For ten consecutive days, Zhang Yan cultivated in seclusion in his cave residence in an attempt to break through.
However, he didn't know if it was because he hadn't cultivated enough. Although he felt that his meridians were flowing smoothly and the Primordial Qi in his navel was getting thicker, he still hadn't taken the step he wanted.
He was a little regretful that he couldn't break through like last time, but he knew it was reasonable. That time was three years of hard work, and it was impossible to have such a good thing every time.
Since that was the case, there was no need to force it.
On the path of cultivation, there were times when one had to persevere and advance courageously, and there were times when one had to be patient and impatient, and one had to advance slowly. How one chose was entirely up to one's heart. Presently, he didn't lack any Dao books or medicinal pills, and breaking through to the next realm was just around the corner, so there was naturally no need for him to fight for these two or three days.
A few days ago, Ai Zhongwen came to invite him to the dharma assembly, but he declined because he hadn't cultivated enough.
Now, the dharma assembly had been held for more than three days, but it would last for a month. Even if it was to make a name for himself, there was no need to rush.
At the beginning of the next day, he took a bath and changed into a black Daoist robe with cloud patterns. After he was ready, he slowly walked to Misty Cloud Peak.
Misty Cloud Peak was the sixth peak of Cangwu Mountain. There was a Daoist temple called Shang Ze Temple. It occupied a vast area with waterfalls and springs. The scenery was unique among the eighteen peaks, so it was used as the venue for this dharma assembly. He walked on the mountain path and looked around. He saw disciples from various sects coming and going, all wearing high hats and wide belts.
About two hours later, he arrived at the gate of Shang Ze Temple.
According to the tradition of the dharma assembly, the gate was divided into three entrances, with the words "Heaven", "Earth", and "Human" written on them. The "Heaven Gate" was always for the disciples of the host, the "Earth Gate" was for the disciples of various sects, and the "Human Gate" was for the nobles and officials.
Zhang Yan was a disciple of Good Abyss Temple, so he had to enter through the "Heaven Gate". He showed his token, so the boy didn't dare to stop him and let him enter the gate.
However, just as he stepped into the mountain gate, someone stretched out a hand to stop him and said coldly, "Wait, which temple are you from?"
Zhang Yan took a look and discovered that the person standing in front of him was a beautiful Daoist nun who looked to be in her thirties. She held a horsetail whisk in her hand and had fair skin. However, this Daoist nun's eyebrows were high and her gaze was sharp. The bridge of her nose was straight like a man's. At a glance, one could tell that she was a person with a strong personality.
Zhang Yan performed a disciple's greeting to the Daoist nun and said, "This disciple is Zhang Yan of Good Abyss Monastery."
"You are Zhang Yan?" The Daoist nun seemed to have heard of Zhang Yan's name before. She looked him up and down and said, "I heard that you are proficient in Erosion Runes. Let me ask you, where did you say 'Elephant River' came from?"
Without even thinking, Zhang Yan immediately said, "It's from the 'New Theory of Language and Painting', written by the unaffiliated Kong Lan a hundred years ago."
The 'New Theory of Language and Painting' was a travel book, and 'Elephant River' was one of the stories in it.
It was about the ancient times when there was a group of villagers at the foot of Gao Mountain. Due to the scarcity of water, the villagers all relied on a spiritual stream to survive. However, this spiritual stream was intermittent every day, and the villagers suffered unspeakably. Because there were often ten elephants playing in the stream, the villagers thought that it was the elephants' fault. After driving them away several times, they killed the ten elephants, and the stream became clear.
However, the villagers did not know that there was actually a giant snake cultivating upstream. Every time the giant snake came down to drink water, the elephants would chase it away. Once the elephants died, the giant snake could no longer be controlled. After cultivating to become a spirit, it descended the mountain and ate people every day. As a result, the villagers dispersed.
The Daoist nun stared at Zhang Yan's eyes and said, "Since you know, let me ask you again. If you were that villager, what would you do?"
The original intention of this story was to warn cultivators not to be confused by the appearance in front of them on the path of cultivation. Instead, they should investigate the cause and find the appropriate way to deal with it. Therefore, there were teachers who used it to test the temperament of the younger disciples.
Some disciples believed that with the elephants around, the villagers could survive even though the water flow was intermittent. Therefore, they should maintain the status quo and endure it. Some disciples believed that since the villagers could kill the elephants, they should be able to kill the giant snake too. They should go upstream to kill the giant snake. There were even disciples who believed that the villagers did not know the cause and could only remedy the situation afterwards. Therefore, they should push one person out to feed the snake every day.
