A life of bliss
At the foot of the mountain where the outer disciples of the Tianyan Sect reside, a bustling teahouse was filled with lively chatter.
Several young people dressed in blue disciple robes sat around a table, their eyes sparkling with admiration as they gazed at the misty main peak, chattering incessantly.
"Have you heard? There was another strange phenomenon at the top of Yixing Peak last night!" Disciple A excitedly slapped the table, his voice rising several decibels. "I got up in the middle of the night and saw it with my own eyes! Good heavens! The entire Milky Way seemed to have been drawn down, shimmering with silver light, flowing across the top of Yixing Peak! The senior brother on night patrol said that Elder Ye used his great supernatural powers to mobilize the stars in the heavens to celebrate Elder Li's birthday!" He gestured as he spoke.
Disciple B immediately chimed in, clicking his tongue with envy: "It's more than just the Milky Way! I live in the servants' quarters near Cold Nether Peak, so I saw it even more clearly! Elder Shen's sword energy was absolutely amazing! It transformed into ten thousand crystal-clear blue lotuses, blooming all over the Cold Nether Peak overnight! The scene was nothing short of a fairyland!"
"And there's more!" Disciple C, a young girl, clasped her hands to her heart, her eyes shining. "Elder Ji is even more generous! It's said he brought back a Golden Horned Ram with a bloodline that had reverted to its ancestral form! He roasted the whole ram right there in Tianyuan Peak Square! The aroma could be smelled from several mountains away! Elder Xie is even more remarkable; he used star formations to create something called 'Glassy Starry Sky' on Yixing Peak, and it's said that wishes made inside are especially effective!"
As she spoke, a blush rose on her face. "My God! Elder Li is so lucky! Five ancestors are vying to dote on her! What an idyllic life! I would gladly shorten my lifespan by ten years if I could experience that for just one day!"
"Come on," a round-faced disciple next to her laughed and nudged her, "with your three spiritual roots, you should be thinking about how to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage first!"
Meanwhile, on the Dharma preaching platform of the sect.
A senior deacon stroked his white beard as he lectured a group of newly initiated disciples, whose eyes still held a hint of bewilderment, on the sect's rules.
When he got to the first rule, "No infighting among fellow disciples," he deliberately paused, keeping everyone in suspense:
Do you know why this ironclad law was established?
The new disciples looked at each other and shook their heads.
A hint of reminiscence flashed in the old deacon's eyes as he sighed, "That was an old story from a hundred years ago. Back then, Immortal Night and Elder Shen got into a fight outside the mountain gate over the task of escorting Elder Li to the secret realm." He pointed to several distant peaks that were noticeably shorter than the others and had unusually flat summits. "See those 'flat-topped mountains'? Those are the result of the sword energy and icy aftershocks from their battle back then. They almost leveled those three spiritual peaks!"
The new disciples gasped, looking at the distant Pingdingshan Mountain, imagining the earth-shattering events of that year.
The old deacon laughed again, stroking his beard, and said, "From this day forward, the sect leader has established this ironclad rule: internal strife is strictly prohibited, and violators will be severely punished."
The sect's mission hall is always the most active place for disciples.
Two female disciples who knew each other well had just finished handing over their tasks and huddled together gossiping in hushed tones.
The female disciple nudged her companion's arm and chuckled, "Hey, have you noticed? Every time Elder Li posts a task in the Task Hall to refine pills or craft magical artifacts, the auxiliary medicines or materials required are always particularly tricky and hard to find..." She winked, giving a knowing look.
The female disciple, C, immediately understood and nodded knowingly: "That's right! The 'Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Lotus' we asked for last time only grows under the ten-thousand-foot-deep ice layer of the far north ice plains, but in just two days, Immortal Venerable Ye personally retrieved it, still with ice shards on it! The time before that, when we asked for the 'South Sea Evil Dragon's Gallbladder,' Elder Shen slew the Evil Dragon King who had been entrenched in the South Sea for a thousand years with a single sword strike! And those rare ores that can only be found in the ancient beast's nest, Elder Ji carried back a whole small mountain! Not to mention Elder Xie, who can always deduce where to find the best quality medicinal herbs, and even provides the exact time for harvesting!" She became more and more excited as she spoke, "We accepted Elder Li's mission, it's practically like picking up contribution points for free! It's wonderful!"
In the spirit beast garden on the other side, a white-haired deacon was carrying a bucket of spirit grain and slowly feeding the elegant cranes in the pond.
