Liang Yan stood up and bowed to the old monk. “Many thanks, Master, for protecting the dharma.”
The old monk nodded slightly, then said sternly, “From now on, you and I can no longer address each other as master and disciple. I have introduced you to Yi Xing Pavilion. Yi Xing Pavilion is a great sect of the Confucian tradition, but its library also has Buddhist cultivation methods, enough for you to cultivate to Foundation Establishment. As for how to walk the path after that, it will depend on yourself.”
Liang Yan nodded silently. The old monk then said, “Follow me. I will take you to meet the person from Yi Xing Pavilion who will receive you.”
The old man and the youth left Floating Cloud Inn and headed up the mountain. The mountain path was rugged, but the two walked swiftly, and before long they reached the summit.
Liang Yan looked up and saw a vermilion mansion standing in the middle of the mountaintop. In front of the gate stood two people, a man and a woman. The woman wore blue clothes and had a poised, graceful bearing; the man was in a green Confucian robe, holding a folding fan—exactly the scholar Lin Fei who had presided over the auction that night.
The two seemed to have been waiting for quite a while. Seeing the old monk approach, they stepped forward and cupped their fists, saying, “Greetings, Senior!” They then looked Liang Yan up and down. “Could this be the one you entrusted to us, Senior?”
“That’s right. This little lad has a karmic connection with this poor monk, and he also has spirit roots. However, this poor monk has matters to attend to and cannot guide him in cultivation.”
“Senior, rest assured. If not for Senior healing my injury last time, I would likely have been left with hidden troubles. I, Lin, guarantee that I will definitely introduce this child into the sect.”
The old monk nodded and walked toward a corner. Liang Yan knew he had things to instruct, and followed closely behind.
The two came to a willow tree at the edge of the summit. The old monk spoke, “Your spirit roots are mixed, your aptitude too poor. After I leave, you must cultivate even more assiduously. Where others spend one day, you must put in ten days of effort. Otherwise, the path of cultivation cannot be hoped for.”
Liang Yan nodded in silence.
The old monk continued, “Of the Eight Secret Arts I passed on to you, you can now only cultivate the first four aspects. The latter four aspects must wait until you reach a cultivation level above the Gathering Yuan stage. These eight aspects are both the myriad appearances of all living beings and the precious aspects of the Buddha. You must diligently cultivate them. In the future, if you can reach the state where ‘the appearance arises from the mind,’ even without using the postures of the aspects, you will be able to bring out their wondrous functions. Only then can it be considered entry.”
Liang Yan saw that he was giving detailed instructions on everything, and knew that their parting was imminent. His eyes grew slightly moist.
The old monk, noticing his reluctance to part, deliberately gave a carefree smile and said, “Kid, no need to grieve. As they say, there is no feast under heaven that does not disperse. This old monk has led you through the gate, planting a bodhi seed today, hoping one day to bloom a nine-grade lotus!”
With a hearty laugh, the prayer beads in his hand flew up, lifting the old monk and transforming into a golden streak of light that disappeared into the horizon.
Liang Yan stared blankly as the golden light receded into the distance. A cough came from behind him. Turning around, he saw Lin Fei walk over and say to him, “You’re called Liang Yan, right? Rest here for tonight. Tomorrow morning I’ll take you to the sect.”
“I’ll follow Senior’s arrangements.”
“Mm. Our Yi Xing Pavilion is a great Confucian sect. Once you enter our sect, you must cultivate diligently and not slack off. Furthermore, our sect’s rules and decrees are strict; I hope you will strictly abide by them.”
Liang Yan said respectfully, “This junior will keep them firmly in mind.”
Seeing that he was fairly sensible, Lin Fei nodded with satisfaction and said, “Go inside and find a room. Tomorrow morning, we’ll depart.”
Liang Yan chose a room in a corner inside. That night he sat cross-legged to meditate, recalling the unusual change of the Heavenly Mystery Pearl the previous night.
‘Looks like the strange thought that prompted me to buy the wooden fish at the auction yesterday indeed came from this Heavenly Mystery Pearl.’
‘At that time, after the Heavenly Mystery Pearl absorbed a wisp of demonic qi from that demon, four black spheres appeared around it. On one of them, I faintly saw a “demon” character light up, but then it dimmed shortly after.’
‘It must be that the Heavenly Mystery Pearl wasn’t satisfied enough with that demon, so it only absorbed a wisp of demonic qi, yet it fed back such pure spiritual power to me, helping me break through to the second layer of Qi Refining. If I could hunt a more suitable demon… wouldn’t that…’
Thinking up to this point, Liang Yan shook his head again. He was only at the second layer of Qi Refining, yet wanted to subdue a demon. Not being swallowed as a blood meal would already be a stroke of great fortune. It was utterly wishful thinking.
