Chapter 1: The Seven-Colored Dragon Boat, Azure Pearl...

  Sometimes when someone has an obsession in their heart, it's hard to communicate with them.

  If he said something else to Xuan Wu Qi, he might not necessarily know his mistake.

  But in the dark night, Duantianya's words about accepting punishment and delaying cultivation were a direct stab at Xuemo's heart.

  Even if it is indeed considering Luo Bei as an opponent, the outcome of cultivation is not decided in a single day.

  "Why do those who cultivate the Tao, who should rely on themselves after rationalizing and practicing later, still form sects and factions, establish many rules and regulations, and be restricted by others, just for the sake of passing down their skills?"

  One glance and everything becomes clear, but in this instant, Xuan Wuji truly knew his mistake. However, for the first time he had violated the rules, a question suddenly appeared in his mind that made him somewhat puzzled.

  "Xuan Wu Qi did not heed his master's teachings, abandoned his fellow disciples and ventured into danger alone, violating the sect rules. As it was his first offense, he was sentenced to face the wall for ten days."

  Shu Mountain has a total of 1,420 peaks. Among them, 264 peaks have no Shu Mountain disciples living there, 382 peaks are inaccessible by road, and 32 peaks are forbidden areas. For new disciples like Ge Li, the number of peaks they can set foot on is limited to only 16.

  "Disciples of Mount Shu, must not harm fellow disciples... must not bully the weak with strength... must not form alliances with demons..."

  Xuan Wuji was summoned by Ming Hao, who was furious after being shocked. The next day, Ming Hao's expression was several times more severe than usual, and the disciples, including Luo Bei, spent the whole day reading the Shu Mountain Precepts.

  "I am different from them in that I don't have these tedious formalities."

  Luobei's heart was simple and pure, and apart from this thought, there were no other superfluous ideas in his mind.

  "Where is Teacher Minghao?"

  "Who is this?"

  "Look at the scar on his face."

  "What's with his eyes?"

  Another day passed, and after Luo Bei and Cai Shu finished practicing the foundation fist method, they found that the person guiding their cultivation had changed. The one standing in front of Luo Bei was no longer the slightly short and chubby Ming Hao, but a man with hair that was somewhat yellowish-brown, wearing a dark green long shirt, looking to be over thirty years old, with a very stern expression.

  What attracted the attention of Luo Bei and others was that this person had a terrifying scar on his left cheek, as if the flesh and blood on his left cheek had been blown away by some kind of treasure, and then regrown. It looked unspeakably shocking. And his left eye was also very strange, with black pupils that seemed to be twice as large as his right eye. His gaze swept coldly over Luo Bei and others, making everyone feel a chill in their hearts.

  "My name is Dan Ling Sheng, you can call me Master Uncle."

  The tall and thin man with yellowish hair and terrifying scars on his face stood in front of the rostrum of Yangxin Hall, saying to Luo Bei and others who were sitting back on the yellow grass mat.

  "So he was Dan Ling Sheng."

  "Do you know him?" Luo Bei was sitting next to Cai Lu at this moment and heard her muttering.

  "He is the third disciple of Bingzhugun, said to be ruthless and merciless, with a scar on his face that was left from a battle with an opponent who practiced evil magic. He single-handedly eliminated a sect that cultivated evil magic."

  "What's with his eyes?"

  "He didn't major in flying swords, but other Taoist techniques. His left eye is said to have been cultivated with a certain technique, and it should have some special function, which I don't know either." Cai Shu replied softly.

  "These past few days, I will be the one to teach you how to cultivate." Just then, Dan Ling Sheng suddenly gave a cold glance at Cai Shu and Luo Bei, as if he had overheard their conversation. Cai Shu and Luo Bei both felt a chill run down their spines. At this time, Dan Ling Sheng continued speaking in a low voice, almost whispering, but somehow everyone could hear him clearly. "I know that you are all sitting here because your innate talents are far superior to those of ordinary people, but don't think that just because you've arrived at Mount Shu, where treasures and flying swords fill the air, you will definitely achieve something. I'm not expecting every one of you to understand that cultivating the Way is not the same as practicing magic techniques. I only hope that you won't be as foolish as those idiots I taught before."

  After hearing these few words, the entire Yangxin Hall became even more quiet. Zi Xuangu and others were sitting upright, as if to prove that they were absolutely not fools.

  "Lo Bei." At this time, Dan Ling Sheng suddenly called out Lo Bei, "I heard that you collected five kinds of herbs the day before yesterday?"

  Luobei involuntarily glanced at Cai Shu and nodded slightly in surprise, "Yes, Master Dan Ling."

  "Do you know what would be refined if only the taro fruit and the tender shoots of the bamboo were put together without adding the Danshen wood?"

  "I don't know." Luo Bei looked at Cai Ou with a somewhat bewildered expression, and Cai Ou also slightly shook her head, this time she didn't know either.

  "Will you refine the Danmu wood and Xianglian leaves together?"

  "I don't know." Luo Bei shook his head again.

  "So that's all there is to having a high innate talent." Dan Ling smiled scornfully, not bothering with Luo Bei. His left hand moved suddenly, and a vivid illusion of a strange plant appeared before everyone's eyes. The plant was about three feet tall, with bright green leaves and black flowers. "Today, everyone will go to the Heaven Candle Peak again. Those who haven't found all five herbs previously should find them now. Those who have already found the five herbs should look for this poisonous arrow orchid instead. I'll give each of you a Flying Flame Token again, but since you've been to the Heaven Candle Peak before, you won't be going in pairs this time. You'll be going alone, so take care of yourselves. If you encounter danger and can't use the Flying Flame Token in time, don't blame me."

