Chapter 154: The Three Handmaidens of Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter

Burning incense and bathing, he sat in silent meditation for three days.

Dong, dong, dong!

The three tolls of the ceremony bell were melodious, second only to the five tolls of the Jin Dan Grand Ceremony; a Foundation Establishment cultivator would never receive such honor in their entire life.

In the solemn and majestic sect main hall,

Many Foundation Establishment cultivators looked silently toward the center of the arena.

A mortal, a youth of sixteen or seventeen, wearing a Five Sacred Mountains crown and dressed in a seven-colored star dharma robe, performed three kowtows and nine prostrations to the previous generation's Supreme Elder, True Person Jin Lian.

Many people revealed expressions of extreme envy.

With this obeisance, in terms of sect legal principles, he held a status in the Seven Feathers Sect second only to the two Jin Dan ancestors.

But why, just a mortal?!

Had the ancestor gone mad?

"The ceremony is complete!"

Zhou Sanyan chanted.

A massive wave of spiritual sense swept over everyone present.

"Paying respects to the Little Martial Uncle!"

Not daring to show any hesitation, more than thirty Foundation Establishment cultivators of the sect, ranging from early-stage to perfection, respectfully performed a grand salute to the youth above.

"Everyone, please rise."

Jiang Ding's expression was calm; he felt no fear or unease toward the Jin Dan cultivators.

The flying sword at his cuff trembled incessantly, causing him to linger his gaze a moment longer on two individuals.

One was an old man with pale, red hair—a mottled red formed by the intermingling of flame and pigment; it was suspected that his cultivation technique had developed some problems.

The other was a middle-aged beautiful woman draped in golden neon garments, extremely charming; seeing him look over, she gave a faint smile.

"The ceremony is finished!"

Zhou Sanyan chanted.

According to etiquette, the Foundation Establishment cultivators dispersed one by one, leaving only Jiang Ding and the two others.

"Let's go, Little Martial Brother."

The white-browed old Daoist gave a hearty laugh: "Let's go see the cave dwelling your martial brothers have prepared for you."

Two streaks of escape light flew out for several dozen miles, finally landing on a small mountain over a thousand meters high between Heavenly Thunder Peak and Heavenly Fire Peak.

The mountain scenery was beautiful, with steep, protruding rocks; it was covered in spiritual trees and plants, most of which were metal-attributed. The spiritual energy was dense, and white mist swirled from time to time—a scene of an immortal dwelling.

"Little Martial Brother, this mountain is named Golden Spirit Mountain. It is one of the best metal-attributed cave dwellings in the sect, possessing a Tier 2 peak-grade spiritual vein."

The white-browed old cultivator stroked his beard and said: "It's not that your martial brothers are reluctant to give you a Tier 3 spiritual vein; in reality, the spiritual energy concentration of a Tier 3 vein is too high, making it unsuitable for Qi Condensation cultivators to use, leading to the evil consequence of pulling up seedlings to help them grow. A Tier 2 spiritual vein is most suitable."

This was a fact.

Another fact was that Tier 3 spiritual veins were tied to the cultivation speed of Jin Dan cultivators; no Jin Dan cultivator would think they had too many and give one away.

"Many thanks to both martial brothers!"

Jiang Ding bowed deeply.

To be gifted a cave dwelling with a Tier 2 peak-grade spiritual vein upon first meeting—there were not many people in the world with such generosity. He was truly moved.

"What is there to thank? We are all fellow martial brothers."

The white-browed old cultivator acted as if displeased and continued: "This mountain has ten mu of Tier 2 peak-grade spiritual fields, one hundred mu of Tier 2 high-grade spiritual fields, and one spiritual spring."

"In terms of defense, there is a Tier 2 peak-grade Golden Light Silver Blade Array, sufficient to withstand a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator's prolonged attack without breaking, and it can also block a casual strike from a Jin Dan cultivator."

"Little Martial Brother, if you want to add any arrays, just tell your Eldest Martial Brother, and he will send people to set them up for you."

"The place is large, and it's hard to manage everything. As for manpower..."

He waved his hand, and immediately a gray-clothed old man trotted over, possessing late-stage Qi Condensation cultivation.

Behind him followed twelve young handmaidens of mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivation; their appearances were all excellent, with different temperaments and figures, representing four completely different styles.

"This servant, Liu Sanqi, pays respects to the ancestor, pays respects to the Little Martial Uncle-Ancestor!"

The gray-clothed old man led the people, trembling as they knelt before the three.

Jiang Ding felt somewhat uncomfortable, but he did not show it.

"Little Martial Brother, these servants all come from small families that have been vassals to the sect for at least five hundred years. They are loyal and reliable. If you have any chores, you can hand them over to them to handle."

"Except for Liu Sanqi, the others all have Tier 3 spiritual root aptitude. You can cultivate them a bit; in the future, you will have your own reliable manpower."

The white-browed old cultivator pointed at the group and said.

"My martial brothers treat me so well I have no words."

Jiang Ding sighed.

