Free Web NovelChapter 416: Chapter 205: First Arrival at the Taishan Sect (Part 2)
But now that Master Qingyang was gone, the selection had been handed over to Elder Fang Rushan. However, Fang Rushan was completely absorbed in the Martial Dao and paid no mind to such a trivial matter.
So, he entrusted it to his disciple, Peng Fei.
Peng Fei, naturally, had no interest in the selection either. The disciples chosen this time were not yet true disciples of the Taishan Sect. They would need to undergo a testing period of several years, and only those who met the criteria would be recruited as Outer Disciples.
As for those who were unsuitable, they would be sent back down the mountain, though they would be granted the title of a probationary disciple of the Taishan Sect.
This was, in a way, a method of expanding the Taishan Sect’s prestige.
For a Sect to survive, it needed people, and even more so, it needed territory. Only with people and territory could it endure and pass down its legacy for a long time.
In this current era of great strife, the Taishan Sect was the sole guardian of the entire western region of Dongqi Province, so naturally, the more disciples, the better.
But the selection process held no benefit for Peng Fei, so he couldn’t be bothered to waste his energy on it.
Thus, the entire selection process became rather formulaic and standardized. As long as the candidates met the basic requirements, they were accepted.
After more than half an hour, the selection event finally came to a close.
This time, a total of sixty qualified disciples were recruited.
The selected disciples were all just little kids who would need several years of training before they could achieve anything of note.
"Junior Sister Miao, you will be temporarily in charge of these disciples. Teach them the Outer Sect’s Basic Technique..."
After announcing the end of the selection, Peng Fei turned his head and spoke to a young female disciple in plain clothes standing below him.
"Senior Brother, I’m already in the Grandmaster Realm..."
"Does being in the Grandmaster Realm mean you no longer need to serve the Sect? Or does Junior Sister feel her Martial Arts are so superior that she looks down on me? Or perhaps, you look down on our Taishan Sect."
"That’s not what I meant. It’s just that I’ve recently encountered a bottleneck in my Cultivation and was hoping to break through..."
The female disciple’s expression changed slightly as she couldn’t help but explain.
"There’s no need for excuses. You either do it or you don’t. If all the Outer Disciples were like you, Junior Sister, I’m afraid the Taishan Sect would have descended into chaos long ago."
The male disciple instantly cut her off, his tone cold and mocking. ƒrēewebnovel.com
"I will obey, Senior Brother!"
The female disciple fell silent for a moment. With a slight raise of her hand, she cupped her fist in acceptance, then descended the steps. She gathered the group of little kids, had them form a line, and started leading them toward the mountain gate.
Teaching new disciples was not an easy task. It demanded a great deal of a Martial Artist’s time and was a significant hindrance to one’s own Cultivation.
Logically, teaching children the basics of martial arts didn’t require a Grandmaster Realm expert. A disciple at Level 8 or 9 of the Martial Dao would have been sufficient.
But Peng Fei had specifically named Junior Sister Miao for the job, and it was clear his motives were not impartial.
Watching Junior Sister Miao lead the crowd of children away, Peng Fei shot a slight raise of his eyebrows at Fang Chuanyu, who was beside him.
The other man returned a faint, knowing smile.
「An hour later.」
In the residential area behind the Taishan Sect’s Instructor Hall, a graceful female disciple was leading a group of children to their rooms.
Space on the mountain was limited, so the young disciples were often housed five or six to a room. The accommodations were basic, with only a few beds and two wardrobes.
"These are your training uniforms. Two sets for each of you..."
"Master, I can’t get mine on..."
"Master, my pants are too long..."
The female disciple had no experience with children and felt her head spin. She had no choice but to help them get dressed and try on the clothes, one by one.
Even though she was already in the Grandmaster Realm, she felt somewhat overwhelmed when faced with such a large, unruly crowd of children.
But she knew she couldn’t make any mistakes, because certain people were just waiting to find fault with her.
Otherwise, given her status in the Grandmaster Realm, not only would she not be doing such menial chores, but she would have had several Outer Disciples as attendants at her command.
But for certain reasons, these disciples avoided her like the plague.
Just as she was patiently helping the young disciples sort out their training uniforms, a tall, handsome man walked in.
It was none other than Senior Brother Fang Chuanyu, the man from the back of the mountain earlier.
"Junior Sister Miao, why must you put yourself through this?"
The man shook his head slightly, a look of pity and confusion on his face.
"Senior Brother, please have some self-respect."
Junior Sister Miao replied coldly, her face an icy mask.
"Junior Sister, in terms of talent, you are truly outstanding. But the path of the Martial Dao is not one where talent alone guarantees success."
