Xiao Bangchui had a chaotic mix of dreams, vaguely recalling Master having a falling out with her, hitting her on the head with his smoking pipe, causing immense pain.
“Ugh… that old man…” she muttered, opening her eyes. Her head was still throbbing painfully. She covered the sore spot and looked around, only to see blue skies and white clouds, with fluffy white mist drifting like little doves—could it be that she was still dreaming? Dreaming of flying in the sky?
“You’re awake.” A kind, elderly voice came from above. Xiao Bangchui jolted, memories from last night flooded her mind like a rushing river. She jumped up like a rabbit and realized she was standing on a large gourd that was flying steadily through the air, with the white clouds quickly falling behind her. Yet, she felt not a single gust of wind.
So this is what it feels like to fly in the sky.
Xiao Bangchui looked up at Daoist Dongyang. After chasing for so long yesterday, did she pass the test?
“Grandpa, are you taking me to Wu Yue Ting?” she asked softly.
He shook his head, and Xiao Bangchui’s shoulders immediately drooped. “So… I didn’t pass?”
Daoist Dongyang spoke gently, “You have spirit and perseverance, able to chase so far, which I really like. However, you still cannot go to Wu Yue Ting.”
“Why not?”
“Even if I take you there, you wouldn’t be able to see Wu Yue Ting, let alone enter.” Daoist Dongyang patted her shoulder reassuringly. “Wu Yue Ting is a place where the spiritual energy of the five elements gathers, invisible to ordinary eyes. You cannot see it or enter it—right now, you are not capable.”
“I can wait outside.”
Daoist Dongyang still shook his head. “Do you know how many disciples there are in Wu Yue Ting? Countless thousands. You don’t know your Senior Brother’s name, nor do you know what he looks like or how old he is. Besides, disciples often enter seclusion for years at a time—sometimes for nine years. How would you wait? It’s also possible he is wandering outside, lost and untraceable. How would you find him?”
Xiao Bangchui was finally stunned. Nine years in seclusion? Wandering outside, lost? Was it really that exaggerated? Nine years in seclusion—what about eating, drinking, and all the other necessities? At first, she had been eager to find her Senior Brother, thinking it wouldn’t be too hard to locate Wu Yue Ting. Who would have thought that finding her Senior Brother would be as difficult as climbing to the heavens?
“However, it’s not entirely without a solution,” Daoist Dongyang said, seeing her dazed expression and smiling. “It would take about a year; would you be willing?”
A year? She opened her mouth to refuse immediately. Master might be in danger at any moment; how could she waste a year?
But… even if she searched everywhere on her own, the chances of finding Master and Senior Brother within a year were also very slim. Even if she found Master, she had no abilities to help him. All she could do was accompany him to death, perhaps even become a burden while he was escaping…
Considering it this way, it might be better to spend a year; at least the chances of finding Senior Brother would be high. If she could find Senior Brother, and with a bit of luck, if Master remained alive, there would be hope for saving him. Compared to the vague possibilities, this path was indeed the most stable.
She was about to agree when Daoist Dongyang continued, “Right now, a great disaster is imminent. High-ranking members from various sects cannot afford to divert their attention to recruit ordinary disciples. Little girl, your aptitude is average. I also have my hands tied and cannot simply accept you as a disciple. However, you have a destination now. If all goes well, after a year’s time, during the new disciple selection, if you perform excellently, I can take you under my wing at Wu Yue Ting. Whether you succeed or not will depend on yourself.”
Xiao Bangchui was stunned again. His meaning was that he would let her join Wu Yue Ting as a disciple? But she had only wanted to find Senior Brother!
Perhaps seeing her hesitation, Daoist Dongyang said, “You have no foundation in cultivation now and need some training. Whether or not you become a disciple of Wu Yue Ting, you must at least make yourself capable of seeing these places where the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth gathers. If you cannot see or enter, you will never find your Senior Brother in this lifetime.”
Xiao Bangchui silently nodded; what he said made sense.
“Where do I need to go?”
“Have you heard of ‘Chufeng Academy’?”
It was past three o’clock in the afternoon, and the sun was blazing down. In front of the ancestral hall of Lugu Town, all kinds of horse-drawn carriages and donkeys were parked, bustling with activity, stretching for miles. The usually quiet and solemn ancestral hall was now packed with people. However, despite the large crowd, everyone was silent, orderly queuing to enter the hall.
“This is Chufeng Academy?”
When Xiao Bangchui saw so many people upon landing, she was somewhat surprised. Didn’t they say that the selection at Chufeng Academy was extremely strict, only a few could be chosen from a thousand? Moreover, it was said that Chufeng Academy was very large and beautifully scenic, yet… this didn’t look like it at all.
“This is the preliminary selection. These people are all here to bring their children for the selection. You should go over there to get a number and wait in the courtyard.”
Daoist Dongyang led her to a corner where there was a large wooden box. Xiao Bangchui pulled out a small copper plate, which had the characters “Three Five Nine” engraved on it. Before she could speak, she suddenly heard a strange cry from above: “Three Five Nine! Three Five Nine!” Following that, a colourful bird flapped its wings and flew through the inner door.
“That’s your marker,” Daoist Dongyang said, patting her head with a smile. “I’m leaving now. I hope you pass the preliminary selection. Take care, little girl.”
Xiao Bangchui felt a bit reluctant. This kind old man always reminded her of Master, and he had helped her a lot. She respectfully bowed to him, saying, “Thank you.”
Daoist Dongyang removed a string of wooden beads from his wrist and placed it on her. “At such a young age, being alone in the outside world will be very difficult for you. This string of protective beads is for you. Even if you cannot enter Chufeng Academy, having these protective beads will help you avert misfortune.”
