Chapter One: Heaven's First Floor

  "Haha, the weather is great today... Speaking of which, on the day when our Ling Xiao Sect welcomes new disciples, it's a beautiful spring day with clear skies and vast clouds, a good omen indeed. Who knows, maybe some of these newcomers will turn out to be exceptionally talented in the future."

  A burst of laughter accompanied these words, Kang Chen unknowingly walked over from the side and came to the middle of the two, smiling at Wang Hou and Gan Wenqing, apparently coming to mediate.

  Wang Du looked up at the azure sky and said, "The weather in Haizhou in April has always been like this, there's nothing strange about it, it can't be considered a good omen."

  Kang Zhen was taken aback, and the words that followed could not be spoken. Although he knew that this senior brother had always been like this, at this moment he still couldn't help but glare at him.

  Wang looked as if he hadn't seen anything, but after a moment of silence, he made a fist at Gan Wenqing and said: "Gan Shimei, I'm a rough person, just now my words were inappropriate, I offended you, Shimei, I'll apologize to you first."

  Gan Wen's eyebrows furrowed, but she stepped aside and refused to accept Wang Hou's courtesy, saying: "Wang Shixiong, you are Sun Zhanglao's proud disciple, with profound Taoist skills and respected by the brothers in the sect. I am not worthy of this."

  Wang Huan smiled and put it aside, his eyes moved, falling on the young people in the distant crowd who were talking and laughing, especially on Gan Ze's body, which was the focus of everyone's attention, and paused for a moment. "Is that young man the son of the Gan family?"

  His name is Gan Ze.

  Wang Heng nodded, turned his head to look at Gan Wenqing, and showed a few points of sincerity on his face. With his originally firm facial features, he had an extraordinary air about him for a moment. He said: "Sister, the rules in our sect regarding these new disciples are something you and I both know. Before they reach the Condensed Origin Realm, they will be confined to Qingyu Island, and no external help is allowed. This is a strict order set by our sect's ancestors 200 years ago. The purpose of this is to eliminate many entanglements, so that all new disciples, regardless of whether they are born into a large family or an ordinary commoner, start from the same beginning. Only then can we truly see which of these new disciples have talent, roots, and temperament, as well as the unyielding perseverance and determination necessary for cultivation. All of this is actually for their own good, and also for the sake of our sect's future."

  At this point, Wang Heng paused slightly and looked at Gan Wenqing, saying in a low voice: "You and I, both of us came out from the 'Qing Yu Liu Dao' together back then, and after traveling and cultivating all along the way, we have achieved what we are today. This principle, I don't believe that Ling Yun Shifu doesn't understand. Perhaps Shifu has other concerns in her heart, it's better to speak clearly to me."

  Gan Wen's bright eyes slightly lowered, and after a moment of silence, she said: "Wang Shixiong, you have always been known for your extensive knowledge and excellent memory, and I, as your junior sister, admire that. I suppose you also have a clear understanding of my relationship with the Gan family."

  Wang Heng nodded slightly and said, "Yes, I know a thing or two."

  "Brother, you should also understand that although I am not a biological child of the Gan family, but rather a dying girl picked up by the kind-hearted Gan Ze's mother back then. However, over the years, the Gan family has treated me like their own daughter, and Gan Ze's mother has treated me like her own sister. The kindness they have shown me is as boundless as the sea, and I will never be able to repay it in this lifetime. Now that Gan Ze is the only remaining flesh and blood of my late sister, when she was on her deathbed, I personally made a solemn vow to take good care of this only son of hers. Can't you understand this intention, brother?"

  Wang nodded, but did not respond with words.

  Gan Wenqing let out a soft sigh and said, "What Shixiong just said is reasonable. If it's really about letting these new disciples go to Qingyu Island as equals, I won't have any objections. But with so many young masters from aristocratic families around now, I'm afraid..."

  The words had barely fallen when Wang Yun's brow furrowed and he suddenly interrupted in a stern voice, "Disciple sister, be careful what you say."

