Chapter 953: Only for the Ninth Secretary

"I have long heard that the ancient land of Lingbao is a pure land revered by cultivators. In the past, Immortal Master Ge Hong astonished the Central Plains, becoming one of the strongest figures in Daoist history. We have come admiring the teachings and wish to pay our respects to this sacred place," Ye Fan said.

Guo Zhen also stepped forward, bowed, and requested permission to enter, explaining that they had no disrespectful intentions; it was precisely out of reverence that they had come to visit, hoping their wish could be granted.

"To pay respects to the relics of the sages, you can visit the Daoist temple outside. This secret land is never open to outsiders," a disciple of the Lingbao Sect said coldly, a look of displeasure on his face.

The four young people, whose acquaintance with Guo Zhen was indeed superficial, had followed them all the way here. Yet, they were so heartless; not only did they refuse to speak up on their behalf, but they also spoke coldly, tinged with contempt.

"Although we are acquainted, this place genuinely does not allow 'unimportant people' to enter," another person stated directly, labeling him and Ye Fan as such, with a dismissive tone.

"What kind of people are considered unimportant?" Ye Fan asked, seeing Guo Zhen's embarrassment. He was determined not to leave and insisted on seeing Ge Hong's meditation retreat.

"Do you really consider yourselves senior experts?" another young man couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The old Daoist priest nearby had once said that only senior experts were permitted to come here to teach scriptures and impart wisdom, and to enter and exit Lingbao's former pure land; ordinary people were not allowed.

"At the mountain gate, there are thirty-three steps, representing the heavenly ranks for ascending to immortality and achieving enlightenment. If any of you can ascend eight of these steps, you will barely pass, and may enter," the old Daoist priest said.

Several ancient pine trees, like coiling dragons, stood at the foot of the mountain. Legend had it that Ge Hong himself planted them long ago; they remained lush and evergreen, as vigorous as mythical horned dragons.

There were thirty-three steps there, different from the ordinary bluestone steps leading up the mountain. It was said that in ancient times, this was the most common test, and even Daoist acolytes serving true immortals could walk all thirty-three steps; otherwise, they could not freely ascend or descend the mountain.

However, now only elders could traverse them; ordinary disciples had to bypass these stone steps, taking a small path beside them, a stark contrast to ancient times.

Ye Fan had initially intended to simply walk up all the steps, but Guo Zhen was stubborn. He insisted on trying, as the repeated scorn from acquaintances had ignited a fire within him, making it hard to stay calm.

One step, two steps, three steps—Guo Zhen found it incredibly difficult to take even a fourth step, having only managed three steps with his own cultivation. This was due to the prevailing environmental conditions, which made it difficult for modern cultivators to improve their cultivation, compared to ancient times.

Nearby, the four young people chuckled, shaking their heads. Even they didn't dare attempt the stone steps, believing Guo Zhen, unfamiliar with the challenge, would only make a fool of himself.

*Whoosh*

A blue-green light flared. In Guo Zhen's hand appeared a thin blue-gold tablet, inscribed with an extremely ancient talisman, from which strands of blue-gold light emanated, enveloping him.

*Crackle*, *Thump*...

Guo Zhen took six more steps, making a total of nine, reaching the standard set by the old man. Sweating profusely, he then jumped off the steps and retreated.

The four young people nearby were all astonished, staring at the blue-gold tablet in his hand. The talisman on it was very mysterious; it had enabled Guo Zhen to perform in such a way. Normally, none of the four could have achieved this, only managing three steps at most, yet Guo Zhen had succeeded.

The old Daoist priest was also greatly surprised, staring intently at the blue-gold talisman. He said, "Although you relied on a spiritual artifact, you have barely passed the test. You may go up."

Guo Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the sweat from his brow, and carefully put away the blue-gold tablet. At his current cultivation level, he could not yet store artifacts within his Inner Sea.

"Just relying on external objects, what kind of ability is that?" a young man muttered quietly. However, the four of them also felt a loss of face, so they didn't linger and quickly ascended the mountain.

Guo Zhen seemed utterly exhausted after taking those nine steps. Upon returning, he quickly sat cross-legged on the ground to recover his energy.

