Chapter 6: Entering the Sect

  "Rise, from now on you will be a disciple of our Qingmu Sect. Eliminating demons and protecting the Tao is the sect's motto, remember it well." Qingmu True Person looked at Wang Ke kneeling on the ground, then waved his hand to lift him up, saying this with a stern expression.

  "The disciples must remember the teachings of their ancestors." Wang Ke nodded respectfully, his heart surging with excitement like a turbulent sea. It was hard to calm down, after hearing Tong Yan's words, he already knew that joining a large sect had many benefits, especially a big sect like Qingmu Sect, being able to join was simply a blessing from his past life.

  "Hmm, I usually don't accept disciples, but after you follow me back, I have other arrangements."

  "Qingmu Zhenren, I heard that you just accepted a new disciple not long ago. Why are you saying you won't accept any more disciples now? Is it because the young man's spiritual root is ordinary, so you're intentionally delaying?" The Medicine King's intention was to have Qingmu Zhenren take Wang Ke as his own disciple, but Qingmu Zhenren's intention was not that way, which is why the Medicine King asked this question.

  "Don't worry, Medicine King. I'll take Wang with me and arrange a good master for him. You can rest assured about this. As for taking in disciples, the one I took in recently is an exception, not a rule. There's no need for me to explain this to you." Qingmu True Person said calmly.

  "Hehe, no worries, as long as the sect leader says a word, I'll be at ease." The Medicine King didn't overdo it either, thinking that with Qingmu True Man's arrangement, Wang Ke wouldn't turn out too bad.

  Wang Ke looked at Takashi Aoki, who was now like a towering mountain in his eyes. After a while, the excitement in his heart subsided slightly, and he turned back to look at Tong Yan, whose eyes were shining with a relieved expression. Fang Qing and the others also felt relieved, but mostly envious.

  "Master Qingmu, I have one more request." Wang Ke bowed again to Master Qingmu and said sincerely after taking a deep breath.

  "Say it," said Makoto Aoki in a flat tone, his face expressionless.

  "The four others who followed the disciples were all loose cultivators. Cultivation was not easy, and they had long been yearning for Qingmu Sect. They also asked the sect master to grant them mercy and allow them to join the sect together." Originally, Wang Ke thought that Fang Qing and the others were also loose cultivators, wanting to take this opportunity to help them leave the ranks of loose cultivators.

  When Wang Ke pleaded for the four of them, Fang Qing and the others suddenly became excited, their hearts racing to their throats, their bodies trembling slightly, their heads bowed, not daring to speak. Tong Yan also appeared somewhat agitated at this time, if they could follow Wang Ke and join the Qingmu Sect together, they would completely leave the ranks of scattered cultivators and never be looked down upon again.

  Aoki Makoto listened to Wang Ke's words, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his gaze shifted. His eyes swept across the four people of Fang Qing, and all four of them shivered, feeling as if a divine consciousness had scanned over their bodies, as if all their secrets had been exposed.

  "It won't do, the four of them are too incompetent and already old, missing the best time for cultivation. Entering the sect would only waste true essence resources. I cannot grant your request." Qingmu True Person easily saw through the four people's bone age and refused Wang Ke's request without hesitation.

  Rejected by Qingmu Zhenren, Wang Ke only felt a suffocating feeling in his chest, a very unpleasant emotion surged up, making his chest feel stuffy. He turned around and looked at Tong Yan and Fang Qing with an apologetic expression, having the urge to quit the Qingmu Sect. Tong Yan's face was noticeably pale, but she still managed to squeeze out a smile and nodded at Lin Qi, indicating that he shouldn't mind.

  Fang Qing and the three others also looked disheartened, as if they had fallen from the clouds to the bottom of a valley in an instant. They watched as their hopes were shattered before their eyes, and the sense of loss was palpable.

  "Alas, unfortunately I came too late. Such a good seedling was taken by the Qingmu Sect. This trip of mine is really in vain." Beside him, Fei Hong Zhenren from the Tianyun Sect drove his flying car slowly, with a look of regret on his face.

  "Fei Hong Daoist friend, you came all the way from Yun Tian Peak to Qian Feng Ridge but didn't participate in the treasure hunt. It's quite puzzling, I wonder if you'd be willing to enlighten me." Qing Mu True Person looked at Fei Hong True Person with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

  "The Cloudy Fairy sent me over with a loud noise, telling me not to force it and let things happen naturally. Besides, among the few things this time, only the jade tablet and three elixirs are valuable. Two of the elixirs have already fallen into Blood Moon's hands, so the remaining one should be in the Sect Master's hands. Since the Sect Master has become the lucky person this time, there's nothing more to say. On the other hand, this young man previously showed no fear of danger and helped others, showing his excellent character. In the process of eliminating the Soul Demon, he also made great contributions, showing that his good fortune is not shallow. I even thought about recruiting him into the Tianyun Sect earlier, but unexpectedly, he joined the Qingmu Sect instead. I wonder if the Qingmu Sect Master would be willing to give him up?" Fei Hong True Person said with a smile, looking at Qingmu True Person as if he really intended to take someone away.

