"If your Xianjian Sect truly has no outstanding talents, why not choose one from the inner disciples of our sects? At the very least, pick someone with dual spiritual roots; that wouldn't exactly be a slight to our sect's number one powerhouse!"
"Brother Wangyue is right. The Xianjian Sect is, after all, still a member of the Sect Alliance. For a Dao Lord to take in a piece of trash with five spiritual roots as a personal disciple, wouldn't that just invite mockery?" Dao Lord Fengyin chuckled derisively.
Dao Lord Canghai ignored the sarcasm and ridicule, remaining as calm and detached as ever.
"The Sect Selection is based on mutual willingness; how could I force anyone? Although this little girl has five spiritual roots, her aptitude is not poor. With proper cultivation, she will surely achieve something!"
Everyone twitched. This old man really dared to think it. The Xianjian Sect hadn't been able to recruit disciples with excellent aptitude for many years, and even the existing ones had mostly left, yet they still stubbornly refused to withdraw from the Sect Alliance.
If it weren't for the contributions Dao Lord Xinglan had made to the Xuanling Continent keeping them afloat, the Xianjian Sect would have been expelled from the Sect Alliance long ago.
Once Dao Lord Xinglan passed away, even that sliver of respect would be gone. Without fresh blood, the decline of the Xianjian Sect was only a matter of time.
Star Lord Chixiao snorted, "Then let us first congratulate Dao Lord Canghai on taking in such an 'exceptionally gifted' disciple. I hope that in three years, at the Sect Tournament, this girl will be able to amaze everyone!"
Everyone revealed smiles that were either friendly or mocking.
Having long grown accustomed to the faces of these people over the years, Dao Lord Canghai felt no anger. He stood up to take his leave: "The Sect Selection is coming to an end. I shall take my leave first."
Mu Qingyue was pulled aside by a sneaky-looking boy who whispered, "Little Junior Sister, come with me. Let's go to the back near the Xianjian Sect's station and wait for the Sect Master!"
Mu Qingyue was left speechless. Why were the disciples of the Xianjian Sect so bizarre? They weren't doing anything shameful, so why were they acting so shady?
Seeing Mu Qingyue standing still, the boy hurriedly tapped the jade token at his waist, "I am truly a disciple of the Xianjian Sect!"
Fine! Nobody would likely dare to swindle people in a place like this. Mu Qingyue followed behind the boy. As they walked, the boy said, "Little Junior Sister has a good eye. Choosing our Xianjian Sect is definitely not a loss. Back in the day, our Xianjian Sect was the leader of all sects; the sword techniques in our sect are unrivaled..."
Mu Qingyue concluded that this person was definitely a chatterbox.
She had expected to take a teleportation array like the other sects, but to her surprise, the boy pulled her out of the plaza and they flew on swords for two hours before reaching the station.
It seemed the Xianjian Sect was truly poor; there wasn't even a teleportation array in the center plaza.
At the Xianjian Sect's station, a handsome man with an elegant bearing and three newly recruited disciples were waiting.
the boy waved to the handsome man, "Senior Brother, Master found a disciple for Third Junior Uncle!"
The handsome man glared at the boy and gave Mu Qingyue a gentle, warm smile, "Little Junior Sister, don't listen to your Fifth Senior Brother's nonsense. Third Junior Uncle is a very kind man!"
Dao Lord Canghai returned to the station and introduced them to the four newcomers: "This is your Senior Brother Cheng Yanzhi, and your Fifth Senior Brother Han Yuheng."
"From now on, Mu Qingyue is the personal disciple of your Third Junior Uncle, which makes her your Little Junior Sister. Wei Linyuan, Cheng Lingsu, and An Xuanzhao should first join the inner sect at Lingyun Peak. Our sect does not have many members and there are not that many rules. Once you go back, let your Senior Brother help you understand the situation in the sect!"
With that, he summoned a flying sword. Dao Lord Canghai grabbed Mu Qingyue and one of the disciples and stepped onto it, while the other three were taken by the two senior brothers. The group quickly disappeared above Jiayuan City.
