Daoist Competition-Chapter 1057 - 268: Seven Disciples Enter the Hall, Seats Rearranged (Part 2)

Wei Zihong pointed to a cave mansion with a golden lamp hanging in front of the door and said, "Little junior brother, I usually cultivate here. There aren’t many disciples under Zhao You Mansion, just a few, so many cave mansions are unoccupied. Just let me know if you find one that suits you."

Han Zuocheng thought for a moment and said, "I’ll choose one near senior brother’s cave mansion."

Wei Zihong laughed and said, "Great! You have no idea, after Fifth Senior Brother left, this mansion has been quite empty, and Second Senior Brother is often in seclusion, I only see him a couple of times a year. Living alone makes one lonely. With you nearby, I’ll have someone to talk to."

He took a token from his sleeve bag and said, "Junior Brother, you have yet to open your meridians, this is the key to the Jade Liquid Pool in our mansion. Take it, choose your cave mansion first, and when you have time, I’ll take you around the Nine Cities to broaden your horizons."

After giving a few more instructions, he gracefully returned to his mansion.

After parting with Wei Zihong, Han Zuocheng looked at several nearby cave mansions but couldn’t decide.

In fact, these cave mansions boast majestic scenery and are quite spacious, unlike the cold stone cave he lived in at the Lower Court, a complete contrast. However, for some reason, he felt they didn’t quite suit him.

After walking for a while, he inadvertently followed a winding corridor to a secluded spot, where he saw two verdant ancient trees with crowns like clouds, lush and dense, making him quite fond. He strolled in and looked around, noting that the cave mansion was vast. The walls were polished to a smooth shine by some unknown force, the ceiling adorned with bright pearls gleaming brilliantly. Especially notable was the large pool inside, with golden ripples, clear and transparent, where fish could be seen swimming below. He happily exclaimed, "This is the place."

Following Wei Zihong’s earlier instructions, he picked up the small bell hanging by the mansion gate and gave it a ring. Shortly after, a pretty maid in green clothes came in, holding a jade basin, which contained a sleeve bag, three sets of Daoist clothes and footwear, a dust removal talisman, and two Xiaoze Golden Swords.

The maid said, "The sleeve bag contains three months’ worth of food, three bottles of Qi Refilling Pills. If Han Master needs anything, just tell me. If it cannot be found at the moment, it doesn’t matter. There are pen, ink, paper, and inkstone in the cave; you can write it on a bamboo plaque and hang it outside the door for me to see."

Han Zuocheng, accustomed to having servants in the mountains, felt no discomfort. After sending the maid away, he placed the Spirit Cleansing Plate on the stone bed, sat down, took in his new place of cultivation, settled his mind, took a few breaths, and began meditating on his cultivation technique.

Just as he entered deep meditation, the pool in the cave mansion churned, and a vicious dragon head emerged, glanced around at him a few times, and cursed loudly: "Where did this kid come from, occupying Elder Ao’s back garden? I will go find the master to resolve this!"

It swayed its body and submerged back into the water, disappearing in an instant.

At this moment, in the Zhao You Heavenly Pond Main Mansion, Zhang Yan had a solemn expression, raising his index and middle fingers, sketching in the air over a golden talisman. Shortly, numerous arcane seal scripts, resembling Erosion Text, floated up on the talisman, emitting radiant light. After a few glances, a slight smile surfaced on his face. With a flick of his finger, the talisman transformed into a spirit light that returned to his brow.

This was a True Seal Seed he personally refined, initially intended to be handed to Liu Yan Yi for condensing a seal. However, with his recent diligent study of the Nine Number True Scripture, he gained many new insights and discovered many unsatisfactory elements, prompting a complete re-refinement.

Cultivators usually use their mana as a reference to create a Mana True Imprint for younger disciples, a method favored for its efficiency and reduced error probability. Many elder true masters in the sect practice this way too.

Yet, Zhang Yan was different. Being a person of First-class Elixir Formation, a rarity through the ages, the difference between his formation and others’ is enormous. Directly applying it to disciples could be harmful, so utmost caution was required.

Particularly since the cultivation technique Liu Yan Yi practiced, the Xuanze Zhen Miao Shangdong Skill, and the Supreme Mysterious Five Elements True Skill he practiced were not the same, demanding extra care to avoid mistakes.

The reason he didn’t pass the Supreme Mysterious True Skill to Liu Yan Yi wasn’t due to selfishness; rather, the Dao technique was derived from reversing the Five Elements True Light, containing many flaws yet to be resolved.

Moreover, during his practice, he initially gathered the Five Elements Cloud Sand.

He had pondered privately that perhaps the technique’s incompleteness led to this. If he could perfect it to the Great Success Realm by filling all gaps, he might skip this step. But for now, it was not possible.

Suddenly, a flash of light emerged on the Little Pot Mirror, and the mirror spirit, holding a flying letter in both hands, said, "Master, there’s a letter from the Merit Institute."

"The Merit Institute?" Zhang Yan was slightly surprised, reached to take it, and saw it was about the recently concluded Mingcang Sect’s Mountain Gate Grand Competition, with the Top Ten Disciples’ rankings newly settled.

This time, Huo Xuan was, of course, first, followed by Zhong Muqing and Luo Qingyu, then him.

In truth, both Luo and Zhong knew that if it came to a real fight, they weren’t entirely confident they’d win against Zhang Yan, but due to a Sect Leader’s decree, Zhang Yan couldn’t participate, hence placing fourth. As for the others, since the Sixteen Sects Sword Competition selections were finalized, and the sect’s status stabilized, the rankings did not change.

After reading, Zhang Yan indifferently put the flying letter away. To him, unless one was the top of the Ten Great Disciples, being second or tenth made little difference.

His vision had long transcended local matters, focusing on the larger Sixteen Sects Competition.

...

...(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote with your recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)