Yang Palace and Azure Jade

"Oh?" The cultivator on the left, who had been silent all along, slowly raised his eyes. A sudden burst of Wu Earth light shone from his body, and his powerful, imposing aura was like a mountain about to collapse. "Then let's try it out. Let's see if your Yuanfu's Witch Technique and Secret Method are superior, or if the Daoist arts of my Jade Void lineages are more effective!"

The remaining two said no more, each summoning their magical Law Artifact. As their Law Power surged, spiritual light crisscrossed on the desolate mountain, and a battle was about to break out.

The last person on the right quickly looked at the young man shrouded in grime and said:

"Fellow Xuan Yan, we are both fellow practitioners of the Mysterious Gate sect, why must we fight each other like this?"

The young man known as Xuan Yan frowned slightly upon hearing this and scoffed:

"You, True Martial Mountain, have the nerve to call yourselves fellow practitioners of the Mysterious Gate?"

Before the words were even finished, a peach wood sword appeared in his hand, pointing at the young man in the Tai Chi robe who had spoken earlier.

Just then, a clear male voice came from afar:

"The Yuanfu still considers themselves members of the Mysterious Gate? It's utterly laughable."

The seven people looked in the direction of the sound. They saw a figure walking through the air, with the Great Yang Mysterious Light flowing around him, its dazzling brilliance turning half the sky a pale gold.

The light was not dazzling, but it possessed an unapproachable majesty, like a rising sun descending from the heavens.

The young man's pupils contracted slightly as he weighed his options in an instant. In the end, he gritted his teeth in reluctance and turned to look at his companion beside him.

The pale-faced youth also had a gloomy expression, and he uttered two words in a low voice:

"Yang Palace..."

He paused, then looked at his three companions:

"Let's retreat!"

As soon as he finished speaking, four streaks of light rose from the ground and disappeared into the sky in an instant, decisive and clean, no longer displaying the calm and confident demeanor he had just displayed.

After the four streaks of light completely disappeared into the clouds, the three people on the left turned to the newcomer, about to speak. However, the person seemed to have no intention of lingering. He didn't say much, but simply nodded slightly to the three of them. Then, a golden light flashed around him, and his figure disappeared, leaving only a few wisps of light that gradually faded into the twilight.

The desolate mountain returned to silence, with only the mountain wind blowing and making a soft whistling sound.

After a long silence, Xuan Yan finally muttered a curse:

"It's one thing for the Yuanfu to act this way, but why does True Martial Mountain have to get involved too?"

The young man in front of them, bathed in golden light, gritted his teeth:

"True Martial Mountain... its gates will be breached sooner or later, and its lineage severed..."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yan thought to himself, "The minds of those who follow the Mystic Body Dao are really... but they still advised me."

"Mo Li your fellow Daoist, and be careful with your words..."

The man called Mo Li snorted coldly upon hearing this and said nothing more.

The man at the front, clad in Silver Light, finally spoke:

"Fellow Daoists, we should hurry to Nanzhao."

Xuan Yan nodded upon hearing this:

"What Fellow Ying Qi says is quite true; we have already wasted too much time."

He paused, then looked at Mo Li:

"Fellow Daoist Mo Li, is your magic boat still usable?"

Mo Li shook his head upon hearing this, full of regret, and said:

"That beam of light earlier... that light probably contained some Witch Technique, which disrupted the array's patterns."

Without waiting for their reply, he first gave a cold snort, and then said:

"The magic arts of the Yuanfu are truly beneath their notice; they are either Witch Technique or Law Technique incorporating Witch Technique. The Rainbow Clouds Path is second only to the Pure, True, and Purple Qi in the Immortal Dao, but in the hands of the Yuanfu, it is treated like Witch Technique, losing the essence of my Immortal Dao."

Ying Qi a headache coming on upon hearing this, but still managed to speak:

"Fellow Daoist Mo Li, we should think of a way to get to Nanzhao as soon as possible."

Mo Li shook his head upon hearing this:

"I am not skilled in Law Technique; it depends on whether you cultivate the Heavenly Chaos Qi Xuan Yan the Wu Earth, Fellow Daoist Xuan Yan."

The two were about to shake their heads when another cheerful male voice rang out:

"Fellow Daoists, do not panic! Youning from Azure Jade Temple has come to your aid!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the three looked toward the source of the sound and saw a Azure Jade flying boat sailing from afar.

