Translator-Rhapsodite
Editor- Koneko, Proofreader- Spring Flower
Jiang Nan’an asked, “Who is the Patriarch?”
The golden-haired mechanical creature paused for a moment, stopping for two seconds.
Then it replied:
“The Grandmaster is a True Immortal Lord. He will teach you how to refine essence, to transmute essence into qi… to refine the qi into spirit… to refine the spirit into emptiness and merge with the Dao, to finally reach the realm of a true immortal.”
“Heh.”
Upon hearing this, Bei Quan chuckled softly.
Even ‘that person’ in the Zhu Ling Secret Realm never referred to themselves in such a way. He was curious to see who had the confidence to utter the words ‘true immortal.’
“Oh?”
Jiang Nan’an couldn’t help but ask.
“May I inquire about the Ancestor’s full name?”
The golden-haired creature tilted its head while looking down at him.
“Please rephrase your question.”
Jiang Nan’an thought for a moment and simplified his wording, “I’m asking, what is the Grandmaster’s name?”
This time, the mechanical creature understood and nodded,
“The Grandmaster’s Daoist name is ‘Tianyuan’.”
Bei Quan chuckled silently.
———Is this ‘True Immortal’ from the city of Tianyuan?
Having a Daoist name that matches the city name makes it easy to remember.
As they spoke, the three followed the creature and climbed a spiral staircase.
The three ascended the stairs and when they reached the end, there was an arched stone door.
The door had no gate, but when standing outside, Bei Quan and the others could only see a swirling vortex, but were unable to see what was inside the door.
The golden-haired creature led them through the mist.
Behind the stone gate, was a large hall made of marble. The closest end was narrow, with the backend being wider. In total it was roughly at least 30 meters long. The wider side had a curved arc and from above, it appeared to have a sort of fan shape.
The entrance of the main hall was set in the center of the fan-shaped long side.
Bei Quan, Wei Fuyuan, and Jiang Nan’an walked side by side into the hall and immediately saw a three-meter-high platform at the end of the main hall.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
On the platform was an extravagantly designed throne with someone sitting on it.
Qtfc Qfl Mesejc rjk atf atgbcf bc atf qijaobgw, tf mbeivc’a tfiq yea kjca ab wjxf j rjgmjralm mbwwfca.
Pc afgwr bo rlhf jcv rtjqf, atf atgbcf kjr fjrlis gfwlclrmfca bo atf ojwber ‘Pgbc Ktgbcf’ lc ‘Vbcu bo Pmf jcv Mlgf’.
Lbkfnfg lcrafjv bo rkbgvr, la kjr mjgnfv klat jcueijg wjgyif, ibrlcu atf juugfrrlnf jegj bo kfjqbcr jcv agjcrobgwlcu lcab j tfjns jcv qgfafcalber rasif.
As for the person sitting on the throne, they were dressed in an exquisite moon-white robe, with a trailing hem. The cuffs and collar were embroidered with golden-threaded dragons. Their long, snow-white hair was untied and was casually draped without a crown on their head. It was reminiscent of the esteemed scholars of the Wei and Jin dynasties.
They emitted a faint white light, making it impossible to see their appearance, only able to decipher from their tall figure and the style of their clothes that they were likely an adult man.
Below the elevated platform, there were rows of sixty-four cushions on both sides, with many of them already occupied.
Upon hearing the sound of the door opening, these people turned their heads and looked at Bei Quan and the others.
Unlike the man on the throne, who was dressed in a wide robe with large sleeves, the people sitting on the cushions wore extremely ordinary and casual looking clothes.
Most of the men were wearing T-shirts and shirts, while the girls were dressed in refreshing summer attire.
There were even two people wearing pajamas. As the door opened, the person on the throne leant forward and said, “Welcome… all of you.”
The tone of the person’s speech was slow, deep, and heavy with a slightly hoarse ending. It sounded like an elderly person in their sixties or seventies, fitting the stereotypical image of a ‘reclusive master’.
The old man’s manner of speaking was so distinctive that it was easy to overlook the slight unnatural pauses he made earlier.
However, Bei Quan noticed.
He didn’t say anything, just curled his lips and smiled silently.
“Today, Tianyuan City has gained three new disciples. What a fortunate event! Indeed, a fortunate event!”
The old man laughed heartily with his deep voice and pointed below the high platform.
“In that case, sit down and listen to me.”
Jiang Nan’an raised an eyebrow, glanced at Bei Quan and Wei Fuyuan, then turned to the old man sitting on the throne at the top of the platform.
“We haven’t decided whether or not to join your sect yet!”
“Hahaha! Interesting, interesting!”
The Patriarch Tianyuan laughed loudly. “I have never encountered anyone who didn’t want to join my sect.”
He pointed again to the cushions below the high platform and said, “You might as well sit down and listen to my sermon before deciding whether or not to join my sect!”
With that, the old man gestured for them to make themselves comfortable and continued with his sermon.
Bei Quan, Wei Fuyuan, and Jiang Nan’an exchanged glances and found three empty cushions in the back before sitting cross-legged.
They wanted to hear what this self-proclaimed ‘Tianyuan’ cultivator had to say.
