The first peak in the sky, the longest.
When Pei Jing came out of retreat, he discovered that the peach blossoms outside the cave were in bloom.
Among the pink and white stamens and green leaves, a little yellow bird waited for who knows how long. It was drowsy and its beak kept moving down.
Pei Jing found it interesting and poked it with his finger to wake it up.
The little yellow bird was startled and almost fell off the peach branch, but fortunately it realized that it could fly, and fluttered its wings, standing on Pei Jing's shoulder with fear and trepidation. Its round black eyes looked at Pei Jing with great resentment, but it still shook its body diligently, and a small roll of paper fell from under its wings, emitting a faint silver light, and then floated in the air, reflecting a line of words under the sunny sky.
—These are the words that Master left for him.
Pei Jing looked thoughtful as he finished reading it, then he pulled the little yellow bird down and said with a half-smile, "Master is going to train, and you want me to be the temporary head? Do you trust me so much?"
The little yellow bird was indignant and struggled to get out.
Pei Jing stopped teasing it and let it go: "I'll stew you when I have time. As long as you pass on the message, it's not a good thing."
The little yellow bird hid far away from him, but did not forget to give him an accusing look when he was in the air.
Pei Jing smiled. It was early spring, and the branches were still covered with thin ice. Where his robe brushed, the wind blew away the snow, which was as clear as a thousand feet. When the wind blew, the peach blossoms rustled, and fine snow fell on the tips of his hair, frozen and unmelted.
This was the scene that Chen Xu saw when he arrived on his sword and entered Changji Peak.
Pei Yuzhi walked out from under the peach blossoms. He had an ancient hairpin and black hair, and white clothes as white as snow. At first glance, he really looked like a dog.
He pulled the corner of his mouth. People who didn't know Pei Yuzhi praised him to the sky. People who knew him a little bit wanted to poke their eyes out when they heard those compliments.
Pei Jing laughed and said, "Brother, you are so loyal. You came so quickly. You must have been waiting for me outside the mountain gate for several years."
Chen Xu glared at him and said, "Be serious. Today is the day for the sect to select disciples. Don't be so careless!"
Ling Chen's sword was unsheathed, making a clear sound, and it was suspended in the air. Pei Jing jumped up, his white clothes rustling. He looked back and asked in confusion: "When did the sect ask us to participate in the selection of disciples?"
Chen Xu flew his sword alongside him and said, "For this year's sect selection, the sect master has modified the system and plans to conduct another selection among the two hundred people who entered the sect, and select ten people to enter the inner peak directly. And these ten people will be decided by us."
Pei Jing sneered, "Interesting. It's probably because in the last sect competition, no one from the outer peak was able to enter the inner peak, which pissed off the master. I think the elders from the inner peak are just being unreasonable. They themselves only built their foundation at the age of a hundred, but they want other kids to be able to reach the sky and the earth in their teens and twenties. If you really have this ability, why would you become their disciple?"
Chen Xu rolled his eyes after hearing this: "Okay, can the Sect Master be angry about this? Apart from the bastard things you, Pei Yuzhi, did, I have never seen the Sect Master get angry."
He hadn't done anything bad, but it was true that he had turned his master from a sage-like master into a grumpy old man.
Pei Jing didn't want to mention those embarrassing things, so he just said, "Is this your attitude when talking to the temporary leader?"
Chen Xu rolled his eyes, "If you become the leader, Yunxiao will probably be finished."
Pei Jing condensed his energy in the air, and it turned into raindrops, hitting Chen Xu's face.
"I don't know if Yunxiao will finish, but I think you have to finish first."
Chen Xu was caught off guard by the blow and almost fell off the sword. He was so angry that he jumped up and down: "Pei! Yu! Zhi!"
Without the leader to suppress him, his dog-hating nature becomes even more maddening!
Pei Jing ignored his rage, looked ahead, and smiled casually: "But this is also good, go meet some new faces."
Chen Xu: “…”
Is this batch of disciples destined to be in conflict with Tai Sui
The two flew from Changji Peak to the mountain gate.
