In the streets, the crowd surged, and Shui Lianyue and Ye Xiangli walked among them.
No matter which country it was, the street hawkers' cries seemed to be eternal, filled with rogue cultivators selling items they had chanced upon. Shui Lianyue did not linger here, instead heading straight for the teleportation array.
Flying on swords was prohibited within the city, so to avoid unnecessary trouble, she walked through the streets with Ye Xiangli. Naturally, their journey attracted countless gazes, but seeing Shui Lianyue's extraordinary demeanor, no one dared to step forward and disturb them.
The journey went smoothly with no blind fools blocking their path. Arriving before the teleportation array, they found it guarded by soldiers whose cultivation all reached the Foundation Establishment cultivator level, ensuring no one dared cause trouble here.
Producing the token of the Yinxian Gate, they successfully entered the teleportation array. As the array activated, they finally returned once more to the Yinxian Gate.
The disciples on guard duty at the teleportation array were startled to see Shui Lianyue emerge from the array, their expressions immediately turning to intense joy. They had merely thought to earn some contribution points, never expecting to run into Shui Lianyue here. Countless disciples in the Yinxian Gate dreamed of meeting her in vain, yet today fortune had smiled upon them.
"First Senior Sister!"
"Mm."
Shui Lianyue gave a soft acknowledgment before leading Ye Xiangli toward Huanxian Peak, leaving behind an ecstatic disciple.
Resuming their sword flight, Ye Xiangli felt much less of the panic and stiffness she had experienced the first time. She looked around curiously at her surroundings. Was this the Yinxian Gate?
Countless peaks rose amidst the clouds and mist, with buildings constructed upon every mountain and at their very bases as well.
Up on Huanxian Peak, Luochen, who was organizing medicinal herbs, put away the spirit pot in his hand, took out a mirror to tidy his attire, and then placed both hands behind his back with a calm expression.
At that moment, Shui Lianyue landed with Ye Xiangli. As she stepped down from the flying sword, Ye Xiangli caught sight of the old man not far away. From her hazy memories, the old man before her did indeed resemble the one from three years ago, except… he looked much cleaner.
"Master."
Shui Lianyue stepped forward and bowed. Luochen looked at Shui Lianyue with a satisfied nod, then shifted his gaze to Ye Xiangli.
"Hehe, why don't you come forward and pay respects to your master?" Luochen said with a gentle smile.
Hearing this, Ye Xiangli stepped forward, imitated Shui Lianyue's bow toward Luochen, and obediently called out, "Master." Since this was not yet the official master-taking ceremony, overly elaborate etiquette was unnecessary.
Hearing Ye Xiangli call him master, Luochen smiled broadly, his gaze kind and filled with a tenderness in his turbid eyes that Ye Xiangli rarely experienced.
"Good, good, good. Go with your senior sister to your quarters first. I am going to have a word with the Sect Master. Look how thin the child is—she must have suffered a great deal. From now on, Huanxian Peak is your home."
Luochen gently stroked Ye Xiangli's hair, and once he finished speaking, he gave Shui Lianyue a meaningful look. Shui Lianyue nodded slightly to show she understood.
"Mm… Thank you, Master."
For Ye Xiangli, the warmth came far too quickly, leaving her somewhat at a loss and making her eyes sting with unseeing tears.
After Luochen left, Ye Xiangli blinked her tear-filled, wide eyes at Shui Lianyue, her fingers tangling beneath her robes as she suppressed the impulse to let down her guard, following her toward her living quarters.
"The Yinxian Gate has five main peaks in total. Where we are now is Huanxian Peak, one of the five major peaks. Its peak master is naturally the old master himself, who is also one of the ancestors of the Yinxian Gate—a Tribulation Passing cultivator. Apart from Huanxian Peak, there are four other major peaks: Xiandao Peak, Jueqi Peak, Danzhu Peak, and Juexian Peak. Xiandao Peak is where the Sect Master resides."
As they walked, Shui Lianyue explained everything about the Yinxian Gate to Ye Xiangli. Huanxian Peak was not very large, but all kinds of spiritual plants and herbs grew everywhere, filling the air with a faint fragrance of spiritual vegetation.
Soon, parting the clouds and mist, two wooden cabins came into view. A Tianji Wood grew between the cabins, and behind them lay a spirit pool, from which rich spiritual Qi surged out.
"This is the living quarter for you and me, Junior Sister. The wooden cabin on the left is yours. There are only the three of us—Master and us two—on Huanxian Peak. No one usually disturbs us, making it ideal for quiet cultivation. If you have any needs, you can descend the peak to the martial arena, where you can spar with the other disciples. The pavilion in the valley south of the martial arena is the Qingling Pavilion, which houses the cultivation methods and spells recorded within the sect, though contribution points are required. The disciples we met when we arrived were performing the task of guarding the teleportation array; you need to go to the Task Pavilion to accept tasks, and all kinds of tasks are available there. My advice is not to accept tasks involving going out to hunt demonic beasts until you reach Qi Condensation Layer 6."
As they walked, Ye Xiangli kept every word of Shui Lianyue's in her heart, though a subtle worry lingered between her brows. What should she do if she couldn't cultivate?
"I've memorized it, Senior Sister."
Her voice was soft and melodious, yet laden with sorrow. Ye Xiangli understood very well that here, only personal strength was real. Years of hardship made her desperately need to know whether she could cultivate. Ye Xiangli did not want to endure the cold stares and humiliation of others ever again; years of painful experiences had made her introverted and closed off, making it difficult to fully trust anyone.
Yet… Ye Xiangli's eyes fell softly upon Shui Lianyue like a falling leaf.
Toward her senior sister, she seemed to have developed an extraordinary trust.
Shui Lianyue lowered her gaze to look at Ye Xiangli, who was much shorter than herself. After being tended to, her dark, bright hair hung smoothly down her back, and she wore a light blue sheer dress, her emaciated figure looking truly pitiful.
……………………
On Xiandao Peak, within the Immortal Hall.
"Senior Brother, how is it that you didn't give me any advance notice about something as important as taking on a disciple?" Qingyang, the Sect Master of the Yinxian Gate, looked at Luochen with a helpless expression.
"Hah, when did I ever need to tell you brat when I take a disciple? Don't think that just because you became the Sect Master of the Yinxian Gate I'm afraid of you. I'll take one if I want, and I just won't tell you."
The man on the main seat of the Immortal Hall could not help rubbing his forehead. Whenever no outsiders were present, this senior brother of his was always exceptionally eccentric.
"All right, all right, I get it. As you wish, Senior Brother. What are the new disciple's aptitude and disposition like?"
"I took her in because we had an affinity. Her physique is a bit troublesome, but it's not without a solution. At the Seeking Immortals Assembly a month from now, I plan to let her participate, which can serve to temper her state of mind."
At the Seeking Immortals Assembly, apart from examining a disciple's aptitude, their disposition and perseverance were also tested. First, he would spend a month nursing his little disciple back to health. She looked so frail and slender, clearly having not been properly cared for in her previous place. Although her age already exceeded the ideal time to begin cultivation, it was not a major issue. In immortal cultivation, a person's Spirit Root was fully developed by the age of six, at which point the Spirit Root could be tested and the path of cultivation chosen.