HPMC Chapter 26

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Bonus Chapter (1/5)

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Yu Tianze, who had been standing there with his hands behind his back, threw over his identity badge upon hearing the other party’s words and nodded: “Yes, that is me.”

These identification badges were universal; only the disciples who had secured a spot for secluded cultivation could receive one. Essentially, each badge represented a spot and was used for identification with the person who would be welcoming the newcomer.

The capable cultivator was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. He had long heard that several people from lower-level sects had obtained the opportunity to cultivate in seclusion at the main sect. Of course, he also possessed the pride of a disciple from a high-level sect, but no matter how proud he was, he could not be arrogant in front of a Nascent Soul cultivator.

Therefore, seeing Yu Tianze’s impolite demeanour, he became even more polite, hurriedly taking the nameplate and quickly matching it with his own. He then asked, “May I ask your honorable name, sir?”

Yu Tianze snorted coldly: “Jiuyang Sect, Yu Tianze.”

The capable cultivator stood at attention with utmost respect: “So you’re the top-ranked one! Venerable Yu’s residence has already been arranged. This junior will lead the way; please accompany me, Venerable.” He then looked at Mu Zirun, “Young man?”

Mu Zirun quickly stepped forward and bowed, saying, “This humble one is a servant under the Peak Master, serving him.”

Seeing that Yu Tianze didn’t mind the child speaking first, the capable cultivator knew that the child was favored, so he was more easygoing: “I see. Since you came with the Master, we’ll arrange for you to stay in the Master’s residence… What does the Master think?”

Yu Tianze nodded again: “Thank you for your trouble.”

The capable cultivator immediately breathed a sigh of relief: “Please, sir, please…”

Led by this capable cultivator, Yu Tianze, with Mu Zirun riding on the back of the Thunder Eagle King, followed behind him into the high mountain gate. Because they had a guide, the journey was smooth, without any disruption to the mountain-protecting formation, and no one stopped them.

As Mu Zirun surveyed the sect’s environment, which was infinitely more magnificent than that of the Jiuyang Sect, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. This world truly prioritized strength above all else, and one’s attitude was also crucial. He looked at his peak master; the more arrogant he appeared, the less people dared to anger him; the more domineering he was, the less people dared to bully him. He made a mental note of this, thinking that if it were necessary in the future, he could also show off a little instead of just being humble and weak; otherwise, he might be seen as someone easy to bully.

Yu Tianze was also observing the environment of the Zhenggang Immortal Sect. The spiritual energy in the inner sect was much denser than that of the Jiuyang  Sect. The cultivators coming and going exuded an air of arrogance that was far superior to those in mid-level sects, and everyone seemed particularly proud of it. What he found particularly interesting was that the inner sect disciples seemed to be able to fight freely—just during the time he was flying on the Thunder Eagle King, he had witnessed at least five or six instances of either one-on-one duels or group fights, and no one had intervened.

Speaking of which, he wondered if a large sect like this had some rules. But if it truly had no rules, it probably would not have been able to be passed down through generations. He decided he would have to find out the specifics later.

If he could really fight freely, it would be a good thing for him. Only by facing many opponents could he improve faster! The capable cultivator led Yu Tianze directly to a vast lake. On this lake were many islands of varying sizes; each island was quite small, roughly four or five miles in circumference. Rather than islands, they were more like small pieces of land floating on the lake. Logically speaking, a large sect like the Zhenggang Immortal Sect would not be so short of space as to not have enough mountains for its Nascent Soul disciples to live on, so why would it create such a small island?

This was because the water near the island was not ordinary water, but spiritual water. As for why it was called spiritual water, it was because it was a kind of substance formed when spiritual energy was compressed to its extreme. Such a large lake full of spiritual water, if it weren’t for major sects like the Nine Immortal Sects, no one could possibly have made such a grand gesture!

So, while Yu Tianze was still standing high above the lake, he felt a refreshing spiritual energy that seemed to cleanse his mind and spirit, making him feel clean and comfortable in a way he had never felt before. Even Yu Tianze couldn’t help but be a little surprised by such a place.

The capable cultivator was pleased to see that the venerable one he was entertaining had finally shown some improvement, and he couldn’t help but feel a little smug. At the same time, he was also envious. After all, with his own aptitude, he might never be able to live on this spirit lake in his lifetime. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have wasted so much of his time on that kind of mission. If one cultivated well, resources would naturally flow in; only those who were not so good needed to work harder to earn resources through various means.

Everyone was having a tough time. However, the capable cultivator didn’t think of complaining. He was determined to finish this task quickly and then go to receive the next person. So he led Yu Tianze to an island that had indeed been arranged in advance. The island was completely empty, flat as a pancake, with practically nothing there.

At this moment, the capable cultivator asked, “Did Venerable Yu bring his own cave dwelling?” Fearing that it might cause a misunderstanding, he quickly added, “Our sect has also arranged a palace, but we are worried that Venerable Yu will not be used to living there.”

Simply put, there was a place to live, and it was convenient to settle down, but it was not necessarily the best one could imagine.

Yu Tianze frowned slightly: “Just give it to me.”

The capable cultivator had only been asking casually; Yu Tianze didn’t want it anyway, so the cultivator simply took a palm-sized clam shell and handed it over. Then he added, “If you need servants, you can go to the outer sect to recruit them, issue a mission to recruit them, or purchase them from the sect’s treasure pavilion—all very convenient.”

