Chapter 10: Yixing Pavilion

Liang Yan stood up and bowed to the old monk.

"Thank you, Master, for your protection."

The old monk nodded slightly and then said solemnly, "From this day forward, we shall no longer address each other as master and disciple. I have introduced you to the Yixing Pavilion. Although the Yixing Pavilion is a great sect of the Confucian school, its library contains Buddhist cultivation methods sufficient to carry you through to the Foundation Establishment stage. As for the path you take after that, it depends on yourself."

Liang Yan nodded silently. The old monk continued, "Follow me. I will take you to meet the Yixing Pavilion's reception official."

The elder and the youth left the Piaoyun Inn and headed toward the mountain peak. The mountain path was rugged, but both moved swiftly, reaching the summit in a short time.

Liang Yan looked up to see a large vermilion manor situated in the middle of the peak. Two people, a man and a woman, stood before the manor gates. The woman wore blue robes and carried herself with grace and poise; the man wore green Confucian robes 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 stepped forward, cupped their hands, and said, "Greetings, Senior!" They then sized Liang Yan up. "Could this be the person you entrusted to us?"

"Indeed. This little fellow has a connection with this poor monk and possesses spiritual roots. However, I have matters to attend to and cannot guide his cultivation personally."

"Rest assured, Senior. Had you not healed my injuries last time, I might still be suffering from hidden complications. I, Lin, guarantee that I will introduce this boy to the sect."

The old monk nodded and walked toward a corner. Knowing he had instructions to give, Liang Yan followed closely behind.

They reached a willow tree at the edge of the summit. The old monk spoke, "Your spiritual roots are mixed and your aptitude is poor. After I depart, you must cultivate even more diligently. Where others exert one day of effort, you must put in ten, otherwise, the path of cultivation will remain out of reach."

Liang Yan nodded in silence.

The old monk continued, "The Eight Dharma Manifestations I have passed to you—you can currently only cultivate the first four. The latter four require you to reach the Yuan Gathering stage or higher. These eight manifestations are both the myriad forms of all living beings and the precious forms of the Buddha. You must practice diligently. If you can one day reach the realm of 'form arising from the mind,' you will be able to utilize the wonders of the Dharma Manifestations even without assuming their physical postures. Only then can you be considered to have truly entered the gate."

Seeing him entrust every minute detail, Liang Yan knew their parting was imminent, and his eyes grew slightly moist.

Noticing his reluctance to part, the old monk gave a casual, carefree smile. "Boy, there is no need for sorrow. As they say, all good things must come to an end. This old monk has introduced you to the path; today I plant the Bodhi seed, hoping that one day you shall bloom the Ninth-Grade Lotus!"

With a hearty laugh, he tossed his prayer beads into the air. They trailed the old monk, transforming him into a streak of golden light that vanished into the horizon.

Liang Yan stared blankly as the golden light faded into the distance. A cough sounded behind him; he turned to see Lin Fei approaching. "Your name is Liang Yan, right? Rest here for the night, and I will take you to the sect tomorrow morning."

"I shall follow your arrangements, Senior."

"Mhm. Our Yixing Pavilion is a great Confucian sect. Once you enter, you must cultivate diligently and not let your progress wither. Furthermore, our sect's laws are strict; I expect you to abide by them rigorously."

Liang Yan said respectfully, "This junior will keep that in mind."

Seeing that the boy was sensible, Lin Fei nodded with satisfaction. "Go inside and find a guest room. We depart early tomorrow."

Liang Yan chose a room in a corner. That night, he sat cross-legged in meditation, reflecting on the anomaly of the Heavenly Secret Bead from the previous night.

*It seems that strange impulse that drove me to buy the wooden fish at the auction yesterday must have come from this bead.*

*When the bead absorbed that wisp of demonic qi from the demon, four black spheres appeared around it. I vaguely saw the character for 'Demon' light up in one of them, but it dimmed shortly after.*

*The bead must have been unsatisfied with that demon, as it only absorbed a wisp of qi, yet it rewarded me with such pure spiritual energy that it helped me break through to the second level of Qi Refinement. If I could hunt a more suitable demon, wouldn't I...*

At this thought, Liang Yan shook his head. He was only at the second level of Qi Refinement; wanting to subdue demons was pure fantasy. He would be lucky not to be devoured as food.