The long sword rose with the wind, and the group flew in the sky for three days before finally landing at the front gate of the Xianjian Sect.
Of the four new disciples, three were a disheveled, dusty mess. Only Mu Qingyue, aside from her clothes being slightly ruffled, remained clean and cute.
Dao Lord Canghai instructed Cheng Yanzhi and Han Yuheng to first help the new disciples get acquainted with the sect environment, and then to take Mu Qingyue to Wudao Peak to pay respects to Dao Lord Xinglan.
Cheng Yanzhi led the four onto a cloud ship. The ship flew very slowly. Whenever they passed important peaks, the ship would stop, and Han Yuheng would start explaining eloquently.
"This is the Affairs Hall. After the tour, you can come here to collect your disciple tokens and robes. That is the External Affairs Hall, dedicated to receiving guests. This is the Dining Hall; disciples who have not yet reached the Inedia stage can come here to eat..."
Cheng Yanzhi took them for a brief tour of the sect's important locations, settled the other three in their quarters on Lingyun Peak, and told them they could attend classes at the Master Peak's Lecture Hall tomorrow.
The Xianjian Sect occupied a vast area, but there were few disciples, so the living quarters were very spacious. Although a dozen inner disciples lived in one courtyard, everyone had their own private room.
Han Yuheng pointed to a small building in the distance and said to them: "See that small building across the way? Once you are settled, follow me to the Affairs Hall to collect your disciple tokens, then go there to learn about the basic situation in the sect, as well as some entry-level cultivation techniques. If there is anything you don't understand, you can go to the third floor and ask Steward Li."
Cheng Yanzhi told Han Yuheng to continue showing the three around, then led Mu Qingyue toward Wudao Peak.
On Wudao Peak, a bamboo house sat amidst a bamboo grove. Behind the house was a pond filled with golden lotus flowers. The grove was suffused with spiritual energy; it was the place with the richest energy in the entire Xianjian Sect.
At this moment, Dao Lord Canghai, Fairy Zixia, Dao Lord Taiwei, and Star Lord Tianxuan were all in the room. Dao Lord Xinglan finished his cultivation and looked at his senior siblings: "Senior Brother, with my current physical condition, why insist on me taking a disciple? Wouldn't that ruin the child's future?"
Dao Lord Canghai sighed looking at his junior brother's pale face. Their Third Junior Brother had once been incredibly talented, the undisputed number one in the Xuanling Continent, his Youlong Sword capable of anything.
Since the seal on the Demon Domain loosened three thousand years ago, the top experts of the Xuanling Continent had all moved out. Although they gathered the strength of the entire Immortal Realm to consolidate the Demon Sealing Array, resolving the momentary crisis, his junior brother was severely wounded in that war.
Poisoned by demonic miasma within his body, for three thousand years, he had relied on spiritual energy to suppress the poison, dropping two major cultivation stages as a result.
He and his siblings had never given up searching for a cure, and they had gathered all the sect's resources to search for precious herbs to sustain his life.
Now, with the demonic poison invading his heart, they still had not found any effective cure.
To be safe, the siblings decided to let Dao Lord Xinglan take a disciple to inherit his lineage.
"Xinglan, the disciple I chose for you today has some unique qualities. Although she has five spiritual roots, the aptitude of every single one is exceptional. Such talent is unheard of. Moreover, I secretly examined her meridians and dantian; I found she has already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. She must have great fortune."
"Even if you cannot teach her personally all the time, you can still answer her questions. In the future, the four of us will do our best to nurture her within the sect. We won't hinder her future!"
Fairy Zixia felt joyful upon hearing this.If they had really forced her brilliant Third Senior Brother to take an ordinary miscellaneous-spiritual root disciple, she would definitely have objected.
Hearing that this child had the cultivation of the ninth level of Qi Refining at ten years old and came from the Mortal Realm, she knew they had picked up a treasure.
She spoke up, "Third Senior Brother, I am currently studying an ancient formula for a Demon-Clearing Pill. I will head out in a few days to search for the required herbs. This child is so talented, you should take her in. That way, my senior brothers and I can feel more at ease while we are away!"
