Chapter 50

Etiquette must not be neglected; since they had escaped the peril of the Ghost Gate Abyss, Wei Shizhao and Qin Zhen must pay a visit to their master.

The Kunlun Mountains were covered in wind and snow, the journey treacherous with every step slippery. Fortunately, both Wei Shizhao and Qin Zhen were cultivators, their bodies tempered, and they did not find the journey arduous. They considered the three hundred li as nothing.

On this day, they returned to the foot of Heavenly Capital Peak.

Xun Ye was instructing the Song brothers at Crescent Moon Pond in the cultivation of the *Taiyi Foundation Building Scripture*. Seeing the two return safely, he was greatly shocked in his heart, but his face remained calm. The others did not know they had encountered danger in the Ghost Gate Abyss. They gathered around, exchanged a few pleasantries, and then dispersed.

Xun Ye called Wei Shizhao over, asking him to accompany him for a walk.

The master and disciple walked along the mountain path into the peach grove. The world was a vast expanse of white, the peach trees stripped of their withered leaves, leaving only bare branches.

Xun Ye glanced at his disciple, suddenly remembering something, and asked, "Has the pill poison in your body ever flared up? How do you feel?"

"Every seven days it flares up once. I use the energy of the Earth to refine it, and I can barely manage to hold on."

"That's good."

Xun Ye originally wanted to borrow the Green Bee Sword from Deng Yuantong to drive the remnant soul of the Green Iron Bee King to absorb the pill poison. However, Xi Huzi thought it was inappropriate. If the soul of the monster entered Wei Shizhao's body, it might seize control of his flesh, causing great harm. The sect leader disagreed, so Xun Ye had to give up.

Without waiting for Xun Ye to mention it, Wei Shizhao proactively offered the Dragon Seeking Sword and the jade slip, saying, "Master, while in the Ghost Gate Abyss, I was fortunate enough to find the snow cave where the Yellow Dragon of the Xuantong Sect had passed away, and obtained these two items."

Xun Ye drew the Dragon Seeking Sword and examined it, praising, "Indeed, it is a fine sword, capable of rivaling the Falling Star Sword of the Pingyuan Sect." He then took the jade slip, glanced through it, and saw the *Ice Heart Sutra*. For a moment, he was both surprised and delighted, losing his usual composure.

Wei Shizhao observed his master's expression and knew that these two items pleased him. He then said, "My cultivation is low, and keeping this flying sword and cultivation method is of little use. I have always wanted to present them to you, but I couldn't find the time. Today, I finally have the opportunity. Please accept them, Master."

Xun Ye chuckled, not being overly formal, and said, "You are a fortunate person! Tell me, how did you find the snow cave where the Yellow Dragon passed away?"

Wei Shizhao did not hide anything and recounted the events in detail. Xun Ye greatly praised his decision to jump off the cliff to avoid the Qiluo. He believed that one should fight when necessary and flee when necessary, and the worst thing was to hesitate and be indecisive.

The two talked for more than half an hour in the peach grove. Xun Ye took out three demon cores from his sleeve, two large and one small, the two large ones crimson and the small one silver-white. "These are what I exchanged from the Penglai Hall. Both you and Qin Zhen are cultivating the *He Qi Zhi Xuan Jing*. Refining them will increase your cultivation. In three days, it will be the sect leader's birthday. The trial disciples of the Qi, Lu, and Zhang lineages will all go to the Immortal Cloud Peak's Changying Temple to celebrate. Each lineage will select one person to demonstrate their skills in the courtyard. The Zhang Jinghe lineage is fine, as they have no outstanding disciples. Lu Shizhong's disciple, Xin Laoyao, has been personally instructed by Deng Yuantong and has already broken through thirteen acupoints. Although it's not certain, he has a sixty to seventy percent chance of forming a middle-grade Dao embryo. Master Yuantong has already passed him the Chongyang Sword, so you must be careful."

