"good!"
Upon hearing the answer from his child, Immortal Lord Xuanqing nodded slightly, showing neither joy nor anger, without revealing the slightest emotion.
"In that case, you should take him under your wing!"
"yes."
"Step back!"
Zhao Junxian frowned slightly. That's it? All that trouble after asking just a few questions? And this is it?
"Come with me!"
Feng Bingwen, who was initially a little apprehensive, was now completely bewildered. He wondered what was going to happen, but the celestial being simply glanced at him and then let him join the sect. It was truly casual.
Although he felt somewhat relieved, Feng Bingwen didn't say anything, lest he make himself uncomfortable for no reason. He turned around and left the majestic Golden Palace with his master.
However, before stepping out of the palace gate, Feng Bingwen subconsciously glanced back. Instantly, the original golden and jade pillars vanished into nothingness, leaving only a blue lotus throne floating within. As the Taoist sat upon it, countless strange phenomena emanated behind him.
Before Feng Bingwen could see clearly, the palace gates of the Golden Palace were completely closed. When he turned around, he found a tall, golden-armored general standing quietly to the side.
"Ren Yi!"
Zhao Junxian greeted the deity, who was more imposing than any other incense god Feng Bingwen had ever seen before, and bowed slightly.
"Greetings, Young Master!"
The deity answered methodically, then slightly shifted his gaze, his ancient face now directly facing Feng Bingwen. He seemed to want to smile, but it was extremely stiff.
"Is this a disciple accepted by the young master?"
"right!"
"Your Excellency emerged from seclusion this time precisely to meet your disciple!"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Junxian turned around and glanced at the divine general, a smile appearing on his face. He then turned back to look at the divine general.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work!"
"It is our honor to serve Your Majesty!"
After answering, Renyi Shenjiang seemed to remember something else.
"I should have given something to the disciple that Young Master has taken in, but unfortunately I have nothing of value to offer, so I can only give him this."
Having said that, the divine general reached out and grabbed the golden scale arm armor on his other hand, tore it off, and then gently tossed it to Feng Bingwen.
Feng Bingwen caught the arm armor, which was half his height, with some surprise. Before he could say anything, he saw golden sand spreading from the feet of the deity general, then wrapping around his arm, which showed his bulging muscles, and condensing into an identical arm armor.
"this?"
Feng Bingwen turned his gaze to Zhao Junxian. He originally wanted to return the item, since it was someone else's armor, but judging from the situation, it seemed unnecessary.
"Take it. This is Ren Liu's kind intention. This is armor formed from his divine power. If you encounter a critical moment, you can use it to avert disaster!"
"oh!"
That explained it to Feng Bingwen; it turned out that the arm armor was a one-time use magic item and could not be used multiple times.
"Thank you, Divine General Ren Liu!"
Feng Bingwen bowed and thanked him. Although the general was given to him out of respect for his master, the benefits were indeed in his hands.
"I hope you will cultivate diligently and not disappoint the expectations of His Majesty and the Young Lord!"
The deity gave instructions and then watched as Feng Bingwen was led away by Zhao Junxian.
Not long after the master and disciple fled, Feng Bingwen saw his master take out a beam of golden light. Now he knew what kind of magical treasure it was.
Lingbao, Jinhong Bridge.
The distance of ten thousand miles can be reached in an instant, which is truly miraculous. Although Feng Bingwen was envious, he was not too jealous. He had the Heavenly Book in his hand, accumulated virtue and did good deeds, and had enough merit and virtue, so why should he worry about treasures?
"This is a grotto-heaven supported by my father. Those who have not yet become immortals should not stay here for long. I will first lead you to the outer mountain gate, enter the Taiqing Hall, register your name, and have many ancestral masters witness it. Then you will be considered a member of my Taiqing Daoist sect."
Holding a golden light, Zhao Junxian told Feng Bingwen about the next steps, and Feng Bingwen immediately agreed.
A golden rainbow arched across the sky, the void cracked open, and a serene palace suddenly appeared before Feng Bingwen's eyes. Zhao Junxian led him inside and stood before that palace.
"Greetings, Elder Kongyu!"
Upon arriving at this place, Zhao Junxian respectfully bowed to an old man weeding in the open space in front of the palace. Seeing this, Feng Bingwen followed suit and bowed as well.
Although the old man dressed as a farmer, and the mud-covered hoe in his hand, seemed quite out of place with the towering palace behind him.
