Daily life at the Immortal Estate, the other eye

The blazing light was like a dragon, its force soaring to the nine heavens.

Even without using his left eye, Ao Ding could feel the terror within that searing heat!

It was a divine fire that burned true nature and tempered all spirits into oblivion.

Even a True Person would be burned alive to ashes by that divine fire.

Ao Ding could not help feeling fortunate.

"Speaking of which, why have you come here, fellow Daoist? That cloud-moving technique... Junior Brother Duan, was it? My name is Ji Diyun. I'm the chief steward of the Bright Yang Immortal Estate."

"A senior gave me some guidance, and I wanted to seek Senior Cang Xuan's recommendation to enter the Guangfa Sect. I happened to meet Brother Duan along the way, and he gave me a lift."

Ji Diyun raised an eyebrow. "The Guangfa Sect?"

The youth nodded quickly.

"..." The man fell silent.

Only after considering it for quite some time did he slowly ask, "Do you have any documents or tokens?"

Ao Ding took out the letter. It bore a mark of magical power Sun Chen had deliberately left behind, and no one below a True Person could open it.

Ji Diyun was a True Disciple of the Purple Sun Sect, in the Divine Illumination Realm, and naturally could not open it.

But the moment he saw the mark on the letter, he recognized it as something used internally by the Six Sects, and believed him somewhat more.

"Do you know what the letter says?"

"Broadly speaking, Senior Sun Chen instructed me to seek Senior Cang Xuan..."

At Sun Chen's name, Ji Diyun's expression shifted.

He said slowly, "An internal recommendation to Guangfa does indeed require my martial uncle's decision. But he's busy with the drought in the south, and my master and the other elders aren't here either. How about this? Stay at the Bright Yang Immortal Estate for now. Once I've contacted them and the elders have time, I'll introduce you, young brother."

Ao Ding nodded silently.

He had also heard something about demons in the south driving the drought. Surely he could not ask those True Persons to abandon disaster relief and come deal with his affairs first?

Well...

Red Boy, who had made just such a declaration, was already being pinned down and beaten by Yellow Boy.

"Why can't they come look after this exalted self first? So what if a few southern kingdoms die out completely?" Red Boy struggled desperately against Yellow Boy, who was straddling him and beating him fiercely.

"As long as this exalted self enters an immortal sect, I'll surely be a genius among geniuses. Forget taking revenge then-what would be so hard about fighting our way back to the Demon Continent? As long as we beat those demon kings to death, I'm sure those southern refugees would die will-"

Thump, thump-

Yellow Boy angrily landed several more punches, and Ao Ding silently cast a spell to stop Red Boy's mouth.

Was that... something he could just say?

Ji Diyun was a brisk, efficient man. After delegating his current duties, he personally led Ao Ding to the Mind-Stilling Hall beside the library.

"This Mind-Stilling Hall is near the Bright Yang Immortal Estate's library-well, it's where my master and we disciples usually calm our minds and cultivate our temperaments. No one's living here at present, so stay here for now. Oh, right, the scripture library isn't forbidden ground. When you have time, you can go borrow some books."

"Huh?" Ao Ding and the three children exclaimed in unison.

"Th-they're actually this nice..." Red Boy murmured. "In that case, when I become the Guangfa Sect's leader and dominate the cultivation world, I can take you as my underling. This... this is far too thoughtful."

For Ao Ding, who cultivated the Perfect Mystery Formula, the scripture library could not have been more wonderful.

Ji Diyun said, "Ah, there's been some trouble in the estate, and something's happened over by the guest rooms. Otherwise, we couldn't have a guest stay here-right, you may freely read the books on the first floor of the scripture library, but remember, you must not go to the second floor. Otherwise, don't blame me for turning cold and merciless. Even with Martial Uncle Sun's connection, I'll definitely drive you down the mountain!"

Ao Ding repeatedly promised to comply.

