The voice was consummately solemn and respectful, and contained wording not commonly encountered in everyday speech. It was like an ode, uttered loudly in all heaven and earth! The words carried a sense of antiquity and beauty. For instance, the term ‘pay formal respects.’ It was like a rite, in which formal respects were paid to the terrestrial and the celestial!
Even the Captain suddenly looked unprecedentedly serious. On this day, he didn’t wear his usual gray daoist robe. Instead, he had the same type of robe Xu Qing wore, violet, with golden embroidery. At a glance, it was obvious that the robes were those of the Seventh Peak, but at the same time, they were nothing like the ordinary robes.
As the Captain stood in the doorway looking at Xu Qing, he said, “Xu Qing, as the grand highness, it is my pleasure and honor to serve as your chief attendant today. Come with me.”
The Captain never talked like this; the words he spoke matched his serious expression. Clasping his hands one atop the other, he bowed deeply at the waist in a very formal dao prostration.
Xu Qing could sense the solemnity, and knew something very important was about to happen. Straightening his garments, he returned the Captain’s bow and then walked to the door. It only took three steps to walk outside, and once he was there, his heart skipped a beat. The grand hall he had been in was at the very summit of the Seventh Peak. Astonishingly, a huge octagonal daoist altar spread out in front of him. Crafted from green slate tiles, it pulsed with a godly resonance, and featured a statue at the far end.
That statue depicted a middle-aged man with his hands clasped behind his back, staring off into the distance. His face wasn’t visible, but he wore an imperial robe embroidered with an ancestral dragon, and his hair was bound with an azure imperial crown. Nine imperial umbrellas hovered over his head, he pulsed with draconic energy, and was like a general who could topple all under heaven and consume mountains and rivers.
The fact that a mere statue contained such a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering energy caused Xu Qing’s pupils to constrict. However, he quickly settled his thoughts and looked around.
There were over a thousand Seven Blood Eyes disciples gathered around the daoist altar. There were men and women, young and old. Though all wore the same type of violet daoist robe, few seemed accustomed to such finery. All were very solemn and respectful.
Leading up from the daoist altar was a staircase of white stone with a dragon motif and ninety steps. At its top was a grand hall that glowed with violet light. It was… the highest location on the Seventh Peak.
.
Clouds swirled above in the dome of heaven, and within them was the dreadnaught dracolizard. It caused the clouds to seethe and sent bolts of lightning crashing left and right. It was possible to see six figures within those clouds, almost like statues. Among them were men and women, and it only took a moment for Xu Qing to realize that they were the peaklords. Master Sixth was in their number. All of them were looking down at Xu Qing. As for Master Sixth, he had an encouraging look in his eyes.
After seeing all this, Xu Qing started to feel a bit nervous. Then he looked a bit further up and saw that, above the clouds was a blood-colored figure that seemed almost like a deity. It was the patriarch of Seven Blood Eyes, Sir Bloodsmelter.
All of these people were here to observe the ceremony!
The Captain stood next to Xu Qing, staring straight ahead at the statue. Raising his voice, he spoke in a very solemn tone as he announced, “Seventh Peak disciple Xu Qing, this statue depicts the source of the Seventh Peak’s core teachings and doctrines. It is Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity. He was the last human emperor to conquer the Revered Ancient. Now, you will pay him your respects! Let the ceremony begin!”
Xu Qing ducked his head, clasped hands, and bowed very deeply to the statue of the Ancient Emperor. Off to the side, the Captain, as well as all of the Seventh Peak disciples who had come to observe the statue, also clasped hands and bowed.
Their unified action created a profound and moving scene.
After the bowing, the atmosphere seemed even more dramatic. Xu Qing, his expression more serious than ever, followed the Captain across the daoist altar to the staircase.
Stopping there, the Captain spoke in a voice that was almost like a chant, “We who practice cultivation follow a path that defies heaven. We gaze upon the ancient world and observe the nine heavens and ten earths. Thus, our Seventh Peak has crafted these ninety stairs of white stone. Climb the stairs to offer proof to the nine heavens. Reach the summit to swear your oath to the ten earths! Xu Qing, begin your ascent!”
With utmost solemnity, Xu Qing walked forward and put his foot on the first step. The moment it touched the white stone, bells tolled in the Seventh Peak.
BOOM!
The sound of it caused wild colors to flash in heaven and earth.
At the same time, a jade slip flew out of Xu Qing’s garment. It was the slip the servant had given him. As it floated in front of him, it radiated dazzling light, as if it were lighting his path. Within that glowing light were images that shone directly into Xu Qing’s mind.
He saw the beast arena in the scavenger basecamp, and the dirty young man in the animal skin jerkin dragging a huge snake away. Sitting off to the side were two people that no one could see. One was Master Seventh, the other was the servant. They were watching Xu Qing. Then Master Seventh spoke in a somewhat excited voice.
“What an interesting young man.”
Xu Qing’s eyes widened. That young man in the beast arena was him. And at long last, he understood why he ended up in Seven Blood Eyes. He was so shaken that he didn’t even notice that he had already ascended eight steps. When he reached the ninth, the Seventh Peak bells tolled deafeningly again a second time.