Calming his mind, Liang Yan took out the storage bags of Chen Chong, Xu Kun, and the others to inventory the spoils. Among them, Xu Kun was a body cultivator and had almost no spirit stones, though he had some medicinal herbs for tempering his physique, albeit cheap ones. In contrast, Chen Chong and Tang Yan were quite wealthy, totaling nearly one hundred and fifty spirit stones. Chen Hu alone had over a hundred. Combined with what the old monk had left him, Liang Yan now possessed a fortune of over three hundred spirit stones.

After smiling as he categorized the materials and items within the storage bags, he resumed his meditation to consolidate his recent breakthrough.

A night passed. At the crack of dawn the next day, a voice transmission rang in Liang Yan's mind

"Assemble at the main courtyard gate immediately!"

Liang Yan rose hurriedly, packed his things, fastened the storage bags to his waist, and pushed open the door to head toward the gate.

Three people were already standing there. Besides the blue-robed woman and Lin Fei from yesterday, there was a stout middle-aged man dressed like a wealthy landlord.

Seeing Liang Yan arrive, Lin Fei gave a slight nod before turning to the stout man. "The Cuishan Auction has concluded successfully. The two of us must return to the sect to report. I leave the aftermath in your hands, Fellow Daoist Wang."

The stout man laughed. "It is my duty. Do not be a stranger, Fellow Daoist Lin. Hurry back to the sect to report."

Lin Fei nodded with a smile and tossed a turtle from his storage bag. Upon meeting the wind, the turtle grew rapidly, reaching three zhang in diameter in an instant—roughly 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 "clack-clack" sound; it was actually a mechanical beast.

Lin Fei jumped onto the wooden turtle first. The blue-robed woman smiled and performed a hand seal; a gentle breeze lifted Liang Yan and placed him upon the turtle before she flipped herself onto it as well.

The great turtle rose into the air, carrying the three of them as they sped toward the west.

Mount Yunping was located in the southwest of the Zhao Kingdom, characterized by towering peaks and swirling white clouds.

Upon its heights, thousands of cliffs competed in beauty, myriad valleys flowed, and the vegetation was lush and verdant amidst the rising mists. It was a landscape of rare and breathtaking beauty.

Despite such scenery, there were few tourists. According to local villagers, from the mid-mountain upwards, thick fog swirled so heavily that an ordinary person would lose all sense of direction within moments. Even experienced hunters only dared to hunt below the mid-mountain level.

Fortunately, although travelers lost their way, they would eventually wander back down the mountain by chance, so there was no threat to life. Thus, rumors spread that immortals lived on Mount Yunping and mortals should not approach.

At this moment, a wide river flowed through the mountains. A small wooden boat drifted upon it, carrying three figures: a man in Confucian robes, a beautiful woman in blue, and a youth in black—Liang Yan's group.

The boat was a transformation of the previous mechanical wooden turtle. Lin Fei stood in the center, using magic to control its course. Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, he turned to Liang Yan. "Are you curious as to why I stopped flying and switched to a boat?"

Liang Yan scratched his head and smiled. "I am indeed curious."

Lin Fei said seriously, "Because our Yixing Pavilion is an orthodox Confucian sect, our internal etiquette is extremely strict. We are now very close to the sect. All disciples in the vicinity of the sect are forbidden from flying unless they have broken through to Foundation Establishment or entered the Yuan Gathering stage, as a sign of respect to the sect."

"Furthermore, the sect has a Hall of Rites and a Hall of Law. Once you enter, you must report to these two halls first. Someone will teach you the rules, which you must follow strictly. Any violation will be met with severe punishment!"

Liang Yan nodded respectfully, "This disciple understands," though inwardly he felt a slight sense of annoyance.

