Chapter 8

Lü Shi stepped forward and knocked on the table.

The man in the gray robe woke up, rubbed his gritty eyes, and upon seeing Lü Shi, he was very pleased. However, when he noticed the wet mud on Lü Shi’s front and shoes, he was startled.

"Lü Senior Brother, what has happened?"

Just as a child who has learned to walk would never think of crawling again, who among those who have learned to fly on a sword would still want to walk?

Lü Shi said, "I just want to be careful. Otherwise, if the three sides find out and come to snatch the person, what would we do?"

The man in the gray robe said, "We are all from the same sect; it wouldn’t come to that."

Lü Shi said, "What if another sect comes to snatch the person?"

The man in the gray robe laughed and said, "Senior Brother, you’re exaggerating. I’d like to see what kind of genius you’ve found to be so anxious."

Lü Shi gestured for Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui to step forward and said, "This is our sect’s Southern Gate Recording Immortal Ming Guoxing. Before entering the inner sect, you should address him as Uncle."

Liu Shisui quickly called out, "Uncle Ming."

Lü Shi looked at Jing Jiu, was stunned for a moment, and then came to his senses, praising him endlessly: "What a beautifully carved and jade-like child. Senior Brother Lü, you’ve truly had an extraordinary encounter today."

"Whether it’s just a pretty face is another matter. I chose the smaller one."

Lü Shi sighed, not avoiding Jing Jiu as he spoke.

In the short three days of travel, his impression of Jing Jiu had grown increasingly worse, and he even felt some regret.

He had never seen such a lazy person.

Of course, what truly displeased him was that Liu Shisui, whom he considered a genius, was being ordered around by someone else.

Uncle Ming looked at Liu Shisui as instructed. Seeing the child’s fresh aura and steady gaze, he nodded, thinking to himself that he was indeed good.

When he used his sword sense to observe, he was greatly shocked, and his voice trembled with tension.

"Born with the Dao seed?!"

Lü Shi smiled and said, "Yes."

Ming Guoxing urgently shouted, "Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and come in!"

Lü Shi led Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui through the stone gate.

Ming Guoxing patted his chest, exchanged a smile with Lü Shi, and finally felt at ease.

Once they entered the mountain gate, they were disciples of the Green Mountain Sect, and no one could snatch them away.

Not even those from the cultivation sects, or people from Chao Ge City, or the Immortal Forest and the Curtain Rollers would dare to step into this place.

For countless years, who had dared to act recklessly in the Green Mountain Sect?

Ming Guoxing picked up a brush, dipped it in the ink, and spread out a page. He looked at Liu Shisui and asked, "Name?"

Liu Shisui, somewhat nervous, replied, "Liu Shisui."

Ming Guoxing was slightly taken aback and said, "Name, not age."

Liu Shisui widened his eyes and said, "I’m called this. Is it not allowed?"

Initially, he was also dissatisfied with this name, but now he had long grown accustomed to it and even liked it.

"Whether it’s ten years or ten thousand years, you can call yourself whatever you want."

Ming Guoxing said with a broad smile.

After registering Liu Shisui’s information, he looked at Jing Jiu and asked, "What about you?"

Although he was prepared, seeing that face, which was beautiful beyond words, he couldn’t help but squint his eyes and click his tongue.

"Jing Jiu, from Chao Ge."

The young man looked at a distant solitary peak and answered casually.

Ming Guoxing, still excited, didn’t mind his rudeness and gave him some encouraging words. Then he turned to Liu Shisui, preparing to converse with this born Dao seed.

Unexpectedly, Liu Shisui didn’t even look at him and walked into the mountain gate, because Jing Jiu had already moved.

On the mountain path, the young man in white led the way, and the little boy, carrying the luggage, followed closely behind.

Seeing this scene, Ming Guoxing was very surprised and said, "What’s going on?"

"They are master and servant."

Lü Shi thought about what Liu’s father had said that night and frowned.

"A born Dao seed actually serves as a servant?" Ming Guoxing was extremely shocked and looked at Lü Shi, saying, "Regardless of their previous relationship, once they enter the mountain gate, secular matters have no meaning. Didn’t you tell them that?"

Lü Shi was somewhat helpless. On the first day, he had clearly explained this to them. Jing Jiu didn’t say anything, but Liu Shisui wouldn’t listen no matter how much he tried.

...

...

The mist had long dissipated, but the wind still carried enough moisture. The mountain path was gentle, and walking on it was quite pleasant.

Liu Shisui looked around at the cliffs, his small face full of curiosity, feeling both nervous and excited.

Perhaps influenced by him, or perhaps stirring up even more distant memories, Jing Jiu’s gaze lingered on the surroundings for a bit longer.

With such emotions, they quickly walked over ten miles of mountain path and arrived at a cliff terrace halfway up the mountain.

The cliff was covered with towering trees, and among them were scattered dozens of thatched huts.

The mist rose again, and the thatched huts appeared and disappeared, and upon closer inspection, it could be seen that each hut was separated by a wall.

Upon reaching the cliff terrace, the paths branched out, and Liu Shisui, unsure of which way to go, looked at Jing Jiu.

Behind the cliff, there was a sound of water, clear and pleasant, which must be a spring. Then a musical note gradually rose, blending with the water sound, making it even more ethereal.

Jing Jiu stepped towards the source of the sound, and Liu Shisui quickly followed.

Following the sound, they passed through the green trees and saw a building faintly in the mist.

