In the sky, a white cloud slowly descended.
Two people stood on the cloud, a woman with fair skin and noble beauty, exuding a faint aura of majesty with every move, and a masked young man with clear eyes and a dignified demeanor. They looked down at the vast forest and the fields of spiritual herbs between the mountains.
From the outside, this branch of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace seemed relatively small, with the protective mountain formation covering an area of only a few hundred miles, encompassing the territory of over a hundred peaks.
However, this place housed the most important medicinal garden of the sect. Located in the core area of the hidden realm, within a large spatial formation, the meticulously cultivated garden spanned millions of acres, growing countless rare spiritual herbs, exotic fruits, and some sacred medicines that were extremely rare outside.
Xuebing Xuan smiled, her bright eyes fixed on Qing Muling as she appraised him.
“…Originally, as your core disciple identity, a separate mountain peak should have been arranged for you to cultivate in seclusion,” Xuebing Xuan gently caressed Qing Muling’s hand and said in a warm and gentle voice, “But your identity is too sensitive. Once it is known to outsiders, various troubles will inevitably follow, causing you endless annoyance. So, until your cultivation reaches a sufficient level, you should stay in my cave dwelling.”
“And you should act as low-key as possible, not leaving the house if unnecessary. If you need to move around in the sect in the future, it’s best to temporarily disguise yourself as a woman using spells to change your appearance, so as not to arouse suspicion from those with ill intentions.”
“…”
Qing Muling hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding. Although it was difficult for him to accept mentally, it was only right. Otherwise, if a male disciple suddenly appeared in a sect of female cultivators, even a pig would notice that something was wrong.
There might be undercover agents from other forces within the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace. Some high-level moles might have been lurking in the dark for hundreds or even thousands of years, only to be activated in the face of major events.
Of course, the secret intelligence network of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace would not be lacking. Any Dao Lineage force with a long heritage would have a similar level of proficiency in this area.
Qing Muling looked around, and one beautiful and unique mountain peak after another slowly passed by.
According to the ancient rules passed down by the sect, anyone who became a core disciple could have a separate mountain peak as their exclusive cultivation site. If they were only inner disciples, they would share a mountain peak with a dozen or so people.
As for outer disciples and servant disciples, their treatment was even lower. They didn’t have the qualifications to live on the spiritually abundant mountain peaks all year round and could only reside in the mansions and courtyards at the foot of the mountain, enduring the miserable conditions of crowded dormitories.
In addition, the sect’s scripture hall, council hall, workshop, pill refining hall, and beast taming garden… were all located on different mountain peaks, along with the residences of some influential elders and managers. Almost all of the hundreds of mountain peaks had owners.
As the senior sister of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace and the personal disciple of the Supreme Sect Master, Xuebing Xuan naturally occupied the best territory. The most towering and beautiful peak in the core area between the continuous mountains belonged to her. It was round and tall, with breathtaking scenery and a higher concentration of spiritual energy than other cultivation sites.
In addition to Xuebing Xuan, there were eight other core disciples living in this branch of the sect, along with over a hundred inner disciples, a group of elders, and various levels of managers who belonged to the Supreme Sect Master’s faction. As for the outer disciples, there were over three thousand, and the number of servant disciples was even larger. Together with the millions of servants and maidservants, it was equivalent to a large city in the mortal world.
“…Over there is Yingyue Peak, the cultivation site of your third senior sister, Qi Yalan. Her swordsmanship is undoubtedly the best among the new generation disciples of the sect, even I am inferior to her.”
Xuebing Xuan pointed to a distant peak covered in spiritual energy and clouds, introducing it to Qing Muling. She also explained the locations of the other senior sisters’ cave dwellings one by one, but now they were either in seclusion or traveling outside and had not returned. Therefore, if he wanted to visit them, he could only wait until later.
“…Master has mentioned that you have already mastered the introductory cultivation techniques of the sect,” Xuebing Xuan turned her head slightly and said in a warm and gentle voice, “And you are cultivating the purest Foundation Establishment method of our sect. Currently, you have reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage and are about to break through and step into the Profound Enlightenment stage. This is obviously not something that can be achieved overnight. Did Master personally teach and guide you?”
Qing Muling hesitated for a moment before answering, “Yes, before coming up the mountain, Master had already taught me for three years. She wanted to accept me as her disciple when she first met me, but I disagreed, so it was delayed until today.”
Once entering a sect as vast and ancient as this, with numerous factions and powers, who knows how deep the water inside is?
If Qing Muling attracted the attention of the higher-ups in the sect too early, who knows what would happen? Mu Yinghua couldn’t keep an eye on him all the time, so he was unwilling to go up the mountain too early. He had to at least possess the ability to protect himself.
Xuebing Xuan’s eyes flickered slightly, her tone carrying a hint of displeasure. “Do you still think that Senior Sister can’t protect you? The sect is rich in spiritual resources, and there is no shortage of good things. Isn’t it better than living at the foot of the mountain?””By the way, Junior Brother, what’s your background? Can you tell me about it?”
With Xuebing Xuan’s cultivation level, she could only perceive the incredibly dense and majestic fortune surrounding Qing Muling. His body was enveloped in a golden light of merit, and the nearly substantial azure-purple aura resonated faintly with the Dao Rhyme in the surrounding void. Even she was far from matching him. But what was his current cultivation level?
In the cultivation world, those with high fortune did not necessarily have high cultivation, but those with high cultivation definitely had strong fortune. As Xuebing Xuan, who was qualified to compete for the position of the next Supreme Sect Master, there were only a handful of experts in the entire Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace whose fortune was obviously stronger than hers.
Qing Muling’s fortune was already far superior to hers. If his cultivation level were to increase a few more levels in the future, wouldn’t he surpass even the Sect Master and those few Supreme Elders who had been in seclusion for many years? No wonder the Sect Master was willing to break the iron rule of the Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace that they never accepted male disciples, and insisted on taking him in.
Qing Muling shook his head, “I dare to tell, but do you dare to listen? The Sect Master has strictly ordered that anyone who wants to investigate my background, regardless of their status, will not escape severe punishment!”
Secrets were more likely to be leaked the more people knew about them. It was only a matter of time. That’s why Mu Yinghua was determined to keep it a secret at all costs, not even revealing a word to her own first disciple.
“…”
Xuebing Xuan’s eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she pondered, “The Sect Master did say that. Well, I won’t ask any more questions for now.”
Perhaps, she would have to wait until she took over as the Sect Master, or until Qing Muling grew to a level comparable to hers, to possibly learn his secret.
After thinking for a moment, Xuebing Xuan continued, “With your terrifying fortune and heaven-defying talent, you should be able to easily complete the Qi Refining Realm in just three years. After breaking through to the Understanding Mystery Realm, the following Condensing Elixir Realm, Nascent Soul Realm… even the True Person Realm, perhaps there won’t be any bottlenecks, right?”
“As long as there are enough resources, it should be a matter of course.” Qing Muling did not hide this.
Xuebing Xuan nodded in satisfaction, “Then you can break through in my cave dwelling. I will protect you. And to avoid being detected by outsiders, I will consider arranging your cultivation lessons at night. Rest during the day, teach until dawn at night. What do you think?”
Qing Muling: “…”