He then handed over another jade slip, explaining that it contained simple information about the sect, helping Yu Tianze understand the Zhenggang Immortal Sect. After that, he took his leave. After he left, Yu Tianze first threw out the clam shell the man had left behind. Sure enough, the clam shell opened wide in mid-air, casting out a beam of white light. After landing, it transformed into a palace covering about half a mile in size. It appeared to be made of high-quality minerals. A quick scan with divine sense revealed that the interior was mostly made of jade, and it was fully equipped with all sorts of facilities, including a medicinal herb garden, orchard, bathing pool, and various special rooms with arrays.

But it was still far inferior to the Thunderfire Palace.

For example, the protective array of the Thunderfire Palace could withstand ten attacks from a Mahayana cultivator, and attacks from cultivators below the Mahayana stage were ineffective. Its own Thunder Pool was also of great importance to Yu Tianze. However, this clam shell palace was obviously a standard model, relatively simple and crude. In the eyes of a Nascent Soul cultivator, it was barely enough, only able to withstand three attacks from a Void Refinement cultivator. Even a Soul Transformation cultivator could break the formation if they attacked for a while longer. For Yu Tianze, it was really of little use.

So he put the palace away again and then tossed the clam shell into Mu Zirun’s hand: “Here, take this.”

Mu Zirun was taken aback.

Yu Tianze glanced at him: “It’s nothing special. It’s enough for you below the Nascent Soul stage. I’ll give you something better after you reach the Nascent Soul stage.”

Mu Zirun looked at Yu Tianze carefully for a moment, then smiled gently: “Then thank you very much, Peak Master.”

Yu Tianze snorted and released the Thunderfire Palace. In the blink of an eye, the Thunderfire Palace occupied a large portion of the island, and the faint lightning above the island indicated that a powerful Thunderfire cultivator had arrived. Yu Tianze’s entry into the Zhenggang Immortal Sect didn’t attract much attention. Every few years, a few disciples would enter seclusion to cultivate. The concern lay with service personnel like the capable cultivator; a slight mishap could easily lead to complaints from the secluded disciples, so they dared not neglect them. However, the disciples already in the sect didn’t care much; after all, Nascent Soul cultivators were commonplace to them, nothing particularly surprising.

After receiving the disciple’s token, Yu Tianze’s life in the Immortal Sect gradually stabilized. Of course, he didn’t use those methods to bring any servants over. In fact, he didn’t like having too many people around him, especially after being reborn. The only person he trusted was Mu Zirun, so he would only keep Mu Zirun by his side.

The treatment of disciples in seclusion was comparable to that of personal disciples at the same cultivation level. While it was indeed inferior to that of core disciples, it was still much better than that of ordinary inner disciples. In addition, with the addition of this Spirit Lake, even without other resource allocations, it was still worthwhile. At this moment, Yu Tianze directly revealed the truth to Mu Zirun. Mu Zirun had felt a bit stunned lately. What did it mean to be accepted as a disciple?

Yu Tianze said coldly, “What, you’re not happy about it?”

Mu Zirun quickly shook his head: “No, no, no, I have long admired the Peak Master and would naturally be very willing. It’s just that I know my aptitude is ordinary, and I’m afraid I won’t be able to establish my foundation so easily…”

Yu Tianze looked at Mu Zirun with a stern face, feeling that this guy was being a little too modest, making him want to punch him. The little brat could reach the Nascent Soul stage through his own effort in cultivation in his past life, yet he claimed he couldn’t even reach the Foundation Establishment stage. Who would believe that? Besides, did he really think Yu Tianze was stupid? Even with the strongest comprehension and four spiritual roots, it was indeed difficult to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. 

The fact that this guy could do it meant he must have had some powerful, fortuitous encounters. Moreover, based on the time spent with him, the little brat had never shown any signs of eagerness or inferiority. Perhaps he already possessed some fortuitous encounters; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so calm and composed at such a young age. He was a bit impatient, but if one looked closely, one could still see something!

Yu Tianze was a little annoyed by the little brat’s secrecy, but then he thought about how the little brat must have had some extraordinary encounters in his past life, yet managed to keep them hidden until he slowly formed his Nascent Soul, avoiding attention and ultimately succeeding. Unlike Yu Tianze himself, who had been so foolish as to give away the Immortal Palace he had almost obtained to an ungrateful wretch, even ending up with a mutilated corpse. Now they weren’t even master and disciple, so it was understandable that the little brat didn’t trust him.

Thinking about this, he became more magnanimous and less bothered. Anyway, he didn’t want to pry into the little brat’s adventures. It was good enough that the little brat was of good character and wouldn’t betray him, let alone have any secrets from him. He wouldn’t ask for that much.

Besides, if the two of them developed a deep bond in the future, even if he didn’t ask, the little brat wouldn’t hide it from him. If the little brat refuses to tell me, then I won’t tell him after I get the Immortal Palace either, hmph!

The more he thought about it, the more he realized it made sense. Yu Tianze slapped Mu Zirun on the back: “I said it’s okay, so it’s okay. If you don’t reach Foundation Establishment within five years… I’ll kick you out!” He smirked, his expression a little scary. “I know you can do it. Don’t let me down!”

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