The man who came was dressed in a blue robe, with a refined appearance and elegant manners. He did not look like a cultivator, but rather a scholar in the mortal world.
He looks young, yet has a sense of maturity that comes with years. If you say he is older, he still has the carefreeness of a young man.
As soon as he appeared outside the door, the people in the house stopped talking and greeted him.
"Brother Su."
"Why are you here, brother?"
"Meet Uncle Master."
"Meet the Peak Master."
Even the silver-haired head of the sect leader Dan Yangzi greeted him, "Junior brother, you have been lazy for many years and refused to accept a disciple. Now you are finally willing to come."
The visitor was Su Xingting, the master of Xiaoyao Peak.
He laughed, "I just came along on a whim. Please continue, don't let me delay you."
The female cultivator who had previously offered the Guiyuan Mirror bowed slightly and said, "Brother Su, please look at this flower blooming in the snow. How do you think it is?"
This female cultivator is Ding Huirou, the leader of Biyou Peak.
Biyou Peak is the most special main peak of Guiyuan Sect. It only accepts female disciples and never male disciples.
Peak master Ding Huirou is aloof and somewhat unsociable.
Su Xingting looked around the water mirror and nodded slightly: "The realm is rare, but it's a pity that the light is not very bright. The talent is relatively ordinary, which is a bit of a pity."
After hearing this, everyone thought about it carefully and realized that although his character was good, his talent was not good and he could not be considered an exceptional disciple. So many people who were eager to try calmed down.
Only Su Xingting himself secretly glanced at the small row of names displayed on the glass clock, and noticed the three words "Zhang Erya".
The head of the sect, Dan Yangzi, stroked his beard and said, "Junior Brother Su is right. Let's go and look at the other children."
After saying that, he slowly flipped through the roster and squinted his eyes to read the three words.
Ding Huirou nodded and said, "Senior Brother Su is right. Children who appear in snowy scenes usually have cold personalities and are indeed not easy to teach."
So the matter was over, and everyone's attention was attracted by the rich and diverse illusions that followed. They secretly paid attention and thought about choosing a few proud students for themselves.
Out of Qingjing Peak.
Ding Huirou summoned a huge feather, the white feather fluttered, and it flew forward with the wind, heading towards her own Biyou Peak.
A fellow junior sister asked, "Senior sister, are you attracted to that child who blooms in the snow?"
Ding Huirou laughed: "Junior sister is still young, she doesn't know how rare this realm is."
"But the Xiaoyao Peak Master also said that her talent is ordinary and there is nothing special about her."
"You don't believe him." Ding Huirou snorted, "Who is Senior Brother Su? You just met him today. The more he values something, the more casually he talks about it."
"So Senior Brother Su also likes this child?"
"The leader of Xiaoyao Peak may seem lazy and idle, but he is actually very smart. Look at Xiaoyao Peak. Although there are few disciples, every one of them is talented and good. We can't let him take advantage of all this."
The junior sister smiled and said, "Senior sister, why worry? Lan'er is also a disciple who started this year. Let her tell those children with good qualifications to take the initiative to join our Biyou Peak."
The crowd has dispersed.
The head of the sect, Dan Yangzi, stood outside the temple gate, with his hands behind his back, gazing at the moon. His disciple asked, "Master, what does it mean when flowers bloom in the snow? Please teach me."
Dan Yangzi twirled his waist-length white beard and said, "The human heart is the most difficult thing in the world to fathom. If it could be measured once and for all, and never change, how could there be so many useless disciples in our Guiyuan Sect?"
The disciple was puzzled, "Why is this happening?"
"A piece of white paper, once stained with ink, will never be clean again. A piece of hot coal, once splashed with water, will never be rekindled." The old head sighed, "Once romantic in spring, it withered and withered after experiencing the frost. Once pure and innocent, it became filthy after rolling in the world of mortals. Children who have just entered the mountain gate have pure innocence, and are naturally good. But the path of cultivation is so dangerous and difficult. After experiencing the inner demons and human desires, there are countless disasters. How many people can still keep their original Tao heart?"
"Master, do you mean that the child is very rare?"
Danyangzi looked at the bright moon in the sky and nodded slightly: "This child has experienced the wind and snow, but he has no humble self-pity. He has experienced the frost and ice, but he still keeps his heart calm and the fire in his arms is not extinguished. Flowers blooming in the snow are very rare. Of course, it's not just me who noticed it. Many of your uncles are also sharp-eyed and have noticed it early. I just deliberately didn't say it."
