Chapter 238: Master Ceremony

Xiao Nanshan.

Chen Mobai sat in front of his wooden house, playing with a wisp of purple flame in his palm.

After Chen Mobai demonstrated "Sword Rainbow Splitting Light" in the Divine Wood Hall, Meng Hong immediately made Zeng Woyou and Yan Jinye swear a Heart of Dao oath, vowing never to reveal this matter.

Sword cultivators are renowned for having the strongest combat ability among those of the same cultivation level, relying on the immense single-target damage of their sword light once it's perfected. The first three stages of sword cultivation—refining the sword into 'gang' energy, then 'gang' into spiritual energy, and finally spiritual energy into a rainbow of sword qi—are powerful, but they don't grant invincibility against cultivators of the same level. Only by perfecting the sword light, which allows all spiritual energy to condense into a single point, can a sword cultivator truly begin to dominate the world.

"Sword Energy Like a Rainbow" involves using a tiny amount of spiritual energy to draw in several times the amount of heaven and earth essence, transforming it into an overwhelming, long rainbow of sword energy that crushes opponents. However, powerful as this attack is, its power isn't concentrated enough, allowing it to be blocked by defensive magical artifacts or spirit talismans. For example, during the Sect Grand Competition, the Spirit Leaf Talisman that Zhou Wangshen gave Feng Hongxue easily blocked Chen Mobai's Sword Energy Rainbow.

To compensate for this weakness, the fourth stage of sword cultivation is "Sword Rainbow Splitting Light." This technique bundles the vast sword rainbow into a single strand, concentrating all its power into an extremely terrifying beam of sword light, whose might is more than ten times that of the sword rainbow. Generally, only sword cultivators in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, at minimum, can perfect sword light; this already marks them as extraordinary geniuses. In the history of the Eastern Wilderness, over eighty percent of the recorded sword cultivators who achieved "Sword Rainbow Splitting Light" were in the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Chen Mobai, achieving this sword cultivation stage in the early Foundation Establishment realm, is recorded in the Divine Wood Sect's annals as the first person in the Eastern Wilderness to do so.

It was precisely for this reason that Meng Hong, even as a sect leader, insisted that Zeng Woyou and Yan Jinye, who had witnessed the Purple Fire Sword Light, swear a Heart of Dao oath. This is an unparalleled divine sword; once unsheathed, it must cause a thousand li of bloodshed, and there must be no risk of it being exposed to hostile sects. After perfecting his sword light, only late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators, and a few exceptionally talented mid-stage ones, could stand their ground against Chen Mobai in a direct confrontation.

After Chen Mobai's recovery, Meng Hong sent him back to Xiao Nanshan. The sect leader had only one command: "Practice your sword diligently!"

The "Sword Rainbow Splitting Light" stage, while marking the beginning of a sword cultivator's invincibility at the same level, is also profound; perfecting the sword light is merely the entry point, while mastering "Sword Light Diversification" is true mastery. At his current cultivation level, Chen Mobai could only condense a single beam of Purple Fire Sword Light, and even that was possible only with the aid of the Green Sun Fire Seed. Only when he can differentiate it into hundreds or thousands of sword lights will he truly be an invincible force, whether in one-on-one combat or against groups.

Thinking of this, Chen Mobai’s mind stirred. The Green Sun Fire Seed in his palm ignited, drawing in the free-floating spiritual energy from the top of Xiao Nanshan. In an instant, it condensed into a section of sword light, translucent as jade and resembling flowing magma. This was precisely the "Purple Fire Sword Light" of the Scarlet Flame Sword Art. Chen Mobai's divine sense operated, and as his consciousness split, the Purple Fire Sword Light hovering in his palm began to cleave from its tip, then branched out like a tree limb, forming a second, tiny wisp of Purple Fire Sword Light. This fragmented wisp of sword light shot forth and landed on a stone at the mountain's peak. The sword light penetrated the stone silently, melting it into lava that flowed across the ground, scorching a large patch of green grass. This was "Sword Light Diversification."

The Great Dao Tree had imparted to him all the insights into this sword cultivation stage. With a mere thought, it was as if years of cultivated understanding surfaced in his mind, allowing him to achieve it effortlessly. Unfortunately, his divine sense wasn't strong enough. Although he was considered excellent among cultivators of the same realm, he could only manage to split off a second beam of Purple Fire Sword Light. Naturally, he had concealed this stage of his ability, not displaying it in the Divine Wood Hall. This was to maintain his persona as an unparalleled sword dao genius. He planned to naturally reveal it a few years later, making it seem as though he had comprehended it himself. The reason he fabricated the story of the Azure Emperor was primarily for this purpose: firstly, it would indicate that he had comprehended the "Sword Rainbow Splitting Light" stage by observing the Azure Emperor's Immortal Sword, rather than receiving it by direct impartation from the Great Dao Tree, thus showcasing his true genius in the sword dao and further solidifying his persona.

Secondly...

