A Nascent Soul elder with white hair and beard spoke, “If I’m not mistaken, that sword should be the Xuantian Sword, the lost treasure of our sect from the catastrophe that destroyed our sect over thirty thousand years ago. The ‘Ghost Grandpa’ Bao Gu mentioned seems to resemble our founding ancestor. Could it be that after the ancestor’s death, his lingering will possessed the sword and was choosing disciples through the sword? What puzzles me is that when Bao Gu held the sword, she felt an immense power surge into her body, which even caused her meridians to rupture and tear. Logically, the Xuantian Sword should be with her, but after thoroughly searching her dantian, spiritual consciousness, and memories, I found no trace of the sword.”
“The Xuantian Sword is indeed not with her. We have all seen from her spiritual sea and memories that she did not obtain the Xuantian Sword, and she does not know where the sword has scattered to now.”
“Has anyone noticed that her Five Spirit Roots have become much fuller? When she first joined our sect, her Five Spirit Roots were not as full as they are now. I have a speculation: the Xuantian Sword was forged from the essence of the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Naturally, it would choose a disciple with Five Spirit Roots. However, over tens of thousands of years, the sword has exhausted its spiritual energy and cannot completely pass down its legacy. It could only transfer the essence of the five elements contained within the sword into Bao Gu’s body to further improve her Spirit Roots, and then the sword shattered.”
This speculation was accepted by everyone, but it also made them feel regretful.
The acting sect leader asked, “I wonder if the elders think it’s appropriate to handle Bao Gu in this way?”
All the elders and Nascent Soul ancestors present expressed that this was the most appropriate way to deal with the situation.
※※※
Yu Mi took Bao Gu out of the acting sect leader’s courtyard. After bidding farewell to Nan Yi, she took Bao Gu back to Lingyun Peak. Instead of sending Bao Gu back to the cottage by the creek, she took her directly to her own residence—the main peak of Lingyun Peak.
Lingyun Peak was sparsely populated, with only four people including Bao Gu. The martial aunt, now a white snake, was in deep cultivation in a deep pool all year round; Yu Mi’s master had been in closed-door cultivation for five years, with no knowledge of when he would emerge or even if he was still alive; the mountain guardian granny was a demon cultivator subdued by the ancestors of Lingyun Peak to guard the gate, belonging to the category of mountain-guarding spirits, without the right to make decisions for Lingyun Peak. Although Yu Mi had joined the sect not long ago and her cultivation was not high, she had become the de facto person in charge of Lingyun Peak, responsible for managing all affairs of the peak.
Yu Mi led Bao Gu to the main hall of Lingyun Peak—the Xuantian Hall. She said, “Bao Gu, now that you have become an inner disciple, you are officially a disciple under Lingyun Peak, no longer just a nominal outer disciple. You must be clear about the inheritance and history of Lingyun Peak. Every disciple of Lingyun Peak has the duty to inherit and carry forward the legacy of the peak.” While speaking, she led Bao Gu into the Xuantian Hall and said, “In the past, Lingyun Peak was the main peak of Xuantian Sect, and the peak master was the sect leader. Due to the catastrophe that destroyed the sect over thirty thousand years ago, Lingyun Peak was completely destroyed, and the bamboo sea where the main peak was located became a land of death, so Lingyun Peak’s main peak was relocated here. Our Lingyun Peak worships the founding ancestor of Xuantian Sect—True Monarch Xuan Tian…” Before she could finish, Bao Gu let out a startled cry, “Ah, that ghost—”
Yu Mi turned her head sharply to glare at Bao Gu, only to see Bao Gu looking at the portrait of the ancestor Xuan Tian enshrined in the hall with a face full of horror, stumbling back several steps, then turning to run. Yu Mi grabbed Bao Gu’s wolf pelt scarf and pulled her back, scolding, “Don’t run!”
Bao Gu was so scared she was almost crying. Hearing Yu Mi’s voice, she steadied her mind, turned back, and looked at Yu Mi with tearful eyes, pointing at the portrait of the ancestor Xuan Tian, “Sister, the ‘Ghost Grandpa’ I saw looks exactly like him.”
Yu Mi was so shocked that her eyes widened and her body hair stood on end. Could it be? This was too bizarre. After a pause, she regained her composure and scolded, “Don’t talk nonsense! This is our ancestor, you must show respect. Come here, offer three sticks of incense, and kowtow three times as the ritual for entering the sect.”
Bao Gu felt incredibly wronged! That ‘Ghost Grandpa’ almost killed her, caused her to be seriously injured, and now she had to kowtow to him and call him ancestor. Under Yu Mi’s stern gaze, Bao Gu nervously offered incense and respectfully kowtowed three times, then said, “Ghost Grandpa, oh no, ancestor, I will offer you incense morning and evening from now on, please don’t come out to scare me again!” She was on the verge of tears! A cultivator sect haunted by ghosts, and the ghost was the founding ancestor of the sect!
