Innate Dao Seed

The sound of tea, the sound of wind-every sound reached their ears.

More disciples noticed the commotion at the back and could not help staring, dumbstruck.

Master Lü watched what was happening there, his eyebrows lifting slightly in faint displeasure. He gave a light flick of his right finger behind his back.

Clang!

An exquisitely cold, clear sword note rang out before the hall.

The disciples' hearts trembled. They immediately came to their senses and hurriedly turned back.

The cliff terrace fell utterly silent. Even the birdsong in the distant trees disappeared.

Master Lü's gaze moved among the disciples, lingering a little longer on Jing Jiu and Liu S sui before finally settling on the distant peaks.

"Pay attention, all of you. Whatever your abilities, talent, or understanding, you must strive to break through the Youyi Realm within three months. Only then will you have any hope of reaching perfection in the Spirit Embracing Realm within three years, and a chance of being admitted to the inner sect to become true disciples of Green Mountain. Our sect cultivates the righteous path of the heavenly sword, and prizes one thing: unfettered ease. The beginning of cultivation is not difficult. Even the dullest person, provided they are willing to spend the time and effort grinding away, will one day successfully break through. But how many tens of thousands of miles does the great path stretch toward heaven? The farther you travel, the harder the road becomes. The high peaks are steep and perilous, and those final few hundred feet are as difficult as ascending to heaven. So if you cannot enter the inner sect within three years, you might as well leave this road to heaven untrodden."

He felt somewhat wistful. These words were meant for the disciples, but they also reflected his own experience.

He was already in the complete Chengyi Realm, able to use Sword Flight freely and kill within ten paces without staining his robes with blood. To ordinary people, he was like a sword immortal. In the mansions of the dynasty's ministers in Chaoge City, he would certainly be honored as an Attendant.

Yet in the Green Mountain Sect, unless he entered the Wuzhang Realm, his lifespan would remain limited. With even less hope of breaking through the several great realms beyond it, he naturally could not become someone the sect focused on nurturing.

Just as now, he could only teach these Outer-Sect Disciples who knew nothing at South Pine Pavilion. Although this, too, was very important to the sect, still...

A somewhat youthful voice drew Master Lü out of his reflections.

"Immortal Master, if our cultivation goes smoothly, will we have a chance to take part in the Sword Inheriting Grand Tournament three years from now?"

The young disciple who spoke had learned something about the Green Mountain Sect through some unknown channel, and knew that for young disciples, the Sword Inheriting Grand Tournament was the most important test.

Master Lü paused slightly, then smiled without answering. In his view, the question this young disciple had asked was truly too naive.

Murmurs and quiet laughter gradually arose. Only after his companions explained did the young disciple learn that only disciples who had reached perfection in the Shouyi Realm qualified to attend the Sword Inheritance Assembly.

After Attuned Form came Embracing the Spirit, which constituted the initial realm. After that came Zhitong, and only then Guarding the One...

Outer-Sect Disciples who had just entered the sect stood four levels away from the Shouyi Realm.

"You want to perfect the Guarding the One Realm in two years?"

A disciple sneered, "Do you think you're a genius like Senior Sister Zhao?"

"I hope you can catch up with Twelfth Month."

A voice rang out among them, shocking everyone.

But no one dared mock the speaker.

Because it was Master Lü who had spoken.

However, Master Lü was not addressing the disciple who wanted to take part in the Sword Inheriting Grand Tournament.

Following Master Lü's gaze, the disciples looked toward the back of the group, their eyes settling on one person.

Liu S sui stood stunned for a moment before coming to his senses. Pointing at himself, he asked, "Are you talking to me?"

Master Lü said, "Yes. I hope you can become another surprise for the Green Mountain Nine Peaks."

The young Outer-Sect Disciples dispersed. Some kept reading the introductory Method Formula they held, while others stared blankly at the sunlight between the leaves, naturally separating into several groups.

Such scenes had occurred several times since these young disciples entered the Green Mountain Sect. For now, they still naturally separated according to their native places and worldly status. In the future, however, it would depend on their respective cultivation realms.

Today was different after all. Whether disciples from wealthy families or children from poor households, they were all looking toward one particular spot.

Even those diligently reviewing their books or staring blankly at the sunlight occasionally cast a sidelong glance that way.

Jing Jiu and Liu S sui stood there.

Some looked at Jing Jiu, but more looked at Liu S sui. No one had forgotten what Master Lü said before leaving.

Who could have imagined that the disciple the Immortal Master valued most was not that extraordinarily handsome White-Clad Youth, but the little boy who seemed to be his attendant?

What exactly was so remarkable about that little boy?

The youth who had mocked his fellow disciple earlier was named Xue Yongge. He came from an Aristocratic Clan in Yuzhou Commandery, and a granduncle-master from his family cultivated on the Sixth Peak, Shiyue Peak. He was making inquiries.

Soon, definite news arrived.

This little boy was actually an innate Dao Seed!

The disciples looked at Liu S sui with eyes full of shock.

Unlike before, there was nothing but shock-no jealousy, not even envy.

The gap between them was simply too great. They did not exist on the same level at all. What use was envy?

Among the Green Mountain Sect's countless prodigiously talented disciples, how many innate Dao Seeds had appeared over these years?