Liang Yan calmed his mind, then took out Chen Chong, Xu Kun, and the others’ storage bags, and began tallying his spoils. Among these people, Xu Kun was a body cultivator, carrying hardly any spirit stones, though he had some medicinal herbs for tempering the flesh—but they were all cheap goods. In contrast, Chen Chong and Tang Yan had considerable wealth, totaling nearly one hundred fifty spirit stones between them. And Chen Hu alone had over one hundred spirit stones. Adding what the old monk had left for him, Liang Yan now possessed a fortune of over three hundred spirit stones.
With a smile, Liang Yan sorted the materials and items from the storage bags into categories. Then he continued sitting cross-legged, consolidating the cultivation he had just broken through.
A night passed. The next day, just as the sky was beginning to brighten, a voice transmission sounded in Liang Yan’s mind: “Hurry to the main courtyard gate and assemble!”
Liang Yan hurriedly got up, packed his things, fastened the storage bag at his waist, and pushed open the door, heading to the courtyard gate.
At the gate, three people were already standing there. Besides the blue-clothed woman and Lin Fei he had seen the day before, there was also a plump middle-aged man dressed like a wealthy landlord.
Seeing Liang Yan arrive, Lin Fei gave him a slight nod, then turned to the plump landlord and said, “The Green Mountain Auction has been successfully concluded. The two of us must return to the sect to report our mission. I’ll leave the cleanup here to Fellow Daoist Wang.”
The plump landlord laughed heartily and said, “That is my duty, as it should be. Fellow Daoist Lin, don’t stand on ceremony. You’d best hurry back to the sect and report.”
Lin Fei smiled and nodded. He turned, took out a turtle from his storage bag, and tossed it. The turtle grew as soon as it met the wind, instantly reaching a size of three zhang across, almost like a small boat. Liang Yan looked closely and saw that the turtle’s entire body had wood grain patterns, and its joints emitted a series of “click-clack” sounds. It was actually a puppet beast.
Lin Fei jumped onto the wooden turtle first. The blue-clothed woman gave a slight smile, formed a hand seal with her right hand, and a gentle breeze lifted Liang Yan, landing him onto the wooden turtle. Then she flipped herself up and also got on.
The giant turtle carried the three into the air and sped swiftly toward the west.
Cloud Screen Mountain is located in the southwest of Yue Kingdom. The mountain rises high, veiled in white clouds.
On it, a thousand cliffs vie in beauty, ten thousand ravines contend in flowing streams, the vegetation is lush green, and the clouds rise in brilliant splendor.
It can truly be called a rare, magnificent sight in the world.
Yet such beautiful scenery attracted few visitors. According to villagers nearby, from the halfway point of Cloud Screen Mountain upward, thick fog swirled. Once ordinary people entered, they would lose all sense of direction in mere moments. Even seasoned hunters who went up the mountain only dared to hunt below the halfway point.
Fortunately, although those who ascended would lose their bearings, after wandering in circles, they would always somehow end up walking back down the mountain, with no danger to their lives. Thus, there were also rumors that immortals dwelt on Cloud Screen Mountain, and mortals must not approach.
At this moment, a small wooden boat drifted on a wide river in the mountains, carrying three people: a man in a Confucian robe, a beautiful woman in blue attire, and a black-clothed youth. It was none other than Liang Yan’s group.
The wooden boat was transformed from the earlier wooden puppet turtle. The Confucian-robed man, Lin Fei, stood in the middle of the boat, casting spells to steer it. Suddenly he seemed to think of something and turned to Liang Yan, asking, “Are you curious why I stopped flying here and am steering a boat instead?”
Liang Yan scratched his head and smiled, “I truly don’t know.”
Lin Fei put on a serious face and said, “Because our Yi Xing Pavilion is an orthodox Confucian sect, with strict rites and laws. This place is already very close to the sect. All disciples in the sect’s vicinity, as long as they have not broken through Foundation Establishment and entered the Gathering Yuan realm, are forbidden from flying, as a sign of respect for the sect.”
“Additionally, the sect has a Rites Hall and a Law Hall. After you enter the sect, you must first report to these two halls. Someone will teach you the rules. You must strictly abide by them. If you violate them, there will be severe punishment!”
Liang Yan nodded respectfully on the surface and said, “This disciple understands.” But inside, he felt slightly annoyed.
