Chapter 3: A Chance Encounter with an Old Friend
As the Tai Su Cloud Ship approached the Meteor Dojo, a young cultivator in a plain white Daoist Robe rode the wind and floated up. Cupping his hands, he asked, "Pardon me, are you the Elders from the Tai Su Sect? This junior, Guan Song, pays his respects."
’It seems the Meteor Dojo is using an expert at the Refining Realm, one who has unified clear and turbid qi, as a mere greeter,’ Xuzhuang thought. ’I wonder if it’s to show off their strength, or if they’re just that ostentatious.’
The path of a Cultivator: Meditation, Qi Cultivation, Foundation Establishment, and then the Refining Realm.
Condensing and then unifying the clear and turbid forms of qi to forge Magical Power was a crucial step after Foundation Establishment. It was a threshold that distinguished one cultivator from another. Even among those who had successfully forged Magical Power, the differences could be as vast as heaven and earth. Within the Tai Su Sect, a disciple who forged powerful Magical Power and built a solid foundation was qualified to be considered a "Golden Core seed," groomed to become a True Disciple.
Xuzhuang, not wanting to seem arrogant, stepped forward slightly and returned the salute. "Xuzhuang, a True Disciple of the Tai Su Sect. A pleasure, Fellow Daoist Guan."
’Xuzhuang of Tai Su!’ Guan Song was inwardly stunned. This name was not among the Tai Su True Disciples known to the Taixuan Sect. ’This means the man before me must be a newly promoted True Disciple from recent years.’
According to rumor, among the Three Sects and Six Schools of the Divine Continent, the Tai Su Sect had the strictest requirements for its True Disciples. Only those who had formed a Top-grade Golden Core and showed the potential to reach the Primordial Spirit Realm could attain such a position.
Guan Song’s heart grew heavy. Although the Taixuan Sect had only been established for ten years, its disciples had already been cultivating under Grand Ancestor Grandmaster Taixuan for a very long time.
Now that Grand Ancestor Grandmaster Taixuan had established a dojo in the Profound Yellow Realm and formally founded their lineage, his generation of disciples was united in purpose. Every one of them aimed for a Top-grade Golden Core, striving to bring glory to the Taixuan Sect. And yet, even now, the sect only had two members with a Top-grade Golden Core.
Meanwhile, the Tai Su Sect had six publicly known True Disciples! And now there was another. ’As expected of a Great Daoist Sect with a long and storied history, one that had been spreading the Dao in the Profound Yellow Great World for ten thousand years.’
Though his mind was racing, Guan Song’s expression remained unchanged. He smiled and said, "I have often heard of the grace of the Tai Su Sect’s members. Seeing it for myself today, I know it was no exaggeration. Elder Xu, please have your Cloud Boat follow this junior to your lodgings."
Xuzhuang signaled for the Warriors to pilot the Cloud Boat while saying, "Please lead the way, Fellow Daoist Guan."
Guan Song and Xuzhuang chatted about everything under the sun along the way, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious, revealing Guan Song to be a man skilled in social graces. The group descended into the Meteor Dojo and soon flew to a vast lake shrouded in mist, by which several exquisite small courtyards had already been built.
"Elder Xu, you may all rest in these courtyards for the next few days. This junior still has other guests to welcome, so I will take my leave now." Having arrived at their destination, Guan Song did not linger and promptly departed.
The disciples were excitedly sizing up their temporary residence when Li Changfeng took a deep breath of the misty air and exclaimed, "The Spiritual Qi here is no worse than on a Spirit Island in Yunmeng Marsh! Doesn’t this mean cultivating in the Meteor Dojo is truly comparable to the major Spiritual Acupoints of the Divine Continent?"
Several disciples chimed in, agreeing that it seemed so.
Another disciple shook his head disdainfully. "What do you know? The great Yunmeng Marsh stretches for who knows how many tens of thousands of miles. It is vast, abundant in resources, and blessed by the convergence of spiritual essence. Who knows how many people it supports, how many cultivation seeds it produces, or how many natural treasures and cultivation resources it yields. Even the spirit beasts that cultivate in Yunmeng Marsh—who knows how many have become truly powerful. How can the true heritage of such a place be compared to this tiny Meteor Dojo?"
A few others felt he had a point, and suddenly the crowd erupted into a heated discussion.
Xuzhuang just smiled and said nothing. ’He knew that the Meteor Dojo, such a magnificent creation forged by Divine Techniques, had delivered quite a shock to his fellow disciples. They were likely awed, but it also stung the pride they had always held as members of the Tai Su Sect, which was why they were behaving so childishly.’
"Alright, stop bickering. Go to your rooms and get some rest."
...
As dusk approached, the evening glow was like rouge, painting the horizon a purplish-red.
