The Canglan continent, Northern Region, Xuan Province.
Within a boundless expanse of majestic, overlapping mountains, a faint outline of a sect could be seen nestled in the distance.
Dao Sect.
This was one of the six major sects of Xuan Province, with a history spanning nearly a thousand years.
The Dao Sect comprised five peaks: Dan Peak, Sword Peak, Wu Peak, Array Peak, and Ru Peak.
Each peak practiced a different path; for instance, Dan Peak cultivated the Dao of Alchemy, while Sword Peak cultivated the Dao of the Sword.
At this moment, atop a certain hill on Ru Peak.
A youth who looked to be around sixteen years of age was lazily reclining in a deck chair, soaking up the sun.
Jiang Yan.
The sole disciple of Ru Peak.
As the name suggested, Ru Peak cultivated the Ruist path. From the very founding of the sect, the disciples here had always been a bunch of bookworms who loved to read.
Yet, by the present day, Ru Peak existed in name only.
For countless years, the Ruist path had never gained recognition in the world of cultivation.
The idea that one could increase their cultivation simply by reading books seemed like an absolute fantasy to many.
Before the primordial era, there had indeed been a few Ruist sages who emerged into the world, but they were merely a handful of individuals.
The legendary feats of composing poems with a single utterance and making the laws follow one's words had long since become myths.
In this era where martial arts flourished, the Ruist path was practically severed, becoming an extremely rare existence.
Let alone in Xuan Province, even within the various sects large and small across the Northern Region, the Ruist lineage was no longer established anywhere else. Only the Dao Sect still maintained it, though it was now on the verge of being struck from the records, because Ru Peak was left with only a single disciple: Jiang Yan.
Right now, Jiang Yan lay stretched out in the chair, letting the warm sunlight wash over him as he drifted lazily into sleep.
A thick book lay open, draped across his face, and the sound of light snoring clearly echoed across the quiet hilltop.
Not far away, at the foot of the mountain, the sound of conversation drifted over.
A group of people were climbing the mountain.
An elderly man with white hair and a white beard walked at the head of the group—Li Sihai, the First Elder of the Dao Sect.
"First Elder, has that legendary Senior Brother really emerged from seclusion?"
Among the group, a young disciple could not help asking.
Li Sihai nodded. With his hands clasped behind his back, he led the group step by step up an ancient stairway paved with bluestone, speaking as they went, "Disciple Jiang Yan entered the sect at the age of six, much earlier than any of you. Come to think of it, he began his seclusion when he was ten years old, and it has already been a full six years since then."
"The master of Ru Peak also went out to travel shortly after Jiang Yan entered seclusion, and has yet to return."
"Although Ru Peak exists in name only, Disciple Jiang Yan is still nominally your Senior Brother. When you see him later, make sure not to show any discourtesy, understand?" Li Sihai glanced back at the dozen or so young disciples trailing behind him.
They were disciples from Dan Peak, Wu Peak, Sword Peak, and Array Peak, sent here today as representatives.
After all, with the sect's Senior Brother coming out of seclusion, the disciples of the various peaks naturally had to show their respect by coming to pay a visit.
Before long, under Li Sihai's lead, the party arrived atop Ru Peak.
Looking from afar, they saw the youth fast asleep, appearing thoroughly relaxed and at ease.
"Disciple Jiang Yan came out of seclusion early this morning, and we only came over at noon, so it's no wonder he fell asleep here. After all, having spent six years in seclusion, such leisure is hard to come by."
Seeing this, Li Sihai could not help making the remark. With a soft sigh, he led the group closer.
"Disciple Jiang Yan, wake up."
Reaching Jiang Yan's side, Li Sihai reached out, intending to rouse him.
"Plop!"
The book draped across his face fell to the ground with a soft thud, revealing a rather fair-complexioned face to the group. He was sleeping soundly, his mouth slightly open, with a trail of saliva dripping from the corner—complete with a thin thread of drool.
"Who is it?"
Being awakened, Jiang Yan seemed to throw a bit of a temper tantrum.
He rubbed his eyes and focused his gaze. Upon seeing Li Sihai, he was momentarily stunned before snapping back to reality. "First Elder?"
"With all these years passing, I never expected you to still be alive?" Jiang Yan asked in surprise.
"What kind of talk is that?"
Li Sihai was taken aback for a moment before replying speechlessly, "Hasn't it only been six years? Besides, this old man happens to be an expert in the Spirit Transformation Realm who can live for two hundred years. I'm only ninety-eight right now. Is it really that strange that I'm alive?"
"You were in the Spirit Transformation Realm six years ago, and you're still in the Spirit Transformation Realm now?" Jiang Yan clicked his tongue in mock amazement.
Hearing this, Li Sihai rolled his eyes. "You brat... your mouth is still as sharp as it was back then."
"We pay our respects to Senior Brother."
At that moment, the dozen or so young disciples who had accompanied Li Sihai stepped forward one after another, cupping their fists and bowing to Jiang Yan.
"Senior Brother?"
Jiang Yan was startled, a puzzled look on his face as he raised a finger to point at himself. "What Senior Brother? Me?"
Li Sihai nodded and explained, "Six years ago, you were still the little junior brother of the sect. But now, six years later, most of the disciples who entered the sect in the same year as you have already gone down the mountain to travel, or have taken up posts as sect executives and elders. Now you hold the highest seniority among all the disciples, so naturally you have become their Senior Brother."
Although Jiang Yan was only sixteen years old now, making him several years younger than many of the disciples.
According to the rules of the Dao Sect, whoever entered the sect earlier was the senior brother, regardless of age.
Jiang Yan had entered the sect at the age of six, and a full ten years had passed since then. The generations of disciples had already turned over, leaving him naturally with the highest seniority.
"Hearing that Senior Brother came out of seclusion today, we came specifically to pay a visit. In the future, we hope to receive much guidance from Senior Brother." The group spoke in unison, appearing quite respectful on the surface.
"Just a visit? Didn't you bring any gifts?"
Jiang Yan's eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together and continued, "You couldn't possibly have come empty-handed, right?"
"Knowing that Senior Brother loves to read, although we are not disciples of Ru Peak, we still collected some famous texts and brought them along today specifically as a gift for Senior Brother."
As they spoke, everyone flicked their wrists, each retrieving several thick ancient books from their storage artifacts—altogether numbering over a dozen.
Looking at the books they presented, Jiang Yan was dumbfounded, standing frozen in place for a good long while before he finally blurted out, "Just this? What do I want with these trashy books? I wouldn't even use them as toilet paper."
"Senior Brother... doesn't like books?"
The group exchanged glances, looking equally bewildered as they spoke.
"I got sick of reading them ages ago."
Jiang Yan was speechless. Then an expression of indignation, tinged with a hint of sorrow, appeared on his face. "True enough, my Ru Peak now exists in name only. That old master of mine even acts like an absentee landlord, going off on travels for years without returning. No wonder Ru Peak gets looked down upon by others, but for you to bring a bunch of useless books over... isn't this practically an insult?"
"If not books... what should we bring?" The group was at a loss.
Everyone on Ru Peak practiced reading; in their minds, this Senior Brother must have been the same. Why was reality completely different from what they had imagined?
"If you guys are really sincere, just give me some spirit stones." Jiang Yan's expression shifted in an instant. He blinked and said very earnestly.