"Damn it! He's actually planning to drive me away?" Red Boy rolled over and pinned Yellow Boy beneath him, counterattacking viciously as he cursed. "One day, when this exalted self becomes the Guangfa Sect's master, I'll kill you first!"

Yellow Boy answered him with another round of savage blows.

Ao Ding ignored the fight in the Cloudsea Space and thanked Ji Diyun politely.

"No need to thank me. Cultivators following the Heavenly Saint Guangfa lineage are generally interested in scripture libraries. You can learn some of the Six Sects' fundamentals here. Hmm... you can also work on the papers in the scripture library whenever you have nothing else to do."

"Papers?"

Ao Ding seemed to think of something.

Ji Diyun wasted no words and went straight to the scripture library to bring back a stack of exam papers made of rice paper.

"When the Six Sects train True Disciples, besides lessons such as refining qi, tempering the heart, and comprehending the Dao, they must also study all kinds of knowledge concerning the natural principles of heaven and earth."

Ao Ding took them and looked.

All right, there were explanations of words and literacy, historical and contemporary allusions; music, chess, calligraphy, painting, arts, and culture; farming, animal husbandry, forging, kiln work, and the hundred trades...

"We enjoy long lives and enduring vision. After hundreds or thousands of years, if we understood none of these things, wouldn't we be worse than monsters?"

Ao Ding smiled knowingly. Exactly. Wen Dan and Tu Qing'er were learned enough to sit the mortal imperial examinations. If you were a long-lived immortal who could not recognize a single written character, you probably would not even fit in with the spirits, would you?

"Besides, the hundred mortal trades were spread by our immortal sects in the first place. In ancient times, the patriarchs brought humanity's forebears here and spread all manner of crafts, which flourished in this realm. If we knew none of them, we would be doing a terrible disservice to the six patriarchs and those forebears."

Ao Ding skimmed through them. These papers accounted for roughly a tenth of the total.

Ji Diyun said, "At our realms, a passing familiarity will do. In-depth study can wait until we've truly attained longevity. For us, cultivation is more important."

He drew out another category of exam papers. These no longer bore mortal writing, but diagrams of the human body and the Six Sects' seal script.

"These are cultivation papers. Based on the requirements given, you must draw qi-circulation diagrams and label the corresponding Dao qi, as well as Dharma Treasures and divine abilities compatible with the method. You must also write out some ways to apply it. Hmm... the other four sects do fewer of these, but the Guangfa Sect works on them every day. As I recall, a hundred years ago, the Guangfa Sect required three papers per person every day. I don't know how many they require now. Oh, and you have to make up the gaps from secluded cultivation afterward too. Of course, you can finish them in advance, but..."

Ji Diyun gave a very polite smile. Yet somehow, Ao Ding knew what he wanted to say.

When he had attended school on Earth, hadn't he also seen plenty of classmates desperately rushing through their work on the last day of vacation?

Ji Diyun thought for a moment and left some of the deeper details unsaid.

If True Disciples of Heavenly Saint Guangfa's main lineage failed to finish their papers, their elders really would dare beat them within an inch of their lives. But if disciples recommended internally by branch lineages failed to finish, generally nothing much would be said.

As for the treatment involved... whether the water was cold or the tea had cooled, only they themselves would know.

He drew out another category of papers. These tested knowledge of various divine and unusual beasts, such as which parts of a certain spirit beast were edible and which could be used in medicine. The fact that the entire papers were written in the Jade Cauldron Sect's seal script also made it clear which sect commonly used them.

"These are commonly used by the Jade Cauldron Sect. Like the various pill formulas, they have to be answered every day."

Next, Ji Diyun went on to explain several more kinds of papers.

Rules and precepts, essentials of the Daoist canon, cipher translation, combat simulations, strategic planning and formation deployment, divination of fortune and misfortune...

"Broadly speaking, we divide them into twenty subjects. True Disciples only need to fall within the three grades of excellent, good, or satisfactory."

