Chapter Ten: The Ceremony of Becoming a Disciple

  A few days after turning eighteen, one morning, after testing his knowledge of everything, Shuixian put down the book and handed him a piece of paper, saying seriously with a small face:

  "That's all for today, take a good rest these few days. At the master appointment ceremony three days later, you will be apprenticed to this person!"

  "Yuanfeng took a look and was shocked, saying: "Yuanhuang Tianxian! This... good Water Immortal, I've heard my companions talk about it before. This Yuanhuang Tianxian is the sole survivor of the destruction of Jiuhua Mountain a thousand years ago. Although he has reached the Heavenly Man stage, his strength is not sufficient, so he temporarily cannot ascend to the upper realm and voluntarily stays on Jiuhua Mountain as a mountain god. He spends his days eating and drinking, and doesn't even care about the destruction of Jiuhua Mountain. His disciples in the past were dissatisfied with his lack of responsibility and left halfway to find another master. It's said that he not only didn't give anything to his disciples but also made them steal wine and food for him. What kind of master is this? Why would I want to follow him?"

  "Rumors that are not seen are often true, Xiaodou. In my opinion, no one is more suitable to be your master than him. What can those somewhat capable cultivators offer you? At most, they'll give you their useless treasures and low-grade elixirs, teach you some basic techniques... You're so clumsy, how can you compare to those clever and likable disciples? Even if there's something good, you won't get it. Why not follow in the footsteps of a successful immortal instead? Remember, following the path of success is an eternal truth!"

  Xiao Dou nodded and said: "Shui Xian, what should I do then? Will he teach me some powerful magic? Now, the only thing I can think of is to first achieve the Heavenly God's Great Success. Having a powerful and useful innate divine ability will help you and Lao Da become a useful person in the future. However, this technique is not easy to practice. After ten years, I still haven't even mastered the first layer."

  "Hey, Xiaodou, don't worry, it's normal if you can't master the first layer. Even my best friend, Xiao Xueqi, couldn't do it! Don't worry, I've asked around and found out that as a disciple of the Earth Immortal Sect, the Earth Immortal will teach them the legendary Nine Yin and Nine Yang Divine Technique. You're suited for the Nine Yang Divine Technique, which is a yang-based technique. And then there's the Golden Body Protection Technique and the Great Qiankun Shift. You can choose the Golden Body Protection Technique, which can be practiced together with the Nine Yang Divine Technique. If you practice to the extreme, maybe you can even overcome the Heavenly Tribulation. As for what others say about this path being impractical, it's not the same for you. You've eaten the Longevity Pill, so your lifespan is longer than theirs. Your foundation is also solid, and after practicing the Sacred Battle Technique, your body can withstand the pain of the Golden Body Protection Technique. Most importantly, this can cure your cold disease!" Water Fairy said, tears streaming down her face!

  Xiao Dou said with a gloomy face: "I knew nothing could be hidden from you, Shui Xian. Don't do this, I'm a boy, and it's only right that I should bear this!"

  "None of that!" Water Fairy cried out in a loud voice: "It's all me, it's all because of me. Because I wanted wealth and treasure by any means necessary to win over the cultivators, you had to dive into that damned Cold Spring again and again. How many times has your body suffered over the years? I know all about it. And Xiao Dou, I'm not as good as you think I am, do you know that? Even if you have a deep accumulation of blessings and mastered the Nine Yang Divine Art, you won't be able to achieve great success. That's an ancient divine art, unsuitable for this world with scarce resources. In the future, you'll at most reach the Sword Control Realm, as for forming a Dan, it's impossible! I did all this because I didn't want to have any flaws in my mental state, I didn't want to go crazy... Sorry..."

  Xiao Dou lowered his head, thought for a moment, and smiled awkwardly: "Good Water Fairy, actually... actually I just wanted to tell you, I don't understand what is realm, what is sword control, uh ~ these things you never taught me!"

  "Ah~" The clever and nimble Water Fairy stared at him with a dull expression, saying: "You... how can you not understand? Is the realm of cultivation so simple that even basic knowledge is beyond your grasp? These are things that everyone chats about casually!"

  Xiao Dou let out a deep sigh and said: "Isn't it because of that Dan medicine I took when I was young? While everyone envies me, they also always exclude me. You know this too, right? Besides fighting and bad luck, nothing good ever happens to me. How hateful! From now on, no matter what good things happen to me, I won't show them off!"

  "Hmph~ Hehe~" Xian'er wiped away her tears and smiled, saying: "You're always so muddle-headed, Xiao Dou. I've always been straightforward with you, but the things I've kept from you were for your own good. However, now that you're eighteen and grown up, it's time for you to take charge of some things!"

  Xiaodou said impatiently: "Whatever you say, Xiaoxian, I'll listen to you and it's definitely right."

  He smiled wryly and shook his head, saying: "This matter has both good and bad for you, I must explain it clearly to you, Xiao Dou. I think this way: you have a cold disease in your body, and you must learn the most yang and powerful divine art to completely eliminate the pain in your body. The strongest divine art is none other than the Nine Yang Divine Art of Master Yuan Fei. However, if you cultivate this kind of ancient divine art, it will be difficult for you to reach the stage of forming a dan, that is to say, your lifespan will not exceed three hundred years at most!"

  "Three hundred years!" Xiaodou exclaimed with a laugh: "Being able to live for three hundred years is so great, I'll definitely work hard to cultivate my skills, and then I can eat all the delicious food in the world!"