Stop before the suspension bridge. When our ancestors opened the mountain, they set a rule that people must walk through this place. At the entrance of the suspension bridge is a bluestone, which was used to welcome guests when the gate was first built. On the bluestone is written "I have no shame in my actions, and I use my sword as my witness", with three scratches on the side, which are very eye-catching.
Every time Chen Xu passed by this place, he sighed. He shook his head and said, "Look at what you have done."
Pei Jing followed his gaze to the stone and said, "What's wrong with me? Is the handwriting not beautiful?"
Chen Xu: "There shouldn't be any words on it. Our ancestors erected this stone to warn everyone. For a hundred years, no disciple of the sect dared to touch it. But you, the leader told you to reflect on your mistakes in front of the stone, but you used your sword to carve flowers on it! It must be that Master Yunxiao has passed away, otherwise he would have strangled you to death."
Pei Jing only said: "If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense."
He held the Lingyun Sword and slashed it from end to end on the bluestone in front of Chen Xu. Chen Xu was so frightened that his hair almost stood up: "What are you doing!"
Pei Jing put away his sword and raised his chin: "See for yourself."
The faint trace left by the Lingyun Sword was quickly erased by a soft light.
Chen Xu's stunned expression froze, "This?"
Pei Jing said, "This stone contains the spiritual consciousness of Senior Yunxiao. How can you just carve words on it whenever you want? When my master punished me to reflect on my mistakes in front of the stone, it actually gave me a sudden enlightenment. During the state of enlightenment, I met Senior Yunxiao. The reason I carved the words was because of Senior's request."
Chen Xu: "You actually have such an adventure."
Pei Jing took a step forward, half-crouched, put his fingers on the bluestone, and sneered: "Do you think the world of genius is as simple as you think?"
Chen Xu: "... OK, OK, OK."
I have no shame, and my sword is my proof.
These eight words were Yunxiao's instruction and the expectations of the predecessors. Pei Jing lowered his eyes, and a chill came from his fingertips, which were soon enveloped by a layer of soft light. He smiled. The bet he made with Yunxiao in the state of enlightenment was fulfilled not long after. He ranked first in the Heaven Questioning Test and ranked first in the world. It was considered that he lived up to his expectations.
I only hope that the souls of our ancestors will always be in this welcoming stone before the hanging bridge.
Look at the eternal mountains and the glorious sky.
The main hall of the outer peak was already full of people, all of whom were the young generation of Yunxiao who were once famous. Pei Jing's arrival made many people's eyes light up, and of course more people looked embarrassed.
Pei Jing always had a cold personality in front of outsiders. Xue Yi passed the threshold, walked forward, and stood in the middle of the crowd. When he was silent, he was like a sword covered in snow, and his cold light made everyone feel uneasy and dared not speak.
There were several mysterious water mirrors suspended above the hall, recording every move of the disciples participating in the selection.
Now the mountain gate is not open yet, young people from all over the world are standing at the foot of the mountain, waiting eagerly, with nervousness and excitement in their eyes.
Pei Jing watched with interest, tilted his head and asked the person in charge: "Have you tried the spiritual roots?"
The one in charge of the selection was a female cultivator with a beautiful face and graceful figure. She stepped forward and said with a happy face, "Brother, I have tried it and this time the aptitude is quite good. There are several with dual spiritual roots and one with a single spiritual root."
Pei Jing raised his eyebrows and asked, "Single spiritual root?"
The female cultivator smiled and said, "Yes, he has a single spiritual root of the water element, and it is very pure. Many elders in the inner peak are secretly watching him."
Chen Xu was also quite surprised and said, "Doesn't that mean his talent is almost catching up with yours?"
Pei Jing said, "It's still far away."
He turned his gaze to the Xuanshui Mirror.
In the black water mirror, the childish faces are full of longing and expectation.
Finally, the cry of a crane aroused all the emotions of the young men.
A line of white cranes flew down from the clouds, and above them stood sword cultivators in blue and white robes, wearing jade crowns and long swords, with a graceful and elegant demeanor. Leading the way was a female disciple, who jumped down from the cranes, her aqua blue dress fluttering like waves, full of elegance and grace.
The young men opened their mouths wide, looking at their seniors, endless yearning in their eyes.
