Centralized Instruction

Wei Yuan turned around and saw a burly cultivator standing not far away. He stood nine feet tall, two heads taller than an ordinary man, and had thick, short whiskers and a dignified face. He was leading a boy who had just disembarked from the immortal vessel.

The cultivator's eyes shone like lightning. The moment Wei Yuan's gaze met his, Wei Yuan felt as though he had been struck by a bolt. Something intangible within him stirred in response, restless and on the verge of movement.

A flicker of surprise passed through the cultivator's eyes, then the light in them dimmed. "You've asked a question that has puzzled people for ages. Few have been able to answer it since ancient times, and those who can don't want to. If you truly care about it, remember the question and seek the answer little by little as you cultivate. This is my grandson, Xiao Yu. If you don't mind, the two of you can support each other on the immortal path from now on. Perhaps you'll both go further that way."

The cultivator grabbed the boy and set him down in front of Wei Yuan. Instinctively, both Wei Yuan and the boy turned their heads away rather than look at each other.

The boy was exceptionally refined-looking. He was the very Xiao Yu who had hacked at Wei Yuan hundreds of times to no effect, only to have his waist broken by a single spear thrust. Wei Yuan remembered killing him by spinning him around with that one thrust, leaving him with no dignity at all. Now that he was face-to-face with the victim, he couldn't help feeling a little guilty.

The burly cultivator smacked Xiao Yu on the head. "Why haven't you greeted your senior brother?"

The boy stared off to the side and stubbornly said, "He might not be older than me!"

The cultivator smacked him again. "You can't beat him right now, so of course you should call him senior brother!"

The boy said, "What if I can beat him someday?"

The cultivator paused. "Then you can call him whatever you like."

Only then did the boy turn around. He stared straight at Wei Yuan's chest, avoiding his eyes, and said stiffly, "Xiao Yu greets Senior Brother."

Wei Yuan hurriedly returned the salute. "Wei Yuan. I don't deserve to be called Senior Brother by Xiao Yu."

The burly cultivator said impatiently, "All right, enough with all this empty politeness. Just remember the question you asked today, and don't turn out like your masters and grandmasters."

Zhang Sheng was displeased. "What have my master and I done wrong? I ask you to explain, Senior."

The burly cultivator laughed. "You don't know what people say about your Azure Hall lineage? Every one of you is arrogant and self-important, thinking yourselves above the fray and uninvolved in factional disputes. In the end, you're all just looking out for yourselves. You've spent six years cut off from the world, so I can't be bothered to explain it all to you."

The burly cultivator picked Xiao Yu up and headed toward the distant hall. With one step, he vanished from the spot.

Just then, a girl walked over and first gave Zhang Sheng a graceful bow. "Greetings, Mr. Zhang Sheng!"

The girl was truly beautiful, had a lovely voice, and knew how to show respect to her elders. Zhang Sheng took an immediate liking to her and said amiably, "The Bao Household has produced outstanding talent generation after generation. It seems this generation will surpass the last."

The girl bowed again. "Hearing your praise puts my mind at ease. It seems I made the right choice in joining Taichu Palace."

Zhang Sheng saw a faint glimmer of golden light at the girl's brow and suddenly remembered something. He asked in surprise, "By the way, I heard someone of the Bao Household's current generation inherited the Dharma Idol of the Great Precious Flower Pure Land. Could that be you?"

The girl said, "A Pure Land Dharma Idol is only an external aid. Now that I've joined Taichu Palace, I have access to excellent teachers and won't spare myself hard work. Within a hundred years, I can cultivate a Dharma Idol no less impressive than the Pure Land inheritance. The immortal path is long, and a Dharma Idol is only one stop along the way. It isn't worth dwelling on."

The Buddhist sects' Dharma Idols had been passed down through successive incarnations, and their power was widely acknowledged as the greatest under heaven. For the girl to give one up so readily and speak with such conviction showed a breadth of spirit that even Zhang Sheng admired.

