Becoming a Disciple and Learning Skills

Heavenly Gate Peak summit, Innate Hall. Lu Yang stood upright, waiting respectfully for his master to arrive.

Inside the Innate Hall, it was quiet and serene, spotless, with wisps of incense rising, calming the heart.

Lu Yang noticed three memorial tablets enshrined in the hall, dedicated to the Innate Daoist, Guiyuan Heavenly Venerate, and Hanhai Dao Lord.

Lu Yang knew all three of them, and they held extremely special significance in the Dao Seeking Sect:

Twelve thousand years ago, the Innate Daoist, who emerged from a Daoist temple, established his own sect, creating the Dao Seeking Sect. At that time, the Innate Daoist was merely an ordinary cultivator. In the Central Continent, there were at least eight thousand to ten thousand cultivators with similar cultivation levels. Therefore, the Dao Seeking Sect was just a small sect at its inception.

Ten thousand years ago, the world was in chaos, and the Dao Seeking Sect produced an extraordinary genius. In terms of cultivation talent, he wasn't even in the top fifty at the time, but he was intelligent, good at making friends, loyal, and blessed with luck. He rose during the chaos, riding the tide of the times, standing at the forefront of the era, unparalleled in glory, and his cultivation was unmatched. His title was Guiyuan Heavenly Venerate.

The Dao Seeking Sect flourished in the hands of Guiyuan Heavenly Venerate, and it leaped to become one of the leading sects of the time. At the Dao Seeking Sect's twenty-thousand-year anniversary celebration, many close friends came to congratulate him. Taking this opportunity, he and the four top cultivators of the time jointly established the title of the Five Great Immortal Sects, which was recognized by the world.

Nothing lasts forever, and no glory is eternal. Five thousand years later, the Dao Seeking Sect weakened. The elders of the sect were either approaching the end of their lives or died prematurely. Few could hold the fort, and none of the disciples were promising, leading to an awkward situation of generational decline. There were even rumors that it would fall out of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

Perhaps the Dao Seeking Sect was truly blessed with luck. One day, an elder of the Dao Seeking Sect went out to slay demons and rescued a child from the ruins. He brought the child back to the sect and was surprised to find that the child was an extremely rare cultivation genius. The child lived up to expectations, and his cultivation progressed rapidly, becoming the strongest Tribulation Crossing Stage cultivator of the time in just a few years.

That child was known as Hanhai Dao Lord, and he was later regarded as the ancestor of the Dao Seeking Sect's revival, extending the Dao Seeking Sect's glory for fifty thousand years, until today.

"Senior Disciple Sister, where's our master?" Lu Yang withdrew his gaze. He had been waiting in the hall for a long time, but he hadn't seen anyone other than Senior Disciple Sister.

"Master is currently in seclusion, at a critical stage of cultivation, and cannot be disturbed. I will accept you as a disciple on his behalf and guide you in your cultivation."

"Before the formal cultivation begins, let me briefly introduce our lineage. Master rarely has rules. As long as you don't go too far, violate ethics, or cause public outrage, he won't interfere."

"However, my bottom line is higher than his. I will interfere with what he won't."

"Master has a total of four disciples. Besides you and me, you have a senior brother and a senior sister above you. One of them is in the Western Buddhist Kingdom, and the other is in the Southern Yao Domain. They rarely return to the sect, and it's difficult to meet them."

"When you have achieved success in your cultivation and have the opportunity to travel around, you may meet them. As for now..." Yun Zhi paused, took out three ink paintings, and arranged them in a row. They were of Lu Yang's master, second senior brother, and third senior sister, whom he had never met.

The three people in the paintings were smiling very happily.

The master had white hair and his eyes were not as muddy as those of ordinary old people, but like a detached expert who liked to have fun and play in the mortal world.

The second senior brother had a gentle smile, sword-like eyebrows, and bright eyes, as gentle as jade.

