Chapter 74

Shen Lian and Lu Shouyi were outside, unaware of what had happened in the main hall. After waiting for a while, they finally heard the voice of the sect leader, instructing Shen Lian to enter alone, rather than allowing his newly recruited disciple, Lu Shouyi, to enter with him.

Shen Lian entered, and the Three Questions Taoist was already gone. The sect leader looked at Shen Lian and pointed slightly. Despite Shen Lian's keen senses, he could not react to this simple gesture, as if this single point had pierced through time, making it impossible for him to avoid.

The sect leader was clearly seated on a stone bed without standing up, yet his index finger indeed touched Shen Lian's forehead from a distance of several feet away. A cold and cool breath invaded Shen Lian's forehead, and his mind was filled with a passage of text and images, which was the complete version of the Xuanji Gong he had learned from the chessboard, along with some annotations and insights.

There has always been a tradition in Daoism that "no words are established," and this was the first time Shen Lian encountered such a situation. He could not express whether he was happy or surprised, as he had long practiced the "Supreme Clarity Spirit Treasure Natural Heart Locking and Mind Stabilizing True Explanation," a method for cultivating the spirit, focusing the mind, and stabilizing the nature. Whenever faced with important matters, he became even more calm.

Shen Lian closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and bowed slightly, showing respect for the virtue of transmitting the teachings.

The sect leader's face finally showed a hint of approval, saying, "To remain calm when unjustly attacked and not be startled by sudden events, Shen Lian, you indeed deserve the phrase 'deep Daoist nature.'"

"Master, you asked me to come in alone, not just to praise me," Shen Lian said calmly. As a cultivator, one should not judge things by ordinary standards, but as long as one has intentions and emotions, anyone's actions can be traced. He quickly walked through the Heart-Questioning Path, and even the old man in the red robe wanted to take him as a disciple and transmit his skills in advance, indicating that even among the immortal sects, his talent was top-notch. The sect leader, being a Daoist and the head of the immortal sect, would not deliberately mistreat him. Shen Lian was confident in his judgment.

Whether human or demon, or any other creature, as long as they have emotions, they will not be without desires. Cultivators are no exception. Shen Lian would not be overly concerned about gains or losses, just as he was when he met the fox immortal Xin Qubing, accepting whatever came his way.

With this calm and composed attitude, he had no reservations.

"For us who seek the Dao, whether others criticize or praise us, it is all like smoke, insignificant. The sect opens its mountain gate every fifty years for the Heart-Questioning trial, selecting ten people. Although they are considered to have a connection, the main purpose is to select fresh blood. Like you, who can leave your body before the qi channels are activated, is indeed rare and precious. Even outside of Qingxuan, any immortal sect would take you in," the sect leader said with a calm expression, but the content was full of praise for Shen Lian.

"Since I have entered Qingxuan, I have no intention of going elsewhere," Shen Lian replied.

"Actually, someone like you, either had deep cultivation in a previous life, reaching the stage of Returning to the Elixir, or has a unique method for cultivating the spirit. However, our Qingxuan's founder, Yuanqing, once said, 'Once you enter my sect, do not ask about your past.' Therefore, I will not inquire about your secrets. I asked you to go to the Youshi River to collect yu yu, not to deliberately make things difficult for you. You will understand my intentions when the time comes," the sect leader remained inscrutable.

******

The existence of the Youshi River is even older than the Qingxuan Immortal Sect. The water in the river is not from rivers, lakes, or seas, but from the Yellow Springs, having form but no substance. Therefore, feathers sink, and there is no wood on the river. These were the pieces of information Shen Lian obtained from the Taowei Pavilion of the Qingxuan Sect.

Before this, Shen Lian did three things.

The first was to visit the ancestral hall of Qingxuan, pay respects to the Daoist transformation left by the founder Yuanqing, and light the soul lamp. If Shen Lian were to fall in the Dao, the soul lamp would also go out. This is an important method for the Qingxuan Sect to determine whether a traveling disciple is alive or dead.

The second was to go to the Tiantian Peak's "Discipline Hall" to learn the Qingxuan rules. The enforcement elder of the Discipline Hall was the gray-robed old man he had seen before, named Ge Yuan, one of the Returning to the Elixir cultivators in Qingxuan.

He also learned that the red-robed old man who wanted to take him as a disciple was named Hong Qianya, another Returning to the Elixir cultivator in the sect, and an elder of the "Merit Hall" on Tiantian Peak. The Merit Hall manages most of the cultivation resources of Qingxuan. From the sect leader to ordinary disciples, anyone who needs resources must exchange them with merit points. Merit points are obtained in two ways: monthly distribution based on cultivation level and completing tasks issued by the sect.

Qingxuan has five peaks. Apart from the main peak Taibai, where the sect leader resides, the other four peaks have different functions.

Qingliang Peak is where the lower courtyard disciples live, and Yuyang Peak is where the upper courtyard disciples live.

Among the four peaks, the concentration of heaven and earth energy gradually increases from Qingliang, Yuyang, Tiantian, to Zifu.

Only cultivators at the Returning to the Elixir stage and above can open caves on Tiantian and Zifu Peaks.

The number of lower courtyard disciples is very small, and the concentration of heaven and earth energy on Qingliang Peak is the lowest, but there is one advantage: anyone can become a disciple of a Returning to the Elixir cultivator on Tiantian and Zifu Peaks.

Upper courtyard disciples do not have this privilege, but most of them are related to the elders on Tiantian and Zifu Peaks, so they do not lack guidance.

Every two months, the elders of the sect give lectures to resolve the doubts of the disciples.

Although Qingxuan has many rules, the most important one is that disciples must not harm each other. If discovered, they will be punished by the Discipline Hall.

However, Shen Lian did not know about the young man he had seen that day. According to the rumors, he was personally taken to the cave by Ge Yuan to receive the Daoist teachings.

Apart from being the enforcement elder of the Discipline Hall, Ge Yuan is also the head of Tiantian Peak, for one reason only: he achieved the seventh transformation of Returning to the Elixir through his own efforts.

His Daoist arts and magical powers are the best on Tiantian Peak, and he has the potential to become an Immortal.

There are many Returning to the Elixir cultivators in the sect, but like Ge Yuan, who achieved the transformation through his own efforts, are few and far between. Even in the entire cultivation world, those who can achieve the seventh transformation are all outstanding figures.

Even Hong Qianya, who is also on Tiantian Peak, relied on a "仙丹" (immortal pill) as a spiritual guide to achieve the sixth transformation, which is slightly inferior to Ge Yuan.

Both of them entered the "Returning to the Elixir" stage in their hundreds, so they look old. In fact, for cultivators, whether they look old or young is irrelevant. After reaching the "Returning to the Elixir" stage, there are ways to restore youth, but they did not do so.

The concentration of heaven and earth energy on Zifu Peak is second only to the main peak Taibai. There are many Returning to the Elixir cultivators, and the "Taowei Pavilion" houses the Qingxuan classics and the remaining Daoist intentions of the Immortals. However, only those at the "Returning to the Elixir" stage and above can enter the second floor of the Taowei Pavilion.

ps: Thank you to Zuo Jingjing, Yuluo Weihen, Xiaomao, Zhan Wu Mao, Xiaoyou Tianxia Wo Xiaoyao, and Xia Chong Rsssss for your support.

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