Chapter 2

As Li Wen watched Jiang Yuanchen and the other lecturers begin their lengthy discussions, his eyes darted around and he changed the subject, saying, "Senior Brother, are you going to the Jinquan Pavilion to pay respects to Elder Sikuong? I'll go with you."

Elder Sikuong, as the head of the outer sect, was willing to guide the younger disciples to add new talent to the Tai Xu Dao Sect. However, with hundreds of new disciples every ten years, and over a thousand if the current three batches were combined, how could Elder Sikuong manage? He came to the outer sect's Jinquan area to recuperate and heal. Although he was nominally the head of the outer sect, he was not there specifically to resolve the doubts of the outer sect disciples. Therefore, Elder Sikuong opened the Jinquan Pavilion near the mountain top, and each day after the qi gathering at Lingxia Rock, he would pose a question. Only those who solved the question could come forward to seek guidance.

However, the questions posed by this elder became increasingly tricky, ranging from lighting a fire and boiling water, to calligraphy and painting, drawing talismans and sword duels, finding tokens, and solving riddles. Luck, skills, discernment, and wisdom were all aspects of the assessment, and no disciple could answer the questions correctly for three consecutive days.

Fortunately, the lecturers of the outer sect, besides teaching the principles of conduct, also taught calligraphy, painting, music, archery, and other miscellaneous arts. They did not require mastery of all, but proficiency in these arts was necessary for navigating the secular world.

After all, while the outstanding disciples of the outer sect would enter the inner sect to cultivate the methods of immortality, a batch of disciples would be sent down the mountain to serve as Taoist priests in various Tai Xu Dao Temples, to gather the aura and fortune for the Tai Xu Dao Sect and spread its prestige.

Taoist priests, despite the various rules and regulations of their profession, those who graduated from the Tai Xu Dao Sect would have a comprehensive set of artistic and cultural skills. Sometimes they had to interact with nobles, and lacking these skills would tarnish the reputation of the Tai Xu Dao Sect. Each Taoist priest from the Tai Xu Dao Sect was a highly educated individual, knowledgeable in mountains, medicine, fate, physiognomy, and divination, and skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, even if not all to a high degree. This allowed the profession of Taoist priest to stand above all other professions in the surrounding countries. The influence of the Tai Xu Dao Sect firmly extended over the entire Lingzhou, as no other Daoist sects existed in the neighboring countries, only Tai Xu Dao Temples.

The Tai Xu Dao Sect could control the rise and fall of a nation, manipulate the mountain gods and river deities to bring rain, and this was the power of one of the nine great immortal sects of the Divine Continent. Even the Taoist priests sent out, who were failures in their cultivation, were not allowed to abuse their power in the name of the sect, but were tasked with spreading the faith to strengthen the sect. The accumulation of their efforts might even have a small chance of leading to the foundation of their cultivation.

When Jiang Yuanchen and Li Wen arrived at the Jinquan Pavilion, there were already over a dozen fellow disciples answering today's question at the tables outside the pavilion. Inside, a white-bearded old man with a youthful face was meditating, waiting for the tea to boil.

"Is it really painting?" Li Wen sighed after seeing today's question. "I congratulate Senior Brother in advance. I'll just give up on this one."

Although the Jinquan outer sect taught various arts such as music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, these were only superficial. To specialize in any of them required personal interest.

"Dao is everywhere, encompassing all things," was a common saying of Elder Sikuong. Therefore, he used these daily challenges to encourage all disciples to specialize in one or two skills. Mastering these arts could help in understanding the Dao, and choosing a leisurely skill to寄托情操 (寄托情操 means to寄托 (entrust) 情操 (sentiment or emotion), which can be translated as to寄托情操 (entrust one's emotions or sentiments) or to寄托情操 (cultivate one's sentiments or emotions)) was also acceptable on the long path to immortality.

Since painting and drawing talismans were not mandatory skills, Li Wen, apart from his daily studies of ethics, Confucian classics, and Daoist texts, was not very interested in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. He chose archery as his miscellaneous art.

As for Jiang Yuanchen, after seeing today's question related to painting, he felt somewhat relieved. Among the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, he was most skilled in painting, giving him a significant advantage.

After all, it was not like the previous question of finding a golden talisman, which relied entirely on luck, something not in his forte, Jiang Yuanchen thought to himself.

He carefully examined the question on the Jinquan Pavilion, then observed the dozen or so fellow disciples seated outside for a while before saying to Li Wen, "Although it's painting bamboo, the time limit is one incense stick, and we must copy the green bamboo in the pavilion exactly. It's not that easy."

Today's question was simple: to copy the green bamboo in the Jinquan Pavilion within one incense stick. There were three slots for guidance, and the first three qualified individuals would be selected.

Since the "Jinquan Guidance" followed the "Lingxia Qi Gathering," most of the outer sect disciples on Lingxia Rock had not yet arrived. Jiang Yuanchen, coming from Cuizhunping, was one of the earlier arrivals.

Not wanting to waste time, Jiang Yuanchen stood outside the pavilion, observing the green bamboo for a while, then found an empty seat and began to paint. Li Wen, on the other hand, stood outside, watching the others paint with interest.

