Chapter 28

In the Hall of the Masters, Chen Jingzhai appeared to be in a trance.

This was different from the state of meditation when he first came out of the third-level testing. In this in-between state, he saw a bluestone bell. The bell seemed quite large, to the point that it obstructed the view of everything else beyond it and that nothing else could be seen except for the bell.

At the same time, it seemed very small—so small that Chen Jingzhai could not see his name on it. But he knew that the bell must have his name on it.

“You may get up,” the voice of Headmaster Fuyun said.

It was only then that Chen Jingzhai came to fully. He then took a deep bow and got up reverently.

From today forward, he would be a true disciple of the Luo Sheng Sword School.

In this life, his fortune would be tied with that of the Luo Sheng Sword School forever.

By the time he turned around, he had found that Elder Qin and the others had already left.

Only Headmaster Fuyun and a beautiful figure remained outside the temple. He followed Headmaster Fuyun out of the temple.

“Once upon a time, Master Mingyue had dispersed some of her energy in the test of the twenty-eight,” Headmaster Fuyun gently explained. “An agreement was made with the third-generation headmaster at the time, and this was recorded in the Headmaster Bill. The general gist of it is that anyone her energy touches must enter Hongluan Peak. However, since the beginning, when Master Mingyue first established Hongluan Peak, it has always only accepted female cultivators. This time, you set off the energy of Master Mingyue, and it was a conundrum for us.”

Without missing any details, he recounted the discussions between everyone and the outcome.

“I am sorry I have created such a difficult situation for the headmaster!” Chen Jingzhai said apologetically.

“It would do us good to have a few more problems like this,” Headmaster Fuyun said.

He took out a jet-black token. “All the inheritances of the clan are housed in the Archive Pavilion at Tianzhu Peak. You can use this token to gain entry and select which methods you would like to cultivate. However, remember not to exceed more than three. Don’t be greedy.”

Chen Jingzhai respectfully took the token from the headmaster.

When he looked up, he saw a gentle smile on the face of Headmaster Fuyun.

Then, the headmaster turned into a beam of light, flew directly into the sea of clouds, and disappeared.

He left so abruptly that it left Chen Jingzhai a little speechless.

Once he put away the token, he went to Su Qinghuang and addressed her, “Senior sister!”

Su Qinghuang turned her head to look at him. Her crystal-clear eyes had not one bit of emotion in them. The instant they locked eyes, she suddenly unleashed a leg kick that landed on Chen Jingzhai’s thigh.

Chen Jingzhai was caught off guard and was directly kicked off the mountainside.

He had no time to shout out, as he felt utterly suffocated, and his surroundings were changing rapidly. At some point, Su Qinghuang appeared next to him.

Her delicate hand grabbed him by the shoulder before she planted herself firmly in the air.

“This…” Chen Jingzhai’s jaw dropped as he looked all around him.

Beneath him was a great cloud road, with the sun, the moon, and the stars all beneath the road itself. Above them were the mountain ranges that were hanging upside down. He could even see the temple halfway up on the upside-down mountain peak.

“The Reversed Formation of Daoxuan Peak was left by Master Mingyue back then,” Su Qinghuang said indifferently. “Apart from the headmaster, only the master of Daoxuan Peak knows about it.”

She let go of Chen Jingzhai and walked onto the cloud road as she was speaking.

Chen Jingzhai relaxed as well as he stepped onto the cloud road, which felt no different than regular ground. He had already forgotten about the kick that Su Qinghuang had dealt him moments ago.

“Hongluan Peak has not accepted any disciples for a long time, and you are the first male disciple in a millennium,” said Su Qinghuang. “There are some things you ought to know.”

“Senior sister, please give me some pointers,” Chen Jingzhai gathered his thoughts and replied sincerely.

“The Luo Sheng Sword School possessed the Luotian Celestial Scripture and the Tianluo Sword Scripture.” Su Qinghuang’s voice was unemotional. “Both methods point directly to the Celestial Plane. Except for the three major sword branches, the main branches and the hidden branches have always cultivated the Luotian Celestial Scripture. It’s just that it’s an incomplete method, and everything in it has been taken apart. The same is true of Hongluan Peak’s fundamental methods.”

Therefore, the cultivation of these scriptures was highly challenging. Unless one’s talent was extraordinary, it was difficult for cultivators with ordinary spirit roots to get started.

