Chapter 104: That Year the Peach Blossoms Bloomed

"That Senior, whose Taoist name was Qingzhu, had an experience similar to Junior Disciple Qin's; he was originally a rogue cultivator before joining Shaohua Mountain.After achieving Foundation Establishment, Senior Qingzhu successfully formed his Golden Core in just forty years, a record unsurpassed in our sect to this day. Yet, for unknown reasons, he later became half-mad and was confined by the sect.It's said that in a fit of rage for a beauty, Senior Qingzhu once split this very mountain with a single sword stroke, broke through a formation, and left behind Sword Gate Pass. There must be an extraordinary story behind it, but unfortunately, these are all just rumors, and no one truly knows.Remarkably, after Senior Qingzhu's departure, all the spiritual herbs and flowers on the mountain withered, damaged by his sword qi, leaving the area desolate. Only the Red Jade Peach trees remained completely unharmed; in fact, their vitality became even more robust.That year, during a particularly harsh season, the peach blossoms bloomed, enduring the cold winter, and only bore fruit three years later.Since then, though the Red Jade Peaches are ordinary fruit, their sweetness far surpasses that of various spiritual fruits. Whenever they ripen, many Uncle-Masters emerge from seclusion to pick and taste them."

Senior Disciple Zhuang stood on his magical artifact, gazing into the distance at Sword Gate Pass, utterly captivated by the legend of Senior Qingzhu and lost in reverie.

Qin Sang, however, envied Senior Qingzhu's talent more. Achieving Core Formation from Foundation Establishment in only forty years was an astonishing speed. Even those prodigies with Heavenly Spiritual Roots, who faced no bottleneck at the Core Formation stage, still needed careful preparation and years of secluded cultivation, daring not to be negligent in the slightest.

Unexpectedly, the seemingly steady Senior Disciple Zhuang possessed quite a romantic streak. Qin Sang chimed in, "Is Senior Qingzhu still with the sect?"

Senior Disciple Zhuang shook his head regretfully. "Senior Qingzhu split the mountain and left, never to return. Even the Uncle-Masters and Grand-Uncle-Masters are tight-lipped about him. There are rumors of someone seeing Senior Qingzhu on the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, but they've never been confirmed. To this day, there's been no news of him for many years. If Senior Qingzhu didn't manage to form a Nascent Soul, he would likely be..."

Qin Sang fell silent. The path of cultivation was indeed one where a general's success was built upon the bones of ten thousand soldiers.With Senior Qingzhu's talent, all that remained now was the legend of Sword Gate Pass. If he himself were to perish, would anyone even remember him?

"This is Pagoda Peak," Senior Disciple Zhuang said, turning to point at a distant mountain.

The mountain was quite peculiar, with a massive stone pagoda on its summit. A closer look revealed that the pagoda was actually carved out of the mountaintop itself, and there were several smaller pagodas on its slopes.Senior Disciple Zhuang explained that Pagoda Peak was where Shaohua Mountain stored cultivation techniques, spells, and various cultivation manuals. Qin Sang quickly committed this to memory.He still didn't know what kind of spiritual medicine the mysterious orchid he had secretly kept was. He planned to visit Pagoda Peak when he had time; perhaps he could find information about it in Shaohua Mountain's records.

"Qi Condensation disciples can access the first level of Pagoda Peak for research with their waist tokens, but spirit stones are required for entry, and an additional fee is charged if you wish to take anything away. Furthermore, listening to lectures by Senior Disciples and Uncle-Masters on Daoist Gate Peak will also require paying spirit stones. However, Junior Disciple Qin, you needn't worry. Once you're assigned odd jobs within the sect, you'll receive a monthly stipend, which should be sufficient for your cultivation needs. This is one of the benefits of being a sect disciple; Junior Disciple Qin, you should be more familiar with the hardships of rogue cultivators than I am."

Qin Sang then inquired about the types of odd jobs available at Shaohua Mountain. He had learned his lesson at Yuanzhao Sect and was determined not to choose tasks that involved too many trivial matters.Without Yu Hua's support, he couldn't afford to squander spirit stones or set up Spirit Gathering Formations.Having plundered Zhao Yan's mustard seed pouch, he now possessed a small fortune. He would set aside a mid-grade spirit stone for emergencies; the rest should be sufficient for his cultivation. His priority was to find a relatively light odd job and dedicate himself to diligent cultivation.