"Haha, if we aren't good to our Little Martial Brother, who should we be good to?"

The white-browed old cultivator laughed.

The two then took Jiang Ding on a tour of Golden Spirit Mountain, talking for a long time about every flower and every tree, down to the smallest detail, as if the time of a Jin Dan cultivator was worth nothing.

"Little Martial Brother, is there anything else you want or any questions? Just say it."

Finally, the white-browed old cultivator said: "Your Eldest Martial Brother and Second Martial Brother are both Jin Dan cultivators; one spends a lot of time in closed-door cultivation, so I fear we won't be as leisurely in the future as we are today."

He hinted subtly.

Jin Dan cultivators were not truly that idle.

"Two martial brothers, what are the identities of those two people?"

Jiang Ding thought for a moment and did not stand on ceremony. He pointed his finger, and sharp true qi with a faint blue tint surged from his fingertip, constructing two images in thin wisps—they were precisely the beautiful woman in the golden palace dress and the old man with fiery red hair.

Since the sword-shaped phantom began to condense within his soul, although it still lacked a physical form, it had become extremely sensitive to malice and killing intent from the outside world.

Just now, during the Foundation Establishment greeting ceremony in the sect main hall, the vast majority of Foundation Establishment cultivators were unhappy with him.

This was understandable; after nearly two hundred years of bitter cultivation, having a mortal sit above them was something no one could tolerate.

However, these two individuals had clear killing intent, even triggering the flying sword to tremble in warning, urging the sword master to stay away from the source of the immense danger.

"Junior brother, your spiritual sense is quite sharp."

The white-browed old cultivator praised, seemingly unsurprised, and introduced: "That junior is named Chu Fengxi, a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, the master of the Metal Pulse among the sect's seven pulses. Little Martial Brother, can you think of anything?"

"Golden Spirit Mountain!"

Jiang Ding's expression changed slightly.

"Correct."

"Little Martial Brother, Eldest Martial Brother will teach you a principle: in the cultivation world, the best things are never left lying around for no reason; they are all occupied by someone."

"The sect only has one Tier 2 peak-grade metal-attributed cave dwelling; the best of the rest are only Tier 2 mid-grade."

The white-browed old cultivator smiled faintly.

"Plus, this woman was timid and fearful in the last battle against the Blood Slaughter Hall, possessing none of the sharpness of the Metal Pulse, so I found an excuse to take this Golden Spirit Mountain."

"Is Martial Brother worried about provoking a great enemy?"

The white-browed old cultivator laughed: "If so, Martial Brother can return this cave dwelling to her, specifically saying it was your request, Little Martial Brother. This great enemy will vanish instantly; it is even highly possible that the beauty might offer herself to your pillow."

"No need."

Jiang Ding was silent.

"Sect spiritual land should naturally be occupied by the cultivator most capable of protecting and flourishing the sect in the future; it is not anyone's private property."

"Hahaha!"

Both Jin Dan cultivators laughed loudly.

"These words suit my temperament."

Zhou Sanyan laughed: "As for that red-haired old Daoist, he is my registered disciple, Zhou Kunlong, and also a distant nephew of mine, with peak Foundation Establishment cultivation."

"Then why..."

Jiang Ding asked, puzzled.

"The sect-founding ancestor, True Person Seven Feathers, had a great immortal fate. After passing away, he left behind many heavy treasures for the sect, one of which is named the Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Spiritual Tree. It bears fruit every nine hundred years. I cannot tell you how many fruits it bears, but consuming it raw can increase a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator's chance of forming a core by half a percent."

Jiang Ding's breathing hitched.

He did not need it too much, but it was too important for his mother and younger sister; it was almost impossible for them to rely on their own abilities to reach Foundation Establishment and Jin Dan.

And this half-percent was just the effect of direct consumption; the Immortal Sect's elixir industry was advanced and would certainly not be limited to this.

"Little Martial Brother only needs to know that in twenty-five years, one Nine-Orifice Golden-Forming Fruit will ripen, and the two of us will not participate in the competition for it."

"With that, do you understand?"

Jiang Ding understood.

This person regarded him as a life-and-death enemy blocking his path; even if he was just a mortal, having the status of Little Martial Uncle-Ancestor made him a huge variable.

Judging by the meaning of the two Jin Dan cultivators, it was impossible for them to give it to him.

It should involve sect regulations; Jin Dan cultivators could not occupy all the good things, or they would offend all the Foundation Establishment cultivators.

People fought tooth and nail; they had to be left with a glimmer of hope.

"In the cultivation world, this kind of thing is very normal."

The white-browed old cultivator laughed: "Eldest Martial Brother guarantees to you that the two of them will not dare to make a move within the sect."

"Just wait until you reach Foundation Establishment; that won't be difficult for you, Little Martial Brother."

"Martial Brother understands."

Jiang Ding bowed in thanks.

The two left behind a golden pendant, saying it was a relic from their former master—a peak-grade magic treasure capable of gathering spiritual energy, storing items, and resisting a strike from a Foundation Establishment cultivator—before taking their leave.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 155 =====