Chapter 64: Meeting the Master

This was Ning Xiaoling's first time visiting Immortal Mountain.

The moment she stepped out of the blue-and-white sedan chair, she felt the wind between heaven and earth flowing like tangible water, yet far lighter, like a gentle hand caressing her.

It was the wind stirred by the dense spiritual energy flow, and as it swept past her body, it felt like a spring breeze rustling flower bells, creating a subtle resonance within her ears, eyes, and mind.

Ning Xiaoling cautiously raised her head and looked around.

The peak, which had appeared as only a sharp point from below, now seemed immensely vast, its edges stretching beyond her sight. If not for the obscuring clouds, she would have thought it an open, flat valley.

What astonished her most was the sight of countless stones suspended above the peak.

These stones, shaped like multifaceted prismatic crystals, floated silently above Sky Cavern Peak like stars, gently rising and falling with the strong currents of spiritual energy.

At the very center of Sky Cavern Peak, the Sword Hall's layout was grand and imposing.

Amidst the precipitous mountainside, the Sword Hall was built into the terrain. Its main hall stood on a flat surface, while some of its side halls clung to the cliffs. Several sections of the hall on the towering slopes were nearly perpendicular to the ground, yet they showed no signs of collapsing or overturning, much like sturdy pine trees growing from the rocks.

Ning Xiaoling carefully observed everything she could see. Finally, her gaze fell upon her elder brother, Ning Changjiu, who stood calmly beside her, sunlight on his cheek, his white robe fluttering in the breeze. He appeared indifferent to his surroundings.

With Lu Jiajia's arrival, the dozen or so disciples in white robes stopped their sword practice and bowed in unison.

Those who were permitted to cultivate on Sword Peak were all the most outstanding talents of their generation.

However, upon seeing their acting sect leader return from her travels, bringing back two new disciples, the expressions on everyone's faces varied.

The assessment for entering the inner peak from the outer peak was very strict. Although there were rules and precedents for directly accepting disciples into the inner sect, it was ultimately rare and felt unfair to many who had diligently cultivated at the foot of the mountain for years.

Therefore, the glances directed at them now held not only curiosity but also considerable animosity.

Yazhu was Lu Jiajia's junior sister, having trained in the same generation.

At this moment, Yazhu had also reached the initial stage of Longevity Realm, making her an absolute standout within the Sky Cavern Peak lineage.

"Which of them will you accept as an inner disciple, and which as a registered disciple, senior sister?"

Yazhu couldn't immediately discern the depths of the young pair. She simply felt that the girl was charming, cute, and lively, while the boy was as serene as water, possessing an ethereal quality despite his youth.

Lu Jiajia said, "This little girl is Ning Xiaoling; I will take her as my direct inner disciple. This young man is Ning Changjiu; he will be a registered disciple."

Yazhu was slightly surprised. "Are they siblings?"

Lu Jiajia replied, "Yes and no. They were both bought by their previous master and took his surname. Now that their master is dead, these two, brother and sister, are without support, so I brought them to the sect to cultivate for now."

Yazhu nodded and said, "They both seem to be likable, promising individuals. What's special about young Xiaoling, that she has earned your favor, senior sister?"

As she spoke, her gaze towards Ning Xiaoling shimmered with subtle spiritual energy, as if employing a Sword Eye technique to probe her spiritual meridians.

Seeing this spirited senior sister staring at her, Ning Xiaoling became involuntarily nervous. "Uh... I..."

Lu Jiajia gently patted her back and said, "She possesses a born spirit of considerable quality."

Upon hearing the words "born spirit," Yazhu's eyelids trembled slightly, her eyes revealing unconcealed surprise and delight. She chuckled, "Where did you find such a cultivation talent, senior sister? How could such a girl with a born spirit possibly be overlooked by those immortal seekers?"

The dozen or so sword-practicing disciples were, of course, sharp-eared and keen-eyed. Hearing the words "born spirit," their expressions also varied. As fellow cultivators, they naturally understood what that implied.

Lu Jiajia smiled faintly and said, "Our lineage has been suppressed quite severely in recent years; perhaps this can be considered a form of compensation."

Ning Xiaoling swallowed, a little timidly moving closer to Ning Changjiu. Ning Changjiu, however, seemed not to be paying close attention to their conversation; his gaze was fixed on the sea of clouds beyond the immortal peak, as if lost in thought, recalling something.

Yazhu teased, "You'd better keep this secret. If the disciples of Hanging Sun Peak find out, they'll probably try to snatch her away again."

