Chapter 11: Apprenticeship Ceremony

Translator: yikaii Editor: yikaii

At the summit of Heaven’s Gate Peak, in the Innate Hall, Lu Yang stood with proper posture, respectfully waiting for his master’s arrival.

The Innate Hall was serene and spotlessly clean, with thin wisps of incense smoke rising, calming the mind. Lu Yang noticed three memorial tablets in the hall dedicated to Innate Taoist, Guiyuan Celestial, and Hanhai Daojun, three figures of great significance in the Dao Seeking Sect.

Twelve thousand years ago, Innate Taoist, an ordinary cultivator, established the Dao Seeking Sect. At that time, he was one among thousands with similar cultivation levels in the Central Continent, so the sect started as a small school.

Ten thousand years ago, during times of chaos, the sect produced an extraordinary genius. Although not the top in cultivation talent, he possessed intelligence, made good friends, upheld righteousness, and was blessed with fate. Rising amidst the chaos, he became an unparalleled cultivator known as Guiyuan Celestial.

Under Guiyuan Celestial, the Dao Seeking Sect flourished, becoming a top school. During its 20,000th anniversary, Guiyuan Celestial and four other top cultivators established the title of the “Five Great Immortal Sects,” which gained widespread recognition.

However, no glory lasts forever. Fifty thousand years later, the sect weakened. The elders were either nearing their life’s end or met untimely deaths, leaving few capable of leading. Even the disciples were lackluster, leading to rumors of the sect’s fall from the Five Great Immortal Sects.

Perhaps blessed with fortune, an elder of the sect rescued a child from ruins while exterminating demons. Astonishingly, the child was a rare cultivation prodigy. He quickly advanced to become the strongest Tribulation Crossing cultivator of his time.

Known as Hanhai Daojun, the “Rejuvenator of the Dao Seeking Sect,” he extended the sect’s glory for another fifty thousand years.

“Senior Sister, where is our master?” Lu Yang asked, having waited in the hall for quite a while without seeing anyone besides Senior Sister Yun Zhi.

“Master is currently in closed-door cultivation, at a critical stage and cannot be disturbed. I will act as his representative to accept you as a disciple and guide you in cultivation.”

“Before you officially begin cultivation, let me briefly introduce our lineage. Our master has very few rules. As long as you don’t go too far or act against morality, causing public outrage, he won’t intervene.”

“But I’m a bit stricter than him, so I’ll oversee things he wouldn’t.”

“Master has four disciples, including you and me. The other senior brother and sister, one in the Western Buddha Country and the other in the Southern Monster Realm, rarely return to the sect, making them hard to meet.”

“When your cultivation reaches a certain level, you might meet them on your travels. For now…” Yun Zhi paused, then took out three ink portraits, lining them up. They were of Lu Yang’s unseen master, second senior brother, and third senior sister.

The portraits depicted the three happily smiling.

The master, with white hair, had clear eyes unlike typical elders, resembling a transcendent being who enjoyed the pleasures of life.

The second senior brother had a gentle smile, handsome features, and a demeanor like polished jade.

The third senior sister exuded charm, a beauty capable of bringing disaster to a nation.

“Master specially arranged these portraits, adding you to make five disciples in total. Since only you and I are present, it feels rather lonely. Hence, he prepared these portraits to represent them.”

Lu Yang looked at Senior Sister Yun Zhi, then at the lifelike portraits seemingly watching him, feeling a chill down his spine.

It was as if his master and other disciples had died for the sect and only he and Senior Sister Yun Zhi were the only ones remaining.

Three incense sticks appeared before Lu Yang, handed to him by Yun Zhi. “These are Faith Incense sticks, capable of conveying your thoughts. Offer them to the master’s portrait to express your gratitude and respect.”

After lighting the incense sticks, Lu Yang placed them in a small incense burner in front of the master’s portrait. “Ancestors bear witness, Master above, please accept your disciple’s bow.”

The scene now felt more complete.

After the ceremony, Lu Yang hesitantly asked, “Senior Sister, I don’t mean any disrespect, but is our master really still alive?”

Lu Yang was apprehensive that Yun Zhi might reveal a cold smile and say something like, “The Master has perished, and the high-ranking members are keeping it secret. Now that you know this, you cannot be spared.”

However, Yun Zhi looked puzzled, not understanding why Lu Yang would ask such a question. “Of course, he’s alive.”

“I’ve seen your test results at Yanchuan Peak. You remember human acupuncture points and meridian locations very accurately, and you can recite the basic heart method by heart. That’s commendable.”

“Now, let’s start your formal cultivation.”

Hearing this, Lu Yang’s face lit up with excitement, listening even more attentively. He was finally about to start his cultivation practice.

As formal cultivation began, Senior Sister Yun Zhi said, “This is my first time teaching a disciple, and you are a first-time disciple. Let’s bear with each other.”

“But don’t worry too much. I’ve made ample preparations for today.”

Yun Zhi lined up various small medicine jars, each labeled with the name of a pill, some of which Lu Yang had heard of:

The White Bone Pill, capable of reviving the dead and mending broken bones.
The Seventh Level Pagoda Pill, invented by the Buddha Country as part of a series to accumulate merits for creating things, saving a life is considered more meritorious than building a seven-level pagoda. Anyone who consumes this pill contributes to the merits of the Buddha Country.
The Nine Turns Reincarnation Pill, known in the cultivation world for the saying “nine deaths and one life in reincarnation.”
With these pills, it would be hard for Lu Yang to die.

“First, we train the body for Qi practice. Although you haven’t experienced physical training, we’ll start from scratch.”

Yun Zhi casually tore through space, taking out two large water tanks from her storage space. The thud of the tanks hitting the ground gave Lu Yang a bad premonition.

“Sword cultivation emphasizes sword intent and arm strength. Therefore, we first focus on training arm strength. I’ll demonstrate only once, so watch carefully.”

Yun Zhi stood effortlessly on the edge of one water tank, then grasped the edge of the other tank with one hand, lifting it slightly before letting go. She repeated the process with the other hand, her movements smooth and graceful, a sight to behold.

If one disregards the strain on the arms, this method indeed seemed effective for strengthening arm muscles.

“Once you can do it like this, it’s good enough,” Yun Zhi said nonchalantly as she set down the water tank.

Lu Yang, swallowing nervously, realized without even trying that the half-human-high water tank could easily fit him inside, get filled with sand and bury him with ease. To spin such a large tank around was a life-threatening challenge.

He stepped forward, took a deep breath, and tried to lift the water tank with one hand in a smooth motion.

It didn’t budge.

Then, exerting all his strength with both hands, the tank reluctantly wobbled a bit, acknowledging Lu Yang’s earnest effort.

(End of the chapter)