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

  "Man's life is endowed with the primary energy of heaven and earth, as spirit and form; receiving the primary one energy, as liquid and essence. When heavenly energy is depleted, the spirit will disperse; when earthly energy is depleted, the body will become ill; when primary energy is depleted, life will be exhausted..."

  At dusk, in a small courtyard near the top of Mount Shu, among a group of peaks, there came the sound of someone reading.

  Luobei, wearing a blue cloth shirt, was reading a book seriously in front of an oil lamp on the table.

  "Luobei's younger brother is so serious."

  Suddenly, a voice was heard in Luobei's ear. "Luobei Shidi, may I disturb you?" The scattered footsteps stopped at the gate outside the courtyard.

  "Who is it?" Although he had been in Shu Mountain for three days, during these three days, the one who taught him to read and write was Xiao Xiang, that middle-aged scholar who brought Luo Bei to meet Yu Ruocheng and Yan Jingxie. As for the affairs of Shu Mountain, Luo Bei still knew nothing about it, nor had he seen anyone else, so Luo Bei did not know who was visiting at this moment either.

  Luobei, who was slightly stunned, opened the door of the courtyard, only to find two boys wearing the same green shirts as him and about the same age standing at the entrance.

  On the left was a handsome young man with a tall and sturdy build, half a head taller than Luo Bei. On the right was another youth with a beautiful head of black hair tied back with a silk cloth, his smile radiant and looking very elegant. "Luo Bei, junior brother." Seeing Luo Bei standing in front of them, slightly taken aback, this elegant young man smiled brightly and introduced himself and the tall youth beside him: "I'm Zi Gu Xuan, he's Ling Dong Shan, we're also disciples of Ge Li Feng, just like you. We entered a few days earlier than you, may I be so bold as to call you junior brother?"

  "This... is fine, of course." Upon hearing Zi Gu Xuan say that, Luo Bei immediately nodded, but he was still in a daze from facing the unexpected guest. Additionally, he didn't understand what kind of polite conversation to make, so after responding, he stood at the entrance, somewhat stiff, and for a moment, didn't know what to say.

  "In that case, we'll just have to call you Young Master Luo Bei then." Zi Gu Xuan smiled and asked: "Young Master Luo Bei, have you had dinner yet?"

  "No."

  "Since there isn't, that's just as well. We haven't eaten yet either, and Dongshan has prepared some food, so Brother Luobei, would you please invite us in to chat for a bit, have something to eat together, and get to know each other better?"

  “….Alright.” Luo Bei only then noticed that Ling Dongshan was holding a basket covered with blue cloth. Originally, Luo Bei had been eating food sent by the stuttering youth Lin Hang for the past three days, and it seemed that Lin would be arriving soon. However, seeing Zi Gu Xuan and Ling Dongshan being so enthusiastic, Luo Bei hesitated slightly before deciding not to decline their offer, inviting them into his room instead.

  Ling Dongshan took out a basin of salted peanuts, several roasted rabbit legs, a basin of smoked fish, some small dishes and some purple wild fruits that Luo Bei had never seen before. The white rice was in a wooden box, still emitting a warm steam.

  "I wonder where Lao Zhao Nan is now and what he's doing?" Seeing some yellowish dried fish, Luo Bei couldn't help but think of the old man who made delicious dried meat on that unnamed mountain peak in Luofu.

  "Luobei, don't be polite. We're all busy reading books and reciting scriptures during the day, so we didn't have time to prepare much. These dishes are just some small things we picked up in the kitchen. But this fruit is only found on Mount Shu, it's freshly picked and very fresh. You've just arrived at Mount Shu, you might not have tried it before, go ahead and try some."

  "En." Luo Bei collected his thoughts, took a bowl of rice handed over by Ling Dongshan, picked up a piece of dried fish with chopsticks and chewed slowly. "Zi Gu Xuan Shixiong, where do you and Ling Dongshan Shixiong live? Is it far from here?"

  "It's not far, just on the opposite Tianyu Peak. If you walk quickly, it'll only take one or two hours to go back and forth." Zigu Xuan nodded towards the window outside, "Now that the sky is darkening, with clouds and fog, we can't see our dwelling place, otherwise we would be able to see it."

  "How long have you been in Shu Mountain? Why are you all living together?"

  "We all arrived at Shu Mountain last month, just a month earlier than you." Zi Xuan Valley smiled slightly, with an almost imperceptible unusual expression flashing in his eyes. "The new disciples of Ge Li Qun Peak are all living on Tian Yu Peak, it's just that Luo Bei Shidi has exceptional talent, so he gets treated this way."

  "Is this treatment reserved for new disciples like me?"

  "Yes. The rest of the disciples, however, are six people in one room. And it's Xiao Xiang Shifu who personally teaches you to read and write, this is unprecedented not only on Ge Lai Peak but also throughout Shu Mountain."

  “……。”

  Luobei slowly ate and chatted with Zixuangu and Lingdongshan, his heart also slowly savoring all the flavors.

  Zi Xuan Valley and Ling Dong Mountain, although they only entered Shu Mountain a month earlier than Luo Bei, the two of them seemed to be already familiar with some things about Shu Mountain. After the two of them spoke, Luo Bei slowly came to know that there were thousands of disciples in Shu Mountain, and the name of the leader was Tian Yi Yue, but he had been in seclusion for ten years. The temporary leader was none other than Yu Ruochen, whom Luo Bei had already met. Now, the entire Shu Mountain was divided into three factions: Ge Li Qunfeng, Tian Zhu Qunfeng, and Jing Shen Qunfeng, which were respectively managed by Yan Jinglei, Zong Le Xuan, and Bing Zhu Qing.

