After they finished discussing Tian Ying, Zhang Zhe asked Tian Yong, "Yingying met a sword immortal. What about you? What did you gain?"
"Ugh, don't ask." Tian Yong sounded a little dejected.
It turned out that before entering the instance, he had just spent some points to exchange for two sword techniques. He hadn't even figured them out yet, and didn't want to learn another one.
So he hadn't chosen the swordsman, either. Like his sister, he'd chosen the scholar.
The siblings' starting locations had been fairly close to each other, much like those of the Li family uncle and nephew. They'd met not long after setting out.
Then they'd encountered that sword immortal.
But the sword immortal was a woman, and she'd told him outright that they had no affinity and that she couldn't teach him.
Tian Yong had been worried about his sister, too, and hadn't dared to leave on his own. Instead, after Tian Ying had learned the basics, they'd both been sent by the sword immortal to the area near Mount Lao.
So, in order to keep his sister company, he hadn't encountered any opportunities at all.
Fortunately, the sword immortal would offer him a few pointers while he practiced his swordsmanship, and he'd also become proficient in the two sword techniques he'd just acquired.
His dejection and disappointment came from hearing about Ling Qing and Zhang Zhe's experiences and feeling that his own journey had been far too uneventful. He wished he could have taken their places, taming tigers and vanquishing ghosts.
Though he was a veteran, he'd always yearned to roam the land with a sword, championing justice.
Fortunately, Tian Yong was an openhearted man. He quickly came to terms with it and set his sights on Mount Lao.
He planned to pay his respects with all his heart and seek immortal arts in the mountains, so that he could better roam the world, sword in hand, slaying demons.
He couldn't rely on his sword-immortal sister to protect him forever, after all.
As they chatted and joked, they arrived at the dormitory courtyard. The women had a separate courtyard, so the three men parted ways with Tian Ying at the entrance.
They agreed to take a walk around the Taoist temple later, and then Ling Qing and the others returned to their dorm together.
They called over the Li family uncle and nephew and introduced them to Tian Yong.
As they talked, they learned that the person who'd shared their room had left that day, and Tian Yong had taken his place.
They should have been happy to discover they were all so fated to meet, but instead, everyone fell silent.
They all knew that some people wouldn't be able to endure the hardship of living in the mountains, but they hadn't expected it to happen so soon.
It had been barely ten days, and people were already leaving.
This was the first gifted person to leave, but he wouldn't be the last.
It had already been a few days since they'd come up the mountain. After weathering the past few days, Ling Qing understood that life here really was hard.
It was truly hard. Every day pushed everyone to the limits of their exhaustion.
No matter how much progress you made, you were always kept in a state of utter fatigue.
It wasn't as if you found a way to do something today and could take it easier tomorrow.
Whether you tried hard or not, you were just as exhausted.
Unless you sat down and did nothing, even walking with an empty shoulder pole wouldn't feel easy.
"Everyone has their own fate."
Seeing the somber mood, Li Li spoke up abruptly.
"We only need to take care of ourselves. If we stick it out, then even if we gain nothing at all, the experience itself will still be a reward."
"True. Let's keep working hard together."
After hearing that, Ling Qing and the others felt he was right. After all, being able to enter the instance was already a reward in itself.
So they put it out of their minds and started discussing where to go that day.
As they talked, they headed out of the courtyard.
"Brother!"
At the sound of the call, everyone looked up and saw Tian Ying waving to them. Two young women stood beside her.
After introductions, they learned that the two women were Tian Ying's new roommates.
The women's courtyard had fewer residents, but it also housed three people to a room.
The whole situation gave them a strange sense of familiarity.
It felt like they'd gone back to their college days, when the dorms would get together.
"Since we've got three young ladies with us today, let's skip watching our senior brothers practice at the training ground. We can go see those places with the dazzling night views instead."
After they'd introduced themselves and everyone had gotten a little more familiar, Zhang Zhe made the suggestion.
Later that evening, the four of them went out to explore and ran into the senior brothers practicing martial arts.
Some of the more easygoing senior brothers let them watch and even explained a few tricks for training.
So over the next few days, whenever they ran into a senior brother who seemed approachable, they took the opportunity to ask a question or two.
Zhang Zhe wasn't the sort to lose his head at the sight of a pretty girl, but he did enjoy a good time.
Naturally, he knew that when you went out with young ladies for the first time, taking them to watch the senior brothers practice wasn't the thing to do.
"Sounds good. But we should see the scenery and watch the senior brothers practice, too. It'd be best if we could take the chance to ask them for advice."
A girl named Yang Liyi, who looked rather spirited, said with a smile.
"Exactly! We know which senior brothers are easy to talk to." Li Qing chimed in enthusiastically.
The three young women were about the same age as him. They looked youthful and beautiful, and they were in good shape from practicing martial arts.
With his vigorous energy, he naturally felt his heart stirring.
After all, a gentleman admired a graceful maiden.
But Ling Qing noticed that Tian Ying seemed to want to say something, then stopped herself.
He moved a little closer and asked quietly, "What's wrong? Is there something you want to do?"
"It's nothing." Tian Ying glanced at him and answered just as softly. "I was just wondering if we could go to the Scripture Depository Hall and ask whether we're allowed inside. Before I find that senior brother, I could look through the classics on my own and familiarize myself with the sword manuals. But it's fine—we can all go for a walk together today."
The Scripture Pavilion!
Ling Qing froze at her words. Right—how had he not thought of that before?
He'd always assumed that he had to pass his master's test before he could study the Dao alongside the senior brothers, taking it one step at a time.
But he'd forgotten to ask whether he could study on his own.
If there were no restrictions on the Scripture Pavilion and everyone was free to browse the classics, then even if he couldn't master anything, he could at least become familiar with their teachings.
What was more, just as Tian Ying had thought, he could search through them for obscure script terminology that also appeared in the main volume of the Spirit Restraint and Transformation Method.
He could learn what it meant by consulting the texts—and it would be even better if he could ask the senior brothers for help.
That way, he could understand the scriptures sooner and grasp the meaning of the main volume sooner.
Best of all, the books in the Taoist temple might help him figure out where the original text's script came from and what it meant.
All this time, he'd only been thinking about how to pass the test, listen to his master's teachings, and gradually embark on the path to immortality.
But he'd forgotten that a master could show you the door; after that, your cultivation was up to you.
If you sought immortality, you had to seek it yourself, not wait for someone else to push you into studying the Dao.
He could at least do some advance reading before becoming a disciple.
At that thought, Ling Qing could no longer hold back. He stepped forward and called out, "Everyone!"
He cast aside both the little thought that had instinctively crossed his mind earlier and his mood for sightseeing.
When the others turned to look at him, he continued, "Would any of you be interested in going to the Scripture Depository Hall together?"
The others froze at his words, then quickly understood.
"Interested! Definitely interested! Let's go together!"
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