Little Tun Tun was squatting nearby, staring longingly at the plump cranes, his mouth practically watering, making gurgling sounds in his throat.
The old deacon glanced at it helplessly, muttering, "Lord Tun Tun, please have mercy and don't covet my precious cranes... They can't withstand your bite." He sighed, but his tone was tinged with envy, "What delicious food doesn't your Master Li have? The Arctic Ice Scale Fish that Immortal Venerable Ye sends every few days is full of spiritual energy; the demon tiger hunted by Elder Shen has the most robust meat; the wild beef hunted by Elder Ji is full of qi and blood; the Star Spirit Valley personally planted by Elder Xie is plump and full of grains... You are the best-fed spirit beast in our Tianyan Sect! The ancestors dote on Elder Li, and they spoil you rotten too!" As he spoke, he gave little Tun Tun a thumbs up.
Little Tun Tun seemed to understand, letting out a loud burp and exhaling a wisp of chaotic air. It proudly shook its round head, its short tail wagging back and forth, but its dark little eyes couldn't help but glance at the crane, clearly thinking that "homegrown flowers are not as fragrant as wild flowers."
The sect competition a few days later is a grand event to test the disciples' cultivation.
The stands were packed with people, but the disciples' eyes kept drifting involuntarily toward the main stands at the top.
On the main viewing platform, Elder Li, dressed in an elegant dress, sat in the middle, sipping fragrant tea and casually watching the fight on the arena.
Night Immortal stood quietly to her left rear, emanating a chilling aura that kept strangers at bay. However, attentive disciples noticed that a subtle soundproof barrier always enveloped Elder Li, isolating her from the commotion on the arena and the surrounding noise.
Elder Shen stood to the right, sword in hand, expressionless. However, some sharp-eyed disciples noticed that whenever a flying insect or the noisy chirping of cicadas approached Elder Li, a sword aura would silently sweep past, slicing it down without a sound. There was even a gentle sword aura, like an invisible little fan, gently fanning Elder Li.
Elder Ji was the most practical. He carried over a large basket filled with all kinds of spiritual fruits, dried meat, and pastries, placing it like a small mountain not far from Elder Li's side. He then squatted down beside it, ready to offer her food at any time.
Elder Xie, waving his jade fan, sat on the other side of Elder Li, occasionally turning his head to whisper explanations to her about the strengths and weaknesses of the disciples' moves and the flow of spiritual energy. His words were insightful and even more detailed than those of the referee elders on the stage.
The disciples below the stage were stunned and whispered among themselves:
"Look! Elder Li's teacup was just empty when Immortal Night refilled it!!"
"Tsk tsk, there was a cicada making a terrible racket just now, but Elder Shen sent a sword strike and the world became quiet! This service is amazing!"
"Elder Ji's pile of snacks... I suspect he could empty the entire restaurant..."
"Elder Xie's explanation was truly excellent! I feel I've gained more than from a year of lectures by Elder Chuan Gong! It would be wonderful if he could give a lecture..."
Meanwhile, as the sun set, beside a secluded mountain path, a young disciple who had recently joined the sect tugged at the sleeve of an older senior disciple, tilting his head back with a face full of innocence and curiosity.
"Senior brother, senior brother!" The junior disciple looked up and asked worriedly, "I...I heard that the five ancestors on the main peak...their relationship...is like that...they...they won't suddenly start fighting one day, will they? Will our sect be destroyed?" He had obviously heard a lot of rumors and was very worried.
Upon hearing this, the senior brother who had been pulled back paused for a moment, then patted his junior brother's head with an air of maturity, revealing a mocking smile that said, "You're still too young." "Tsk! Fighting? That's called fun! Don't you understand!"
He looked around, lowered his voice, and mysteriously imparted his "experience": "You joined late and haven't seen the spectacle of those days. Isn't it great that it's like this now! Look at them, they may argue and quarrel, but have you ever seen anyone truly blush? Have you ever seen Elder Li show the slightest displeasure? It's a kind of... um... oh, it's hard to describe, anyway, it can only be understood intuitively, something we mortals can only envy!"
He gazed at the main peak bathed in golden light, his voice filled with longing: "Let's just focus on our cultivation and, incidentally... admire this godlike life! This kind of boundless blessing is not something that ordinary people can possess or have the fortune to support!"
The young disciple nodded as if he understood, and also looked towards the main peak, his eyes filled with longing.
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