There were some things Xun Ye did not say. He originally planned to wait until Wei Shizhao formed a Dao embryo and then ask the master to pass him the Chongyang Sword and the sword manual. However, Deng Yuantong had beaten him to it. Deng Yuantong's position in front of the master was becoming increasingly solid, and if this continued, there would be no place for him in Immortal Capital.

In the end, it was his own fault for not being able to break through the sword control barrier. Thinking of this, Xun Ye sighed deeply, but then he perked up. With the Dragon Seeking Sword and the *Ice Heart Sutra*, perhaps there was a glimmer of hope.

Wei Shizhao bid farewell to his master in the peach grove and returned to the foot of Heavenly Capital Peak. He was used to being free and unrestrained and did not want to share a small stone room with his fellow disciples. He called Qin Zhen and decided to camp in Heavenly Capital Peak. With the mountain sealed by heavy snow and the cold piercing to the bone, he recalled the skills of the Inuit and quickly built an igloo, which Qin Zhen found quite amazing.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Xun Ye, Lu Shizhong, and Zhang Jinghe led this group of trial disciples to Immortal Cloud Peak. For the others, Immortal Cloud Peak and Changying Temple were familiar places, but it was the first time for Wei Shizhao and Qin Zhen.

There were no protective mountain arrays or floating celestial music, just an ordinary mountain path leading to the Changying Temple at the summit.

After passing the Cloud-Rising Pavilion halfway up the mountain, the mist grew thicker, dampening their clothes. Apart from the mountain path under their feet, everything was a vast expanse of white.

The group climbed for nearly two hours before reaching the mountain gate of Changying Temple, where a plaque read "Immortal Cloud Changying."

Behind the mountain gate was a flat expanse of blue stone, surrounded by railings, overlooking the sea of clouds. Behind the blue stone area stood six grand halls: the Three Pure Ones Hall at the front, the Penglai Hall at the back, and the Qingyang Hall, Zhuming Hall, Baicang Hall, and Xuanwu Hall on either side.

The sect leader Xi Huzi had five personal disciples, four men and one woman. Apart from the eldest disciple Xun Ye, the other four had all taken on disciples, with eleven inner disciples and seven outer disciples. When the master had matters to attend to, the disciples would serve, and with so many people under his command, it was convenient to send them on errands. After all, cultivation was a defiance of nature, and wealth, companions, methods, and land were all essential, and the disciples' respect and offerings were indispensable.

In front of the Three Pure Ones Hall, the group naturally gathered into four clusters, each surrounding their respective master like stars around the moon.

The trial disciples stood on either side of the blue stone area, and Xun Ye led Wei Shizhao forward.

The younger disciples came out in a row to meet the eldest brother. Wei Rongniu, the youngest sister, was straightforward and asked first, "Eldest Brother, who did you bring?"

"A new disciple." Xun Ye ordered Wei Shizhao to pay respects to the four uncles. Wei Shizhao did not falter, neither overbearing nor humble, and his manners were proper.

Deng Yuantong snorted, thinking, "Taking a trial disciple as a disciple is truly laughable! That Wei fellow has the pill poison in his body and is still alive, which is quite unusual!"

"Eldest Brother has finally taken a disciple, which is a cause for celebration!" Wei Rongniu smiled and examined Wei Shizhao, suddenly feeling a sense of movement. Perhaps others did not know, but she was very clear about the eldest brother's discernment.

She took out a porcelain bottle from her sleeve, hesitated for a moment, and then put it back. Since the eldest brother was passing on the master's teachings, he was also like a half-master to her. However, with all the other elder brothers present, giving a gift in public would make it seem like she was particularly close to the eldest brother, which was inappropriate. She decided to find another opportunity to have the eldest brother pass it on.

Xun Ye chatted with his younger brothers and sisters, while Wei Shizhao moved to the side and greeted his fellow disciples. Xu Li curled his lips and sneered, Xin Laoyao nodded slightly, and Wei Rongniu's disciples were quite polite, introducing him proactively. The others looked down on him, their faces showing disdain. Regardless of how they treated him, Wei Shizhao remained courteous, exchanging a few pleasantries without being overly enthusiastic or favoring anyone. After a smooth round, he returned to stand behind his master.