Looking at Dongfang Bo, who was leaving in a hurry, a warm smile slowly appeared on Jiang Yun's face.
Although he rarely interacted with people and knew nothing about Cultivating, it didn't mean Jiang Yun was a fool; on the contrary, he was meticulous and had keen senses.
During his journey up the mountain, he had already vaguely guessed from the wooden houses piled with various sundries that this so-called Wen Dao Sect's Sixth Peak was probably just a mountain used to store miscellaneous items.
Coupled with the strange expressions Xiao Yishu and the others had when they looked at Dongfang Bo earlier, and the fact that there were only four people on the entire mountain besides himself, Jiang Yun could even boldly speculate that these four people were probably responsible for guarding these miscellaneous items.
As for himself, a Utility Disciple, he was naturally just an additional guard for Hidden Peak.
However, none of this mattered to him. He only knew that when he was disheartened and at his wit's end, Dongfang Bo appeared in time, pulled him up, and gave him hope!
Just like when he was abandoned back then, his grandfather's appearance allowed him to live until today.
"Senior Brother!"
Repeating this unfamiliar yet heartwarming title, Jiang Yun then turned around and continued walking towards the peak.
Jiang Yun didn't actually wander around the mountain aimlessly; after all, he was still an outsider. So, he went directly to the small courtyard near the peak.
Sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, surveying everything around him, Jiang Yun finally let out a long breath.
He was now actually within the Wen Dao Sect. Although he was only a Utility Disciple, at least he had taken the first step in Cultivating.
After retracting his gaze, Jiang Yun recalled everything Dongfang Bo had told him earlier while patiently waiting for Dongfang Bo's return.
About a quarter of an hour later, Dongfang Bo rushed back, handing Jiang Yun a set of gray clothes, a jade bottle, and a thin book with a smile, saying, "These are the clothes issued by the Sect. The bottle contains three Qi Induction Pills and three Bigu Pills, and there's also a basic Cultivation Technique, 'Tongmai Realm Art.'"
Jiang Yun took the three items, casually put the clothes and jade bottle aside, and instead held the book with both hands, his fingers trembling slightly.
Sixteen years! Due to his Physique, he couldn't Cultivate the Cultivation Technique of Jiang Village. If what his grandfather said was true, then this 'Tongmai Realm Art' should be the Cultivation Technique that would allow him to Cultivate!
Seeing Jiang Yun's reaction, Dongfang Bo's face showed a puzzled expression.
Although this Cultivation Technique was issued by the Sect, in reality, outside the Sect, such basic Cultivation Techniques were everywhere and not worth much money. So, he really didn't understand why Jiang Yun would be so excited.
After caressing it for a moment, Jiang Yun carefully placed the book aside, stood up, and bowed deeply to Dongfang Bo again, saying, "Senior Brother, I want to ask, why were you willing to take me in as a Utility Disciple?"
This was the confusion in Jiang Yun's heart.
He knew very well that he hadn't even passed one test and originally didn't even qualify to enter the Sect, but Dongfang Bo brought him to Hidden Peak. Even if he was just a Utility Disciple, at least he had entered the gates of Wen Dao Sect.
If it was because Dongfang Bo was kind, there were many others like him who failed the tests. Why did he specifically choose him?
Dongfang Bo smiled slightly and said, "Because you're strange enough!"
Jiang Yun was stunned, saying, "Strange?"
This answer was completely unexpected and made him even more confused.
"That's right, everyone on our Hidden Peak is strange, and you're strange enough, which is why I recruited you as a Utility Disciple."
After a slight contemplation, Jiang Yun asked thoughtfully, "Is my strangeness because of my special performance in the first two tests?"
Dongfang Bo nodded and said, "You could say that!"
Although Jiang Yun was still a little confused, he didn't continue to ask.
No matter what, Dongfang Bo had given him an Opportunity. He just needed to seize it, and at most, he would repay him in the future. So, he changed the topic and said, "Senior Brother, I know nothing about Cultivating. I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you a lot in the future!"
"Know nothing? That's great!" Hearing these four words, two lights suddenly lit up in Dongfang Bo's eyes, and his face even revealed a hint of excitement as he constantly rubbed his hands together.
Dongfang Bo's reaction sent a chill down Jiang Yun's spine for no reason, and he inexplicably thought of the Vicious Beasts in Mang Mountain that had been hungry for a long time and saw food.