Apart from Senior Sister Zhao, there was only Senior Brother Zhuo on Heavenly Light Peak, whom the sect master had personally accepted as his Closed-Door Disciple!

Now someone like that had actually appeared among them. How could they not be shocked?

Xue Yongge had learned the news first and recovered from his shock fastest. Ignoring his fellow students, who still stood dazed, he walked straight up to Liu S sui with a gentle smile.

"Junior Brother Liu, each of us will have a little courtyard to rest in. Which are you planning to choose? If you don't mind the stream at night, courtyard A-four would be an excellent choice. It's close to the Sword Hall, so you can often seek instruction from the Immortal Master. And there's a patch of Sunflowers planted outside. Their delicate fragrance has quite an effect in steadying the mind and calming the spirit, which greatly benefits our cultivation."

Some disciples had not caught on. Senior Brother Xue is usually so proud and aloof. Why is he so friendly today? Others could only smile wryly. Senior Brother Xue really does react quickly. No one knows whether those Sunflowers actually benefit cultivation, but living next door to that innate Dao Seed would certainly be an enormous help to his cultivation.

Xue Yongge received no answer from Liu S sui, because Liu S sui knew Jing Jiu would not choose that courtyard.

Liu S sui gave Xue Yongge a grateful smile, shouldered the luggage, and headed toward the Sword Hall, where he asked the steward for the door plaques to two little courtyards on the back mountain.

Watching the White-Clad Youth and the little boy who was an innate Dao Seed head deeper along the mountain path, the disciples were astonished and speechless.

Xue Yongge shook his head in puzzlement. "This really is strange."

An innate Dao Seed actually serving as someone's study attendant-who would not find that strange?

Discussion broke out before the Sword Hall, and inevitably, some people mocked Jing Jiu.

The girls ignored all this and looked toward the mountain path.

One girl said softly, "That young master Jing Jiu... he really is handsome."

Another girl said, "I heard he's from Chaoge. I wonder which mansion he belongs to."

Deep along the mountain path, in a dense wood far from the stream, stood two neighboring little courtyards.

The sunlight was screened by the trees, and everything in the little courtyard looked very clear.

The courtyard gate was pushed open. Liu S sui put down the luggage, surveyed the surroundings, wiped a stone stool clean, and prepared to start cleaning.

"How did you know I don't like the scent of Sunflowers?"

Jing Jiu sat on the stone stool and looked at him with considerable interest.

Over the past year, he had spoken quite a lot with Liu S sui, but such outward displays of feeling were rare.

"I didn't. But that... senior brother said the courtyard was beside the stream."

Liu S sui said, "The stream is so loud, and you like sleeping, young master. Why would you want to live there?"

Jing Jiu said, "Yes, I'd forgotten about that."

The little courtyard was very quiet. The dwelling, which looked like a thatched cottage but was actually a cave inside, was also very clean-spotless, even.

Presumably, when no disciples lived here, it would remain this clean.

There was little Liu S sui needed to do. He soon finished making the bed and folding the bedding, then carried a plate of mountain fruit the steward had distributed in advance into the courtyard and set it on the stone table before Jing Jiu.

Seeing the unease on the little boy's face, Jing Jiu said, "Go back to your courtyard. If you want to read that book, read it properly."

Liu S sui raised his head, his little face slightly flushed. "I'm not in a hurry to leave so I can read that Method Formula."

Jing Jiu knew he was so uneasy because he had heard their fellow disciples' discussions and mockery. He smiled and said nothing.

The mountain breeze brushed gently past, and white frost grass drifted down.

Jing Jiu looked at the cave walls inside, gradually growing wistful. He had not turned around to find all things vanished into emptiness, but how many years had it been?

He sat down against the window lattice and opened the thin booklet in his hand.

The Green Mountain Sect's introductory Mnemonic.

It was very simple and very familiar, with only two extremely minor changes compared with those days.

These two changes were quite interesting, but they did not take long to read.

Jing Jiu's eyes slowly closed.

The introductory Mnemonic came to rest on his lap.

Wind entered the cave, gently stirring his robes and rapidly turning the pages of the book, sometimes forward, sometimes back.

The pages flipped so fast that the words were indistinguishable. Only the little drawn figure kept moving.

One moment, the little figure crouched in an oddly shaped horse stance; the next, it stood like a pine. More often, it performed a boxing routine, looking so vigorous that its movements stirred the wind, working with boundless diligence and effort.

Jing Jiu, however, had long since fallen asleep.

By the time he woke, the setting sun had already sunk below the peaks. Traces of rouge-red lingered in the sky, while the nearby cliff terrace was already too dim to see clearly.

With a creak, Liu S sui pushed open the courtyard gate and ran in, his sweat-beaded face full of excitement as he shouted, "Y-young... m-m-master!"

Jing Jiu recalled memories from many years ago and reminded him, "Don't call out like that outside in the future. You'll get beaten."

Liu S sui raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat from his face and nodded repeatedly. He wanted to say something but could not get the words out, growing a little anxious.

Jing Jiu said, "Understood it?"

With a thump, Liu S sui dropped to his knees before him and kowtowed hard twice.