Star Lord Tianxuan also urged, "Third Senior Brother, since it is a person the Senior Brother approves of, she certainly can't be bad. Take a disciple by your side sooner, and we can rest easier sooner. A Demon Spirit Fruit is about to mature near the Demon Domain. Once you have a disciple, I will go there to guard it. Don't worry, we will definitely find a way to heal you!"
"Third Junior Brother, let's just do as Senior Brother says. Meet the girl in a moment. If you don't find her to your liking, we can register her under Junior Sister's name, and I will go out and find a few candidates with excellent aptitude for you!"
A hint of a smile flashed across Dao Lord Xinglan's pale face. For so many years, he had relied on spiritual power to suppress the demonic poison, barely reaching a balance, causing his cultivation to regress instead of rise. Now that the poison was about to invade his heart, his siblings were still unwilling to give up. To put their hearts at ease, Dao Lord Xinglan agreed.
"Very well, I will listen to the Senior Brother. Bring the girl to see me!"
Mu Qingyue followed behind Cheng Yanzhi to Wudao Peak. Cheng Yanzhi waved his hand to lift the formation restriction, and the ordinary-looking peak immediately changed appearance.
The peak was shrouded in mist, the spiritual energy so dense it was about to drip. Spiritual flowers and herbs covered the mountaintop. Surrounding the mountain was a peach forest with petals scattered everywhere. The two walked on the carpet of petals toward the bamboo grove.
Cheng Yanzhi introduced Wudao Peak to Mu Qingyue as they walked: "Little Junior Sister, Wudao Peak is where Third Junior Uncle recovers, as well as the place with the most dense spiritual energy in the entire Xuanling Continent. Our Xianjian Sect isn't as strong as before, so to let Third Junior Uncle recover in peace, the Second Senior Uncle placed a Spirit Locking Array and an Illusion Array outside, which is why you can't feel the energy fluctuations outside. There is a Spirit Gathering Array inside Wudao Peak; the spiritual energy here has remained constant for all these years. After you become his disciple, you can live on Wudao Peak with Third Junior Uncle!"
From the moment she stepped into Wudao Peak, the Primal Beginning Technique within her began to stir. She struggled to suppress the urge to cultivate and followed Cheng Yanzhi straight to Dao Lord Xinglan's residence.
The two reached the bamboo house, and Dao Lord Canghai's voice came from within, "Come in."
Mu Qingyue and Cheng Yanzhi entered.
Inside, a man with white hair and white robes sat upright on a large white jade bed. His face was pale, a smile on his lips, and he radiated a sickly beauty.
Mu Qingyue stared, dumbfounded. Although the Immortal Realm was full of handsome men and beautiful women, in two lifetimes combined, she had never seen a man who looked this good.
Seeing the girl staring straight at him, Dao Lord Canghai gave a light cough. Mu Qingyue hurriedly withdrew her gaze and bowed embarrassedly, "Disciple Mu Qingyue greets all the seniors."
Fairy Zixia used her divine sense to probe Mu Qingyue’s meridians and dantian, finding it true as the Senior Brother said—she had reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. She smiled, "What a cute little girl. Looking at her bone age, she is only about ten years old, and from the Mortal Realm at that. To have the cultivation of the ninth level of Qi Refining, she must have great fortune. My fellow brothers, we have truly picked up a treasure!"
Mu Qingyue was startled. She had used the Breath Concealment Technique; she hadn't expected to be seen through at a glance by these high-level cultivators.
It seemed she had to redouble her efforts in cultivation to be safer.
Dao Lord Canghai looked at Dao Lord Xinglan, "Third Junior Brother, what do you think of this girl? Are you willing to take her as your disciple?"
Mu Qingyue’s gaze again drifted directly to the sickly beauty sitting on the bed.
Dao Lord Xinglan looked at Mu Qingyue’s face, which still had a hint of baby fat, and at those lively, intelligent eyes looking straight at him.