On Xiaoyao Peak, Su Xingting stroked his wine glass, "Other things are fine, but how can she be in such a state of mind at such a young age?"
Ye Hangzhou was flipping through the record book at the side, and looked up and said: "Disciple checked the record of new disciples. This child comes from a poor family and has three older brothers."
The two exchanged glances, revealing a look of sudden enlightenment.
Nowadays, men are mostly respected in the world, and there is a prevailing trend of favoring sons over daughters.
The two grown men quickly imagined a pitiful life story for the little farm girl named Zhang Erya, who was exploited and bullied by her family but never gave up on self-reliance, and they couldn't help but sigh in their hearts.
"So, Master has decided to accept another junior sister?" Ye Hangzhou became happy.
"Nonsense, when did I ever say I wanted to take in a disciple?" Su Xingting straightened his clothes, "Go, tell your senior brother. I'll go to the Huayu Hall to give a lecture to new disciples this time, and I'll join in the fun."
Mu Xue didn't know that she had attracted a lot of attention from the elders in the sect. She was busy queuing up with her roommate Xia Tong to get breakfast.
The accommodation conditions in Huayu Hall were simple, but the meals provided were quite rich.
Mu Xue, who hadn't eaten anything good in six years, couldn't control her body's instinct and swallowed.
"Xiaoxue, have you heard?" Xia Tong nudged Mu Xue with her elbow, "That Ding Lanlan, the one with the jade hairpin on her head, was selected and came in directly."
She didn't know where she got a bunch of gossip from in just one morning, and she kept talking to Mu Xue about it.
Mu Xue: "Oh, I see. The braised egg looks delicious. Auntie, please give me one, thank you."
"I heard that her aunt is the immortal leader of the inner sect. She started practicing at the age of three. Now it's just a formality."
"Yes, really. There are roasted quails, too. I want one. Do you want one?"
"Roasted quail! I want some too." Xia Tong hurriedly handed the plate over. "Someone like her must know all the news in the sect, right? I really envy her."
"Yeah, I'm really envious. Do you want fried dough sticks? Auntie, please give me another fried dough stick."
…
When the two of them were carrying plates and walking towards the dining table, several little girls stopped them.
"Senior Sister Lanlan is calling you over." they said.
Mu Xue looked up and saw a girl in a pink dress not far away, tapping the table impatiently, waiting for them to come over.
This is exactly the "connected person" that Xia Tong just mentioned, who has someone above him.
Bullying the weak is a common occurrence everywhere, and Mu Xue would find it strange if this didn't happen.
Ding Lanlan was much taller than Mu Xue, and was already about ten years old. She had bright eyes and white teeth, and her eyes were full of inner light. There was a faint spiritual energy flowing around her body. She was indeed in a state of minor success in her cultivation.
Mu Xue walked forward with her breakfast and asked cautiously, "Senior Sister, you called me?"
Ding Lanlan looked Mu Xue up and down for a while, raised her chin, and pointed at the place in front of her.
"You sit there."
Although she is just a young child, Mu Xue never underestimates the malice from children. Her childhood experience taught her that sometimes the younger the child, the more he or she can release malice without any bottom line.
Mu Xue sat down slowly in front of Ding Lanlan with a bit of caution.
Seeing that Mu Xue was very obedient, Ding Lanlan straightened her little back, feeling quite proud.
She remembered what her aunt Ding Huirou had come to tell her early in the morning. She said to Mu Xue, "You will play with us from now on."
Mu Xue:
I thought they were going to stage a scene where Ding Yanei bullied the poor girl Zhang Erya.
Why was I inexplicably drawn into a small circle
"Eat quickly, the inner sect teacher will be here to give you a lesson soon." Ding Lanlan, who was in the center of the crowd, quietly revealed reliable information, "I heard that this year, Xiaoyao Peak's master Su Zhenren will come in person to give you the first lesson."
"Who is the master of Xiaoyao Peak?"
"Is it very powerful?"
"You know, our Guiyuan Sect has a total of nine main peaks. Each main peak has a peak master. These masters have their own unique skills. Xuandan Peak is good at alchemy, Biyou Peak is good at transforming things. Only Xiaoyao Peak is the most special."
"What's so special? Is it so special?"
