Chapter Fourteen: Coming Down

  The arrival of the Old Man of Heaven and Sea in the Clouds was like throwing a spark into an oil pan, making this grand test of the Dao De Sect extraordinary in an instant.

  As soon as Yun Zhongju and Dao De Zong, the two pillars of the Orthodox School, met, they immediately drew their swords, creating a tense atmosphere that instantly captivated the hearts of the hundreds of guests present. The older ones couldn't help but recall the past events between Tian Hai Lao Ren and Xi Xuan Mountain, while the younger ones stared intently at the three Yun Zhongju disciples who had stepped down from the sedan chair. Everyone knew that Yun Zhongju's disciples were incredibly talented, with exceptional abilities, and it was rare to see even one of them in person. This time, Tian Hai Lao Ren surprisingly brought three of them up the mountain, clearly with ulterior motives. Those who were carefree and only wanted to watch a rare commotion began to worry about the deteriorating relationship between the two pillars of the Orthodox School, fearing that if a conflict broke out, it would lead to chaos and suffering for the people.

  Tian Hai Lao Ren strode forward to stand before Zi Yang Zhen Ren, looking up at him with anger in his eyes. He regarded the eight Daoist priests of the Virtuous Sect and their hundred disciples as if they were nothing. However, Zi Yang Zhen Ren was a tall and imposing figure, standing a full head taller than Tian Hai Lao Ren. Without even mentioning whose Dao was higher or lower, just from this one confrontation, it was clear who had the upper hand in terms of aura.

  Shi Ji saw this and couldn't help but let out a light laugh. This laughter made Tian Hai Lao Ren's old face turn from red to purple, but he didn't scold Shi Ji. It seemed that Yun Zhong Ju was not as strict as Dao De Zong or Qing Yin Gong, at least Shi Ji didn't show much respect to his master.

  The other two disciples in Yun Zhongju were dressed very plainly and did not attract attention like Shi Ji.

  Ziyang Zhenren smiled slightly, waved his hand, and the disciples of the Dao De Sect behind him immediately dispersed to both sides with a rustling sound, their movements neat and uniform, clearing a path for Tianhai Lao Ren. Ziyang Zhenren led the way, and when Tianhai Lao Ren saw this, he could only hum a sound, considering his identity and dignity, and followed Ziyang Zhenren.

  Seemingly intentional, yet unintentional, the Old Man of Heaven and Sea didn't bother to pay attention to Yi Duo at all, letting it stand on the White Jade Platform. Yi Duo was no ordinary bird, but a fierce creature among the few in the world, standing tall with legs as long as five zhang, its sharp eyes gleaming with ferocity, staring at the densely packed guests not far away, looking as if it would pounce on someone at any moment.

  Zi Yang Zhen Ren immediately knew that Tian Hai Lao Ren was intentionally making things difficult, so he chuckled and gave Yu Xuan Zhen Ren a look. Yu Xuan Zhen Ren understood, and with a seemingly slow but actually quick pace, she took several steps to arrive in front of Yi Kuai. Then, with an empty step, as if there were invisible stairs in the air, she walked all the way onto Yi Kuai's back. It was unknown what kind of technique she used, but suddenly Yi Kuai's ferocity disappeared, its wings spread out, and it obediently carried Yu Xuan Zhen Ren to fly towards the rear mountain of Tai Shang Dao De Zong.

  In the blink of an eye, Tianhai Old Man and his three disciples were seated in the Taiqing Hall. The courtesy shown to Tianhai Old Man by the Dao De Zong was naturally far different from that given to ordinary guests. The furnishings in the hall were either left behind by a predecessor who had attained the Dao or were relics of a previous dynasty over a thousand years ago. The fruits and vegetables on the tables were all rare and exotic, recorded in ancient texts, with distant origins, and would greatly benefit one's spiritual energy when consumed. As for the fragrance that filled the hall, the incense burner, and the various unassuming flowers and plants, they all came from the desolate lands of the eight wildernesses, not a single item was easily obtained.

  Sitting in this Taiqing Hall, I finally understand what a fairy mountain and blessed land are, and what the ultimate luxury is. Compared to it, the attire of the Old Man of Heavenly Sea is simply vulgar, so vulgar that it's unbearable.

