Chapter Thirty-Four: Gathering Disciples
Gan Ping's original plan was to buy a fine horse and ride day and night towards the west, it would take about half a year to reach the place where the legendary immortal lived. However, a passerby's words reached Gan Ping's ears. "Hurry up, hurry up, the immortal master is recruiting disciples at the General's Mansion, you guys hurry up, if you don't make it I'll ask for your help." A sedan chair flew past Gan Ping's side, and the words from inside the sedan chair made Gan Ping stunned.
"An immortal? Could it be that he's a cultivator, and not just any ordinary cultivator, but one who can even recruit disciples in such a public setting? If so, I'll go take a look. Who knows, maybe I'll get recruited as a disciple and save myself the trouble of traveling thousands of miles. If he is recruiting disciples, he must have some kind of flying treasure that allows him to travel quickly."
Having made up his mind, Gan Ping quickly followed the sedan chair and soon arrived at a wide and spacious main street. In the center of this street, on a high platform, sat an old man with white hair and beard wearing a Taoist robe. The gentle breeze blew over, and the old Taoist's whiskers fluttered, looking like a wise and powerful figure. Under the platform, it was already crowded with people, each adult holding or carrying a child. After all, this is the legendary fate of immortals! If one's own child becomes an immortal, then their whole family will rise to prominence.
Gan Ping saw the old Taoist with an air of a transcendent, and couldn't help but laugh. This old man's age was not small at first glance, but his cultivation was only around the middle stage of Qi refining, not even comparable to Qing Ruodao whom he met a few days ago. This made Gan Ping somewhat disappointed. If this old man was indeed his master, then his future prospects would be bleak.
Just as Gan Ping was guessing the identity of the person in front of him, the old Taoist's eyes, which had been slightly closed, suddenly opened and looked at the noisy crowd below. With a wave of his hand and a flick of his sleeve, he said loudly: "All of you, please calm down and listen to what I, Xuanhe, have to say." His voice was clear and powerful, suppressing the noise of the crowd below. Seeing the immortal speaking, the originally noisy crowd immediately quieted down and looked at Xuanhe Taoist quietly.
Gan Ping was somewhat astonished, not expecting that this seemingly low-level cultivator, Xuan He Dao Ren, would possess such a powerful verbal technique, easily controlling the situation. With his keen senses, he detected a hint of mind-controlling magic in Xuan He Dao Ren's voice, which effortlessly drew the crowd's attention. This was an unheard-of spell to Gan Ping, and it seemed that this orthodox sect was far superior to his own humble background. His desire to join the prestigious sect and cultivate further intensified at this moment.
Xuanhe Daoist was very satisfied with the reaction of the crowd below, swept his eyes and said loudly: "You all know why you came here today, let's not talk more, let's start." After finishing, he continued to close his eyes slightly and put on a posture of being a hermit, no longer paying attention to the crowd below.
A clear and melodious chime sounded, and a line of young Taoist boys in green robes walked out from under the stage, each looking less than twenty years old. They stood on either side, with a black-bearded Taoist standing behind them, exuding an aura of unspoken majesty and solemnity. Gan Ping's eyes, which had initially been slightly disdainful, as if watching a farce, immediately became serious.
"I originally thought that the mysterious Taoist priest was only at the mid-level of Qi refinement, and this recruitment of disciples must be a scam to deceive these foolish commoners. But unexpectedly, each of these young Taoists has achieved high-level Qi refinement, and that black-haired Taoist is unfathomable in his cultivation, giving off an intense oppressive feeling. I asked myself if I was inferior to any high-level Qi refinement cultivator, even those at the Condensed Awareness stage could be matched, but facing this black-haired Taoist, I felt helpless. It must be a master of Building Foundation. What's strange is why a mere mid-level Qi refinement Taoist would sit so loftily on the platform, while this obviously Building Foundation-stage Taoist is doing this recruitment business. Truly, it's hard to understand with common logic."
