Free Web NovelChapter 152: Chapter 152: Initiation Rite
The ancestral worship ceremony Wei Xianxing spoke of was appallingly simple.
It was a temple on a sunny mountainside with red bricks and a glazed tile roof, its only decorations being the animal figurines on the eaves.
Inside hung an old, yellowed portrait that had clearly seen many years.
Bai Mo focused his gaze and saw the portrait of a hale and hearty old man, gazing into the distance with his hands behind his back.
The patriarch in the painting was thin, like an ancient pine tree standing serenely in the harsh north wind.
It was a style completely different from the current disciples, who were full of vigorous vitality and boiling passion.
It was unknown who had left the portrait, but the artistry was superb, sealing all of the subject’s spiritual charm within it.
As Bai Mo kowtowed, a few of the senior brothers standing by cheered.
"Great! We have another junior brother!"
"Cheers for Broken Blade Peak! But Junior Brother, you’ll have to work on that physique of yours..."
"Get lost! The deacons have already chosen Cultivation Techniques for them. Only if they fail to make progress will they need to train their strength with us."
Seeing them with their arms slung around each other’s shoulders, Bai Mo couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
These were the same people Wei Xianxing had casually called over to liven things up on the way here.
"Junior Brother, don’t mind them. You joining our Broken Blade Peak is just a matter of me adding your name to the roster!"
"This is just a formality..."
Bai Mo was slightly taken aback, but he quickly placed three incense sticks into the censer.
"This is the patriarch!"
Since there were clear distinctions between the peaks, it made no sense for Wei Xianxing and the others to be so casual about worshipping their patriarch.
’Are they testing me to see if I respect my teachers and the Dao?’
All sorts of thoughts flashed through Bai Mo’s mind.
’These are all just unreliable rumors from the world of Loose Cultivators.’
’Then again, given Brother Wei’s straightforward personality, he probably wouldn’t stoop to such a boring trick.’
Wei Xianxing winked and lowered his voice.
"The real portrait of the patriarch hangs in the inner sect. That one is truly miraculous. Ordinary people can’t even get a chance to worship it!"
"This one here is just a copy we paid a dozen or so Spirit Stones for."
"Hardly anyone pays it any mind."
Realization dawned on Bai Mo. Just as he was about to say something, he glanced at the traces of incense ash on the temple floor.
"That’s not right!"
The long-term accumulation of ash had stained the floor to the point that it could no longer be scrubbed clean.
"If the senior brothers don’t worship here, why is there evidence of incense being burned so frequently!?"
Wei Xianxing let out a huff.
"There are a few senior brothers who, whenever there’s a master’s assessment, a sect evaluation, practice for a new Cultivation Technique, and so on..."
"...they still like to come here and pay their respects beforehand. What if the patriarch happens to be watching?"
The watching Cultivators all nodded.
"That makes sense!"
"After all, we’re his disciples and grand-disciples. If the patriarch doesn’t help us, who will?"
Wei Xianxing patted Bai Mo on the shoulder.
"In the future, if you run into trouble, you might come here too. You’ll get used to it!"
Everyone playfully pushed and shoved Bai Mo as they left.
Not long after, Wei Xianxing ceremoniously presented several sets of disciple robes to Bai Mo.
"These are the standard-issue robes for our Broken Blade Peak. They’re warm in the winter, cool in the summer, absorb sweat, are breathable, and don’t cling to the body. They’re top-quality robes."
"The material comes from the sect’s Spiritual Silkworms and is quite valuable. Junior Brother, you must take good care of them."
Bai Mo nodded, taking them and holding them in his arms.
Wei Xianxing paused.
"Huh? Junior Brother, you don’t have a way to store items yet?"
"Oh, right. You just arrived, how could you have had time to get one?"
He waved his hand grandly.
"In a few days, I’ll take you to see the Green Water Salamander. We’ll figure out a way to get its cheek pouch."
Wei Xianxing thought for a moment.
"Right, Junior Brother, your Cultivation Techniques. I still need to get those for you..."
"Although the killing arts you cultivate are sinister and unpredictable, our Broken Blade Peak has always been grand and magnificent, as brilliant as the blazing sun, suppressing all in its path."
"There are some basic Cultivation Techniques you must understand."
...
Now that he had entered Broken Blade Peak, there was no longer any need to stay at Beast Taming Peak.
Early the next morning, Bai Mo climbed up to Beast Taming Peak and, following a familiar path, found the place he had been staying.
He wouldn’t have gotten there so quickly, but before Wei Xianxing went to contact the deacon about the Cultivation Techniques, he had lent his mount to Bai Mo.