But the incongruity is just right; that's what makes a big shot—always unconventional and attention-grabbing.
"Oh, it's me, the Daoist Master of the Supreme Way, back! What brings you to this old man's place?"
The old man leaned on his hoe, his gaze falling on Zhao Junxian and Feng Bingwen behind him. He smiled, his face kind and his tone gentle.
“I have taken in a new disciple from outside, and I brought him to the Taiqing Hall to register his name.”
"You've taken on a disciple?"
The old man paused for a moment, glanced at Feng Bingwen's words, and then his smile became even more benevolent.
"You've reached the age where you should be taking on disciples. Time really flies! I still remember the first time I saw you, you weren't even as tall as these weeds on the ground!"
As he spoke, the old man gestured with his hand to the lush green grass that barely reached a person's calves. When he raised his hand, a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes, and his words were filled with sighs.
"In the blink of an eye, you've grown so much that you're old enough to take on disciples. Come here, little guy, let this old man take a look at you and see what your master thinks."
Feng Bingwen looked at the old farmer whose hands still seemed to be covered in mud and who looked very unkempt. He then looked up at Zhao Junxian and asked him with his eyes.
"Go ahead. Elder Kongyu is one of the Earth Immortals stationed at the Taiqing Palace. All disciples of my Taishang Dao Sect who come here to register must have their innate qualities and aptitudes measured by the Elder. Only those who pass the test can have their names recorded."
After listening to Zhao Junxian's explanation, Feng Bingwen immediately felt relieved. So it was a test of aptitude. He had never been afraid of this kind of test before. If he couldn't pass it, he might as well close the Taishangdao sect.
So, the spirited, energetic, and brimming young man confidently strode up to the earth immortal who resembled an old farmer from the countryside. He looked at the old man with some curiosity, wanting to see what the earth immortal was capable of.
Although he had just paid his respects to a celestial being, that celestial being was too straightforward. He only glanced at him twice and did not even exchange a word. He directly asked his master to take him away.
"Let the old man see what kind of talented and beautiful people Daozi has found for my Supreme Dao."
The old man chuckled and extended his hand, grasping Feng Bingwen's wrist. His previously smiling, aged face instantly changed; the smile faded, and he looked Feng Bingwen up and down before turning to Zhao Junxian with a serious expression.
"Daozi, it's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult for you, but this time, you've really misjudged me!"
"Hmm? What's wrong with my disciple?"
Hearing these words from the resident elder, Zhao Junxian was also startled.
"This is a big problem. This little thing is probably a spy deliberately planted by some old geezer, and you, Daozi, saw it and brought it back."
"You might be able to fool Daozi, but you can't fool this old fellow. But such outstanding talent—what old man's methods are these? Did someone crack his head open? So stupid!"
The old man's tone was no longer kind and gentle; he was cursing and swearing. Feng Bingwen, whose wrist was being grabbed by the old man, felt that his immortal energy could not circulate and that he had been directly imprisoned.
"Elder Kongyu, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
Zhao Junxian frowned. He wasn't annoyed that the Earth Immortal elder said his eyesight was poor. After all, he was only a Yuan Dan cultivator, two realms apart, so his eyesight naturally couldn't compare to that of an Earth Immortal.
But Feng Bingwen was someone his father had seen. If there were any problems, his father would have said so long ago. How could he possibly let Feng Bingwen become his disciple?
"It's impossible to be wrong. This kid's Dao body wasn't innate. He was originally just an ordinary mortal with mediocre talent. He could join another sect."
"But to join my Supreme Dao is absolutely impossible. Someone used extraordinary means to defy fate and renew his supreme Dao body, but even the best methods leave traces. The old man saw it at a glance; this is not his original physique."
Elder Kongyu's tone was firm and powerful. The once simple and unassuming old farmer had transformed at this moment. He was like a landscape painting rendered in ink wash, his appearance ambiguous yet exuding a vast and boundless aura like a sea of stars.
"So that's what it is. I know. My disciple has great fortune and luck."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Junxian breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be nothing more than this.
"Daozi, what great opportunities and great fortune? These are just things those old ghosts hiding in the shadows use to fool ignorant cultivators. How can you believe in such things?"
When the old farmer heard Zhao Junxian's words defending Feng Bingwen, his expression immediately became even more serious.
In his eyes, there are no people favored by fate in this world. The so-called favor of fate is nothing more than old people hiding in the shadows using their resources to plot something.