Chen Mobai took out his phone and opened "Turtle Treasure." He saw that the single teleportation button had now become two: Teleport 1, Teleport 2. He named Teleport 1 "Tianhe Realm" and Teleport 2 "Divine Wood Realm." Turtle Treasure was truly remarkable; even with its master unconscious, it had successfully anchored itself to the Divine Tree Secret Realm. In the future, once Chen Mobai's cultivation improved enough for him to control the situation, he intended to properly develop this secret realm. Alone, he might not be able to fully utilize all the resources of the Divine Tree Secret Realm, and he might need assistance from his sect or other immortal sects in the future. However, compared to other immortal sects, Chen Mobai felt it would be easier to cooperate with the Divine Wood Sect. He felt that if he spent a few decades here, he might even become the sect leader. If the two Golden Core Patriarchs died someday, wouldn't he be in charge? Furthermore, he didn't want to expose the existence of Turtle Treasure, as it wouldn't be easy to fool the other immortal sects. It was better to first focus on cultivating his influence in the Tianhe Realm. Therefore, Chen Mobai had already set up a narrative in the Divine Wood Sect as a foreshadowing, so that later he could claim he had comprehended the Immortal Sword and suddenly gained free access to the Divine Tree Secret Realm.

"Master, Senior Brother Liu is back." Just then, Zhuo Ming called out from outside the formation.

Chen Mobai retracted the Green Sun Fire Seed, and the Purple Fire Sword Light instantly dissipated. He rubbed his eyes, which were sore and swollen from staring at the flame for a long time, and couldn't help but lament that he needed to buy some eye drops. At the same time, an entrance opened in the dense fog of the formation that enveloped the peak of Xiao Nanshan. This was a Tier 2 Cloud Mist Formation obtained from the Spirit Plant Department. Besides defense, it could also gather clouds, water, and mist from the sky, eventually transforming them into spiritual rain to nourish the land. Chen Mobai placed the core of the formation at the summit of Xiao Nanshan, as he had many secrets he couldn't let his disciples stumble upon.

Liu Wenbo and Zhuo Ming respectfully walked in after the Cloud Mist Formation opened. "Master, your disciple has not failed your expectations; I have retrieved all the spiritual plants from the Water Mansion."

As he spoke, Liu Wenbo took out three jade boxes of varying lengths and sizes from his storage bag. These were tools from the Tianhe Realm used to preserve spiritual plants and herbs, capable of retaining spiritual energy for the longest possible duration. Among the hundred cultivation arts of the Immortal Sects, there was even a specialized profession called "Jade Master," encompassing knowledge of finding, nurturing, cutting, carving, and repairing jade, considered a relatively high-end occupation. However, in the Tianhe Realm, it was much simpler, directly categorized under artificers. Chen Mobai took a look and found that all three jade boxes were meticulously prepared, adorned with some patterns.

He first opened the long jade box. Inside were four slender bamboo stalks, all uprooted with their branches and leaves intact. However, the Golden-Edged Jade Bamboo looked as if its spiritual energy had been drained, and it had already withered. "Oh, why is this?" Chen Mobai had planned to use this jade bamboo as a brush handle; now, in this state, he wondered if it could still be used.

"Master, please forgive me. After I picked the bamboo fruit, this entire Golden-Edged Jade Bamboo withered. I asked my family about it and learned that for the bamboo fruit to be harvested, it must absorb all the spiritual energy from the entire bamboo plant to mature."

Chen Mobai genuinely hadn't known this, but he understood that his disciple wouldn't lie to him about such a matter, so he nodded, accepting the explanation. Next, he opened the smallest wooden box. A pure wave of wood spiritual energy wafted out, revealing a smooth-skinned, fist-sized, dark green fruit. This was the bamboo fruit. After confirming it, Chen Mobai immediately closed the box to prevent the loss of spiritual energy. This bamboo fruit had matured after sixty years of cultivation, reaching peak Tier 2 quality. On the market, it could fetch at least several hundred spirit stones. However, he already knew how to use this bamboo fruit and had no intention of letting alchemists from the Tianhe Realm waste it. In the Divine Tree Secret Realm, his long-life spiritual energy was poorly rated because it contained pill toxins. It was better to let the alchemists from the Immortal Sects handle it.

Chen Mobai opened the last jade box. It was filled with reddish soil, with six or seven jade bamboo shoots emerging, encased in the red earth. "Wenbo, you've worked hard too. Take these two jade bamboos." Chen Mobai gave two Silver-Edged Jade Bamboos from the long jade box to his eldest disciple. The latter politely declined a few times before accepting them. "Zhuo Ming, take one too." Tier 1 jade bamboo was no longer useful to Chen Mobai, but it was a spiritual material for Zhuo Ming, as its leaves could be used as talisman paper and its stalks could be made into talisman brush handles.

After thanking him, the two disciples were about to withdraw. "The day after tomorrow, I will invite a few friends to formally accept you as my disciples."

"Yes, Master." Hearing this, Liu Wenbo and Zhuo Ming beamed with joy. Although the three had already established their master-disciple relationship, Chen Mobai could only truly be their support after the formal disciple acceptance ceremony. From then on, both of them could act under his banner when outside.