Lu Jiajia smiled slightly and glanced at Ning Xiaoling.

Ning Xiaoling understood and declared confidently, "Xiaoling will certainly follow Senior Sister Lu wholeheartedly; no one can take me away!"

Yazhu also smiled, finding the little girl utterly adorable. She thought Sky Cavern Peak would surely become much livelier in the future.

With a faint smile, she shifted her gaze to the young man beside Ning Xiaoling.

This young man was well-raised, with a clean white robe and a cool, refined demeanor. He should have been quite noticeable, but after learning of Ning Xiaoling's born spirit, the focus naturally shifted away from him.

"His name is... Ning Changjiu? The 'Changjiu' from 'heaven and earth endure'?" Yazhu asked.

Ning Changjiu subtly snapped out of his reverie, looked at Yazhu, and nodded, "It's the 'Changjiu' from 'long-sighted and long-lived'."

Yazhu paused, then nodded and smiled. "Cultivators naturally seek long sight and long life. It's a good name."

Lu Jiajia glanced at him, her fingers pressing lightly into her palm beneath her sleeve, gently rubbing. Although her expression remained cool and calm, she felt a headache about how to settle this young man.

Lu Jiajia said, "After you've paid respects at the Sword Hall, I will arrange a quiet room for you at the foot of the mountain."

Ning Changjiu nodded. "Thank you, Miss Lu."

Ning Xiaoling asked, "What about me?"

Lu Jiajia said, "As a direct disciple, I have high hopes for you. You will naturally live on the mountain and cultivate alongside me."

Ning Xiaoling frowned. "Won't that mean I'll be separated from my elder brother?"

Lu Jiajia thought to herself, *Why don't you persuade your elder brother to become an inner disciple with you?*

Of course, as the acting sect leader, she couldn't say such a thing aloud. She smiled gently and said in a soft tone, "There's nothing to be done about it. I know you and your elder brother rely on each other and have deep affection, but these are the sect's rules. Even I cannot change them arbitrarily."

Ning Xiaoling said, "Then I won't be an inner disciple. I want to move down the mountain and live with my elder brother."

Yazhu watched the scene unfold and wasn't overly surprised. Such things had happened before. She knew that even if their bond was strong now, with time, the vast difference in their talents would become an insurmountable chasm, and they would eventually drift apart on the path of cultivation.

It was the destined spiritual separation between a cultivator and a mortal, despite their apparent closeness.

Lu Jiajia said helplessly, "Disciples at the foot of the mountain also need to pass an assessment to become inner disciples, Xiaoling. With your talent, that's merely a matter of time. Cultivating down the mountain would be too much of a waste."

Ning Changjiu thought for a moment, then suddenly said, "Then I'll just move up the mountain."

"How can that be allowed?"

Yazhu was slightly startled by his words, and her gaze towards Ning Changjiu also held a strange look. She thought this young man, who appeared so nonchalant, was actually quite calculating, attempting to smoothly infiltrate the inner sect by leveraging his junior sister's influence.

With these thoughts, Yazhu's initial favorable impression of him immediately dwindled significantly.

But to her surprise, Lu Jiajia actually agreed. "There are many empty rooms on the mountain. If you wish, I have no objection. However, the lessons for disciples on the mountain are quite different from those at the foot of it, and your current aptitude isn't really suitable."

Yazhu nodded discreetly from the side. In fact, she had already secretly probed the young man's body; his aptitude was indeed mediocre, apart from his passable appearance.

Hearing Lu Jiajia say this now, she simply felt that the girl named Ning Xiaoling held significant weight, enough to make her senior sister concede in such a way.

Ning Changjiu nodded softly. "I simply won't attend any of the lessons, whether on the mountain or at its foot."

He said it naturally and lightly, but his words carried different implications for everyone who heard them.

Among the sword-practicing disciples, one young man in a sword robe immediately frowned. He was the first to speak: "If you don't attend lessons, how will you cultivate?"

Another echoed, "If one's talent is lacking, they should be even more diligent. How can such idleness be acceptable? Master, please don't spoil him!"

A little girl seriously watched Ning Changjiu for a moment, then weakly said, "I think he's right. He can't understand the lessons anyway, so why waste time trying to listen?"

A nearby disciple sneered, "Junior Sister Lerou, stop with your twisted logic. Last year, when the chief disciple of Guardian Cloud Peak provoked us, you—I don't know if it was because you found him handsome or what—actually sided with him, saying he made sense. That incident is still a joke among the four peaks."