Ye Fan looked at the thirty-three stone steps, then walked up them one by one until he reached the top, and then walked back down.

Below, the old Daoist priest was nearly terrified, gaping in astonishment. Even he could only manage to walk half of them, yet this young man ascended them with effortless grace. He knew he had encountered a truly formidable expert and was about to address him as "Senior" and bow.

Ye Fan stopped him, shaking his head. Then he went to Guo Zhen's side and channeled a pure divine force into him, instantly dispelling his fatigue and making him feel completely refreshed, restoring him to his original state.

"Brother Ye!" Guo Zhen was naturally startled and quickly opened his eyes.

"Just a minor trick," Ye Fan explained with a smile, "I usually store some inner essence in my magical artifact."

Guo Zhen felt relieved. Otherwise, he would have truly believed he had met a senior expert. Transferring vital energy to someone else was very draining; if it was stored within a magical artifact, that was a different matter entirely.

The old Daoist priest respectfully watched them ascend a small path leading to the Daoist temple on the terrace. He himself remained in place, shaking his head vigorously, continuing to guard the mountain gate.

Along the way, ancient pines and cypresses were everywhere, and cranes soared and circled in the sky.

The area was cloaked in mist and shimmering clouds, appearing like a fairyland, with spiritual energy many times denser than the outside world.

Arriving on the platform of the secluded mountain, they first saw a bluestone statue of a Daoist. It possessed an immortal aura, exuded a sense of composure, and seemed to have seen through everything in the mortal world.

This statue was erected by later generations to commemorate Immortal Master Ge Hong. It was lifelike, untouched by worldly dust, and seemed to be on the verge of ascending to immortality.

The Lingbao Sect, founded by Ge Xuan and greatly expanded by Ge Hong, held a pivotal and unparalleled influence in Daoist history. Gezao Mountain also became one of the three great sacred mountains of Daoism in the Jiangxi region.

Ye Fan stood on the terrace, surveying the surroundings. He saw swirling mists, majestic mountain ranges, and spiritual valleys, letting out a sigh of admiration. This place was truly extraordinary.

In the distance, several isolated mountains stood alongside this one. Although their spiritual energy had dried up, there were ripples of the Grand Dao's creation within them, which greatly moved Ye Fan. Were these left by Ge Hong?

He had come to the ancient site of the Lingbao Sect partly to seek traces of Ge Hong's legacy, but also to verify a secret legend that seemed almost too illusory to be true.

In Daoism, the Lingbao Sect held paramount importance and leadership because Lingbao Heavenly Venerable, one of the Three Pure Ones revered in Daoism, originated from this lineage. Records in Daoist history indicate that this sect participated in establishing the positions of the Three Pure Ones.

"It is rumored that in an era far predating antiquity, there was a Heavenly Venerable named Lingbao. I wonder if it's true or false," Ye Fan murmured to himself.

Lingbao Heavenly Venerable is now revered by all Daoist lineages. For the cultivation world, whether this figure truly existed has long been impossible to verify.

The fact that the Lingbao Sect adopted such a name for its establishment speaks volumes and indirectly proves its supreme status within Daoism.

Ye Fan captured the ripples of the Grand Dao's creation and pondered deeply. He had heard about the origin of the Nine Secrets when he was on the other side of the starry sky. Some said they were created by several deceased Daoist Heavenly Venerables. Others claimed they were secret techniques left behind by supreme figures from different periods in ancient times before their passing, later compiled by descendants. Still others believed the Nine Secrets were the result of countless individuals' refinements.

"Ge Hong might possess one or two of the Nine Secrets. Given the sect's name, it's not difficult to draw some connections. Could Lingbao Heavenly Venerable have been one of the Heavenly Venerables who created the Nine Secrets back then?"

On the secluded mountain, these Daoist temples were very ancient. Although the great cultivators had vanished, everything here attested to its past glory, with lingering Daoist traces and incomplete sage formations that were truly astonishing.

However, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was too thin for these things to function. Furthermore, for reasons unknown, they were slowly degrading and would eventually be completely obliterated over time.

"So these are the senior experts you mentioned?" a pretty young woman standing in front of a Daoist temple chuckled, looking at Ye Fan and Guo Zhen. Several other young people were beside her.

