"That senior went by the Daoist name Qingzhu. His background was actually quite similar to yours, Junior Brother Qin—he was originally a rogue cultivator before joining Shaohua Mountain.
"After Senior Qingzhu achieved Foundation Establishment, it took him a mere forty years to achieve Core Formation. That stands as the greatest feat in our sect's history, a record unbroken to this day. Yet for reasons unknown, he later went half-mad and was placed under confinement by the sect.
"It is said that back then, Senior Qingzhu flew into a towering rage for the sake of a beloved woman, cleaving this mountain in two with a single stroke of his sword and breaking through the grand array, leaving behind Jianmen Pass. There must have been a magnificent tale behind it, but alas, it has all dissolved into rumor and legend, and no one knows the truth.
"Curiously enough, after Senior Qingzhu left, the spiritual grasses and flowers across the mountain withered away, ruined by the lingering sword qi, leaving the place utterly desolate. Only that grove of ruby peach trees remained completely unscathed, flourishing with ever greater vitality.
"It was a bleak and wintry season that year, yet the peach blossoms burst into bloom, refusing to wither through the bitter winter, and only bore fruit after three whole years.
"Ever since, although the ruby peach is a mortal fruit, its sweetness surpasses all manner of spiritual fruits. Whenever they ripen, many martial uncles come out of seclusion to pick and savor them."
Standing atop his magic tool, Senior Brother Zhuang gazed into the distance at Jianmen Pass, intoxicated by Senior Qingzhu's legend, his thoughts drifting in wistful longing.
What Qin Sang envied more, however, was Senior Qingzhu's innate talent. Going from Foundation Establishment to Core Formation in a mere forty years was a staggering pace. Even favored darlings of heaven blessed with heavenly spiritual roots, who faced no bottleneck entering Core Formation, had to make meticulous preparations and enter seclusion for years, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Not expecting this seemingly steady Senior Brother Zhuang to possess such a romantic streak, Qin Sang played along and asked, "Is Senior Qingzhu still with the sect today?"
Senior Brother Zhuang shook his head and sighed with regret. "Senior Qingzhu cleaved the mountain and left, never to return. The martial uncles and grandmasters also speak of him with great secrecy. Rumor has it someone once spotted Senior Qingzhu on the Ancient Immortal Battlefield, but it was never confirmed. Many years have passed since with no word of him. If Senior Qingzhu failed to form a Nascent Soul, by now he is likely..."
Qin Sang fell silent. The path of cultivation truly was paved with countless bones for every soul that rose to prominence.
Even with Senior Qingzhu's astounding talent, all that remained of him now was the legend of Jianmen Pass. If he himself were to perish and his dao be extinguished, would anyone even remember him?
"This is Pagoda Peak," Senior Brother Zhuang said, turning to point at a distant peak.
The mountain was quite peculiar. Atop its summit stood an enormous stone pagoda. A closer look revealed that the pagoda had actually been carved straight out of the peak itself, with several smaller pagodas dotting the mountainside.
Hearing Senior Brother Zhuang explain that Pagoda Peak was where Shaohua Mountain kept its cultivation methods, incantations, and all manner of cultivation records, Qin Sang quickly committed it to memory.
He still did not know what spiritual herb that mysterious orchid he had pocketed was. When he had time, he would have to make a trip to Pagoda Peak; perhaps he could find it recorded in Shaohua Mountain's texts.
"Qi Refinement disciples can use their waist tokens to browse the first floor of Pagoda Peak, though spirit stones are charged. If you wish to take anything out of Pagoda Peak, there is an additional fee. That goes for listening to senior brothers and martial uncles preach the Dao at Daomen Peak as well—spirit stones are required for all of it. But there is no need to worry, Junior Brother Qin. Once you take on sect chores, you'll receive a monthly stipend, which is enough to support your cultivation. This is the advantage of being a sect disciple. The hardships of a rogue cultivator are something you understand better than I do."
Qin Sang asked what chores were available at Shaohua Mountain. Having learned his lesson at the Yuanzhao Sect, he was determined never to choose a chore bogged down with trivial matters.
Without Yu Hua's backing, he did not dare squander spirit stones to set up a Spirit Gathering Array.
Having looted Zhao Yan's mustard seed bag, he now possessed modest wealth. Reserving one middle-grade spirit stone for emergencies, the rest should suffice to sustain his cultivation. Finding an easy chore and focusing diligently on cultivation was the proper path.
