Chapter 9

The sound of tea and the wind, every sound entered the ears.

More disciples noticed the commotion behind them and couldn't help but stare in amazement.

Master Lu looked at the commotion, his eyebrows slightly raised, with a hint of displeasure. He lightly flicked his right finger, which was behind his back.

Clang!

A clear and cold sword sound echoed through the hall.

The disciples' hearts trembled slightly, instantly becoming alert, and quickly turned their heads.

The cliff terrace was incredibly quiet, even the birdsong from the distant trees had disappeared.

Master Lu's gaze moved among the disciples, lingering a bit longer on Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui, before finally settling on the distant mountain peaks.

"Focus, I don't care about your talents, abilities, or insights. You must strive to break through the Youyi realm within three months. Only then will you have a chance to reach the Baoshen realm within three years, and have the opportunity to be recruited into the inner sect, becoming true disciples of Green Mountain. Our sect practices the righteous path of the Heavenly Sword, emphasizing the words 'swift and decisive.' Initial cultivation is not difficult; even the most dull-witted person can succeed if they are willing to spend the time and effort. But how many tens of thousands of miles is the Great Way to Heaven? The journey becomes increasingly arduous the further you go, and the final few hundred feet are as difficult as climbing to the heavens. So if you cannot enter the inner sect within three years, it might as well be better not to walk this path to Heaven."

He felt a bit nostalgic. These words were meant for the disciples, but they were also his true feelings.

He was already at the Chengyi realm, able to freely control his sword and fly, kill from ten paces without a drop of blood on his clothes, and to the common people, he was like a sword immortal. In the imperial court of Chao Ge City, he would certainly be revered as a venerated master.

However, in the Green Mountain Sect, he could not advance to the Wuzhang realm, and his lifespan was limited. There was no hope of breaking through the next few major realms, so he could not become a key disciple of the sect.

Just like now, he could only teach these ignorant outer sect disciples at South Pine Pavilion. Although this was an important task for the sect, ...

A somewhat childish voice pulled Master Lu out of his reverie.

"Master, if we cultivate smoothly, will we have the chance to participate in the Chengjian Grand Competition in three years?"

The young disciple who spoke had heard some information about the Green Mountain Sect through some channels and knew that for young disciples, the Chengjian Grand Competition was the most important test.

Master Lu was slightly stunned, then laughed, not answering the question. In his view, the young disciple's question was too naive.

Gradually, there were murmurs and low laughter. Through explanations from their peers, the young disciple learned that only disciples who had reached the Shouyi realm could participate in the Chengjian Grand Competition.

After Youyi comes Baoshen, which is the initial realm, followed by Zhitong, and then Shouyi...

New outer sect disciples were four levels away from the Shouyi realm.

"Want to reach the Shouyi realm in two years?"

A disciple mocked, "Do you think you're a genius like Senior Sister Zhao?"

"I hope you can catch up with La Yue."

A voice rang out in the field, shocking everyone.

But no one dared to mock the speaker.

Because the speaker was Master Lu.

However, Master Lu was not speaking to the disciple who wanted to participate in the Chengjian Grand Competition.

Following Master Lu's gaze, the disciples looked toward the back of the formation, focusing on one person.

Liu Shisui was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses, pointing at himself, "Are you talking about me?"

Master Lu said, "Yes, I hope you can be another surprise for the Nine Peaks of Green Mountain."

...

...

The young outer sect disciples dispersed, some holding the entry cultivation techniques and reading them continuously, others staring at the sunlight filtering through the leaves, naturally forming several groups.

This scene had appeared several times since the young disciples entered the Green Mountain Sect. Now they were still divided by their origins and social status, but in the future, they would be divided by their cultivation realms.

Today was different, whether the disciples from wealthy families or poor families, they were all looking at a certain place.

Even those who were diligently studying or staring at the sunlight would occasionally glance over with the corner of their eyes.

Jing Jiu and Liu Shisui stood there.

Some were looking at Jing Jiu, but more were looking at Liu Shisui. No one had forgotten Master Lu's words before he left.

Who would have thought that the disciple Master Lu valued the most was not the extremely handsome white-robed youth, but the boy who seemed to be his attendant.

What was so special about that boy?

The young disciple who had mocked his peer earlier was named Xue Yongge, a descendant of a prominent family in Yuzhou. His great-uncle was cultivating on the sixth peak, Shiyue Peak. He was gathering information.

Soon, the news was confirmed.

This boy was actually a natural Dao seed!

The disciples looked at Liu Shisui with shock.

Unlike before, there was no jealousy, not even envy.

The gap between them was too great, not even on the same level. What use was envy?

How many natural Dao seeds had appeared among the countless talented disciples of the Green Mountain Sect in recent years?

Besides Senior Sister Zhao, there was only Senior Brother Zhuo, who was personally taken in by the sect leader on Tian Guang Peak!

