On the mountain
The main peak of the Jingyin Sect is called Wentian Peak, which stands majestically and pierces the clouds.
Those who wish to enter the mountain gate must traverse 1,999 stone steps to reach the mountainside, where the true entrance to the Jingyin Sect is located.
This is the only path that disciples of the Jingyin Sect must take; everyone must walk it at least once.
Lin Yun looked up at the seemingly endless stone steps, feeling no fear, and steadily walked upwards.
She understood that no matter how long and endless the stone steps might be, there would eventually come a day when she reached the end.
Moreover, she had Sang Zhao by her side.
"Junior sister, be careful."
The Jingyin Sect is covered in snow all year round, and the stone steps are inevitably slippery.
This was Lin Yun's second visit to the Jingyin Sect, and his situation was vastly different from before.
Previously, Sang Zhao had already transcribed an overview of the Jingyin Sect for her, and now that she had seen the actual object, he still patiently introduced it to her.
"This is the main peak of the Jingyin Sect. The main hall stands at the summit, where we often hold meetings, hence we call it the Council Hall." He pointed into the distance, "That's the mountainside, and also the end of these stone steps. The outer disciples' residences are here, as are the Discipline Hall and the Mission Pavilion."
He then gestured to the two side peaks.
"The mountain on the left is called Jingshu Mountain. It contains the residences of the inner disciples, as well as a library and a pharmacy."
"The one on the right is called Zuowang Peak, which is where the sect leader, elders, pavilion masters, and hall masters reside."
"To the right of Zuowang Peak is the Sword Debate Peak, which has a martial arts arena, a cultivation building, and a thousand-tower tower."
The long climb was no longer monotonous because of his voice.
Before we knew it, we were almost halfway up the mountain.
At this moment, the full moon and a few lonely stars hung on the branches.
The wind blew by, carrying away the snowflakes that had already fallen, scattering them finely and flowing, shimmering under the moonlight.
Beside the sect gate, a strangely shaped stone bearing the three large characters "Jingyin Sect" is quite eye-catching.
However, both of their attention was drawn to the figure beside the strange rock. The moon-white clothes reflected the cool moonlight, making him look like an immortal who was about to ride the wind to heaven at any moment.
"Master!"
Sang Zhao recognized the person and couldn't help but shout. Although he had met Yi Chen briefly during this mission, he was blind and deaf at the time and hadn't seen the person clearly.
Lin Yunwang reacted a beat slower than him, and after him, he said softly, "Master."
Tonight feels like a long-awaited reunion.
The person in front of me simply chuckled and nodded in agreement, "It was a little slower than I expected."
Sang Zhao blushed and said apologetically, "I was delayed a bit on the way."
He was embarrassed to admit it because he had underestimated the strength of the alcohol; he got drunk after just one big gulp and had to rest before setting off.
"Follow me." Yichen turned around and walked towards the council hall.
It turned out that several elders and stewards were already waiting for the two in the hall.
Yongyun yawned listlessly, about to complain, but immediately fell silent when his gaze fell on the woman beside him.
Inside the hall, only Yongyun and Mingqi were familiar faces.
Realizing this, Lin Yun quickly lowered his head and bowed respectfully along with Sang Zhao.
"Disciple Sang Zhao,"
"Disciple Lin Yunwang greets all venerable ones and stewards."
The woman sitting in the center slightly raised her hand, gesturing for the two to stand up.
She is the sect leader of the Jingyin Sect, Ninghua.
When she took over the position of sect leader, there were constant doubts from both outsiders and within the Jingyin Sect. However, nearly twenty years have passed, and those doubts have long since turned into praise. Today, everyone hailes her as a leader in the cultivation world and the first person to awaken without receiving guidance from Tianyin.
Ninghua seems to have become a spiritual totem, inspiring cultivators to embark on the path of cultivation, and symbolizing the limit that cultivators who do not receive the guidance of the Heavenly Voice can reach.
Moreover, the last time the Heavenly Voice appeared in the world was sixty years ago. People's worship of the Heavenly Voice, including the awakened ones chosen by the Heavenly Voice, has gradually faded.
Along with it, the land stained with blood has also faded from memory.
After Sang Zhao and Lin Yun got up, they stood respectfully to the side with their eyes lowered.
The atmosphere inside the hall was solemn, with the elders and stewards sitting upright, their expressions grave.
"Congratulations on your safe return." Ning Hua's tone was very calm. "You worked hard on this mission and did an excellent job."
Her tone only wavered slightly when she said "return safely," as if those four words carried an unspeakable weight.
Ninghua waved his hand gently, and a scroll immediately appeared before the two of them: "This has been jointly reviewed and adjudicated by Qiling City, Shizhi Sect, and Jingyin Sect."
The file states that the evil cultivators appearing in Shuofeng City possessed the sorcery "Searching for Gods," which they learned from a forbidden book obtained by chance. Fortunately, due to its weakness, it did not cause a large-scale impact, but it has already triggered panic in both the human and cultivation worlds.
Previously, this heretical practitioner had murdered 30 innocent people to cultivate evil energy. He was sentenced to death for killing people.
However, he still has an abnormal condition of memory loss and is currently imprisoned at the Cliff of Repentance in Qiling City, pending the discovery of the truth before execution.
“This matter has now been handed over to Qiming City to handle entirely,” Mingqi added from the side.
"Your mission is complete," Ning Hua declared definitively.
She turned to Lin Yunwang and said, "You should begin your formal cultivation now. Bai Xiyan, a disciple of Mingqi, has been assigned to assist you."