The truth was, his personality was carefree and unrestrained, and the elaborate Confucian rituals and formalities greatly disagreed with his taste. However, he knew Lin Fei was giving him a warning, and that he was under someone else’s roof. If he lost this opportunity, he might never again have a chance at the immortal path. So he could only nod in assent.
Seeing this, Lin Fei nodded with satisfaction, then paid him no further attention and focused on steering the wooden boat.
As they went deeper, the surrounding trees grew denser, the river wider, and the current swift and surging. The wooden boat they were riding began to rise and fall, like a withered leaf in the wind, threatening to capsize at any moment.
Liang Yan was puzzled. According to Lin Fei, the sect was nearby, but now they were deep in the mountains and old forests—where was half a building? As he was wondering in alarm, he suddenly saw the water ahead flowing mightily and rushing downward; they had actually arrived at a natural waterfall.
At the point where the waterfall plunged down, white mist steamed and the roar of water was fierce. Even without seeing the full view, one could tell it must be a vast, majestic hanging river. Liang Yan’s heart pounded, and he silently grumbled, ‘We’re not just going to rush straight down, aren’t we?’
In the blink of an eye, the wooden boat reached the drop-off of the hanging river. Lin Fei raised his hand and cast a talisman. The talisman shot through the air and vanished without a trace. Then the boat, carrying the three, plunged headfirst toward the waterfall’s drop.
Liang Yan’s heart leaped into his throat. Suddenly, a blinding white light filled his vision so he couldn’t see anything. He only felt as if he were falling rapidly from midair with nothing to push against.
The white light came quickly and went just as fast. While Liang Yan was still trembling with fear, he suddenly felt his feet touch the ground. The white light receded, and he could open his eyes again.
Now, the deafening sound of water was gone. He found himself on a winding small river, its current gentle, carrying the boat slowly forward. Ahead was a large lake, and all around were many small rivers like the one he was on, converging like a hundred streams returning to the sea, gradually gathering into the great lake in the center.
Liang Yan also looked behind him. The river meandered—there was no trace of the majestic waterfall from before. Only a vast white mist surged at the distant end of the river, boundless and endless.
Liang Yan took a deep breath, knowing he had arrived at an immortal’s sacred land. Even though he had always been clever and composed beyond his years, now he couldn’t help but feel his heart surging with excitement.
The wooden boat carried the three slowly forward. Before long, they entered the large lake ahead. After traveling half a stick of incense’s time further, a wide, imposing valley mouth revealed itself before them.
The valley was grand, with two heaven-reaching stone pillars on the left and right. On the pillars, bold and sweeping calligraphy displayed two lines of large characters. Liang Yan gazed from afar.
On the left pillar was written: “Heaven as the chessboard, stars as the pieces, who dares to play?” On the right pillar: “Earth as the pipa, rain as the strings, who can pluck!”
In the middle of the lake, a huge rock protruded from the water, directly facing the valley mouth. On it were written three large characters: “Yi Xing Pavilion.”
Liang Yan wanted to take a closer look, but suddenly felt that the characters on the pillars were leaping about, as if about to jump out like fish. The turns of the strokes were like blades of axes and knives, stabbing painfully into his eyes. He hurriedly shut his eyes and dared not look again.
Seeing his reaction, Lin Fei smiled slightly and said, “The verses on these mountain pillars were left by our sect’s founding patriarch, Yi Xing Zhenren. The patriarch was unmatched in both chess and battle formations, a peerless genius. He founded our Yi Xing Pavilion, which has been passed down for thousands of years without decline. The charm of his brushwork is not something a mere kid who has just stepped into the Qi Refining stage like you can bear.” He spoke with great enthusiasm, clearly holding the sect in utmost admiration.
“Thank you for the guidance, Senior!” Liang Yan nodded in reply.
As they spoke, the wooden boat had already arrived at the valley mouth. Lin Fei raised his head and said loudly, “Junior Lin Fei, having completed his external mission, now returns to the sect to report. I respectfully request the Pavilion Guarding Elder to grant passage!”
Liang Yan looked up. On the mountain rocks at the valley mouth, two figures could vaguely be seen, but they were too high to make out their features. He gathered that they were two young Confucian scholars, seemingly playing chess.
One of the scholars waved a hand downward and said, “Got it. Lin boy, you really know how to pick your moment—my train of thought has been interrupted by you. Go on in!” As he finished, he impatiently waved his hand and sent out a yellow beam of light. The light shot toward the center of the valley mouth, and faintly, a ripple of transparency could be seen, as if something had been temporarily broken.
Lin Fei bowed respectfully once more and said loudly, “Many thanks, Elder!” Then he led the group ashore, put away the wooden boat, and the three walked into the valley.