  At this time, the host and guest were seated, all eight true men of the Eight Trigrams were present to keep each other company. The three disciples brought by Old Man Tianhai also had their own seats, giving Cloud Dwelling Yan enough face.

  The cold noise has passed, and now the conversation enters the main topic. The Purple Yang True Person knowingly asked, tactfully inquiring about the intention of Old Man Tianhai. Old Man Tianhai had been depressed for a long time on this trip, waiting for this moment, and now he slowly spoke while twirling his sparse beard: "Actually, I came to Mount Mogao again this time, first to pay respects to the Supreme Ancestor of Daoism, and second to experience the immortal aura of the eight True Persons."

  Zi Yang Zhen Ren smiled and bowed his head, saying "You're overpraising me."

  Tian Hai savored a sip of tea, then sighed and said: "In the blink of an eye, it's already been fifty years! I've grown old, and I can no longer engage in fierce competitions. With my eyes fixed on the vast world, my only hope is to find a worthy successor to inherit my legacy. Fortunately, in recent years, I've encountered a few decent talents while living in seclusion in the mountains. I fear that if they stay in the mountains all day, their vision and character will become narrow. Coincidentally, it's been ten years since our sect's grand assembly, so I brought them out to experience the world, ask for guidance from true masters, and also take a look at the disciples of our noble sect, letting them know that there are people outside of people, and mountains beyond mountains, lest they become arrogant in the future and invite ridicule from others."

  Here is the translation:

  "Now, Old Man Tianhai finally pointed to the three young disciples beside him and introduced them one by one. He first pointed at Shi Ji and said: 'This is my junior disciple Shi Ji, barely has some passable talent, but she lives in a remote place in the clouds, since childhood she hasn't received proper guidance, so she's a bit unruly, I hope you true immortals will forgive her.'"

  Shi Qi stood up, a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, and gave a slight bow to the true people, saying: "Shi Qi has met all the true people. If there is any offense, the moral sect's true people have always been magnanimous, I suppose they won't make things difficult for a small woman like me."

  She smiled with a beauty that was both lovely and enchanting, her voice clear and smooth, with an indescribable sweetness. Her long hair cascaded down like silk, remaining perfectly still no matter what movements she made.

  Facing such a likable person, the moral integrity of the various true men remained expressionless, but the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat heavy. Most of the true men ignored Shi Qi's politeness, their faces having a cold frost, and the gaze in their eyes becoming increasingly sharp.

  Ziyang Zhenren's eyebrows slightly furrowed, then relaxed again, his face calm as usual. He ignored Shi Ji and instead smiled at the sky, saying: "Tianhai Dao brother, it's been twenty years since we last met. I didn't expect that Cloud Dwelling would also be a place where all rivers converge, opening its gates wide to welcome talented individuals from all over the world."

  Tian Hai, the old man, seemed to have known the reaction of the true people long ago. At this time, he just pretended not to know and waved his hand. The stone-like youth immediately sat down obediently. Tian Hai then pointed at the young man and said: "This is the closed-door disciple of Master Zhang, named Chu Han."

  Chu Han appeared to be in his early twenties, wearing a white long gown, with eyebrows like swords and eyes like morning stars. There was an air of imposing elegance between his brows. Looking at him sitting upright in the chair, he seemed majestic as a mountain.

  Although facing the eight true men of the Dao De Zong, Chu Han stood up and paid his respects in one breath, as smooth as flowing clouds and water. It was as if the eight ordinary people sitting in front of him were just that - ordinary people. In fact, the eight true men of the Dao De Zong had profound moral character and did not need to gather their true energy or manipulate their magical powers. Just a casual glance from them would be enough to make most ordinary cultivators unable to withstand it. Chu Han bore the invisible pressure of the eight true men, yet acted as usual, without showing any signs on the outside. Although he was limited by his age and his true energy was not particularly deep, his stable and solid natural talent was truly rare in the world. No wonder he was taken in as a closed-door disciple by Yun Zhong Ju, the leader of the Cloud Dwelling Sect.