"’Wealth, companions, techniques, and location’—not one can be missing. Junior Sister, if you don’t want this instructor position, I can go talk to Peng Fei."
"There’s no need to trouble yourself, Senior Brother. I can manage my own affairs. Please leave."
Junior Sister Miao said, her tone still detached. She had no good feelings for this Senior Brother. While not exactly a pampered scion, he was grandiose and self-important.
Simply because she had rejected his advances, he had used his connections to make things difficult for her in countless ways, causing the other disciples on the mountain to ostracize her.
And yet, in private, he came to act like some kind of nice guy.
’No one’s a fool.’ free𝑤ebnovel.com
Seeing Junior Sister Miao’s blunt rejection, Fang Chuanyu’s face darkened, and he said with displeasure:
"I just don’t understand. What’s so bad about me?"
"In terms of strength, am I, a dignified Divine Void Realm cultivator, not good enough for you?"
"In terms of family background, my grandfather is one of the Four Great Dharma Masters of the Taishan Sect, and the youngest one at that..."
"Senior Brother, please leave. Don’t disturb the children."
Junior Sister Miao said coldly.
"Hmph! You insist on doing this the hard way!"
Fang Chuanyu snorted coldly and thrust out his palm, remotely snapping a green pine tree outside in two.
The loud CRACK terrified the new disciples, who trembled and didn’t dare make a sound.
"Gui Xu is upon us and the world is in chaos! Do you still think this is the world you once knew? How short-sighted!"
Fang Chuanyu sneered, then leaped into the air and flew away from the Instructor Hall area.
Any disciples who saw him along the way quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look up at him.
The Taishan Sect had Four Great Dharma Masters. The Supreme Elder was advanced in age and hadn’t been seen in years.
The Sect Leader, Master Qingxu, was trying to break through to the High Tier of the Dharma Realm and was also frequently in seclusion. Sect affairs had thus been entrusted to Master Qingyang.
However, for the past year, Master Qingyang had been busy with external matters and had very limited time to return to the mountain. He had therefore handed over internal affairs to the newly promoted True Dharma Master, Fang Rushan.
And as the direct grandson of Fang Rushan, one could only imagine Fang Chuanyu’s status.
In the past year, Exotic Beasts had become increasingly restless, conflicts had erupted across the land, and with the merging of Gui Xu and Blue Star, a great war was inevitable.
The Taishan Sect had naturally become the safest place in all of Dongqi.
Fang Chuanyu’s status and strength gave him the grounds to be arrogant.
’Since you refuse to do things the easy way, don’t blame me for making it hard on you. The new rules of this Taishan Sect will start with you.’
Fang Chuanyu’s eyes narrowed as he thought viciously.
As he was flying over the Taishan Sect, he suddenly felt a powerful pressure wash over him. His body froze for an instant before he hurriedly descended.
After he landed, he looked up to see two figures descending from the sky like Immortal Gods, surrounded by swirling clouds, their bearing ethereal and otherworldly.
His pupils instantly dilated in awe and envy.
"Grandmaster-Uncle?"
Of the two, one was no stranger to Fang Chuanyu. It was his Grandmaster-Uncle, Master Qingyang.
’Who’s that person next to him? He’s so young!’
Fang Chuanyu glanced at the person beside Master Qingyang and frowned. ’Could he be a new disciple Master Qingyang has taken?’
His eyes narrowed. Master Qingyang didn’t have many disciples; most had perished in the war against the Great Shang. The few who remained disliked worldly affairs and spent their years in secluded Cultivation.
’If this is a newly recruited disciple, I’m afraid he’ll dilute my authority.’
Just as Fang Chuanyu was pondering the young man’s origins, Master Qingyang landed on the ground.
"It’s you?"
"Greetings, Grandmaster-Uncle."
"Hmph!"
Master Qingyang waved his hand, gesturing for him to leave. He then turned with a smile to the young man beside him and said, "It is this old Daoist’s fault for the lack of courtesy. I hope Zhao Zhenren can forgive my impoliteness."
"I’m also someone who dislikes tedious formalities. Isn’t this better? We didn’t even have to walk the mountain path."
"Haha, come, let’s talk in the main hall! Please."
After speaking, Master Qingyang moved slightly ahead, taking the lead by about half a body’s length, and guided the young man toward the main hall of the Taishan Sect.
’Who is this person? To be treated with such importance by my Grandmaster-Uncle? He’s so young... could he be some old monster who has regained his youth?’
Alarmed, Fang Chuanyu hurried off toward his grandfather, Fang Rushan.