"Bah, what's the point of being free and easy. The specialty of their peak is that they are good at fighting, er, no, it should be said that they are good at fighting. From the eldest sister Miao Honger to the youngest brother Ye Hangzhou, they are basically the champions of the martial arts competitions over the years. So even though there are few people, no one has ever dared to provoke them."
Xiaoyao Peak, Mu Xue remembered that the senior brother named Ye who had led her into the mountain gate was from Xiaoyao Peak. She wondered what kind of person his master would be
Soon, she met the real person from Xiaoyao Peak.
Su Xingting, wearing a blue shirt and a scarf on his head, sat down on the podium with a smile on his face, facing the students gathered in the hall. He really looked like a teacher in a school on earth.
"The first lesson for my disciples is about cultivating both the body and the soul. Before I talk about this, I would like to ask you, what is your purpose in leaving your hometown and going up to the mountains to cultivate?"
A young disciple raised his hand and said, "I heard that after cultivating immortality, you won't starve to death even if you don't eat."
The whole room burst into laughter for a moment.
Someone else stood up and said, "I want to be able to fly to the sky and play like my senior brothers and sisters."
"My mother said that if you become an immortal, you can live forever."
"It can also turn stones into gold."
"There are more pork elbows than you can eat. You can eat as much as you want."
"Hahaha."
The sound of young children's voices rose and fell in the classroom. Mu Xue was a little distracted and recalled her experience of practicing with her master in her previous life.
"What is destiny? What is nature? Mu Xue, stand up and tell me!" At that time, the master was extremely strict, and what he said was very obscure.
Whenever the master was teaching, she and her fellow disciples had to remain extremely alert, fearing that if they forgot a single word and could not answer the master's questions, they would be severely beaten.
On the podium, Su Xingting said in a gentle tone: "You are all right. There are thousands of great ways in the world, and the methods of cultivation of various schools all have one goal in the end, which is to achieve longevity."
"After all, as long as people live long enough and have plenty of time to practice, the things you want to do, such as turning stone into gold and eating endless pork elbows, will eventually come true. Right?"
A disciple immediately asked: "So, there are many ways to practice in this world?"
Su Xingting: "Of course, the Confucian cultivation of saints, the Taoist cultivation of mysteries, the Buddhist cultivation of Zen, and the devil's practice of following one's nature are just different ways of cultivation."
"Ah, do magic cultivators count as such?" the children were surprised.
"I heard that demon cultivators practice martial arts by eating children."
"I heard that they are very promiscuous between men and women and have no sense of shame."
"No, I heard that demon cultivators cannot stand sunlight and all live underground."
Su Xingting tapped the table lightly, signaling everyone to be quiet.
"You are just biased and spread rumors. People always have a fear of the unknown world. The so-called demon cultivators are actually just a group of cultivators living in the demon spirit world. The spiritual energy there is more abundant than here, and it breeds more spiritual creatures, and countless monsters and ghosts are born."
"The life of the monks in that world is even more difficult. In order to survive, they often seek the fastest and most effective way to practice. For them, destiny is nature, and following nature is the way. The path of practice only needs to be directed to one's heart and follow one's nature."
When Mu Xue heard these words, she couldn't help but feel the waves in her heart surge.
She couldn't help but mingle among the group of disciples and asked, "Is there anything wrong with this? Wouldn't it be better to practice faster?"
The peak master on the platform looked at her, and looked at her intentionally or unintentionally, "What you said makes sense, which is why the first lesson for initiators of our sect is to talk about the principle of dual cultivation of sex and life."
"You are still young, so I can't explain it in too complicated terms. To put it simply, our bodies and spirits are interdependent and cannot be separated from each other. If a person only pursues the mysteries of magic, it is called cultivating the nature and abandoning the life. Then he will easily go to extremes, either losing himself in madness or being destroyed in emptiness. This is also the reason why most magic cultivators, although they make rapid progress, cannot last long."
"Of course, if one only knows how to create destiny but forgets to temper the essence of one's mind at the same time, one will sooner or later become inactive and find it difficult to overcome the various disasters on the path of cultivation. Therefore, my Guiyuan Sect follows the path of dual cultivation of mind and life. Although it is a long and slow process, it is in harmony with the virtue of heaven and earth and can prove the great path of the golden elixir."
