Chapter 7

The middle-aged cultivator was named Master Lu, from the Virtue Peak, the third peak of Green Mountain. He had already reached the Perfect Intent realm, but after two failed attempts to break through to the Unmanifest realm, he had to temporarily halt his progress. Now, he served as a teacher at Nansong Pavilion, responsible for the training of new outer sect disciples.

Given his status, he did not need to personally recruit disciples, but in recent years, the disciples at Nansong Pavilion had been quite ordinary, far inferior to those from other places, which put a lot of pressure on him.

Now, he did not expect to achieve anything significant; he only hoped to train a few good disciples, or perhaps receive elixirs from his seniors to make one final attempt at the Unmanifest realm.

When he heard news from one of the nine peaks that a remote little village was worth a visit, he quickly came.

He hid among the green trees, observing the young boy of about ten years old, and found that the news was accurate. Even from a distance, he could sense that the boy was a fine talent.

When he scanned the boy with his sword sense, he was even more pleasantly surprised—the boy was a natural Dao seed!

Such a fine talent was rare, even in the bustling provinces or even in Chaoge City, where it might take years for one to appear. Master Lu could not care less about scaring the child and immediately revealed himself from the darkness. However, before he could say anything, he was distracted by another matter.

The young boy, frightened, hid behind a young man in white.

The reason for his alertness was that he had not noticed the young man's presence while observing the boy from a distance.

The young man was sitting on a reclining chair by the pond.

His sword sense immediately focused on the young man in white, but found that he was just an ordinary person who had not practiced cultivation, with no Dao seed in his body, which surprised him.

When his gaze fell on the young man's face, he was even more surprised.

In all his years in the cultivation world, he had never seen such a beautiful young man.

Even the noble sons of Chaoge or the famous beautiful disciples of Water Moon Nunnery on Qingrong Peak could not compare to him.

The cultivation world has always believed in one principle: the extreme is extraordinary.

Whether it be height, weight, or any other external feature, if it is sufficiently special, the person must have something extraordinary.

A simpler way to put it is: when things reach the extreme, there must be something strange.

Beauty has always been highly regarded by cultivators. Whether it be the green pines on the cliffs or the flying swords like light, if they are extremely beautiful, they must have extraordinary inner qualities.

Looking at the absolutely beautiful face of the young man in white, how could Master Lu not be moved? He strengthened his sword sense and checked again, finding that his Dao heart was still immature, and there was no sign of a Dao seed.

The young man in white was much older than the boy, but his Dao heart was far less developed, and his natural talent was naturally much inferior.

Master Lu felt a bit regretful and stopped looking at the young man, turning to Liu Shini, and asked, "Do you know who I am?"

Liu Shini was greatly frightened by the sudden appearance of this stranger and did not dare to show himself. Hearing the question, he did not dare to speak, only tightly gripping Jing Jiu's sleeve.

Jing Jiu, from the man's clothing and the way he carried his sword, deduced that he was a third-generation disciple, far from the Unmanifest realm, but did not know his name.

This was quite natural.

The inner and outer sect disciples of Green Mountain Sect numbered in the thousands. Apart from the old men on Virtue Peak and the women on Xilai Peak, who could recognize everyone?

"Nothing to worry about," Jing Jiu said.

For some reason, hearing these words, Liu Shini felt much more reassured, but still a bit nervous. He stood up and looked at the middle-aged cultivator, trembling slightly, and said, "Could you be...?"

Master Lu said with a gentle expression, "Yes, I am a cultivator from Green Mountain, or what you call a immortal teacher."

Hearing the words "immortal teacher," Liu Shini instinctively glanced at Jing Jiu.

Master Lu thought he was too nervous and smiled slightly, "You can call me Master Lu."

Liu Shini said uneasily, "Master Lu... why are you here?"

"I am here to ask you, do you wish to cultivate the Great Dao and seek immortality?"

Hearing this, Jing Jiu felt a bit nostalgic, thinking that after so many years, it was still the same words, not a single word changed.

Liu Shini stood there for a long time before coming to his senses, stammering, "Of course... I do, but..."

The story of a village boy being taken away by a Green Mountain immortal teacher to cultivate and seek immortality was the most beautiful tale passed down in the village for generations. He had grown up listening to these stories and was completely stunned, unable to think of any opposition. However, as his words suggested, "but..."

He looked at the small courtyard, his young face showing some hesitation and struggle.

Master Lu was not angry but rather felt reassured, "Cultivation is not an ordinary matter, but we are not monks. We can still participate in the secular world and will not cut off family ties."

Liu Shini asked anxiously, "Really?"

Master Lu smiled, "I will explain to your parents later. In the future, you will have time to visit your hometown. If you cannot enter the inner sect, you will handle the sect's secular affairs and will not lack money. You can often return home and take care of your hometown with ease... However, I don't think you will have this opportunity."

