Chapter 6: Auditing Disciples
The voice sounded familiar. Li Muran turned around and noticed that Mu Li was also one of the few disciples that no one wanted.
At this moment, a middle-aged Taoist priest in his thirties entered the main hall, and the disciples immediately ceased their noise and commotion
By doing this, it neither violates the sect's rules nor leaves any ambiguity for Junior Brother Zixia. What do all the fellow disciples think?" Daoist Cangxia stroked his white beard and inquired about the opinions of the other Daoists
Li Muran sighed, saying: "Our identities are awkward, and we must not meddle! If this minor issue is pursued, both parties will inevitably face punishment from the sect; as mere auditing disciples, even a slight penalty could result in expulsion from the sect"
Why is that?" Li Muran asked curiously
Senior Brother Zhao is correct; one must endure momentary anger in order to achieve great plans for the future. Mu Li stuck out his tongue and silently nodded in agreement.
Li Muran, upon hearing this, appeared to be deep in thought, while the other youths began to show signs of impatience
What do you want to do? The young man in fine clothes instinctively took a step back, feeling somewhat anxious. Currently, none of them had cultivated any spells, and if a real fight broke out, given Zhao Wuming's hard-earned keen eyesight and strength, he would most likely be at a disadvantage.
"Why should we give up the front row seats just because we arrived a moment earlier?" Mu Li said indignantly.
As for the other disciples, their situations are quite similar; they all use low-level enlightenment talismans for their awakening, but the results are poor. Their cultivation aptitude is not high, and thus they are overlooked by others
The old Daoist Chi Xia said dismissively: "Why should the sect leader brother make things difficult? Are we really going to ruin the sect's rules for a few useless disciples? It's a pity that the sect leader brother announced thirty years ago that he would no longer accept disciples; otherwise, he could have simply taken them in as disciples to avoid missing out on 'talent', haha"
... ... ''
Get up, go to the back! Seven or eight young boys walked up to Li Muran and Mu Li, shouting loudly
The path of cultivation is, in essence, the refinement of the three treasures: essence, energy, and spirit
Li Muran and Mu Li arrived here early, sitting in the front row to hear more clearly
The words of the well-dressed youth elicited a burst of laughter. Amidst the unrestrained laughter, their pride as formal disciples was hard to conceal
Qingfengzi smiled faintly, waved his hand to signal the disciples to be quiet, and then said: "To fly with a magical tool and manipulate it from a distance, one must achieve a state of astral projection; this state is called astral travel. The sect leader and all the senior uncles and aunts are practitioners at the astral travel stage"
"Was it you who did this?" Li Muran gently shook his head and said softly to Mu Li. He naturally did not possess the leisure to compete with those young men in a moment of passion.
How long does it take to cultivate in order to perform magical spells and abilities
Could this be related to the mysterious runes in the mirror
We, the seekers of immortality and the way, have all heard a saying: The Dao gives birth to One, One gives birth to Two, Two gives birth to Three, and Three gives birth to all things. Among these, 'Dao' refers to the heavenly principle, 'One' represents chaos, 'Two' signifies heaven and earth, and 'Three' embodies essence, energy, and spirit
During the period of spiritual wandering, some disciples were even more perplexed, while others had heard of this concept before
His voice was high-pitched and resonant, with clear enunciation. Although seated in the back row, Li Muran and others could still hear him distinctly
After this, one must absorb and refine the primordial energy of heaven and earth in accordance with the law, and use this energy to clear the other meridians and acupoints in the body that are obstructed by worldly impurities. This level of attainment is known as the Qi Meridian Stage. All of us disciples are at the Qi Meridian Stage.
Upon hearing the sarcasm of the old Daoist Chixia, several disciples felt both ashamed and embarrassed, their hearts growing increasingly unsettled
The middle-aged Taoist spoke in a loud voice: "I am Qingfengzi, a humble Taoist. I have been in the sect for nearly twenty years, serving as a deacon at the Zixia Temple. Today, at the behest of my master and senior brother, I have come to explain the fundamentals of cultivation to all my fellow disciples."
After several days of exploration, Li Muran finally understood the changing patterns of his ancestral divine light. He discovered that at night, the ancestral divine light shone brightly, like brilliant stars competing with the bright moon; however, during the day, with the first rays of sunlight breaking through, the ancestral divine light would suddenly become dim and subtle, almost imperceptible.
"Refer to Senior Qingfeng!" The disciples all bowed in greeting, and Qingfengzi slightly clasped his hands in return, bowing in a circle.
This is the classification of the realms of cultivation. Qingfengzi continued, "The first step in cultivation is to open the bright orifice; this is something you have all already achieved"
Why does the ancestral aperture's divine light undergo changes between day and night? Li Muran pondered this question endlessly
As soon as he took his seat, the young man in splendid attire exclaimed "Ouch!" and suddenly stood up. On the seat, a wooden splinter had appeared without notice, piercing a small wound in the young man's thigh and causing a few drops of fresh blood to ooze out
Purple Cloud Temple! Isn't it the temple of Master Zixia? I wonder when Master Zixia will return, and whether he will accept us as disciples and allow us to stay in the sect? Mu Li couldn't help but indulge in his thoughts, feeling somewhat anxious.
Since the sect leader has made a decision, we naturally will not oppose it said the Red Cloud Daoist with a smile He turned to Li Muran and the others and said You must work hard to seize the opportunity and not let down the sect leader's good intentions
That's great, Senior Brother Zhao, we can stay in the sect again!" said a disciple beside Li Muran.
