When Su Hao entered the Yunzhong Valley, the radar sensed cultivators inside the immortal gate.
Only a little over two hundred and thirty people!
Compared to the thousands in the Elemental Constellation Sanhe Peaks, this was not even worth mentioning! However, the cultivators in the Yunzhong Valley generally had highly refined blood qi, surpassing the motley crew of the Sanhe Peaks.
“Perhaps the Sanhe Peaks adopt a survival of the fittest system, focusing on teaching, while the Yunzhong Valley concentrates resources on a few individuals, greatly increasing the chances of obtaining high-level cultivators.”
For Su Hao, the Yunzhong Valley seemed more suitable.
The next day, Su Hao and others were brought into a hall with a huge statue of an immortal figure. The statue had a calm expression, slightly open eyes, overlooking. It looked like the founding ancestor of the Yunzhong Valley.
Under the statue, nine ethereal cultivators assessed these dozen or so youths and began to claim disciples!
Among the nineteen, eight young girls were highly coveted, and the cultivators swiftly captured each of them. Nonetheless, a seemingly perplexed female cultivator remained unsuccessful in securing one. She sighed, her round face reflecting bewilderment, glancing at the eight disciples with frustration before assessing the remaining eleven youths.
She thought, “Since considerate girls are already taken, why not choose a handsome-looking boy? That should work too.”
So, she pointed at Su Hao, and that’s how Su Hao’s master was decided.
Then, this seemingly unreliable master of Su Hao casually chose another youth who looked pleasing to the eye, none other than Huang Gui, who ran a grain business at home.
When Huang Gui learned that he was under the same master as Su Hao, his expression turned extremely ugly.
Then Su Hao’s master, the round-faced fairy, frowned and glanced at Huang Gui, saying, “What’s the matter? Unhappy to have me as your master?”
Huang Gui immediately shook his head, forcing a bright smile, “It’s an honor for a disciple to have such a heavenly-looking lady as a master.”
The round-faced fairy snorted, turned around, and said, “You two, follow me!”
Not getting a female disciple made her very dissatisfied. As for how the other cultivators would divide the remaining nine youths…
‘Love how you want to, I’m upset, so I’ll only take two!’
……
In a stone peak cave, the round-faced fairy sat on a grand chair, with two cups of clear tea on the side table. Su Hao and Huang Gui stood before her.
The round-faced fairy pointed at the two cups of tea, saying, “Take them!”
Su Hao stepped forward, picked up one cup, and only then did Huang Gui dare to approach.
The round-faced fairy’s expression turned extremely serious as she calmly stated, “If you want to be disciples of the Yunzhong Valley and learn our immortal techniques, you must adhere to the rules of the Yunzhong Valley. This is the prerequisite. Listen carefully and remember.”
“One, once you enter this sect, you cannot leave for a lifetime;
Two, our immortal techniques cannot be passed on to outsiders;
Three, the sect comes first, elders second, individuals third;
Four, mutual assistance among sect members is required, harming fellow disciples is prohibited;
Five, if there is an invasion, you must go to defend against the enemy;
Six, upon successful cultivation, you must complete sect-assigned tasks;
Seven, disciples of the Yunzhong Valley must take on disciples to pass on the immortal techniques after ten years of cultivation;
…”
She listed a total of eighteen rules and then looked at the two, saying, “Have you both remembered? Any questions?”
Huang Gui looked uneasy. Remembering all eighteen at once was challenging. Who could remember them all? He subconsciously glanced at the short-haired youth next to him.
Su Hao nodded and said, “Remembered them all.”
Huang Gui was surprised, thinking, “What? He can remember all of this? Is he lying? To lie boldly in front of the master, he’s quite audacious! Truly someone I shouldn’t mess with.”
The round-faced fairy also looked at Su Hao in astonishment, thinking, “Didn’t expect him to be a genius!”
Su Hao then said, “I do have a question.”
The round-faced fairy nonchalantly replied, “Ask away.”