  Gan Wenqing glanced at Wang Hou, her mouth corners twitching slightly, but her face showed no signs of anger, and her expression remained calm. After a while, she heard Wang Hou say calmly, "To be honest with you, sister, before we left the mountain today, several elders in the sect had already discussed this matter. For this five-year period, the person in charge of the major affairs of Qingyu Island has been decided to be me."

  Gan Wenqing suddenly raised her head, clearly startled, and said in surprise: "What? Wasn't it originally agreed that it would be Du Shixiong?"

  Wang Heng's face showed a seemingly helpless expression for the first time, and he sighed, saying: "Brother Du has always been unruly, and as a result, three days ago, he made another big mistake, offending Master Sun Changlao. After being persuaded to leave, he still didn't stop, but instead cursed loudly with foul language... This is tolerable, but what's more, his words also implicated several sentences of scolding towards Master Shu Zu..."

  Although Gan Wenqing was normally calm and had a good understanding of that famous senior brother in their school, she still gasped when she heard the words, especially after hearing the term "Shī Shū Zǔ". For a moment, her face lost its composure. Wang Huan sighed and said: "After this matter got out of hand, our Master's uncle was furious, personally capturing Du Shixiong and severely punishing him before sending him to Hei Yun Dong to face the wall for three years. So in the end, this whole mess fell on me."

  Gan Wen was silent for a moment, seemingly still digesting the shock of this major news. After a while, he muttered: "I didn't expect that just a few days after I left the mountain, something big like this would happen on the mountain."

  Wang Heng smiled wryly, then composed his expression and said: "Wen Qing shi mei, we are fellow disciples of many years, and back in the day, we were even from the same batch of new disciples who emerged from the Green Fish Six Islands. We have some sentiment between us. I'll say one thing here: for these four years, as long as I'm in charge of the Green Fish Six Islands, I won't say that everything will definitely be handled impartially, but at least I won't intentionally make things difficult for that Gan family young master, and I won't allow other young masters from great families to secretly use external forces to violate our sect's rules. Do you believe me?"

  Wen Qing hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself. Wang Heng looked at her and continued, "I understand your concerns, but prohibiting disciples from interfering with the new affairs of Qingyu Island is a strict rule of our sect. Although you, Wen Qing, have made great progress in your cultivation and are valued by several elders, if you insist on intervening, it might not be appropriate."

  Gan Wenqing's face changed expression constantly, her eyebrows and eyes showed a hint of hesitation, apparently she was moved by Wang Hou's words. In fact, she also understood in her heart that what Wang Hou said made sense, after all, the rules of the sect were like that. As she pondered, she involuntarily looked towards the back of Baisui Rock, and saw that in just a short while, the number of young people on the rock seemed to have increased by a lot, there should be some new arrivals, looking at the scale had already exceeded three hundred people.

  Among these new arrivals, only a handful of people walked directly into the innermost circle in the crowd. A small number of people stood at the second layer of circles, while most of the young men and women who came were standing ignorantly on the outer periphery.

  These new young men may not understand, but Gan Wenqing and Wang Hou, who have a high status in Ling Xiao Sect, looked at them for a moment and already understood. This includes Gan Ze and Sun You, among others, as well as about twenty or thirty young men who are all from the vassal families of Ling Xiao Sect, and they are all from the seven or eight most powerful families. Those with slightly weaker family power can only stand in the second circle.

  In a small, private circle, on the eve of joining the sect, there was already a faint outline emerging, and now this young man's thoughts are truly heavy.

  Gan Wen's bright eyes swept across, watching Gan Ze being at ease among the young masters of those aristocratic families, with a hint of a smile on his lips as he chatted with the people around him, looking like he was in control. For some reason, her heart felt more at ease. Thinking about it, although there were undercurrents within and outside the sect, many vassal families had held a special position towards the Gan family for years, and it was said that they had their own opinions. However, the Gan family wasn't someone to be trifled with either. Even if they weren't as glorious as they were in their heyday, there was still an elder at the Yuandan realm within the sect who held a high position. Moreover, no matter what, the ancestor who founded the sect all those years ago was also surnamed Gan. What qualifications did these vassal families have to ostracize others?

