Clumsy Peak

Taixuan Mountain Gate was an enormous gateway three hundred zhang tall. From the outside, it looked like a stone barrier formed by nature, wreathed in clouds and mist and shrouded in mystery.

Rumor had it that the Taixuan Sect's nineteenth patriarch had refined it. It was not only the sect's entrance, but also a magical treasure used to assess whether prospective disciples qualified for admission.

Lu Chen and Zhang Wenchang had not come to take that assessment, so the mysterious stone gate's hidden power remained inactive. They followed the disciple guiding them straight through.

Deep within the Taixuan Sect lay countless beautiful peaks, of which the one hundred and eight main peaks bearing its legacies were the most magnificent.

Some soared ten thousand zhang high, piercing deep into the clouds, their summits impossible to see at a glance.

Some shimmered with rosy light, ethereal music drifting through the air like the wondrous melodies of the Dao.

Some teemed with life, ancient trees towering toward the heavens and exotic beasts leaping through the air.

Some had waterfalls cascading a thousand zhang down, like the celestial river pouring from the ninth heaven.

Some held vast Heavenly Palaces suspended among the clouds, like the dwellings of Primordial Deities.

"Those palaces are actually floating above the clouds... have I arrived in the immortal realm?" The many wondrous sights left Zhang Wenchang deeply awed.

Not only him-even Lu Chen marveled inwardly. These sights were hardly inferior to what he had seen at the Purple Mansion Holy Land.

"Our Taixuan Sect is a great sect second only to the holy lands and Desolate Ancient Families. How could ordinary powers compare?" the young disciple guiding them said, a sense of superiority in his voice, as though the two were country bumpkins who had never seen the world.

"I've heard that the Desolate Ancient Families and holy lands all possess an ancient city that never falls. Have you ever seen one, fellow Daoist?" Lu Chen asked with a smile.

"I..." The young disciple was momentarily at a loss for words. As an ordinary disciple of the Taixuan Sect, how could he have the standing to see a holy land's ancient city? "They're only rumors. Who knows whether they're true?"

Lu Chen smiled and said no more. As far as he knew, the ancient cities belonging to those Desolate Ancient Families and holy lands seemed to be meant for "making a getaway."

After passing through the mountains, they finally arrived at Clumsy Peak. This seat of a legacy was not particularly imposing, looking only about nine hundred zhang tall. Several dozen subsidiary peaks fell under it, some taller and grander than the main peak itself.

Clumsy Peak's legacy had been in decline for many years. Now it was utterly quiet, with neither immortal mist drifting about nor people moving to and fro. It seemed no one had lived there for a long time, leaving it desolate beyond measure.

"Clumsy Peak, the place you wanted to visit, is just ahead. Martial Uncle Li is up there," the young disciple guiding them said. "Don't wander into other areas. If the patrol disciples from Heavenly Punishment Cliff spot you, you'll have plenty to suffer!"

"Thank you, fellow Daoist. We understand the rules." Lu Chen smiled and offered his thanks. He knew that wandering around recklessly with their level of cultivation would be courting death.

"Brother Lu, this is the legacy you said would suit me? But this place is far too remote and desolate. There isn't even a disciple guarding the entrance." Zhang Wenchang was somewhat doubtful.

"The legacy on this main peak once flourished beyond measure. But five hundred years ago, the master of Clumsy Peak fought a great figure from the Yaoguang Holy Land. Both perished in the end, and that caused its legacy to decline," Lu Chen said wistfully as he looked at the peak overgrown with ancient trees.

"Still, none of this immortal sect's one hundred and eight legacies has ever truly died out. Their ancient sages inscribed the scriptures across the entire peaks. Even if they decline for thousands of years, one day their legacies can reappear and return to their former glory."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wenchang said, "There's even a method like that? The Immortal Path truly holds endless mysteries. I wonder how much longer Clumsy Peak will remain in decline!"

"Don't worry!" Lu Chen patted him and smiled. "Its legacy will reappear within two years."

"But... Brother Lu, how do you know?" Zhang Wenchang was puzzled. Surely even the Taixuan Sect itself did not know when the legacy would reappear.

