Chapter 10

The second-generation disciples of Qingyun Temple, including the young Taoist boy Qingxuan, numbered seven in total. Apart from the fourth-ranked disciple being a woman, the rest were all male, as one would expect in a Taoist temple.

“Dao, Ling, Qing, Yun, Chong, Zhen, Zhi, Cun...”

It was unclear from where the temple’s lineage originated, but there was a strict division of generations. The oldest generation in the temple was represented by the abbot, Lingxu Zhenren. The second-generation disciples belonged to the “Qing” generation, and they were named Qingzheng, Qingyan, Qingsong, Qinglan, Qingshi, Qingzhu, and Qingxuan, starting from the eldest.

Among the seven disciples, their Taoist names generally followed themes like “plum, orchid, bamboo, chrysanthemum, pine, rock, cypress, and stone.” Only Ye Qingxuan and the eldest disciple Lu Qingzheng had slightly different Taoist names.

Ye Qingxuan often speculated that perhaps his master, lacking experience, had casually given the eldest disciple the name “Qingzheng” at first. Later, realizing that he wouldn’t have just one disciple, he created a series of names based on “ink and water landscapes.” As for Qingxuan, it seemed the old master ran out of ideas and settled on the name “Xuan” as a makeshift solution.

The seven disciples were usually busy with their own affairs and rarely gathered together.

Currently, in the temple, apart from Lingxu Zhenren, only the eldest disciple Lu Qingzheng, the third disciple Chen Qingsong, the fourth disciple Yue Qinglan, and the youngest disciple Ye Qingxuan remained. The other three disciples were on a mission from their master, traveling in the world for over two years.

Soon, it would be the time for the temple to adopt orphans, recruit young Taoist boys, and hold the grand competition among the disciples, which occurred every four years. According to tradition, the three disciples out in the world should be returning soon.

Every four years, Qingyun Temple would recruit new Taoist boys and hold a grand competition at the end of the year to assess the disciples' martial arts skills. This was a distinction between religious sects and secular sects. Unregistered sects could not openly recruit disciples, but religious temples could recruit a small number of disciples under the guise of accepting monks. Of course, some secular sects could also recruit followers under other pretenses, such as the Pailang and Yantang sects, which monopolized specific industries and expanded their ranks by hiring workers. However, these methods often had ties to underworld gangs, which the government was unable to control.

Although it was called a grand competition, Qingyun Temple’s third-generation disciples numbered only a dozen or so, and most of them were orphans.

Among the third-generation disciples, the oldest were around sixteen or seventeen years old, while the youngest were only four. Since Qingyun Temple also functioned as an orphanage in Qingyang Town, many of the disciples were orphans who joined at around one year old. Therefore, the age differences among the disciples were quite significant.

Those who would participate in the competition were mostly boys over ten years old. This time, there were about a dozen participants, which was enough to stage a few matches.

At the time of the competition, with the help of Master Lingxu Zhenren’s reputation, a few prominent figures from Qingyang Town would be invited to attend, adding some prestige to the event. Otherwise, with only a handful of participants, calling it a “grand competition” would be a laughingstock among true martial artists.

Qingxuan was eight years old, and he had never participated in the grand competition.

Not only because of his young age, but also because of his high seniority. As one of the few second-generation disciples in Qingyun Temple and a direct disciple of the “old immortal” Lingxu Zhenren, he was never required to participate in the competition, and his junior disciples would never dare to challenge him. This left Ye Feng, a passionate martial arts enthusiast, feeling both frustrated and awkward.

More seriously, although Qingxuan had entered the temple early and practiced martial arts for a long time, his master, Lingxu Zhenren, had never taught him any advanced sect techniques. Instead, he was only given a basic Taoist cultivation method, the [Qi Cultivation and Essence Nurturing Technique].

It was no exaggeration to say that this technique was very common. Qingxuan knew that if he went to Qingyang Town and spent three silver coins to buy a copy of the *Wulin Zashi Lu* (Martial Arts Miscellany), the accompanying martial arts techniques would include this method.

The *Wulin Zashi Lu* was a combination of newspapers and magazines from his previous life, published by the government-controlled Disha Society and sold in all administrative units above the town level.

The publication recorded major and minor events from the martial arts world across the country, making it the top source for gossip, news, interesting stories, and rumors in this world.

Depending on the month and issue, it also included basic martial arts books such as the [Cultivation of the Heart Technique], [Zen Meditation Technique], [Stone-Breaking Fist Practice Manual], and [How to Use Willow Leaf Blades].

In the “Shenwu World,” martial arts techniques were classified into “ten colors and thirty grades” based on their level and quality.

Little Taoist Qingxuan did not dare to hope for a high-level technique, but at least he expected something at the green level. The [Qi Cultivation and Essence Nurturing Technique]? This super-common, low-grade technique, ranked as a medium-grade gray-level technique, was truly embarrassing. After all, it was a technique that only fortune-tellers and street performers would learn.

In the “ten colors and thirty grades,” gray-level techniques were the lowest, considered the lowest of the low. They were used by street vendors, performers, butchers, and vegetable sellers to strengthen their bodies and extend their lives. Essentially, they were like the *Three-Character Classic* and *Hundred Family Surnames*—basic knowledge for the masses, the lowest of the low, and the most basic of the basic. They were far from being considered advanced martial arts techniques.

Thinking back to the mysterious manner in which his master had transmitted the technique, Qingxuan felt a wave of disgust. His master had claimed that this technique was the foundation of Taoism, the most balanced and Dao-filled internal cultivation method.

Bah!

This common technique, which no one would bother to pick up if it were dropped on the ground, had fooled the naive Qingxuan into kneeling and kowtowing three times, nearly cracking his head. He had been so happy at the time, but now, thinking about it, he felt a burning rage in his stomach, feeling utterly embarrassed.

If that unscrupulous master tried to fool him again, Daoist Qingxuan vowed that he would no longer tolerate it. He would grab the master’s beard and scratch his face, teaching him a lesson for his lack of respect. As he made this resolve, Qingxuan stuffed the last piece of cake into his mouth and chewed it fiercely, as if he were biting his master’s nose.

Stretching his arms, Qingxuan yawned widely and stretched comfortably. He then pushed off the tree trunk with one hand and jumped down neatly.

Shaking off the cake crumbs from his chest and the dust from his buttocks, Qingxuan, now dressed neatly, changed from his lazy demeanor to his usual appearance, resembling a celestial child.

With his hair tied in two buns, wearing a wide-sleeved robe, Qingxuan smiled faintly, satisfied with his appearance. He then stood with his feet shoulder-width apart, shoulders slightly lowered, and raised his hands to shoulder height before pressing them down to his dantian, and began to practice Tai Chi.

In his previous life, Ye Feng was a martial arts enthusiast. Soon after starting university, he joined the school’s martial arts class and learned Tai Chi from an old man who claimed to be a legitimate inheritor of the Chen-style Tai Chi. This version of Tai Chi, different from the popular health-focused Tai Chi, was said to have been passed down from a hermit on Wudang Mountain. It focused on health and longevity rather than combat.