Chapter 300

Chapter 300: Personal Disciple and Legitimate Son

So, anyone with the surname Li can be chosen as a personal disciple, just because they look pleasing.

The boys present looked at Li Hui, feeling a pang of jealousy, their hearts filled with resentment: “Why am I not a Li? And this guy isn’t just ordinary; he’s good-looking too. Mom and Dad, can’t you put in more effort when making me? I might be acceptable, but when compared, it’s like throwing away trash.”

Li Hui was also caught off guard, feeling it was too unexpected. He thought, “What’s happening? Did my dad’s long-lost ancestors come looking for him? I’ve never heard of the name Li Maocai! Everyone is competing for Dao bodies, and he’s not interested; is it because he looks down on them, or can’t compete, and feels embarrassed grabbing a random disciple?”

Questions filled his mind, but Li Hui was never one to shy away. He confidently followed the light blue figure, leaving the Xuanwu Great Hall to step onto a colorful cloud.

“Ha ha ha! There’s a poem that says, ‘Without the colorful phoenix’s dual wings, one yearns to fly to the beloved,’” the light blue figure laughed aloud.

Li Hui wore an expression of surprise and cleared his throat, saying, “Master, the line about the dual wings of the colorful phoenix refers to the pain of longing, regretting having no vibrant wings to fly to one’s loved one. The line about the shared heart means deep understanding, where hearts connect like rhino horns, related to separation from loved ones, and it doesn’t apply here.”

“Hey, little brat,” the light blue figure did not seem displeased and spoke loudly, “Indeed, I also suffer from longing. Is it that easy to find a disciple? Wait, wait… last time we opened the gates to recruit disciples, I was in seclusion. The time before that, I was still in seclusion, and the last time as well. Counting it, it has been exactly sixty years, and my cave has become a mess without anyone to manage it, all because I have no disciple!”

Upon hearing this, Li Hui’s heart raced. He thought, “So he’s just recruiting a random disciple. It seems he’s only looking for a miscellaneous disciple to help manage the cave.”

“Good! You, kid, don’t care for ritual artifacts. Keep it that way. I have plenty of treasures, so don’t you be concerned!”

Li Hui dropped his jaw, thinking, “What kind of person is this? Is there a master so stingy? Wasn’t he just scolding me about being foolish? Saying, ‘If one wishes to do good work, the tools must be sharpened first!’ Just like when chopping wood, if I use my fists to hit the tree while others use saws, can the results be the same? Without supporting external items, how can I protect myself on the Dao? Yet now he’s talking nonsense, recruiting fools who can look after the cave and not care about the treasures!”

The colorful clouds sped across thousands of miles. The Haotu Sect encompassed a vast territory with mountains and waters, even hills and deserts. It would take half a year to explore everything fully, and some places had formations that could compress space, defying normal logic.

Soon, the colorful clouds descended, stopping over a lake.

The lake surface was disturbingly calm, without a single ripple. Looking down revealed white clouds drifting past beneath his feet, making it unclear whether one was in the air or the lake.

Suddenly, the lake began to stretch downward, forming steps leading to the bottom.

The light blue figure grabbed Li Hui and raced down, talking as they walked: “Remember, we call this Water Moon Mirror Sky. I, Li Maocai, am the prospective ancestor of the Haotu Sect, a late-stage practitioner of the myriad forms. I’m just a little away from a breakthrough! The sect leader must call me senior brother upon seeing me. If you face any bullying outside, just report my esteemed name. As long as I’m not in seclusion, I will surely support you!”

Li Hui touched his nose, thinking, “This seems a bit difficult. If he spends a full sixty years in seclusion and has missed three recruitment events, by the time he exits, I’d be seventy or eighty, and my enemies would probably already be in their coffins.”

Passing through layers of water curtains, instead of a feeling of oppression from reaching the lake’s bottom, it felt as though he was swimming freely in the Azure Sky, as if accompanying the clouds in high altitude.

Just as he was about to take a closer look, they landed at the entrance of a large gate, where a pungent smell assaulted their noses. The stale air mingled with a fecal scent as spiritual birds flapped their wings in chaotic flight. A beautifully constructed palace was overgrown with weeds, with some areas even covered in dog’s urine moss.

Even before entering, the surroundings felt like a chaotic mess, and once inside, he nearly fainted from the stench.

A thick layer of filth covered the ground, and the pavilions were overrun with withered vines and new shoots, leaves swirling in the wind, with chickens and ducks roaming everywhere.

“Cough!” Li Maocai said somewhat apologetically, “I’ve been in seclusion for too long, and the cave has become a disaster. From now on, you’ll help me clean and tidy up so I can at least walk when I exit.”

“Master, are you still in seclusion?” Li Hui realized that the light blue figure before him was merely a manifestation of his chaotic thoughts and not Li Maocai himself.

“How fresh! What else would I do if not be in seclusion? If I can’t break through in five years, my lifespan will be exhausted, and I’ll turn to ash.”

“Then, Master, good luck! Once you turn to ash, this cave will belong to me, so I hope you leave behind some belongings,” Li Hui replied casually, feeling no pressure.

“Little brat, how can you speak like that? Be careful; I might just exit seclusion and discipline you, ungrateful disciple,” the light blue figure suddenly spun around, clarifying into a serious-looking middle-aged man.

“Uh?” Li Hui thought for a moment and then kneeled down, saying, “Master, I am Li Hui, previously a disciple of the Jade Symbol Sect. After a journey overseas, I miraculously escaped a great calamity. However, my lifespan is insufficient, and I seek opportunity in the Haotu Sect to extend my life!”

At this moment, he spoke honestly, with no hint of concealment.

Is it easy to become a personal disciple of an upper sect? Before coming, Li Hui had already thought this through; should he be lucky enough to become a personal disciple, it would represent a connection to the past and future, inheriting the Dao lineage. To conceal anything would be to betray his own heart.

Every sect has this custom—personal disciples are treated like legitimate sons. Even if one becomes a true disciple without being a personal disciple, it is still in vain, akin to being an illegitimate child.

This is the rule, this is the tradition!

If they treat you like a son, would you be foolish enough to act as a thief? Has your head been caught in a door?

Yes, Li Hui wishes for Golden Jade Peaches, but besides hosting the Peach Blossom Banquet, doesn’t the Haotu Sect have inventory? He can easily ask his master to exchange some Ginseng King roots.

With such a large sect, would they lack means? If even personal disciples are fooled, the Haotu Sect wouldn’t have developed to such a scale, hence entering this door signifies belonging.

“Good, at least you’re not foolish,” Li Maocai nodded, standing with his hands clasped behind him, slowly saying, “I accept you as my disciple for several reasons. First, my time is running short, and I must at least pass on the heritage of the Mirror Lake faction! Secondly, the whole hall is full of blind fools fighting over Dao bodies, not realizing that forming a Dao body is the most challenging. Compared to practitioners who rise through postnatal efforts like you, they are far from it! Thirdly, I need someone with the surname Li.”

Li Hui chuckled, wondering why the surname came up again.

“Don’t laugh! My master’s surname is Li, my master’s master’s surname is also Li. A personal disciple is the legitimate child and grandchild of the Mirror Lake faction, meant to inherit the family business, and only one is allowed per generation. There is no infighting, no distractions. However, Yuan Ciheng said you could make money but cannot keep it, so the ancestral property of Mirror Lake is beyond your reach. Once you find a disciple and pass the tradition on, it will fulfill the rules of the Mirror Lake faction.”

“What? Who is Yuan Ciheng? How outrageous! Why does he say I can’t keep money?” Li Hui suddenly recalled a certain square-faced practitioner.