The Steward Elder waved his hand, and a beam of spiritual light enveloped Lin Changkong. The two of them soared into the sky, flying towards the depths of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Lin Changkong felt a lightness underfoot, and in an instant, he was dozens of meters above the ground.
The fierce wind rushed towards him, yet it was completely blocked by the spiritual light in front of him.
He looked down, watching as the crowd below grew smaller and the mountain gate plaza gradually turned into a palm-sized flatland.
This feeling...
A surge of indescribable excitement welled up in his heart—flight.
This was a scene he had only encountered in mythological stories and xianxia novels back on Blue Star.
And now, he was experiencing it firsthand.
Lin Changkong took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and looked ahead.
Then, he was stunned.
The scene before him made him forget to breathe for a moment.
Mountains stretched endlessly, peaks upon peaks, yet these mountains were completely different from the desolate wilderness he had seen on his way here.
Each peak was shrouded in dense spiritual qi, so rich it almost became tangible, forming a light mist between the mountains, drifting like a gauzy veil.
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Sunlight pierced through the mist, refracting into a rainbow halo, rendering the entire mountain range like a fairyland.
Waterfalls cascaded down the mountains, but these were not ordinary streams.
They were glowing spiritual springs, and the droplets splashed into the pools below transformed into points of spiritual light, lingering in the air.
Exotic creatures were everywhere.
In the forest, pure white cranes flew by, their long beaks like cinnabar, with a touch of red on their heads.
In the mountain streams, golden-scaled carp leaped out of the water, tracing an arc in the air before plunging back in, the splashes forming golden lotus flowers.
In the distance, massive spiritual apes leaped between cliffs, each landing causing runes to flicker beneath their feet, resonating with the mountains.
What shocked Lin Changkong even more were the mountain peaks and islands floating in the air.
Some were just massive stones, dozens of meters across, with a small pavilion built atop, where disciples in white sat cross-legged, meditating with closed eyes.
Others were entire mountain peaks cut in half, suspended upside down in the sky, with the peak facing downwards and the base upwards.
Palaces and pavilions stood atop, layers upon layers, with clouds pouring down from the "mountaintop," like an inverted Milky Way.
Between these floating islands, rainbow-like bridges connected them, and disciples flew on swords, their sword lights crisscrossing like shooting stars chasing the moon.
Lin Changkong felt his understanding being refreshed again and again.
Is this the world of cultivation?
Is this... the immortal sect?
He subconsciously murmured, "Is this... the world of cultivation?"
A light chuckle came from beside him.
The elder, standing with his hands behind his back, turned to look at Lin Changkong's shocked expression, a trace of nostalgia in his eyes.
"The scenery is beautiful, isn't it?" he said with a smile.
"Yes!" Lin Changkong nodded vigorously.
He didn't know how to describe the scene before him.
The words he had read in novels, like blessed land, cave heaven, and earthly paradise, all seemed pale and powerless at this moment.
The elder smiled slightly, his gaze distant, with a hint of pride in his voice:
"Outsiders may not know, but the Azure Cloud Sect has a history spanning hundreds of thousands of years. It was founded by the Azure Cloud Patriarch. Over the years, countless unparalleled geniuses have emerged, dominating an era."
"What? Hundreds of thousands of years?"
Lin Changkong turned sharply, looking at the elder, his eyes full of shock.
Hundreds of thousands of years... what an unimaginably long time!
"Indeed."
The elder nodded, his smile fading slightly, replaced by a complex expression:
"Back then, our Azure Cloud Sect had an extremely glorious history, once a top power resounding across the continent. The name of the Azure Cloud Patriarch struck fear into countless strong hearts."
He paused, sighing lightly.
"But later, it gradually declined. Now, we can only remain in this small corner, guarding the Patriarch's legacy, barely surviving."
Lin Changkong listened quietly, saying nothing.
He could hear the loneliness in the elder's voice, and a hint of hidden longing.
Once glorious, now desolate.
This is a fate many sects cannot escape.
After flying for a while, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A gigantic humanoid statue appeared in Lin Changkong's sight.
The statue sat on a vast plaza atop a mountain, towering over three hundred meters, majestic as a mountain.
It depicted a middle-aged man in an ancient robe, standing with hands behind his back, gazing at the sky.
The statue's face was indistinct, but its eyes seemed to transcend hundreds of thousands of years, still exuding an awe-inspiring majesty.
Seeing this, the elder immediately descended with Lin Changkong, landing on the plaza.
He straightened his robe, solemnly saluted the statue, then turned to Lin Changkong:
"This is the Azure Cloud Patriarch, the founder of our Azure Cloud Sect.
Legend has it that the Patriarch was a top powerhouse across the continent, renowned and feared, capable of plucking stars and seizing the moon with a wave of his hand, and shattering mountains and rivers with a stomp.
