The burly man looked Xu Yang up and down twice, then asked with a hostile expression, "Kid, who are you? Why didn't Li Yuan come?" Hearing the question, Xu Yang took out the token and tossed it to him. "Master Li has passed away. I'm his successor. Before he died, he told me to contact you once I broke through to the Xiantian realm."
The burly man caught the token and examined it closely. He nodded slightly. "Good. This token does indeed belong to my master. Since that's the case, come with me to pay him a visit!"
Xu Yang froze. He hadn't expected this man not to be the person he was looking for, but rather his disciple. Even so, Xu Yang didn't dare show the slightest disrespect. The burly man's cultivation was profound, and Xu Yang couldn't discern its depth. He could only feel an imposing presence like a towering mountain.
Xu Yang hurriedly nodded in agreement. The burly man raised a hand and tossed something; a streak of white light shot out and landed before Xu Yang. Looking closer, Xu Yang saw a small Flying Boat. The burly man formed a hand seal, and the Flying Boat immediately grew larger.
The burly man then leapt aboard and turned to beckon Xu Yang. "Get on quickly. We mustn't keep my master waiting." Xu Yang immediately jumped onto the Flying Boat. Under the burly man's control, it slowly rose and headed north.
This was Xu Yang's first time seeing a flying Dharma Artifact. He looked around curiously and noticed a barrier surrounding the Flying Boat, blocking the cold wind in the sky. Inside, there was not the slightest sound of wind; everything was perfectly still. The Flying Boat moved incredibly fast, and the scenery outside blurred beyond recognition.
After flying for about an hour, Xu Yang finally felt the Flying Boat slow down. A little while later, his eyes lit up. Among the mountains below stood pavilions and towers everywhere. Every palace was elegant and antique in style, exquisitely beautiful.
Atop a mountain in the center stood a magnificent hall. The setting sun's afterglow fell upon it, making it appear extraordinarily splendid. Xu Yang gazed at the scene below, entranced, his heart filled with longing.
Soon, the Flying Boat arrived above a plaza. Xu Yang and the burly man leapt down, then followed him toward a palace. Before long, they reached its entrance. The burly man told Xu Yang to wait there, then entered the hall.
A moment later, the burly man came out and beckoned Xu Yang inside. After several twists and turns, Xu Yang arrived in a quiet room. Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man sitting cross-legged inside.
The man was exceptionally handsome, with warm, jade-like eyes and a long beard hanging over his chest. He wore a blue robe.
Upon seeing him, the burly man immediately bowed. "Master, I've brought him here. Do you have any further instructions?" "Mm, good. Stand aside for now," the middle-aged man said, then turned to look at Xu Yang.
At his words, the burly man bowed and stepped aside. When Xu Yang saw the middle-aged man looking at him, he hurried forward and bowed. "This junior is Xu Yang. Greetings, senior."
The middle-aged man studied Xu Yang for a while, then asked with a frown, "You say you're Li Yuan's disciple. How did he die?"
"Replying to senior, Master Li died after he and his senior brother brought about each other's deaths..." Xu Yang then recounted in detail how Li Yuan had died.
The man listened expressionlessly, then nodded. "I see. What a pity about Li Yuan. He once saved my life. Seeing that he possessed a Spirit Root and had the potential to cultivate immortality, I promised to take him as my disciple once he broke through to the Xiantian realm. I meant it as a test, but I never expected it would cost him his life."
At this, the man shook his head, then continued, "Since you're Li Yuan's disciple and have come to me with the token, I'll naturally honor my promise. But what's going on with your cultivation? There's no way Li Yuan's disciple could be at the third layer of the Qi Refining Realm!" His expression turned solemn, confusion written across his face.
Xu Yang quickly bowed. "Senior, please hear my explanation." He took out his Qiankun Bag and continued, "The treasure Master Li fought over was a treasure map. It eventually fell into my hands. Following it, I found a cave dwelling, where I obtained some Spirit Stones and pills."
"So that's what happened," the middle-aged man said, suddenly understanding. He continued, "You seem to be cultivating the Qi Refining Secret Record. What kind of Spirit Root do you have?"
"This..." At the middle-aged man's question, Xu Yang looked instantly embarrassed. He lowered his head and replied, "This junior is useless. I have a Void Spirit Root!"
The middle-aged man's expression changed. He lowered his head and fell silent in thought. Then he turned toward the burly man standing to one side and said, "I haven't taken on a disciple in a long time. For Li Yuan's sake, I'll take you into my school today."
Xu Yang trembled and immediately fell to his knees before the middle-aged man, overwhelmed with excitement. "Your disciple Xu Yang pays his respects to Master!" The middle-aged man looked helpless. "There's no need for such ceremony. Get up. Since you've become my disciple, you should know my name. I'm Qing Yuanzi. Remember it well."