Meanwhile, the dazzling light in the jade slip sent a second image into Xu Qing’s mind.
He saw a young man squatting in a dark alley. Then, a skinny scavenger walked past. The young man jumped out, clamped his hand over the scavenger’s mouth, and slit his throat. Also within that image was Master Seventh on a nearby rooftop, a look of admiration on his face. 𝚍ｎ𝚘ｖ𝚕.𝚝
“An interesting young man indeed.”
Xu Qing breathed deeply as he finally came to understand everything. The bells tolled a third, fourth, fifth, and sixth time. With each tolling of the bells, he walked up nine steps. By the sixth bell toll, he was at the fifty-fourth step. Each toll of the bells was louder than the previous, and with each one came a new image.
In the third image, Master Seventh wondered why he had changed out of his new clothing. The fourth image showed him killing Fatmountain, then stumbling away in the moonlight, wracked with poison. On the rooftop, Master Seventh smiled. Grandmaster Bai appeared in the fifth image. Master Seventh was walking out of Grandmaster Bai’s tent when he stopped and looked back.
“Grandmaster Bai, if you really think the boy has potential, then teach him some more. Give him a chance. Maybe he can get to Seven Blood Eyes as an academic with a cultivation base.”
The sixth image was after Sergeant Thunder, Grandmaster Bai, and the little girl had left. Xu Qing was alone in the darkness of his room, and Master Seventh was outside.
“Give him the identity medallion.”
Xu Qing was trembling. He had long speculated about these things, and now he knew all the details. Looking up toward the top of the mountain peak, he walked past the sixty-third step. The bell tolled a seventh time. Then an eighth and a ninth. As the sound of the bells rang, Xu Qing saw a seventh image.
It was back when he first arrived at Seven Blood Eyes. Sitting on his dharmaboat one night as it bobbed in the harbor, he took out a jug of alcohol and drank to his parents, to Sergeant Thunder, and to his birthday. The eighth image depicted him being chased by Seazombies. The ninth was his fight with Master Shengyun at the daoist temple.
Emotions swept through Xu Qing as the light of the jade slip faded. He put the jade slip back in his robe as he reached the ninetieth and final step. In front of him was a spectacular hall glowing with violet light. Seated inside was Master Seventh, who was looking at him.
Next to Master Seventh were Second Highness and Third Highness.
Master Seventh was dressed far more formally than usual. He wore a violet robe with swirling clouds on it. His hair was bound in a daoist crown decorated with nine four-clawed dragons that were as blue as the sky. His eyes glittered like lightning, and even just sitting there, he was boundlessly majestic.
“Xu Qing.”
The person to speak wasn’t Master Seventh, but instead, the Captain, who was still by Xu Qing’s side.
“You have proven yourself to the nine heavens and sworn your oath to the ten earths, thus showing your respect to the world. Now, the time has come to turn and pay respects thrice! Let the ceremony continue!”
As the Captain’s words continued to echo, Xu Qing turned atop the ninetieth stair and bowed three times to heaven and earth!
After he straightened up, the Captain and all the surrounding disciples also bowed thrice to heaven and earth!
There was deep meaning in everything that was happening. Every part of the ceremony had significance. It was a chaotic world, and cultivators usually lived simple lives. They put themselves first. But there were two things in which there had to be a level of ceremony: ancestral sacrifices and apprenticeship formalities.
The Captain continued to speak in a voice that echoed through heaven and shook the earth. “The dao is void; without scriptures, one cannot grasp the dao; the dao exists in scripture. Without a teacher, one cannot understand its truths.
“Ancient Emperor Dark Serenity is the great founder. All humans owe him a single bow of respect.
“Heaven, earth, celestial, terrestrial. They bear the weight of all. All humans owe them three bows of respect.
“And yet, however amazing the Ancient Emperor was, he did not show you favor. Heaven and earth, and all other living beings in this sea of suffering, have done nothing to save you. Only Master will ascend to heaven and descend to hell for you. Only he will show you favor. Only he will save you. Only he will expend all effort so that you can walk a great dao. Therefore, you owe him nine bows of respect!”
Turning, Xu Qing bowed to Master Seventh nine times! One bow for the Ancient Emperor. Three bows for heaven and earth. Nine bows for the Master. As for the nine bows, only the Captain and Xu Qing participated. The host of other disciples simply averted their gazes. They didn’t qualify to join. After the nine bows, the Captain produced a violet tea cup that he offered to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing took it and walked into the violet hall.
“Offer the tea of gratitude!”
Bowing his head, Xu Qing took three steps forward and held up the cup of tea with both hands.
At almost exactly the same moment as he did that, a wind kicked up in the dome of heaven. Off in the distance, a towering sword energy pierced through the sky, bringing with it a blood-colored light that seemed like a giant hand rushing toward Seven Blood Eyes. The Soaring Cloud Sword Sect had come to inflict violent punishment! A voice spoke from within that sea of blood and sword energy. Thrumming with killing intent, it filled all of Seven Blood Eyes.
“Sir Bloodsmelter, hand that cretin Xu Qing over to me this instant!”