"I know five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future!" Lu Chen joked.

Five hundred years!

He knew all the major events within fifty thousand years!

At that moment, the mountain was silent and utterly barren. Weeds covered the entrance at the foot of the main peak. It looked nothing like a spiritual haven for cultivation.

A few pitch-black crows perched on several dead trees in the distance, cawing loudly and flapping their wings as they flew back and forth.

The main path leading to the palaces at the summit had also fallen into disuse. Brambles and vegetation grew wild, almost completely obscuring it.

As Lu Chen and Zhang Wenchang approached the dilapidated halls on the mountain, a stooped, white-haired old man emerged from one of the half-ruined palaces and looked at them.

"Young men, were you the ones who wished to visit this old man?" His eyes were cloudy, and he seemed somewhat puzzled.

"Greetings, Senior. I am Lu Chen, an independent cultivator. Having heard of Clumsy Peak's illustrious reputation, I took the liberty of visiting today." Lu Chen bowed respectfully, not daring to speak carelessly.

Although Li Ruoyu now appeared frail and unsteady, he was at least in the first heaven of the Immortal Platform-a powerhouse far beyond Lu Chen's ability to contend with.

"Greetings, Senior." Although Zhang Wenchang felt that Clumsy Peak looked even worse than the Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven and harbored doubts, he did not neglect his manners.

"Two fine young men. What business do you have with this old man?" Li Ruoyu asked, glancing at them with his cloudy eyes.

"To be frank, Senior, this friend of mine originally cultivated in a small sect. But his aptitude is lacking, and his progress has been exceedingly slow. It is almost impossible for him to achieve anything." Lu Chen did not dare lie. Knowing how formidable the old man before him was, he felt it best to state his purpose directly.

He continued, "I've heard of Clumsy Peak's renowned natural Dao and thought it might suit someone like him, so I brought him here to seek a master."

Zhang Wenchang also said respectfully, "My aptitude is poor, Senior. Is there still any hope for me on the Immortal Path?"

Hearing this, Li Ruoyu turned and scrutinized him. Divine light seemed to flash through his cloudy eyes, and a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Only after a moment did the old man say, "Your Root Bone is indeed poor."

Zhang Wenchang felt that he truly was mediocre wherever he went. This elderly senior probably thought little of him as well. Dejected, he said, "I've disappointed you, Senior."

"Disappointed?" Li Ruoyu shook his head and turned to gaze into the distant sky, as though recalling the past. He sighed. "In you, I seem to see my younger self."

Lu Chen understood what the old man meant. In his youth, Li Ruoyu had been just like Zhang Wenchang, with a poor Root Bone and dull talent. The other main peaks bearing the Taixuan Sect's legacies had scorned him and refused to accept him, leaving him no choice but to come to the declining Clumsy Peak.

In his first hundred years of cultivation, he had achieved almost nothing. Only after comprehending the natural Dao and displaying extraordinary accomplishments had the other main peaks realized that he was a great vessel that matured late.

"Then, Senior, do you mean...?" Hope rekindled in Zhang Wenchang's heart, and he asked somewhat awkwardly and cautiously.

"If you are willing, stay and become my first disciple," Li Ruoyu said calmly.

"This..." Zhang Wenchang could hardly believe that someone truly wanted to take him as a disciple. Back at the Jade Cauldron Grotto-Heaven, the elders had all but forgotten him after discovering how poor his Root Bone was.

"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and pay your respects to your master!" Lu Chen reminded him with a smile.

Zhang Wenchang came to his senses and hurriedly performed a formal bow to acknowledge his master.

"Rise." Li Ruoyu helped him up and instructed him, "Once you attain understanding, what will a poor Root Bone matter? You will still have hope on the Immortal Path!"

Suddenly, he turned toward Lu Chen, light gleaming in his eyes. "Your Root Bone is the opposite of his. Divine radiance lies within you, as though you possess an Immortal Body. Would you be willing to join Clumsy Peak?"

"Thank you for your high regard, Senior!" Lu Chen bowed. "My mind is too restless. I'm afraid the natural Dao would not suit me."

"So be it. Everyone has their own road along the Great Dao!" Li Ruoyu did not insist.