Chapter 11: Apprentice to Learn Skills

Atop Tianmen Peak, within the Hall of Primal Dawn, Lu Yang stood in perfect posture, waiting with utmost reverence for his master’s arrival.

Inside the hall, a pristine and solemn silence reigned, untainted by a speck of dust, as curling ribbons of incense smoke rose to soothe the restless mind.

Lu Yang noticed three ancestral tablets enshrined in the center, bearing the names of the Daoist of Primal Dawn, the Heavenly Venerate of Returning Origins, and the Daoist Lord of the Vast Ocean.

He recognized all three, for they held profoundly exceptional significance within the Seeking Dao Sect:

One hundred and twenty thousand years ago, the Daoist of Primal Dawn walked out from a humble Daoist temple to establish his own mountain gate, founding the Seeking Dao Sect; at that time, he was but an ordinary cultivator, and those of his caliber in the Central Continent numbered anywhere from eight to ten thousand, meaning the sect was merely a minor faction at its inception.

One hundred thousand years ago, when the world fell into great chaos, a marvelous prodigy emerged from the Seeking Dao Sect; in terms of innate talent for cultivation, he could not even rank within the top fifty of his era, yet he possessed an astute mind, a gift for friendship, a fierce sense of loyalty, and the subtle blessings of unseen destiny, allowing him to rise amidst the troubled times, ride the crest of the generational tide to stand at the very forefront of the age with matchless glory, achieving a cultivation realm that few could ever hope to equal under the title of the Heavenly Venerate of Returning Origins.

Under the stewardship of the Heavenly Venerate of Returning Origins, the Seeking Dao Sect flourished and expanded, leaping to become one of the premier grand orthodoxies of the age; during the sect’s twenty-thousand-year anniversary celebration, numerous close friends journeyed from far and wide to offer congratulations, and seizing this opportune moment, he joined forces with the four supreme cultivators of the time to formally establish the designation of the Five Great Immortal Sects, earning the recognition of the entire world.

Yet no existence in this world is eternal, and no glory everlasting; another fifty thousand years passed, and the power of the Seeking Dao Sect waned, its elders either approaching the end of their natural lifespans or dying untimely deaths, leaving precious few capable of sustaining the realm, while not a single disciple among the younger generation showed any true promise, resulting in an awkward intergenerational drought that even bred widespread rumors that they were about to fall from the ranks of the Five Great Immortal Sects.

Perhaps the Seeking Dao Sect truly enjoyed the protection of destiny, for one day, an elder out slaying demons rescued a child from the ruins and brought him back to the sect, only to discover to his astonishment that the child was an exceedingly rare genius of cultivation; the boy did not disappoint, advancing by leaps and bounds until, within a few short years, he became the strongest cultivator of the Tribulation Transmutation Stage in the world.

That child took the title of the Daoist Lord of the Vast Ocean and was hailed by later generations as the Ancestor of the Sect’s Revival, extending the glory of the Seeking Dao Sect for another fifty thousand years right up to the present day.

"Eldest Senior Sister, where is our master?" Lu Yang withdrew his gaze, having waited in the hall for half a day without seeing a soul other than his senior sister.

"Master is currently in secluded meditation at a critical juncture of his cultivation and cannot tear himself away; I am taking disciples on his behalf to guide your training."

"Before we begin your formal cultivation, let me briefly introduce our lineage to you. Master has very few rules; so long as you do not go too far, violate the principles of morality and ethics, or provoke public outrage and divine wrath, he will not interfere."

"However, my bottom line is somewhat higher than his; what he chooses to ignore, I will enforce."

"There are four disciples in total under Master’s tutelage; aside from you and me, you have a senior brother and a senior sister above you, one located in the Western Buddhist Realm and the other in the Southern Demon Domain, who rarely return to the sect all year round, making a meeting with them quite difficult."

"Once your cultivation bears fruit and you have the chance to travel the world, perhaps you will meet them; as for now..." Yun Zhi paused, retrieving three ink-wash portraits and laying them out in a row, representing the master, second senior brother, and third senior sister whom Lu Yang had yet to meet.

The three figures in the portraits were smiling with immense joy.

The master possessed hair as white as frost, yet his eyes lacked the cloudiness of ordinary old men, resembling an otherworldly master who delighted in amusement and played through the mortal realm.

The second senior brother bore a gentle smile, with sword-like brows and starry eyes, appearing as refined and pure as jade.

