Chapter Thirteen: Thus Begins the Path to Immortality

Shen Lian and Lu Shouyi waited outside, unaware of what transpired within the great hall. After a while, they heard the voice of the sect master, summoning Shen Lian alone. He did not call for his newly-accepted disciple, Lu Shouyi, to enter together.

Shen Lian stepped inside; the Daoist of Three Questions was no longer there. The sect master looked at Shen Lian and pointed slightly. Despite Shen Lian’s keen senses, he found himself unable to respond to this simple gesture, as if the finger pierced through time itself, leaving him no room to evade. The sect master remained seated upon the stone platform, yet his forefinger unmistakably touched Shen Lian’s brow from over ten feet away.

A cool, icy breath seeped into Shen Lian’s brow. In his mind, words and images unfolded—the complete version of the Profound Ultimate Technique he had learned from the chessboard, now accompanied by additional annotations and insights.

Tradition has it that the transmission of the Dao avoids written words, and Shen Lian was encountering this phenomenon for the first time. Whether joy or astonishment, he could not say. He had long cultivated the "True Explanation of the Natural Locking of Heart and Spirit of the Supreme Purity Spiritual Treasure," a method of refining the spirit, tempering the mind and nature. In moments of great import, he only found himself more composed.

Shen Lian closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them, bowing slightly; the virtue of passing on the law could not go unacknowledged.

The sect master’s expression finally revealed a trace of praise. "To bear unjustly without anger, to face sudden events without fear—Shen Lian, you indeed deserve the title ‘profound in Dao nature.’"

"If you summoned me alone, I suspect it is not merely to praise me." Shen Lian replied calmly. Cultivators act differently from ordinary folk, yet as long as one has intent and emotion, all actions leave traces.

He had walked the Path of Inner Inquiry at a remarkable pace; even the elder in the vermilion robe had wished to take him as a disciple on the spot, bestowing techniques ahead of time. Even among the immortals, his talent was exceptional, and the sect master, both a Daoist and the head of the immortal sect, would never deliberately mistreat him. Shen Lian was confident in his judgment.

Whether human, demon, or other beings, so long as there are feelings, there will be desires; cultivators are no exception. Shen Lian did not fret over gains and losses; much as when he faced the fox spirit Xin Qu Bing, he simply accepted what came.

With such composure, he interacted serenely, with no reservations.

"For those who seek the Dao, the praise or slander of others is but smoke; it may exist or not. Every fifty years, the sect opens its gates, and the Path of Inner Inquiry selects ten candidates—not only for affinity, but to bring fresh blood. Rarely does one, like yourself, manage to separate spirit from body before the apertures are activated. Even outside Qingxuan, any immortal sect would accept you," the sect master said blandly, though his words were full of praise for Shen Lian.

"I have entered Qingxuan; I do not wish to go elsewhere," Shen Lian replied.

"For one such as you, either your previous life’s cultivation was profound, reaching above the elixir stage, or you possess a marvelous method of refining the spirit. Yet our founder, Yuanqing, once said: ‘Since you have entered our sect, do not ask of past lives.’ Thus, I will not inquire into your secrets. Sending you to the Nether River to collect Yin Jade is not meant to trouble you; in time, you will understand my purpose." The sect master remained inscrutable.

******

The Nether River predates even the Qingxuan Immortal Sect. Its waters are not from any river, lake, or sea, but from the Yellow Springs—form without substance.

Thus, neither fallen feathers nor driftwood float upon its surface.

All this Shen Lian had learned from Qingxuan’s Taiwei Pavilion.

Before setting out, Shen Lian had completed three tasks.

First, in the ancestral hall of Qingxuan, he paid respects to the remains of Yuanqing, the founding ancestor, and lit the Lamp of Fate. Should Shen Lian perish in his cultivation, the lamp would extinguish along with him; it is a vital means for Qingxuan Sect to discern whether disciples traveling abroad are alive or dead.

Second, he went to the ‘Hall of Discipline’ on Tianyuan Peak to memorize the sect’s rules. The elder enforcing the law there was the grey-robed man he had met before, named Ge Yuan, one of Qingxuan’s elixir stage cultivators.

He also learned that the elder in vermilion who had wished to take him as a disciple was called Hong Qianya, likewise an elixir stage cultivator and a senior of the ‘Hall of Merit’ on Tianyuan Peak. The Hall of Merit oversees most cultivation resources in Qingxuan; from the sect master to ordinary disciples, all must exchange merit for supplies. Merit is granted monthly according to cultivation level, and also earned by completing tasks assigned by the sect.

Qingxuan comprises five peaks: the main peak, Taiyi, is home to the sect master; the other four each have distinct functions.

Cool Breeze Peak houses the lower courtyard disciples, while Jade Sun Peak is for senior disciples.

Among the four peaks, the concentration of vital energy increases from Cool Breeze, Jade Sun, Tianyuan, to Purple Mansion.

Only those at or above the elixir stage may establish caves on Tianyuan and Purple Mansion peaks.

The lower courtyard disciples are few, and the vital energy on Cool Breeze Peak is scant; yet they enjoy the privilege of seeking direct tutelage under elixir stage cultivators on Tianyuan and Purple Mansion.

Senior disciples lack this privilege, though most have close kin among the elders of Tianyuan and Purple Mansion, so guidance is not scarce.

Every two months, elders give lectures to resolve disciples’ doubts.

Qingxuan’s rules are many, but the most crucial is that disciples must not harm one another; violators are punished by the Hall of Discipline.

Yet Shen Lian was uncertain about the young man he met before, who, by rights, should reside among the lower courtyard, but was said to have been personally taken to a cave and taught Daoist arts by Ge Yuan.

Besides being the chief law enforcer, Ge Yuan is the head of Tianyuan Peak for one reason: he reached the seventh transformation of the elixir stage by his own power.

His Daoist arts and spiritual strength are unmatched on Tianyuan Peak, with hopes of achieving immortality.

There are many elixir stage cultivators in the sect, but those who reach the stage through their own efforts, like Ge Yuan, are rare. In the entire cultivation world, reaching the seventh transformation is a mark of greatness.

Even Hong Qianya, his peer on Tianyuan Peak, relied on an ‘Immortal Pill’ as a spiritual aid to achieve the sixth transformation, falling short of Ge Yuan.

Both entered the elixir stage after a hundred years, hence their aged appearance.

For cultivators, age matters little; after reaching the elixir stage, one may restore youth, but these two chose not to.

Purple Mansion Peak’s vital energy is second only to the main peak, Taiyi. It hosts many elixir stage cultivators; Taiwei Pavilion is the repository of Qingxuan’s texts, and houses the statues of immortals, imbued with their lingering Daoist intent. Yet only those above the elixir stage may enter the second floor.

ps: Thanks to Zuo Shenjing, Rainfall Trace, Kitten, Battle Cat Five, Carefree Traveler, Summer Insect rsssss for their rewards.