Li Muran took out the bronze mirror multiple times, studying it over and over again, yet he found no clues, and the bronze mirror did not emit any light again
Isn't the best cultivation method to simultaneously refine essence, energy, and spirit?" Li Muran listened intently and couldn't help but ask.
Hearing the laughter of the crowd, Mu Li felt both ashamed and angry. He pointed at the young man in splendid attire and said, "You, with the surname Wen, should not go too far! Not long ago, you sought guidance from Senior Brother Zhao on the drawing of incantations, and now you are being utterly ungrateful!"
In the coming days, most of the disciples will be busy with various matters related to their initiation. They will also move out from the New Talent Peak and settle into the mountain of their sect's temple, officially becoming disciples of the Yuanfu Sect and new practitioners in the realm of immortality. From now on, they may refer to themselves as cultivators, gradually distancing themselves from the mortal world
"Senior Qingfeng, how long do we need to cultivate before we can ride the clouds and wield swords to defeat our enemies?" The young man with the surname Wen in the front row couldn't help but ask, as he had little interest in these tedious principles.
Upon witnessing this scene, some gloating disciples could not help but cover their mouths and stifle their laughter
Requesting Master Zhangmen's approval! Li Muran and several disciples all believed that Master Cangxia was the most accommodating, so they all pleaded with him.
Li Muran suddenly stood up with a start, narrowing his eyes as he looked at the young man in brocade.
You are quite perceptive! The young man in splendid attire let out a sigh of relief and sat down triumphantly.
"Do not overthink it, listen attentively to the teachings!" Li Muran interrupted Mu Li, signaling for him to be quiet
"It's nothing, please give Senior Brother Wen your seat!" Li Muran smiled slightly, tugged at Mu Li's sleeve, and walked towards the back row
Essence is the foundation of the body. Blood vessels and bones all belong to "essence," which refers to essence blood and essence bones; Qi is the primordial energy of heaven and earth, transformed from the refined energy between heaven and earth. If cultivated within the body and controlled by oneself, it becomes one's own magical power; Spirit refers to the collective of consciousness, will, and thoughts. Every action you take is governed by the "spirit." In this vast world, there are myriad cultivation methods, but fundamentally, they all revolve around the cultivation of the three treasures of essence, Qi, and spirit. This is what is meant by "all methods do not depart from essence, Qi, and spirit." In this vast world, there are myriad cultivation methods, but fundamentally, they all revolve around the cultivation of the three treasures of essence, Qi, and spirit. This is what is meant by "all methods do not depart from essence, Qi, and spirit."
"On what basis? Just based on this official disciple token!" A proud young man in brocade clothing took out a square token from his bosom and slapped it down in front of Li Muran with a loud "bang," laughing heartily: "Hehe, today's introductory lesson is prepared for us official disciples. You few are merely temporary auditing disciples; what qualifications do you have to sit here! As the term 'auditing disciples' suggests, you should naturally be hiding aside and eavesdropping, haha!"
Let us do this, the Daoist Cangxia said after a brief contemplation: "Junior Brother Zixia is traveling outside and has missed this disciple selection event; it would be better to allow these few disciples to temporarily remain in our sect as auditing disciples. They may stay for a month at the shortest, or up to six months at the longest. Junior Brother Zixia will return to the sect by then, and we can see if he is willing to accept these disciples. If he is also unwilling to take on apprentices, it will not be too late to send them away then."
Mu Li smiled slyly and nodded: "Haha, let's teach him a lesson and see if he dares to be so arrogant again! Brother Zhao, why do you give up your seat? Even if it escalates to the elders, we are not in the wrong!"
You! The brocade-clad youth was furious, yet for a moment he hesitated whether to erupt in anger, as he was indeed at fault from the beginning
Upon inquiry, Li Muran learned that although this wooden talisman had a low-level fire attribute enlightenment charm similar to that of the book talisman, its effectiveness was poor; his ancestral aperture divine light was not a flicker of flame, but rather a faint aura of fire, categorizing him among the disciples with relatively inferior aptitude for those using fire attribute enlightenment charms.
Because life is short! Qingfengzi sighed lightly and said, "The Dao is boundless, yet human lifespan is limited. In just a few decades, how can one fully cultivate the essence, energy, and spirit? It is said that our human race has inherited the form of celestial beings, and our physical structure is most suitable for cultivating 'Qi'. Therefore, most cultivation methods revolve around this point. However, the three treasures of essence, energy, and spirit complement each other. When 'Qi' is cultivated to a profound level, the treasures of essence and spirit can also be gradually enhanced accordingly.
Greetings! Qingfengzi nodded and smiled, saying: "In theory, this is the case, but in reality, the vast majority of cultivation methods primarily focus on refining 'qi'."
Indeed, when will it be possible to fly with a sword?
Li Muran and Mu Li, along with a few others, remained stranded in the New Talent Peak. Their status was merely that of auditing disciples, and they were not yet formal disciples, thus they were not required to handle these matters, allowing them to enjoy some leisure time
The young individuals immediately began to ask questions, drawn not by the exploration of the heavenly path, but by the various splendid and mysterious immortal techniques.
Yes, thank you, Master! Li Muran and the other disciples were overjoyed and repeatedly expressed their gratitude
Hmph, had I known it would come to this, why did I bother in the first place! To speak now of being devoted to the path is already too late!" Mo Yunzi said coldly
The Taoist Cangxia furrowed his brow, revealing a hint of reluctance.
After the salutation, Qingfengzi lightly cleared his throat, his expression solemn, and spoke in a clear voice
Three days later, inside the Kaiyuan Peak Great Hall, the young disciples sat in neat rows, their expressions filled with excitement, as today a senior brother would explain to them the fundamental principles of cultivation.