"Anyway, I'm free now, and you've just entered the Sect, so I'll explain to you what Cultivating is! Come, come, Jiang Laodi, sit down first and listen to me slowly!"
"The path of Cultivating, it's a long story. Since you, my friend, know nothing about it, let's start with the most basic Spiritual Qi..."
After a day and a night had passed, Jiang Yun finally understood why Dongfang Bo had reacted with such shining eyes earlier.
Because Dongfang Bo was simply a chatterbox!
For a day and a night, Dongfang Bo had been talking almost non-stop, and even now, he showed no signs of fatigue, still talking voluminously.
Although Jiang Yun was eager to learn about Cultivating, after listening to so much, he really needed time to digest it properly. He could only reluctantly interrupt Dongfang Bo, saying, "Senior Brother, can we talk about the rest tomorrow? I'm a bit tired and want to rest!"
"Tired?" Dongfang Bo was stunned for a moment, then his face showed a lingering sense of unfulfillment, saying, "Alright, then you rest well. I'll come see you tomorrow! If you can't sleep, my place is at the top of the mountain. You can find me anytime, don't be shy with me!"
"Okay!"
"Oh, and one more thing. Although I made an exception to bring you in, and you don't really need to do any Utility Disciple work, you must pass the re-assessment in half a year. Otherwise, you will still be expelled. The requirement for the re-assessment is to at least advance one Realm."
"I understand!"
After finally seeing Dongfang Bo off, Jiang Yun lay directly on the ground, smiling bitterly, "Could it be that the other three were afraid of Senior Brother's nagging, so they either left or hid?"
Hidden Peak, besides Jiang Yun, had a total of four people: one Peak Master and three Disciples, with no distinction between inner and Outer Sect Disciple. So far, Jiang Yun had only met Dongfang Bo.
According to Dongfang Bo, the Peak Master and Third Senior Brother were out traveling and hadn't returned, while Second Senior Sister was in secluded Cultivation. Jiang Yun had initially believed him, but now that he thought about it, they were very likely hiding from Dongfang Bo, the chatterbox...
After lying on the ground with his eyes closed for a moment, Jiang Yun suddenly leaped up, his eyes sparkling, showing no signs of fatigue.
For him, who had lived deep in Mang Mountain for years, not sleeping for several days and nights was commonplace. Moreover, he was now full of excitement; how could he possibly sleep?
Jiang Yun picked up the 'Tongmai Realm Art' again, took a deep breath, calmed his emotions, and then carefully opened it.
Although Dongfang Bo was quite a chatterbox, one had to admit that he was extremely knowledgeable about Cultivating. Especially for this 'Tongmai Realm Art,' he had explained it almost word by word in detail to Jiang Yun. Therefore, when Jiang Yun looked at the content of the book now, he felt no difficulty at all.
"The first step in Cultivating is to sense the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and draw Spiritual Qi into the body to open up all the Meridians. Therefore, the first major Realm of Cultivating is called the Tongmai Realm."
"Although one can create a blessed land within the body after Nine Levels of Vein Opening!, in reality, there are a total of twelve Meridians in the human body, so the ultimate Tongmai Realm is the Twelfth Level."
"However, after opening nine Meridians, it is as difficult as ascending to the heavens to open even one more Meridian. Besides strength, it also requires great Opportunity."
"It is precisely because of this that the Tongmai Realm can also be divided into stages every three levels, representing Minor Achievement, Major Achievement, and Perfection respectively. As for the Twelfth Level, it is Great Perfection. Among them, the Sixth Level is a watershed. As long as one crosses the Sixth Level and Cultivates to the Seventh Level, it is considered a major step up and one can advance to an Outer Sect Disciple."
"Dao Heart, Dao Spirit, Dao Body—these three treasures of the Dao, although they are criteria for judging whether a person can Cultivate, they are not the only criteria. Moreover, the three testing methods are only relative and cannot be generalized, after all, in the Major Thousand Worlds, there is nothing that cannot be!"
"Don't think so much about it for now. For me right now, whether I can Cultivate depends on whether I can draw Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi into my body!"
Thinking of this, Jiang Yun closed the book in his hand, sat cross-legged, poured out a Qi Induction Pill from the jade bottle, examined it for a long time, and then suddenly put it into his mouth.