Chapter 6.3 Entering the mundane world
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Pei Jing was visiting the Yinghui Peak for the first time. The place was vast, with an abundance of trees, which almost caused him to lose his way. He had to ask a fellow female disciple for directions. Most of the Outer Peak disciples had recently started cultivating their qi, and their knowledge about various matters was limited. Therefore, in the first year, Yunxiao Sect introduced mandatory courses on cultivation systems, dantian and sea of consciousness, array formations, alchemy, and more, ensuring that these disciples attend them punctually.
New disciples entering Yunxiao Sect usually experienced limited freedom during their first year. The rules were strict, dictating their waking, sleeping, and cultivation times down to the smallest detail. There was no room for slacking off.
Pei Jing, however, wasn’t bothered by these restrictions. He had already endured even more extreme demands during his time in the Institute of Celestial Ascension. As the sect’s top disciple, he didn’t fear the rules of the Outer Peak.
The main hall of the Yinghui Peak was neatly filled with over two hundred individuals, including new disciples, administrators, and swordsmanship instructors, all standing in perfect formation.
Standing at the center of the main hall was a cultivator dressed in a yellow robe, at the initial stage of the Golden Core, tall and thin, with the appearance of middle age.
He was none other than Huang Fu, the peak master of the Yinghui Peak.
With his hands behind his back, Huang Fu wore a stern expression. “The rules, as your senior brothers have just recited to you, must be deeply ingrained in your mind. You must not break even a single word or regulation. Do you understand?”
The young men, dressed in white robes with blue belts, spoke together in a clear and confident voice, “We understand!”
Huang Fu expressed his satisfaction with a nod. “Very well. Now, let me explain the tasks you’ll need to undertake during your time here at Yinghui Peak…”
Pei Jing arrived a little late and was stopped at the entrance by a female cultivator who firmly grasped his collar, preventing him from entering. However, taking advantage of his current appearance, he pleaded and appeared pitiful, eventually managing to slip inside.
Joining the line, he asked a fellow disciple standing beside him, “What part are they discussing now?”
The nearby disciple whispered softly, “We’re almost at the section about room assignments.”
Pei Jing simply acknowledged with an “Oh.”
The accommodations at Yinghui Peak varied in quality. Generally, they could be categorized into four levels: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow. The Heaven within Heaven was the most desirable, rumored to be a hidden paradise rivaling the Inner Peak. On the other hand, the Yellow level was the least favorable, resembling small human residences in a remote and spiritually deprived area. Huang Fu concealed this information and only vaguely stated, “To ensure fairness, we will draw lots to determine your accommodations. Some places have weaker spiritual energy, while others have a stronger presence. It’s all a matter of fate. Today, you must understand that luck is also considered a part of one’s cultivation strength.”
The disciples spoke in unison, “Understood.”
The steward, carrying a box, approached the group for them to draw lots. Some of the disciples hesitated, pushing and shouting, each suggesting others should go first. No one wanted to be the unfortunate soul and lose face.
Huang Fu furrowed his brow and commented, “In that case, you can all simply sleep on the floor.”
Upon hearing his remark, the young disciples inside the hall grumbled and reluctantly reached into the box. Once they retrieved their slips of paper, they discreetly examined them, fearing to let others know what they got.
Pei Jing found it unnecessary. He possessed an oddly strong confidence in his own luck. He reached into the box, thinking that no matter what, he would end up with a favorable outcome.
Pei Jing took out a small slip of paper and unfolded it, only to be taken aback.
On the slip, there was a single word written in yellow ink. But behind that word, a jumble of messy brown characters forms a set of beginner-level cultivation techniques for Yunxiao. The writing was crooked and disorganized, resembling the marks of a dog’s teeth, causing Pei Jing to feel a headache coming on.
The nearby cultivator happily secured a nice room with the character “Earth” and asked around, approaching Pei Jing and asking, “Hey, what did you get?”
Pei Jing smirked and unfolded the paper in his hand to show him.
The male cultivator was also surprised and said, “Why is ours different?” He took out his own slip of paper, which had a clean white surface with a clear “Earth” character..
Pei Jing replied, “…I don’t know.”
What the heck? It was written with a set of the most basic techniques, the kind he practiced when he was two years old. And the handwriting was so unpleasant to the eyes. Pei Jing, realizing his true newbie nature for the first time in his life, silently tore the paper into small pieces, casually blowing them away.
“Has everyone finished drawing?”