Yu Mi pulled Bao Gu up and consoled her, “If you encountered the ancestor in the bamboo sea of death, I think the ancestor must have liked you very much, otherwise, you wouldn’t have been able to leave alive, right?”
Bao Gu responded with a “Hmm,” and glanced timidly at the portrait of the kind-looking ancestor, feeling that the ancestor in the painting seemed much more amiable than the ‘Ghost Grandpa.’
Yu Mi offered three sticks of incense to the ancestor, turned to look at the dirty Bao Gu, and said, “You go and wash up first. After that, I’ll come to find you and tell you in detail about the history of Xuantian Sect and Lingyun Peak.” Remembering that Bao Gu didn’t even have a change of clothes, she said, “You should go get the inner disciple’s attire before washing up. Follow me.”
Bao Gu followed Yu Mi to the back hall of Lingyun Hall, crossed the threshold, and saw a spacious courtyard. The courtyard was paved with white jade stones, with rockeries, pavilions, and ponds arranged in the corners, and buildings on both sides, with a hall slightly smaller than Lingyun Hall directly opposite the back door. The layout was exactly the same as the courtyard filled with bones in the bamboo sea of death, with the only differences being a slightly smaller area and more flowers and plants than the haunted courtyard, as well as several tall ancient medicinal trees planted in the yard.
Yu Mi led Bao Gu to the house on the left, opened the door, took out two sets of inner disciple attire from the cabinet and handed them to Bao Gu, then registered Bao Gu in a jade register on the table, and carved Bao Gu’s name on a token to give to her. Finally, she took a drop of Bao Gu’s blood essence and a wisp of her soul to condense into a lamp, placing it on a shelf against the wall next to a similar lamp.
The shelf reached almost to the ceiling, with dozens of layers, and could hold thousands of lamps. At the moment, including Bao Gu’s, there were only four.
Yu Mi said, “This is the soul lamp. Every person who formally enters Xuantian Sect has one. If someone commits an act of betrayal against the sect, the elders of the Punishment Hall will send disciples to clean up for the sect. Through this soul lamp, even if you hide at the ends of the earth, you can be found. If a disciple encounters a life-and-death danger, the soul lamp will give a warning. If the disciple unfortunately perishes, the lamp will also extinguish. As long as the disciple’s soul is not completely wiped out on the spot, as long as a wisp of soul remains in this world, it will be drawn back to the soul lamp by the remnant soul within, replaying the scene before death. This is to report the death to the sect and also to inform the sect of the murderer. Immortal sects and cultivator families all have similar methods.” She chuckled softly and lowered her voice, “So, if you plan to kill and plunder in the future, make sure not to let the victim’s soul escape, otherwise, if their sect or family finds out, someone will come looking for you to seek revenge.”
Why were disciples of immortal sects and children of cultivator families not to be trifled with? Kill one, and a bunch will come after you!
Bao Gu was stunned for a moment. She then asked, “What if someone wants to harm their fellow disciple through this soul lamp?”
Yu Mi laughed, “You don’t have to worry about that. This soul lamp is a specially consecrated magical treasure. Any movement of the soul lamp will trigger a warning, making it impossible to do so without notice. To search for a disciple’s whereabouts through the soul lamp, one must obtain the consent of the sect leader or acting sect leader, the elder of the Punishment Hall, and the peak master or acting peak master, and only with the cooperation of all three can a search be completed. Only disciples who have committed crimes warranting the death penalty by the entire sect and have escaped without a trace are eligible for this treatment.”
Bao Gu responded with an “Oh” and followed Yu Mi out of the side hall.
Yu Mi led Bao Gu towards the back courtyard, saying, “Lingyun Peak has few people and a lot of space. Any unclaimed area, just leave a mark, and it’s yours. Since you’re injured, it’s better to stay on the main peak than with the wild beasts outside.” She led Bao Gu through a small courtyard to the hall facing Ling Yun Hall and said, “This is the Ling Xi Hall, where the peak master of Lingyun Peak resides and conducts daily affairs. My master lives here, but he’s currently in closed-door cultivation, so this place has been empty. I live in the back courtyard.” As they walked along the corridor beside Ling Xi Hall and passed through an arched courtyard gate, they saw a beautifully constructed garden-like courtyard.
Several houses made of jade walls and glazed tiles were distributed in this very spacious courtyard. Bao Gu counted, and within her line of sight, there were as many as eight.
