The two young men and a girl, it is said, were immersed in medicinal baths from childhood. Not only was their innate aptitude good, but their foundation was also solidly built.
Under the eaves, the old Daoist priest squatted on the steps, gazing thoughtfully at a small pond in the distance. "Don't look at them only starting to cultivate now. They will surely progress by leaps and bounds. It's not at all excessive for them to advance a small realm every year."
To ordinary secular people, being steeped in medicinal baths was not a pleasant thing to hear, as it implied congenital deficiencies that required medicinal support to sustain life.
However, among cultivators, this was a phrase that evoked envy, for not everyone could afford such expenditures from childhood to lay a solid foundation in medicinal baths.
Moreover, even if one's family fortune was barely sufficient, not everyone could achieve it. It required hiring alchemists at a high price, as each person's condition was different, and even a complete prescription could not be used indiscriminately.
In a small hut, Ji Yuan placed an oil lamp in a wooden basin. After a moment's thought, he added three copper coins to it, and then, with a pang of heartache, poured all five bottles of Spirit Replenishing Water into the basin.
As he did these things, he asked impatiently, "What exactly do you want to convey?"
Ever since those Nine Xuan Sect disciples left, the old Daoist priest had been clinging to him, chattering on incessantly for the time it took half a stick of incense to burn, almost never deviating from talk about the Nine Xuan Sect. Hearing it repeatedly was, in truth, quite tiresome.
No matter how good another sect might be, it was still their own. If one truly envied it, then one should develop oneself, not dwell on it so obsessively.
To be honest, the young Daoist was currently in a bad mood, feeling even more upset than if he himself had been scorned.
However, the old Daoist seemed oblivious to his change in mood and continued to speak to himself. "The Nine Xuan Sect, the foremost cultivation sect in Feiyun Commandery. Legend has it that there are nine peaks within its mountain gates, with seven to eight hundred disciples and elders in total, both inner and outer."
"If we trace our origins, our Xuan Tian Monastery actually branched off from the Nine Xuan Sect. We are now considered to be in a relationship of superior and subordinate sects."
It was said that originally the Nine Xuan Sect should have been called the Ten Xuan Sect, but unfortunately, the founder of Xuan Tian Monastery separated from it, which led to the change in its name. Yet, its position as the head of cultivation sects in a commandery remained unshaken for hundreds of years.
Moreover, although Xuan Tian Monastery had broken away from the Nine Xuan Sect, the bond between the two sects had always been good. Their disciples, while traveling the world, often accompanied each other.
"See, although our Xuan Tian Monastery has declined, the Nine Xuan Sect has not forgotten us. This connection, this incense-burning sentiment, has always been there. They still send their outstanding disciples every four years to Qianyu City to maintain this relationship, don't they?"
The old man chuckled, as if recalling something exceptionally pleasant.
However, Ji Yuan, hearing this inside the house, couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Is that what you call maintaining a relationship? The reason they do this is entirely so that their most outstanding disciples can come here to seek opportunities."
"Outsiders don't know, but they are aware that our founder left behind quite a few good things. It's just that even we disciples of later generations cannot find these opportunities."
The Nine Xuan Sect, every four years, dispatches outstanding disciples from Feiyun Commandery to travel a thousand miles to Luoxia Commandery. To put it nicely, it's to maintain their ties; to put it bluntly, they are looking for the good things left by their ancestors.
It's just that for hundreds of years, they haven't had much success.
But those few individuals who occasionally obtained even a little bit of something have now become elders of the Nine Xuan Sect, capable of commanding influence within a commandery at the very least, or even dominating several commanderies with it.
"Master! You smelly old man!"
Ji Yuan sighed, then shouted loudly, "What do you actually want to say!?"
Hearing the call, the old man outside the house imperceptibly lowered his head, and his whisk fell to the ground.
He withdrew the smile from his face, and with his back to the young Daoist inside, he pondered and then asked, "Do you want to... cultivate in the Nine Xuan Sect?"
Inside the house, Ji Yuan was sorting through the failed elixirs he had produced in the past. His movements suddenly halted, and a look of bewilderment appeared on his face.
He had considered many possibilities, even speculating that the old Daoist might be tired of this impoverished life and want to sell Xuan Tian Monastery for a lifetime of wealth and glory from the Nine Xuan Sect.