Huang Fu spoke again at that moment. “This is your first competition upon entering Yunxiao. The competition is not about strength, but luck. The cultivation world can be cruel and ruthless. Fate is crucial for all cultivators. Those of you who have chosen the “Heaven” or “Earth” rooms have already taken a step ahead of others, but do not become excessively arrogant or negligent. As for those who have drawn the remaining rooms, do not lose heart. Remember, hard work is rewarded by the heavens.”
The young cultivators who drew slips with the character “Yellow” in the hall felt so wronged that they were on the verge of tears.
Instantly, some were filled with joy while others worried, sighs resonating throughout the entire hall.
Only Pei Jing appeared remarkably different. He couldn’t be bothered to think about accommodation issues and continued tearing his slip of paper into smaller and smaller pieces. Having already achieved the perfect Golden Core stage, just one step away from Nascent Soul, what more could he expect from spiritual energy? For now, experiencing happiness was all that mattered.
After Huang Fu and the others sighed for a while, he suddenly put on a fake profound smile and said, “Finished sighing? Now, let me share some good news with you.”
What?
Instantly, everyone became alert and reinvigorated.
Huang Fu spoke with a hint of meaning. “This is the second lesson I’ll teach you today—how fortunes and misfortunes are intertwined. Sometimes, destiny can bring tremendous highs and lows. Within Yinghui Peak, there is a room that can be considered top-grade. Although its spiritual energy may not match that of the Wenqing Peak or the Tianqian Peak, it is still comparable to the other Inner Peaks. I didn’t label this room with the character ‘Heaven’; instead, I wrote ‘Yellow’—this represents life’s surprises and unexpected turns!”
The young ones who had been lamenting let out cheers of joy, their eyes wide with excitement.
Only Pei Jing paused in tearing the paper, a sense of unease creeping into his consciousness.
Huang Fu then spoke, “That’s no ordinary yellow slip. I invested considerable effort, carefully inscribing the entry-level techniques of Yunxia on its back. Such knowledge is exclusive to disciples of the Inner Peaks. Now, it has been freely gifted to the Child of Fortunes. The room corresponding to that yellow slip is the finest of all. Alright, now, whoever drew that slip, come forward and let everyone see.”
Pei Jing: “…”
He knew it was impossible for him to be the chosen one. But as expected, the fortunate one, the Child of Fortunes, was him.
However, the fortunate one couldn’t continue experiencing happiness at this moment.
People exchanged whispers, inquiring about who it could be, searching all around. Eventually, all eyes settled on Pei Jing, frozen in shock expressions. Huang Fu approached with a cheerful smile, but as he saw what Pei Jing held in his hand, his smile stiffened on his face.
The paper, meticulously filled with written techniques by the peak master, broke apart in his hands, torn into individual pieces.
Pei Jing quietly raised his hand, “Elder, I think I can explain.”
And the answer given by Huang Fu was exactly what he had expected.
No further explanations needed.
The boy has a unique personality, let him experience the yellowest room and temper his character.
Pei Jing practically became a living example for the newly initiated disciples, showing them what true ups and downs in life were like.
Pei Jing followed a group of young ones to the administrative office and received some bedding, pillows, and clothes. The worst room in Yinghui Peak was actually decently furnished, after all, Yunxiao was prosperous and had abundant resources. It was a small courtyard, situated far from the main hall and just before the spiritual cultivation field in the rear mountains. A peach tree stood at the entrance, while the courtyard was adorned with bamboo, pomegranate trees, and banana plants. The courtyard had a pleasant decoration, but it served no practical purpose. Stepping inside, Pei Jing couldn’t help but sigh. The scarcity of spiritual energy was indeed not an exaggeration—this was more than just scarcity. It lacked even a trace of elemental essence.
Holding the bedding, he walked into the courtyard where there were four small rooms. The other three people were struggling, panting heavily as they helped each other move in. Pei Jing felt like he was the one who needed comfort the most.
After neatly making the bed, he suddenly remembered that he had forgotten to pay attention to where Chu Junyu was.
This wouldn’t work.
Pei Jing jumped off the bed, quickly put on his shoes, and realized that he needed to find Chu Junyu.
However, Yinghui Peak was truly expansive, and the paths were genuinely bothersome.
He wandered around for quite some time but couldn’t locate him. Eventually, he even managed to get himself lost.
Pei Jing suppressed his cultivation to the early Qi Gathering stage. He simply couldn’t achieve the ability to fly in the air or control a flying sword.
