Chapter 20

Chen Lan hurriedly entered Lin Yuan's residence, a look of joy on his face, and said, "Senior Brother Lin, I heard that Master Shi Shoujing has already given that 'Purifying Impurities Cauldron' to Zhang Yan."

"Oh, is that true?" Lin Yuan suddenly stood up, but his expression seemed somewhat disbelieving. After Chen Lan confirmed it, he laughed heartily and said, "We have nothing to worry about now!"

By giving the Purifying Impurities Cauldron to Zhang Yan, the intention was clear: to make Zhang Yan more obedient and well-behaved. This way, he could still become a warrior, but as for elixirs and Daoist scriptures, he shouldn't even think about them. This would naturally prevent the new disciple from diluting their original benefits.

However, Chen Lan looked quite regretful and said, "It's a pity about that fine cauldron. I heard that it was refined by Master Shi Shoujing many years ago, specifically for refining elixir ingredients. Its effectiveness is no less than that of an ordinary magical artifact. Giving it to Zhang Yan is like casting a pearl before swine."

"No matter, we can't refine elixirs or become warriors, so what use do we have for a cauldron?"

Lin Yuan was in high spirits and naturally didn't care about such minor details. Moreover, he was quite dismissive of Chen Lan's words. What was a magical artifact worth? Once he opened his meridians and entered the Upper Academy, would he lack jade liquid, spirit shells, magical artifacts, or elixirs?

He sat down again, took a sip of tea, and looked at Chen Lan, suddenly smiling with deep meaning. "Junior Brother Chen, have you heard that Senior Brother Zheng returned to the Zheng family a few days ago?"

Chen Lan was taken aback, then his face showed surprise, and he hesitated, "Senior Brother Zheng... is he preparing to open his meridians?"

"Exactly."

"Why now?" Chen Lan was puzzled.

In the Lower Academy, apart from Zhang Yan, there were a total of twenty-eight new disciples, all at the Foundation Establishment stage. However, only five had truly reached the True Foundation stage and were preparing to open their meridians and break through.

They were Zheng Xun, Lin Yuan, Chen Lan, Zhen Lun, and Hu Shengyu.

When a disciple of a Daoist family opened their meridians, they not only needed an elder to protect them but also had to consume a large amount of elixirs and cleanse their meridians in the family's jade liquid pool.

However, Daoist families had many disciples, and to temper their character and consolidate their foundation, the period from the start of their cultivation to opening their meridians was generally sixteen years.

Chen Lan knew that Zheng Xun had only been a disciple for ten years, and now he was going to open his meridians? There must be something fishy about this!

Lin Yuan smiled smugly and said, "Of course, there's a reason."

"Oh, Senior Brother Lin, did you hear something new?" Chen Lan's expression changed. He knew that Lin Yuan had an elder who was an elder in the Ling沧 Sect, and he could always get some inside information.

Lin Yuan leaned in a bit and whispered, "I heard that the Upper Academy recently won a small victory against the Three Ponds Lake demons, finally seizing the Crystal Cloud Shell Field. However, they suffered heavy casualties, and even six of our Upper Academy True Transmission disciples were killed by a python demon from the Blood Pond."

"True Transmission disciples?" Chen Lan exclaimed, "How could this happen?"

Lower Academy disciples, mostly from Daoist families, were all cultivated as the backbone of the sect.

Once they opened their meridians, they would become True Transmission disciples, and elixirs, scriptures, divine sand, and spirit shells would all be bestowed by the sect. They wouldn't have to struggle for merit like those disciples who learned from their masters, and they wouldn't have to fight at the front when their cultivation was low. They could simply enjoy the benefits within the sect.

How could they still be killed? Chen Lan found this news hard to believe. Did the Three Ponds Lake demons attack the Ling沧 Sect's mountain gate?

Lin Yuan sneered coldly and said, "They were seeking death. I don't know what those senior brothers were thinking. I heard that the old python Luo Mengze of the Blood Pond has a daughter named Luo Zhenzhen, who is said to have a beauty that can make the moon hide and the flowers blush, and the fish sink and the geese fall. They actually wanted to see her, but were caught by a python demon and lost their lives."

Chen Lan couldn't help but look at him with disdain, "Cultivators strive for immortality, yet they still lust after mere beauty, and even a demon's beauty. They truly deserve to die. But... what does this have to do with Senior Brother Zheng?"

"One of those senior brothers was a disciple of the Zheng family. Zheng Xun was summoned back this time to enter the Upper Academy and take over the blessings left by that senior brother." Lin Yuan's voice revealed a hint of envy.

Chen Lan clicked his tongue and said, "For Senior Brother Zheng, isn't it good that his clansman died?"

He knew that Lin Yuan also had two clansmen cultivating in the Upper Academy. Looking at Lin Yuan's expression, he couldn't help but have some malicious thoughts. Then he seemed to think of something, shivered, stood up, and bowed to Lin Yuan, saying respectfully, "With Senior Brother Zheng gone, Senior Brother Lin will be the top disciple in the Lower Academy. I will need your help in the future."

Lin Yuan laughed heartily, pulled Chen Lan up, and said, "Junior Brother, there's no need for such formalities. Our friendship is unmatched by others."

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, then sat down again. Chen Lan asked casually, "What happened to the python demon that killed our disciple?"

"I heard that it is being pursued by Ning Chongxuan from our sect, and there has been no news yet."

"Ning Chongxuan?" Chen Lan thought for a moment, seemingly remembering someone, "I heard that this person is quite talented, reaching the Profound Light stage after only forty years of cultivation, and is said to be just one step away from the Alchemy Pill stage. Is that true?"

