Chapter 31: First Martial Arts Demonstration and Discussion of the Daoist Heart

If the sixty-four newly promoted disciples were to perform martial arts one by one, it would naturally take a long time; if they happened to be evenly matched, there is no telling how long it would take to finish.

Thus, Qianyuan Zhenren proposed that the Sect Leader preside over Wangxian Terrace, while the various Outer Disciples be divided into eight groups, each judged by the remaining Elders separately, with Lingxiang also among them.

This method could indeed save a lot of trouble, and upon hearing this, Shangqing Zhenren spoke in approval.

When Lingxiang heard the page relay this, she was so angry she could have ascended to heaven—this Second Senior Brother really knew how to find work for himself; now that she was no longer an Elder, but merely a Peak Master, having to act as a martial arts judge meant her perfectly good plans were disrupted, yet she could not complain to the other senior brothers, truly a case of a mute eating coptis, with no way to voice her bitterness.

In this way, she could only pin her hopes on Maidong alone.

The martial arts competition began simultaneously at eight arenas, with duels between pairs; before the sparring began, they were required to discuss the Dao, with each Elder posing a question for the disciples to answer on the stage, and only after their judgment would they begin the sword sparring.

Each Elder would be accompanied by two disciples, one to sit at a desk and record the process, and the other to stay by their side.

Shangqing Zhenren knew well that Lingxiang was mischievous and, to prevent her from teasing the Outer Disciples, specifically assigned Hanyang to her.

Although Hanyang's seniority was lower than Lingxiang's, he was older than her, and his cultivation was even above hers; he was steady and experienced, and as the Head Disciple of the Yuanqing Sect, he had deeply received the true teachings of Shangqing Zhenren.

Many years ago, he had also experienced that catastrophe of the sect; although he was young at the time, he still had not forgotten the tragedy of that moment.

During that catastrophe, the previous Sect Leader had entrusted Lingxiang to him; if not for his desperate protection, Lingxiang would not be as lively and active as she was today.

Over the years, despite the disparity in seniority, he treated her like an older brother, and unless it was something too absurd or unreasonable, he would grant her every request.

"Since the Head Senior Brother has already sent you, his prized disciple, why must you insist on calling me to participate? Wouldn't it be better to do something else instead of wasting this great time in vain?" Lingxiang interrupted Hanyang's train of thought with a string of complaints.

"In such an occasion, it is still necessary for those of the uncle-master generation to preside in order to appear solemn," Hanyang said expressionlessly.

"High position? What kind of high position do I have? That stubborn old man, your master, has been clutching the position of Palm Furnace for all these years and refuses to give it to me, and he even gave me some inexplicable title of Palm Furnace—palm what furnace! Am I to burn firewood and cook? I don't even know where he hid the furnace!" Lingxiang got angry just mentioning this.

Seeing her jumping up and down over this matter again, looking just like she did when she was a child, Hanyang smiled lightly and said nothing.

At the fourth quarter of the Chen hour, the martial arts competition began.

The disciples recognized Hanyang, and after stepping onto the stage, they all performed deep Daoist bows to him, but they did not recognize the young woman standing before him, and they were all astonished—this girl looked even younger than themselves, why would the Head Senior Brother stand by her side?

Seeing everyone like this, Lingxiang was used to it and took it as a matter of course, her expression listless and she could not be bothered to pay them any mind.

"Presiding over the competition for you all today is Peak Master Lingxiang of Qingwei Peak. You will step onto the Yanwu Stage in pairs, and the Peak Master will first pose a question on the Dao. Once you have answered, you shall begin the sword sparring upon the Peak Master's signal. This sword sparring is to stop at the point of contact; do not be aggressive and injure your fellow disciples." Seeing Lingxiang nod to him, Hanyang spoke the relevant matters in a clear voice.

These words left the disciples both surprised and suspicious: surprised at what ability this girl could possibly have to be a Peak Master of the Yuanqing Sect at such a young age; suspicious because they had only heard that, apart from the Sect Leader, there were only seven Elders presiding in the sect—when did another Peak Master appear?