After landing, the woman smiled and said, "I am the one who will guide you on this trip, Du Shuangshuang. You can call me Senior Sister Du. Today you have entered my Yunxiao Mountain Gate, and from now on you will be my Yunxiao disciple. There are ten thousand sect rules and three thousand precepts. You must memorize them by heart and never violate them. Do you understand?"
The young men were so excited that their faces flushed. They were full of enthusiasm and said in unison: "Understood!"
"good."
Du Shuangshuang nodded with satisfaction, waved her hand, and instantly the cranes floating in the sky spread their wings, blocking out the sun. Then they flew down, landed on the ground, bent their necks, and waited for the young men.
Seeing such a scene for the first time, the young boys were so nervous that they didn't know what to do. It took them a long time to step on it carefully. Before they could calm down, they heard a whistle and the white crane took off. The sky and the earth spun around, and the boys screamed in fear. The white crane gradually became stable, and they looked around and found that it had reached the sky. They looked up blankly and saw themselves standing in the sea of clouds, with golden light everywhere and mountains and rivers like a painting. The boys who had never seen the world opened their mouths wide in shock.
“Is this Yunxiao?”
“It’s so beautiful.”
Du Shuangshuang led them to the suspension bridge and jumped off the back of the white crane. What the teenagers saw was a bridge floating in the mist. Below was a thousand feet high in the sky. Many people were so scared that their faces turned pale and they asked tremblingly, "Du, Senior Sister Du? Are we going over there?"
Du Wushuang smiled and said, "Yes, this bridge is your first challenge in entering the sky. As you walk along this bridge, you may encounter illusions along the way, but don't believe anything that happens. Be determined and walk across this bridge."
The boys' faces still didn't recover.
The suspension bridge had no railings, it was just short pieces of wood connected together, and if you were not careful you would fall down and be crushed to pieces. But they had gone through so much hardship to get to Yunxiao, so how could they be afraid of this? After calming down, everyone suppressed their fear and nodded: "I understand."
Du Shuangshuang smiled with satisfaction: "Okay. You guys go forward one by one." She took a step back, leaving space for the group of teenagers.
He took in every move of the young men.
Inside the hall, Pei Jing asked Chen Xu: "There is an illusion on the suspension bridge? How come I don't know about it?"
Chen Xu: "There are so many things you don't know."
Pei Jing: "Then tell me about it."
Chen Xu didn't take it seriously: "It's just a trick to fool the young disciples in the Qi Refining Stage. It's nothing more than evil ghosts, skeletons, blood rain and mountains of corpses, just something to scare people."
Pei Jing choked and looked a little strange: "Oh."
What was scary in Chen Xu's mouth was enough to become a lifelong nightmare for these young people who were naive to the world. They stepped onto the bridge with fear in their hearts, and they were trembling with fear in every move, wishing they could close their eyes and walk in a straight line.
Unexpectedly, in just one second, the surrounding scenery changed completely.
The blue sky instantly turned blood red, and thick, foul-smelling rain began to fall heavily.
The rain was also red, and the road became extremely difficult to walk on, slippery and sticky. The boys were terrified, and kept saying "this is fake" in their hearts, but the bloody rain fell on their faces and bodies, making them extremely itchy, the itch seeping into their bones, and they had to reach out to scratch, but once they did, it immediately became a piercing pain.
The bloody rain was pouring down, and the boys' vision was blurred. Suddenly, a strong wind blew, bringing with it the shrill cries of wronged souls and evil spirits. From the edge of the bridge, pale hands slowly stretched out, trying to grab their feet.
It was as if they were in the Shura Realm. On the suspension bridge, many young people showed their most primitive fear, screaming, panicking, and running. However, the more afraid they were, the more ghosts appeared, and some even chased them.
The first person was in a panic and fell from the suspension bridge in fear. Pei Jing couldn't bear to hear the screams he made when he fell. Yunxiao would not let anyone get hurt, and the boy was quickly rescued by Yunxiao disciples waiting on the side. However, after he landed safely, he still cried for the qualification he had ruined.
Everyone on the suspension bridge felt insecure, but there were some people with relatively stable minds who remained unmoved and walked forward in silence despite the blood rain and the evil spirits that entangled them.
Pei Jing's gaze was drawn to a person, and he pointed and asked, "Who is he?"