The three were taken aback upon seeing this, and immediately became even more vigilant, thinking to themselves: Why are they from Azure Jade Temple?

You should know that Azure Jade Temple hasn't contacted many fellow practitioners of Jade Void for many years, so why is it doing this today...?

But now that things have come to this, we might as well hitch a ride. We had killed several Demon Emperor here before, and we all had some injuries.

Golden Ao Mountain, Embracing Rosy Clouds Hall.

After arranging the cave abode for Zilin and Yang Xiu, Su Yao used his voice to summon Liu Yunhe, Li Siyi, Han Ziyi, Zhang Ziyan, Zhu Xuejie to the hall.

Before long, the five people arrived and lined up on both sides.

Su Yao glanced at everyone, briefly stated the conclusion of the divination, and only mentioned that the other Daoist friends were on their way and would arrive soon, before getting to the main topic.

"The main reason I've summoned you here today is to discuss the matter of accepting disciples." Su Yao sat upright behind his desk, his fingertips lightly tapping the surface. "With the establishment of the school and the Pear Garden now complete, accepting disciples is the most important task at hand. Let's set out the rules today, so that you won't be at a loss when outsiders come asking questions."

He turned to Liu Yunhe and explained in detail the three principles for accepting apprentices: a clean background, outstanding talent, and upright character, and asked Liu Yunhe to draft the rules on the spot.

Liu Yunhe took out paper, ground ink, and began writing rapidly at his desk. In less than a quarter of an hour, he had listed out the three general principles and ten detailed rules.

Su Yao took the draft, circled and revised a few wordings, and then asked Li Siyi to make two copies, one to be kept in the Pear Garden case file and the other to be given to Liu Yunhe as evidence for future responses.

Once the rules are set, someone needs to find out the details of what's going on around them.

Su Yao looked at Han Ziyi and Zhu Xuejie:

"Ziyi, take the imperial edict and lead Xuejie to visit all the mountain gods and land deities within a 500-mile radius of the Pear Garden. Convey my oral instruction, ordering them to keep an eye out for any outstanding talents within their respective jurisdictions. If any are found, register them and report them all before the Pear Garden selects its disciples."

He paused, then added:

"If anyone tries to shirk responsibility or give evasive answers, write down their name and report back to me."

Han Ziyi and Zhu Xuejie exchanged a glance and replied in unison, "Your subordinate obeys."

Su Yao nodded upon hearing this, then looked at Zhang Ziyan:

"Ziyan, accepting disciples involves many expenses such as apprenticeship gifts, tuition fees, monthly allowances for disciples, and quotas for the Alchemy Chamber. After you go to the White Sand Mountain warehouse to take inventory, please provide me with a detailed list, and also draft a budget for the daily expenses after accepting disciples. Send it over in three days."

Zhang Ziyan grinned upon hearing this, indicating that he had remembered it.

Then, Su Yao looked at Li Siyi:

"Siyi, you are the only one among the five who has cultivated the Earth Virtue Nourishing Position. You will be responsible for arranging the disciples' lodgings, clothing, and daily necessities after they enter the sect. The mountain hermitage will serve as the disciples' rooms for now. Each room should be equipped with a set of bedding, a meditation cushion, a lamp that burns continuously, a set of bookshelves, a table and chairs, and writing implements. Other miscellaneous items need not be added; simplicity is best. The future rules for disciples' entry, conduct assessments, and other related matters will also be entrusted to you."

Li Siyi bowed in agreement.

Seeing this, Su Yao waved his hand, signaling the group to leave.

At this moment, Liu Yunhe asked again:

"Daozi, I wonder when he started taking on disciples..."

Su Yao was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then smiled:

"Yunhe is still the most thoughtful."

He paused, then pinched his hands together in his sleeves and chuckled:

"The third day of the third lunar month is the Shangsi Festival. It's a day for bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new, so let's decide on that day to accept disciples."

Liu Yunhe immediately bowed:

"The Shangsi Festival is a time for spring bathing, bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new! This day is truly auspicious!"

Su Yao burst into laughter upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this, Li Siyi and the other three were taken aback at first, inwardly cursing Liu Yunhe for being shameless, but then they smiled and offered their congratulations.