Chapter 396
Xuanji Yuheng
"This is the wrong path!"
The old man's words echoed in the thatched hut, his voice trembling slightly yet unwavering. This was the first time he had so clearly expressed his opposition to his revered mentor.
"The rats in the government granaries are as big as oxen, gnawing away at the people's wealth without ever stopping. White bones pile up to serve as pillows for the powerful and wealthy, while the stench of wine flows from the dilapidated graves behind the red gates."
The old man from Niushan was disheveled and looked like a beggar singing a folk ballad, with an indescribable heaviness in his eyes.
As Zhou Sheng listened to these words, he couldn't help but recall his various experiences since coming into this world.
From almost being eaten at the beginning, to seeing corrupt officials while traveling with his master, and later, to the powerful and wealthy in the human world, even colluding with the underworld to buy and sell human lives and lifespans.
“I watched with my own eyes as the prosperous era created by my mentor gradually turned into a chaotic world where human life was treated like dirt, and I was unable to change it. After slaying the dragon, I could not even support the dragon, so I became disheartened and went into seclusion. Over the years, I have not even taught a single disciple.”
"I thought this lineage would end with me, but I never expected to meet you."
At this point, the old man from Niushan looked at Zhou Sheng. His ugly face, covered in pustules, had unusually bright and clean eyes that revealed his sincerity.
"Therefore, I want to take on a disciple on behalf of my master, because in you, this old beggar sees hope—the hope of gathering the dragon veins!"
The master risked everything to sever the dragon vein, but the disciple has to do everything he can to reconnect it.
The choices may seem completely different, but they share the same original intention.
Since this path is wrong, let's take a different one.
"So whether I become an apprentice or not, the senior will help me gather the dragon veins, right?"
Zhou Sheng's eyes flashed, and he asked aloud.
He had little interest in becoming emperor and changing dynasties, but he was extremely interested in transcending tribulations and becoming an immortal.
Now the dragon veins are bound to the Great Dao of Time that he has come to understand. Only by obtaining more dragon veins can he continue on this path.
"good."
Old Man Niushan hesitated slightly, but still told the truth and did not use the dragon vein as a condition for negotiation.
At the same time, he sighed softly to himself, already prepared for the other party to refuse.
After all, although the Louguan Dao lineage seems to have a glorious history, it can no longer offer much help to Zhou Sheng in his current situation.
After all, Zhou Sheng is now a powerful being who has survived three tribulations, and there are not many things in the world that can stump him.
It was unexpected, but the old man of Niushan thought it would take him at least ten years to go from the fifth level to the tribulation, and that was by the standards of a prodigy.
Unexpectedly, only three short years have passed since their last parting, and Zhou Sheng has already become a Human Immortal at the Third Tribulation Realm.
The progress was rapid and unstoppable.
"In that case, senior brother, please accept my bow."
"It's alright, you—"
Old Man Niu Shan suddenly paused, his eyes filled with barely suppressed excitement and joy, and asked, "What did you call me?"
"Senior brother, do you perhaps want to be the junior brother?"
Zhou Sheng said with a strange expression, "If Senior Brother has this hobby, then this junior is not unwilling to grant it."
Old Man Niu Shan didn't take his teasing to heart and instead burst into laughter, as if every wrinkle on his face had been smoothed out.
"Good! Good! Good!"
He grabbed Zhou Sheng's hand and led him into the inner room, holding it tightly as if afraid that if he let go, the other would escape.
"In our lineage, there are no strict rules for taking a master. You just need to kowtow and pay respects to the portraits of the ancestor and the master!"
In the very center of the inner hall hung two portraits: one of the Supreme Immortal Yin Xi, and the other of the Imperial Tutor Liu Bowen. Zhou Sheng gazed at the imposing old man in the portrait—tall, robust, with a resolute air and piercing eyes—and straightened his sleeves before respectfully bowing in greeting.