“……The Dao encompasses all phenomena, revealing the true path. By understanding the characteristics of the Dao, one can embrace and uphold it, transcending worldly attachments and eliminating impurities. External appearances do not affect one’s inner nature…… Cultivating the true essence, one resides in a state of boundless tranquility, where form and mind merge into the one true sect……”
“……The mind is the dwelling place of our primordial spirit, where consciousness and divine essence reside within the eternal Dao…… Therefore, all of you rely on observing fasting and practicing asceticism as the bridge to cultivate immortality, displaying the true path of cultivation……”
Patriarch Tianyuan spoke eloquently from his throne, his voice resonating with a deep and melodious tone, each word harmonizing with the rhythm, like reciting a lengthy poem.
Unfortunately, regardless of how divine the old man’s voice sounded during his sermon, the content remained a mystery.
Ordinary people without a foundation in the Dao may not understand the words being spoken, let alone grasp their deeper meaning, even if they listened attentively.
So, rather than calling it a sermon, it was more like a hypnotic experience— listening to it made you feel like dozing off.
After hearing just a few sentences, Wei Fuyuan felt bored.
If it wasn’t for Bei Quan and Jiang Nan’an sitting upright beside him, he would have rested his head on his hand and closed his eyes to take a nap.
The voice of Patriarch Tianyuan continued to resonate in the spacious hall, creating a surround sound effect.
However, strangely enough, Wei Fuyuan found himself captivated without realizing it.
Although the words and phrases were still profound and difficult to understand, the old man’s voice entered his brain through his ears, as if striking his heart and soul. Somehow, it resonated some indescribable and inexplicable emotions deep within his spirit.
In middle school textbooks, he read a sentence, “When Confucius heard the music of Shao, for three months he did not notice the taste of meat.”
At that time, Young Master Wei couldn’t comprehend how captivating and beautiful the music of Shao must be to make someone so engrossed that they wouldn’t even want to eat.
But at this very moment, when Wei Fuyuan listened to the old man’s sermon, he was completely captivated, and wanted to continue listening indefinitely, as if he had an impulse to listen until the end of time.
It was as if nothing else could pique his interest except for the teachings of the true Dao…
……
Suddenly, Wei Fuyuan shivered without warning.
He snapped back to reality and felt his right-hand heating up.
Reflexively, Wei Fuyuan lowered his head and discovered a small charm in the palm of his right hand.
He looked at Bei Quan, who was sitting beside him, in astonishment.
Bei Quan smiled at him, raised his index finger, and quietly made a ‘shush’ gesture.
With their unspoken understanding as lovers, Wei Fuyuan instantly understood Bei Quan’s meaning.
Even if Comrade Xiao Wei knew nothing about Daoism and mystical arts, he had already realized there was something wrong with this lecture by Patriarch Tianyuan.
Wei Fuyuan glanced at Jiang Nan’an on the other side.
Jiang Nan’an sat upright on the cushion, with a straight back, hands neatly placed on his knees, chin slightly lifted, facing the high platform, and his eyes fixed on the indistinct figure on the throne.
His face was filled with an expression of infatuation and intoxication, clearly completely absorbed in listening.
Comrade Xiao Jiang, who was considered half a Buddhist, was now immersed in the Daoist classics as if he didn’t even know who he was anymore.
Wei Fuyuan cautiously glanced at the others in the hall.
In front of him sat a young couple, the girl appeared to be in high school, and the boy being roughly the same age as himself.
Those two people were also sitting upright, facing the high platform, motionless. If you only looked at their backs, they were like two statues.
Wei Fuyuan wanted to turn his head, but he felt Bei Quan gently nudge his right hand.
He knew that Bei Quan was reminding him not to attract the attention of the individual that was speaking on the high platform.
So, Wei Fuyuan stopped moving and sat up straight, continuing to listen to Patriarch Tianyuan’s teachings.
However, this time, Wei Fuyuan no longer felt the captivating attraction of the other person’s lofty discourse, only a sense of boredom…
———————-
On August 31st, Tuesday, at 6:35 in the morning.
Bei Quan opened his eyes.
“You’re awake?”
Tian Jia Xin heard the movement, jumped off the chair, and ran to his side.
“There’s still a little incense left. I was planning to wake you up in another twenty minutes.”
Bei Quan waved his hand, then got up to wake Wei Fuyuan, who was sleeping next to him.
For the past few days, in order to facilitate everyone entering Comrade Xiao Jiang’s dream together, the three had been sleeping directly on the floor in the living room.
Tian Jia Xin and Zhu Ling were spirits, who didn’t need to sleep, and were responsible for guarding this side. If they didn’t wake up at the designated time, they would find a way to wake them up.
“Xiao Wei.”
Bei Quan reached out and patted Wei Fuyuan’s shoulder a few times.
“Wake up.”
Wei Fuyuan’s reaction were to tightly furrow his brows as if he was very uncomfortable, but he didn’t show any signs of waking up.
Bei Quan snapped his fingers and quickly drew a symbol on the palm of Wei Fuyuan’s right hand.
Then he formed a hand seal and chanted quickly, “External evil shall not be disturbed. The heart and mind is clear and tranquil. The 3 spirits return to their rightful place. The path to the spiritual world is clear. Urgently, hear my command!”
Wei Fuyuan suddenly opened his eyes.
Then he staggered and stood up, barely making it to the wall as he vomited uncontrollably.
“Oh my goodness!”
After he finished vomiting, Wei Fuyuan leaned against the wall, swaying as he tried to remain standing.
Upon waking up, his stomach was empty and he could only vomit bile.
Now, his mouth was filled with a sour and bitter taste, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
“I feel… like I just rode three rounds of a roller coaster in one breath.”
He took a tissue from Bei Quan and wiped his mouth, tears welling up as he looked at Bei Quan.
“Why is it so uncomfortable?”