Yu Mi said, “This is the residence of the true disciples, but now only I live here.” She paused, then continued, “The residence for inner disciples is further back, but it has never been used, so only the land has been allocated, and no houses have been built; it’s still a deep forest.” She pointed to the nearest house, “I live in this one, opposite is the martial aunt’s place, and you can choose any of the remaining ones. There’s a well in the courtyard for water, which you have to draw yourself. The kitchen is at the far end of the courtyard on the left, and you have to cook for yourself. The latrine is also on the far left.”
Yu Mi explained everything in great detail, and Bao Gu took note of it all.
Yu Mi stopped in the courtyard and said, “You go and wash up first. Later, come to my room, and I’ll help you regulate your meridians to stabilize your injuries. The acting sect leader gave me three Golden Core Pills, one of them should be enough for my advancement. I’ll sell one at the trading house in Yun City to buy medicine for your injuries, and you can decide what to do with the remaining one.”
After speaking, she poured out a dazzling Golden Core Pill from a jade bottle into another jade bottle and handed it to Bao Gu, saying, “The Golden Core Pill can enhance the success rate of forming a Golden Core. It requires more than a thousand types of spiritual herbs to refine, and the success rate of alchemy is also extremely low. Even after opening five or six furnaces, you might not succeed in one go. The dozens of main herbs required for the Golden Core Pill cannot be found on the market; only the medicinal fields of major cultivator sects have them, making the Golden Core Pill extremely precious. If people knew you had such a pill, it would be enough for you to die a thousand times.”
Bao Gu quickly put the Golden Core Pill Yu Mi gave her into her storage bag, replying, “I understand.” Wealth should not be flaunted; it must be kept safe.
Yu Mi continued, “This time, you can consider it a blessing in disguise. Not only did you solve a big problem for the sect, but you were also promoted to an inner disciple. Inner disciples have masters to guide and teach them, but our master is in closed-door cultivation and won’t come out. If you encounter any difficulties in your cultivation in the future, you can ask me. On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, you can go to the Transmission Hall to listen to the teachings of the Transmission Elder on cultivation insights, alchemy, artifact refining, and other skills. You can receive five low-grade spirit stones and one pill corresponding to your cultivation level each month, and you can also enter the sect’s library to select cultivation techniques and secret manuals for your practice.” After finishing, she took out a map and handed it to Bao Gu, “This is the map of Xuantian Sect. Take a good look at it, and don’t get lost again by wandering around cluelessly!”
Bao Gu took the map and said, “Thank you, Sister.”
Yu Mi glanced at Bao Gu and said, “You don’t have to thank me. If it weren’t for the commotion you caused, the sect leader wouldn’t have bestowed these three rare Golden Core Pills on me.” After saying this, she turned thoughtfully back to her room. After a few steps, she turned her head back to Bao Gu and said, “Bao Gu, the world of cultivation is even more dangerous than the mortal realm. Even among fellow disciples, you must be cautious. If you encounter any more fortunes in the future, don’t go around shouting about it, beware of bringing disaster upon yourself. That you could come out of the bamboo sea of death alive without gaining anything is a stroke of luck. The disappearance of that great sword is also a good thing for you. If you had obtained that sword, you would either have to hand it over or live with a target on your back. This time, taking you to see the sect leader was also to protect you. If the sword was on you, someone would definitely have made a move to snatch it quietly, and your life would be in danger. It’s better to hand it over in front of all the elders and ancestors of the sect and earn a great merit. If it’s not on you, it’s just as well to clear any suspicion and save them from coveting it.”
Bao Gu sincerely thanked her, “Thank you, Sister!”
Yu Mi waved her hand at Bao Gu with a “Heh” and a smile, shaking her head, and turned back to her room. Bao Gu was so simple-minded and her talent was so poor that even if she wanted to attract attention, she couldn’t. By breaking the curse of the bamboo sea of death, she had made such a great contribution to the sect, yet the acting sect leader, the elders, and even the Nascent Soul ancestors couldn’t be bothered to heal her injuries.
The acting sect leader had given her three Golden Core Pills, mainly to cultivate her, hoping that Lingyun Peak would have a successor and not be cut off. By bestowing the Golden Core Pills on her under the pretext of healing Bao Gu’s injuries, it was just to silence the other peaks. Five Spirit Roots were something no one could afford to cultivate, even those with decent talent among the Five Spirit Roots no one dared to cultivate.
She however did think that Bao Gu could be cultivated; she was willing to practice diligently and seemed to have good fortune. However, whether she could achieve anything in the future was really hard to say. Those old fellows promoting Bao Gu to an inner disciple might have had this in mind. Bao Gu was simple-minded and not greedy, diligent and earnest, and easy to get along with, so Yu Mi was quite happy to keep Bao Gu by her side.