Su Xingting's words were extremely simple. Unfortunately, most of these new disciples, the youngest of whom was six or seven years old, and the oldest was only eleven or twelve, could only listen in a daze and did not understand what he said.
But to Mu Xue, these few words were like a sudden thunderclap, which set off huge waves in her mind.
She vaguely grasped the reason why she had practiced hard for many years but still died.
The reluctance of failing to overcome the tribulation and the fear of her heart shrinking before death all came to her mind. The knot in her heart that had been bothering her for six years had been resolved by these few words, giving her a vague epiphany.
After Su Xingting finished speaking, he packed up his things and prepared to leave.
Below the platform, there were about a hundred children making noise and playing. Only a little girl, about six or seven years old, sat there with her mouth slightly open, as if she had understood something.
"Could it be that she can understand? She is quite interesting despite her young age." Su Xingting smiled faintly, "Xiaoyao Peak is indeed a little deserted. If there is one more little kid, it should be more lively."
It was not until Mr. Ding Huirou, who was going to teach the second class, stood on the podium that Mu Xue came back to her senses from her trance.
Ding Huirou held a flat box made of black jade in her hands.
The knuckles of her hands were distinct, slender and strong, with special calluses on the pads of her knuckles. Her skin was not as soft and fair as that of an ordinary woman.
Mu Xue was very familiar with such hands. They were hands that could only be created by being immersed in the smelting room for a long time and making chemical refining tools.
Mu Xue suddenly perked up.
Ding Huirou's name sounds gentle, but her temperament is much more rigid than Su Xingting's. She straightened her back and looked serious. She coughed with a stern face. The classroom, which was buzzing like a hornet's nest, immediately became quiet.
"I am the master of Biyou Peak, and I am good at the art of transformation. Today is the first class, and I will tell you about the major schools of the art of transformation, their origins, and their representatives."
She raised her thin chin, said this, looked around the school, and her eyes stopped on her niece Ding Lanlan.
"You must listen carefully to this lesson. Next time I come, I will test your learning. Disciples who fail will have their lunch forfeited."
If you fail, you won’t be allowed to have lunch. It seems the punishment here is very casual.
Wouldn't it be enough to just put two eggs in my pocket for breakfast? Mu Xue felt relieved.
After Ding Huirou finished speaking, she moved her hands on the black jade box. The flat box automatically opened in four directions, pushing up a diamond-shaped crystal with a very complicated structure in the center.
The diamond-shaped crystal emitted a circle of fluorescent blue light, within which many classic and common models of magical instruments appeared one after another.
Although it is a virtual shadow, it is delicate and exquisite. It hovers in the air and rotates freely at various angles, just like the real object is right in front of you.
Mu Xue almost stood up from her seat.
The mirage of lights!
The black jade box in Ding Huirou's hand turned out to be a magical instrument she designed. This was the most proud magical instrument she made besides Qianji and UFO. Although it had been modified, she was sure she would not be wrong.
I never expected that I would see the things I left behind here.
Ding Huirou introduced the phantoms floating in the air one by one, and finally introduced the teaching instrument in her hand that could make the virtual and the real appear.
"This thing is called the Bright Lamp Mirage Platform. It is a replica of a device that was passed down from the Demon Spirit Realm more than a hundred years ago. It can create an illusory image before your eyes, almost as if the real thing had arrived. Its maker is a master of weapon training in the Demon Spirit Realm. She is a woman, Mu Xue." Ding Huirou stood behind the podium and spoke slowly.
When Mu Xue heard her name during class, she found it hard to describe her feelings at the moment.
It turned out that she had been dead for more than a hundred years? Although she had made some achievements in the art of refining weapons, she never thought that she would be crowned as a master after her death, and her magic weapon would be passed down to the fairy world.
"There are very few records about Lady Mu's life. Although she was a demon cultivator, we cannot ignore her achievements. Of course, most of the things we know about her deeds come from another famous person."
Ding Huirou operated the Light Mirage Platform, and the shadow of the magic weapon disappeared in the blue light, and a man appeared. The man had long legs and was wearing a cloak, sitting on the snow-covered roof. As the diamond-shaped crystal rotated, his pale face slowly turned around.
"This... is this a demon cultivator?" Seeing a real demon cultivator for the first time, the students were very curious.
"Wow, it turns out that there are such handsome men among the demon cultivators." Some older girls blushed in amazement.
Who is this? He looks familiar, Mu Xue thought.