Chapter 7

Qingyun Sect has thousands of acres of spirit fields and ten thousand Dao children. With so many people, it's natural for geniuses to emerge. Although the Qingyun Sect only teaches these young Dao children the simplest Qingyun Forging Qi Technique and provides no other guidance or assistance in cultivation, every year, one or two outstanding individuals manage to cultivate spirit energy through their own insights.

In the eyes of the other Dao children, such people are all stunning talents, the pride of heaven.

"Brothers, I'm leaving. I'll come back to visit and drink with you guys sometimes!"

Early in the morning, Fang Xing packed his belongings into a bundle and slung it over his shoulder, bidding farewell to the other Dao children.

In the morning breeze, Wang Zhi, Xiao Queban, Diaosi Gui, Haozi Jing, and Luoquan Gui stood in a row in front of the wooden house to see him off.

Their faces were a mix of admiration and envy. They never expected that this fierce and domineering young man would cultivate spirit energy in just three short months and was about to ascend to the outer sect, becoming an outer sect disciple.

Although they saw Fang Xing working hard every day, they thought it was just a common ailment for new Dao children entering the Qingyun Sect. Every Dao child who entered the Qingyun Sect would work hard for the first year or even two, hoping to step onto the path of immortality and ascend to the heavens, but as time passed, they would gradually give up, recognizing their own talents and settling into a life of ordinariness.

Moreover, Fang Xing was usually very tight-lipped. It wasn't until he said he was going to ring the Qingxin Bell yesterday that others learned he had already cultivated spirit energy.

"Fang Laoda, you're really not an ordinary person. Once you enter the outer sect and ascend to the heavens, I hope you remember us, your brothers..."

Wang Zhi said sincerely, his eyes seeming to redden, while Xiao Queban sobbed outright.

Fang Xing kicked him and laughed, "Like a bunch of women, crying for what? I'm just leveling up, not going to die. You guys remember the secret technique I told you yesterday. It's a hard-earned secret that I won't pass on to anyone else. As long as you follow it, you'll definitely cultivate spirit energy too. When you enter the outer sect, I'll still take care of you!"

"That technique... is really... too bizarre... but we'll remember it!"

The Dao children all smiled awkwardly, not entirely convinced by the method Fang Xing had told them.

Fang Xing smiled and didn't say anything more. He had already told them the method, and whether they believed it was up to them.

"Alright, brothers, I'm leaving. No need to see me off!"

Fang Xing waved his hand, turned, and walked along the narrow path into the depths of the green mountains.

"May Fang Laoda have a bright future and ascend to the heavens..."

The Dao children's well-wishes echoed behind him, each showing deep emotion and a heavy heart at the parting...

However, once Fang Xing's figure was out of sight, the Dao children all straightened up, wiped the tears from their faces, and sighed, "Thank goodness, this little devil is finally gone..."

"Right, right, right, I couldn't even sleep soundly at night while he was here!"

"Life has finally returned to peace. Thank the heavens..."

Following the narrow path out of the spirit fields, one could reach the back gate of the Qingyun Sect. From here, one could glimpse the true appearance of the Qingyun Sect, with misty clouds swirling around the peaks, and ancient, serene Daoist temples nestled in the valleys. A gentle breeze would sometimes blow, lifting the mountain mist to reveal a cultivation cave that seemed like a fairyland.

The spirit fields extended to the foot of the green mountains. Under an ancient pine tree, there was a stone platform made of green stone slabs. On the platform stood a green copper bell, looking ancient and heavy, about the size of a millstone, but with no wooden mallet to strike it. Next to the platform was a stone stele, carried by a stone-carved bixi, with the name "Qingxin Bell" inscribed on it. Beside the bell were two lines of elegant poetry:

The bell rings, severing worldly ties,

Ascending to the heavens, step by step.

"Is this the place? Among the ten thousand Dao children, whoever cultivates spirit energy can ring this bell and become an outer sect disciple..."

Fang Xing thought to himself, then walked up the steps, lightly touching the surface of the copper bell.

The morning dew had not yet evaporated, and the copper bell was cold and heavy. When Fang Xing pushed it, it didn't budge at all.

"Qingxin Bell, a lower-grade spirit artifact. Ordinary wood and copper cannot make it ring; only spirit energy can produce a sound that carries for ten miles..."

Focusing his mind, the Yin-Yang Divine Magic Mirror in his mind began to operate, revealing the characteristics of the copper to Fang Xing.

"Let's begin, Xiao Jianming, the leader of the tenth bandit group in Guishanyu is here..."

"Qingyun Sect, I, Fang Xing, am here..."

"Path of Immortality, I'm here!"

Fang Xing took a deep breath, gathered his spirit energy, and struck the bell with a sudden force.

"Buzz..."

The heavy bell body suddenly trembled, and a deep, resonant sound echoed, startling a flock of birds in the mountains.

Fang Xing struck the bell three times and then stopped, waiting for the sect to send someone to receive him.