  These three veins will have people outside selecting suitable disciples to bring back to Shu Mountain. Except for Luo Fu and Chi Le, Shu Mountain is the recognized power of the orthodox school of Tianxia Xuanmen, second only to Kunlun's first major sect. Under the inheritance of thousands of years, Shu Mountain has been passing on its teachings and doctrines in a steady and gradual manner, rather than taking a bold and aggressive approach.

  For the disciples selected by San Mai, after entering Shu Mountain, they first read books and recognized characters. They were informed of many principles beforehand, such as the "Nourishing Qi" chapter that Luo Beifang had read earlier, which explained how people can have sufficient vital energy and why they fall ill. Shu Mountain's approach was to clarify the principles before cultivating the Tao, with a focus not only on how to cultivate but also on understanding why it should be done in this way, and what harm might come from doing otherwise.

  Even in the case of the Gu Li school, even if it's a junior disciple, they all live on Tian Yu Peak and slowly study and practice calligraphy. There has never been a case like Luo Bei, where Xiao Xiang, a second-generation disciple of Shu Shan, personally teaches and rushes to catch up with the progress. Without saying more, it can already be known how much Gu Li values Luo Bei.

  Now, Zixuan Valley and Ling Dongshan still didn't understand why they had to split into three groups, nor did they know what the differences were between them. The two of them only heard that the disciples of Geli Peak had the most opportunities to go out and gain experience, and although they had this chance to enter the mortal world's revered Shu Mountain for cultivation, young people's hearts couldn't help but secretly rejoice at this point. However, when the two thought about this, they didn't think of another point: Shu Mountain was like other sects' outer and inner doors, also having entering disciples and entering chamber disciples. If one couldn't pass the trial, they would always be ordinary entering disciples. People like Zixuan Valley and Ling Dongshan now called people like Xiao Xiang "Shifu" (Master Uncle), only those who passed the trial could become one of their entering chamber disciples, and then receive the master's personally transmitted powerful techniques. Otherwise, wanting to roam the world with sword in hand as imagined, the opportunity was extremely slim.

  "How did you two get into Shu Mountain?" asked Luo Bei again.

  "I am a native of Zhongzhou Luoyang, and I happened to be spotted by Master Ao Huang's uncle, who brought me back to Shu Mountain." Ling Dongshan said so. Zi Xuan Valley, however, said: "My father is the master of the Purple Cloud Gate, he knows Master Xiao Xiang, so he recommended me to enter Shu Mountain."

  "Zi Yun Men?"

  "Five hundred miles from here is considered the outer gate of Shu Mountain." A hint of pride flashed in Zixuan Valley's eyes.

  Although the Ziyun Gate is far inferior to the Shushan, the Zixuan Valley has a foundation for cultivation. Moreover, with his father and Xiao Xiang having some connections, compared to other disciples, his background is much better.

  "I heard from Brother Zhe that after Master Xiao Xiang finishes teaching you, you'll be practicing with us too, and we'll have more chances to get close."

  "Luobei Shidi, now the entire Shu Mountain knows that we have a disciple like you with exceptional talent... It's said that your talent is the best in Shu Mountain for decades, and your future achievements will be boundless."

  "Yes, now if there's anything you don't understand or any trouble that needs help, just look for us. Who knows, maybe in the future when we're practicing and don't understand something, we'll have to ask you."

  “…..。”

  Ling Dongshan and Zi Xuangu said, Zi Xuangu suddenly took out a dozen or so cyan talismans again and handed them to Luo Bei.

  "What is this?" Luo Bei asked, looking at the dozen or so cyan-colored talismans handed over by Zi Xuangong.

  "This is the Divine Speed Charm refined by my father. As long as you stick it on your feet, your walking speed will be several times faster than usual within two hours. With this charm, you can also go to Tiān Yú Peak across from us during ordinary times. By the way, didn't Master Xiao Xiang tell you not to leave this place?"

  "This is not true..."

  Luo Bei looked at the dozen or so Spirit Travel Symbols handed over by Zi Xuan Valley, and for a moment didn't know whether to accept them or not. "Luo...Luo Bei junior brother." Just then, a stuttering voice came from the doorway, it was Lin Hang who had arrived with Luo Bei's meal.

  "What... what... you're eating."

  Ling Dongshan and Zi Xuangu were both there, and the three of them were eating. Ceng Hang, who was carrying a basket, apparently wanted to ask Luo Bei if he still needed the food he had brought, or if it should be left here. But Ceng Hang was originally stuttering, and hadn't expected Ling Dongshan and Zi Xuangu to be there, so the sudden presence of these two people seemed to make him somewhat nervous, and for a moment he couldn't get his words out due to his stutter.

  "What's there to eat? Eat what?" Zi Xuan Valley's refined face suddenly showed a hint of disdain, "Can't you see we're already eating?"

  "No... I... I..."

  "Goodbye, I'm done. Can't even get a word in edgewise, no wonder everyone looks down on me everywhere." Zi Xuan Valley let out a disdainful snort.

  "Never mind, don't say anything else, just go." Ling Dongshan also waved his hand at Lin Hang and said to Luo Bei: "Don't bother with him, it's said that he stayed in Shu Mountain for two years but still can't compare to a disciple who has been training for three months. Looking at his cultivation, it's impossible for him to become an inner disciple."

  Ling Dongshan's voice was not loud, but the room was not big, and Lin Hang obviously heard it. He couldn't help but lower his head, making himself look even more humble and small.