"Hahaha, I'll have to call you Martial Uncle now." On the day of the ceremony, Qi Rui was the first to arrive. He and Chen Mobai shared a bond of life and death; even with Chen Mobai now being the top true disciple and a Foundation Establishment elder, Qi Rui remained relaxed and joked around.

"This address will change back in a few years. This rule isn't good." Hearing Chen Mobai's words, Qi Rui's face lit up with joy. This implied that he would receive the next batch of Foundation Establishment Pills and succeed in his Foundation Establishment in one go.

"This has been the rule since ancient times; it can't be changed." The two chatted for a while longer, then Xi Jinghuo arrived. Not just him, but Qi Hou also came.

"Senior Brother Qi, what a rare guest." Chen Mobai personally welcomed him up the mountain. Qi Hou forced a smile. He had been in seclusion since receiving the Foundation Establishment Pill and had pushed himself during the Divine Tree Secret Realm incident recently, but he had failed his Foundation Establishment. Seeing Chen Mobai—the youth who once needed his protection to venture into the Cloud Dream Marsh, now successfully in Foundation Establishment and hailed alongside Hong He as one of the Divine Wood Sect's peerless duo—Qi Hou couldn't help but sigh with emotion as he called him "Martial Uncle."

"Here, this is a small gift from the two of us." In contrast, Xi Jinghuo, like Qi Rui, casually handed a jade box to Chen Mobai.

Xiao Nanshan was relatively simple. Chen Mobai simply set up the disciple acceptance ceremony outside his wooden house, conducting an open-air ritual. Cultivators were generally easygoing and found nothing amiss. Xi Jinghuo and Qi Hou walked directly over to Qi Rui, and the three sat on the ground, forming a circle.

The next three to arrive were E Yun, Yuan Chiyue, and Yan Jinye. The first two were Chen Mobai's friends, while the last had looked after him for a long time in the Divine Wood Hall and, upon learning Chen Mobai's true capabilities, had sought to deepen their connection, forming a friendship over time. With their arrival, almost everyone had gathered. After all, Chen Mobai didn't know many people in the sect. Two more invitations had been sent to Yue Zutao and Sun Gaochang, but the former disliked going out and entrusted E Yun to deliver a spirit talisman instead. Chen Mobai thanked him and accepted it. After a while, Sun Gaochang also arrived, bringing Lu Jun and Teng Jie with him.

Once everyone had gathered, Chen Mobai had Liu Wenbo and Zhuo Ming step forward and introduced them to the guests. His two disciples presented themselves well, a handsome young man and a beautiful young woman, drawing praise from everyone.

Then came the disciple acceptance ceremony. The Divine Wood Sect didn't have many elaborate formalities. Chen Mobai sat in his place, drank the master-disciple tea offered by the two, and their master-disciple relationship was officially established. From then on, the three would share in prosperity and decline together.

"Master, this is the disciple acceptance gift my Liu family's Great Elder asked me to present." After offering the tea, Liu Wenbo took out a jade box and presented it. Chen Mobai was slightly surprised. Upon taking it, he found it was actually a Tier 2 magical artifact: a scaled armguard. "Please thank the Great Elder for me." After thinking for a moment, Chen Mobai accepted the magical artifact. He knew of the Liu family, which had risen to prominence by raising Bloodjade Carp. Besides the Great Elder, another Foundation Establishment cultivator from their family was a disciple of the Five Elements Sect. Now, Liu Wenbo was doing very well in the Divine Wood Sect, with prospects of becoming a true disciple. The resources provided by his family had also increased, and the disciple acceptance gift was exceptionally generous. Tier 2 magical artifacts, especially defensive ones, were more valuable; this armguard might be worth over a thousand spirit stones.

"Master, this is my disciple acceptance gift." Although Zhuo Ming, unlike Liu Wenbo, didn't have a cultivation family backing her, she still presented her most cherished possession: a yellowed Daoist book titled "The Hundred Herbs Classic." "You are thoughtful." Chen Mobai accepted it with a smile, without opening it. He understood his disciple's circumstances; this Daoist book was an ancestral heirloom, and her presenting it showed her sincere dedication.

"Hahaha, it seems I've arrived at just the right time." Just as the disciple acceptance ceremony was about to conclude, a familiar voice echoed in the air. Meng Hong descended from the sky and walked over with a smile.

"Greetings, Sect Leader."

"Rise, everyone, no need for formalities." Meng Hong gestured for everyone to stay where they were and relax, then took out a storage bag and gave it to Chen Mobai. "This is what I promised you, and I've added a little extra." After handing over the items, Meng Hong took out two bottles of pills from his own pocket, gave them to Liu Wenbo and Zhuo Ming, then waved his hand and unceremoniously sat down. "Where's your wine? Little Yun'er said your brewed wine is exceptional, just like your sword."

At these words, E Yun looked a bit embarrassed. He didn't really want people to know his nickname.

"Zhuo Ming, open the jars." Chen Mobai naturally wouldn't be stingy today. Zhuo Ming had also participated in brewing the Jade Sprout Spirit Wine last year. She delivered the sealed small jars of wine one by one to each guest's table. "There's plenty of wine for everyone tonight."

At these words, Sun Gaochang's eyes lit up first.

That night, all the guests were joyful.