Liang Yan stood up and bowed to the old monk.
"Many thanks to you, Master, for protecting me."
The old monk nodded slightly, then said with a serious expression, "From this day forward, you and I can no longer address each other as master and disciple. I have already introduced you to the Yixing Pavilion. Although the Yixing Pavilion is a major Confucian sect, their library also contains Buddhist cultivation techniques, which will be sufficient for you to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. As for the path you take after that, it will be up to you."
Liang Yan nodded silently. The old monk added, "Come with me. I will take you to meet the person from the Yixing Pavilion who is here to receive you."
The old and young pair left the Piaoyun Inn and headed toward the mountain peak. The mountain path was rugged, but both moved quickly, and before long, they reached the summit.
Liang Yan looked up and saw a vermilion-colored mansion situated in the middle of the peak. Two people stood in front of the gate—a man and a woman. The woman wore blue robes and carried herself with grace; the man wore a Confucian scholar’s robe in green and held a folding fan. It was none other than Lin Fei, the scholar who had presided over the auction that night.
The two seemed to have been waiting for some time. Seeing the old monk approach, they both stepped forward and cupped their hands. "Greetings, Senior!" They then looked Liang Yan up and down. "Could this be the person you entrusted to us, Senior?"
"Indeed. This little one and I share a karmic connection, and he possesses spiritual roots. However, I have matters to attend to and cannot guide his cultivation myself."
"Rest assured, Senior. If it weren't for you healing my injuries last time, I fear I would have suffered lasting damage. I, Lin, guarantee that I will safely escort this child to the sect."
The old monk nodded and walked toward a corner. Knowing he had final instructions, Liang Yan followed closely behind.
When they reached a willow tree at the edge of the summit, the old monk spoke: "Your spiritual roots are impure and your aptitude is poor. After I leave, you must cultivate even more diligently. If others spend one day, you must put in ten days of effort; otherwise, your path in cultivation will be hopeless."
Liang Yan nodded in silence.
The old monk continued, "The Eight-Gate Dharma Image I taught you can only be practiced up to the first four stages for now. The latter four require you to reach the Juyuan stage or higher. These eight stages are both the hundred manifestations of sentient beings and the precious images of the Buddha. You must practice diligently. If one day you can reach the realm where 'the image is born from the heart,' you will be able to manifest the wonders of the Dharma Image even without the physical postures. Only then can you be considered to have entered the gate."
Seeing the old monk attending to every detail, Liang Yan knew their parting was imminent, and his eyes grew slightly moist.
Noticing his reluctance to part, the old monk gave a carefree laugh. "Little one, there is no need for sorrow. As the saying goes, there is no banquet that does not end. This old monk has led you to the gate; today I plant the Bodhi seed, hoping that in the future, it will bloom into a nine-grade lotus!"
With a hearty laugh, the prayer beads in his hand flew up, carrying the old monk away in a streak of golden light that vanished into the horizon.
Liang Yan watched the golden light disappear, lost in a daze. A cough sounded from behind him. Turning around, he saw Lin Fei walking over. "Your name is Liang Yan, correct? Rest here for the night, and I will take you to the sect tomorrow morning."
"I shall follow your arrangements, Senior."
"Mm. Our Yixing Pavilion is a major Confucian sect. Once you enter, you must cultivate diligently and not slack off. Furthermore, our sect has strict laws and regulations; I hope you will observe them strictly."
Liang Yan said respectfully, "This junior will keep it in mind."
Seeing that the boy was sensible, Lin Fei nodded with satisfaction. "Go inside and find a room. We depart early tomorrow morning."
Liang Yan chose a room in the corner. That night, he sat cross-legged in meditation, recalling the strange transformation of the Heavenly Mystery Bead from the previous night.
"It seems the strange impulse that drove me to buy the wooden fish at the auction yesterday must have come from this Heavenly Mystery Bead."
"At the time, the bead absorbed a wisp of demonic energy from that fiend, and four black spheres appeared around it. I faintly saw the character 'Demon' light up on one of them, though it dimmed shortly after."