Ao Ding instinctively asked, "Then what if you get poor-"

All right. Seeing Ji Diyun's polite smile, he shut his mouth.

After stuffing the exam papers into Ao Ding's hands, Ji Diyun made a few brief arrangements for his daily needs, then took his leave.

Ao Ding turned to look at the Mind-Stilling Hall and let out a long breath.

No matter what, he had taken this step.

As for not having found Cang Xuanzi, Ao Ding was in no hurry for now. He even felt somewhat fortunate.

"My Glazed Immortal Body is still two Dao seeds short. If I can complete the immortal body before we meet, or even bring both methods into the Jade Palace..."

Then others would think more highly of him.

"Main self, main self, stop standing around-hurry to the scripture library!" Red Boy kept shouting inside the mirror, and Blue Child also looked thoroughly tempted.

Only Yellow Boy maintained his restraint and said softly, "Going to the scripture library immediately would seem too rash. Better wait a little longer. Go tomorrow instead-besides, you can spend tonight cultivating your character and calming your mind."

Ao Ding wholeheartedly agreed. What if, starting now, everything he did was being recorded? Would rushing off to the scripture library lower his score or something?

Better be cautious.

After all, this was the Purple Sun Sect's immortal estate.

And so Ao Ding cultivated quietly through the night and only went to the scripture library early the next morning.

Ji Diyun observed all of this. On a document bearing Ao Ding's name, he lightly crossed out the word "rash" in the temperament column. As for whether to check words such as cautious, meticulous, or decisive, that would require further observation.

Purple Yang upheld discipline. It was the faction with the strictest laws among the immortal sects, and also their "chief justice" in both internal and external affairs. The issuing of immortal registration documents to disciples of the various immortal sects was entirely handled by this faction.

"He didn't go to the scripture library immediately. He has some self-restraint. But..."

For Guangfa Sect cultivators, scriptures were the fish a thieving kitten loved most. How could they possibly resist the temptation?

"I deliberately placed three methods involving sinister arts on the first floor, and on the second floor I put the Great Golden Light Dissection, which is intimately connected to his Daoist arts. Now we'll see whether he follows the rules."

If he broke the rules, Ji Diyun probably could not do much to Ao Ding and could not prevent him from taking a master. But there would be one more name on the Purple Sun Sect's watch list of prospective Guangfa Sect criminal immortals.

Moreover, he could be excluded outright from certain benefits prepared by the Purple Sun Sect.

Ao Ding walked through the scripture library, casually browsing the scriptures on the first floor. Although protective restrictions guarded them, his golden astral energy was pure and solid, and he easily picked up one Daoist book after another to read.

"Wow-so many! Although I've seen many of these methods at Sun Chen's place, these are more detailed, with all sorts of annotations too."

Picking up a Jade Firmament Five Thunder Method Book, Ao Ding saw interpretations by more than a dozen cultivators. At the back were even a True Person's comments on those cultivators' ideas and understanding.

"These must be the master of this immortal estate and his disciples, I suppose?"

Silently recording it in the Primordial Truth Mirror, Ao Ding went to look through the next book.

Blue Child said softly, "Main self, we can consider advancing the Primordial Truth Mirror now."

"Mm."

The third level of the Perfect Mystery Formula required thirty-six orthodox methods as its framework. Although Ao Ding had them on hand, he was somewhat dissatisfied with the Daoist methods Sun Chen had imparted. Some had been written out from memory far too carelessly, and Ao Ding wanted to find another version to compare and study.

Now that the opportunity had come, Ao Ding could truly let go and give it a try.

"Main self, look at that Heavenly Eye Book on the shelf to the left. Isn't that the Heavenly Eye Thousand-Eyes Register Senior Sun Chen mentioned?"

Hearing this, Ao Ding quickly walked over. When he opened it, its contents proved to be just as Sun Chen had said: a precious book recording a thousand kinds of spirit pupils throughout the world.

He broke into a grin. "My other True Person's Eye might finally be taking shape!"