  "Hehe, since Fei Hong Dao friend said this young man is so good, then I must not let go of him now. Afraid that will disappoint Fei Hong Dao friend." Qing Mu Zhen Ren politely declined to say.

  "Alas, what a pity. Since it's like this, then let's just drop the matter. However, I didn't come to Thousand Peaks Ridge for nothing either. The remaining two items might not interest anyone though." Fei Hong Zhenren said as he gazed at the damaged war armor and broken long sword floating in mid-air, a mysterious glint flashing across his eyes.

  "These two things are useless for us to take, I'll keep them for now. This jade slip isn't important either, let's just give it to Fellow Daoist Fei Hong." Qingmu True Person raised his hand and a stream of green light shot out from his palm. Fei Hong True Person smiled as he reached out to grab it, and the green light revealed that it was indeed the jade slip.

  "Young man, I'll take these few friends of yours in for now. Let's just consider it a good deed. Who knows, maybe you'll have the chance to meet again someday. I wonder if any of you would be willing to join my Tianyun Sect?" Flying Hong True Person smiled, his gaze sweeping over the four of Tong Yan.

  The four people, Fang Qing and the others, were originally feeling downcast, but at this moment they seemed to be in disbelief of their own ears. They looked at each other, and after a moment, they all knelt down on the ground together. "Thank you, Fei Hong True Man," said Tong Yan, leading the way, before bowing deeply.

  "Alright, let's get up. We'll head back together later. From now on, you will all be disciples of the Tianyun Sect. I'll make arrangements after we return." Fei Hongdao said with a smile.

  Wang Ke was overjoyed at this moment, and he slightly bowed his head to Fei Hong Zhenren, cupping one hand in the other and saying: "Thank you, senior, for your help." At this moment, the huge stone that had been hanging in Wang Ke's heart finally fell.

  Wang Ke already knew that the middle-aged man in front of him was actually the deputy master of the Tianyun Sect, one of the four major sects on the Xianjin Continent. Since he could be listed as one of the four major sects, he must not be simple. The fact that Tong Yan and the others were able to join the Tianyun Sect also counted as a great blessing.

  "Alright, I'll go put away the last two things." Qingmu Zhenren flashed out of sight. "Hehe, I'll also go take a look." Feihong Zhenren followed after him.

  As the two left, everyone else relaxed. Tong Yan walked to Wang Ke's side, reached out and touched his head, sighing: "Before I embarked on my immortal journey, I had a younger brother who relied on me for survival, he was just like you, calling me sister. Seeing you is like going back to the past. Little Ke, from now on, you must work hard at your cultivation, don't waste your years like we did."

  "Ah, Sister Tong, I will definitely work hard to cultivate myself and won't let you down. I want to attain the Dao of Immortality and transcend life and death," Wang Ke said firmly.

  Tong Yan nodded silently, "Alright, Xiao Ke you go to Qingmu Sect now, we'll meet again someday." Tong Yan smiled slightly, though she was a bit reluctant.

  "Xiao Ke, thanks to you this time, I'm deeply grateful and will remember it in my heart." Fang Qing looked at Wang Ke with gratitude and sincerity, while Shi Shan and Zhou Yuan on the side also looked at Wang Ke with gratitude.

  "Wang Ke, little friend, the old Taoist thanks you again. Let's meet again if fate permits it in the future. The path of immortality is elusive and unpredictable, and the coming and going of fate has its own timing." Yao Wang smiled warmly at Wang Ke, then turned his sleeve, took a small boy with him, and rose into the air with a flash of light, disappearing into the distance beyond the mountains.

  Watching the Medicine King leave, he thought about what the Medicine King had said when he left. Wang Ke smiled and turned to walk in the direction of Qingmu Sect. After the many battles earlier, the plain was full of potholes everywhere. Wang Ke lowered his head and walked forward step by step, about to leave Tong Yan and the others behind. Wang Ke couldn't help but feel a little lost in his heart, although they had only been together for a short time, the four of them had helped him greatly.

  As he walked halfway, something suddenly caught Wang Ke's attention in front of him. It was a black box, which was lying in a small pit at this time. Suddenly it was the box that had held the immortal elixir before.