Suddenly, sunlight fell, dispelling the mist, and the true appearance of the building was revealed. It was a black-eaved, green-walled building, with a rather solemn and imposing air.

This was the Sword Hall of the Green Mountain Sect’s Southern Pine Pavilion, where new disciples would live and study for a long time.

Dozens of young men and women stood on the flat ground in front of the Sword Hall, all wearing the same green robes.

Lü Shi stood on the stone steps and said, "We’ve been waiting for you two. Quickly join the ranks."

Liu Shisui was very surprised and asked Jing Jiu, "Young Master, how did the Immortal Master get here? We didn’t see him pass us on the way."

Once they entered the mountain gate, Lü Shi no longer worried about leaving traces that could be followed by other sects. He only needed to ride his flying sword, and it would take him a moment to get here.

Jing Jiu understood this, but Liu Shisui couldn’t have thought of it.

Hearing Lü Shi’s words, dozens of disciples turned to look at Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui, their faces full of curiosity.

The atmosphere in front of the Sword Hall was filled with a sense of "finally here."

These disciples came from all over the continent and had been at Southern Pine Pavilion for some time but had not yet received any instruction in immortal arts or sword techniques, and they were already quite anxious.

They had heard that the reason was that the Immortal Master was waiting for a disciple.

To wait for one disciple and waste so much time, they naturally knew that the Immortal Master must value this disciple highly.

These disciples were personally selected by the Immortal Masters of the Green Mountain Sect, confident that they could tread the path to the heavens. Faced with this situation, they were naturally curious about the new disciple, and at the same time, some of them felt a bit resistant.

As new outer sect disciples, they couldn’t detect Liu Shisui’s talent through their sword sense, so their gazes naturally fell on Jing Jiu in front.

A low, uncontrolled exclamation rose from the crowd, then turned into excited chatter, buzzing like a swarm of bees.

"How can this person be so beautiful?"

"How was that face made?"

"His demeanor is also extraordinary. He must be a noble from Chao Ge."

Especially the female disciples, looking at that handsome face, felt their cheeks heat up for some reason, turned away, and gently fanned their cheeks.

A male disciple suddenly said, "Don’t you think his ears are strange?"

Everyone looked and found that the young man in white actually had a pair of protruding ears, which looked...

"So cute."

A young girl gazed at Jing Jiu in a daze.

Lü Shi coughed twice.

The young men and women who were willing to enter the mountains to cultivate naturally had a single-minded focus on the Dao. Reminded by their seniors, they guarded their Dao hearts and no longer looked at or discussed Jing Jiu.

The front of the Sword Hall became very quiet.

Under Lü Shi’s gaze, Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui walked to the back of the line and stood there.

"This is the entrance mantra. You must study it well."

Lü Shi lightly waved his sleeve, and dozens of thin booklets flew out of the Sword Hall, scattering like leaves and landing accurately in each disciple’s hands.

This scene was truly magical, and both Liu Shisui and the young disciples were amazed.

"There are many cultivators in the world, and each sect’s techniques and stages of cultivation differ, but their essence is the same. What you need to learn now is the initial stage of cultivation."

Lü Shi gestured for the disciples to open the thin booklets and said, "Our Green Mountain Sect’s Dao is simple. The initial stage is divided into two phases, the first being 'Yi Wei' (Form and Posture)."

Finally hearing the true cultivation method, the young disciples’ expressions became extremely serious, their eyes fixed on the text in the booklets, and they didn’t miss a word from their seniors.

"What is 'Yi Wei'? The Southern Huahua Dao Treasury says: 'The body preserves the spirit, each with its own form and posture, which is called nature.'"

"What you need to do is to become proficient in the initial cultivation technique, strengthen your body, temper your will, and maintain proper posture. Only then can you achieve the connection between the two, from beginning to end."

"From the outside to the inside, when the 'Yi Wei' stage is complete, the Dao seed in your body will be stable enough to withstand the chaos of the heart, growing strong and entering the second stage, 'Bao Shen' (Embrace the Spirit)."

At this point, some disciples looked up, their faces showing hope and longing.

"What is 'Bao Shen'? The Huai Ji says: 'Embrace the spirit in stillness, and the body will naturally be upright.'"

"This stage can be considered an extension of the 'Yi Wei' stage, or the first leap of a cultivator. At this stage, the cultivator’s will becomes incredibly firm, naturally sensing the spiritual energy in the world. The Dao seed grows, and the meridians develop, allowing the absorption of the world’s spiritual energy to transform into true essence. This is using the spirit of heaven to nourish the spirit of man, until the spirit sea is full, and the initial stage of cultivation can be said to be complete. As for how to achieve perfection, that depends on your sword courage..."

Lü Shi’s voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by each disciple.

The sun had already risen to midday, the mist had long dissipated, and the light was intense, making it quite hot.

But no disciple complained about the heat, listening to the Immortal Master’s teachings with utmost concentration, as if they couldn’t even feel it.

A young disciple from Lelang County, lost in the realms the Immortal Master was describing, suddenly heard some noise from the side.

He turned his head and saw a scene that made him stare.

Liu Shisui was pouring tea for Jing Jiu.

The tea from the pot was already cold, and no steam rose.

But the sound of the tea falling into the cup was still clear, like a spring.

Jing Jiu took the cup, drank it all, and handed it back.

Liu Shisui put away the teapot and cup, then took out a round fan from the bag and began to fan Jing Jiu.

The sound of the round fan in the quiet front of the Sword Hall was very clear.

The sound of the page turning began.

The sound of the page turning ended.