Chapter Fifty-Five: The Spirit Beast Garden Ascends

Tang Wan noticed Jiang Yan lost in thought and guessed that something might have happened, so she asked gently, “Senior Brother Sect Leader, is something the matter?”

Jiang Yan glanced at the anxious Nanmen Luo and Mu Yun, then smiled and said, “This time, it’s good news. There are disciples from Qingyang Town at the foot of the mountain seeking admission. Junior Brother Mu, Junior Brother Nan, take this spirit artifact, go down the mountain to take a look, and bring them back up.”

Mu Yun reached out to receive the wooden crane spirit artifact, which Jiang Yan had sent over wrapped in spiritual power. His plump face lit up with a flattering grin. “Senior Brother Sect Leader, the sect already has flying spirit beasts. Why not bestow this flying artifact on me?”

On hearing this, Nanmen Luo’s unattractive face tensed with nervousness. “Senior Brother Sect Leader, you can’t favor one over another. If you give out a flying artifact, I want one too.”

Jiang Yan laughed and scolded, “Hurry up and get going. Finish your business first, then come ask for other things.”

Mu Yun and Nanmen Luo each grabbed the wooden crane inlaid with spirit stones and fled, ducking their heads as they ran…

…

At the foot of Mount Hua, Sun Yang nervously said to Ning Qian beside him, “A-Qian, do you think the Sect Leader will blame me for coming up the mountain so early?”

Ning Qian, however, replied calmly, “If the Sect Leader says it’s too early, we’ll go back down and come again next time. If the Sect Leader agrees to admit us now, isn’t that exactly what we hoped for? Whether we go up or down the mountain, it’s just a bit of walking. If we can enter an immortal sect, I’d be willing to climb up and down dozens of times.”

“Young man, you are quite composed,” a cold, stern voice suddenly called down from above.

The two looked up to see a flying wooden crane with two riders—one plump, one rather ugly. The uglier of the two was speaking to them.

“A flying artifact!” Ning Qian and Sun Yang exclaimed in astonishment.

“We greet the immortals of Mount Hua. We have come to seek admission as disciples—please, Immortals, accept us,” Ning Qian said, pulling Sun Yang down beside him. The two knelt on the ground and called up loudly to Nanmen Luo and Mu Yun.

Nanmen Luo and Mu Yun exchanged glances, both seeing the same surprise in each other’s eyes. “So the Sect Leader already knew from atop the mountain that someone would be coming to seek admission…”

…

Qingyang Town

Zisu carried a woman whose face was veiled in white on her back, with Duo’er following behind, holding Zisu’s long sword. Ding Ning was asking Sun Tianpeng of Qingyang Town for directions to Mount Hua. Today was the day Sun Tianpeng’s son, Sun Yang, would ascend Mount Hua. After today, Sun Tianpeng would be the father of an immortal’s disciple, so he was exceptionally excited and couldn’t stop looking for people to boast to about his son’s new status. From morning to noon, the townsfolk’s ears had grown callused from his chatter, and now, whenever anyone saw him, they scattered faster than rabbits.

Bored, Sun Tianpeng encountered Ding Ning asking for directions. Before answering, he launched into a long-winded account of the virtue and prestige of the Sect Leader of Mount Hua, the talents of its young disciples, and the tremendous pressure of being a disciple’s father. Although he couldn’t quite explain where this pressure came from, his main point was clear: if you want to go to Mount Hua, asking him for directions is the right choice.

Unable to bear Sun Tianpeng’s rambling, Zisu left her junior sisters behind and carried her second junior sister out of town. Seeing her senior sister leave, Duo’er hurried to catch up, leaving Ding Ning alone with the old man.

“Senior Sister, are we really going to Mount Hua to find that Mr. Jiang?” Duo’er caught up and quietly helped steady the woman on Zisu’s back.

“Yes, I must see Mr. Jiang and hope he will shelter us. Mount Hua and Tianshan are enemies—there will surely be a battle between them in the future. Mr. Jiang’s cultivation should be sufficient. We have no home left; our only option is to seek refuge with Mount Hua.” Zisu’s mood was gloomy as she reached back to feel her second junior sister’s forehead.