In short, the answers were all kinds of strange and varied.
Zhang Yan thought for a while and answered without hesitation, "Killing one elephant is enough."
The Daoist nun's eyes flashed and she asked, "Why?"
Zhang Yan said in a deep voice, "Even though there are ten elephants today, if they are allowed to multiply, who knows what will happen tomorrow? Once there are more elephants, there will be a day when the spiritual stream will be cut off, so the elephants must be killed. The ten elephants can chase the giant snake, which shows that the tribe is strong. One more or one less doesn't affect the overall situation. The water flow is intermittent, so one less elephant will make it smoother. The villagers can live, and the giant snake won't come out to eat people. "
There was no standard answer to this story. The Daoist nun was expressionless. She stepped aside and said, "You can go in."
Zhang Yan cupped his hands and lifted the hem of his Daoist robe. He crossed the threshold and strode inside.
Not long after he left, a young girl flashed out from the side door beside the Daoist nun. It was Zhao Yuan's sister, Zhao Ying.
She grabbed the Daoist nun's arm and shook it. She complained, "Uncle-Master, why did you let that thief pass so easily? Last time, he made my big brother vomit blood. I still haven't settled the score with him! "
The Daoist nun touched Zhao Ying's head and said dotingly, "Do you know how your master answered when Grandmaster asked this question?"
Zhao Ying's curiosity was aroused. She asked, "What did master say?"
"Killing one elephant."
Zhao Ying was surprised. She said, "My master also answered like that?"
"At that time, your grandmaster was also very satisfied. Later, I asked your master the reason. Your master said that the answer was because nine is the limit of numbers. Ten is too much. Too much is overflowing, and too little is perfect. This is the Heavenly Dao. That's why I have to kill one elephant." The Daoist nun sighed and said, "Zhang Yan's thoughts coincide with the Heavenly Dao. Such a person's future is immeasurable. If we don't get rid of him now, we can't afford to offend him. Do you understand?"
Zhao Ying nodded as if she understood.
The Daoist nun stared into the distance. She seemed to be thinking about something.
Actually, what Zhao Ying's Shifu said that day was not 'kill one elephant', but 'leave nine elephants'. Although there was no essential difference between 'kill one elephant' and 'leave one elephant', the temperament and bearing revealed were completely different. From his reply, it could be seen that Zhang Yan's temperament was decisive, but he did not lose caution. But when he said these words, his chest was filled with murderous intent, his eyes were like lightning, this kind of imposing manner made her feel frightened.
Although she was not as proficient in Yi Li as her senior, she could still see that Zhang Yan had great karma. She could not help but sigh. She did not know if it was a blessing or a curse for such a person to stay on Mount Cangwu.
After Zhang Yan stepped into the mountain gate, he walked all the way to the second mountain gate. However, he did not know that for the past three days, the new disciples of Qincang School were blocked on the "Heavenly Gate" by a young man from Guangyuan Sect. No one was able to reach the top of the third mountain gate. However, they knew that they were in the wrong and did not dare to use force.
Three years ago, Nanhua Sect's lower house was the host of the Dharma Assembly. At that time, there was a new disciple of Qincang School named Chen Feng. His younger sister had become a disciple of a Nanhua Sect's master ten years ago. Later on, she died a violent death for some unknown reason. The inside story was no longer known. In short, the two sects had enmity with each other since then.
Chen Feng took advantage of the Dharma Assembly to block the "Heavenly Gate". He kept saying that he wanted to compete with the disciples of Nanhua Sect.
After passing the mountain gate, there was a saying that one could pass the test. As long as one felt that one's ability was above others, they could stop anyone on the way to the mountain gate and compete with each other. Using this to make a name for themselves, it would be a good story whether they won or lost. Therefore, the disciples of Nanhua Sect did not care.
After that, no matter if it was deciphering the Eroded Runes or fighting techniques, the disciples of Nanhua Sect were all defeated by Chen Feng. Originally, no one would blame him if he stopped while he was ahead. However, who would have thought that he would still insist on not letting the disciples of Nanhua Sect pass? He said that he wanted to block the disciples of Nanhua Sect on the mountain until the end of the Dharma Assembly.
Because of this, some people could not stand it anymore. Guangyuan Sect had always been on good terms with Nanhua Sect. More than ten disciples came up to reason with Chen Feng, but in the end, they could not help but attack. Although Chen Feng was alone, he was able to fight against so many people. Not only did he not fall into a disadvantageous position, he even beat them up badly. In the end, he even said that the disciples of Guangyuan Sect were not allowed to pass.
