Chapter 6

"Hmph, if you had known this would happen, why did you act the way you did back then! It's too late to say you are devoted to the path now!" Mo Yunzi said coldly.

"Please, Master, show mercy!" Li Muran and the other disciples all felt that the Sect Leader, Cangxia Daoist, was the easiest to persuade, so they all begged him for mercy.

"This..." Cangxia Daoist frowned, showing a hint of reluctance.

Chixia Daoist said dismissively, "Why should Master Brother be troubled? Are you going to break the sect rules for these unworthy disciples? It's a pity that Master Brother announced thirty years ago that he would no longer take on disciples, otherwise, you could simply take them in to avoid missing out on 'talent,' hahaha!"

Hearing Chixia Daoist's sarcasm, the disciples felt both ashamed and guilty, and became even more uneasy.

"Let's do this," Cangxia Daoist said after a moment of thought. "Zixia, my junior brother, is traveling outside and missed the disciple selection. Why don't we let these disciples stay in the sect temporarily as probationary listeners? For a short period, say a month, or at most half a year, Zixia will return to the sect. At that time, we can see if he is willing to take them as disciples. If he also refuses, we can dismiss them later."

"By doing this, we won't violate the sect rules, and we can also give Zixia a chance to decide. What do you think, my fellow junior brothers?" Cangxia Daoist stroked his white beard and asked the other Daoists for their opinions.

"Since Master Brother has made the decision, we naturally won't object," Chixia Daoist said with a smile. He turned to Li Muran and the others and said, "You must work hard and seize this opportunity. Don't let Master's kindness go to waste!"

"Yes, thank you, Master!" Li Muran and the other disciples were overjoyed and bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

"That's great, Brother Zhao, we can stay in the sect!" A disciple beside Li Muran said to him.

The voice was familiar, and Li Muran turned to look, only to realize that Mu Li was also one of the disciples no one wanted.

After inquiring, Li Muran learned that although Mu Li had a low-rank Fire Attribute Enlightenment Talisman, its effect was poor. His Ancestral Aperture Divine Light was not a single flame but a faint fire aura, making him one of the less talented among those who used the Fire Attribute Enlightenment Talisman.

As for the other disciples, their situations were similar. They all used low-rank Enlightenment Talismans, but the effects were very poor, and their cultivation potential was low, so no one wanted them.

In the following days, most of the disciples were busy with the various procedures for joining the sect. They would move from the Newcomer Peak to the Daoist temple on the sect's mountain, becoming formal disciples of the Yuanshu Sect and new cultivators in the world of cultivation. From now on, they could call themselves cultivators and gradually distance themselves from the mortal world.

However, Li Muran and Mu Li, along with the others, remained on the Newcomer Peak. Their status was only that of probationary listeners, not formal disciples, so they didn't need to handle these procedures, giving them a more relaxed time.

After several days of exploration, Li Muran finally figured out the pattern of his Ancestral Aperture Divine Light. He discovered that at night, the Divine Light was very bright, like a cluster of stars competing with the moon. However, during the day, with the first ray of sunlight, the Divine Light would suddenly become dim and almost imperceptible.

"Why does the Ancestral Aperture Divine Light change with the day and night?" Li Muran was puzzled.

Could it be related to the mysterious rune in the mirror?

Li Muran took out the bronze mirror multiple times, studying it over and over, but found no clues. The mirror no longer emitted any light.

Three days later, in the Dakuanyuan Peak Hall, the young disciples were seated neatly, their expressions excited. Today, an elder brother would explain the basics of cultivation to them.

Li Muran and Mu Li arrived early and sat in the front row to hear more clearly.

"Get up, move to the back!" Seven or eight young disciples walked up to Li Muran and Mu Li, shouting loudly.

"Why? We arrived first, why should we give up the front seats?" Mu Li said indignantly.

"Why? Just because of this formal disciple token!" A proud young man in brocade clothing took out a square token from his chest and slapped it in front of Li Muran, laughing loudly. "Hehe, today's initiation is for us formal disciples. You are just temporary probationary listeners. What right do you have to sit here? Probationary listeners, as the name suggests, should hide and eavesdrop, hahaha!"

The young man's words caused a burst of laughter. The laughter was filled with the pride of being formal disciples.

Hearing the ridicule, Mu Li felt both ashamed and angry. He pointed at the young man and said, "Wen, don't go too far! Not long ago, you asked Brother Zhao for help with spell drawing. You are ungrateful!"

Li Muran also stood up abruptly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at the young man in brocade.

"What are you going to do?" The young man in brocade subconsciously took a step back, somewhat frightened. They had not yet cultivated any spells, and if they really fought, Li Muran's keen eyes and strength would likely give him the upper hand.

"Nothing, let's give Brother Wen a seat, please!" Li Muran smiled slightly, pulled Mu Li's sleeve, and walked to the back row.

