The World That Tao Rules

Chapter 13: The Sixth Peak

The young man shouted in not a low voice. He had drawn the attention of all people around. And Jiang Yun stopped again and asked, “What’s up?”

However, Jiang Yun didn’t notice that when the man spoke, most of the disciples including Xiao YiShu showed a strange expression.

The young man smiled slightly. Then he turned to Xiao YiShu, held the fist in the other hand and said, “Younger Brother Xiao, our peak still miss a factotum disciple. How about letting this boy join our peak?!”

This voice ended, while everyone was stunned. Though many people didn’t know who the young man exactly was, they knew that he must be a disciple in the Seeking-Tao Sect. And now he asked to accept Jiang Yun as a factotum disciple. That meant that he gave Jiang Yun a big chance and let him join the Seeking-Tao Sect!

Xiao YiShu was shocked as well. He then frowned and said, “It’s inappropriate, Elder Brother DongFang!”

“No, it isn’t!” The young man smiled, “However, you know that our peak doesn’t have too many disciples. Now we need a factotum disciple to share my work and make me more relaxed. So, Younger Brother Xiao, I hope you can make an exception in my favor.”

“Urgh…”

Xiao YiShu was still about to reject. However, a voice sounded in his ear, “Just say yes!”

Hearing this voice, Xiao YiShu breathed a sigh of relief quietly. He said seriously, “Since Elder Brother DongFang has asked, then you can take this guy away! However, I need to warn you seriously. Since you take this guy with you, he now is counted as a disciple of our Seeking-Tao Sect. Hence, he must obey our sect’s rule, especially the rule of the retest half a year later. If he can’t pass that retest, he will be expelled!”

“Of course! Thank you, Younger Brother Xiao!” The young man replied. He waved to Jiang Yun and said, “Little bro, you should say thank you to Younger Brother Xiao!”

Jiang Yun could hardly believe what he had heard. He hadn’t passed any of the three tests, but now he could become one of the disciples of the Seeking-Tao Sect! Coming to his sense, he made obeisance to Xiao YiShu by cupping his hand in the other, then made a deep bow to the young man with hands folded in front and said, “Thank you very much!”

“Not to mention it. We’re family now. Just come with me!”

Looking at Jiang Yun who followed that young man and went far away, other people showed different expressions. Some were envious of him; some looked down upon him; some were indignant. However, nobody dared say a word.

Huo Yuan was especially angry. He ground his teeth and said secretly, “What a sh*t luck! How come he can join the Seeking-Tao Sect in such a way! Well, it may be a good thing to some extent! After all, we’re now both in the sect, and it’ll be much easier for me to fix you!”

Xiao YiShu coughed slightly to draw everyone’s attention, “Alright! Now the recruitment of our sect has ended. And here is the result!”

Jiang Yun wasn’t in the mood for caring about the result.

He seemed to be in a sleepwalk status, following that young man and winding through the sect. He was too giddy to notice that there were several spiritual runes which sank into the ground when the young man beside him swung the arms, and which made his every step cover a distance of almost tens of meters.

Even so, they walked for about an hour, and the young man finally stopped. He looked at the small mountain before him which was in a height of three hundred meters around and smiled, “Little bro, this is the sixth peak in the Seeking-Tao Sect. It’s our zone!”

The Sixth Peak of the Seeking-Tao Sect!

Hearing this, Jiang Yun was shocked. He turned around and found that there were five peaks behind him. The young man had already led him to go through the five main peaks.

However, he had never thought that there was still a small peak behind the Five Peaks of the Seeking-Tao Sect. Actually, it was more proper to call it a mountain rather than a peak. It was totally shaded by the five peaks. He couldn’t help murmuring, “I have never known that the Seeking-Tao Sect has six peaks. And the sixth peak hides behind the Five Peaks!”

“You’re exactly right!” The young man’s eyes became shiny, “This mountain is called the Hidden Peak. You just hit the point! It seems that you are really the destined one! Oh, I forgot to ask your name first.”

Jiang Yun was stunned for being praised. A short time later, he answered, “I am Jiang Yun!”

The young man nodded, “I’m DongFang Bo, the chief disciple of the Hidden Peak Master. Though you haven’t been accepted by our master as his disciple, you can call me Big Brother[1]. And I call you the little bro. Let’s go. We should go up the mountain first and then we can talk as much you want!”