In truth, his personality was casual and free-spirited; the pedantic formalities of Confucianism did not suit his tastes. However, he knew Lin Fei was issuing a warning, and since he was under the sect's protection, he knew that if he missed this opportunity, he might never have another chance at the immortal path. He could only nod in agreement.

Seeing this, Lin Fei nodded with satisfaction and turned his attention back to piloting the boat.

As they ventured deeper, the surrounding trees grew denser, the river widened, and the current became turbulent and surging. Their boat began to heave up and down like a leaf in the wind, seemingly liable to capsize at any moment.

Liang Yan was puzzled. Lin Fei had said the sect was nearby, yet they were deep in the primeval forest without a single building in sight. Just as he was wondering, he saw the water ahead surging violently downward—they had reached a natural waterfall.

At the base of the falls, white mist billowed and the roar of water was deafening. Even without seeing the whole thing, it was clearly a magnificent, cascading river. Liang Yan felt apprehensive, thinking to himself, *We aren't actually going to crash straight down, are we?*

The boat reached the edge of the precipice. Lin Fei raised his hand and threw a talisman, which streaked through the air and vanished. Immediately after, the boat plunged headlong into the waterfall.

Liang Yan's heart leaped into his throat. Suddenly, a blinding white light erupted, making it impossible to see. He felt himself falling rapidly through mid-air with nothing to catch him.

The light came and went quickly. While still trembling with fear, Liang Yan felt his feet touch solid ground. As the light receded, he was able to open his eyes.

The thunderous roar of the water had vanished. He found himself on a winding small river with a gentle current, carrying the boat slowly forward. Ahead lay a vast lake, surrounded by many small rivers like the ones he was on, all converging into the central lake like a hundred rivers returning to the sea.

Liang Yan looked behind him. The river meandered away, and there was no trace of the magnificent waterfall. Only a vast expanse of white mist loomed at the far end of the river, endless and boundless.

Liang Yan took a deep breath, knowing he had arrived at a sacred land of the immortals. Despite his lifelong wit and composed nature, he could not help but feel a surge of excitement.

The boat drifted forward until they entered the great lake. After traveling for the duration of half an incense stick, a wide and grand valley entrance appeared before them.

The valley was magnificent, with two towering stone pillars on either side acting as gates. Dragons and phoenixes were carved upon them, accompanied by two lines of large characters. Looking from a distance, Liang Yan saw

On the left pillar: *"Heaven makes the chessboard, the stars the pieces; who dares to play?"*

On the right pillar: *"Earth makes the pipa, the rain the strings; who can play!"*

In the center of the lake, a massive rock protruded from the water, facing the valley entrance, inscribed with the three large characters: *"Yixing Pavilion."*

As Liang Yan tried to look closer, the characters on the pillars seemed to leap, as if they might spring out of the stone. The strokes were as sharp as blades, stinging his eyes. He hurriedly closed them, not daring to look further.

Seeing his reaction, Lin Fei smiled and said, "The poetry on the pillars was left by our founding ancestor, Perfected One Yixing. The Ancestor was a master of both chess and music, a peerless figure who founded our Yixing Pavilion, which has endured for thousands of years. His brushwork is not something a mere boy just entering the Qi Refinement stage like you can withstand." He spoke with great animation, clearly holding the sect in the highest esteem.

"Thank you for the guidance, Senior!" Liang Yan replied with a nod.

As they spoke, the boat reached the valley entrance. Lin Fei looked up and shouted, "Junior Lin Fei has completed his mission and returns to the sect to report! I request the Gate-Guarding Elder to grant passage!"

Liang Yan looked up and saw two faint figures atop the valley rocks. Because they were so high, their features were unclear, but they appeared to be two young Confucian scholars engaged in a game of chess.

One of the scholars waved a hand downward and said, "Understood. You certainly have a knack for timing, Lin boy; you've broken my train of thought. Go on in!" With an impatient wave, he cast a streak of yellow light toward the center of the valley entrance. A transparent ripple appeared, as if something temporary had been broken.

Lin Fei bowed respectfully and shouted, "Thank you, Elder!" He then led the group ashore, stowed the boat, and they walked into the valley.