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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 18: Apprenticeship
The moment they stepped out of the Yunlu Xian Sect, Lin Feng and Dugu Po vanished from within the sect. When they reappeared, they found themselves standing on a vast desert.
Lin Feng looked around, no longer seeing the pristine white snow. He even summoned his Divine Consciousness but could not sense any trace of a Snowstorm. It was as if the Yunlu Xian Sect had never existed at all. Everything that had just happened felt like a dream.
“Junior Brother, let’s go,” Dugu Po said to Lin Feng.
“Where to?” Lin Feng asked.
“Home.”
Dugu Po summoned his Eyebrow-Height Staff, and the two of them soared into the sky, flying swiftly atop it. The Black Serpent curled up in Dugu Po's arms, waiting to recover.
Lin Feng had no idea how long they flew, but eventually, they entered a realm shrouded in mist. This place exuded an ancient and sacred aura. Within the fog, a mountain floated majestically.
Lin Feng gazed at the peak that towered amidst the clouds, its summit hidden from view, as if it reached into the heavens. The Mountain was adorned with ancient trees, their branches lush and vibrant, occasionally disturbed by animals darting out.
This mountain radiated a rich Vital Energy, rivaling that of the Half-Moon Bay in Yunlu Xian Sect. If Half-Moon Bay was a Yuan Lake, then this mountain was a Yuan Mountain.
Everything about the Mountain—its very essence and all living things—was infused with Vital Energy.
“What a magnificent Yuan Mountain,” Lin Feng exclaimed in awe.
“This mountain is called Emperor Mountain, a treasure left behind by Shishu, and I have been comprehending its Dao,” Dugu Po explained.
At that moment, Lin Feng recalled how his senior brother had summoned a mountain during a battle at Azure Cloud Sect. It indeed resembled this one; however, its power was nowhere near comparable to that of the mountain before him.
"Is this the secret cave of Shishu?" Lin Feng asked.
"This is the cave that Master and Shishu opened together. This place is known as the Divine Ruins," Dugu Po replied, landing with Lin Feng.
Before them stood three houses: a thatched cottage, a wooden house, and an attic. Dugu Po pointed to the attic and said, "That is my residence."
Then he gestured toward the wooden house and continued, "That is where the Senior Brother lives."
Finally, Dugu Po pointed to the thatched cottage and said, "That cottage belongs to Master."
Lin Feng suddenly remembered something that had been troubling him. He asked, "Has Master really gone missing?"
"Master has certainly not gone missing," Dugu Po replied as he led Lin Feng to tour their homes.
Lin Feng followed closely behind and inquired, "Where is Master? Why do they say he is missing?"
"Master has ascended. They cannot follow him, so they can only claim he is missing," Dugu Po explained as he pushed open the door to the wooden house. Inside, everything was quite simple: a bed, a chair, a table, and an old bookshelf filled with ancient books.
"What about Senior Brother?" Lin Feng asked as he looked around the empty room.
"Senior Brother is very busy. Ever since he took the Pouch and left, he hasn't returned," Dugu Po answered.
Lin Feng simply acknowledged this with an "oh" and refrained from probing further. Instead, he remarked on the simplicity of the wooden house, saying, "Senior Brother has a modest lifestyle."
"That is influenced by the master."
Dugu Po led Lin Feng to the front of a thatched cottage and then pushed open the door. Inside the cottage, there was nothing but a straw bed.
"This is too simple," Lin Feng said in disbelief. If it were him, no matter how hard he practiced, he could never achieve such a state, seeing everything outside as empty.
"Between people, because of differences, there are more individuals. The eldest senior brother is most influenced by the master and has always looked up to him throughout his life. Although his style is similar to that of the master, it has already changed somewhat," Dugu Po explained patiently.
"Senior brother, shouldn't we go see your room?" Lin Feng couldn't help but ask, secretly wondering if the refined and gentle second senior brother's room would also be this plain.
Following Dugu Po up to the second floor, he pushed open a door. Lin Feng saw a room that was classical and full of charm. Upon entering, he noticed paintings on the walls and books on the desk; this was a study. Next to the study was a bedroom. Opening that door revealed a cozy sight. The floor was covered with a carpet, and there was a vanity inside. A fragrant incense burner adorned the ancient town decor. The soft couch had its own unique style, draped with sheer curtains.
Lin Feng smiled and said, "Second senior brother, this can't possibly be your room?"
"This is Third Junior Sister's room. I am above her on the third floor, which is the top floor."
Lin Feng ascended to the third floor. Aside from the hallway, there was only one very large room. As Dugu Po opened the door, a squirrel leaped out and landed on his shoulder. Birds chirped, perching atop Dugu Po's head.
Lin Feng had never seen such a large room before. The entire third floor had been made into one room. There were no soft couches; instead, there were bedding materials laid out for sleeping on the ground.
In front of the bedding was a low table covered with ancient texts.
The third floor had numerous windows, most of which were wide open. Inside were many various cute animals.
Lin Feng couldn't help but exclaim, "I didn't expect your room to be so delightful. If Miaomiao saw this, she would surely be thrilled."
"Are you saying she would try to take my room?" Dugu Po asked seriously.
Lin Feng chuckled, "So Second Senior Brother can smile too."
According to the customs of Divine Ruins, the first task for new disciples is to pay their respects to their master. The process is simple: on the first night, they must sleep on the straw bed in the Market.
As night fell, Lin Feng entered the room in the Market. Looking around, it was most accurately described as bare and empty.