After a month, none of the disciples of Nanhua Sect and Guangyuan Sect could reach the top of the three mountain gates. This caused the lower houses of the two sects to lose a lot of face. Therefore, they had been holding a grudge. This time, it was Qincang School's turn to be the host. This was the disciples of the two sects coming here to regain their face. As for those sects who knew about the conflict, they pretended to be deaf and dumb.
Three years ago, after Chen Feng returned to the mountain, he opened his immortal meridians and went to the upper house to cultivate. With his current status, he naturally could not come here again. However, he left and left the consequences to the lower house.
In the side hall of the mountain gate, more than twenty disciples of Qincang School's lower house were gathered. These people were all from Xuanmen families and usually had their own circles. Therefore, in the eyes of the disciples of Azure Parasol Mountain, they had only heard of their names.
The person sitting at the head of the table was called Zheng Xun. He was the eldest disciple of Virtue Cultivation Temple's lower house. He was the oldest and had the highest cultivation level. However, he had a gentle personality and was not good at fighting.
Two days ago, when Mo Yuan blocked his way and said that he wanted to compete with the Erosive Runes, he did not take this matter to heart. However, until today, when no disciple could reach the top of the three mountain gates, he realized that something was wrong. He knew that this was Guangyuan Sect's revenge. If he waited any longer, Qincang School, as the host, would lose a lot of face if no one reached the top. Therefore, he gathered all the disciples together to discuss a strategy.
Zheng Xun sighed and said, "Guangyuan Sect's Junior Brother Mo Yuan is still young, but I heard that he can decipher the Erosive Runes with just a finger. I have already sent Junior Brother Ma and Junior Brother Zhen to fight him. Whether they can win or not depends on the result."
Not long after, a young man walked in from the back of the side hall and bowed to the disciples around him. With a sad expression, he said, "I am not as skilled as him. I can only place my hopes on Senior Brother Zhen. I am ashamed."
Everyone was silent.
After a while, a boy came in and reported, "Senior Brothers, Senior Brother Zhen has fainted."
The disciples looked at each other. One of them stood up and said coldly, "Could it be that Mo Yuan knows that he can't win, so he resorted to force?"
The boy quickly said, "Senior Brother Mo fainted because his mind is exhausted."
The man snorted and sat back down. They were eager to fight, but Guangyuan Sect had sent a thirteen year old boy. If they used force, it would be bad for their reputation.
Zheng Xun's eyes fell on a young man in white. "Junior Brother Chen, you …"
Junior Brother Chen waved his hand and said, "Senior Brother Zheng, there is no need to say anything. I am also a disciple of the Chen clan. It is not convenient for me to show up."
Chen Feng was from the Dengyang Chen clan, and Junior Brother Chen was from the Luochuan Chen clan. Although they were from the same branch, they had separated a hundred years ago. Although he said this because he didn't want to show up, it was not an excuse. Zheng Xun didn't want to push it too far, so he turned his eyes to another man with a cold face.
"Junior Brother Lin Yuan …"
Lin Yuan shook his head and said, "Mo Yuan is only thirteen years old. It is not a fair fight. Senior Brother, you know that I care about my reputation, so please don't force me."
A bitter smile appeared on Zheng Xun's face as he asked a few more disciples in succession. Some said that Mo Yuan was just an in-name disciple, and if he went, he wouldn't be able to lower his status. Even if he won, he would be ridiculed by others. Some said that they were worried about their reputation and didn't want to bully the weak. Some said that they had been cultivating too hard recently, which had caused them to be mentally exhausted and couldn't handle the fight.
All in all, no one was willing to go.
In fact, they all knew that Mo Yuan was a prodigy. They had seen how the two disciples were defeated. Not only would they not be able to win, but if they lost, they would also bring shame to their clan. As for the glory of the sect, it naturally couldn't compare to the reputation of their clan. Thus, they would rather waste their time here than show up.
Ai Zhongwen was sitting at the end of the table. When he heard these words, he couldn't help but shake his head. When would this stalemate end? Could it be that the Qincang School really didn't care about its reputation?
He thought for a moment, then stood up and said loudly, "Senior Brother Zheng, I know of someone in the Good Abyss Monastery who is skilled in Erosion Symbols. He can definitely beat Mo Yuan!"
… …
… …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
