Gray Rabbit

Old Daoist Huayang's expression shifted, and his gaze fell upon one person. It was Zhao Songqiao, a man already in his sixties. Wrinkles cut deep around Zhao Songqiao's eyes, yet his face was set with determination. His eyes remained shut, but his head slowly turned, unerringly following a wisp of yin-yang qi that circled him. Seeing this, Old Daoist Huayang hurried to pick up the jade slip containing the new disciples' records. Finding the old man's information, he let out a sigh. "He is far too old. If he cultivated another technique, there might still be a sliver of hope, but if he divides his attention to condense the Yin-Yang Armor, he has no chance of Foundation Establishment..." The old Daoist shook his head slowly and turned his attention to the others. Meanwhile, the incarnation was soaring through the illusion. Here, time and space were both illusory. After flying for an indeterminate distance, a flash of gray light suddenly flickered deep within the white vapor. The incarnation stirred and was about to give chase, but upon seeing the gray light's true form, he pulled up short. It was an enormous, bizarre bird formed of gray vapor, measuring a full zhang in length. The incarnation could tell that it was composed entirely of yin-yang qi. Just as the incarnation spotted the strange bird, it seemed to sense him as well. Without making a sound, it beat its wings violently, its speed surging as it vanished into the depths of the white mist in the blink of an eye. The creature was astonishingly fast and moved with uncanny variations. Within a space shrouded in white mist, anyone lacking an innate affinity for yin-yang qi would find it impossible to catch, even if they were fortunate enough to spot it. The incarnation watched the strange bird fly away, abandoning the pursuit after a brief chase. Capturing that creature would undoubtedly guarantee passing the test and winning Old Daoist Huayang's highest favor. Yet the bird was simply too large. Only someone with extraordinary perception could seize so much yin-yang qi at once. The incarnation possessed no such natural talent; he was merely relying on tricks born of Core Formation experience, and he dared not draw too much attention to himself. With that in mind, the incarnation changed direction and resumed tracking. Before long, he spotted a gray rabbit hopping through the void. Delighted, he immediately gave chase. With a kick of its hind legs, the gray rabbit leaped dozens of zhang in a single bound. Even so, speed was the only strength of these creatures formed from gray vapor. Under the incarnation's relentless pursuit, it was eventually run down. Offering no resistance, it was seized by the scruff of its neck. *Puff!* The moment the incarnation grasped the gray rabbit, the white mist abruptly dispersed. His vision blurred for an instant before returning to normal. Lowering his head, he saw that the gray rabbit was gone, leaving only a thumb-thick wisp of gray qi writhing in his palm. When he looked up, he found Old Daoist Huayang standing before him, while everyone in the hall stared at him with complicated expressions. The spiritual array and the Yin-Yang Plate had already been put away. *I didn't expect to actually find a disciple with such talent today. Catching a thumb-thick wisp of yin-yang qi is quite impressive. Though his spiritual roots are mediocre, he broke through to the ninth layer of the Qi Refinement stage at a young age, so the jade slip's praise of his character must be genuine. With proper guidance, he could become a pillar of our lineage...* Old Daoist Huayang weighed the matter in his mind. In the past, he would have deliberated carefully over a disciple with four spiritual roots, but facing a shortage of hands, he decided to accept him on the spot. He looked at the incarnation with an amiable expression. "Is your name Zhang Yue?" "Disciple Zhang Yue pays respects to Senior." The incarnation scrambled to his feet and bowed respectfully. The old Daoist nodded in satisfaction. "Are you willing to join my Landou Sect?" The incarnation put on a dazed look, glancing at the others. The new disciples were filled with envy. They had expected Zhang Yue to make a fool of himself, yet against all odds, the tables had turned, and he was being accepted into the Landou Sect. Their feelings were a tangled mess. The green-robed man and the others also wore mixed expressions. "What, you are unwilling?" Old Daoist Huayang's face darkened. The incarnation shuddered and dropped into a bow. "Disciple is willing!" Zhao Songqiao was also