  Wang Ke picked up the box unintentionally, and it felt heavy in his hand, but he didn't know what material it was made of. At this time, the box was open, but the immortal pill inside had already disappeared.

  "This box is quite well-made, it might come in handy later, let's keep it for now." Wang thought the ancient and mysterious patterns on the box looked good, and also thought that it could be used to store things in the future, so he put it away. The people present didn't notice Wang's casual action, who would pay attention to an empty box?

  "Hey, kid, stand back." As they arrived at the territory of Qingmu Sect, a square flying carpet was laid out on the ground. The disciples of Qingmu Sect sat cross-legged on it, with Hei Mu Zhenren sitting at the front, seemingly meditating with his eyes closed. The one speaking was a handsome young man sitting behind him, emitting vigorous spiritual power fluctuations, who glanced at Wang Ke with a disdainful gaze.

  Those disciples of Qingmu Sect who were sitting cross-legged nearby also took a glance at Wang Ke, but almost everyone's eyes showed disdain.

  All the disciples who can join Qingmu Sect are either extremely talented or from a wealthy family. Now, Wang Ke, a down-and-out loose cultivator, can also join Qingmu Sect and has just opened his eyes not long ago, but he was able to make great contributions in the process of eliminating the soul demon just now, and got the praise of Yao Wang and Fei Hong Zhenren, and was even taken into Qingmu Sect by Qingmu Zhenren himself, making a big splash.

  Wang Ke's expression remained unchanged, seeing that there was still a seat next to him, he walked over and was about to sit down. However, the slender disciple sitting beside him let out a cold snort, "There is no place for you here, go to the back." After finishing speaking, his gaze turned icy as he looked at Wang Ke.

  Although this young man looks quite young, the powerful spiritual energy emanating from his body can be felt to be very strong.

  Wang Ke looked up at the young man with a calm expression, his face unchanged. However, his fists were clenched tightly in his sleeves. Wang Ke had been well-versed in military books and miscellaneous records since childhood, and his mind was tough and mature. He would absolutely not be impulsive because of this small matter. Sometimes, without real power, one could only endure silently.

  Without saying a word, Wang Ke came to the far end of the carpet, sat down quietly, closed his eyes, as if nothing had happened, but the faces of these people were all imprinted in Wang Ke's heart.

  "Hmph, a small Nascent Soul stage disciple like you thinks they can sit with us? Don't you know your own identity? You're just a lowly loose cultivator." Seeing Wang Ke quietly walk to the back and sit down, the man's mouth curled into a sneer, letting out a disdainful cold snort, his eyes filled with contempt for Wang Ke.

  "Jia Linggen is just Jia Linggen, don't think that just because you've entered our Qingmu Sect you can leap to the dragon gate like a carp. You must remember, we are all core disciples of the sect, and in the future when you see us, you must be respectful and courteous, do you understand?" Another disciple looked at Wang Ke with an arrogant expression.

  Wang Ke sat in the back with his eyes closed, but all of their words had entered his ears. His fists were clenched tightly in his sleeves, and he felt an urge to stand up immediately and leave Qingmu Sect. However, he endured it. Having finally escaped from the scattered cultivators' ranks, he couldn't let go of this hard-won opportunity.

  "Tong Yan, look at Wang Ke sitting alone in the back, will he be bullied?" Fang Qing looked at Wang Ke's position from a distance and saw the Qingmu Zong disciple pointing and gesturing at him, his brow furrowed with concern.

  "Hmph, that group of dogs must be bullying Xiao Ke because of his scattered cultivation identity. I'll go call him out now." Shi Shan's temper was a bit explosive, and he didn't care whether Fang Qing was telling the truth or not. He immediately stood up and was about to walk over.

  "Wait, don't move!" Tong Yan stretched out her hand to block the two of them. "Tong Yan, what are you doing? Can you bear to see Xiao Ke being bullied over there?" Fang Qing furrowed his brow, asking in confusion. Shi Shan also didn't understand why Tong Yan had blocked him.

  "Alas, the path is Xiao Ke's own choice. You can't bring him back now, and it's not a bad thing either. He can grow up faster this way," Tong Yan said with profound meaning.

  "Tong Yan is right, without experiencing wind and rain, it's impossible to grow into a towering tree. Let him be, I believe he can succeed." Zhou Tong stood up and patted Shi Shan's shoulder, saying.

  Fang Qing's expression was complex, and he hesitated for a moment before finally sighing, "I hope he can do well in the Qingmu Sect. Such a good kid, it's really hard on him."