It would probably be hard for such a person not to attract attention.
The sky was bloody and cloudy. He was holding an umbrella, his hands as pale as a deathly person.
Black clothes are like a silent river.
The umbrella is made of spiritual energy, and the rain falling on it turns it red.
At first, he was hidden among the crowd, without showing off. But after falling into this illusion, his temperament seemed to be brought out, almost blending into the background like a cold and eerie person.
Pei Jing frowned.
Chen Xu exclaimed: "Condensing Qi into something? Has he reached the foundation-building stage at such a young age?"
Pei Jing asked the female cultivator: "What is his name?"
The female cultivator retracted her shocked expression and said, "Brother, he is the boy with a single spiritual root that I told you about. Chu Junyu."
Condensing Qi into things to build the foundation. You know, Pei Jing, who is known as the pride of heaven, built the foundation at the age of eighteen, and this boy doesn't even look like he's sixteen.
Pei Jing suppressed his smile and observed him carefully. Compared with Chen Xu's excitement and agitation, his eyes were more scrutinizing and thoughtful.
Chen Xu said excitedly: "With his strength, he can directly enter the inner peak."
Pei Jing said calmly: "Not necessarily."
Chen Xu tilted his head to look at him in disbelief: "Why, such a good qualification."
Pei Jing smiled, but his eyes showed no sign of giving in: "Let's see."
In the Xuanshui Mirror, the selection is still going on.
The young man named Chu Junyu, as expected, was about to reach the end of the suspension bridge. The world was in chaos, and he held a blood-red umbrella in his hand to block out the demons and monsters from the outside world.
The black clothes conceal the truth in the fog.
Someone on the bridge was drenched in the rain and was in unbearable pain. He screamed and chased him, trying to hide under his umbrella. The boy ignored him and walked forward. The person who was chasing was grabbed by the legs by the ghost in the illusion and fell straight behind him. Before falling, his fingers grabbed a corner of the boy's robe and shouted for help in pain.
And blood rained down.
Struggling for help and melting into the wind.
The young man tilted the umbrella slightly, stretched out his hand, and there was a blood-red arc of light at his fingertips, as thin as a knife.
Cut off the robe.
After a shrill scream, the man fell off the suspension bridge.
After witnessing everything, the smile on Pei Jing's face disappeared in an instant.
He commented in a cold tone: "This young man is too cold-blooded and ruthless."
Chen Xu frowned and explained, "They are competitors. As long as no one is hurt, there is nothing wrong with doing this."
Pei Jing: "Do you admire him so much?"
Chen Xu was choked by him: "I am just speaking the truth! He is so talented, it's a pity not to be accepted into the inner peak."
Pei Jing raised his head, his smile was casual, and his voice was nonchalant: "He is so powerful, how can this kind of trial be enough for him."
Chen Xu knew something was wrong when he heard his words, and suppressed his anger: "What are you trying to do? You are not the only one responsible for this selection."
"How could I be playing tricks?" He pointed his finger into the Xuanshui Mirror, and a lazy smile appeared on the corner of his lips: "I just gave him a chance - I gave him another test, and he passed it. The elders in the inner peak can rest, and I will personally accept him as my disciple."
The monks in the hall all stared with wide eyes, wondering: "Brother Pei...is this inappropriate?"
Every leader of Yunxiao only accepts one disciple in his lifetime. The disciple is not only the pride of the sect, but also the next leader.
Chen Xu was really angry: "Can you please not act on impulse? The master is not here, why would you accept a disciple?"
Pei Jing looked at the Xuanshui Mirror and said nothing.
The bridge was covered in blood and rain, and the boy seemed to have anticipated that he was about to reach the bridge. He stopped and slowly put away his umbrella, revealing a pale and handsome face.
The umbrella turned into blood-colored water between his fingers, and his very light amber eyes looked over through the curtain of blood rain.
It was as if he was looking at everyone.
Everyone in the hall except Pei Jing felt a chill all over their body. The bitter wind and rain in the Xuanshui Mirror seemed to come, struggling, hardship, bloody, and indifferent.
There was pure coldness in the boy's eyes, without any emotion.
But they saw hell in his eyes.