"Tian Ge, you really are lucky," Luo Fengxue said, half-envious, half-joking. She looked up at the sky and sighed. "A named disciple of the Patriarch! Why don't I have such good fortune?"
Mo Tiange merely smiled slightly, not letting her joy show on her face. "I'm no different from you right now. I'll have to ask Senior Sister Luo to look after me from now on." Uncle-Master Xuanyin had said she would be staying with Senior Sister Luo, so she would inevitably need the care of this well-connected and capable senior sister.
Luo Fengxue had just been making a casual remark and wasn't taking it seriously. She laughed. "Of course! You'll become my martial aunt in the future, so I'd better curry favor now!"
The two chatted and joked for a while before Luo Fengxue took her to get settled.
Disciples within a sect were divided into several categories. The common classification was into three types: servant disciples, formal disciples, and elite disciples. Previously in the Yunwu Sect, Mo Tiange had only been a formal disciple, one step above a servant disciple. These were the most numerous and ordinary disciples in a sect, without a dedicated master. They could only listen to lectures from seniors in groups of hundreds or even thousands, and their cultivation was largely left to their own devices.
Elite disciples, on the other hand, were those with a master. Although the cultivation world ranked by cultivation level, if one truly took a master, the seniority of that master was strictly regulated and did not change with one's own cultivation level. Therefore, even though Luo Fengxue was at the Qi Refining stage like her, she could address a Core Formation senior as Uncle-Master or Martial Aunt.
Disciples with masters were further divided into several categories. The lowest status was that of a named disciple. A named disciple could not be considered a true disciple; the master would not personally instruct them. Therefore, Mo Tiange could only stay with Luo Fengxue for now, and her seniority was even one generation lower. However, because the one who had taken her as a named disciple was a Nascent Soul cultivator, her status was naturally vastly different. Even Perfected Person Xuanyin treated her politely.
The most common type was the entry-level disciple. Any disciple taken under the wing of a high-level cultivator was an entry-level disciple and could receive guidance from their master. If their cultivation advanced satisfactorily to the master, they could be promoted to an inner-chamber disciple. Once becoming an inner-chamber disciple, the master would teach them some secret techniques and divine abilities, and they could be ranked within the master's lineage. For example, Perfected Person Xuanyin was ranked first among Dao Lord Jinghe's inner-chamber disciples, hence he was called the foremost disciple under his seat.
Finally, the closest relationship was that of a true heir disciple. A true heir disciple received the master's true teachings and was also the master's successor. Generally, among all disciples, there would only be one or two true heirs.
Currently, Mo Tiange was only a named disciple. However, because her master's status was extraordinary, her position was also special. Luo Fengxue settled her next to Perfected Person Xuanyin's cave abode, where she would live with her martial sisters.
Originally, Luo Fengxue wanted to introduce the several martial sisters under Perfected Person Xuanyin to her, but they were either out or in seclusion, so she had to postpone it. As for herself, she was on duty today, so she let Mo Tiange rest alone first.
After seeing Luo Fengxue off, Mo Tiange was already very tired, but she couldn't help smiling.
She had originally thought that a major sect like the Xuanqing Sect would have complex internal relationships and arrogant disciples, making it difficult to adapt. Unexpectedly, the first person she met, Luo Fengxue, was both kind and enthusiastic. Moreover, Patriarch Jinghe had taken her as a named disciple.
Everything was going so smoothly that it felt unreal to her. Since she had stepped onto the path of immortality, she had been struggling bitterly, never having such a bright future before. She had also wondered if they had ulterior motives, just like her ancestor Mo Yaoqing, who only discovered after Core Formation that her sect had already decided her future. However, upon careful thought, she felt there was nothing to worry about for now. Not to mention she was still just a Qi Refining disciple; even if Patriarch Jinghe truly had ill intentions, he could simply force her with his cultivation level. Why go through all these arrangements?
Thinking this, she settled in with ease.
Elite disciples were indeed elite disciples; their treatment was completely different from ordinary disciples. This place, right next to Perfected Person Xuanyin's cave abode, was filled with abundant spiritual qi and had a tranquil environment. Those living nearby were all his female disciples. Each person had a small cave abode, and each small cave abode had several rooms: a resting room, a cultivation room, an alchemy room, a spirit beast room, and so on, all fully equipped. The tables, chairs, and furnishings were all made of green jade.
This truly opened Mo Tiange's eyes. From what she knew, even Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Yunwu Sect didn't have such good cave abodes. The Xuanqing Sect truly lived up to being one of the top sects in Tianji.
The pleasant surprise of getting a good cave abode made her completely forget her fatigue, and she began to slowly arrange it.
The resting room was the simplest. Now that she was at the tenth level of Qi Refining, she didn't really need to sleep, so she just arranged it casually. The cultivation room had a meditation cushion, a spirit-gathering array, and some less important books. She threw the cauldron she bought last time at the Tiandao Sect into the alchemy room. There were also several empty rooms she had nothing to arrange. However, there was a medicinal field behind the cave abode that gave her some ideas.
The cave abodes of these female disciples were arranged in a row. Behind them was a small valley divided into several medicinal fields, most of which were filled with spirit herbs. Luo Fengxue had said each cave abode came with a medicinal field, and the owner of the abode could do as they pleased with it.
Mo Tiange had already planned to start learning alchemy. This place, with its abundant spiritual qi, was truly a good place to grow spirit herbs. She planned to ask Luo Fengxue tomorrow where she could get seeds.
