Unlike the peach and plum trees of the Yuncang Sword Sect, the Chaoming Hall has created a stream in the very center of the sect to place the soul lamps of their disciples.
At the entrance to the mountain stream stands a stone tablet with powerful, vigorous characters that look as if they were carved directly with a sword, bearing the words "Gui Xu" (Return to the Ruins).
Their soul lamps were not made in the style of glass lanterns; instead, they resembled lotus lanterns used by mortals for prayer, floating on the water and drifting slowly with the current.
Ji Mo Fan only met Sheng Xi's master for the first time today.
That was a person who gave off a completely different vibe from Shen Yun.
Although he looked like a young man, his long hair was silver-white, unbound and draped over his shoulders. Even his eyelashes and eyebrows were light-colored, making him appear as if he were blending into the light, almost transparent.
The only thing on his entire body that was bright yellow was the gourd hanging from his waist.
Jimo Fanxiang recalled the description of its past glory.
"Some of them would parade around the city all day long, carrying their wine gourds."
So, he was talking about his master in such a frivolous tone?
"Shiyun said you want to become my disciple?" the translucent white immortal asked.
Perhaps because he had been drinking, his voice sounded as light and airy as his whole demeanor suggested, as if he could fly away at any moment.
"Junior Ji Mofan greets Immortal Venerable Qingya." Ji Mofan bowed and clasped his hands in greeting.
Although I haven't seen him in person, Xie Qingya of Chaoming Palace was already quite famous in the cultivation world long before he made a name for himself.
Three hundred years ago, he won his first battle at the Dao Asking Conference and advanced all the way to the top three of the Heavenly Ranking of the Dao Asking Conference as a rogue cultivator. However, he disappeared for decades after that. When news of him resurfaced, it was that he had turned around and joined the Chaoming Palace.
Despite being past the age limit for the Dao Asking Tournament, he still shone in other areas, solving countless demon-slaying missions. His story of fighting against the dragon clan in the sea for three days and nights with just one sword is still talked about today.
Although he was a hundred years younger, Xie Qingya succeeded his master as an elder after the latter passed away, becoming unusually docile and staying in the sect to educate the disciples.
From then on, the Azure Cliff Immortal became a legend in the world of cultivation.
What pulled Jimo Fan out of his memories was a strong aroma of wine.
Suddenly, the golden gourd floated in front of Ji Mofan. Xie Qingya's spiritual power enveloped a glass wine cup, filling it with clear liquid.
“I don’t offer tea when I become a disciple,” Xie Qingya said. “If you can drink this cup of wine, I will acknowledge you as my disciple.”
Ji Mofan's eyes glazed over for a moment.
Jiang Shiyun nudged him with her elbow and whispered to him, "I was so busy that I forgot to tell you... Our master's requirements are rather strange. The standard for accepting disciples is whether or not you can drink with him."
Ji Mofan couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.
Why were his two attempts to become an apprentice so difficult?
The first time, he was shoved away by old man Qi Yuan with his cane; the second time, he was met with a glass of strong liquor.
Ji Mo Fan reluctantly reached out and accepted it.
To be honest, he had never drunk such strong liquor in his entire life.
In my memory, when I was a child and before I practiced fasting, I think I was tricked by an old man into drinking sweet rice wine with a very low excretion rate.
However, that stuff tasted like sugar water and was completely incomparable to the strong-smelling liquor in front of me.
“If it really doesn’t work, there’s no need to force it…” Jiang Shiyun said softly, “I’ll take you to ask the other elders.”
Ji Mofan narrowed his eyes.
It wasn't that he was provoked; he's not the type to lose his temper easily.
However, upon meeting Xie Qingya today, he felt that this person was quite pleasing to the eye.
The path of cultivation is all about fate; it's something that can only be encountered by chance and cannot be sought. He didn't want to give up that flutter in his heart.
It was completely different from when he first met Shen Yun. Back then, he was so hungry he was almost dying. He would have accepted even a monster as his cub, let alone Shen Yun.
But now he has the ability to make his own choices again.
He wanted to choose what he wanted.
The strong liquor went down his throat as if he had swallowed a fire-controlling talisman. Ji Mofan subconsciously tried to use his spiritual power to soothe the burning sensation, but found helplessly that it was completely useless.
The burning sensation traveled all the way from my throat to my stomach, as if there was a furnace inside my belly, so uncomfortable that I couldn't even make a sound.
But this sense of difficulty comes and goes quickly.
The alcohol seemed to evaporate instantly, and a strange sense of comfort spread from his torso to his limbs and bones, as if even the strands of his hair were soaking in spiritual spring water. Ji Mofan subconsciously looked inward and found that even his spiritual platform had become clear as if it had been watered.
"Silly kid, who drinks like you?" Xie Qingya's voice drifted over with a laugh. "Your face is all scrunched up like a bun."
He had just gently poked Ji Mofan's forehead, and a wisp of water-based spiritual energy seeped in, instantly neutralizing the heat of the wine.
One reason why cultivators with water-elemental roots are considered the best candidates for dual cultivation is that water itself possesses extremely strong harmonizing properties.
No matter what force they face, they can easily mediate.
Ji Mofan lowered his head and touched the wrinkles on his face.
Can you blame him? Xie Qingya didn't tell him he didn't have to drink it all at once.
Ji Mofan had never drunk alcohol before and didn't know his alcohol tolerance. After drinking a glass of wine, he didn't have any particularly noticeable reaction, only feeling that his head was a little hot.
"Kneel down," Xie Qingya said.
Ji Mofan was stunned for a moment before Jiang Shiyun reminded him to bow his head and bend down properly to perform a disciple-acceptance ceremony for Xie Qingya.
A familiar sense of emptiness enveloped his body.
A wisp of divine soul darted out from Ji Mofan's forehead, leaped on Xie Qingyun's fingertips, and landed in the lotus lantern held by Jiang Shiyun.
Blue flames leaped and flickered within, the closed flower buds slowly opened, and translucent ice flowers spread across the colorless petals.
The lotus lanterns floated into the babbling brook before us.
The flowing water propelled the lotus lanterns in the pond to rotate slowly, illuminating a patch of blue light in the distance.
"Call me Master first." Xie Qingya suddenly spoke, looking at Ji Mofan's eyes that reflected the blue sky.
Ji Mofan withdrew his gaze, obediently bowed his head and clasped his hands, "Master."
Then his head was ruffled and messed up. "Hey, you're so good. Much better than that Sheng Xi."
Jimo Fan is somewhat helpless.
It seems that he stopped getting his head patted after he was fifteen or sixteen.
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