The girl turned to Wei Yuan. "Since we're fellow disciples of the same generation, I'll be relying on Senior Brother Wei to look after me."

"Of course!" Zhang Sheng immediately pulled Wei Yuan over and set him in front of the girl. "Wei Yuan, come meet Senior Sister Bao Yun!"

Wei Yuan turned his head away, not daring to look at Bao Yun. Zhang Sheng smacked him. "Where are you looking?"

With no choice, Wei Yuan gritted his teeth and bowed. "Wei Yuan greets Junior Sister."

Zhang Sheng smacked him again. "How rude! Call her Senior Sister!"

Wei Yuan had no choice but to say, "Wei Yuan greets Senior Sister."

Bao Yun's clear, bright eyes fixed on Wei Yuan, making him deeply uncomfortable. Only then did she cover her mouth and laugh. "I'm sure I'll have to ask Junior Brother for guidance from time to time."

The wooden-faced old man behind Bao Yun said, "It's about time. We should go in."

Zhang Sheng checked the time and led Wei Yuan into the hall.

Dozens of Daoist ritual attendants and cultivators bustled about inside the hall. As soon as Wei Yuan entered, he sensed something behind him. He turned and saw another immortal vessel landing in the plaza. People were disembarking one after another; it seemed another batch of new disciples had arrived from a different region.

A ritual attendant hurried over and smiled at Zhang Sheng. "Junior Brother Zhang, it's been years! I heard you've taken on an excellent disciple, one with the bearing you had in your youth. Congratulations!"

Zhang Sheng smiled and returned the greeting. The attendant looked Wei Yuan over carefully, then said, "This must be Wei Yuan. I heard he made True Lord Yanshi proud! Junior Brother Zhang, you know the sect's enrollment procedures, so I won't go over them. The disciples from every province will have arrived in three days, and then we'll hold the grand ceremony to pay respects to the Patriarch. But this year there's an additional step: after paying respects to the Patriarch, the disciples will choose how they want to be taught. Would you prefer independent instruction or centralized instruction?"

Zhang Sheng looked puzzled. "What is centralized instruction?"

The attendant explained, "In the past, after new disciples entered the palace, each hall taught its own. But this year, at True Lord Yanshi's proposal, the palace will select virtuous and capable people to teach general subjects such as cultivation fundamentals, human history, and the basics of the Dao Foundation. Each palace and hall will still teach its own secret arts. That's what we mean by centralized instruction. This is the first year, so the new disciples can decide whether they want to participate."

"The Ding Xin Sect is moving that quickly?" Zhang Sheng frowned slightly.

The attendant didn't answer. Instead, he said, "You can decide after paying respects to the Patriarch. I'll record your names first, then take you to your lodgings."

The attendant shone the jade register in his hand on Wei Yuan. Wei Yuan's appearance, birthplace, lineage, and other information appeared on a page of its own. Once he had recorded everything, the attendant led Zhang Sheng and Wei Yuan out of the hall, then swept his sleeve and enveloped them in a cloud of mist.

Wei Yuan saw the scenery flash and shift before his eyes at a speed like a flying arrow, far faster than the legendary galloping horse.

About a quarter of an hour later, the attendant put away his Daoist Arts, and a secluded mountain valley appeared before Wei Yuan. Several streams wound through the valley, with quiet courtyards scattered here and there in groups of three or five.

Three neighboring courtyards stood before Wei Yuan. Several strange trees, more than ten zhang tall, surrounded them, their branches laden with fruit.

Wei Yuan followed the attendant into the courtyard on the left. The attendant said, "This is your residence. You'll stay here until you forge your Dao Foundation. All the supplies issued to new disciples are already inside; help yourself. Your master knows the palace's rules, so I won't go over them. There's a map of the mountain gate on the desk inside, with the areas you're allowed to visit marked. Junior Brother Zhang, shall I give you a brief explanation of centralized instruction now?"