Clearly, he had a very high opinion of Liu Shini's talent and was confident in it.

Liu Shini looked at Jing Jiu.

Master Lu was somewhat surprised.

Jing Jiu stood up and said, "If you want to go, go."

Liu Shini's face lit up, and he said, "Yes, Master."

Master Lu's surprise turned to astonishment.

In such a remote little village, why was there such a beautiful young man?

He looked at Jing Jiu and suddenly said, "What about you? Do you wish to cultivate the Great Dao and seek immortality?"

...

...

Through the wall, the voices and sobs of the Liu couple could be heard. However, they remembered the immortal teacher's warning and did not dare to disturb the village, so they kept their voices low.

Jing Jiu sat by the window, looking at the stars in the night sky, silent, lost in thought.

The man named Master Lu would come at dawn the next day to take Liu Shini... and him to Green Mountain Sect.

Liu Shini was packing his luggage. He was a very diligent child, but this was the first time he had packed luggage. However, the blank look on his face was not because of this, but because of the immense mental shock, which had not yet fully subsided. Perhaps because of this, he did not think about the fact that Jing Jiu was not an immortal teacher.

"Is it really that simple...?"

The young boy still stammered, "Does the immortal teacher not need to see my... character?"

Jing Jiu looked at the stars outside the window and said, "Nature."

Liu Shini said, "Yes, that's the word."

Jing Jiu said, "Of course, only talent matters. Nature changes with time, how can it be seen? Besides, do you really think that the benevolent are invincible?"

Liu Shini scratched his head and said, "Isn't that what the books say?"

Jing Jiu did not turn around and said, "Of course not, the invincible are invincible."

Liu Shini did not understand this, but looking at his back, he suddenly felt a sense of loneliness.

...

...

At dawn, the sky was still dim, and the sun was far behind the peaks, not yet risen.

Master Lu arrived.

The Liu couple saw Liu Shini off to the courtyard, wiping their tears silently, feeling sad but more happy.

Footsteps sounded, and Jing Jiu came out of the house, the morning breeze gently blowing his white clothes, his hands empty, carrying nothing.

Seeing this, the Liu couple could not help but remember a year ago when he walked to the village entrance, looking just the same.

Liu's mother glanced at Liu's father, wanting to say something but stopped.

Liu's father gave her a warning look and said respectfully, "Master, do you need to bring anything for the journey? Shini can carry it."

Jing Jiu ignored him and walked out of the courtyard with his hands behind his back.

Master Lu, outside the courtyard, frowned slightly at the scene.

No one knew that in the water tank behind the room, half a light green pill was slowly dissolving, eventually disappearing into the water, unseen.

Master Lu led Jing Jiu and Liu Shini into the morning mist and soon disappeared.

The Liu couple wiped their tears and walked back into the courtyard, not knowing what to do, standing there for a while before starting to clean the courtyard and prepare breakfast.

Whether it was cooking porridge or brewing coarse tea, they used the water from the tank.

Only then did Liu's mother notice that something was missing from the house.

The bamboo chair was gone.

...

...

For some reason, Master Lu did not choose to fly back to Green Mountain Sect on a sword but walked.

Liu Shini, of course, did not think about this, as he had never thought that anyone in the world could ride a flying sword.

Jing Jiu, however, knew very well that this third-generation disciple of Green Mountain Sect was at the Perfect Intent realm and should be able to ride a sword easily, even with two people.

Why did he insist on walking? Was he worried that other cultivators would see the traces of a flying sword and cause trouble?

Jing Jiu did not understand. In his view, although the current generation of Green Mountain Sect was not as strong as before, it was not to this extent.

The village was at most a hundred miles from the entrance of Green Mountain Sect. For a Green Mountain Sect disciple to be so cautious in such a place was simply cowardly.

Master Lu did not know what Jing Jiu was thinking, leading the two young boys through the fog and the mountains, silent and low-key.

On the third day, they passed through a thick fog, and the view suddenly became clear.

Countless green peaks appeared before them, some beautiful, some steep, some with smooth stone walls that could not be climbed, yet with signs of human habitation at the top.

Could the legendary nine peaks of Green Mountain be among them?

Liu Shini was amazed, but Jing Jiu did not even look.

The three followed the mountain path paved with green stones and soon saw a stone gate.

The stone gate was simple, covered in moss, with an ancient air. The signboard read "Nansong Pavilion."

This was the southern gate of Green Mountain Sect.

Seeing the mountain gate, Master Lu's face showed a smile, clearly much more relaxed.

The mountain gate was quiet, and the birds in the dense forest were not annoying.

Below the mountain gate was a wooden table, with ink, paper, and a brush laid out. A man in a gray sword robe was sleeping on the table.

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