Chapter 2 Orthodox Sects

  Lin Fan squeezed out the sect master, and the sect master didn't have any objections. He picked up the water that Lin Fan had fetched and took a sip, asking: "Lin Fan, how's your progress with the Fasting Skill?"

  "There's no progress." Lin Fan replied.

  "It's been three months already, how come there's still no progress?" The sect leader asked discontentedly.

  Lin Fan unwrapped a food box from beside his foot and opened it, revealing glutinous rice chicken wrapped in lotus leaves. As he opened the leaves, fragrance wafted out. Lin Fan asked, "After seeing this, I've decided to temporarily not go on a hunger strike."

  Zong Zhu swallowed his saliva and patiently said: "Lin Fan, you are currently in the foundation-building period. You must absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and undergo more training. The five grains are coarse grains that block the clarity of true energy. Fasting, on the other hand, can..."

  Lin Fan turned his head and asked: "Are you eating? I ordered three portions."

  "...". The master stretched out his hand: "Bring it over."

  The old Daoist shook his head: "I'm telling you, can't you two be serious for once? I, the old Daoist, have mediocre innate talent and can't make further progress. You two have superior roots and qualifications, and fasting is an important part of cultivating truth and refining energy, separating from worldly affairs. Especially you, Lin Fan, you're still in the foundation-building period, and whether your foundation is good or not will affect your entire life. Look at you, you have high comprehension but comprehend the wrong things. When I tell you to fast, you sneak food. When I tell you to get up early to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, you sleep in late. When I tell you to clear your mind and reduce desires, you... this glutinous rice chicken is from that stall in Wangjia Village?"

  "Zhang Lao has good taste." Lin Fan took out another package of glutinous rice chicken wrapped in lotus leaves.

  Zhang Lao took over the glutinous rice chicken and opened it, with a sigh in his heart: "A hundred years ago, when I was as young as Lin Fan, I went out to drive away ghosts and passed through Wangjia Village. I had a good time with a little girl from Wangjia Village, which delayed my journey and led to bad consequences. I was punished with hard labor for ten years, but I was willing to accept it. During the three days in Wangjia Village, what I liked to eat most was this glutinous rice chicken."

  Lin Fan curiously asked: "Ten years later, did you go find that little one?"

  "It's better to be someone else's wife." Zhang Lao sighed, "The glutinous rice chicken eaten on that day was bitter beyond compare. Lin Fan, this man can remain single for his whole life, but he must experience a passionate and intense love once."

  "Wow! Zhang Lao, at your age, you're still so cunning?" Lin Fan gave a thumbs up.

  "The master calculated with his fingers: 'The Purple Bamboo Forest will be open next year, and you just happen to arrive on time.'"

  "Master, don't you have any ideas?"

  Zi Zhu Lin is a sect of Yun Qing Men, consisting entirely of women. The sect leader, Mie Jue Zhen Ren, has attained high spiritual cultivation and to avoid emotional entanglements between men and women that would disrupt their cultivation, Zi Zhu Lin is a forbidden area for outsiders. Every five years, it opens once, allowing single men and women to meet; if they find someone suitable, they can report to the sect leader and then practice dual cultivation together. Yun Qing Men does not prohibit marriage or childbirth.

  Apart from the Purple Bamboo Forest, Yun Qing Men also has the Tian Xing Sect, which is the largest sect in terms of population. The Hidden Immortal Sect, where the elders reside, is also a forbidden area. In addition to these, there are six other sects and one valley, each with its own unique cultivation style, and outsiders are not allowed to enter unless they have business there.

  The Zhengyi Sect is the smallest sect, with only three people: Lin Fan, the Sect Master, and Old Dao. This sect was founded by the previous Transmission Master Cao, who specialized in talismans and Daoist magic. Unfortunately, he only accepted one disciple, the Sect Master, before ascending to immortality. The Sect Master is a lazy person by nature, although he has exceptional talent. He loves to eat and sleep, and it's known that he hasn't even achieved complete Bigu after sixty years. In these sixty years, the Zhengyi Sect has only accepted one more person, Lin Fan. After being brought into the sect, he wasn't taught anything, but was given permission to enter the library to study on his own. If he didn't understand something, he would ask. Usually, no one asked him what he had learned, until he started building his foundation, at which point someone might occasionally show some concern.