"Indeed, this is the one who managed to ascend nine bluestone steps. You should ask him for guidance later," one of the four young cultivators who knew Guo Zhen sneered.

Several people immediately laughed upon hearing this. They were all younger disciples who had come with their elders and clearly knew each other. Ye Fan patted Guo Zhen's shoulder, telling him to calm down and not dwell on it, then led him towards the Daoist temple.

"Are you really going in? That's where the elders hold their discussions on Daoist principles. Do you intend to preach to them?"

Seeing this, a group of people followed them inside. The courtyard was covered in lush green grass with ancient trees reaching towards the sky. Not far away, a dozen elders were seated on futons, discussing Daoist principles, while several young people listened.

Ye Fan pulled Guo Zhen to the edge, found two futons, and sat down. Immediately, several young people looked over with surprised expressions.

"You truly... do you really think you're enlightened masters, daring to sit here?" The four young people who knew Guo Zhen now showed pity instead of contempt.

Many people looked over, and even the elders noticed them, all showing some surprise.

"What's wrong?" Guo Zhen was somewhat perplexed.

"Look, who among us dares to sit? Aren't we all respectfully standing here, listening to the true teachings?" one person said with schadenfreude.

"Aren't they also young people? They're sitting there too," Guo Zhen said, pointing confusedly at the dozen young men and women in front.

"Guo Zhen, you truly are naive. Can the two of you compare to them? Those are core genius disciples who emerged from the secret land."

The standing young men and women looked at the seated core disciples with a mixture of envy and jealousy, while shaking their heads at Ye Fan and Guo Zhen. The four individuals from earlier even let out a sneer, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

Guo Zhen, flustered, was about to stand up, but Ye Fan pulled him back, saying that since they had already sat down, there was no need to stand up again.

"Who are you? Why are you sitting here uninvited? Who allowed you to enter?"

From across the courtyard, a core disciple seated on a futon asked.

Ye Fan observed closely and found these young people to be quite accomplished, all above the Life Spring realm, indeed appearing remarkably extraordinary compared to others.

"They ascended on their own, having traversed the nine stone steps," someone quickly explained the situation.

The dozen elders were all surprised and began to scrutinize the two, making Guo Zhen feel instantly uncomfortable. At the same time, Ye Fan was observing them; these masters were all in the Dao Palace realm, which was indeed very powerful in the current era, and three of them were even in the Four Extremities realm.

"Is that so? You ascended on your own? Then let me test if you are truly qualified to sit here." A core disciple of the Lingbao Sect, in the late stage of the Life Spring realm, stood up from his futon.

"Haven't we already been tested below? Why must we continue?" Guo Zhen felt overwhelmed. He was a lone cultivator, while everyone here was a disciple from a major sect. It was rumored that some secret lands might even contain living great cultivators, so disciples of such sects were not to be provoked.

"The test at the mountain gate was too simple; anyone with decent cultivation could ascend those steps, it means nothing. If you can ascend four steps on *that* staircase, I'll have nothing to say, and I'll bow down and respect you as seniors for life," the young man said, pointing to the highest platform, where there were also thirty-three stone steps leading directly to the platform.

Everyone else's expression changed at this sight. What kind of place was this? It was where ancient sect masters ascended to give lectures on the Dao. Could anyone still ascend it now? Very few people could even walk a few steps up.

"I once heard that Immortal Master Ge Hong of the Lingbao Sect authored a Daoist book discussing the Nine Secrets. If we can ascend, we won't impose, as long as you simply tell us the origin of the Nine Secrets," Ye Fan said.

He had come specifically for the Nine Secrets, his purpose clear: to confirm whether the Lingbao Sect truly possessed one or two of them!

Many people laughed, but the dozen old Daoist priests all showed a slight change in expression. However, after looking at Ye Fan and the others, they relaxed, perceiving no profound cultivation from them.

"Do you really think you can compare to the supreme sect masters of ancient times?"

"Even great cultivators of today might not be able to complete all thirty-three Daoist steps. You two?"

Many people laughed, their faces full of mockery, finding it utterly unreliable. The few who knew Guo Zhen shook their heads, genuinely feeling some pity for the two.