Lin Yuan snorted and said, "No matter how powerful he is, he is still a rootless cultivator. In the sect, it is ultimately the disciples of noble families who must take charge."

At this moment, near the Cangwu Mountain, two beams of light were racing through the sky, one in front and one behind.

The front was a black beam of light, with a large black-scaled python writhing inside. Behind was a white sword beam, flying swiftly in pursuit. On the sword beam, a young cultivator with a stern face could be seen. He shouted coldly, "In front of me, Ning Chongxuan, you dare to flee on the clouds?"

A green beam of light separated from the white sword beam and shot into the cloud ahead, then swayed back and forth several times. The python demon let out a惨cry, and with a few drops of thick blood splattering, the black light surrounding its body thinned.

Severely injured, the python demon knew it couldn't gain the upper hand in the air and had no choice but to descend from the clouds. It opened its mouth and spewed out a cloud of demonic mist to protect itself. The black, ink-like mist soon enveloped the entire mountain peak below.

"Trivial tricks, how dare you show them?"

Ning Chongxuan sneered coldly, his eyes narrowing, and two beams of golden light shot out. This was the Barrier-Breaking Spirit Light, which could only be used at the later stage of Profound Light. The light, upon encountering the demonic mist, seemed to melt snow in the sun, clearing everything in its path!

Seeing this, the python demon spat out human words, but as soon as it opened its mouth, it began to curse, "Bah, Ning Chongxuan has only cultivated for forty years and has already reached the 'Profound Light Penetrating Objects' stage. I, Luo Xiao, have cultivated for over two hundred years and have only just entered the 'Initial Enlightenment' stage. How unfair is the way of heaven!"

Although it wanted to avoid the sharp edge, it was now severely injured and slow. It could only keep expending its true essence to spew out black mist, trying to hide its true form. However, whenever Ning Chongxuan released the spirit light, it became visible again.

The python demon, in a panic, fled through the mountains and forests. Seeing the undulating mountains and the sound of flowing water ahead, it seemed to sense a glimmer of hope and quickly swam over.

However, it searched for a long time and couldn't find a cave or a crevice. As its true essence gradually ran out, it knew that once Ning Chongxuan's sword came down, it would be decapitated. It couldn't help but feel a sense of despair, "No good, there's no cover here, and no earth fissures. Am I, Luo Xiao, going to die here today?"

At this moment, it noticed a mountain stream on the rock that seemed to lead to a cave. Without thinking, it used the last of its true essence to shrink its three-zhang-long body to a foot in size, dived into the water, and swam into the cave, heading deep into the mountain.

The sword beam circled the mountain peak several times and then landed. Ning Chongxuan stood steadily on the peak.

He frowned. The python demon must have burrowed underground. At this moment, unless he split the entire mountain, he couldn't do anything about the python demon. But even if he had the ability, he couldn't cause such destruction here, as this was already the territory of the Ling沧 Sect's Lower Academy.

He followed the mountain path down but found no trace of the python demon. Suddenly, he sensed a pure Daoist aura and was surprised, "Hmm, this place is remote. Is there a Lower Academy disciple cultivating here?"

He followed the aura and soon saw a young cultivator sitting in meditation on a rock jutting out from a cliff.

The young cultivator seemed to sense someone approaching and slowly finished his meditation before turning around.

Ning Chongxuan nodded, his eyes showing appreciation, and asked, "Who are you?"

The young cultivator cautiously looked at Ning Chongxuan and bowed, "I am a Lower Academy disciple of the Ling沧 Sect, Zhang Yan. May I ask how to address Senior Brother?"

"I am an Upper Academy disciple, Ning Chongxuan. I am pursuing a snake demon here. This demon has already killed several of our Upper Academy True Transmission disciples. Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Zhang Yan shook his head, "No, I haven't."

Ning Chongxuan asked again, "Why are you alone here?"

"I am a new disciple, so I can live alone on a peak."

Zhang Yan hadn't moved his cave, but no one dared to live near him anymore, so they all found other places to live. The Wangxing Peak was already remote, and now the entire peak was left to him. This way, he didn't have to stay in his cave and could meditate in the open.

Ning Chongxuan frowned when he heard this and said coldly, "You are a new disciple?"

"Yes."

Ning Chongxuan's face showed disgust. The Lower Academy disciples were mostly from noble families. Once they reached the Upper Academy, they could occupy a blessed land and enjoy the fruits of the sect without having to fight outside. As for ordinary disciples like him, they had to risk their lives to obtain everything, except for the occasional elixirs given by their masters. He particularly despised these people.

Without saying another word, he coldly snorted and immediately flew away, disappearing in an instant.

Seeing him soar into the sky, Zhang Yan's eyes showed a hint of envy, thinking, "I wonder when I can reach that level?"

But this thought quickly faded.

He had his own path, and others had theirs. What was there to envy? As long as he remained steadfast and moved forward, he would also have the day when he could fly and travel through the earth!

Zhang Yan looked at the vast night sky, smiled, and turned to leave the peak.

He followed the mountain path back and soon returned to his cave. But as he pushed open the door and entered, he suddenly paused.

Since the day he observed the Star Monument, he had been sensitive to changes in the aura. Even the slightest change in the environment could be felt. At this moment, he clearly sensed an unusual aura hidden in the cave. He scanned the surroundings and his gaze finally settled on the large bronze cauldron.

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PS: We're about to go on the Three Rivers. There's a small change in the plot. One update today, three updates tomorrow.

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