Chapter 60 – Inner Disciple
By now, Lu Ping had stayed in the cultivation room for two months. After that, he took another two months to consolidate his foundation in the Blood Condensation Realm before he finally left.
Lu Ping could have made use of the spirit vein here and continued to cultivate for the remaining months. Unfortunately, he had yet to learn a cultivation method for the Blood Condensation Realm.
The [Blood Condensation Spirit Melting Scripture] was an excellent cultivation method for the Blood Refining Realm, but it wasn’t suitable for the Blood Condensation Realm. This could be seen from his cultivation during the past two months; he only managed to consolidate his foundation and barely made any progress. Hence, he could only leave the cultivation room early.
The Master Immortal in charge of the cultivation rooms brought him to the residence of the dean of Zhen Ling Side Hall, Enlightened Master Xuan Yong.
Lu Ping didn’t know if every successful disciple would be brought to see Enlightened Master Xuan Yong, but this was his first time meeting a Core Forging Realm Enlightened Master on his own. Although he had seen them before, they had all been a fair distance away and he couldn’t see them clearly.
Enlightened Master Xuan Yong still donned a kind and warm expression. He watched quietly as Lu Ping greeted him, his eyes brightening up as he said happily, “Haha, isn’t this the head of our side hall’s famous “Seven Brutes”? You’re certainly extraordinary! Not bad!”
Seeing that Enlightened Master Xuan Yong was approachable, Lu Ping’s anxiety from meeting an Enlightened Master settled down. When he heard the praise, he also smiled and replied, “Enlightened Master, please don’t make fun of me. I’m a stubborn one. It’s all thanks to Master Immortal Liu’s guidance and the other senior disciples which has helped me greatly.”
Enlightened Master Xuan Yong looked closely at Lu Ping. Unlike the other disciples who were nervous when meeting him, Lu Ping was calm and clear-headed. He was satisfied and said, “Liu Zi-Yuan has led the group well. Group 7’s progress is quite remarkable. In these two years, three disciples have successfully made it into the Blood Condensation Realm. I hear there is also a girl in your group, Shi Lingling. She too looks promising.”
Lu Ping replied, “That is true. Senior Martial Sister Shi Lingling is talented and has helped me a lot.”
Enlightened Master Xuan Yong didn’t elaborate much on the topic. “Since you’re a Blood Condensation Realm cultivator now, you’ve naturally earned the status of an inner disciple. But remember not to be complacent—the Blood Condensation Realm is just the beginning of your real cultivation.”
After that, Enlightened Master Xuan Yong told Lu Ping some anecdotes about the cultivation world. Most of the time, it was him talking and Lu Ping listening carefully. Enlightened Master Xuan Yong would pause between stories to ask Lu Ping some cultivation questions, and Lu Ping would give his opinion after some thought.
Enlightened Master Xuan Yong was noncommittal every time he heard Lu Ping’s answers. He would only smile and nod, giving nothing away on his face. Lu Ping didn’t know if these questions were some kind of test from the sect, so all he could do was speak his mind.
In the end, Enlightened Master Xuan Yong talked about Lu Ping’s cultivation, asking about his foundation bloodline.
After ruminating over Lu Ping’s answer, he said, “Water Jiao… The sect has existed for tens of thousands of years. We have cultivation methods for different bloodlines and different elements. However, even these cultivation methods have different heights of achievements and different properties. You must be mindful when choosing your cultivation method.”
Lu Ping’s heart tightened. He knew this was the most important point of the conversation, and he quickly asked, “Enlightened Master, please enlighten me!”
Enlightened Master Xuan Yong smiled. “The sect has five true heritages. They are cultivation methods that are said to lead to the heavenly True Spirit Realm. However, only Great Ancestor Tai Shen managed to reach the heavenly realm with the [Mystic Ape Water Manipulation Scripture] 8,000 years ago. Hence, the [Mystic Ape Water Manipulation Scripture] is considered the main heritage of the five.