Senior Disciple Zhuang told Qin Sang not to rush and instead decided to first familiarize him with Shaohua Mountain. The two flew on their swords, moving inward from Daoist Gate Peak, as Senior Disciple Zhuang introduced each mountain peak to Qin Sang.Within Shaohua Mountain, Qi Condensation disciples were generally restricted to the vicinity of Daoist Gate Peak. The inner peaks were mostly forbidden areas, and venturing into them without permission was strictly prohibited.

"This is Pure Moon Peak," Senior Disciple Zhuang indicated. "Fairy Chenyan is cultivating in seclusion on this mountain."Following Senior Disciple Zhuang's direction, Qin Sang saw a small, not-very-tall mountain that seemed unremarkable among the surrounding peaks. However, it boasted dense forests, lush bamboo groves, and clear springs like precious jade, possessing a unique spiritual elegance.Along the way, Senior Disciple Zhuang had mentioned Fairy Chenyan more than once, to the point where Qin Sang's ears were practically ringing.According to Senior Disciple Zhuang, Fairy Chenyan's beauty was unparalleled, and her aura was ethereal, a rarity in heaven and unmatched on earth—he might as well have said she was a descended immortal.Qin Sang asked Senior Disciple Zhuang if he had seen her in person. To his surprise, Zhuang had only ever seen a portrait but was already so utterly infatuated, which left Qin Sang speechless.Where was the self-righteous Senior Disciple who had earlier reminded him to dedicate himself to the immortal path and forget worldly affairs?Fairy Chenyan's talent was even more enviable than her beauty. She was said to possess a Heavenly Spiritual Root, and her cultivation had already reached the late Golden Core stage. To break through to the Nascent Soul stage, she had been in seclusion on Pure Moon Peak for over twenty years.*She must be several hundred years old by now,* Qin Sang mused silently.

After wandering for a long time, the two finally admired Shaohua Mountain from below. The sect itself was named after this mountain, which housed the cave abode of the sect's sole Nascent Soul Patriarch, Earl Dongyang.

Upon returning to Daoist Gate Peak, Senior Disciple Zhuang led Qin Sang to a nearby mountain. Zhuang settled him into a dormitory and said, "Junior Disciple Qin, if you have no other immediate plans, would you like to come with me to choose your odd job?"

The two then flew towards Daoist Gate Peak again. Along the way, they encountered several Senior Disciples, both male and female, all hurrying past. Qin Sang asked and learned that an Uncle-Master proficient in spells was holding a lecture that evening.

As they were speaking, a gust of wind suddenly assailed them from behind. Qin Sang swiftly dodged, and a rapid streak of escape light brushed past him.Qin Sang frowned slightly, refraining from speaking, but then saw the escape light turn back. A square-faced young man, standing on a magical artifact, looked at them both and said with a smile, "Ah, it's Junior Disciple Zhuang Yan. This Junior Disciple looks unfamiliar. May I ask his name?"

Zhuang Yan introduced him, "Senior Disciple Sun, this is Junior Disciple Qin Sang. He just joined the sect with a Sword Intent Edict, and Uncle-Master Wen instructed me to guide him. It's normal that you haven't met."

Sun De realized. "No wonder someone is joining the sect at this time. Junior Disciple Qin, I was also in a hurry to get to Daoist Gate Peak to listen to Uncle-Master's lecture. My apologies for being reckless and nearly bumping into you. Please don't take offense."With that, he cupped his hands apologetically.

Seeing this, Qin Sang naturally put aside any resentment and replied, "Senior Disciple Sun, you're too kind."

Sun De's eyes darted, and he asked with a smile, "Junior Disciple Qin, since you've just joined, have you chosen an odd job yet?"Qin Sang shook his head.

Zhuang Yan said, "I was just about to take Junior Disciple Qin to Daoist Gate Peak to choose."

"Then Junior Disciple Qin, make sure Junior Disciple Zhuang doesn't trick you! If you're not short on spirit stones, absolutely avoid those few notorious, troublesome odd jobs, or you'll regret it immensely!"Sun De burst into laughter and strode away, ignoring Zhuang Yan's exasperated "Hey, hey!"