  At this time, Shuixian's eyes turned cold and her voice was light as she said: "Xiaodou, you have to think carefully. Choosing to follow Yifei may not necessarily mean you can learn the divine technique, and even if you do learn it, there is no guarantee that you will be able to reach the next step. And finally, if you are lucky enough to reach the Yu Jian period and gain a lifespan of 300 years, we will part ways. You will go on to enjoy the joys of human life because... I don't have the courage to watch you grow old and die!

  Xiao Dou's body trembled, took a deep breath and laughed: "So be it, Shui Xian. No matter what, Xiao Dou thanks you for everything you've done for me. You don't have to feel indebted to me either. If not for you, I would have died long ago, wouldn't I? Every day... every day of living is a narrow escape from death, so what's there to hold onto?"

  "Hey, stupid mung bean, don't think you can just look down on me like that! You know, I didn't notice before, but you actually have some potential to be a little bald monk. You gotta work hard, got it?"

  Xiao Dou asked with a casual smile: "I see, oh ~ right ~ good Water Fairy, besides the children here, do other mountain peaks have children who come to apprentice? Why is the eldest so tense about other mountain peaks?"

  "Got it," said Shuixian, nodding her head. "There are nine peaks in the Jiuhua Mountain, with the main peak being Zhongyang Peak, followed by Luori Peak, Haitian Peak, Xiao Yao Peak, Juedi Peak, Shenjian Peak, Tiandao Peak, Zizhu Peak, and Baoming Peak. We're currently disciples at Shenjian Peak, but on the day of the Master Ceremony, all the new disciples from the nine peaks will gather at Zhongyang Peak. Then, either the seniors from the nine peaks will choose their own disciples or we'll have to find our own masters in the square. Remember, I'm going to Haitian Peak, come visit me when you have time!"

  Xiao Dou said with a worried face: "Xiao Dou will definitely find Shui Xian, but where will I go? Is it far from where you are?"

  "Far, very far from here, the peaks are separated by hundreds of miles. If you can't learn to fly with a sword, you won't be able to find me! Xiaodou, don't be sad, I'll remember you're at Xianyao Peak too. After all, your master is the mountain god of Xianyao Peak and won't forget. If I learn how to fly with a sword, I'll go look for you to play together and we can see who finds who first!"

  Three days later, on the grand hall of Bai Shi, hundreds of children from this mountain peak were taken to the magnificent and majestic Zhongyang Peak by a flying ship. Xiao Dou also followed Shui Xian and hundreds of children to stand silently on the vast bluestone square, waiting for more and more children to arrive. Swords, gourds, ships, and strange beasts flew in the sky, carrying cultivators back and forth, presenting a magnificent scene of immortals. It was clear that their elders inside the grand hall had been busy day and night for this moment.

  After a while, an excited voice came, "Xiao Dou is Xiao Dou, Xiao Mei hurry over, found Xiao Dou, and also Xiao Guo Jie!"

  Xiao Dou looked up and stared blankly at the two extremely familiar figures, it took him a long time to react, then he laughed foolishly and shook his hand, saying:

  "Xiao Mei, Xiao Xiao, it's you guys! Ah, I'm so mad at you!"

  "Really, it's Xiaoxiao and Xiaomei! How did you guys come here? Hehe, I'm so glad to see you!"

  Two little girls ran over hand in hand, and a tiny, mischievous laugh said:

  "We returned home to find that our parents had passed away, and it was meaningless to follow those relatives to make a living. We inquired about Mount Jiuhua everywhere and came to find you. Fortunately, you left me a lot of travel expenses at the beginning, and after a long and arduous journey, I finally arrived at Mount Jiuhua. Then, following the tourists, we climbed up the mountain and knelt down in front of the mist on the mountain for a day and night, finally moving the immortal cultivator with our story. After hearing about our experiences, he finally allowed us to join the sect!"

  Xiao Mei smiled sweetly and said, "It's all thanks to Xiao Xiao taking care of me along the way. He even got stabbed by a bad guy for my sake. If it weren't for him, I would have been bullied ten times already! *sigh* It feels so great that everyone is reunited now!"

  Shuixian's big eyes blinked lightly as she smiled and said, "Xiaoxiao, to be honest with you, when I first saw the temptation of wealth towards you, I immediately became wary of you. But unexpectedly, you turned out to have feelings and righteousness, taking care of Xiaomei all the way until now. Sorry, Shuixian will treat you even better from now on!"

  Xiao Xiao blinked her big eyes with a pleased smile and said: "This is just right, if you throw us away again, I'll beat the crap out of you! Me, Xiao Xiao, loudly says that I like money, I like treasures, but what I cherish most is our relationship!"

  Xiao Dou nodded and said: "Xiao Xiao, you're really great, but you can't beat Shui Xian. She now knows nine magic spells, isn't that formidable?"

  Xiao Mei happily laughed and said: "Can't call you Xiao Guo anymore, have to call you Shui Xian Jie now. Shui Xian Jie, you must work harder, Xiao Xiao can already use seven magic spells now, be careful or she'll surpass you! Cough... I mean, I can also use four magic spells now!"

  "Xiaodou, you see that, others like Xiaoxiao and Xiaomei who came later are all better than you. Never mind, I won't criticize you anymore. Just smile and go to find your master happily later. By the way, I will go to Haitian Peak, Xiaodou will go to Xiao Yao Peak, where will you two go?"

  Xiao Qiang said: "I'm going to Tiandao Peak to learn the Qimen Dunjia formation, Xiaomei is going to Zizhu Peak, and we'll play together when we grow up."

  Narcissus smiled and said: "It's settled then. We'll work hard together, and when we grow up, we'll travel the world, laughing and proud, with no worries!"