Late at night.
Qingyun Dao Sect.
Inside the Dining Hall.
Daoist Taihua sat in the main seat, while the remaining seven disciples seated themselves in two rows on the left and right.
It was now the third watch of the night.
The entire Qingyun Dao Sect appeared exceptionally quiet.
Apart from the chirping of insects, there was nothing else amiss.
A single candle burned, illuminating the long table.
Daoist Taihua looked at this group of disciples with utmost seriousness and gravity, then was the first to break the silence.
"I presume Changyu has already informed you of everything."
"Nowadays, the competition between the various sects within Qingzhou is raging like wildfire. Moreover, there are rumors that in a few years, the Qingzhou sect Dali Pavilion will purge some unranked sects. Therefore, within these two years, we must advance the Qingyun Dao Sect to a third-grade sect."
"And the crux of this matter lies with your new junior brother. To advance to third-grade, the sect must have eight disciples. Now that a new disciple has finally arrived, you absolutely must be cautious. Do not let him discover the true state of our sect. Otherwise, just like before, turning against us would be one thing, but they also slander our Qingyun Dao Sect everywhere. Truly, we raised a pack of ungrateful wolves."
Daoist Taihua said solemnly.
"We understand."
Everyone lowered their voices and answered with solemn expressions.
But soon, a voice rang out.
"Master, for our Qingyun Dao Sect to advance to third-grade, the process will take at least half a year to a year. Although Eldest Senior Brother has already bluffed this little junior brother, the problem is that paper cannot wrap fire forever. Once this junior brother begins cultivating, he will discover our sect's situation sooner or later."
A disciple spoke, unable to help saying this.
At these words, Daoist Taihua shook his head dismissively and said,
"I have long since devised a strategy."
"Third Disciple, you are not wrong—paper cannot wrap fire forever. But we can drag it out!"
"Changyu has already bluffed your new junior brother. This master can also see that your junior brother holds deep reverence for cultivation. In the short term, he definitely won't leave. As for cultivation, we can delay! Keep delaying! Delay until the very end before teaching him to cultivate."
"Starting tomorrow, Changyu, you will teach him swordsmanship. The more outrageous, the better—first, to bluff him; second, to buy some time. If one day he finds sword practice boring, Luo Chen will teach him pill refinement."
"This master has calculated it. You seven will take turns teaching him; one person teaches for two months, and a year will pass in a flash. By then, even if he discovers our sect's situation, it will be too late to do anything. Understand?"
Daoist Taihua wore an expression of absolute confidence, causing the disciples to nod one after another.
But the woman in the second seat on the right could not help but speak.
The woman had a sweet appearance and looked even younger than Ye Ping. She was the sect's youngest junior sister, but now she was Ye Ping's senior sister.
"Master, this method sounds fine, but this junior brother is not a foolish person either. Sooner or later, he will ask questions about cultivation. If he asks this disciple, how should I answer?"
This was the youngest junior sister of the Qingyun Dao Sect, Chen Lingrou.
"Very simple." Daoist Taihua hardly thought before answering directly, "Teach him some basic cultivation methods, but exaggerate a bit. Exaggerate the cultivation art a little. Say that at the same Qi Refinement first layer, a cultivator who practices the Qingyun Qi Refinement Art is a bit stronger than those at the same level."
"However, you must also remind him that our Qingyun Qi Refinement Art focuses on nourishing the body and stabilizing the foundation. Otherwise, if he truly believes himself strong later and fights with other cultivators, that would be bad."
Daoist Taihua was rather kind-hearted, specially explaining that the art was merely for nourishing the body, lest Ye Ping truly believe himself strong and go seeking conflict.
"Understood."
Chen Lingrou nodded, indicating she understood.
"Alright, during this coming period, do not interact too much with this junior brother. Maintain as much mystery as possible. If he doesn't seek you out, don't seek him out either. The sect's future rests on your shoulders."
Speaking to the end, Daoist Taihua's tone grew even firmer, but his voice was not loud, worried that he might disturb Ye Ping.
"We understand!"
Everyone once again answered in lowered voices, their faces full of determination.
"Good, dismissed."
In the next moment, Daoist Taihua left this place, and the other disciples also departed one after another.
At this moment.
Inside the Qingyun Dao Sect.
The stars filling the sky appeared exceptionally brilliant.
Ye Ping lay on the bed, looking at the sky outside the window, his heart filled with anticipation.
Three years ago, he had transmigrated to this world.
At first, he had indeed been quite lost and lonely, but fortunately, he was naturally an optimist, so he had quickly adapted to this world.
He had never expected that this would actually be a world of immortal cultivation.
Regarding immortal cultivation, Ye Ping was filled with passion. Perhaps because he had liked reading tales of gods and demons since childhood, Ye Ping was filled with curiosity and anticipation toward immortal cultivation.
He did not have excessive ambitions—things like becoming an immortal ancestor, or waking to hold power over the world and drunkenly reclining on a beauty's knees.
Ye Ping's thoughts were quite simple: rely on cultivation to live a few hundred years longer, find a beloved, marry and have children, and happily pass through this life.
However, Ye Ping was also clear that the path of cultivation was endlessly long, and the dangers within were probably unimaginable.
Therefore, in the future, he must act cautiously and carefully. More importantly, he must persevere and not become discouraged because of some difficulties.
Having lived two lives made Ye Ping much more mature. Although he no longer had fervent hot blood, he had gained maturity and perseverance that ordinary people did not possess.
"I just don't know what my talent is like."
On the bed, Ye Ping's heart was filled with curiosity.
Although the test had shown he possessed no spiritual root, Ye Ping always felt that he shouldn't be that bad.
As long as it wasn't too bad, he could accept it.
And so, Ye Ping only fell asleep late into the night.
But the next day.
Ye Ping woke up very early.
He did not indulge in sleep. On the contrary, he was even more diligent and hardworking than when he had been studying, because immortal cultivation and reading were completely different concepts.
Knock, knock.
Just as Ye Ping had woken up, a burst of knocking sounded.
"Who?"
Ye Ping subconsciously spoke, then got up. Before he could open the door, a familiar voice rang out.
"Little Junior Brother, by Master's orders, this Senior Brother has come to pass on to you the Sword Dao. In one incense stick's time, I will wait for you at the sect's rear cliff."
It was Su Changyu's voice.
Ye Ping listened and immediately responded,
"Yes, thank you, Senior Brother."
When the voice fell, Su Changyu left this place.
And Ye Ping immediately washed up.
At the same time, he tidied his robes, trying his best to make a good impression.
After tidying up, Ye Ping opened the door and walked toward the rear cliff. His entire mood was filled with excitement.
But within the excitement, there was also some nervousness.
Ye Ping was mainly worried about the issue of his aptitude.
If his aptitude was too low and Senior Brother despised him, wouldn't that be a bit awkward?
But soon Ye Ping comforted himself, feeling that what hidden sects liked most was training waste. If they were training geniuses, what would be the point?
Did geniuses need someone to teach them?
Was the sense of accomplishment from teaching a genius greater than that of teaching waste?
Thinking this, Ye Ping's nervous mood gradually stabilized.
Just as Ye Ping was letting his imagination run wild.
Finally, he arrived at the rear cliff.