The third senior sister had a myriad of charms and was a beauty capable of bringing disaster to the country and the people.

"Master specifically instructed that there are five people in our lineage, including you. It would seem too lonely if only you and I were present when you become a disciple. Therefore, Master specially prepared their portraits to replace them."

Lu Yang looked at Senior Disciple Sister, and then at the lifelike black and white portraits placed around him, as if they were watching him. He felt a chill down his spine for some reason.

It was as if the entire lineage was full of loyal martyrs, leaving only him and Senior Disciple Sister.

Three spiritual incense sticks appeared in front of Lu Yang. Yun Zhi handed them over: "This is faith incense. It can transmit your thoughts. Offer three sticks of incense to Master to convey your gratitude and respect."

The three spiritual incense sticks were lit and placed in the small incense burner in front of the master's portrait: "Ancestral Master is my witness, Master is above, please accept this disciple's bow."

It felt even more like it now.

After the apprenticeship ceremony, Lu Yang hesitated and asked, "Senior Disciple Sister, although it's a bit disrespectful to ask, is Master really still alive?"

Lu Yang was afraid that Yun Zhi would reveal a sneer and say, "You even know the secret that the master has fallen and the higher-ups are hiding it. We can't keep you."

Yun Zhi was confused and didn't understand why Lu Yang asked this question.

"Of course he's alive."

"I've seen your exam scores at Speech Transmission Peak. You remember the human acupoints and meridian positions very accurately, and you can recite and transcribe the basic cultivation methods. Very good. Your enthusiasm for learning is commendable."

"Next, we will begin formal cultivation."

Hearing this, Lu Yang's face showed an excited smile, and he listened even more attentively.

He could finally begin cultivation.

As formal cultivation began, Senior Disciple Sister said, "This is my first time teaching a disciple, and it's your first time being a disciple. Let's accommodate each other."

"But you don't have to worry too much. I've made ample preparations for today."

Yun Zhi lined up various small medicine jars, labeled with the names of the pills. Lu Yang had heard of them:

The White Bone Pill that could bring the dead back to life.

One of the merit-accumulating creations invented by the Buddhist Kingdom, the Seven-Story Pagoda Pill, which was said to save a life and be better than building a seven-story pagoda. The Buddhist Kingdom could obtain a share of merit for anyone who ate the Seven-Story Pagoda Pill.

The Nine Revolutions Reincarnation Pill. There was a saying in the cultivation world that nine deaths could be exchanged for one life.

With these pills, it would be difficult for Lu Yang to die even if he wanted to.

"Qi Cultivation starts with Body Tempering. Although you haven't been exposed to Body Tempering training, we'll start from scratch."

Yun Zhi casually tore through space and took out two large water vats from her storage space. Hearing the dull sound of the water vats hitting the ground, Lu Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling.

"Sword Cultivators emphasize sword intent and arm strength. Therefore, in Body Tempering, we must first focus on training arm strength. I'll only demonstrate once, so watch carefully."

Yun Zhi stepped on the edge of the water vat with both feet, as if walking on flat ground. Then, she pinched the edge of the other water vat with one hand, gently lifted it up, and let go. Before the water vat landed, she switched to the other hand and pinched the edge of the water vat again. She repeated this action, and her movements were as smooth as flowing water, making it pleasing to the eye.

If you didn't consider the feeling in your arms, this method could indeed train arm strength.

"You can do it to this extent."

Yun Zhi put down the water vat and said it lightly.

Lu Yang swallowed nervously. Without even lifting it, he could see that this water vat was half a person tall. It would be more than enough to stuff him into the water vat, fill it with sand, and bury it in the ground.

To play around with such a big vat, it was a rhythm of risking his life.

Lu Yang strode forward, held his breath, and lifted the water vat with one hand in one go.

He couldn't lift it.

He exerted force with both hands, using all his strength, and the water vat reluctantly shook, indicating that Lu Yang was indeed working hard.