"The bead must not have been satisfied with that fiend, so it only absorbed a wisp of energy, yet it still fed back such pure spiritual power to me, helping me break through to the second level of Qi Refining. If I could hunt down a more suitable fiend, then wouldn't..."
At this thought, Liang Yan shook his head. He was only at the second level of Qi Refining; wanting to subdue a fiend would be a pipe dream—he would be lucky not to be swallowed as blood-food.
Liang Yan calmed his mind and took out the storage bags of Chen Chong, Xu Kun, and the others to inventory his spoils. Among them, Xu Kun was a body cultivator and had very few spirit stones, though he did have some medicinal herbs for tempering the body, albeit cheap ones. Chen Chong and Tang Yan, however, were quite wealthy, with nearly 150 spirit stones between them. Chen Hu alone had over 100. Added to what the old monk had left him, Liang Yan now possessed a fortune of over 300 spirit stones.
With a smile, Liang Yan sorted the materials and artifacts from the bags, then returned to his meditation to consolidate his newly broken-through cultivation.
The night passed. At the first light of dawn, a voice transmission echoed in Liang Yan's mind
"Come to the courtyard gate immediately to assemble!"
Liang Yan hurriedly rose, packed his things, fastened the storage bag to his waist, and pushed the door open to head toward the gate.
Three people were already standing there. Besides the blue-clad woman and Lin Fei from yesterday, there was a middle-aged man with a stout build, dressed like a wealthy landowner.
Seeing Liang Yan arrive, Lin Fei nodded slightly, then turned to the stout man. "The Cuishan Auction has been successfully concluded. We two must return to the sect to report, so I leave the aftermath here to you, Fellow Daoist Wang."
The stout man laughed. "It is my duty; it is only right. Fellow Daoist Lin, do not be so formal. You should return to the sect quickly."
Lin Fei nodded with a smile and tossed a turtle from his storage bag. The turtle grew as it met the wind, reaching a size of three zhang in the blink of an eye—about the size of a small boat. Liang Yan looked closely and saw that the turtle was covered in wood grain, and its joints made a "clacking" sound; it was actually a mechanical beast.
Lin Fei jumped onto the wooden turtle first. The blue-clad woman smiled, formed a seal with her right hand, and a gentle breeze lifted Liang Yan onto the turtle before she leaped up herself.
The giant turtle carried the three of them into the air and sped toward the west.
Yunping Mountain is located in the southwest of the Zhao Kingdom, with towering peaks and swirling white clouds.
Above, thousands of rocks vied for beauty, and ten thousand ravines surged with streams. The greenery was lush, and the clouds were like mist. It was truly a rare and beautiful sight.
Despite such beauty, there were few tourists. According to local villagers, from the mountainside upward, Yunping Mountain was shrouded in thick fog. Ordinary people who entered would lose their sense of direction within moments. Even experienced hunters only dared to hunt below the mountainside.
Fortunately, although those who went up lost their way, they would always inexplicably find themselves walking back down, with no threat to their lives. Thus, rumors spread that immortals lived on Yunping Mountain and that mortals should not approach.
At this moment, on a wide river in the mountains, a wooden boat was drifting. Standing on it were three people: a man in a Confucian robe, a beautiful woman in blue, and a young man in black—Liang Yan and his party.
The boat was the transformed mechanical turtle. Lin Fei, the man in the Confucian robe, stood in the middle, using magic to steer it. Suddenly thinking of something, he turned to Liang Yan and asked, "Are you curious why I stopped flying and switched to rowing?"
Liang Yan scratched his head and smiled. "I truly do not know."
Lin Fei said sternly, "Because our Yixing Pavilion is a legitimate Confucian sect, and our internal etiquette is strict. We are now very close to the sect. Any disciple in the vicinity of the sect who has not reached the Foundation Establishment or Juyuan stage is forbidden from flying, to show respect to the sect."
"Furthermore, the sect has a Hall of Rites and a Hall of Law. After you enter, you must report to these two halls. Someone will teach you the rules, and you must strictly observe them. If you violate them, there will be severe punishment!"
Liang Yan nodded respectfully on the surface, though he felt a bit stifled inside.
