Definitely Able to Endure Hardship

"Do you guys feel like this is even more exhausting than regular mountain climbing?"

After climbing a few more flights of stairs, Zhu Guang asked the other two, panting heavily.

"Indeed. It feels like being in a constant state of extreme fatigue, and I can't seem to access the internal energy within my body."

Zhang Zhe took a deep breath, feeling the exhaustion in both his mind and body, and noted the inability to mobilize his internal energy.

By this point, both of them had realized the situation.

"This state isn't normal, but it's precisely this abnormality that proves we haven't come to the wrong place."

Ling Qing looked at the two and said, "Don't you think this state feels more like a trial?"

"Right!"

"Exactly!"

Hearing this, Zhang Zhe and the other felt their spirits lift instantly.

As the saying goes, they were already here, and they had already climbed this far.

If they didn't achieve their goal, wouldn't all their suffering have been for nothing?

With that, the three of them pushed through their extreme fatigue, walking up the mountain step by step.

Strangely enough, ever since they stepped onto this mountain path, they no longer felt hungry.

Moreover, just when Ling Qing thought Zhu Guang wouldn't be able to hold on, he was surprised to find that no matter how tired he was, as long as he wanted to keep moving, he could.

Thus, the three of them didn't dare to stop, suppressing their fatigue and trudging toward the summit.

They didn't know how long they had been walking, as the daylight seemed unchanged, until the sound of a bell rang out.

"Dong~"

The three were jolted awake. Looking up, they saw a complex of Taoist buildings made of green bricks and grey tiles nestled amidst the swirling clouds at the mountain peak.

At the end of the path, a plaque hung above a rustic gate, inscribed with three large characters.

"Shangqing Palace!"

"Shangqing Palace?! We finally made it!"

Upon seeing this, the three felt their exhaustion vanish, and they quickened their pace.

In his joy, Ling Qing didn't even notice that the fatigue and the suppression of his internal energy had disappeared the moment he heard the bell.

It wasn't until the three stood before the gate and caught their breath that he realized it.

However, he had no time to dwell on it; he straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and knocked gently on the door.

"Bang! Bang-bang!"

"Creeeak~"

The door suddenly opened, and a middle-aged Taoist wearing a grey, coarse hemp robe walked out, looking the three of them up and down.

"You are here to seek the immortals, aren't you?"

"That is correct. We hope the immortal will take us in!"

Seeing this, the three quickly bowed.

"This poor Taoist is not an immortal. Follow me first; arrangements will be made after you have met my master," the Taoist said, turning to walk inside. The three followed quickly.

"Many thanks, Daoist." The three exchanged glances, bowed in thanks, and said nothing more.

They followed closely behind the Taoist into the courtyard.

Along the way, Ling Qing and the others followed the middle-aged Taoist step by step, not daring to wander about.

Their eyes, however, darted around, curious about what this immortal palace looked like.

The courtyard was not ornate; it was filled with green bricks, black tiles, emerald bamboo, and moss, occasionally accented by a few rare flowers and herbs.

Before long, they arrived at a great hall, and the middle-aged Taoist led the three inside.

Upon entering, thin trails of smoke curled from incense burners on either side, ethereal as mist, making one feel calm and refreshed, their entire body at ease.

Deep within the hall, sitting upon a Biyu Bed, was a Taoist with hair as white as snow and a refined, imposing demeanor.

He wore a purple-gold lotus crown, a robe of three splendors and five energies, a sash of water-and-fire silk, and clean white cloud-patterned shoes.

A silver-threaded whisk rested on his arm, his eyes slightly closed, radiating a brilliant divine light—truly the air of an immortal.

"Master, there are more seekers of the Tao today."

After entering the hall, the middle-aged Taoist bowed to the old immortal.

"We yearn for the immortal path and sincerely hope the immortal will take us in."

Seeing this, the three quickly bowed and pleaded.

The old immortal asked softly, "Since you wish to seek the Tao, you must be able to endure the hardships of the mountain. I wonder if you can bear it?"