It was a wolf-mastiff, black-furred with crimson eyes, its coat glossy and smooth.
The wildness in its crimson eyes was especially potent, incomparable to the Spirit Beasts on Beast Taming Peak. The difference between them was immense.
It was surprising that Wei Xianxing, who was not a disciple of Beast Taming Peak, could raise a Spirit Beast so well.
"Junior Brother Bai!"
Liu Ji came out to greet him, looking very pleased.
"You were gone for several days! I was quite worried. How did things go?"
Bai Mo smiled.
"I’ve joined Broken Blade Peak. The senior brothers there are treating me very well."
Liu Ji clapped his hands and sighed.
"Broken Blade Peak is indeed a good place to be. You definitely won’t regret joining, Junior Brother!"
"By the way, I saw the Demon Bear ran back home on its own last night. How did you get to Beast Taming Peak?"
Bai Mo replied, "Brother Wei’s mount brought me..."
"Brother Wei?"
Liu Ji pondered for a moment before he remembered.
"Oh, that wolf-mastiff."
"Brother Wei brought it back when it was just a pup. Every now and then, he’d ask someone from our peak to take a look at it..."
Back then, when his own cultivation prospects seemed hopeless and he had just transferred out of Broken Blade Peak, Wei Xianxing would often ask him to pull some strings.
Bai Mo didn’t have many belongings, and after a little packing, nothing was left behind.
Liu Ji walked him over to the wolf-mastiff.
Seeing Liu Ji, the beast snorted two rough breaths from its nostrils and instinctively pawed at the ground.
"Ha, how long has it been since we last saw each other?"
"Why are you still reacting like this? What are you afraid of?"
Reaching out to give the wolf-mastiff a good, hard scratch on its neck, Liu Ji said:
"Junior Brother, remember to come visit us here when you have free time.
"If only just to kill some boredom."
Bai Mo agreed.
With the two-thousand-Spirit-Stone Pill deal between them, the two were bound to interact in the future.
After bidding farewell to Liu Ji, he returned to Broken Blade Peak.
The wolf-mastiff shook its fur, let out a low howl, and, ignoring Wei Xianxing’s calls, ran off to who knows where.
"I have no idea how many Spirit Stones I spent on this beast to raise it to its current state."
Wei Xianxing muttered, tossing three manuals in front of Bai Mo.
"Look at the one on top! Few people learn this Cultivation Technique, so over time it was just shelved and forgotten."
"I don’t have much to teach you personally."
The deacon of Broken Blade Peak had tried to recruit Bai Mo and the others to the peak specifically so they would cultivate this technique.
Bai Mo glanced down and saw the large characters on the cover.
Hundred Weapons Sacrificial Dao Skill.
’Such a grand name. I wonder how effective it really is.’
After Bai Mo carefully and reverently put it away, Wei Xianxing continued speaking:
"Mixed Fighting Qi and Breaking Army Three Kills Skill."
He pointed to the two remaining manuals.
"I know you’re not skilled in Body Refinement, Junior Brother Bai, so I specifically found Mixed Fighting Qi for you."
"This technique uses Spiritual Qi to form a link around your body, creating a cyclical flow that condenses into a protective qi aura."
"Although it’s not as solid as putting in the hard work for Body Refinement, it’ll at least let you take a few more hits."
Wei Xianxing was very serious.
"Before you learn to hit, you must learn to be hit. You can’t be without a method of self-protection."
Bai Mo looked a little troubled, but he nodded anyway.
"I’ll try."
Then, he saw the other man’s gaze turn to the last manual.
"Breaking Army Three Kills Skill. This is a killing art that every disciple of Broken Blade Peak masters."
Wei Xianxing introduced it proudly.
"Three slashes link together, with killing intent building upon itself. Each slash is stronger than the last. With enough accumulation, you could even cut down a river-dwelling dragon-elephant with a single strike."
"Junior Brother, you should take a look too. Whether you can master it or not, you must at least put some effort into it."
"You’re very thoughtful, Senior Brother."
Bai Mo expressed his gratitude and gathered the two manuals into his arms.
Wei Xianxing tilted his head back and accepted the thanks with a broad grin.
With a flick of his hand, he suddenly pulled out another tattered manual.
"Just as I promised, Junior Brother. Since you’ve joined my Broken Blade Peak, I’ll personally lend you a Pill Book to look at."
"It cost two hundred and seventy Spirit Stones, which isn’t cheap. Remember to be gentle with it when you read it, Junior Brother."
"I’ve already contacted a buyer. I have to resell it later on."