Xuzhuang was meditating by the lake, pondering his Daoist arts, when his expression suddenly changed. Two streaks of light burst into his perception, flying into the area of Smoke Wave Lake. A voice like silver bells rang out, "Is Fellow Daoist Xu of the Tai Su Sect present? Lin Ling of the Yuxiao Sect has come to visit."
"Hmm?" A slight smile appeared on Xuzhuang’s face. He rose and called out towards the streaks of light, "Xuzhuang is here. Junior Sister Lin, it’s been a long time."
Lin Ling had a lovely face and sparkling, lively eyes. She wore a long cyan dress and was barefoot, with blue and white profound light weaving beneath her feet, clearly indicating a playful and active nature. Beside her was a young woman who bore a slight resemblance to her, but appeared more elegant and refined. Her teeth were like perfectly set seeds, her eyes like morning stars. She rode on a single, shimmering ripple of clear light, exuding an air of natural, unadorned simplicity.
Among the Three Sects and Six Schools, the Yuxiao Sect and the Tai Su Sect had always been on good terms. Their disciples frequently interacted and often addressed each other as martial siblings. When Xuzhuang had traveled the Divine Continent in the past, he had gotten along very well with several Yuxiao Sect disciples, and Lin Ling was one of them.
Seeing Xuzhuang, Lin Ling gasped. "Senior Brother Xu, it really is you! As soon as I arrived, I heard that the True Disciple representing the Tai Su Sect was named Xuzhuang. I was worried it might just be someone with the same name!" Then she added with a beaming smile, "Even back when we first met, I knew you were extraordinary, Senior Brother. I never thought that by the time we met again, you would have already formed a Top-grade Golden Core. Congratulations!"
"I can see your cultivation has improved greatly as well, Junior Sister," Xuzhuang said with a smile, then gestured to the quiet young woman. "And this is?"
"Ah! I was so excited to see you, Senior Brother, that I forgot to introduce her," Lin Ling said. "This is a True Disciple of our sect, and also my clan sister, Lin Shanshang."
’The moment Lin Ling said her name, Xuzhuang immediately recalled the name that had shaken the Divine Continent several years ago. Lin Shanshang was hailed as the prodigy of her generation in the Yuxiao Sect. Rumor had it she had formed a Top-grade Golden Core and become a True Disciple after cultivating for a mere thirty years.’
"So it is Fellow Daoist Lin," Xuzhuang said, cupping his hands toward her. Lin Shanshang simply offered him a serene smile in return.
Lin Ling secretly sent him a voice transmission: "Don’t take it personally, Senior Brother Xu. This is my sister’s first time traveling outside the sect. She’s always like this with people she doesn’t know."
’Xuzhuang didn’t find her rude at all. He was just a little surprised. Could this great prodigy truly have had such smooth sailing, reaching the Top-grade Golden Core stage while being sheltered by her sect since childhood?’
’He thought about his own journey, traveling the world, enduring countless hardships, and facing death on several occasions, only forming his Golden Core after he had passed his sixtieth year. That was already considered astonishingly fast, yet compared to Lin Shanshang, he felt almost mediocre.’
Xuzhuang pushed those stray thoughts aside and gestured for the two to enter the courtyard and have a seat. But Lin Ling waved her hand. "Hey! We won’t come in to sit. We were just dropping by. For one, I wanted to see if it was really you here, Senior Brother. And two, we’re on our way to watch some excitement, and I was wondering if you might be interested."
"Oh? And what excitement might that be?" Xuzhuang’s interest was piqued. The Taixuan Sect didn’t restrict the movements of its guests in the Meteor Dojo. His own junior disciples had already gone out in small groups that afternoon and hadn’t returned. ’Could this be related to them?’
"You probably know about the Taixuan Sect’s origins, right, Senior Brother?" Lin Ling said with a mischievous grin. "For their Golden Core Grand Ceremony, the Taixuan Sect invited cultivators from all over, including all the Three Sects and Six Schools. They even sent an invitation to the Upper Profound Sect. And nobody knows what the Upper Profound Sect was thinking, but they actually showed up."
"The group from the Upper Profound Sect arrived at the Meteor Dojo at noon today. And well, things got interesting. The moment the two sects met, the air was thick with tension. Every word they exchanged was laced with sarcasm and hidden barbs. The higher-ups from both sects haven’t done anything yet, but the disciples below are already spoiling for a fight and nearly came to blows. Now, the two groups are heading to the Dueling Platform. They’re determined to settle things once and for all."
"So that’s what’s happening." Xuzhuang couldn’t help but chuckle. This Junior Sister Lin really hadn’t changed, with her naive and lively personality, wanting to drag him and Lin Shanshang along to watch the show. But Xuzhuang wasn’t a stuffy person himself and didn’t mind accompanying her to see the spectacle.
No sooner said than done. The three of them summoned their light and flew off towards the Dueling Platform in the Meteor Dojo.