The little girl named Lerou retorted angrily, "If you love attending lessons so much, then why did you skip class last time to meet secretly with the junior sister from Hanging Sun Peak and ask me to cover for you?"

"Lerou, you..." The young man looked embarrassed.

Lu Jiajia raised a hand, signaling for them to be quiet.

Lu Jiajia looked at Ning Changjiu and said, "I can agree to everything you've said. I only have one condition: don't cause trouble."

Ning Changjiu nodded. "I've always been law-abiding, Miss Lu, you know that."

"..." Lu Jiajia took a deep breath and said, "Then follow me into the hall to complete the apprenticeship ceremony."

Deep within the Sword Hall stood three sword steles, inscribed with the names of the three generations of founding ancestors of the Sword Edict Heavenly Sect and its inner disciples.

Before these three steles stood a large, ancient, rusted sword, said to be the personal sword of the founding ancestor. However, even the sharpest sword in the world cannot withstand the wear of time; a century of erosion had left it covered in rust spots.

Lu Jiajia, wearing a silver crown and jade hairpin, with her sword-robe as white as snow, stood silently before the three stone steles, one hand behind her back and the other holding the ancient sword Minglan. Her expression was solemn.

"The Sword Edict Heavenly Sect has only been established for four hundred years, and the lineage of the Sect Leader has passed through only three generations, yet each generation of patriarchs has been a hero who slayed countless demons," Lu Jiajia said, looking at the three stone steles, her voice cool and clear. "Therefore, from now on, regardless of your talent or future achievements, you must always hold reverence in your hearts. This is especially true for Xiaoling after she forms a pact with the Heavenly Stele. You must never dabble in evil or heretical paths. Cultivators, in their pursuit of the Dao, should also uphold the Dao."

Inspired by the solemn sword intent emanating from the ancient sword, Ning Xiaoling nodded vigorously.

Beside her, Ning Changjiu was holding a bamboo scroll, diligently reading through it.

What he held was the set of sect rules for inner disciples, belonging to Ning Xiaoling. Since Ning Xiaoling was still illiterate, Ning Changjiu was reading them on her behalf.

Seeing Ning Changjiu continuously reading the bamboo scroll with his head down, Lu Jiajia asked, "What about you? Do you understand?"

Ning Changjiu came back to his senses and hummed in acknowledgment.

Lu Jiajia, annoyed by his perfunctory response, asked, "You're reading so intently; have you noticed anything?"

Ning Changjiu thought seriously for a moment, then said:

"I don't think this rule is good. Why aren't those on the mountain allowed to descend freely, and why aren't those at the foot allowed to ascend freely? Such distinctions of rank and status are for mundane dynasties; cultivation should be freer."

"This rule also makes no sense. Why is one only allowed to practice the inner sect cultivation methods of the Heavenly Sect? If one already possesses inherited family techniques, should they simply abandon them?"

"And this one: why are disciples punished by sect rules for not diligently cultivating? Cultivators are not performers who need to tirelessly practice just to stand for the sect."

"Especially this rule: the Peak Master can freely modify the sect rules. What's the point of writing so much before that then..."

"Silence!" Lu Jiajia, reaching the limits of her patience, said sternly, "These are the sect rules. I'm merely showing them to you; it's not for you to change them."

Seeing her suddenly look fierce, Ning Xiaoling was quite frightened. She quickly took the scroll from her elder brother and handed it back to Lu Jiajia, saying, "Thank you, Senior Sister Lu. Don't worry, I'll follow the rules."

Lu Jiajia's expression softened. "Actually, allowing you to stay on the mountain is already an exception. Be more compliant in the future. This isn't the imperial city of Zhao, and it can't handle such commotion."

Ning Changjiu nodded. "Don't worry, Miss Lu."

Lu Jiajia said nothing more. "In that case, Xiaoling, follow me to perform the apprenticeship ceremony. As for you... go to the Sword Hall and ask the gatekeeper grandpa for a token. Have your name engraved on it and keep it with you; then you'll be considered a registered disciple."

Ning Changjiu hummed, then said, "Then I'll trouble Miss Lu to take good care of my junior sister from now on."

Lu Jiajia said, "Although you are a registered disciple, I am nominally also your master. From now on, when you are outside, you must not call me by my name, or it will attract criticism."

Ning Changjiu said calmly, "Don't worry, this disciple has always respected his master and the Dao."