Since entering the Dao, he had never been stared at this directly. Dao Lord Xinglan’s lips curled up slightly. He actually found himself liking the girl’s boldness, and he truly felt the urge to take her in.
He chuckled softly, "Senior Brother, I will take the child in. She will be the only disciple of my Wudao Peak. I will personally guide her in cultivating the Chaos Sword Technique!"
Everyone was surprised. Star Lord Tianxuan frowned, "Third Senior Brother, ever since the founder of the Xianjian Sect ascended, no one has been able to bring the Chaos Sword Technique to perfection. Although this technique is suitable for disciples with five spiritual roots, if she cannot comprehend more than two levels of Sword Intent, she would be better off learning the ordinary sword techniques of the sect!"
Dao Lord Taiwei stroked his beard but held a different view.
"Fourth Junior Brother, I think this technique is worth a try for Yue’er. For the past ten thousand years in the Xuanling Continent, there has never been a cultivator with her aptitude. The cultivation of the Chaos Sword Technique emphasizes the unity of the five elements. Back then, Third Senior Brother only comprehended the third level of Sword Intent, and yet he was able to challenge opponents two cultivation stages higher than himself. If Yue’er can grasp it, wouldn't she be the perfect successor to Xinglan’s legacy?"
Listening to their debate, Mu Qingyue’s eyes brightened. This Chaos Sword Technique corresponded to her Chaos spiritual roots; it should be the most suitable technique for her to cultivate. Regardless, she had to try.
Since coming to this world, it seemed she had become the beloved daughter of destiny. Everything seemed arranged: first, she received the inheritance of the Five Elements Arts from Zǐxiāo Immortal Venerable, and now Dao Lord Xinglan was providing the sword dao techniques. Could she truly be the legendary Child of Luck?
Just as Mu Qingyue was letting her imagination run wild, Dao Lord Canghai made the final decision.
"Let's do as Xinglan says. Yue’er, come forward and pay your respects. From now on, you are Xinglan’s only disciple. I hope you will respect your master and the Dao, and achieve success early!"
Upon hearing this, Mu Qingyue stepped forward and performed the apprenticeship ceremony to Dao Lord Xinglan.
Dao Lord Xinglan smiled with satisfaction. With a wave, he placed a jade space bracelet into Mu Qingyue's hand.
"Yue'er, this is a storage jade bracelet. The items inside are a gift from your master. You are my only disciple; I will teach you carefully in the future. I hope you will cultivate diligently and not fear hardship!"
Mu Qingyue thanked Dao Lord Xinglan and wore the bracelet directly on her wrist.
Space bracelets were exceedingly rare in the Xuanling Continent. Ordinary cultivators used storage bags, which could not shield against divine sense, whereas only space-type artifacts had such a function.
Ninth-grade artifact refiners were extremely rare in the Xuanling Continent, as they were the reclusive ancestors of the major sects. Therefore, such spatial artifacts were impossible to buy even with money.
Dao Lord Canghai handed three seventh-grade explosive talismans he had refined to Mu Qingyue: "This is a gift from your First Senior Uncle. These seventh-grade explosive talismans can kill a Divine Transformation stage cultivator. Keep them for self-defense!"
Seventh-grade explosive talismans belonged to high-grade talismans, only given by elders of major sects or noble clans to protect their juniors; they were rarely sold on the market.
Seeing Dao Lord Canghai provide three of them in one go, Mu Qingyue happily accepted them and thanked her Elder Senior Uncle.
Dao Lord Taiwei gave an eighth-grade defensive array disc as a gift.
Mu Qingyue already possessed the array inheritance of Zǐxiāo Immortal Venerable, and she could tell at a glance that this array disc was unique—it was infused with the dragon tendon of a fire dragon.
The fire dragon had a trace of ancient dragon bloodline, and its defensive power was top-tier within the entire Xuanling Continent.
Fire dragons lived in underground magma for years, making their tendons extremely rare crafting materials. Because they had been hunted by cultivators for years, very few survived, making fire dragon tendons priceless.
Mu Qingyue thanked her Second Senior Uncle and accepted the generous gift.
