Though Wei Yuan had no concept of immortal silver, observing their expressions and demeanor told him that the tuition was quite exorbitant. Since the Daoist was willing to lecture for free, Wei Yuan immediately bowed with deep respect and waited quietly.
"No need to be so formal. Sit." The Daoist's expression was warm and gentle. He felt an even greater fondness for this child who, despite coming from humble origins, was well-read and courteous. Yet upon second thought, he sighed inwardly: *He is a good child now, but I fear it won't take a few years for Sky Azure Hall to lead him astray.*
Sitting upright and solemn, the Daoist said, "Three thousand seven hundred years ago, our Patriarch rose from humble beginnings. Having by chance obtained a method of cultivation, he set foot upon the immortal path. Later, once his Dao Foundation was newly established, he founded the Palace of Grand Beginning. At that time, the Palace was nothing more than a boundary stone and two thatched huts. Thereafter, the Patriarch opened up lands in the Northern Domain, swinging his sword time and again to purge demons, slay monsters, and dispel evils. Little by little, from within that desolate, lethal land, he carved out a realm of clear waters and verdant mountains, saving countless lives and performing immense merit for Heaven and Earth. Then his cultivation advanced miraculously, and after three hundred years, he attained Unity, ultimately ascending to the very summit.
"Once the Patriarch's Dao arts reached mastery, he took on twelve disciples one after another. Three among them were born in response to the era, blessed with their own innate providence, and had stepped onto the immortal path early on. After those three forebears achieved great mastery of their Dao arts, they led numerous juniors of the Palace, rallying fellow travelers of the Dao to advance boldly north. Through years of bloody battle, they finally wrested a vast swathe of land from the alien races—and this was the origin of Yunzhou. That great war was hailed by later generations as 'The Three Immortals Pacify Yunzhou,' the greatest event in the mortal realm at the time.
"Yet the alien races were vicious, and the war was horrific. Less than three years after the war concluded, two of the Three Immortals had fallen one after the other. The sole survivor, Immortal Lord Luofu, went into long-term secluded cultivation and rarely showed his face again, serving only as the steadfast anchor of our Palace of Grand Beginning. Even so, a century later, Immortal Lord Luofu still ascended into transcendence. After his passing, his body transformed into an azure peak ten thousand ren high, which remains one of our Palace's sacred grounds to this day.
"Following the passing of the Three Immortals, the Palace of Grand Beginning flourished with each passing day. Later generations established an abbey for each of the Three Immortals' lineages, while lineages capable of cultivating to the Unity realm were established as separate halls. This is the origin of the Palace's original Three Abbeys and Seven Halls. Later on, gifted disciples continually arose in our Palace of Grand Beginning in response to their times, surpassing their masters and blazing new paths of the Dao from nothing. Five more halls were gradually added, making up the current Three Abbeys and Twelve Halls. The master of the Sky Azure Hall you belong to, True Monarch Xuanyue, possesses divine Dao arts and concurrently serves as master of Water Moon Hall, unique among all the hall masters."
Having spoken to this point, the Daoist paused briefly and took a sip of tea.
Wei Yuan then asked, "I have read in books that cultivating immortality is to seek longevity and tranquility. Why, then, did the three immortal forebears fight and slaughter upon completing their cultivation, even perishing one after another? What was the reason for this?"
The Daoist took on a solemn expression and said, "Immortals and mortals are not divided into two separate worlds. Which immortal did not come from among mortals? Since antiquity, our human race has been weak, surrounded on all sides by alien races. Not only did they raid, pillage, burn, and slaughter our borders year after year, but some alien races even fed on humans and used them as sacrificial offerings! When our kind cultivates immortality and achieves vast divine powers and great magic, what is it for? Merely for our own longevity, tranquility, and ease? Such people exist, perhaps in no small number, but they are by no means the forebears of our Palace of Grand Beginning! From the Patriarch and the Three Immortals down to this very day, when the cultivators of our Palace of Grand Beginning attain divine powers and great magic, it is to expand our borders, open up new territories, transform heaven and earth, and fight to secure more land for our human race to thrive and multiply!"
The Daoist added, "I didn't finish telling you the rest of the Patriarch's story just now. Guess where the Patriarch is now?"
Wei Yuan naturally did not know.
The Daoist pointed to the ground and said, "Right here! The very land you and I stand upon, this mountain gate of Empty Mountain Suspended Azure, was formed from the Patriarch's body after his demise."
Wei Yuan was astonished. As far as his eyes could see, this mountain gate stretched hundreds of li, and the boundary was nowhere in sight. Could all of this truly have been formed from the Patriarch's body?