  Some people say he is an outcast of Yunqing Gate, and he just smiled without answering. Lin Fan asked, "How can I have a master like you who is so idle?"

  The master replied: "This cultivation is originally a matter of reversing heaven and changing fate, it cannot be forced, and can only follow its natural course."

  Only Elder Zhang of the Orthodox Sect saw through it, and the elder told Lin Fan that among the twelve continents under the sky, there were countless large and small sects of cultivation. The ancestors of these sects may not all be superior in terms of their roots and bones, nor may they all have superior qualifications. However, there is one thing that must be superior, and that is enlightenment. Enlightenment has a congenital aspect, but the Sect Master does not think so. He believes that enlightenment can also be cultivated through practice. Simply memorizing sword techniques and Daoist methods can only pass on what previous generations have obtained, letting Lin Fan study and comprehend them himself is to cultivate his acquired enlightenment.

  Zhang Lao added one more sentence: "Nor can we rule out the possibility that he is really lazy."

  No matter what, during the foundation-building period, the sect master was very concerned about Lin Fan's progress and even went to the main hall of the sect master to persuade him to accept more disciples. In the end, he managed to get a dan medicine to help Lin Fan build his foundation. Apart from this dan medicine, Lin Fan did not have any external interference during his foundation-building period, everything was natural. As for his attitude towards Nuomi Chicken, the sect master said what he had to say, but Lin Fan didn't listen and remained calm. Each person has their own destiny.

  "General." Lin Fan made his move.

  "Zongzhu asked: 'How is the foundation building going?' The hundred-day foundation building period has now entered its final ten days."

  Lin Fan looked at the chessboard and replied, "Not bad."

  "What's 'alright' supposed to mean?" The master was dissatisfied again.

  "The lotus seed is in hand, and the true energy can be condensed, but this foundation-building consumes too much true energy. I rushed along the road yesterday, and before fighting with an old ghost last night, I felt a bit dizzy and weak all over my body."

  The sect master was overjoyed: "This is a good thing, the more solid the foundation, the more true energy it takes to build, the better your foundation is. You must work hard to cultivate your energy, meditate in the mountains morning and night, absorb the essence of the sun and moon, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth..."

  "Master, if it wasn't for my trickery yesterday, I'd be in the underworld by now. This isn't a good thing, this is a bad omen." Lin said with a frown.

  "The master waved his hand: 'That can't be done, your hidden virtues are insufficient, your cultivation is not enough, it's impossible to get to the underworld so quickly.'"

  Lin Fan grabbed him frantically: "You're saying you weren't worried I'd die?"

  "The Tao follows the heart, everything is a creation of nature." The sect leader closed his eyes and said profoundly: "Hanging is also a kind of creation of nature."

  Lin Fan didn't understand the meaning of this sentence, and asked in return: "If that's the case, why do I need to get up early and sleep late, and also abstain from food? Why did you go get the elixir for me to lay my foundation? It's all just fate anyway."

  "This... this problem..." The master thought for a moment: "Old Zhang, what's your take on it?"

  "Look at you, clearly talented but incredibly lazy. I'm telling you, even if you had one-third of the effort of a master, you'd be a master by now." Zhang Lao was fed up and then looked at Lin Fan: "The young surpass the old, his nature is more carefree than yours now. Fortunately, Lin Fan worked hard without rest, only to achieve some small success today."

  The sect master smiled and said, "After building the foundation for a hundred days, it's time to refine the foundation. This process can be long or short, depending on individual talent. When the lotus flower blooms, that's when the foundation refinement ends."

  Lin Fan curiously asked: "Master, what level should we train our flying swords to?"

  "Yuanying." The sect leader introduced: "What you see now is flying with a sword, don't think too much. Even if you want to fly with a sword, you must first have a sword in your mouth. Not any broken copper or rusty iron can be called a sword, it must be made from materials with spiritual energy through refining and casting. There is cold iron in the cold water pool inside the mountain, go get a piece, practice the sword into shape, and then you can fly with the sword."