Senior Brother Zhuang told Qin Sang not to rush and instead offered to familiarize him with Shaohua Mountain first. Flying on their swords, the two traveled inward from Daomen Peak as Zhuang introduced each mountain to Qin Sang one by one.
In Shaohua Mountain, Qi Refinement disciples could only move about the vicinity of Daomen Peak; the inner peaks were essentially forbidden areas that must never be trespassed upon.
"This is Jingyue Peak, where Fairy Chenyan is in seclusion."
Following Senior Brother Zhuang's gesture, Qin Sang saw a modest hill that seemed rather unremarkable amidst the mountain range. Yet it was blanketed with lush groves of slender bamboo, and its springs sparkled like jade, possessing a unique spiritual elegance.
Along the way, Senior Brother Zhuang had mentioned Fairy Chenyan more than once, to the point where Qin Sang's ears had grown calloused from hearing about her.
According to Senior Brother Zhuang, Fairy Chenyan possessed peerless beauty and an ethereal demeanor that transcended the mortal realm—scarcely rivaled in the heavens and unmatched on earth, falling just short of explicitly calling her an immortal maiden descended from the celestial realms.
When Qin Sang asked whether Senior Brother Zhuang had ever seen her with his own eyes, it turned out Zhuang had only ever seen a portrait of her and had already fallen into such infatuation, leaving Qin Sang thoroughly speechless.
Where was the solemn, upright senior brother who had just admonished him to dedicate himself entirely to the immortal Dao and forget the mortal realm?
Fairy Chenyan's talent was even more enviable than her appearance. Rumored to possess a heavenly spiritual root, her cultivation had already reached the late Core Formation stage. In pursuit of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, she had already been in seclusion on Jingyue Peak for over twenty years.
*She must be several hundred years old by now, right?* Qin Sang thought to himself.
The two wandered for quite some time before finally paying their respects at the foot of Shaohua Mountain itself. The sect took its name from this very mountain, where the immortal abode of Dongyang Bo—the sect's sole Nascent Soul patriarch—was located.
After returning to Daomen Peak, Senior Brother Zhuang led Qin Sang to an adjacent mountain and settled him into a dormitory. "If you have no other matters to attend to, Junior Brother Qin, why don't you come with me to select your chore?" he asked.
The two flew back toward Daomen Peak. On the way, they crossed paths with several senior brothers and sisters who were hurrying along. When Qin Sang asked, he learned that a martial uncle adept in incantations was giving a lecture on the Dao tonight.
As they were speaking, a fierce gust of wind suddenly bore down from behind. Qin Sang hastily dodged out of the way, and a streak of light flashed past, nearly brushing against his shoulder.
Qin Sang frowned slightly, holding his tongue. To his surprise, the streak of light turned and flew back. A young man with a square jaw stood atop a magic tool, glanced between the two, and said with a smile, "So it's Junior Brother Zhuang Yan. This junior brother looks quite unfamiliar—how should I address you?"
"This is Senior Brother Sun De," Zhuang Yan introduced him to Qin Sang, then turned to the other man. "Senior Brother Sun, Junior Brother Qin Sang has just entered the sect with a Sword Intent decree. Martial Uncle Wen instructed me to guide him through his initiation, so it's only natural you haven't seen him before."
Sun De came to a sudden realization. "No wonder! I was wondering why anyone would be admitted at a time like this. Junior Brother Qin, I was in a rush just now to reach Daomen Peak for Martial Uncle's lecture. It was reckless of me, and I nearly collided with you. Please don't take offense."
With that, he cupped his hands apologetically.
Seeing this, Qin Sang naturally held no grudge. Returning the salute, he said, "Senior Brother Sun is being far too polite."
Sun De's eyes darted with thought, and he asked with a chuckle, "Junior Brother Qin, since you've just joined the sect, have you decided on a chore yet?"
Qin Sang shook his head.
Zhuang Yan said, "I was just taking Junior Brother Qin to Daomen Peak to choose one."
"Then don't let Junior Brother Zhuang fool you! If you aren't short on spirit stones, whatever you do, steer clear of those trap chores, or you'll regret it bitterly!"
Sun De burst into laughter and strutted away, paying no mind to Zhuang Yan's flustered protests of "Hey, hey!"
Chapter 104