Xu Yang kowtowed three times to Qing Yuanzi before rising. Qing Yuanzi continued, "I have five other disciples. You'll be ranked sixth. This is your eldest senior brother, Huo Lian. From now on, Huo Lian will guide your cultivation."
Xu Yang hurriedly bowed to the burly man. "This junior brother pays his respects to eldest senior brother." Huo Lian smiled and cupped his hands toward Xu Yang. "Congratulations, Junior Brother Xu, on becoming Master's disciple. If there's anything you don't understand in your cultivation, feel free to come ask me."
Xu Yang listened gratefully and bowed to Huo Lian. Qing Yuanzi then said to the two of them, "I'll be going into seclusion to cultivate soon. Don't disturb me unless something important happens. Huo Lian, take Xu Yang to complete the sect-entry formalities and collect his supplies."
Huo Lian bowed in agreement, called to Xu Yang, and turned to leave the quiet room. Xu Yang bowed to Qing Yuanzi, then followed Huo Lian out. After the two had left, a captivating woman emerged from a side room in the quiet chamber. She giggled at Qing Yuanzi. "You old thing, you actually took that kid in. A Void Spirit Root is hardly impressive."
Qing Yuanzi looked helpless. "That kid's master once saved my life, and I promised to take him as my disciple. I can hardly go back on my word now. You know that we cultivators can't casually break our promises. Otherwise, once our inner demons arise, all our years of cultivation will come to nothing."
The woman nodded. "That's true enough. But you old thing are pretty sly, too. You actually pushed the kid onto Huo Lian. Huo Lian isn't exactly a kind soul."
"Haha! I can't concern myself with all that. What becomes of the kid from here on depends on his own fortune. As for who among my disciples will inherit my legacy, that depends on their own abilities." Qing Yuanzi laughed.
He then looked up at the woman. "Junior Sister Bai, you came to see me all of a sudden. What is it?"
At Qing Yuanzi's question, the smile vanished from the woman's face. She said gravely, "I just received a message from Junior Brother Liu Shu. The Demonic Path cultivators are making unusual moves. He's asking the sect to send elite disciples to Border City Prefecture to investigate."
"Oh? Is that so? It seems the Demonic Path is restless again. We can't afford to be careless. Have the sect leader arrange for people to investigate at once!" With that, Qing Yuanzi and Junior Sister Bai left the quiet room.
After following Huo Lian out of the main hall, Xu Yang was led to another hall. He looked up and saw three large characters on the sign above the entrance: "Internal Affairs Hall."
Xu Yang followed Huo Lian inside and came before a man dressed in black robes. The man saw Huo Lian and quickly stood up, his face filled with respect. "May I ask what brings you here, senior? Is there anything I can do for you?"
Huo Lian pointed at Xu Yang with a stern face. "This is my junior brother. Elder Qing Yuanzi just accepted him as a disciple. He's here to register, complete the sect-entry formalities, and collect all the necessary items."
The man listened and replied respectfully, "Please wait a moment, senior. I'll take care of it right away." He busied himself with the paperwork, then took out a Qiankun Bag and handed it to Xu Yang. "After joining the sect, every disciple receives the appropriate supplies. Everything you need is in this Qiankun Bag."
Xu Yang accepted it. "Thank you, fellow Daoist." Huo Lian patted Xu Yang on the shoulder. "All right, Junior Brother. Next I'll take you to where the sect's disciples live. You'll be staying there from now on." With that, Huo Lian turned to leave.
Xu Yang bowed to the man in charge of registration, then followed Huo Lian toward the residential area. A moment later, they arrived in front of a pavilion. Xu Yang looked up and saw that it had two stories and was made of wood, its design exquisite and elegant. Outside stood a small courtyard enclosed by a fence.
Huo Lian smiled at Xu Yang. "This is your residence, Junior Brother. The other Qi Refining Realm disciples live nearby. The items you received contain a detailed introduction to the sect. If you have any questions about your cultivation later, you can come ask me."
Xu Yang said gratefully, "Thank you, eldest senior brother. You've gone to a lot of trouble. Would you like to come inside and sit for a while? I'd be glad to host you."
Huo Lian waved his hand, a trace of disdain hidden in his eyes. "No need. You should go in quickly, Junior Brother. I'll take my leave." As he spoke, Huo Lian turned and strode away.
Xu Yang's perception was sharp. He immediately noticed the disdain in Huo Lian's eyes, and his heart sank. It seems eldest senior brother isn't as easy to get along with as he makes himself out to be.
Thinking this, Xu Yang felt reassured. That makes sense. The cultivation world is brutally cruel. If he were a kindly soul with no schemes, he'd have been reduced to scraps long ago.
Xu Yang watched Huo Lian leave as he pondered. Only after Huo Lian had disappeared from sight did he head toward his pavilion.
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