Chapter 28: The Inner Gate and the Twelve Departments

  After a day and night of consolidation, Wang Guang did not practice the additional Taoist techniques in "The Great Zhou Tian Golden Elixir Guiding Technique", but instead left the underground secret chamber, wrapped his body with the Precious Light, and returned to the inner gate to see that old Taoist.

  "Senior brother, I have already broken through the third layer of the Law Gate." As he spoke, Wang Guang released a wisp of his spiritual power and a ball of green smoke swirled in his palm, proving that what he said was not false.

  "You didn't disappoint me." The old Taoist's face lit up with joy upon seeing the extremely pure spiritual power in Wang Guang's hand. "Take this token to the main hall of our sect, where you'll find the Hall of Transmission. After you've been there, give this token to the sect and they will register you, only then can you be considered a true member of our sect."

  "Are you saying that the current inner disciples are not considered to be truly part of the Yi Qi Sect?" Wang Guang looked at Lao Dao with a puzzled expression.

  "It is indeed so, according to the sect's rules, only those who break through the bottleneck of the law by relying on their own strength are considered true disciples of the sect. In this gathering place for inner sect disciples, no matter how powerful your magical powers are, if you didn't break through the bottleneck through your own bitter cultivation, then you don't count as a true disciple of the One Qi Sect." The old Daoist said, taking out a jade dustpan from his sleeve, which was only the size of a palm. It felt cool and smooth in his hand, made from high-quality jade.

  "Boundless Heaven Venerable!" Upon hearing this, Wang Guang's heart skipped a beat. He had thought that as an inner sect disciple, he was already considered a core member of the sect, but it turned out that even inner sect disciples were only slightly higher in status than outer sect disciples and still didn't count as truly joining the One Qi Sect.

  "When you arrive at the Sect's Transmission Hall, there will be a Dan Master who will ask if you want to become an apprentice. If you are willing, you can choose a Dan Master to guide you. If not, no one will force you, and the sect won't abandon you because of this." The old Daoist looked very pleased, his usually pale face flushing with excitement. "Having a Dan Master as your master, although they can't teach you every day, can help you with some small things, and even help you resolve that restriction on selling the Hundred Li Flowing Light to inner sect cultivators."

  "Thank you, senior brother." After hearing this, Wang Guang felt grateful and bowed to the other party. He then asked the old Taoist some things he should pay attention to, and the old Taoist answered them one by one in detail. No matter what thoughts he had, but Wang Guang was very grateful to him.

  Due to the old Taoist's reminder, Wang Guang knew that he would no longer live here after leaving the inner gate this time, so he simply packed up his clothes in the room and threw out the treasure, transforming into a red light flying towards the mountain peak where the main hall of the sect was located.

  The main hall of the sect is located on a mountain peak about a thousand miles away from the inner gate mountain where he is, although his magical powers have become more refined, but the quality of the hundred-mile flowing light has not improved much, so it took two hours to reach the mountain peak where the main hall of the sect is located: Yiqi Mountain.

  At a distance, Wang Guang saw the delicate scenery on the mountain peak. The whole mountain was thousands of feet high, with white clouds drifting at half-mountain waist, and mist gathering and flowing from all sides. In between, there were red cranes soaring in the sky, and green birds standing still on branches; wolves, insects, tigers, and leopards walked along the mountain stream path, while brocade fish and water monsters swam freely at the bottom of the water.

  On the mountain, there are thousand-year-old pines and cypresses, with a thread of green air entwined among them. There is a ten-thousand-year-old spiritual medicine, with squirrels and spirit cats wandering around. The mountain is a good mountain, but it also has its share of steep and treacherous terrain, with countless dark caves and strange rock formations standing upright.

  King Guang hastily swept a glance at the scene and didn't carefully measure it up, but instead directly arrived at the mountain top.

  It is unknown what kind of divine method was used, the entire mountain top was flattened into a flat ground, dozens of palaces and pavilions of various sizes were built on it in a certain position. From the air, each palace and pavilion had a cultivator sitting cross-legged on it, and there were restrictions on the palaces and pavilions that flowed with light, looking very heavily guarded.

  Following the old Taoist's hint, Wang Guang directly pressed down on Baoguang and landed on a square. As soon as he landed, according to the map, he quickly dusted himself off and rushed towards the location of the Transmission Hall.

  All the way, I only saw a building called the Scripture Pavilion, a palace called the Dan Medicine Room, and a high tower called the Material Room. I saw many names of buildings and palaces, as well as practitioners sitting cross-legged on top of each building and palace, but did not see any other practitioners walking on the ground.

  Although he was puzzled in his heart, since he didn't have any acquaintances here, he suppressed the doubt and waited for an opportunity to ask again.

  After passing by this building and going through that palace, they soon arrived in front of a palace.

  The palace is built with huge stones, and colorful lights flash on it from time to time. Upon closer inspection, except for the large stone gate with floral patterns, there are no decorative elements on the entire building.

  Standing in front of the tightly closed great gate, Wang Guang bowed his head and said: "Infinite Heavenly Lord! My humble name is Wang Guang. Yesterday, I just broke through the bottleneck of the Dharma Gate. According to the sect's rules, I have come to the Transmission Hall to register and create a record."