"You know your place!" The young man in brocade breathed a sigh of relief and sat down triumphantly.

As soon as he sat down, the young man in brocade cried out in pain, "Ouch!" He stood up again, and on the seat, there was a wooden splinter that had pierced his thigh, causing a few drops of blood to seep out.

Seeing this, some of the disciples who were happy to see others suffer couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh.

"You!" The young man in brocade was furious but hesitated to react, knowing he was in the wrong.

"Did you do it?" Li Muran shook his head slightly and whispered to Mu Li. He himself had no interest in such petty quarrels.

Mu Li smiled slyly and nodded, "Haha, a lesson for him! Brother Zhao, why did you give up the seat? Even if we took it to the elders, we wouldn't be in the wrong!"

Li Muran sighed, "Our status is awkward, we shouldn't cause trouble! If we are punished for this small matter, the sect will likely punish both sides. As probationary listeners, even a minor punishment could mean being expelled from the sect."

"Brother Zhao is right. One must endure temporary anger to achieve great things." Mu Li stuck out his tongue, nodding in agreement.

At this moment, a middle-aged Daoist in his thirties entered the hall, and the disciples immediately stopped their chatter.

The middle-aged Daoist said clearly, "I am Qingfengzi, a disciple of the sect for nearly twenty years, and I serve as the steward of Zixia Temple. Today, I have been ordered by Master to explain the basics of cultivation to you, my junior brothers."

His voice was loud and clear, and even from the back, Li Muran and the others could hear clearly.

"Salute Brother Qingfeng!" The disciples all bowed, and Qingfengzi returned the salute with a slight bow.

"Zixia Temple! Isn't that where Uncle Zixia resides? I wonder when Uncle Zixia will return and if he will take us as disciples and let us stay in the sect?" Mu Li couldn't help but daydream, feeling somewhat worried.

"Don't think too much, focus on the lecture!" Li Muran interrupted Mu Li, signaling him to be quiet.

After the salute, Qingfengzi cleared his throat, his expression solemn, and said loudly:

"We who seek the Dao have all heard the saying: Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to all things! Here, 'Dao' is the Heavenly Dao, 'One' is Chaos, 'Two' is Heaven and Earth, and 'Three' is Essence, Qi, and Spirit!"

"The path of cultivation is actually the cultivation of these three treasures: Essence, Qi, and Spirit."

"Essence is the foundation of the body. Blood and bones belong to Essence, known as Essence Blood and Essence Bone. Qi is the primordial energy of Heaven and Earth, the essence of energy in the universe. When cultivated within the body and controlled, it becomes one's magical power. Spirit is the unification of divine consciousness, will, and thoughts. Every action you take is controlled by Spirit. In the vast world, there are countless cultivation methods, but essentially, they all cultivate the three treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. This is known as 'all methods are inseparable from Essence, Qi, and Spirit.'"

"Is the best cultivation method one that cultivates Essence, Qi, and Spirit simultaneously?" Li Muran, deeply engrossed, couldn't help but ask.

"Good question!" Qingfengzi nodded and smiled. "In theory, yes, but in practice, most cultivation methods focus on cultivating Qi."

"Why is that?" Li Muran asked curiously.

"Because life is short!" Qingfengzi sighed. "The Dao is boundless, but human lifespan is limited. In just a few decades, how can one fully cultivate Essence, Qi, and Spirit? It is said that our human race inherited the form of celestial immortals, and our body structure is most suitable for cultivating Qi. Therefore, most cultivation methods focus on this. However, the three treasures of Essence, Qi, and Spirit complement each other. When Qi is cultivated to a deeper level, Essence and Spirit can also gradually improve."

Li Muran listened thoughtfully, while the other young disciples became somewhat impatient.

"Brother Qingfeng, when can we ride the clouds and control flying swords to defeat enemies?" The young man surnamed Wen in the front row couldn't help but ask. He had no interest in these dry principles.

"Yes, when can we control flying swords?"

"How long does it take to use spells and magical powers?"

"..."

The young disciples immediately started asking questions. What attracted them to cultivation was not the exploration of the Dao, but the various splendid and mysterious immortal techniques.

Qingfengzi smiled slightly, waved his hand to quiet the disciples, and said, "To control flying swords and manipulate magical tools from a distance, one must achieve the state of Spirit Travel. The Sect Leader and the other elders are all at the Spirit Travel stage."

"Spirit Travel stage?" Some disciples were even more confused, but some had heard of this before.

"This is the division of cultivation stages," Qingfengzi continued. "The first step in cultivation is to open the Ancestral Aperture. You have all achieved this."

"After that, you must practice breathing techniques to absorb and refine the primordial energy of Heaven and Earth, and use this energy to unblock the other meridians and apertures in your body that are blocked by mundane impurities. This stage is called the Qi Pulse stage. We, the disciples, are all at the Qi Pulse stage."