The third senior sister exuded a myriad of charms, a beauty capable of bringing ruin to states and empires.

"Master explicitly instructed that including you, our lineage consists of five people, and since having only the two of us present at your initiation would seem far too lonely, he specially prepared these three portraits to represent their presence here."

Lu Yang looked at his eldest senior sister, then looked at the vividly rendered black-and-white portraits arranged around him that seemed to gaze back at him, feeling an inexplicable chill run down his spine.

It felt exactly as if the entire sect had died heroically in battle, leaving only him and his eldest senior sister behind.

Three sticks of spiritual incense appeared before Lu Yang, handed over by Yun Zhi: "This is Faith Incense, which can transmit the thoughts of your heart; offering three sticks to Master will convey your gratitude and respect."

The three sticks of spiritual incense were lit and placed into the small censer set before the master's portrait: "Witnessed by the Patriarchs, with Master above, please accept your disciple's bow."

Now it looked even more like a funeral.

With the initiation complete, Lu Yang asked hesitatingly, "Eldest Senior Sister, though it might be somewhat irreverent to ask, Master is indeed still alive, right?"

Lu Yang was terribly afraid that Yun Zhi would flash a cold sneer and say something like, "So you have discovered the secret that the Master has fallen while the higher-ups keep it hidden; you cannot be allowed to live."

Yun Zhi was entirely bewildered, unable to comprehend why Lu Yang would pose such a question.

"Of course he is alive."

"I have reviewed your exam scores from the Peak of Verbal Instruction; you remember the human acupoints and meridian pathways with great accuracy, and you can recite and transcribe the foundational heart mantras perfectly, which is very good; this zeal for learning deserves praise."

"Next, we shall begin your formal cultivation."

Hearing this, an excited smile bloomed on Lu Yang’s face, and he listened with even greater attentiveness.

He could finally begin his cultivation.

As the formal cultivation commenced, the eldest senior sister spoke right at the outset: "This is my first time teaching a disciple, and your first time being a disciple; the two of us will just have to bear with each other."

"However, you need not worry excessively; I have made ample preparations for today."

Yun Zhi lined up various small medicine jars labeled with the names of spiritual pills, some of which Lu Yang had heard of before:

The Bone-Reconstituting Pill, capable of reviving the dead and growing flesh on bare bone.

One of the merit-accumulating creations invented by the Buddhist Realm, the Seven-Story Pagoda Pill, representing the adage that saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda; whenever someone consumed a Seven-Story Pagoda Pill, the Buddhist Realm would receive a portion of merit.

The Nine-Transformation Samsara Pill, regarding which the cultivation world held a saying that nine deaths in reincarnation could exchange for a single survival.

With these pills on hand, it would be difficult for Lu Yang to die even if he wanted to.

"Refining Qi begins with refining the body; though you have never engaged in body-tempering training, we shall start from zero."

With a casual gesture, Yun Zhi tore through the fabric of space, retrieving two massive water vats from her storage space; hearing the heavy, thudding sound of the vats slamming onto the ground, Lu Yang’s heart skipped a beat, seized by an ominous premonition.

"A sword cultivator emphasizes sword intent and arm strength; therefore, in body-tempering, we must first focus on training your arm strength. I shall demonstrate only once, so watch closely."

Yun Zhi stepped onto the rim of one water vat with both feet, balancing as if walking on flat ground; then, with a single hand, she gripped the rim of the other water vat, lifted it effortlessly upward, and let go, catching the rim again with her other hand before the vat could strike the ground, repeating the motion in a fluid, seamless sequence that was a beautiful sight to behold.

If one disregarded the feelings of the arm, this method could indeed train arm strength.

"Achieving this level will suffice."

Yun Zhi set the water vat down, speaking with nonchalant ease.

Lu Yang swallowed hard in fear; even without lifting it, anyone could see that this water vat stood half a man tall, more than spacious enough to stuff him inside and bury him in the ground filled with sand and soil.

Tossing such a massive vat around like a toy was practically a gamble with his life.

Lu Yang took a large step forward, held his breath, and gripped the water vat with one hand, completing the entire motion in a single breath.

It did not budge.

He applied force with both hands, exerting every ounce of strength he had used to nurse as an infant, before the water vat finally gave a reluctant wobble, indicating that Lu Yang had indeed tried his absolute best.