  "Come in." A clear voice came from inside the palace, and judging by the sound, it was a woman.

  The stone gate opened by itself, and Wang Guang didn't hesitate, stepped up the stairs, and in seven or eight steps he arrived inside the palace. As soon as he entered, the stone gate closed, but he didn't feel any fluctuations of magical power, nor did he notice anyone casting spells or triggering mechanisms.

  Inside the palace, it is extremely spacious, with thirty-six stone pillars standing upright. Although the positions of the stone pillars are different, no matter where Wang Guang stands, he can see a practitioner sitting cross-legged under each pillar, either male or female, old or young. Some wear conservative clothes and look like a Taoist priest, while others expose their breasts and show off their seductive and lewd appearance.

  These thirty-six Qi practitioners saw Wang Guang enter and immediately shifted their gaze onto him.

  "Little doll, are you willing to become my apprentice?" The female voice that had allowed Wang Guang to enter spoke again. Following the sound, he saw a young female cultivator speaking.

  Following the sound, she saw that the female practitioner was wearing a golden silk Taoist crown on her head and a palace dress with a waistband. The palace dress reached the ground, covering up her small feet, but revealed a pair of white and tender hands and a neck as white as a flower. Her eyes were like silk, her cheeks were like peach blossoms, and her mouth was like a cherry blossom. When she spoke, her voice was soft and sweet, making people's bodies involuntarily feel weak and limp.

  "Boundless Heaven Venerable! What requirements are there to become a disciple? And what restrictions will I face after becoming one?" Just a glance, and Wang Guang felt his mind and spirit stirring, his entire body's magical energy seemingly out of control, rampaging wildly within him. He was so frightened that he hastily lowered his eyes, avoiding the woman's countenance.

  Although he said so, the face of this female practitioner still involuntarily emerged in his mind. What terrified him even more was that in his mind, the female practitioner's clothes were all gone, revealing her soft and delicate body. She either raised her arms to swing her slender waist or lifted her legs to reveal her private parts, making his heart burn with desire, as if he wanted to strip off his clothes and press her to the ground to brutally ravage her.

  He struggled to maintain his composure, but the images in his mind only became clearer. Another male image appeared in his mind, with a face that looked like his own. The female and male images entwined together, sometimes whispering softly, sometimes moaning quietly; each collision, each pose, only stirred up his emotions and tempted him further.

  Just as Wang Guang was about to lose his grip and become completely absorbed in the scene unfolding in his mind, a loud and fierce voice reached his ears.

  "There are no requirements to become a disciple, as long as you're willing. We have 36 Dan masters here, feel free to choose one." As soon as the words were spoken, Wang Guang suddenly came back to his senses. Although he knew he must have made a fool of himself just now, he didn't feel embarrassed at all. He simply shook off the dust, put on a dignified and elegant demeanor, and looked towards the speaker.

  A gaunt man with most of his body exposed and various patterns painted on him sat cross-legged at the base of a stone pillar.

  At this time, the man smiled strangely and said: "Just now, Yan Yun Dao's behavior, don't take it to heart. This is a test of your wisdom according to our sect's rules. Although our sect doesn't attach much importance to wisdom, basic cultivation is still necessary." The man pointed at the female Qi practitioner and continued: "Moreover, you also took advantage of Yan Yun Dao just now, so it's even."

  Wang Guangyi heard this and chuckled a few times. The female Dan master beside him furrowed her eyebrows slightly, then closed her eyes and stopped speaking.

  "Is there a benefit?" Wang Guang turned his head again and gazed at the thin Dan Master.

  "I don't even know what kind of benefits you're referring to." Upon hearing Wang Guang's words, all the alchemists looked at him with interest. The thin alchemist chuckled and said in a low voice: "If you become our apprentice, we might teach you some techniques or answer your questions about the Dao during our free time, but we won't spend a lot of time lecturing you on scriptures and theories. If in the future you have the potential to condense a Golden Elixir and become an alchemist, then your master might lend you a hand when you're in trouble. But if you don't have the potential to condense a Golden Elixir, then don't even think about mentioning who your master is when you're in trouble outside, let alone expecting your master to help you find a way out. And if in the future your achievements surpass those of your master, just don't forget to give your master some benefits and that's all."

  "When I was in the inner gate, there was an inner gate disciple who opposed me. I don't know if he can help me deal with that inner gate disciple after I become his master." Wang Guang furrowed his brow and asked again.

  "This is not possible."

  "That poor Taoist will no longer pay respects."

  "It's all the same, having a master or not doesn't make much difference, and having one would only bring some constraints, but it's better to be carefree and happy on your own."

  "The sect has twelve departments: Lingtian, Lianqi, Materials, Medicine Garden, Spiritual Beast, Symbol, Crystal Mine, Outer Gate, Inner Gate, Earthwork, Hidden, and Secular. You can now choose one of these twelve departments to serve in, and each year complete some tasks assigned by the sect." The thin Taoist priest saw that Wang Guang was not enthusiastic about becoming his apprentice, but instead of being dissatisfied, he smiled and started talking about other things.