  This time, Dao Zong's gaze at Chu Han was vastly different from Shi Ji's, and he nodded slightly, with a hint of approval and admiration.

  Tian Hai old man coughed a few times, pointing to the last female disciple and said: "This is Gu Qing, she was taught by three masters from Yun Zhong Ju together. This time I brought her out to see the world."

  Gu Qing stood up straight and slightly bowed to the eight True Men, saying in a light tone: "Gu Qing has seen all of you True Men."

  In the Taiqing Hall, suddenly a moment of clarity arose, and then it was suddenly quiet!

  His eyebrows were like smoke and his face was plain, without a trace of makeup. He wore a light-colored long gown, with no ornaments or any magical weapons or treasures on him.

  She is calm and composed whether sitting or standing, as if nothing in the world can move her heart. She is not like Qingyun's elegant and refined beauty, nor is she like Hanyu's charming and alluring smile, nor is she like Tianhu's enchanting and captivating charm. But she has a certain indescribable feeling that makes people feel that "beauty" is not enough to describe her appearance, no matter who stands beside her, she will not be overshadowed by their looks. Just like Shi Yan at this moment, he can't take away even a bit of her radiance.

  At that time when she was walking down the stairs with her elegant steps, the eight true immortals of the Dao De Sect had already noticed her uniqueness, but at that time, she hadn't fully revealed her charm.

  At this moment, she rose slowly under the gaze of eight people, with a hint of indifference, just like a lotus emerging from the green water, untainted by dust and unaccompanied by dew.

  That stone reef is elegant and strange, always walking on the edge of a sword, opposing the oppression of the true person of the Taoist sect. When using the ultimate yin and softness, it is an extremely cold and ruthless heart technique. Since she uses this heart technique, when facing the choice of slaughtering all people for one's own benefit, Shi Ji will not hesitate at all. As for Chu Han, he purely uses the most orthodox heart method to defend against it, his true yuan divine consciousness flowing continuously, dying and reborn repeatedly, without any flaws. This is the right path of the great Tao, since he can have such enlightenment, no matter what the true yuan is like now, in the future when cultivating the Tao, success will naturally follow.

  Shi Qi and Chu Han are both rare talents that appear once in a hundred years, but Gu Qing is different.

  The gaze of the eight true men, that pressure like a mountain, was like a gentle breeze passing through her body, and couldn't stir up her true yuan divine consciousness at all! This is no longer about the high or low of true yuan, but purely innate enlightenment. Gu Qing didn't have even a single bit of true yuan, yet she could still walk freely in front of the true men.

  Her indifference was not born out of emotional turmoil, but stemmed from her innate nature, in harmony with the universe, and oblivious to the coldness of worldly affairs.

  The morning breeze and night rain in this mundane world, the joys and sorrows of parting and reunion, even the movement of mountains and seas, the rise and fall of dynasties, before that vast heaven and earth, are nothing but fleeting prosperity, gone in the blink of an eye.

  The eight true immortals of the Taoist sect exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with shock and amazement. They truly did not know how the master had accumulated such great fortune to find such a disciple!

  For a moment, the Taicheng Hall was extremely quiet, and the eight immortals did not know how to respond. Gu Qing stood for a while, then sat down by himself, and that pair of eyes without sorrow or joy again passed through the window and out, passing through the vast cloud sea, and it is unknown where they fell. As soon as Gu Qing sat down, he was like a lotus flower submerged in water, and the faintly cold and indifferent air towards all living beings disappeared instantly without a trace.

  The momentary loss of composure of the Dao De Zong's true men was quickly noticed by Tian Hai Lao Ren, who had a flush on his face and a hint of a smile. He let out a few long laughs, then waved his hand and changed his expression to one of magnanimity. In a loud voice, he said: "Fellow Daoists, why be so serious? Wins and losses are all things of the past, what's the point of dwelling on them? I brought these three here to broaden their horizons, listen to the teachings of true men, and maybe even meet some outstanding figures from noble sects. That would be their good fortune! As for competing in martial arts, it's really beneath us, beneath us! The rivalry between our two sects is just a joke, a laughingstock for the world. Let's use virtue to win people over! Let's not harm the harmony! Ha ha ha!"