with Senior Disciple Brother? Do you know what happened?"
Jin Ling was the Head of Female Disciples of the Jie Sect and the Senior Disciple Sister. In terms of status, she ranked slightly above Duobao, the Second Disciple.
He had not addressed her incorrectly.
Jin Ling also quietly explained to Duobao, "Junior Disciple Duobao, you don't know? I heard that when Junior Disciple Sister Wu Dang joined the sect a year ago, Master beat Senior Disciple Brother because his right foot stepped into the Daoist Sanctuary first!"
"Senior Disciple Brother's mood is probably terrible right now..."
His right foot stepped into the Daoist Sanctuary, and he got beaten?
What kind of bizarre reason was that?
Duobao was rendered speechless. His Senior Disciple Brother was far too unlucky.
"What are you two muttering about?" Xian Junyu asked expressionlessly, looking at them.
"Nothing, nothing... It's nothing..."
Under Senior Disciple Brother's gaze, Duobao and Jin Ling immediately fell silent.
They thought Xian Junyu was in a bad mood because he had been beaten. In reality, he was upset because he had not obtained any system rebates from them.
If they knew that was the reason, they would probably be depressed to death.
After all, it was perfectly normal not to gain much after only three years...
Just then, Wu Dang and Gui Ling flew over as well.
"Greetings, Senior Disciple Brother, Senior Disciple Sister, and Senior Disciple Brother Duobao!"
The two greeted them one by one with cupped hands, without the slightest hint of arrogance.
"Mm, Junior Disciple Sisters Wu Dang and Gui Ling!"
After replying, Xian Junyu led his junior disciples toward the Daoist Sanctuary without saying a word along the way.
Gui Ling, who had joined the sect last, saw that none of her senior brothers or sisters were speaking, so she did not take the initiative either.
Instead, Wu Dang was the first to speak.
"Senior Disciple Brother, do you know why Master summoned us this time?"
The moment Wu Dang spoke, Duobao and Jin Ling stared at her in astonishment.
Senior Disciple Brother had been beaten precisely because he escorted you there, and he was still brooding over it. You still dared to speak at a time like this? Junior Disciple Sister Wu Dang really was brave!
The two secretly gave her a thumbs-up, while Gui Ling curiously looked back and forth at the strange group.
She had thought Senior Disciple Brother would give Junior Disciple Sister Wu Dang the cold shoulder, but that was not what happened at all.
Xian Junyu merely said, "How could we presume to fathom the Saint's Will? Junior Disciple Sister, there's no need to ask. Just go when we arrive."
"Yes, Senior Disciple Brother!"
Wu Dang immediately stopped asking questions.
However, Duobao and Jin Ling exchanged astonished looks, then wore expressions of confusion.
Wasn't he brooding because he had been beaten for bringing Junior Disciple Sister Wu Dang into the sanctuary? Why didn't he seem angry at all? Why was he so calm?
Oh, they understood now. Senior Disciple Brother could not bear to blame Junior Disciple Sister, which was why he was acting so calmly.
Such magnanimity was truly admirable!
Xian Junyu had no idea what the two of them were thinking. In his view, since he had been beaten because of his Junior Disciple Sister, he naturally would not blame her as her Senior Disciple Brother.
Of course, that only applied to his few Junior Disciple Sisters. If he had been beaten by Master because of Duobao, then just wait and see whether Duobao would get beaten too.
More importantly, this time it had nothing to do with Wu Dang. His Master had merely found an excuse to beat him...
Before long, the five senior and junior disciples arrived at Master Tongtian's Daoist Sanctuary.
Tongtian sat high atop a stone platform. Two Daoist Children transformed from Mount Kunlun stood on either side of him, while five meditation cushions had been placed in the area below.
"Disciple Xian Junyu..."
"Disciple Duobao..."
"Disciple Jin Ling..."
"Disciple Wu Dang..."
"Disciple Gui Ling..."
"...pay our respects to Master!"
Led by Senior Disciple Brother Xian Junyu, the five senior and junior disciples performed a formal kneeling salute together.
Looking at his Five Personal Disciples, Tongtian was extremely satisfied.
"Rise!"
With a slight raise of his hand, he lifted all five of them into the air.
"Thank you, Master!"
The five thanked him in unison. They still had to observe the proper etiquette, and Xian Junyu did not go too far this time.
Tongtian's gaze swept over Duobao, Jin Ling, and the others before finally settling on his First Disciple.
Xian Junyu saw his Master staring at him from the high platform and hurriedly pointed at his left foot.
"I stepped into the Daoist Sanctuary with my left foot today, not my right. If Master intends to punish me over this, then forgive me for refusing to accept it!"
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