But he had never imagined that his master, after so much rambling, would want to send him to cultivate in the Nine Xuan Sect.
"It's not that our Xuan Tian Monastery hasn't produced cultivators in these more than three hundred years,"
The old man sighed. "But you are different. You merely read a few Daoist scriptures and spontaneously attained enlightenment and embarked on cultivation, even causing the Great Dao Manual left by our ancestors to appear."
For mortals in the world to step onto the path of cultivation, whether it be Daoism, Confucianism, militarism, or Buddhism, they share a common point: they must thoroughly study the scriptures and essays authored and passed down by the sages of their respective Dao lineages.
Only by reading through the Daoist canon can one strengthen their soul.
This step is also known as enlightenment, where a spark of spiritual light is born within the soul. Otherwise, even if one reads the scriptures and essays of the sages their entire life, it will be of no use, and they will not be able to embark on the path of cultivation.
Ji Yuan had grown up in a Daoist monastery since childhood. For the sake of livelihood, most of his studies were in the skills of exorcising ghosts and spirits. It wasn't until a little over a year ago, when he was thirteen, that he casually picked up a few scriptures from his master's room and flipped through them.
As a result, he directly attained enlightenment. A spark of spiritual light was born within his soul, and he embarked on the path of cultivation. From then on, by constantly reading Daoist canons, he could gradually strengthen this spark of spiritual light and his own soul.
Although the old Daoist had read Daoist scriptures his entire life, he had not attained enlightenment himself. However, he did have some discernment.
Naturally, he knew that his disciple's situation, even in a prestigious sect, would absolutely be considered exceptional talent and that he would be nurtured as a direct disciple.
If he remained in this Xuan Tian Monastery, which was barely clinging to existence, it would be a waste of his innate talent and would delay the young Daoist's future cultivation.
Originally, the old Daoist had decided that Xuan Tian Monastery would completely become an ordinary Daoist temple in his generation. Therefore, he did not even teach his disciples, trying to see if they could attain enlightenment and embark on cultivation.
After he died, his disciples could divide the meager inheritance and, relying on their skills in exorcising ghosts and spirits, could make a living anywhere or transfer to other Daoist temples.
But he never expected that his youngest disciple, after casually reading a few Daoist scriptures, would spontaneously attain enlightenment!
This also caused him to change his mind multiple times, thinking of finding a better path for this disciple of astonishing talent.
Not to mention making his cultivation path smooth and steady like a broad avenue, at least his young disciple should have what other disciples have.
"The Nine Xuan Sect is not as good as you think, Master."
Ji Yuan crossed the doorway and squatted beside the old man. "Besides, you know I'm an alchemist now. I can satisfy my cultivation needs by just refining a few batches of elixirs."
"It's much better than going to the Nine Xuan Sect and waiting for the sect's bestowal."
Moreover, his fortune was terrifyingly abundant!
However, he did not speak this last part aloud. Some things were fine if his master knew, like the Great Dao Manual left by the founder.
But some things were better left unknown to his master, such as the ancestor's sword that fell into his Purple Mansion between his eyebrows from the main hall's roof beam, and the fundamental cultivation methods and sword techniques of the Xuan Tian Monastery's inheritance contained within.
Oh, right, that ancestor's sword has now been squeezed out of the Purple Mansion by a white jade flying sword, and he casually tossed it onto the tea table in the room.
These things were not impossible to speak of, but to speak of them would mean dividing a thread of karma, which would then fall upon the listener. Whether the future would be good or bad would depend entirely on their own destiny.
"Wait a moment!"
Seeing that his master was about to speak and persuade him to cultivate in the Nine Xuan Sect, Ji Yuan's heart suddenly stirred. He then cast a suspicious glance. "How did you convince the Nine Xuan Sect to let me cultivate there?"
"Zhang Zhi Ya! Did you secretly hide some private savings behind our backs, your disciples!"
"Did you actually have the ancestor's inheritance hidden all along, didn't you!"
The young Daoist suddenly stood up, looking at his master in disbelief, deliberately feigning furious indignation.
The old Daoist, whose real name was Zhang Zhi Ya, immediately turned crimson, stammering and not daring to meet his young disciple's eyes.
Seeing this, Ji Yuan was stunned. He had only intended to lighten the mood, but had he actually managed to trick something out of him?