Two Months

Wei Kuang personally saw Zhou Qing out through the courtyard gate. When he turned back, he found Feng Yuan staring at him in astonishment.

"What is it?"

Wei Kuang asked.

Feng Yuan said, "Senior Brother Wei, you just called him... Senior Brother?"

He simply could not imagine that Wei Kuang would actually address Zhou Qing as Senior Brother.

That was an unmistakable display of yielding.

Wei Kuang had always been an extraordinarily proud person. Ever since childhood, he had outperformed all his peers and been the ringleader among the children.

After formally entering the sect, he had regarded the position of Senior Apprentice as something forbidden to others.

It was not because he coveted the benefits that came with being Senior Apprentice. In his eyes, that position should have been his by right.

Yet now he had actually called Zhou Qing Senior Brother. It was simply unbelievable.

Wei Kuang smiled faintly. "That is because I have understood a truth."

"What truth?"

Feng Yuan hurriedly asked.

Wei Kuang said, "Ever since he stood out among the disciples, I have been secretly competing against him. Every day when I circulated my qi, all I thought about was breaking through the Twelvefold Gates as quickly as possible, not letting him steal all the glory."

"When my focus shifted from my own cultivation to competing with another, then whether I won or lost in the end, I had already lost."

Feng Yuan regarded him with solemn respect. "Senior Brother Wei, your heart is open and unrestrained. I admire you."

Wei Kuang laughed freely. "His comprehension is too high, and his will is unyielding. He is better than others in every way. His only shortcoming is that he has too few spiritual roots. Spiritual roots are given by Heaven; no person can change them. I would be joining forces with Heaven to fight him alone. Even if I won, there would be no glory in it."

"So forget it. I will not fight anymore."

By the time Zhou Qing returned to his residence, only one shichen remained before dawn. He hastily went to sleep, and when he woke, the sky was already bright.

Though he had slept for only two shichen, he did not feel the slightest bit weary.

After all, he had cultivated for more than half a month. His physique and stamina were no longer comparable to those of ordinary people.

After washing up, Zhou Qing followed the mountain path to the Instruction Platform.

At the entrance to the Instruction Platform, he ran into Wei Kuang.

In the past, Wei Kuang had always been the first to arrive at the Instruction Platform before daybreak. Yesterday's qi deviation had greatly drained his energy, so he had risen late. That was why he encountered Zhou Qing, who was habitually late.

The leaders of the two major factions among this batch of disciples had met. This king-against-king scene immediately stirred a tense atmosphere in the hearts of the disciples.

Everyone stopped what they were doing as if by unspoken agreement and stared fixedly at the two, wanting to see whether they would clash.

Then Wei Kuang suddenly stepped aside by the path, cupped his hands, and called out, "Good morning, Senior Brother."

This unexpected turn caught everyone off guard, leaving them frozen where they stood.

Zhou Qing was not polite about it and walked straight into the Instruction Platform.

Only then did the crowd come back to their senses. They hurriedly rose and saluted him.

Those disciples of the Native Faction had originally refused to acknowledge Zhou Qing. But today, even Wei Kuang had called Zhou Qing Senior Brother. As though they had lost their support, they all became uneasy. They rose along with everyone else and also called him "Senior Brother."

Zhou Qing smiled. "No need for formalities. Prepare for cultivation on your own."

Everyone answered in unison, then returned to their cushions and prepared to circulate their qi.

Zhou Qing's life settled into a routine.

At night, he spent three shichen cultivating on his own. During the day, he stood guard over his junior brothers and sisters at the Instruction Platform.

Chen Qingxuan had practically thrown all his duties onto Zhou Qing, leaving himself free and carefree.

Five days passed like this. With Zhou Qing's help, Wei Kuang was the first to establish a Heavenly Cycle, followed by Feng Yuan, then Nie Yunxi, Wei Xu, Wang Xiaohu, Zhang Shan, Yuan Hongying...