  Some insightful people or seniors of prestigious families, seeing how the elders and predecessors in the clan treat the Gan family, would privately instruct their own children to get along well with the young master of the Gan family.

  At the mention of this, Gan Wenqing turned around and nodded to Wang Hou: "Brother's words are right, it was I who was flighty and impatient, unclear in my views. I've been taught a lesson. Everything will be done according to rules from now on, if nothing unexpected happens, I definitely won't interfere with the new person's affairs, let Gan Ze experience some hardships, which is also good for him."

  Wang Heng smiled and nodded, but in his heart he let out a sigh of relief. The woman in front of him had extremely strong innate talent and her cultivation was bold and advancing rapidly, not at all inferior to himself. She was also deeply favored by several elders of the sect. If she were to forcefully intervene in the affairs of Qing Yu Liu Island, although he wasn't afraid, it would certainly be a huge headache for him.

  Shen Shi stood still for about half a time, and then saw that there were no new people coming up on the stone steps. After a while, even the two Ling Xiang Sect disciples standing at the foot of the mountain came up, it seemed that today's newcomers had all arrived.

  The two Ling Xiao Sect disciples who walked on the giant rock waved their hands at Wang Heng and Gan Wenqing, who were standing in front of them. There was a quick response from that side, and after a moment, a calm voice came over, echoing above the Bai Xian Rock: "Silence."

  The voice was thick and majestic, exactly the same as the one that had sounded once before. The speaker could now be seen clearly, it was Wang Heng. After his words, the many young people who were chatting and laughing on the Baisui Rock suddenly fell silent. Wang Heng took a step forward, his eyes scanning the crowd, and the many young people were intimidated by his aura, no one dared to look him in the eye, they all lowered their heads.

  Wang Yun didn't say much more, simply saying: "The time for the ceremony has arrived, the new disciples have also all arrived, let's return to the mountain!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around and walked to the front of Bai Xian Rock, his hands making a circular motion as if holding a ball. Suddenly, a white light flashed between his palms, and after a moment, it seemed to resonate with the rocks beneath his feet. A golden circular pattern suddenly appeared under his feet.

  Golden light flickered, reflecting the ancient and intricate patterns that seemed even more mysterious and profound. In the vast expanse of blue sky and sea breeze, it was as if the ancient Sanskrit chanting had also been transmitted at this moment, like an ancient deity quietly reciting scriptures. A formless yet boundless force emanated from the depths of this massive rock.

  On the flat surface of the giant stone, along the periphery, dozens of identical golden circular patterns lit up one by one, and at the center of each pattern, there was actually a Ling Xiao Sect disciple standing upright. Each person's face was solemn and dignified, their movements were as calm as Wang Huo's, with rapt attention and concentrated effort.

  Moments later, dozens of golden light pillars burst forth from the top of this giant boulder, like a thunderclap, shooting straight into the sky. The sound of the mantra suddenly rose high, echoing throughout the vast expanse of clouds and sky. The massive Bai Xian Rock emitted a rumbling sound, unbelievably slowly rising into the air, as the magical powers of the immortals reappeared in the mortal world.

  After the initial silence, the Bai Xian Rock was suddenly filled with excitement, and those hundreds of young men were all cheering and jumping for joy. The magnificent and unbelievable display of the Xian family's Taoist magic was precisely the Ling Xiao Sect of Jin Hong Mountain showing off its heavenly divine powers. And as the Bai Xian Rock rose into the air, it also signified that from today on, they would officially set foot on the path of cultivating truth.

  The infinite scenery and magnificent prospects seem to be unfolding before the eyes of these young people, how can one not feel excited and joyful?

  Listening to the laughter and shouts of the young people behind them, Wang Hou and Gan Wenqing exchanged a glance, with a hint of a smile at the corners of their mouths. Many years ago, when they were young, they had also experienced almost the same scene on this Baisen Rock.

  Among the crowd, Shen Shi was much calmer compared to the joyful young people around him, but his eyes still shone with a hint of delight, deeply gazing at this magnificent and beautiful scene.

  Ethereal fairy mountains, the grand dao of cultivating immortals, as if it's really just within sight.