“Lin Ke has a fever again. She’s seriously injured this time. I just hope she can hold on until Mount Hua, so we can beg Mr. Jiang for his Elixir of Transformation to save her,” Zisu muttered, her brows furrowing even more deeply with worry for her junior sister’s survival.

…

Mount Hua, in the square before the main hall

Ning Qian and Sun Yang landed slowly on the wooden crane spirit artifact. Mu Yun was the first to jump off, forming his fingers into a sword and muttering an incantation. The wooden crane instantly shrank, causing Ning Qian and Sun Yang, who had been too nervous to move, to fall hard on their backsides.

Mu Yun summoned the wooden crane to his hand with a burst of spiritual power. Seeing the two awkwardly sprawled, he chuckled inwardly and said, “Alright, follow me quickly. The Sect Leader is waiting for you in the main hall.”

Sun Yang grumbled inwardly about not being warned before the artifact shrank, but followed excitedly. The three of them made their way toward the main hall, Sun Yang whispering, “A-Qian, the architecture here is magnificent! If I could live here all my life, I’d die happy.”

Ning Qian scolded quietly, “Don’t talk nonsense. Once we become the Sect Leader’s disciples, we’ll seek immortality—no talk of dying.”

Ahead, Mu Yun laughed and turned back to them, his broad face beaming. “This young friend speaks truly. As long as you enter Mount Hua, I can’t promise immortality, but living a few hundred years is possible. Here we are—wait at the door.”

Mu Yun entered the hall. Before long, his voice rang out from inside, “You two, come in!”

The two entered. As soon as Sun Yang saw Jiang Yan on the platform, he bowed his head to the floor and shouted, “Disciple Sun Yang greets the Sect Leader!”

Ning Qian, unhurried, tidied his sleeves and knelt formally, saying in a clear voice, “Disciple obeys the Sect Leader’s orders and has supervised Sun Yang in fulfilling his atonement task. Ning Qian comes to report, hoping the Sect Leader will accept me as a disciple.”

Jiang Yan and Tang Wan exchanged glances, both appreciating Ning Qian’s composure. Seeing them both kneeling, Jiang Yan smiled and asked, “Sun Yang, did you complete the task I gave you? If you did not, then you and Ning Qian have deceived your Sect Leader.”

Sun Yang raised his head and tried to steady his voice. “Disciple has completed your instructions, and only now dared come up the mountain.”

Jiang Yan had never been overly concerned with their talents. He had agreed to accept Sun Yang and Ning Qian partly because Sun Yang had once saved him, and partly because they were from Qingyang Town—the foundation of Mount Hua and the main source of disciples for now. Thus, he intended to keep his promise. Now that they had arrived, he checked Sun Yang’s merit points and saw they had increased—his decision was made.

Just as Jiang Yan was about to speak, the voice of the Sect Leader System suddenly sounded in his ear.

“Ding! Spirit Beast Garden has completed its upgrade and is now a Grade Two Spirit Beast Garden.”

Jiang Yan’s eyebrows rose in surprise. The Spirit Beast Garden had upgraded! Last time, because he had tamed the Moon Mink, the garden’s energy had been exhausted and it had sunk underground. He hadn’t expected it to upgrade while still below ground.

Jiang Yan called the group to follow him to the entrance of the Spirit Beast Garden, where they stood quietly, waiting for it to rise.

A dull rumble sounded from beneath their feet.

Sun Yang leapt three feet in the air and exclaimed, “An earthquake!”

Mu Yun shot him a smiling glare and said, “Boy, don’t shout nonsense. With our Sect Leader here, there’s no need to fear earthquakes. Watch carefully—learn from Ning Qian.”

Sun Yang made a face at Ning Qian, sticking out his tongue mischievously.

Again, a deep rumble echoed from below.

“Wan Senior Sister, look!” Yun Ying suddenly pointed to the distant ground, shouting excitedly.

Everyone followed Yun Ying’s finger and saw a golden spirit stone slowly rising from the earth, ascending higher and higher…