“So a Dao lineage is established upon a Law line. Only with a Law line can one attempt to establish a Dao lineage. That makes sense—the predecessors walk the path, and the successors follow. Only then can it be called a ‘Dao path.’”
“If that’s the case, the fact that the Demonic Path cannot indiscriminately kill, and Law lines cannot act recklessly—perhaps this is a path of ‘sustainable development’? Do the great ones above need insignificant commoners to exist beneath Dao lineages, within Law lines?”
“Tsk, tsk. The Jambu Continent nearly gained a fifth Dao lineage. Even after one hundred twenty thousand years, sword cultivators still lead the way, suppressing all other cultivators… The splendor of this ‘Sword Dao’ is truly captivating.”
By the time class ended, it was already late afternoon. Jiang Yi sat in the corner for a long time without rising, silently digesting Elder Xu’s “semi-public lecture” and slowly organizing what he had learned.
To be fair, there truly wasn’t much substance.
That Transmission Elder barely spoke of cultivation matters. Even when mentioning the secrets of Dao arts, he skimmed over them like a dragonfly touching water.
It was obvious he was holding back, with no intention of teaching anything genuine.
No wonder He Lao Hun had gritted his teeth and spent his entire family fortune, persisting through eleven lessons without any gains.
“One can listen once in a while, just to broaden one’s horizons.”
Jiang Yi mused that although Elder Xu’s semi-public lectures were shallow, they could still open the eyes of someone stuck in the Outer Sect like himself.
You get what you pay for. Wanting to study the Grand Dao and cultivate supreme laws for merely a few hundred talisman coins was truly a beautiful but foolish dream.
Jiang Yi slowly stood up, left his meditation cushion, and glanced up at the sky. Thin mist hung dimly, concealing the sun and veiling the light of day.
It was time to return to the Outer Sect.
The Inner Peak was pleasant, but it was no place for him to linger.
“This Junior Brother, please wait!”
Just as Jiang Yi was about to return by the same path, he suddenly heard a voice.
The familiar phrasing made his heart tighten.
“Which Outer Sect peak does this Junior Brother belong to?”
Jiang Yi turned to look. The man was in his thirties, with a broad face, thick beard, and an upright appearance.
During Elder Xu’s lecture earlier, the meditation cushion this person sat on had seemingly been not far from his own?
Did that mean they were both Outer Sect mortal laborers?
Unclear of the man’s purpose and background, Jiang Yi cupped his hands in a salute and asked politely, “I am Jiang Yi, lacking in talent, serving in the Quenching Room of Crimson Flame Peak. May I ask which peak this Senior Brother is from?”
“So you are under Supervisor Yang. I am from the Banner Crafting Room of Soul Nurturing Peak, surnamed Wang, given name Heng, the seventh child in my family. Everyone calls me Wang Qi.”
Jiang Yi was surprised. He rarely interacted with mortal laborers from other peaks.
The reason was simple: there weren’t many opportunities for contact.
The four Outer Sect peaks were not far apart, but not close either; traveling back and forth took some time.
Moreover, since they didn’t work in the same workshops, it was even harder to develop any deep bonds.
“So it is Senior Brother Wang. May I ask what guidance you have for me?”
“I dare not offer guidance. We are all mortal laborers of the outer peaks, and we all aspire to enter the inner peaks. We should get closer in the future.”
Wang Heng laughed heartily, quite magnanimous. “I see the sky isn’t too dark yet. Junior Brother Jiang, would you be interested in chatting at the Gathering Water Cave near the Qigong Courtyard?”
Jiang Yi pondered briefly and smiled freely. “Since Senior Brother Wang thinks so highly of me, this Junior Brother would be remiss to refuse.”
Wang Heng’s attitude grew even warmer as he led Jiang Yi toward the Gathering Water Cave.
According to Wang Heng, the Gathering Water Cave was a three-story stilted building suspended over a steep cliff.
The first floor was a great hall for dining and chatting; the second floor for tea and scenery viewing; the third floor had several quiet rooms for Inner Peak disciples to meditate and cultivate.
It was considered a fine spot on Viewing Wave Peak.
Along the way, the two chatted casually, quite pleasantly.
“Junior Brother Jiang might find me too abrupt,” Wang Heng said softly. “Among the Outer Sect, those of us who are mortal laborers yet whose hearts yearn for the Inner Peak, and who are willing to spend talisman coins to enter—there are very few. Most just scrape by. Once they’ve saved enough money, they leave the mountain to live comfortably.”
Jiang Yi nodded. Among Outer Sect mortal laborers, there were myriad attitudes toward life, each living differently.
“Workshop days are hard and exhausting. Wanting to cultivate on top of that is doubly difficult.
That’s why people like us should band together for warmth and help each other! Otherwise, how could we remain long in the Inner Peak! After Elder Xu left, I saw that Junior Brother Jiang remained seated for a long time and thought you must be a studious person. That’s why I called out to stop you!”
The corner of Jiang Yi’s mouth twitched. He hadn’t expected that while walking the Demonic Path, he would hear such an authentic bowl of “chicken soup for the soul.”
Truly rare!
He had almost thought he’d walked into the wrong place and ended up among the righteous immortal paths of East Victory Continent!