Moreover, when they entered the sect, Fuyin Zhenren had strictly forbidden everyone from stepping foot on Qingwei Peak, yet now a Peak Master had popped up, making them unable to help but speculate on the situation.

Just as the disciples were looking at each other in confusion, not knowing what to make of it, Lingxiang spoke up.

"Alright! You are all members of the Daoist Sect, having cultivated for so long, do you not even have this bit of composure? Whispering and murmuring, what kind of decorum is this!" With her looking so serious, Hanyang almost couldn't keep a straight face.

Even today, Long Qi still hadn't managed to perform this sword technique smoothly, but fortunately, he was competing against Xin Yi; if not for the fact that all the disciples had drawn lots to determine their opponents at Hufeng Hall beforehand, he would have thought that Lingxiang had been pulling strings behind the scenes.

Xin Yi, for his part, also breathed a sigh of relief; this sword technique was vastly different from what he had learned in the past, and he truly could not adapt to it.

If a person makes a habit of one way of doing things, then no matter what, they cannot change it.

Habit becomes second nature.

When it was their turn to take the stage and they were asked why they studied the Dao, Xin Yi gave a standard answer, nothing more than cultivating the method to verify the Dao, clarifying the mind and seeing one's nature, inspiring spiritual perception, and so on.

Long Qi, however, was silent—he initially had no intention of cultivating; although he bore a family vendetta, he was actually just mindlessly chasing his enemy at the time, and if he hadn't met Lingxiang during that time at the Taishang Sect, he likely would never have entered the Dao.

"I cultivate because I cultivate, there is no 'why'."

Yes, if not for meeting Lingxiang.

"Cultivating the heart in the red dust, refining the method in a quiet place, transcending Reincarnation, ending life and death, verifying the Great Dao..."

The person on stage said this, but Lingxiang found it uninteresting—after a day of questioning, every answer was standard and rote; although she couldn't pick out any major errors, it was extremely dull.

"... This is the reason why this disciple seeks the Dao." The person on stage bowed and performed a Daoist salute, then retreated to the side and stood still.

Lingxiang looked up at him and saw that his figure was short and thin, his face gaunt and pale; he seemed to be the same age as Zhao Wuyang, but unlike him, who was soft and honest, this one had a face full of stubbornness.

Looking at the other disciple, he was tall and sturdy, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted; compared to the other side on the stage, it was truly a world of difference.

That person was none other than Chengkai.

"It is your turn to speak; why do you cultivate the Dao?" Lingxiang yawned and asked nonchalantly.

"I..."

Hearing no follow-up, Lingxiang looked up and saw Chengkai's face flushed red as he held his breath, unable to utter a single word.

After waiting for a moment, just as Hanyang was about to speak, he heard him say: "I cultivate because I cultivate, where would there be a 'why'? Just like the sky must rain and people must eat, it is just natural."

Oh ho? That is fresh; he is an interesting person.

Hearing this, Lingxiang looked at Chengkai, who stood in the middle with a red face, appearing exceptionally awkward.

"This way of putting it is not bad at all; it is common and intuitive, and it suits me very well."

Chengkai had not expected such a response; seeing Lingxiang's look of complete candor, he was stunned for a moment before performing a Daoist salute and retreating to the side to stand still.

I didn't expect this Chengkai to have such obsession, Hanyang thought to himself.

Anyone who joins a sect to cultivate the Dao will have some purpose, as the books say: either to seek the method and find the Dao, or to escape Reincarnation, or perhaps to learn a set of skills to subdue demons and defend the Dao.

But Chengkai did it for a woman; although he had only caught a glimpse of her once when he was young, she had been so stunning that he still could not forget her to this day.

It was just that the woman was a member of the immortal sect, refined and otherworldly, far beyond his reach; only by achieving the true fruit would he perhaps be able to see her again.

He had never mentioned this to anyone, burying it deep in his heart.

To seek the Dao, one must have obsession, only then can one advance to a higher level.

"In that case, the two junior brothers may begin your sparring," Hanyang said after receiving a signal from Lingxiang.