Although the question was simple, just painting the green bamboo, each table had only one brush, one sheet of paper, and a shallow dish of ink. There was no chance to start over, and each person had only one opportunity. Any slight mistake would mean losing the chance for the day.

Although Li Wen was impulsive, he was not foolish. Reaching the late stage of qi cultivation at fifteen was a result of his innate intelligence and the care of his great-uncle in the outer sect.

After pondering for a while, Li Wen thought, "This is a metaphor for the struggle of the Dao, where one can only move forward and not retreat, with only one chance for each person?"

All living beings have only one life, and after death, their soul returns to the universe, their life imprint completely erased. This is why the desire for immortality has led to various methods of seeking the Dao. However, even those in the immortal sects are not truly immortal; even Golden Core cultivators have a limit to their lifespan. Without reincarnation, their souls would dissipate into the universe.

The fear of death is great, so to seek that sliver of immortality, one must always walk the path of life and never make a wrong step.

One wrong step, and it's a ten-thousand-foot cliff with no chance of recovery!

Li Wen wandered around for a while, careful not to disturb the other disciples, and couldn't help but smile as he watched them paint the green bamboo.

Regardless of whether anyone's skills matched those of Senior Brother Jiang, some clearly knew they had made mistakes but continued to paint, a stubborn nature that would likely be noted in the evaluation.

Li Wen had learned many secrets from his great-uncle, such as the fact that the time spent in the outer sect was part of the sect's assessment.

Reading and writing, similar to the "Jade Constant Script" of the immortal sects, were essential. If one could not read and write well, how could they study the Daoist texts and talismans? If they could not focus on reading and writing, they would not be able to study the Daoist texts and scriptures, let alone understand the inner sect's texts and techniques.

Ethics and filial piety tested one's nature. If someone was disrespectful and had a cruel and vicious nature, they could not enter the inner sect to continue their cultivation.

Elder Sikuong's questions also tested the outer sect disciples' conduct and problem-solving methods. Whether to face a challenge head-on, to cut losses and retreat, or to find a way out in a desperate situation...

"Those who reach the Foundation Establishment stage by the age of thirty can enter the inner sect as candidates." This sounded good, but if one's nature and other aspects were not up to par, they could be quietly excluded from the inner sect, making it difficult to become a true disciple.

While Li Wen was lost in thought, the disciples who had been gathering qi on Lingxia Rock began to arrive in groups.

"Senior Brother Zhang?" Li Wen greeted the person who had appeared beside him.

Zhang Zihao, now twenty-eight, was from the previous batch of outer sect disciples. Unlike the few geniuses who reached the Foundation Establishment stage within ten years, he was stuck at the late stage of qi cultivation, continuing to practice with Jiang Yuanchen and Li Wen.

"Senior Brother, are you going to try?" Li Wen asked with a smile.

"No." Zhang Zihao saw a few people already submitting their paintings to Elder Sikuong and shook his head. "Jiang Yuanchen's painting skills are so advanced that he will surely secure a slot unless something goes wrong. And there are a few others whose skills are far superior to mine. Rather than hoping they make mistakes, I'll take the opportunity to meditate and cultivate." Zhang Zihao then left gracefully.

After Zhang Zihao left, Elder Sikuong, who had been meditating, opened his eyes and nodded to himself: "What a sensible person. Since he knows he has no chance this time, why waste time here? This young man has spent over a decade in the outer sect, and his nature has improved significantly since he first arrived. If he can reach the Foundation Establishment stage in the last two years, he might still have a chance. Perhaps I should give him a chance tomorrow?"

Elder Sikuong, who had been severely injured in a demonic calamity decades ago and could no longer advance in cultivation, had taken charge of the outer sect. For these outer sect disciples, the future foundation of the sect, he maintained a supportive attitude. When he saw a promising disciple, he would adjust the questions to give them a chance to advance.

Elder Sikuong then focused on Jiang Yuanchen: "The most outstanding talent of this batch? Unfortunately, he falls short compared to the two chief disciples of the previous two batches."

In the previous two batches of outer sect disciples, one person each had broken through to the Foundation Establishment stage in the seventh year and entered the inner sect. Compared to those two, Jiang Yuanchen and Li Wen were not as talented.

However, compared to those two, Jiang Yuanchen had a more harmonious and gentle nature. Whether it was genuine or feigned, Jiang Yuanchen had never initiated conflicts with others, which was noteworthy.

"Moreover, this young man excels in all his literary studies, unlike Lin Zixuan, who was rough and careless. That fellow was bold and free-spirited, not as respectful to us elders as Yuanchen." Elder Sikuong recalled the two chief disciples and compared them.

Lin Zixuan was the most outstanding of the first batch, and Yang Ling was the most outstanding of the second batch. Both reached the Foundation Establishment stage in the seventh year. However, one was skilled in various martial arts, the other in various arts; one had a bold and free-spirited nature, the other was polite and refined, unlike Jiang Yuanchen's harmonious and gentle nature.

"These young people have various personalities, similar to our eighth generation senior brothers. But how many of them will become the ninth generation true disciples, and who will become the chief disciple?"

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