Our Azure Cloud Sect owes its existence today to the foundation laid by the Patriarch."
Hearing this, Lin Changkong stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed slightly to the statue.
Not for anything else, but for the achievement of founding the sect and the legacy of hundreds of thousands of years.
After paying respects, the elder continued flying forward with Lin Changkong.
"The Scripture Repository is located on Purple Cloud Peak in the inner sect area."
The elder said while flying:
"It is a crucial place in the sect, housing the accumulated cultivation techniques, cultivation insights, and secret tales of the Azure Cloud Sect.
Ordinary menial disciples would never be assigned to such a place."
He paused, glanced at Lin Changkong, and continued:
"The Sect Master arranged for you in the Scripture Repository, partly because of the disciple Luo Qinghan who came with you.
After all, she is the Sect Master's closed-door disciple, and the Sect Master is willing to give this bit of face.
Secondly..."
The elder's tone became somewhat subtle.
"It's also because you have a mortal-grade spirit root.
With such talent, even if you're placed in the Scripture Repository, there's no worry about anything.
Like stealing scriptures or privately recording techniques."
Lin Changkong understood upon hearing this.
Mortal-grade spirit root.
That's the reason.
Talent so low it's in the dust, even if the entire Scripture Repository's techniques were laid before him, he wouldn't understand, couldn't learn, and couldn't cultivate them.
It's like giving an ordinary person a complete design for a nuclear bomb.
Even if he looked at it ten thousand times, he couldn't build a nuclear bomb.
Because he lacks the knowledge reserve, the cognitive height.
Talent is that insurmountable chasm.
People often say success is ninety-nine percent effort and one percent talent.
But that one percent talent is often a chasm effort cannot cross.
Lin Changkong felt no resentment, instead, he was more clear-headed.
It doesn't matter.
He has a cheat.
As long as he has time, talent is no longer a problem.
The elder continued, "When you reach Purple Cloud Peak, just follow the arrangements of Elder Jin, the guardian of the repository.
That elder has a somewhat eccentric temperament, so remember, don't act rashly, do your duties, don't ask what shouldn't be asked, don't look at what shouldn't be looked at."
"Yes, disciple understands," Lin Changkong replied respectfully.
The elder nodded in satisfaction, waved his hand, and a jade token flew from his sleeve into Lin Changkong's hand.
It was a palm-sized jade token, entirely white, warm to the touch, engraved with intricate runes, faintly glowing with spiritual light.
"From now on, you can call me Elder Liu."
The elder smiled, "This jade token, inject Spiritual Qi to contact me.
If you encounter any difficulties, you can contact me.
As long as I can help, I will try my best to assist you."
Lin Changkong looked down at the jade token in his hand, slightly stunned, then looked up at Elder Liu, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
He had no prior acquaintance with Elder Liu, yet the elder offered him a way to contact him and even promised to help?
This favor came rather unexpectedly.
But he quickly reacted, immediately cupping his fists in salute, his tone sincere:
"Thank you, Elder Liu!"
Elder Liu smiled slightly, waving his hand:
"No need to be polite. It's a small matter, not worth mentioning. Just consider it... forming a good relationship."
He turned and continued flying forward.
A light, casual remark, but Elder Liu had his own calculations.
He had lived over a hundred years, and to reach his current position in the Azure Cloud Sect, he relied on this keen insight.
Lin Changkong? A mortal-grade spirit root, indeed not worth mentioning.
But the problem is, this kid has Luo Qinghan behind him.
That girl, personally taken as a closed-door disciple by the Sect Master, with a top-grade ice spirit root, a genius not seen in five hundred years.
He had clearly seen the scene at the mountain gate earlier.
That girl was willing to give up her immortal fate for Lin Changkong.
That kind of bond was more than just ordinary "village friendship."
Top-grade spirit root means what, ordinary disciples might not know, but he was all too clear.
As long as she doesn't fall, there's a ninety percent chance she'll reach the Elemental Infant stage.
Elemental Infant.
In his hundred-plus years at the Azure Cloud Sect, he hadn't even seen the face of an Elemental Infant ancestor.
The strongest in the sect now is only at the late Golden Elixir stage.
That's a level he's looked up to all his life but never reached.
And that girl, as long as nothing unexpected happens, is destined to reach that level in the future.
Possibly even higher.
Such a person, even just forming a slight connection with those around her, might have unexpected benefits in the future.
Moreover, Lin Changkong is not just an ordinary "person around her."
That girl was willing to give up her immortal fate for him.
That weight, even a fool could see.
Giving a jade token now, saying a few kind words, what does it cost him?
If it works out, there might be unexpected joy in the future.
If not, he loses nothing.
A mortal-grade spirit root, what waves could it possibly make?
This deal, only profit, no loss.
Elder Liu, having made up his mind, thought no more, and continued flying forward with Lin Changkong.