While Mo Tiange was busily arranging her cave abode, in the highest cave abode on Qingquan Peak, Dao Lord Jinghe was still reclining on his dragon couch. This time, however, there were no beauties attending him nor grapes to eat. Instead, he was lazily flipping through a book. After reading for a while, he snorted disdainfully. "What rubbish! Would ancient cultivators use this kind of beast hide as paper? You didn't even know you were cheated!"
He flung the book down at Perfected Person Xuanyin, who was sitting below.
Perfected Person Xuanyin caught it, his face twisting into a grimace, yet still holding onto a sliver of hope. "Master, is it really fake?"
Qin Jinghe sat up, took the tea handed by his disciple, and curled his lip. "It's fake, not real fake. From the Great Ancient Era to the Ancient Era, Froststone Beasts only existed in the southern mountains and were extremely rare. It wasn't until the Ancient Era's great war between the righteous and demonic paths, with the upheavals of the world, that Froststone Beasts became more numerous. Never mind the material of this book; just the content alone is ambiguous and can only fool a Core Formation cultivator like you. Trying to trick me? No way!"
"..."
Perhaps because Perfected Person Xuanyin's expression was too pained, Qin Jinghe asked, "How much did you spend?"
"Three hundred..."
"Only three hundred Spirit Stones? Oh, then forget it." This amount of money wasn't even worth a glance for him, let alone a Core Formation cultivator.
But Perfected Person Xuanyin added, "Master, it was three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones..."
"What?!" Qin Jinghe jumped up. The cultivation world commonly used Low-Grade Spirit Stones; Mid-Grade Spirit Stones were hard to come by. Three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones amounted to more than thirty thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.
"Three hundred Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, you kid really..." Qin Jinghe wanted to scold him but then thought better of it. What could be done since he was already cheated? It was just... heartbreaking. Even though their Xuanqing Sect was one of the top sects in Tianji, a Core Formation cultivator only earned a few thousand Spirit Stones a year. To be cheated out of this much...
"You're really regressing the older you get!" Thinking of those Spirit Stones, Qin Jinghe couldn't accept it and cursed fiercely. "Tell me, who cheated you? I'll kill him into dust, make him regret ever being born into this world!"
Perfected Person Xuanyin was also heartbroken. Hearing this, he quickly said, "Master, I traded for it in an obscure little place. Not only can I not find the person, I didn't even see their true face." His master had a heavy killing intent. Every time he killed someone, he would be reprimanded by the Chief Elder and then come back to scold the one who caused the trouble... He didn't want to be scolded like a three-year-old child at his age. Besides, there really were no clues. He had already accepted his loss.
Seeing Qin Jinghe about to say something else, Perfected Person Xuanyin hurriedly said, "Master, this disciple has something to report to you regarding the new named disciple you accepted."
The latter half of the sentence recaptured Qin Jinghe's attention. "Hmm?"
Perfected Person Xuanyin said cautiously, "Master, I examined that Mo Tiange's Spirit Root. It seems to be the Hunyuan Spiritual Root you once mentioned!"
"What?" Qin Jinghe stared at him. "Hunyuan Spiritual Root? You mean the Hunyuan Spiritual Root with all five Spirit Roots present and of equal strength?"
"Exactly." Perfected Person Xuanyin looked at his expression, puzzled. "Master, what is the mystery of this Spirit Root? I remember you said back then that the Hunyuan Spiritual Root is one of several special Spirit Roots, not inferior to variant or single Spirit Roots. It's a pity it hasn't appeared for a long time."
But Qin Jinghe didn't answer his question. Instead, he muttered to himself incredulously, "Hunyuan Spiritual Root? This girl is interesting. A Pure Yin Constitution is already a rarity seen once in a thousand years, and the Hunyuan Spiritual Root hasn't appeared for several thousand years either. They actually appear together on her!"
After thinking for a moment, he remembered his disciple was still here and said to Perfected Person Xuanyin, "Do you know, in our cultivation of the Dao, what is the Dao?"
This question made Perfected Person Xuanyin pause. The Xuanqing Sect was a Daoist sect. When disciples entered, even servant disciples started with Daoist scriptures. The question "What is the Dao?" was both shallow and profound. Any disciple in the sect could give an explanation, yet even a Nascent Soul cultivator couldn't give a definitive answer.
Qin Jinghe, rarely displaying the demeanor of a Nascent Soul cultivator, said solemnly, "The Dao is heaven and earth, the universe, the great void, rules, the origin, and can even be considered any single thing. But in the Great Ancient Era, the so-called Dao primarily contained one meaning: Equilibrium."
"The so-called Equilibrium is balance, check and balance, and also constancy, eternity. With balance, the world can exist. With check and balance, rules can be established permanently. Only then can there be eternity."
Hearing this, Perfected Person Xuanyin was startled. "So, this Hunyuan Spiritual Root is an existence that completely conforms to the 'Dao' of the Great Ancient Era?"
Qin Jinghe nodded slightly. "Correct. Our current cultivation method favors fewer Spirit Roots because spiritual qi entering the body cancels each other out. However, in the Great Ancient Era, there was actually another set of cultivation methods."
"This..." Perfected Person Xuanyin couldn't wrap his head around it. If that was the case, then this Hunyuan Spiritual Root, in terms of the Great Ancient Era, was actually a heaven-bestowed talent?
But Qin Jinghe sighed again. "What a pity. The Great Ancient Era is too distant. The subsequent Ancient Era already adopted a different cultivation method. Now, we can no longer know the cultivation method of Equilibrium. This child... is too unfortunate..."