The Daoist said slowly, "When the Patriarch cultivated to the pinnacle, he was three hundred and thirty years old. At that time, this land where we now stand was still within the territory of the Wuyu Clan. Fiery sinkholes lay everywhere, strange trees and poisonous weeds carpeted the ground, and the air was filled with deadly miasma. Ordinary mortals who entered here would perish in half a day. The Wuyu Clan used humans as sacrificial beasts, and their might was overwhelming, far beyond what the human race of that time could contend with. Every grand sacrifice, they captured hundreds of thousands of people to sacrifice to Heaven and Earth. Once the Patriarch's Dao arts reached great mastery, he traveled west alone and battled the Wuyu Clan's three Great Shamans for several months. Fighting one against three, the Patriarch still slew the First Great Shaman and severely wounded the remaining two. This battle forced the Wuyu Clan to retreat eight thousand li, and they did not dare transgress again for thirty years.
"Upon his return, the Patriarch passed away in meditation beside the boundary stone he had erected with his own hands, at the age of three hundred and thirty-one.
"After the Patriarch fell, his body transformed into precious soil, completely altering this world and turning a perilous wasteland into a cherished land of immortal mountains. The precious soil formed by the Patriarch spans a total of nine hundred and ten li, and nourished by this blessed land, seven thousand li of surrounding wasteland gradually transformed into earth where the human race could survive. This is the origin of Ningzhou's first four commanderies. When you officially enter the sect three days from now, the statue of the Patriarch you are to worship is built right upon that original boundary stone."
Wei Yuan listened with bated breath. He had never expected the forebears of the Palace of Grand Beginning to be so unyielding and fierce. This was completely different from the stories of the immortal path he had imagined.
Just then, a figure flashed in the courtyard. Zhang Sheng appeared, set a small pouch on the table, and said, "The tuition is all here."
The Daoist pocketed the silver pouch and said, "What took you so long? I was just telling him the story of the Patriarch founding the Palace and the deeds of the Three Immortals. If you took any longer, I would have finished my tea."
Zhang Sheng laughed. "With tuition this expensive, it is rare to get a free teacher like you. How could I not let you speak a bit more?"
The Daoist did not linger either. Having collected the tuition, he left the small courtyard.
Only after the Daoist left was Wei Yuan able to look around the courtyard.
The courtyard was not large: a main room doubled as both bedroom and study; one wing was a cultivation chamber, while the other was empty, its future use to be determined as needed. In the corner of the yard stood a modest kitchen, fully equipped with utensils. The Palace had a communal dining hall where new disciples could eat; this kitchen was actually meant for preparing special spiritual foods and medicinal meals.
The supplies distributed to new disciples were arranged on the desk in the main room: three sets of robes that, when worn, cleared the mind, sharpened the vision, and repelled all dust; a copy of the Palace of Grand Beginning's Sect Rules; a copy of the Guide for New Disciples; a jade identity token; a bottle of Qi-Ingesting Pills; and three rods of immortal silver.
This was the first time Wei Yuan had ever seen immortal silver. He picked one up curiously to examine it. The immortal silver was milky white throughout and felt warm and smooth in the hand, each rod about as long as a little finger and as slender as an incense stick. It was vastly different from the mortal silver Wei Yuan had seen before, and much heavier. Three slender rods of immortal silver amounted to thirty taels, which was also Wei Yuan's monthly stipend for his first three months as a new disciple.
Immortal silver was forged by smelting and blending silver, gold, mica, star sand, and other substances, then nurtured with Dao power for six months. It was extensively used in crafting dharma artifacts and formations, serving as the most widely utilized material. By the custom of the Palace of Grand Beginning, one tael of immortal silver could be exchanged for a hundred taels of mortal silver. Within the Palace, however, mortal gold and silver were of virtually no use.
From now on, all of Wei Yuan's daily expenses in the Palace of Grand Beginning would customarily require payment, and immortal silver was the currency. Yet compared to the tuition, a new disciple's monthly stipend was truly paltry; even if Wei Yuan went without food and drink, an entire month's stipend would only cover a single class. Thus, tuition had to be subsidized by teachers or the hall.
The entire valley was housing for new disciples, whereas Zhang Sheng had his own cave dwelling elsewhere. After outlining a few precautions, Zhang Sheng instructed Wei Yuan to read through the sect rules and new disciple guide on his own, saying he would return after dinner to formally impart Dao arts. Having not returned to the sect for seven years, Zhang Sheng had a whole heap of matters of his own to attend to.
After Zhang Sheng departed, Wei Yuan brought out the two booklets and read them carefully.
Over the past three years, Wei Yuan had studied bitterly day after day and had long cultivated the ability to concentrate deeply. He sat there for the entire afternoon, and by the time he finished reading both books, dusk was already approaching.
Chapter 29