"Sleeping to pay respects, now that's something unusual."
With great interest, Lin Feng lay down on the straw bed and almost instantly fell asleep, entering a dream. In his dream, he saw endless Stone Steps.
"What does this mean? Am I supposed to ascend the Stone Steps to meet my master?"
Lin Feng stepped onto the Stone Steps but felt an invisible resistance that prevented him from moving forward. The force was immense; even with all his cultivation, he couldn't take a single step.
"Do I have to crawl?"
He tried kneeling on one knee and found that he could settle on the first step without any resistance.
"It seems I really have to proceed on my knees."
Looking at the seemingly endless Stone Steps, Lin Feng thought to himself that if he had to crawl all the way up, he didn't know how long it would take to reach the top. Is this the test of sincerity in paying respects?
Just as Lin Feng was pondering this, the Stone Steps suddenly vanished before him. A gust of wind swept through, waking him up and lifting him out of the room.
"Master, I'm kneeling!"
Lin Feng wanted to re-enter but found that the door of the Thatched Cottage was tightly shut and could not be pushed open.
Lin Feng felt dejected as he found Dugu Po and asked, "Second Senior Brother, Master has expelled me."
Dugu Po was reading by candlelight, seemingly unaware of Lin Feng's presence. Lin Feng repeated his question several times, but Dugu Po remained silent, as if he couldn't see Lin Feng at all.
"It took me so long to win first place at the Jiuzhou Gathering Conference and enter the Divine Ruins. It can't be that I've been kicked out just because I failed to become a disciple. Why is Second Senior Brother ignoring me?"
Lin Feng returned to the entrance of the Thatched Cottage and sincerely pleaded, "Master, I realize my mistake. Please give me another chance."
Inside the Thatched Cottage, there was nothing but silence; no response came. Lin Feng tried to push the door open again, and to his surprise, it creaked open with a soft sound.
"Thank you, Master."
Believing that the Market had forgiven him, Lin Feng felt a surge of joy in his heart. He quickly lay down on the straw bed and soon fell into a deep sleep.
The next time Lin Feng found himself in front of the Stone Steps, he remembered the lesson from before and knelt down on one knee, bowing toward the First Rank of the Stone Steps. Just as he was about to touch the ground, he suddenly stopped.
His Stone Pearl began to vibrate violently within him. This was an unprecedented occurrence.
"Stone Pearl, what's wrong? Is there another way to ascend?"
Standing upright, Lin Feng attempted to climb up, but the invisible resistance still held firm. Even when he unleashed his cultivation power, he couldn't break through this force.
"It seems I need to kneel. It's a test of sincerity."
Just as Lin Feng was about to kneel down, a gust of wind returned and swept him out of the cottage. That night, no matter how many times he knocked on the door or pleaded, he could not gain entry.
"It's all your fault, Stone Pearl! If it weren't for your interference, I would have already paid my respects to Master."
"Alas, it seems I can only return tomorrow."
Lin Feng spent the night meditating outside the Thatched Cottage. As dawn broke the next day, he respectfully knocked on the door. When it opened, Lin Feng rushed inside and dove onto the grass bed.
"It’s only now that I realize how comfortable this grass bed is, making me long for it."
Lin Feng noticed the Stone Steps and without a second thought, quickly knelt down. The Stone Pearl within him began to vibrate violently. Lin Feng ignored it and remained kneeling. Suddenly, the Stone Pearl emitted Chaotic Energy, causing Lin Feng to faint on the ground.
When Lin Feng woke up, he found himself lying outside the Thatched Cottage.
"Stone Pearl, what are you trying to do?"
After yet another failure, Lin Feng felt a surge of anger. He wanted to throw the Stone Pearl away and go to the Stone Steps to pay his respects alone. However, the Stone Pearl was completely beyond his control and he couldn't expel it from his body.
The Stone Pearl attacked Lin Feng spontaneously, an unprecedented occurrence. No matter how hard he tried to figure it out, he couldn't find an answer. He sought advice from his second senior brother, but his second senior brother consistently ignored his presence.
Time passed like this; again and again, Lin Feng was unable to successfully kneel in worship. Yet with each violent expulsion of Chaotic Energy by the Stone Pearl, Lin Feng noticed that his Physical Strength increased significantly after each awakening.
A month later, Lin Feng's physical body reached a terrifying level of Enlightenment. He sat in meditation and discovered that his Internal Organs and Eight Extraordinary Meridians were all crystal clear.
"With my body in Enlightenment, I refuse to believe I can't succeed."
This time, standing before the Stone Steps, Lin Feng knelt down. The Stone Pearl within him began to vibrate Chaotic Energy as usual, attempting to knock him unconscious and prevent him from kneeling.
But this time, Lin Feng endured the immense pain threatening to destroy him. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he heard the sound of his bones shattering and meridians rupturing.
If not for the presence of the Stone Pearl within him, enduring such severe injuries would have made survival nearly impossible.
“Stone Pearl, why are you stopping me? You hurt me, and now you want to use Chaotic Energy to save me. Isn't that contradictory?”
Lin Feng gritted his teeth tightly, relying on his extraordinary willpower to avoid collapsing to the ground. This time, he finally knelt on the steps. However, this was only the First Rank.
Looking up, there were countless more steps ahead.
“Goodness, when will this end?”
Lin Feng thought to himself, does becoming a disciple really have to be this difficult? Then he collapsed and fainted. (To be continued...)
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