Two months later, everyone had successfully established a Heavenly Cycle and could cultivate on their own.

That was a full month earlier than Chen Qingxuan had anticipated.

Before dismissal that evening, Chen Qingxuan said, "Tomorrow will be the final lecture. I will distribute everyone's first monthly allotment of spirit stones and teach you how to use them. After that, you may cultivate independently in your residences."

"Congratulations, everyone. You have successfully crossed the threshold of the immortal path. I hope you will cultivate diligently from now on and never allow yourselves to grow slack."

All the disciples were swept up in emotion.

Two months ago, most of them had been ignorant youths who knew nothing at all about cultivation. Now, they could call themselves cultivators without shame.

Thinking back on the experiences of these two months, all the disciples bowed to Chen Qingxuan and said, "Thank you, Martial Uncle."

Then they gave Zhou Qing the same salute and called out, "Thank you, Senior Brother!"

Chen Qingxuan returned to the Hall of Skill Transmission and reported to Elder Jin Mang that the instruction for this batch of disciples had been completed.

Jin Mang was somewhat surprised and said with a smile, "Only two months? Qingxuan, your skill in imparting the Dao has grown ever more refined."

Chen Qingxuan said, "Elder, you flatter me. This disciple asks that you attend tomorrow in person to select the Senior Apprentice and confer his designation."

Jin Mang smiled. "As I should."

After Chen Qingxuan left, Jin Mang headed toward the Scripture Tower at the very rear of the Hall of Skill Transmission, right beside the cliff.

Entering the quiet and elegant little courtyard of the Scripture Tower, Jin Mang saw a hunched old man sitting against the door on the steps before the building, his eyes closed as he dozed.

The old man wore coarse linen clothing. Having been worn for far too long, the fabric had been rubbed thin, and many places had come undone at the seams. He looked like nothing more than an ordinary old groundskeeper.

Jin Mang walked up to the old man and said, "Hall of Skill Transmission Leader, the lectures for this batch of disciples have ended. Tomorrow, the Senior Apprentice of this batch will receive his designation. Will you be attending in person to observe?"

This old man was the Hall of Skill Transmission Leader, Xu Jingfeng, the Azure Cloud Sect's Golden Core True Person.

According to the Azure Cloud Sect's sect rules, conferring the designation upon each batch's Senior Apprentice was the authority of the Hall of Skill Transmission Leader.

Xu Jingfeng disliked dealing with mundane affairs, so he had entrusted this matter to the four Elders, who handled it in rotation.

Still, out of respect, the four Elders sought Xu Jingfeng's instructions beforehand every time.

Without even opening his eyes, Xu Jingfeng said, "You can go in my place. Who is this batch's Senior Apprentice?"

Jin Mang said, "It is Wei Kuang. Hall of Skill Transmission Leader, you have met that child before."

Xu Jingfeng nodded. "He is a good child. But I heard Qingxuan favors a young man named Zhou Qing."

Jin Mang was startled. The Hall of Skill Transmission Leader remains secluded in the Scripture Pavilion every day and rarely concerns himself with outside matters. How had he heard about Zhou Qing as well?

Could it be that Qingxuan still refuses to give up and came to seek the Hall of Skill Transmission Leader's support?

After considering his words for a moment, he said, "Qingxuan did originally have such intentions, but that child possesses only one spiritual root. He truly cannot go far. If he were made Senior Apprentice, I fear it would have an adverse effect on the sect."

"Therefore, I have already persuaded Qingxuan to instead confer the position of Senior Apprentice upon Wei Kuang."

Xu Jingfeng did not seem to care. Keeping his eyes closed, he said, "Handle it as you see fit."

The next morning, only after the sun had already climbed high did Chen Qingxuan come to visit Jin Mang. Together, they flew toward the Instruction Platform.

From a great distance, the disciples called out, "Greetings, Elder! Greetings, Martial Uncle!"