Now, such a person had appeared among them. How could they not be shocked?

Xue Yongge, who learned the news first, was the quickest to recover from his shock. Ignoring his still stunned classmates, he walked straight to Liu Shisui, a gentle smile on his face.

"Junior Brother Liu, each of us will have a small courtyard to rest in. Which one do you plan to choose? If you don't mind the sound of the stream, Courtyard A4 is an excellent choice. It's close to the Sword Hall, where you can often seek guidance from the Master. Moreover, there's a patch of Zhengyang flowers outside the courtyard. The fragrance is clear and has a calming effect, which is very beneficial for our cultivation."

Some disciples didn't understand why the usually arrogant and cold Xue Brother was so enthusiastic today. Others couldn't help but laugh, thinking that Xue Brother's reaction was indeed quick. No one knew if the Zhengyang flowers were truly beneficial for cultivation, but living next to a natural Dao seed would certainly be very helpful.

Xue Yongge didn't get a response from Liu Shisui because Liu Shisui knew that Jing Jiu wouldn't choose that courtyard.

Liu Shisui gave Xue Yongge a grateful smile, picked up his luggage, and walked toward the Sword Hall, asking the steward for the door plates of two small courtyards in the back mountain.

Seeing the white-robed youth and the natural Dao seed boy walking deeper into the mountain path, the disciples were very surprised and speechless.

Xue Yongge shook his head in confusion, "This is really strange."

A natural Dao seed, actually serving as a book boy, who wouldn't find that strange?

Whispers arose in front of the Sword Hall, and some inevitably mocked Jing Jiu.

The girls ignored this, looking toward the mountain path.

A girl said softly, "That Jing Jiu... he really is very handsome."

Another girl said, "I heard he's from Chao Ge. I wonder which family he's from."

...

...

Deep in the mountain path, in a dense forest away from the stream, there were two adjacent small courtyards.

The sunlight was blocked by the tree shade, making the courtyards look very clear.

The courtyard door was pushed open, and Liu Shisui put down his luggage, looked around, wiped a stone bench clean, and prepared to clean up.

"How did you know I don't like the fragrance of Zhengyang flowers?"

Jing Jiu sat on the stone bench, looking at him with interest.

In the past year, he had spoken to Liu Shisui many times, but such an emotional display was rare.

"I don't know, but that... Senior Brother said the courtyard is by the stream."

Liu Shisui said, "The stream sound is so loud. Sir, you like to sleep, how could you want to live there?"

Jing Jiu said, "Yes, I forgot about that."

The courtyard was very quiet, and the dwelling, which looked like a thatched hut but was actually a cave inside, was very clean, almost spotless.

It seemed that if no disciple lived there, this cleanliness would be maintained.

There was little for Liu Shisui to do. Laying out the bed and folding the quilts was quickly done. He then brought a plate of mountain fruits, which the steward had distributed in advance, to the stone table in front of Jing Jiu.

Seeing the anxious look on the boy's face, Jing Jiu said, "Go back to your courtyard and read the book if you want to."

Liu Shisui looked up, his face slightly red, and said, "I'm not in a hurry to leave and read the cultivation technique."

Jing Jiu knew he was troubled by the comments and mockery from his peers, so he smiled and said nothing.

...

...

A gentle mountain breeze blew, and white frost grass fell.

Jing Jiu looked at the cave wall, feeling a sense of nostalgia. How many years had passed since he last turned around and saw nothing?

He leaned against the window frame, opened the thin book in his hand.

The entry cultivation technique of the Green Mountain Sect.

Very simple and familiar, with only two extremely minor revisions compared to the past.

These two revisions were quite interesting, but they didn't take long to read.

Jing Jiu's eyes gradually closed.

The entry cultivation technique was placed on his lap.

The wind entered the cave, gently blowing his clothes and the pages of the book, flipping them quickly, sometimes forward, sometimes backward.

The pages flipped rapidly, the text was unclear, but the little figure drawn in the book kept moving.

The little figure sometimes squatted in a strange horse stance, sometimes stood like a pine tree, and more often was practicing a set of punches, looking vigorous and diligent.

Jing Jiu, however, was already asleep.

...

...

When he woke up, the sunset had already fallen behind the peaks, and the sky was tinged with a rosy red. The nearby cliff terrace was already dark, making it hard to see.

With a creak, Liu Shisui pushed open the courtyard door and ran in, his face beaming with excitement, shouting, "Sir... Sir... Sir!"

Jing Jiu, recalling many years of memories, reminded him, "Don't call people like that outside, or you'll get beaten."

Liu Shisui wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve, nodded repeatedly, wanting to say something but couldn't, looking a bit anxious.

Jing Jiu said, "Understood?"

Liu Shisui knelt in front of him and bowed twice with force.