On the surface, all you see are prodigies with incredible luck. But what kind of chosen ones are these? If they didn't have a few powerful figures backing them up, these so-called lucky ones would have been harvested like leeks long ago, and wouldn't have had a good ending. He'd seen this kind of thing countless times.
"Elder Kongyu, this disciple was brought back on my father's orders."
Seeing the elder's expression, Zhao Junxian understood that no matter how outstanding his talent was, he was still just a junior in front of such an old immortal, so he simply brought up his father.
"Immortal Lord Xuanqing!"
Upon hearing this, the vast, ethereal aura of the Earth Immortal Kongyu completely vanished, and he returned to the calm and easygoing demeanor of an old farmer from the countryside.
"Since the Immortal Lord has already met you, then this old man will not interfere further. Did the Immortal Lord instruct you to bring this little fellow here?"
"Yes, my father has allowed me to take him into his family!"
"Okay, then take him inside!"
Upon hearing this, Kongyu Earth Immortal released his grip on Feng Bingwen's hand, picked up his hoe, and stepped aside.
"Aren't you going to take another look?"
"The immortal lord has already seen it, why should this old fellow bother with all this effort? I'd rather use this time to weed a few more weeds!"
Kongyu Earth Immortal laughed.
"I then led my disciple inside."
Go!
Feng Bingwen, who was extremely nervous, breathed a sigh of relief. He had just truly felt the pressure from an Earth Immortal. Even though the other party hadn't revealed much, just a slight aura was enough to immobilize him.
"Little fellow, since you've already passed the Immortal Lord's notice, then this old man was in the wrong. After you come out, this old man will give you two immortal herbs!"
Immortal herb?
Feng Bingwen glanced at the wild grass blooming freely at his feet, just like the wild grass on both sides of the road that cannot be burned out by wildfire and will grow again with the spring breeze. Could the so-called immortal grass be these things?
Without giving him much time to mutter and arrange things in his mind about the Earth Immortal, Feng Bingwen had already followed in his master's footsteps and stepped into the Taiqing Hall.
The moment Feng Bingwen stepped through the palace gates, he felt as if he had entered another world—deep, desolate, empty, and void. Even his master beside him had vanished.
The next moment, flames burst forth before our eyes, some as small as broad beans, others as large as golden crows soaring through the sky. Even the faintest flames were not weak in the slightest, each displaying its own brilliance. In an instant, the deep gloom of the hall was swept away, becoming magnificent and bright, with not a trace of darkness left.
However, Feng Bingwen was still confused. Just as he was feeling lost, a long slip of paper, which looked like it was carved from green jade, was hanging in front of him. At the head of the palace, a dozen or so figures were faintly visible.
They were indistinct figures, surrounded by celestial light, their outlines difficult to discern. All that could be seen was that they were all seated, some cross-legged on prayer mats, some slumped on cloud beds, some leaning against small tables, and some kneeling in tents... Their faces were completely hidden in the celestial glow and light, making them difficult to see clearly.
At the same time, Feng Bingwen clearly felt that the gazes of those beings who were slightly superior to that Immortal Lord were all focused on him at this moment.
There was no malice intended, only a sense of relief and joy at seeing such an outstanding junior, and even a hint of anticipation, hoping he could achieve something.
"Leave your name!"
Under these gazes, Feng Bingwen knew what he had to do. He raised his hand, and without needing pen or ink, he used his index finger as a pen to write his name on the jade slip in front of him, stroke by stroke.
Instantly, celestial light shone brightly, divine rainbows hung in the sky, golden lotuses descended from the heavens, divine springs gushed from the earth, and intoxicating Daoist chants resounded, seemingly celebrating the addition of another outstanding disciple to the Supreme Dao.
Feng Bingwen was unconsciously immersed in the Daoist chants. When he came to his senses, he found himself standing outside the hall, with his master waiting quietly beside him.
Beside him stood a celestial being who looked like an old farmer, carrying two wild grasses with mud still clinging to their roots, smiling at him.
“Little fellow, don’t blame this old man for bullying you. There are too many things wrong with you. But you’ve passed the test of the Immortal Lord and paid respects to all the patriarchs. So even though you are a member of the Supreme Dao Sect, as long as you don’t violate the sect rules, I, as an elder of the Supreme Dao Sect, will naturally protect you. Consider these two immortal herbs as a gift and compensation from me as your elder.”
The Fairy Tree Romance
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