After Archmage Tianluo passed down the Luotian Celestial Scripture, each of the masters in the second generation had their own comprehension. They used this opportunity to split the scriptures and choose the part that most suited each of them.

Thus, the major branches of the Luo Sheng Sword School emerged. The same was true of Master Mingyue. With the help of the Luotian Celestial Scripture, she derived the Hongluan Scripture.

“Hongluan Scripture?” Chen Jingzhai muttered softly.

He knew the theory of method dismantling from the autobiography of Hermit Guangmiao and other books. It was a process that carefully dissected a profound way into separate stages.

The separated techniques were much less challenging to cultivate, but there were different routes to achieving the same goal, like a wide river divided into countless tributaries.

And the cultivators cultivated from the level of tributaries, as they continued to combine and include other branches, until finally, it became a river again. Only on this day did Chen Jingzhai realize that the celestial scriptures could also be disassembled.

“The clan of Hongluan uses the seven emotions and six desires, and it is closer to the demonic way than most,” Su Qinghuang said indifferently. “The requirements for temperament are extremely high, and very few can get the hang of it.”

“In the past, the disciples accepted by Hongluan Peak had to cultivate the Hongluan Scripture as a starter. There are very few successful in its cultivation, which is why Hongluan Peak has not been thriving. Since Master Mingyue, there have only been twenty-three disciples in Hongluan Peak for over 3,000 years. Including Master Mingyue, all of them have been female cultivators, and you are the twenty-fourth. And you are also the first male cultivator.”

When Chen Jingzhai heard this, his expression was slightly awkward.

No wonder Headmaster Fuyun had hinted at it being a puzzle to prepare him and with a gentle and kind attitude.

Hongluan Peak was truly unsuitable for him.

Su Qinghuang ignored his expression and continued, “Hongluan Peak has never had a male disciple, so I did not want to accept you originally. However, the rules of the headmaster demand it, and I did not want to violate them.”

“In addition, you have passed the test of the twenty-eight, and the first emotional response came from Master Mingyue, which is fate. Furthermore, Headmaster Fuyun has allowed you to cultivate methods from other branches, so that was why I consented.”

“However, even if you are considered a disciple of Hongluan Peak, you will not become a true direct descendant. If you want to accept an apprentice in the future, you cannot call yourself a disciple of Hongluan Peak unless you can cultivate the Hongluan Sky Scripture. This is also a rule of Hongluan Peak. Do you understand?”

“I understand!” Chen Jingzhai said solemnly.

“Very well,” Su Qinghuang nodded, “Any other questions?”

“I would like to know what happened to the other aspirant cultivators who came with me,” Chen Jingzhai asked.

“Each of them has been chosen to become casual disciples of the clan,” Su Qinghuang said nonchalantly. “While they have the aptitude, their temperament is not up to par, and they need to be polished slowly. They can’t compare to you.”

That sounded like a compliment! Chen Jingzhai smiled shyly.

“Do you know that the Luo Sheng Sword School has not had a direct disciple in 300 years?” Su Qinghuang said, “To be precise, you are the first direct disciple after senior brother Fuyun became the headmaster and the first direct disciple who passed the test of the twenty-eight, whose name is included on the testing bell.”

“How…how can it be?” Chen Jingzhai’s eyes widened. “What about Sage Lu?”

“Although Lu Wenbing has achieved the Golden Core, it took him a long time to get there,” Su Qinghuang said with some disdain. “If you want to start from the outer circle to the inner circle and be worthy of being included on the roster, you need to achieve the Golden Core within 120 years.”

“120 years?” Chen Jingzhai was stunned for a moment.

He had once heard Miao Yun say that if one could reach the Golden core stage within 200 years at the Soaring Clouds Clan, one could become a direct disciple.

Miao Yun had entered the Soaring Clouds Clan as an aspirant cultivator, and it had only been about 100 years. If it weren’t for what happened at the Blessed Land, she would likely have reached the core around 180 years. When a cultivator comes to perfection in Qi cultivation, their lifespan will be extended by 60 years. After the foundation is successfully established, life expectancy will increase by 60 years. Therefore, the life expectancy of a Foundational Cultivator was about 200 to 220 years.

Most in the cultivation world would reach the core within 200 years. To do it under 200 years would have to depend on opportunities and fortune.