Free Web NovelChapter 200: Chapter 200: Taoyuan Town
Apparently, none of the four were locals of Taoyuan Town.
Shen Daoxing felt a flicker of joy. ’Could it be that they, like me, came from the outside?’ He realized there might be other entrances to the outside world here.
But then, Shen Daoxing thought of his own identity and couldn’t help but worry. He feared that even in a place as isolated as this, the Celestial Profound Sacred Land would still hunt him down.
Fortunately, the young man and woman in the group seemed to sense something and glanced back at Shen Daoxing. They didn’t seem to notice anything unusual, however, and turned away again. ’It seems they don’t know my identity as the Celestial Slaughter Star.’
Standing before the four was a man dressed in tattered rags. He was disheveled and grimy, looking like a local.
Yet the four of them were incredibly respectful in his presence.
The scruffy man was very lazy, dozing off with drowsy eyes as he lay on a large stone at the village entrance.
The four approached the scruffy man, respectfully placed a Spirit Stone before him, and only then did they walk into the town.
After the four had left, Shen Daoxing and Yi slowly approached.
Yi, carrying his bamboo basket, walked past. The scruffy man at the entrance glanced at him but paid him no mind, and Yi entered the town.
When Shen Daoxing stepped forward, however, the scruffy man yawned and suddenly stuck out a leg to block his path. Then, he extended a filthy hand toward Shen Daoxing.
Shen Daoxing recalled the actions of the previous group and realized this must be some kind of rule. He swiped a hand over his Sumeru Ring, produced a Spirit Stone, and placed it in the man’s hand.
Only then did the scruffy man retract his leg and let Shen Daoxing pass.
The moment he stepped into the town, Shen Daoxing felt a wave of abundant Primordial Energy wash over him. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi here was even richer than it was outside.
Shen Daoxing was astonished. He looked around and saw that the seemingly ordinary houses were all shimmering with a faint, colorful light. Even the common fruit on a simple tree by the road exuded a soul-refreshing fragrance. ’This is no ordinary town.’
Just then, Shen Daoxing saw the young man and woman from before approach an old fisherman. They took out a thousand Gold Coins to make a trade, but they didn’t want the fish in the fisherman’s hands. Instead, they wanted the basket he used to hold the fish.
Shen Daoxing looked closer and noticed the fish basket was emitting a faint golden light. It looked ancient and profound—it wasn’t an ordinary basket at all, but a treasure of the Immortal Family.
Shen Daoxing turned his head and saw the old man and young boy from earlier. They were standing by an ancient well. The young master reached into the well, fumbled around as if he’d caught something, and suddenly shouted with joy, "I got it! I got it!"
Shen Daoxing focused his gaze and saw that the boy was holding a creature that looked like a loach. But upon its head, he could faintly make out a draconic horn. It was actually a young Flood Dragon that had been hiding in the well.
The more Shen Daoxing looked, the more he realized how extraordinary this small town was.
"Shen, what are you looking at? The academy is just up ahead."
Just then, Yi’s voice called out from ahead.
Shen Daoxing snapped back to reality, answered with a sound of acknowledgment, and followed him.
The two of them walked deeper into the town, finally arriving at a quaint academy in the center.
As they entered the academy, the clear voices of students could be heard from within: "The way of great learning consists in manifesting one’s bright virtue, in loving the people, and in abiding in the highest good..."
Then, Shen Daoxing saw a white-haired old man teaching and answering questions inside a classroom.
The old man looked very stern. His unsmiling face gave off an unapproachable air, and the students below sat upright and attentive, not daring to fool around in the slightest.
Yi led Shen Daoxing to the classroom door. They didn’t enter or interrupt, but waited outside until Mr. Ge finished his lesson and walked out. Yi suddenly moved to block his path and knelt before him with a THUD.
"Mr. Ge, please accept me as your disciple!"
Yi looked up at Mr. Ge and pleaded loudly.
Ge Ye looked down at Yi and said flatly, "I’ve told you before, I will not accept you as my disciple. Get up. Don’t waste any more of your time."
But Yi didn’t move an inch. With determination in his eyes, he said, "Mr. Ge, I’m not afraid of hardship! As long as you’re willing to take me as your disciple, I’ll bear any burden and do any work you ask. Please, Mr. Ge, accept me as your disciple!"
As he spoke, Yi took the bamboo basket off his back and placed it before Ge Ye. "Sir, these are medicinal herbs I’ve gathered in the mountains these past few days. They aren’t anything precious, but I hope you will accept them."
Then, Yi began to kowtow, striking his head against the ground with a series of THUDS. He didn’t even seem to care that his forehead was bleeding.
Seeing this, Ge Ye just shook his head and said indifferently, "Cultivation isn’t something you can achieve with passion alone. It requires talent. You don’t have that talent, which means we are not fated to have a master-disciple relationship. I will not accept you."
With that, Ge Ye waved his hand and said flatly, "Lan, see our guests out!"
"Yes!"
A man walked out and came to stand before Shen Daoxing and Yi.
Shen Daoxing was surprised to see that it was the same scruffy man from the town entrance. Now, however, standing before Mr. Ge, he was completely respectful, showing no trace of his earlier laziness.
The scruffy man glanced at Yi, who was still kowtowing, shook his head, and sighed. "Kid, you don’t have the talent for cultivation. You should just give up."
Then, the scruffy man simply extended his hand. Without even touching Yi, he made the boy fly up into the air and out of the academy.
But once outside the academy, no matter how the scruffy man tried to shoo him away, Yi refused to leave. With another THUD, he knelt at the gate. "If the master won’t accept me as his disciple, I’ll kneel here forever and never leave!"
The scruffy man tried to persuade him a few more times, but to no effect. In the end, he could only shut the academy’s main gate, ignoring Yi completely.
But Yi remained kneeling at the gate, his eyes firm and his resolve unshaken.
Shen Daoxing hadn’t expected Yi to be so resolute; he was clearly determined to become a disciple today. Shen Daoxing said nothing. This was a decision concerning Yi’s own future, and he needed to move Ge Ye with his own sincerity. There was nothing Shen Daoxing could do to help.
With that thought, Shen Daoxing’s figure blurred as he vaulted over the wall and into the academy grounds.
With a few leaps, Shen Daoxing found Ge Ye in his study.
Ge Ye looked up at Shen Daoxing, unsurprised. He said flatly, "Are you here to persuade me to accept that child as my disciple? Give it up. The boy has no talent for cultivation. I will not take him."
But Shen Daoxing shook his head. "No. I came to ask you, Sir, what exactly is this place, Taoyuan Town?"
"Oh?"
Ge Ye looked up at Shen Daoxing in surprise. "You managed to find your way to our Taoyuan Town, yet you don’t know what kind of place it is?"
"Boy, don’t try to deceive me," Ge Ye said coolly. "You came looking for me for no other reason than to obtain *that thing*. But *that thing* is not something an ordinary person is qualified to take."