“The other four heritages were collected and completed by our ancestors with painstaking effort and time. Although only Great Ancestor Tai Shen achieved the heavenly realm in our sect with one heritage, the qualities of the other four heritages were proven to be on par as well. Cultivators outside of the sect have achieved the heavenly realm with those four heritages. Otherwise, the sect wouldn’t have spent so much time and effort collecting them.”
These were things about the Zhen Ling Sect that Lu Ping never learned. But he knew he was qualified to hear this now because he had become an inner disciple. His status was no longer the same as before.
Enlightened Master Xuan Yong continued, “Among the five heritages, there is one suitable for the Jiao Bloodline, but only for those with the wind and fire element. It is not compatible with your water element.”
Lu Ping’s hopes were crushed and he turned despondent after hearing this. Enlightened Master Xuan Yong saw his disappointment and immediately understood his thoughts.
Hence, Enlightened Master Xuan Yong said seriously, “Don’t be discouraged. There are many cultivation methods, but they all lead to the same destination. After all, all cultivation methods originate from the Heaven Cleaving Seven Primes. Although the sect has no cultivation method that leads to the heavenly True Spirit Realm for the Water Jiao Bloodline, there are still other suitable cultivation methods available.”
He paused for a second before continuing, “If you are determined to achieve the heavenly realm, then you can always perfect and complete your cultivation method. By then, the sect will have the sixth true heritage and our power will be stronger. You, on the other hand, will carve your name in the history of this world, and be a legend to the sect disciples.”
After hearing his explanation, Lu Ping finally understood that he wouldn’t miss out the chance to achieve the True Spirit Realm because of his foundation bloodline. However, it was also incredibly difficult to perfect and complete a cultivation method for the heavenly True Spirit Realm. After all, Zhen Ling Sect had spent tens of thousands of years and only managed to gather five such cultivation methods. This alone showed how difficult a feat it was.
After leaving Enlightened Master Xuan Yong’s residence, Lu Ping gained a jade plate which showed his status as an inner disciple. It was also an identity pass to freely enter and leave Zhen Ling Sect’s Tian Ling Mountain.
Lu Ping followed one of Enlightened Master Xuan Yong’s disciples and flew towards Tian Ling Mountain.
One of the biggest changes after entering the Blood Condensation Realm was that Lu Ping no longer needed a mystic instrument to help him fly. However, as he only entered the Blood Condensation Realm not too long ago, he still wasn’t used to flying on his own without devices.
Xuan Yong’s disciple, Wu Zi-Niu, was flying steadily in the air. His clothes fluttered gently in the breeze and he appeared like a gentle scholar. By contrast, Lu Ping swayed uncontrollably like a drunkard trying to walk a straight line.
After taking some time to adjust his bearings and take control of his movements, Lu Ping smiled at Wu Zi-Niu who was waiting ahead of him. “I apologize, Master Immortal Wu, I’ve made a fool of myself. I only just entered the Blood Condensation Realm and I’m still not used to it yet.”
Wu Zi-Niu smiled. “Junior Martial Brother, you’re pretty good already. I was much worse than you when I just entered the Blood Condensation Realm. I took a whole day to familiarise myself. Oh right, Junior Martial Brother, you’re already a Blood Condensation Realm cultivator. You need not address yourself humbly anymore.”
Lu Ping replied, “Senior Martial Brother, then I’ll take your advice.”
In the blink of an eye, they arrived in front of Tian Ling Mountain. After showing their identity plates, the clouds in front of them parted to the sides, revealing a path to the mountain.
Two Blood Condensation Realm cultivators guarded the path. The guards clearly recognized Wu Zi-Niu and they greeted each other. Then, the two of them entered Tian Ling Mountain and disappeared behind the clouds.
It was Lu Ping’s first time on Tian Ling Mountain. Naturally, he was full of curiosity. Wu Zi-Niu understood his thoughts and so he intentionally slowed his pace. Coincidentally, Tian Ling Mountain also forbade Blood Condensation Realm cultivators from flying, which gave Lu Ping the chance to enjoy the scenery.