This is not the time for the Silent Sect to recruit new disciples, so naturally there are no prepared senior brothers or sisters to guide new disciples.
Considering that Sang Zhao and Lin Yunwang were of different genders, and that Yichen had no female disciples, Bai Xiyan volunteered to take on this task.
Yichen coughed lightly, as if to remind him of something.
Ninghua frowned. "I haven't forgotten."
This sect leader appears cold and aloof, but is actually a straightforward person.
Her tone was resolute yet clear: "I, the Sect Master of the Jingyin Sect, along with all the elders and stewards, hereby witness that Lin Yunwang shall, from this day forward, become a disciple of Venerable Yichen, to assume the responsibility of teaching and to serve the grace of his sect."
The array patterns on the floor of the council hall slowly extended, broke through the hall, and finally enveloped Yichen and Lin Yun's feet.
Yichen walked up to Lin Yunwang, raised his index finger and gently touched her brow. Golden light flowed from his fingertip into Lin Yunwang's sea of consciousness.
Like a warm current, it gradually soothed and repaired the cracks in her mind, and the pain she had been enduring was lessened.
After about half a cup of tea's time, he withdrew his hand, and his palm held a golden round bead.
“This item can nourish your spirit and will greatly benefit you.” He pushed the bead forward.
"Thank you, Master." Lin Yun knelt on one knee and took the bead with both hands. His knees touched the cool bluestone slab through the cloth.
The coolness was exactly the same as the temperature of the spiritual pearl in my palm.
The spring breeze blew in through the window, carrying the news across mountains and valleys to every corner of the land.
The fact that the two would become master and disciple was predestined, as irreversible as the alternation of day and night, and as immovable as the collapse of mountains and seas.
This is fate, unchangeable and inescapable.
"Get some rest early today, Sang Zhao, you stay."
Stepping out of the palace gates, Lin Yunwang became heavy-hearted. She wasn't stupid; how could she not understand the sect leader's meaning?
The matter of heretical cultivation has been resolved and cannot be investigated further.
His gaze fell upon the figure under the pine tree, and he suddenly came back to his senses.
He raised the edge of the umbrella in his hand by half an inch, revealing his handsome features.
"Zhou... Senior Brother?" She quickened her pace and Zhou Hengyan came to greet her, holding an oil-paper umbrella.
“It’s hard to travel on a snowy night, let me lead you to your lodging.” He tilted the umbrella slightly in Lin Yun’s direction.
Large snowflakes fell on the paper umbrella, making a slight, almost imperceptible sound.
Lin Yun instinctively refused, "There's no need to trouble Senior Brother Zhou. I need to wait here for my senior brother to come out."
"This was originally Senior Sister Bai's task." He smiled, a hint of helplessness in his expression. "But she has important business to attend to tonight and can't get away, so she had to entrust it to me. If I can't see you settle things in person, I'm afraid I'll get a scolding tomorrow."
He glanced meaningfully at the council hall, "Moreover, Senior Brother Sang probably won't be coming out anytime soon."
Hearing him say that, Lin Yun had no choice but to go with him.
Zhou Hengyan smelled of pine needles, perhaps from standing under the tree for so long.
On the way, Zhou Hengyan occasionally introduced the surroundings to her. Most of what he said had already been told to her by Sang Zhao, but Lin Yunwang did not refuse and listened attentively.
Suddenly, he stopped and pointed to the hazy shadow of the tower in the distance.
"That is the Tower of a Thousand, which contains three thousand illusions, specifically for disciples to train in. It is excellent for both physical training and mental discipline."
The Thousand Pagoda is a treasure of the Jingyin Sect, a gift from the Enlightened Immortal Venerable at its founding.
Within the three sects and one school, there is no other like it.
Lin Yun lowered her eyelashes and hummed in agreement. Seeing that she showed no surprise, Zhou Hengyan understood.
"You've already told Senior Brother Sang about all of this, haven't you?" Zhou Hengyan quickened his pace to match hers.
“My senior brother has indeed said so.” Lin Yun nodded slightly.
He chuckled softly, "I should have thought of that. He's always been thorough."
Even at such a great distance, these thousands of towers still stand so majestically, as if they were about to pierce the sky.
Out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Hengyan caught a glimpse of the girl's profile as she gazed intently at the spire. Suddenly, he stepped onto the icy stone slab, his dark boots sliding heavily across the ice. The gust of air from his wide sleeves startled the snow off the pine trees.
Lin Yunwang almost instinctively grabbed his wrist, the temperature of which felt like a ball of snow rather than a living person.
Her fingertips trembled slightly, but she still held on firmly.
"Senior Brother Zhou, be careful." After Zhou Hengyan straightened up, Lin Yun quickly withdrew his hand, his fingertips still feeling the biting cold.
"I'm sorry to have made you laugh, junior sister." He chuckled softly, which added to his charm.
Yun said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'll be troubling Senior Brother Zhou tonight."
"Since we are fellow disciples, there's no need to talk about trouble." Zhou Hengyan wore a perfectly measured smile, his interest well concealed. "What are your thoughts on this Thousand-Pagoda?"
“It is indeed as exquisite as you say.” She turned her head and asked with some confusion, “Why didn’t you use a teleportation talisman tonight because the roads are slippery from the snow?”
Zhou Hengyan offered no explanation, but instead said, "Today, Senior Brother Sang Zhao will be punished by being confined to the secluded cave for a month to reflect on his actions."
The reason is—
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