Su Hao inquired, “Regarding the second rule, that our immortal techniques cannot be passed on to outsiders. If I comprehend a different method from our immortal techniques, can I teach it to someone else? In other words, can I freely share a technique I create?”
“Haha!”
The round-faced fairy seemed to find it a great joke, bursting into laughter and then casually said, “If you can create a technique, then it’s up to you. I won’t interfere.”
Su Hao nodded understandingly and continued, “The third rule, sect comes first, elders second, individuals third. If I believe that what I’m doing benefits the sect, benefits the elders, and also benefits me, can I act according to my own intentions?”
The round-faced fairy looked at Su Hao in surprise and nodded, saying, “Yes. You can interpret this rule as the sect’s commands being superior to the elders’ commands, and elders’ commands being superior to personal will.”
Su Hao clarified, “So, if there are no commands from the sect or elders, I can act freely.”
The round-faced fairy affirmed, “Exactly.”
Su Hao then asked, “The fourth rule, not harming fellow disciples. Is there a standard for harm here? Does it refer to taking a life, or does it include not even physically hurting someone?”
Hearing Su Hao’s question, Huang Gui, standing nearby, inexplicably felt a chill down his spine. He couldn’t help but think that Su Hao’s question might be related to him.
The round-faced fairy noticed Su Hao’s unique approach. Frankly, she had never seen someone dissect the sect rules so clearly during the formal initiation. She wondered, “What is this dignified young man up to?”
After a moment of contemplation, the round-faced fairy responded, “There is no standard for harming fellow disciples!”
Su Hao thought to himself, “No standard? Does that mean whether it’s considered harm or not is at the discretion of the elders? Or should I clarify a bit more?”
He then directly pointed at Huang Gui beside him, saying, “If I find him annoying and bothersome and decide to give him a beating, does that count as harming a fellow disciple?”
The round-faced fairy was momentarily stunned, looked at the bewildered Huang Gui, suddenly understood something, and burst into laughter, saying, “That doesn’t count. If he annoys me, I’d beat him too, hahaha!”
Huang Gui couldn’t help but take a step back, feeling a cold chill in his heart, thinking, “I’m done. I’ve fallen into the hands of two troublemakers. I’m completely finished!”
He couldn’t understand why a young man with such upright principles would end up sharing a room with two troublemakers. It was truly an insult to decency!
The round-faced fairy then asked, “Any more questions? Feel free to ask, and I’ll answer them all.”
For the round-faced fairy, the more questions Su Hao asked, the better. She didn’t mind answering patiently because it showed that Su Hao was genuinely paying attention, thinking, and willing to abide by the rules. Unlike some people who superficially agreed to everything but did whatever they wanted behind her back. She disliked such individuals the most.
After some thought, the round-faced fairy glanced at Huang Gui.
Su Hao, having asked two more questions, indicated that he had finished with his inquiries.
The round-faced fairy turned to Huang Gui and asked, “What about you? Do you have any questions?”
Huang Gui, with difficulty holding back tears and saliva, dryly said, “N-nothing!”
Initially, he had prepared to present himself well in front of the master, but now it seemed like he might have messed up.
The round-faced fairy straightened up, her expression turning serious. “Since both of you agree to abide by the rules of the Yunzhong Valley, you are now officially the 56th generation disciples. Bow under me, Feng Ling! Present the tea!”
“Master, please enjoy the tea!” Su Hao offered the tea.
“Master, please enjoy the tea!” Huang Gui mimicked appropriately.
After Feng Ling finished the tea, solidifying the master-disciple relationship, she placed the teacup on the table and indicated Su Hao. “From now on, you will be known as Feng Wei, and you are the senior brother.”
Su Hao replied, “Feng Wei greets the master.”
Feng Ling then turned to Huang Gui. “You will be called Feng Cheng, and you are the junior brother.”
Huang Gui said, “Feng Cheng greets the master.”
Huang Gui was content with his new Dao name, as he believed that, as a future immortal, being called Gui Lai seemed a bit undignified.