In truth, he was a free-spirited person who disliked the rigid formalities of Confucianism. However, he knew Lin Fei was warning him, and since he was under someone else's roof, if he lost this opportunity, he might never have a chance at the immortal path again. He could only nod in agreement.
Seeing this, Lin Fei nodded with satisfaction and stopped paying attention to him, focusing on steering the boat.
As they ventured deeper, the surrounding trees grew denser, and the river widened, its current becoming swift and turbulent. The boat began to pitch and roll, like a leaf in the wind, ready to capsize at any moment.
Liang Yan was puzzled. Lin Fei had said the sect was nearby, but here in the deep mountains, there wasn't a single building in sight. Just as he was doubting, he suddenly saw the water ahead rushing forward in a mighty torrent—they had reached a natural waterfall.
Where the waterfall plummeted, white mist steamed, and the sound of water was deafening. Even without seeing the full picture, he knew it must be a magnificent, towering river. Liang Yan felt uneasy and muttered to himself, "They aren't going to just charge straight down, are they?"
The boat reached the edge of the waterfall in an instant. Lin Fei raised his hand and cast a talisman, which vanished into the air. Immediately after, the boat carried the three of them headlong into the waterfall.
Liang Yan's heart leaped into his throat. Suddenly, a blinding white light made it impossible to see; he felt as if he were falling rapidly from mid-air with nothing to hold onto.
The white light came and went quickly. While Liang Yan was still trembling with fear, he suddenly felt his feet touch the ground. The light faded, and he could open his eyes again.
The roaring sound of water was gone. He was now on a winding, gentle stream that carried the boat slowly forward. Ahead lay a large lake, surrounded by many small streams like the one he was on, all converging into the center like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.
Liang Yan looked back. The river wound away, and there was no sign of the magnificent waterfall from before. Only at the end of the distant river did a vast expanse of white mist emerge, vast and endless.
Liang Yan took a deep breath, knowing he had arrived at the sacred land of the immortals. Even though he had been clever and composed since childhood, he could not help but feel his heart surging with excitement.
The boat carried the three of them forward, and after half an incense stick's time, a wide and imposing valley entrance appeared before them.
The valley was grand, with two sky-high mountain pillars on either side. On the pillars, two lines of large characters were written in a dragon-like, phoenix-dancing script. Liang Yan looked from afar.
On the left pillar, it read: "The heavens are the chessboard, the stars are the pieces; who dares to play?"
On the right pillar: "The earth is the pipa, the rain is the strings; who can play?"
In the middle of the lake, a giant rock protruded from the water, facing the valley entrance, with the three characters "Yixing Pavilion" inscribed upon it.
Liang Yan wanted to look closer, but suddenly felt the characters on the pillars jumping, as if they were about to leap out. The strokes were as sharp as blades, stinging his eyes. He hurriedly closed them, not daring to look again.
Seeing his reaction, Lin Fei smiled slightly and said, "The poetry on the pillars was left by our sect's founder, the True Immortal Yixing. The founder was a master of both chess and formations, peerless in his time. He founded our Yixing Pavilion, which has endured for thousands of years. The brushwork of his elder self is not something a boy who has just entered the Qi Refining stage can withstand." As he spoke, his face beamed with pride, clearly holding the sect in the highest regard.
"Many thanks for the guidance, Senior!" Liang Yan nodded.
As they spoke, the boat reached the valley entrance. Lin Fei looked up and said loudly, "This junior, Lin Fei, has completed my mission and returned to report. I respectfully request the Pavilion-Guarding Elders to grant passage!"
Liang Yan looked up and saw two faint figures on the mountain rocks at the entrance. They were too high up to see clearly, but they appeared to be two young Confucian scholars, seemingly playing chess.
One of the scholars waved his hand downward and said, "Understood. Lin, you really know how to pick your timing; you've interrupted my train of thought. Come in!" With an impatient wave, he cast a yellow light toward the center of the valley entrance. A transparent ripple appeared, as if something had been temporarily broken.
Lin Fei bowed respectfully again and said, "Many thanks, Elder!" He then brought the others ashore, stowed the boat, and the three walked into the valley.