Seeing his two senior brothers being so generous, Star Lord Tianxuan took out a piece of Dharma clothing he had cherished for many years.
"This ninth-grade defensive clothing is refined primarily from the shell of a nine-heaven mysterious turtle and refined Taiyin mysterious iron. It is resistant to water and fire, indestructible, and can withstand a strike from a Tribulation stage cultivator. Today, I give it to you as a gift!"
Dao Lord Xinglan chuckled, "Yue’er, this is your Fourth Senior Uncle’s prized treasure. He hasn't let it go for so many years; consider today your lucky day. Quickly thank your Fourth Senior Uncle!"
Mu Qingyue took the robe; it felt moist and silky to the touch, light and weightless. It was clearly an exceptional item. She bowed deeply and thanked Star Lord Tianxuan.
Fairy Zixia teased from the side, "My senior brothers are certainly generous. If I, the Fifth Senior Aunt, don't take out something good, I'll be outdone by you!"
Fairy Zixia, a seventh-grade alchemist, handed a storage bag to Mu Qingyue.
"Inside are some commonly used pills. While not rare, they are plentiful and should last you for some time. Treat this as a gift from your Fifth Senior Aunt!"
Pills were essentials for cultivators, and those sold on the market were almost entirely monopolized by the Danxiang Pavilion, making them expensive.
Although major sects had their own alchemists, they were usually only for the supply of their own disciples.
The Xianjian Sect had few disciples, and even fewer alchemists. Fairy Zixia’s gift was exactly what Mu Qingyue needed urgently, saving her a massive expense. She thanked her Fifth Senior Aunt and happily accepted the storage bag.
Seeing his little apprentice receive so many good items, Dao Lord Xinglan was also pleased, and even his pale face showed a trace of color.
He ordered Cheng Yanzhi beside him, "Yanzhi, take your Little Junior Sister to tour the peak, choose a place she likes to settle down, and then go and familiarize her with the sect. Come back to see me tomorrow!"
Cheng Yanzhi bowed in acknowledgment and led Mu Qingyue out of the bamboo house.
The two toured Wudao Peak for nearly half a day, finally settling in Huaxi Cottage. It was not only beautifully scenic with rich spiritual energy, but the open space in front could be used by Ziling to plant medicinal herbs and spiritual fruits.
Next to it was a small stream, and the surroundings were filled with birdsong and fragrant flowers, like a paradise beyond the world.
Inside, there was a separate alchemy room equipped with geothermal fire and a furnace. With her ninth-level Qi Refining cultivation, Mu Qingyue was ready to try alchemy and use it to accumulate wealth.
Although she now had the gifts from her senior uncles and aunts, these were priceless treasures that definitely could not be sold for cash.
On the path of cultivation, the higher one reached, the more resources were needed. The reason many cultivators stopped progressing was the lack of sufficient spirit stones and rare treasures to boost their cultivation.
As long as one had enough spirit stones, one could exchange them for various needed resources.
After choosing her residence, Cheng Yanzhi took Mu Qingyue to the main peak's Dining Hall for a meal, then to the Affairs Hall to receive her personal disciple jade token, sect attire, and so on.
Afterward, acting as her guide, he brought her around all the main peaks to familiarize her with the environment.
"Senior Brother, are none of our sect's disciples here? Besides a few laborers, I haven't even seen a few outer disciples."
Having grown familiar with Cheng Yanzhi, Mu Qingyue spoke more freely.
Cheng Yanzhi’s gentle face showed some discomfort, and he coughed lightly:
"Little Junior Sister, our Xianjian Sect was the number one sect in the Xuanling Continent three thousand years ago. Later, Third Junior Uncle was severely wounded and nearly perished. Master and the other junior uncles tried everything to save his life."
"For three thousand years, they have been busy with this matter and have had no time to manage sect affairs, leading to dwindling resources. Some disciples with wavering resolve have left the sect."
"And since the sect has been unable to recruit disciples with good aptitude, falling into this cycle, the total number of disciples in the sect now is only just over a thousand."