"We can. We only hope for your mercy to take us in, Master. We are certainly capable of enduring hardship."

Hearing this, the three were overjoyed and immediately seized the opportunity to address him as Master.

"Very well. Since that is the case, you shall stay here for now. Every day, you will join your fellow disciples in the temple to carry water, chop wood, wash clothes, cook meals, and sweep the courtyards.

Go."

The master nodded, flicked the horsetail whisk in his hand, and closed his eyes, speaking no further.

"Yes, Master!" Not only the three of them, but the middle-aged Daoist also bowed respectfully, and together they withdrew from the hall.

"Lu Qing." Once outside the hall, the middle-aged Daoist called out, and a young Daoist acolyte of about fifteen or sixteen years old walked over.

"Senior Brother!"

"Take these three and arrange a place for them to stay. Have Junior Brother Zhang find them some work."

The middle-aged Daoist instructed the acolyte named Lu Qing.

"Yes, Senior Brother." The acolyte bowed and replied.

"You three may follow Lu Qing." The middle-aged Daoist gave a slight nod to the three of them and turned to leave.

"Yes." Seeing this, the three quickly bowed in response.

"Aren't you?"

After the Daoist left, Zhang Zhe and Zhu Guang looked at the acolyte named Lu Qing and asked with confusion.

"Young Master Zhang, Young Master Zhu, and this gentleman, please follow me."

The acolyte smiled slightly and gestured for them to follow as he led the way.

"You're from the Special Affairs Department, aren't you? One of the thirty-six members of the Special Affairs Department following Daoist Lingguan."

"Yes, my name is Lu Qing, and I am directly under the Shandong Provincial Branch of the Special Affairs Department."

Through their conversation with Lu Qing, the three learned more.

In reality, Daoist Lingguan was already a Daoist at Lao Mountain Shangqing Palace, having grown up in the temple since he was a child.

After entering the dungeon last time, he had directly been initiated into the sect.

The temple could be roughly divided into uninitiated disciples, also known as unregistered disciples.

Those who were officially recorded in the sect's register were called registered disciples.

Those who could receive personal instruction from the master were called inner-chamber disciples, also known as personally-taught disciples or direct disciples.

Finally, there were the true-transmission disciples who had inherited the master's full repertoire of skills; they were essentially the next generation of successors for the sect.

Unlike them, who had come up the mountain but had not yet been initiated, and unlike Lu Qing and his peers who were registered disciples, Daoist Lingguan was a true personally-taught disciple who had formally apprenticed under the master and received his teachings.

When he left the dungeon, he had been given a task to go down the mountain for training.

If he encountered raw talent in the secular world, he could bring them back to the sect.

That was how this second opportunity to enter the dungeon had come about.

Although Lao Mountain Shangqing Palace did not throw its doors wide open to welcome guests from all directions, it was not the type of temple that closed its doors to focus solely on reading scriptures.

Those who came up the mountain were there to seek immortality and study the Dao, so they could all be called disciples of the Dao.

They would not turn away any ordinary person who sought immortality.

Just like Wang Sheng in Lao Mountain Daoist, and just like the seekers of immortality mentioned by the waiter.

Ling Qing and the others belonged to this category, having to come to Lao Mountain themselves to seek the Dao.

However, Daoist Lingguan's entry into the dungeon this time was different from everyone else's; he had brought thirty-six members of the Special Affairs Department, who held the necessary credentials, directly to the foot of Lao Mountain.

While others were still rushing toward Lao Mountain, they had already successfully been initiated into the sect, becoming registered disciples and formally beginning their cultivation.

Of course, the necessary tests and trials were not skipped; just like Lu Qing, they had to serve as acolytes to the master and senior brothers.

But in the end, they had a much greater advantage than everyone else, which showed that Daoist Lingguan must have had his own reasons for giving those spots to the Special Affairs Department.

PS. This chapter is an extra update for all the big shots who have supported me with tips, votes, and by keeping up with the story!

I only have enough time to write four or five thousand words a day, so please forgive me!