The protective beads were amber-coloured, each the size of a bullet. Xiao Bangchui looked down at them for a while, and when she looked up again, Daoist Dongyang was already gone.
At this moment, for perhaps a long time to come, she was all alone. Since she could remember, she had relied on Master, and she had never left his side, even when playing tricks outside. It was only now, when she was truly alone, that she felt the profound essence of solitude and helplessness.
Xiao Bangchui touched the protective beads on her wrist, looking around blankly. The courtyard was filled with people, mostly parents with their children, while she stood there all alone. Occasionally, someone glanced her way but quickly turned away; no one would be interested in a dirty little beggar like her.
“…I need to work harder…” she murmured. With Master’s life in the balance, she had to enter Chufeng Academy, even if it cost her life.
Daoist Dongyang had explained that Chufeng Academy, like Wu Yue Ting and other celestial sects, was built in places abundant in spiritual energy, invisible to ordinary eyes. However, the sects needed to recruit new disciples to ensure renewal, and the high-ranking members couldn’t go out searching for potential children every day. Hence, Chufeng Academy was established.
This was a place everyone could see, and it was said that the academy was built in a place of danger, where mortals could not easily enter or exit using just their hands and feet. Every year, the academy opened for selection, only accepting children under the age of thirteen. Any parents who believed their child had potential could come to participate in the preliminary selection. The selection sites were scattered across various locations, with Lugu Town being one of them.
After the preliminary selection, the children confirmed to have potential would be taken to Chufeng Academy for a year of basic cultivation. After a year, various celestial sects would come to the academy to recruit new disciples, selecting outstanding children to become their disciples. This method not only saved the time of high-ranking members from each sect in recruiting disciples but also ensured the renewal of the sects and increased communication among them.
Although Chufeng Academy did not have any powerful immortals stationed there, it was the safest place. No matter what conflicts occurred between the sects, they would never affect the academy. Even if there were wars and bloodshed among ordinary mortals outside, it had nothing to do with the academy, which was an absolute neutral ground.
It sounded like a very peaceful and harmonious place… As Xiao Bangchui pondered this, she watched as the number of people in the courtyard slowly decreased.
Just a moment ago, many people had left in tears, likely because they hadn’t been selected. The fewer people there were, the more nervous she felt. She seemed to have never seen anyone pass; was the preliminary selection really that difficult? Would she be able to make it?
“Three Five Nine! Three Five Nine!”
The colourful bird flew out of the inner door, calling out in a strange tone. Was it calling her? Xiao Bangchui felt her palms sweating from nerves as she slowly made her way through the crowd. In front of the inner door, there was a table and a chair, and sitting across from her was a woman completely covered in black gauze, with only her dazzlingly white hands exposed.
“Come here, sit down,” the black gauze woman said calmly, her voice surprisingly delicate.
Xiao Bangchui’s heart raced, nearly leaping out of her throat. She sat down in the chair, and the black gauze woman reached out her palm and placed it on top of her head, remaining motionless.
What would she say next? Would it be a “no”? Or would she be allowed to stay? Xiao Bangchui swallowed hard.
Suddenly, a low and hoarse voice, unfamiliar to her, whispered in her ear, “Hold your breath.”
Xiao Bangchui was taken aback and quickly looked around. Aside from the woman in black gauze, there was no one else. Was she the one talking to her?
“Don’t move,” the woman in black gauze said coldly.
At the same time, the hoarse voice echoed again: “Hold your breath, little girl.”
Forget it, who cares who it is! Xiao Bangchui followed the instruction and held her breath. After a moment, the woman in black gauze suddenly said “Oh,” as if in disbelief, and switched to another hand, placing it on her head once more.
“Hold your breath, don’t stop,” the hoarse voice reminded her again.
But she was running out of breath… Xiao Bangchui’s face turned red; she was already nervous and breathing quickly, and now she had to hold her breath for so long. She even felt stars dancing in front of her eyes.
“I’ve never seen someone so foolish.” After this remark, the hoarse voice went silent.
Xiao Bangchui felt she was at her limit. Luckily, the woman in black gauze finally removed her hand, and she immediately exhaled deeply, greedily inhaling fresh air.
The woman in black gauze spoke softly, “How strange… Have you practiced any secret arts?”
Xiao Bangchui shook her head. She had only studied some spells with Master for a few years and hadn’t managed to learn anything.
“What’s your name?”
“Xiao Bangchui.”
The woman in black gauze looked down and quickly wrote something on a piece of paper. After finishing, she folded the paper and placed it into an envelope, lightly scratching it with her fingernail. The envelope floated gently and landed in Xiao Bangchui’s arms. The tightly closed black inner door quietly opened amidst the chatter of the crowd. The woman in black gauze said softly, “Go in. You’ve passed.”
…That’s it? Xiao Bangchui walked slowly through the inner door in a daze. Was placing her hand on her head the preliminary test? What kind of miraculous preliminary test was this? And who was that hoarse voice that had just reminded her? Why couldn’t she see him? Did she pass the preliminary test because that person helped her?
Everything felt too perplexing, and she was utterly confused.
**Nomad: Hi everyone, many of you may have noticed that some novels haven’t been updated for a while. I struggled to regain access to my account after my site went down, which took some time to resolve. I’m also in the process of moving the website to a different hosting plan, which I’ve been handling manually in the background. This has taken up a lot of my time, but I’m almost done. You might notice the website going down for a few hours now and then while everything gets sorted. Sorry about that!**
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