After that, DongFang Bo went with Jiang Yun followed. They went up the Sixth Peak of the Seeking-Tao Sect, the Hidden Peak!

Compared to the other five peaks, the Hidden Peak was smaller. But its scenery was pretty beautiful.

The whole mountain range was filled with green grass and trees. While there were several cottages beside each clump of trees; a brook meandered; a waterfall dropped from the peak, channeling a small lake at its foot.

Apparently, DongFang Bo was quite talkative. He kept introducing the Seeking-Tao Sect generally to Jiang Yun when they walked to the mountaintop.

“Though the outside world rumors that each peak of the Seeking-Tao Five Peaks stands for a kind of Tao and a Taoist cultivation method, it’s not actually right.

“The Tao is as big as including thousands of kinds. There does exist some sects that cultivate one kind of Tao only. However, there are not only five kinds of Tao in the Seeking-Tao Sect. It’s more proper to say that leaving our Hidden Peak out, the other five peaks have their most adept Tao.

“The Five Peaks are like a hand. The shortest one like a thumb is called Hundreds Beasts Peak, and it’s adept at the Tao of beast training; the one that looked like a forefinger named the Sky Rune Peak, which mainly cultivates the Tao of rune; the middle peak is our sect’s master’s peak, called the Fence Tao Peak, and just as its name implies that it’s expertise is in swordsmanship; the one whose shape is like the ring finger is the Red Dust Peak, cultivators in which are almost all females who do music Tao best; and the last peak is the Five Elements Peak, mainly doing the Tao cultivation of spell!”

What DongFang Bo had said was interesting and strange to Jiang Yun. He listened carefully and bore these in mind. And after DongFang Bo finished speaking, he couldn’t wait to ask, “Then what kind of Tao does the Hidden Peak do best?”

However, DongFang Bo wasn’t about to answer. He smiled mysteriously, “You should find it by yourself!”

So mystical the words was that Jiang Yun could say nothing more.

DongFang Bo kept saying, “Though there is a Spiritual Energy Vein underground which makes our sect full of Spiritual Energy, different terrains have different degrees of Spiritual Energy. To sum up, the higher the terrain is, the stronger the Spiritual Energy are.

“And according to one of the sect’s rules, factotum disciples can only live at the mountain foot where the Spiritual Energy are thinnest; outer disciples can live in the mountainside; only the inner disciples are allowed to live above the mountainside!

“It’s extremely difficult to become an inner disciple. The basic requirement is to reach the Blessing Land Realm; but if you’re talented enough, like the woman who has a Two-Free Tao Physique, you will be accepted as an inner disciple directly; and another way is to cross the Five Peaks!”

Jiang Yun was confused, “Crossing the Five Peaks?”

“Yes, to break through the Five Peaks!” DongFang Bo nodded with no more explanation, “It’s very hard to cross the Five Peaks, of course! Sometimes it even has the risk to lose lives. However, it does be a shortcut. As a result, many disciples will do it every year. But hardly can one manage it, almost one in thousands!

“In a word, the amount of disciples in our Seeking-Tao Sect is over ten thousand, and the number of outer disciples is about one thousand, while the inner disciples are only tens.”

Jiang Yun was shocked. He had never imagined that the amount of the Seeking-Tao Sect was so large and that the requirements to become an inner disciple were so strict. But it reminded him of Feng WuJi. He must be talent enough, as he in the fifth level of the Meridians Unclogged Realm could be an inner disciple of the Samsara Sect!

“However, don’t worry, little bro. Our Hidden Peak doesn’t have such a rule. You can choose anywhere you like to live in the whole Hidden Peak.”

“Thank you very much! Big Brother!” Jiang Yun asked another question, “Big Brother, then may I know how many people are there in the Hidden Peak?”

“Um, there are five persons including you!” Suddenly, DongFang Bo clapped his forehead heavily and said, “Oh, I almost forget one thing. Since you have joined our sect, you should get some rewards. Alright, I will go to take them for you. Now you can just hang out here. And there is a small cottage near the mountaintop. You can live there if you want!”

[1] In Chinese martial arts (Wuxia and Xianxia world), there are strict seniority rules and titles. And the chief male disciple of a master is called the Big Brother by other disciples of this master’s. And the second male chief disciple will be called the Second Brother.