“Senior Brother Wang, for Outer Sect mortal laborers to gather…” Jiang Yi deliberately hesitated.
“I understand what you mean, Junior Brother Jiang.”
Wang Heng led Jiang Yi to the Gathering Water Cave. He was evidently a regular; upon entering, a servant welcomed him into a premier room.
“First bring a pot of Green Spiral Tea and two plates of fruits. There will be more people arriving shortly; then we’ll order wine and dishes.”
Wang Heng gave the order, then invited Jiang Yi to sit, continuing, “You must think that mortal laborers are at the bottom of the Outer Sect. Even if we gathered in groups, we wouldn’t amount to much. Junior Brother Jiang, forgive my bluntness, but your vision is too narrow, your perspective too small.”
Jiang Yi wasn’t angered by these words and asked sincerely, “I ask that Senior Brother not hesitate to instruct me.”
Wang Heng took a satisfying sip of hot tea and explained patiently, “Though Qianji Sect is not a major sect, it receives offerings from the Zhao Kingdom and occupies several hundred li of land, with complete industries and marketplaces. It counts as a regional power. That Sect Leader Liu has even reached the tenth level of Qi Refinement, determined to ascend to the pinnacle of the Twelve-Layered Tower to establish his Dao Foundation. In Northern Mang Ridge, he is a truly formidable figure.”
Hoh!
Jiang Yi’s eyes brightened with interest. This Senior Brother Wang’s “lecture” had far more substance than Elder Xu’s! Worth listening to!
“Under Dao lineages, opportunities for advancement lie within each Law line. Even if a Qi Refinement village clan luckily obtains a fortuitous opportunity, acquires a high-grade cultivation method, and nurtures a Dao cultivation seedling, in the end they still must seek a Law line edict to establish a mountain and found a sect!”
Seeing Jiang Yi’s interest, Wang Heng happily assumed the role of teacher and explained carefully, “Rather than struggling with all that trouble, many Qi Refinement village clans simply send their good seedlings into sects. It’s not to make them work like oxen or horses, but to pour resources into supplying them, hoping to secure a proper disciple’s position. After a hundred years or so, with generations throwing themselves into the effort, who knows—they might raise an outstanding Dao talent who soars to the heavens!”
Wang Heng glanced at Jiang Yi, whose expression hadn’t changed, and added, “The current dominant forces of Northern Mang Ridge—the Zhao You Sect and the Fu and Kang families—rose to prominence exactly this way.”
Jiang Yi understood. He couldn’t help but think of Zheng Dajiang, whom he had met at the Ice-Fire Cave. That fellow probably belonged to this category.
With the support of a village clan behind him, able to find connections, without needing to bitterly slog away at manual labor, instead being ambitiously determined to become a workshop supervisor.
But what did that have to do with him?
Jiang Yi’s expression turned odd.
This Senior Brother Wang seemed to have misjudged.
He himself wasn’t from a village clan. For three generations his ancestors had been ordinary people—a proper small-town youth through and through.
Before he could speak first, people began arriving one after another in the premier room.
Wang Heng stood to greet them, taking the opportunity to introduce Jiang Yi. “This is Junior Brother Jiang, serving in the Quenching Room of Crimson Flame Peak. Today Elder Xu held a lecture, and I saw his extraordinary bearing, so I brought him to meet everyone.”
Then Wang Heng said to Jiang Yi, “Senior Brother Lu Yun is the eldest, having spent twenty-one years on Herb Gathering Peak. When we need good herbs with sufficient age, we all ask for his help… Junior Brother Zhao Fang is the youngest, also from Crimson Flame Peak, assigned to the Engraving Room… This is Junior Sister Li Ruohan. Though she is about your age, she is already an inspector of the Thread Weaving Room on Sewing Peak…”
After introducing them one by one, Wang Heng guided everyone to their seats. This Senior Brother Wang was truly smooth and sociable, able to chat and joke with anyone.
Once everyone was seated, servings of spirit food and fine medicine that had been stewed for a long time were brought up. Wang Heng didn’t rush to begin eating, but said slowly, “Senior Brother Lu is from the ‘Miyang Lu Clan.’ The family ancestor is at the sixth level of Qi Refinement… Junior Brother Zhao is half a fellow townsman of mine, also from Dalin Lake… Junior Sister Li is truly impressive, from the famous ‘Bojun Li Clan’ of the Zhao Kingdom, with an ancestor at the eighth level of Qi Refinement overseeing the family.”
“Right, I haven’t had the chance to ask—where is Junior Brother Jiang from? Let me think. In Northern Mang Ridge there are two Jiang families: one is the ‘Changling Jiang Clan,’ the other is the ‘Longqiu Jiang Clan’…”
Wang Heng smiled broadly, looking at Jiang Yi with full anticipation. “Which village clan does Junior Brother Jiang come from?”
Jiang Yi raised his head and puffed out his chest, not intimidated in the least, and replied seriously, “I grew up in the town beneath Guling Peak. If you must categorize it, I can barely be considered from the ‘Guling Jiang Clan.’”
P.S. Posting two daily updates together, a solid five thousand characters. I really am diligent, hands-on-hips.jpg
P.S. 2 I humbly beseech the Heavenly Book—reveal to me the method to receive more monthly tickets from my dear readers~