  After a pause, Dan Ling Sheng coldly swept his gaze over the crowd and said emotionlessly: "You all read the Shu Mountain Precepts yesterday. As before, I will use the Flying Flame Symbol as the signal this time. Anyone who sees the Flying Flame Symbol and does not immediately return will no longer need to stay on Shu Mountain!"

  "No need to stay in Shu Mountain, is this saying that you want to expel me from the sect?!" Luobei and others couldn't help but look up at Dan Ling Sheng, but seeing his deep and solemn expression, they all felt in their hearts that this severe Dan Ling Sheng was absolutely not an empty threat.

  "Luobei", at the iron chain bridge of Tianzhufeng, Luobei was suddenly stopped alone by Dan Ling who made these new disciples feel a little guilty. "Your relationship with Lin Hang seems to be pretty good."

  Luo Bei was taken aback by Dan Ling's sudden question, but he still nodded, "Yes, Master Jian Hang has been very kind to me. What's wrong, Master?"

  Dan Ling looked at Luo Bei and asked, "Since Cui Hang hasn't found the Xianxiang leaf yet, why didn't you tell him where you found it?"

  "How did Master Dan Ling know where we found the Xianglian leaves? How did he know that there were several more on the mountain cliff where we found them?"

  Luobei had such an idea in his heart, and after a slight hesitation, Dan Ling Sheng coldly smiled and said: "Luobei, there's a common saying that if you don't want others to know, then you shouldn't do it yourself. Moreover, this is in Shu Mountain, you and the Xing Shen disciples have already clashed, so how could others not know? However, I'm not here to pursue this point now. I just saw you walking with Ceng Hang earlier, seemingly hesitant, probably wondering whether or not to tell him, but you ultimately didn't say anything. I'm just curious, why didn't you tell him?"

  "The rocks in that place are a bit loose, it's quite dangerous." Luo Bei replied coldly, staring at Dan Ling Sheng, "His legs and feet are not convenient, this time you let us enter the mountain alone again, I'm afraid if I tell him, he'll go to that place and encounter an accident. Thinking about it, maybe if I don't tell him about that place, he'll find another place, so I didn't tell him."

  "So it was like that?" Dan Ling stood coldly beside the iron chain, watching Luo Bei's figure enter the dense forest. "Luo Bei, I hope you spoke from your heart."

  "I don't know if Cai Shu is afraid of being alone. She shouldn't be, she seems to have practiced Taoist magic before and is much more powerful than us."

  "Last time, we didn't seem to have seen the poisonous arrow orchid that Master Dan Ling Sheng asked us to find. Why not change direction and look for it?"

  Luobei was thinking this way, with a Flame Talisman tightly grasped in his hand. Last time he didn't use one of the Flame Talismans, and this time Danling Sheng had sent another one, so now he actually had two Flame Talismans, one Wood Thunder Symbol, and after giving some to Lin Hang, three remaining Divine Movement Symbols were left.

  Tianzhufeng occupies a vast area, and after walking in the opposite direction for three or four miles, Luobei discovered a forest where many mountain birds gathered. The types of tall trees in this forest are diverse, and with Luobei's eyesight, he could only recognize two or three species. When Luobei entered this forest, countless flying birds were startled and took to the sky, and feathers fell from the sky like snowflakes.

  The ground was covered with a thick layer of bird droppings, and the branches and shrubs were filled with nests, among which many yellow-beaked white-haired young birds were crying out for food. It wasn't until Luo Bei passed through this forest that it slowly returned to its tranquility.

  As they walked further ahead, the mountains and forests seemed even more barbarous and desolate. Countless thick vines were intertwined with each other, and Luo Bei walked even more cautiously.

  Because Luo Bei had stayed in the Luofu for a long time, he was very clear about the rules of the wild forest. The gathering place of these ordinary mountain birds should also be coveted by some bird-eating snakes and beasts, but there were no traces of snakes and beasts near this forest. Generally speaking, there is only one possibility, that is, there are ferocious beasts or birds of prey nearby that make those snakes and beasts even more fearful.

  "Camphor tree"

  Water Chestnut Fruit

  All the way forward, that poisonous arrow orchid seemed to be much rarer than other medicinal herbs. Until the sun was about to set and the sky gradually darkened, it was estimated that there was only half an hour left before Dan Ling Sheng released the flying flame talisman. Luo Bei discovered several of the medicinal herbs he had been searching for, but still hadn't found the poisonous arrow orchid he was looking for.

  "It seems like I'll be leaving empty-handed today."

  With time running out, Luo Bei didn't dare to venture deeper and could only follow the marks he had made earlier, slowly making his way back while carefully searching along the way. Suddenly, he spotted a plant with black flowers. "The leaves don't seem quite right, it's not Poison Arrow Orchid." But what left him somewhat disappointed was that after carefully digging up the plant and bringing it to his eyes, Luo Bei discovered that the shape of its branches and leaves didn't match those of the Poison Arrow Orchid either.

  "Is this the poisonous arrow orchid you're looking for?" Just then, a gloomy voice suddenly sounded from behind him, "It's that old ghost Dan Ling Sheng who sent you to find this, isn't it?"

  He turned around in shock, and with one glance, he saw that behind him, at some unknown time, a gaunt man clad entirely in black robes had appeared. The man's face was hidden behind a gruesome white skull mask, making it impossible to discern his age or features. An eerie, ominous aura emanated from him. In his hand, aside from grasping a sprig of poison arrow lan with green leaves and black flowers, he also held a string of white prayer beads. Upon closer inspection, these white prayer beads seemed to be made from human finger bones strung together!