"The Qingxin Bell has rung. Has another Dao child cultivated spirit energy?"

"Heh, I wonder if it's someone with genuine talent or just another waste of space!"

Among the green mountains, many people were disturbed from their peaceful sleep. Some were concerned, some sneered, and some turned over and continued sleeping.

In less than ten breaths, a green figure flashed from the front gate, a young man with a pale complexion and a slender build, wearing a green Daoist robe and a black wooden hairpin in his hair, looking graceful but with a cold, expressionless face.

He approached, his eyes scanning Fang Xing, as if cold lightning had struck, and asked in a deep voice, "Was it you who rang the Qingxin Bell? What is your name?"

"Salutations, Senior Brother. I am Fang Xing, a Dao child from the C-3 area. I greet you, Senior Brother!"

Fang Xing naturally didn't act arrogantly at this moment, bowing respectfully, showing great propriety.

However, while bowing, he also carefully observed the man, noting that he was at the fourth level of the Lingdong stage, a formidable strength.

"Good, follow me!"

The young man nodded, grabbed Fang Xing's arm, and darted up the mountain like lightning.

Fang Xing felt the wind beneath his feet, the wind whistling in his ears, and the strong wind stinging his face, making it hard to open his eyes. He inwardly cursed the cold-faced man, thinking he was showing off his skills. But then he realized he was being foolish and didn't use his spirit energy to resist. With a thought, his spirit energy circulated, and he felt much better.

Opening his eyes, he saw himself flying toward a peak. The Qingyun Sect had countless peaks, with seven being the highest, each standing in the green mountains, seemingly random but actually following a celestial pattern, stabilizing the spirit veins, forming the seven main peaks of the Qingyun Sect.

The young Daoist was leading him to one of these peaks.

"Senior Elder Gao, I have brought the person!"

The young Daoist brought Fang Xing to a pavilion on the waist of the peak and respectfully reported.

"Let him in!"

A hoarse voice came from inside the pavilion. The young Daoist, upon hearing this, pushed Fang Xing's back, causing him to stumble in.

"Damn, you dare to push me?"

Fang Xing instinctively wanted to curse, but before he could open his mouth, he felt a stern gaze fix on him.

"How did you cultivate spirit energy?"

The hoarse voice spoke again, deep and solemn, as if sound waves were hitting Fang Xing's forehead.

Fang Xing turned to see an old Daoist with a face like an orange peel, gray-white hair hanging on both sides. Morning light streamed through the window, illuminating half of his face, while the other half was in shadow. However, his eyes were equally bright, piercing and sharp, as if they could see through any secret, making one feel cold and afraid, unable to tell a lie.

"Hmm? I can't see through his cultivation..."

Fang Xing boldly observed the old man, but unexpectedly, the Yin-Yang Divine Magic Mirror couldn't see through his cultivation.

The Yin-Yang Divine Magic Mirror, after entering his body, required a bit of spirit energy to appraise an item or see someone's cultivation. The higher the spirit energy of the item, the more spirit energy it consumed.

The fact that he couldn't see through the old Daoist's cultivation now only meant that Fang Xing's spirit energy was not enough to activate the Yin-Yang Divine Magic Mirror to see his cultivation.

"Disciple... disciple... ate the Jingcao..."

Fang Xing quickly thought in his mind and decided to tell the truth, putting on a respectful and fearful expression.

"Ah, another one who used the Jingcao to take a shortcut. Well, being able to discover the wonders of the Jingcao is also your good fortune. I will allow you to become an outer sect disciple of the Qingyun Sect. Here is your token, a symbol of your status as a Qingyun Sect disciple. Take this token to the Greenwood Hall, and someone will arrange your cultivation place, grant you a Qingyun Sect Daoist robe, a magical artifact, and cultivation techniques..."

The old man seemed somewhat disappointed. After learning Fang Xing's name, he took a drop of his blood, mixed it into a small black wooden token, and casually threw it to him, dismissing him.

"Is that it?"

Fang Xing stood outside the pavilion, a bit dazed, not expecting it to be so simple.

"Could it be that many people discover the wonders of the Jingcao?"

Fang Xing was puzzled, flipping the wooden token to see a "Ding" character engraved on it.

No matter what, "Ding" was definitely not a good grade. Even in the spirit fields, the "Ding" area was the worst.

Fang Xing didn't know that while the ordinary Dao children didn't know the wonders of the Jingcao, the elders of the Daoist sect, who had cultivated Daoist techniques and studied pharmacology, certainly knew. However, the Daoist sect valued talent, and the Qingyun Sect was even more typical in this regard. Therefore, although they had methods to make someone who couldn't cultivate produce spirit energy, they wouldn't do so.

After all, such people had very poor talent, and even if they勉强 stepped onto the path of cultivation, they had no future.

However, the Daoist sect also valued fate and insight. Therefore, although Dao children who cultivated through the Jingcao generally had poor talent, the Qingyun Sect would still grant them the status of an outer sect disciple. As for what achievements they would have in the future, it would depend on their individual fate.