He could only wander aimlessly like a confused insect.
However, he had absolute confidence in his luck and believed that even by wandering without direction, he would eventually find his way out.
Bumping and colliding.
Darkness was descending upon the sky.
He actually managed to stumble upon a path.
No, he actually bumped into a few individuals.
Pei Jing initially intended to approach them directly and ask for directions. However, upon observing their suspicious behavior, doubts arose within him, causing him to pause. Those four individuals were new disciples. They had stood together in the main hall earlier that morning. Now, they held tools in their hands—sacks and clubs. Based on their demeanor, it seemed like they were heading towards a confrontation. Early Qi Gather Stage disciples were not significantly different from ordinary people, except for having a bit more physical strength.
Pei Jing tiptoed and grabbed hold of a tree branch, swiftly hoisting himself up. Once he settled securely on the branch, he plucked a leaf and chewed on it while observing their actions. The voices of the four youths conversing reached Pei Jing’s ears.
“Is everything prepared?”
“Yes.”
“Alright then. I’ll steal his jade pendant and throw it into the well. He’ll definitely go to retrieve it. We’ll wait for him to come out and, when he’s not paying attention, put a sack over him and give him a good thrashing. After all, he doesn’t know who we are, so he’ll have to accept his misfortune.”
“Hmph! Giving him a thrashing is too kind. After we’re done, we’ll toss him into the well and let him go hungry for a night. That’ll serve as revenge for Brother Yuan.”
Pei Jing felt like he was witnessing a brawl among children. He couldn’t understand why the junior disciples were becoming increasingly hot-tempered. They had only spent a few days together during the selection process. How could they bear such grudges and animosity? He jumped down from the tree, intending to follow and observe.
Stepping forward, he caught snippets of conversation from the four individuals.
“I sensed something was amiss when he remained silent. As expected, he’s not someone to be trifled with.”
“I personally witnessed Brother Yuan falling off the suspension bridge. If Chu Junyu had just tilted slightly or given him a helping hand, Brother Yuan could have been saved. However, that surnamed Chu is truly heartless. He completely ignored it and shattered Brother Yuan’s lifelong aspirations!”
“Let’s teach him a lesson today and stand up for Brother Yuan.”
“Agreed!”
Pei Jing heard it clearly and nearly swallowed the leaf, causing him to cough uncontrollably.
Brother Yuan? Chu Junyu? It slowly started to come back to him. On the suspension bridge, there was a person who fell after Chu Junyu refused to rescue him.
So these four individuals were friends of that person, seeking revenge by ganging up on Chu Junyu—
A group in the Qi Gathering Stage cultivators going against someone in the Foundation Establishment stage?
…Had they become so fed up with life?
Deep down, Pei Jing still possessed a sense of compassion. He was well aware that if these four individuals fell into Chu Junyu’s hands, they would likely endure great suffering. He performed a simple technique, conjuring a wispy green smoke. The smoke slowly took form, appearing in the distance as a disheveled ghost clad in white garments. Pei Jing picked up a tree branch from the ground, causing the leaves to rustle and creating an eerie atmosphere.
While walking, the four of them began to sense that something was off.
“Hey, boss, why do I feel a cool breeze on my back?”
“Cool breeze? We’re all Yunxiao disciples, and yet you’re being so suspicious. It’s embarrassing!”
“…Oh.”
Their remarks made Pei Jing chuckle. Well, they did show some awareness of being Yunxiao disciples. However, they didn’t know that mistreating fellow disciples was also against Yunxiao’s rules, right?
Pei Jing let out a gentle breath.
In an instant, the green smoke transformed into a grimacing female ghost, swirling around the trees in circular motions. Quite silly, indeed. But it was enough to give them a scare.
The rustling tree shadows seemed to faintly carry the laughter of the female ghost. Despite the absence of wind, a single leaf unexpectedly landed on the boss’ forehead. Annoyed, he snapped, “Who’s trying to scare me!” He swiftly turned around, only to meet the face of the green-faced, eerie female ghost, hanging upside down from a tree.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah—!!!”
In the calm night, the boss let out a panicked scream. The other three were so scared that they jumped in place, shouting at the top of their lungs. They turned and ran back, their faces drained of color. At this moment, thoughts of dealing with Chu Junyu vanished. Their own safety was all that mattered.
Pei Jing laughed. “So easily frightened, yet they dare to seek vengeance?”
He clapped his hands, jumped down from the tree, and proceeded ahead. He was going to meet Chu Junyu.
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