clutching a wisp of gray qi, but seeing that Old Daoist Huayang paid him no heed, he fell into utter disappointment. The Daoist boy gestured for the incarnation to stand behind him. Old Daoist Huayang flicked his horsetail whisk and offered a bow. "Fellow Daoist Qi, my apologies for the disturbance today. This old Daoist shall take this disciple with me..." "Please do as you wish, Fellow Daoist." ... Standing beside the Daoist boy, the incarnation followed Old Daoist Huayang as they flew out of Yanmiao Pavilion, passing through the outer water-mist illusion array and soon emerging into the open. The streak of light flared brightly, streaking swiftly toward the Landou Sect. At that moment, Qin Sang's true body, lurking outside the marsh, sensed the fluctuation and quickly stepped out, only to see the streak of light vanish into the depths of the mountain range. A look of deep astonishment crossed Qin Sang's face. He could clearly sense that his external incarnation was inside that very streak of light. *What is going on?* No matter how sharp Qin Sang's mind was, knowing nothing of what had transpired inside, he could never have guessed that so much had unfolded in the Ancestral Hall of Yanmiao Pavilion, resulting in this twist of fate where his external incarnation was taken directly into the Landou Sect. The shadow of a flood dragon flashed across his body as he shadowed them in secret. Fortunately, the external incarnation was in fine condition and showed no signs of being restrained, so this was likely not a bad thing. With these thoughts in mind, Qin Sang trailed far behind, watching the streak of light head straight toward the Landou Sect. After crossing countless towering peaks and deep ridges, Old Daoist Huayang suddenly brought the streak of light to a halt on a mountaintop. Turning to the Daoist boy, he instructed, "Take my token and bring Zhang Yue back to the sect. Register him in the jade register, then impart the method for condensing the Yin-Yang Armor and guide his cultivation. I shall make the rounds to other sects and visit a few old fellows..." "Disciple obeys!" The boy took the token. Old Daoist Huayang nodded slightly and rode the wind away. Seeing the light depart, Qin Sang's true body cautiously drew closer. Still, as this was right outside the Landou Sect's mountain gate, he remained extremely careful. He finally connected with the incarnation's thoughts, learning the full story. Shocked by the turn of events, he inwardly marveled at his good fortune. With a shift of thought, he slowly drew back, watching them depart. "Senior, disciple Zhang Yue does not yet know how to address you?" Having seen Old Daoist Huayang off, the incarnation followed behind the Daoist boy and took the initiative to close the distance between them. The boy was young, yet he was already at the Foundation Establishment stage and had been accepted as Old Daoist Huayang's true disciple. He was certainly held in high regard within the Yin-Yang branch. "I reached Foundation Establishment only recently and have not yet undergone the formal master-disciple ceremony, so Master has not bestowed a daoist name upon me. You may address me as Martial Uncle Yang from now on..." The boy treated the incarnation quite kindly. Sizing him up, he said, "Your talent is truly remarkable. When I underwent the test of the Yin-Yang Plate back then, the yin-yang qi I caught was smaller than yours. Once you are able to cultivate the Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art, your progress might be even faster than mine." "Disciple would never dare compare himself to Martial Uncle!" The incarnation forced a wry smile. "Disciple possesses only four spiritual roots; to be accepted into the Landou Sect is already beyond my wildest dreams. I only wish to pour everything into my cultivation so as not to let down the kindness of Grandmaster and Martial Uncle in lifting me up. I dare not harbor extravagant hopes." Inwardly, however, he was murmuring to himself. A true heritage was indeed not so easy to acquire. This was not the Lesser Cold Domain, nor was it Shaohua Mountain, where cultivation methods were laid out openly on Pagoda Peak. Qin Sang now understood that his unobstructed path on Shaohua Mountain back then had largely been thanks to Dongyang Bo looking out for him. He wondered what connection there was between condensing the Yin-Yang Armor and the Yin-Yang Heavenly Dipper Secret Art. If the opportunity arose to lay eyes on the true heritage of the Landou Sect, he had no intention of letting it slip through his fingers.