"Grandmaster Yin Xi, Grandmaster, I, Zhou Sheng, the thirty-sixth generation disciple of Louguan Tao, pay my respects to you both!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the smoke from the incense and candles offered before the painting, which had been drifting, suddenly changed, becoming straight like a waterfall cascading into the sky.
Zhou Sheng also sensed a change in the unseen world, as if the river of fate had quietly changed its course.
This change was originally silent, but now that he holds the reins of time and his primordial spirit is profound, he has caught a trace of it in the vast and mysterious.
Choosing to become Liu Bowen's disciple and join the Louguan Sect will be a very important decision for him.
So Zhou Sheng kept this in mind and noted down this time point, so that if any problems arose later, he could come back and choose again.
Unexpectedly, the old man from Niushan seemed to have sensed his idea, and chuckled, full of the smugness of someone who had tricked him into getting on the wrong side of the law.
"Once you're involved in some causes and effects, you can't just change them if you want to."
"Senior brother, is it too late for me to back out now?"
"Of course... it's too late."
Zhou Sheng shook his head and smiled, but he didn't regret it at all. After all, he had consulted a divination before making this choice, and the divination showed that it was very auspicious.
Then he served tea to his senior apprentice. After the old man from Niushan took a sip, the simplified ceremony of the master accepting his apprentice was successfully completed.
"Junior brother."
"Senior brother."
Golden sunlight streamed obliquely through the windows of the thatched hut, falling on the old man and the young man who were bowing to each other. They looked up, smiled at each other, and became much closer.
"From now on, you will be the thirty-sixth leader of the Louguan Sect. This jade thumb ring is a token of our sect's inheritance. Please keep it safe."
Old Man Niu Shan took out a jade thumb ring and handed it to Zhou Sheng. The thumb ring was as clear as jade, with patterns like the sun, moon and stars, and a flowing blue light. It was an extraordinary piece.
"This item is called Xuanji Yuheng, which is derived from the saying 'In Xuanji Yuheng, the seven celestial bodies are aligned.' It implies the ability to observe celestial phenomena and establish the orthodox tradition. Although it cannot help you in combat, it is the most important treasure of our sect."
"It is derived from the 'Heavenly Flowing Green Marrow' under the ancient star-gazing platform in Zhongnan Mountain, which is formed by the fusion of the earth's spiritual energy over ten thousand years. During the day, it appears as a frozen spring with a clear blue color, while at midnight, it shines with the light of nebulae."
"The inner circle is based on the trajectory of the Big Dipper, with the ancient seal script of the Twenty-Eight Mansions engraved in intaglio, and its brilliance changes with the movement of the stars..."
With his senior's explanation, Zhou Sheng quickly realized just how valuable this jade thumb ring was.
This item has three main functions. First, it automatically absorbs the spiritual energy of the sun, moon, and stars, nourishing its owner and promoting cultivation. It is equivalent to a mobile spirit-gathering array, especially at high altitudes under the starry night sky, where the spiritual energy gathered is most abundant.
Secondly, it obscures the secrets of heaven. Those who wear this item will find the secrets of heaven obscure and undetectable, as if they have transcended the Three Realms and are no longer within the Five Elements.
Of course, it still couldn't stop Zhou Sheng's tortoise shell and Luoshu diagrams.
Thirdly, it is a legacy. The insights, secrets, and unique skills of the successive leaders of the Star Gazing Sect are all sealed in this ring, which is equivalent to the sect's library.
The fact that the old man from Niushan was willing to give away such a precious treasure shows his sincerity, without any pretense.
"Senior brother, isn't this item too precious...?"
"The old beggar said that as long as you become his disciple, he will teach you everything he knows. Our Louguan Dao has been passed down for thousands of years, and dozens of generations of sages have compiled a total of 1,374 unique books, covering the sixteen profound and true methods of mountains, medicine, destiny, physiognomy, divination, alchemy, formations, talismans, weapons, and military affairs. It is all-encompassing and as vast as the starry sea!"
"Wait, how much?"
Zhou Sheng was completely shocked.
...(End of this chapter)