Although the relationship is not very clear, a genuine and skilled foundation builder is in front of him. It seems that Xuanhe Daoist is not just a swindler who deceives people with weak magic. Gan Ping's thoughts are stirred, and if he tries himself, he might be accepted. People say that even under the mountain of immortals, one must go through rigorous tests to be recruited as a disciple, but what's happening in front of him has overturned his understanding - this recruitment is taking place in the mortal world. It seems there must be some reason behind it.
Gan Ping put away the long knife and then took off the ring, hanging it around his neck. This storage ring might cause trouble if seen by that black-bearded Taoist. As for the Tai Yi Chun Yang Zhen Jing he had practiced earlier, Gan Ping didn't pay much attention to it. This technique was a profound teaching method passed down from another continent in the Nine States, and it was unlikely anyone in this world would recognize it. Moreover, when practicing this technique, his entire body's energy would be withdrawn, forming a self-contained universe, making it impossible for others to detect, with no possibility of exposure.
His entire body was tidy, and Gan Ping put the fire on his shoulder into his palm, whispered a few words in its ear, and this clever little monkey fell asleep in his arms. Through his clothes, he contentedly stroked the fire, and Gan Ping walked towards the crowd with a package on his back. He really looked like a young man who had heard the news and was preparing to enter the mountain to practice.
As the long queue arrived in front of that group of Taoists, Gan Ping quietly circulated the Taiyi Pure Yang Scripture inside his body while raising his eyes to look over. Those Taoist children were only more than 20 people in appearance, with every two checking one child, but there was nothing special about it, just pinching their limbs and stroking their heads. This made Gan Ping somewhat astonished, could it be that simple? The threshold of cultivation was so low?
That black-bearded Taoist priest gazed at the crowd lined up in a long queue, speechless. "I never thought that nowadays they would use such means to recruit disciples. If our ancestors in the immortal realm were to find out, they would surely strike us down with thunderbolts and annihilate all of our sect's disciples. It's truly shameful. Fortunately, these children are not yet official sect members; otherwise, I would certainly remonstrate with our master and block such absurd behavior."
Those Dao children were busy, and more than half of the children present had passed the test. This made Gan Ping even more astonished and filled with doubts. The one who examined him was a slightly older Dao child. That Dao child pinched his arm, and a look of surprise appeared on his face. He then placed his hand on Gan Ping's head, and Gan Ping felt a thread of true yuan energy seeping into his body. He quickly retracted all his spiritual energy into a ball and hid it in his dantian. The Dao child suddenly showed a joyful expression, threw down the stunned Gan Ping, and ran quickly to the black-bearded Daoist's side. "Master Uncle, Master Uncle, I found a good seedling! His muscles are like water, his bones surpass refined steel, and his spirit is stable. However, without the Ling instrument, it's impossible to make a detailed distinction. I hope Master Uncle will carefully distinguish him."
The black-bearded Taoist raised an eyebrow and asked, "Xuan Xin, are you certain?" "Reporting to Master Tan Ming, I am absolutely sure." Tan Ming was slightly surprised by this affirmative answer. This time, he had gone out to find children of the right age to join the sect, but it was a reluctant move, so he hadn't even brought the most basic spirit-testing instrument. He had relied on the checks of a few younger disciples to pass them hastily. If he had gone to detect himself, he would have been certain that not one in ten would be suitable. This test of innate talent couldn't be so casual. A cultivator without a certain amount of innate talent would certainly have no hope for their entire life. What he hadn't expected was that this young man, who seemed to have no spiritual energy at all, was actually so excellent. If it weren't for the steady Xuan Xin saying so, he wouldn't have believed it. Thinking of this, Tan Ming put down his tense expression and walked towards Gan Ping, with Xuan Xin following half a step behind him. Tan Ming wanted to personally inspect the excellent talent that Xuan Xin had spoken of in Gan Ping.
