On the peak of Tianmen Mountain, in the Pre-heaven Hall, Lu Yang stood upright, waiting respectfully for his master to arrive.
The Pre-heaven Hall was quiet and spotless, with wisps of incense smoke rising, calming the heart.
Lu Yang noticed that there were three tablets enshrined in the hall, belonging to Xiantian Taoist, Guiyuan Tianzun, and Hanhai Daojun, all of whom he knew. They had special significance to Seek Tao Sect:
120,000 years ago, Xiantian Taoist walked out of a Taoist temple and founded Seek Tao Sect. At that time, Xiantian Taoist was just an ordinary cultivator, and there were thousands of cultivators like him in the central mainland. Therefore, Seek Tao Sect was just a small sect when it was founded.
100,000 years ago, during a period of great chaos, Seek Tao Sect produced an extraordinary genius. In terms of cultivation talent, he was not even in the top fifty at that time, but he had brains, made friends easily, kept his word, and was blessed by destiny. He rose to prominence during the chaotic times, followed the trend of the times, stood at the forefront of the era, and had unparalleled cultivation. His title was Guiyuan Tianzun.
Under Guiyuan Tianzun's leadership, Seek Tao Sect flourished and became one of the top two sects during the 20,000-year celebration of Seek Tao Sect. Many close friends came to congratulate him, and he took this opportunity to establish the title of the Five Great Immortal Sects with the four other top cultivators of that time, gaining recognition from the world.
There is no eternal existence or eternal glory in the world. After another 50,000 years, Seek Tao Sect was weak, and the elders either had reached their limit or died tragically, leaving only a few who could support the situation. The disciples were also not outstanding, leading to an embarrassing situation of decline. There were even rumors that Seek Tao Sect would be kicked out of the Five Great Immortal Sects.
Perhaps Seek Tao Sect was truly blessed by destiny. One day, when the elders of Seek Tao Sect went out to slay demons, they rescued a rare cultivation genius from the ruins and brought him back to the sect. This child, who did not disappoint anyone, had a cultivation speed of a thousand miles a day and became the strongest Crossing Tribulation cultivator in a few short years.
This child was named Hanhai Daojun and was later called the founder of Seek Tao Sect's revival. He continued Seek Tao Sect's glorious history for 50,000 years until today.
"Sister, where is our master?" Lu Yang took his gaze back and waited in the hall for a long time, but no one else besides his senior sister came.
"Our master is currently in seclusion, reaching a critical stage in his cultivation and unable to leave. I will take you as my disciple and teach you before you start formal cultivation. Let me briefly introduce our sect to you. Our master has very few rules, as long as you do not do anything too outrageous or violate ethical principles, he will not interfere."
"But my bottom line is higher than his, and I will interfere if he doesn't. Our master has four disciples, including you and me. Above us, there is a senior brother and a senior sister, one in the Western Buddhist Kingdom and one in the Southern Demon Domain. They rarely return to the sect, so it is difficult to meet them."
"When you have achieved some success in cultivation and have the opportunity to travel, you may meet them. As for now…" Yun Zhi paused and took out three ink portraits, lined them up in a row, and it was Lu Yang's first time seeing his master, second senior brother, and third senior sister. The three people in the portraits were smiling happily.The master had white hair and clear eyes that didn't match those of an ordinary old man. He seemed like a transcendent being who enjoyed playing and indulging in the mortal world.
The second senior brother had a gentle smile, starry eyes, and a warm and gentle demeanor.
The third senior sister had countless charms and was a beauty that could cause disaster to the country and the people.
"The master specifically instructed that including you, there are five disciples in our sect. When you joined, only the two of us were present, which made it seem lonely. Therefore, the master specially prepared portraits of the other three to represent them."
Lu Yang looked at the eldest senior sister and then at the lifelike black and white portraits surrounding him, which seemed to be staring at him. He felt a chill down his spine for no apparent reason.
He and the eldest senior sister were the only ones left in the sect who were loyal to their sect.
Three incense sticks appeared in front of Lu Yang, handed to him by Yun Zhi. "These are spirit incense. You can convey your gratitude and respect to the master by burning them for three sticks."
The three incense sticks were lit and placed in a small incense burner in front of the master's portrait. "Master, please witness. I pay my respects to you."
It felt more real now.
After the ceremony, Lu Yang hesitated and asked, "Senior sister, although it may be disrespectful to ask, is the master still alive?"
Lu Yang was afraid that Yun Zhi would sneer and say something like "The master fell and the higher-ups are keeping it a secret," and not let him know.
"Of course, he is still alive."
"I have seen your test results at the Yan Chuan Peak. You remember the acupoints and meridian locations accurately, and you can recite and write the basic heart techniques, which is quite good. Your enthusiasm for learning is worth praising."
"Now, let's begin our formal training."
Lu Yang's face lit up with excitement as he listened more intently.
He could finally start cultivating.
At the beginning of their formal training, the eldest senior sister said, "I am teaching my first disciple, and you are my first disciple. Let's be patient with each other."
"But don't worry too much. I have prepared well for today."
Yun Zhi lined up various small medicine jars with the names of pills on them. Lu Yang had heard of some of them:
The Bone Pill made from human flesh and bones.
The Seven-Level Pagoda Pill, one of the Buddha's merit-accumulating and creation series, can save lives and is more valuable than building a seven-level pagoda. Anyone who takes the Seven-Level Pagoda Pill can contribute to Buddha's merit.
The Nine-Cycle Reincarnation Pill is said to allow one to exchange nine deaths for one rebirth in the cultivation world.
With these pills, it would be difficult for Lu Yang to die.
"First, we will cultivate the body before cultivating Qi. Although you have not had any experience with body refining training, we will start from scratch."
Yun Zhi casually tore through space and took out two large water tanks from her storage space. When the tanks hit the ground with a dull thud, Lu Yang had a bad feeling.
"Sword cultivators emphasize sword intent and arm strength, so we must focus on arm strength in body refining. I will demonstrate once, so watch carefully."
Yun Zhi stood on the edge of the water tank with both feet, and then she lightly lifted the other water tank with one hand and let go before it hit the ground. She then caught the edge of the other water tank with her other hand and repeated the process. Her movements were smooth and flowing, making it pleasing to the eye."If you don't consider the feeling of your arms, this method can indeed exercise your arm strength."
"You've reached this level."
Yun Zhi put down the water bucket and spoke casually.
Lu Yang swallowed nervously. Even without lifting it, it was clear that this water bucket was half a person tall. It would be more than enough to bury him in the ground after filling it with sand.
To play with such a large bucket, it was a rhythm of playing with one's life.
Lu Yang took a big step forward, held his breath, and lifted the bucket with one hand in one go.
But he couldn't lift it.
He used both hands and exerted all his strength, and the water bucket reluctantly shook a bit, indicating that Lu Yang had indeed tried very hard.