Chapter 8: Attending a Preschool Lecture

Everyone turned their heads and saw a dazzling, multicolored figure entering through the door. The vibrant radiance was so brilliant that even Qiu Ci instinctively squinted. What a splendidly radiant... person!

Squinting to get a better look, she realized it was indeed a person—a male disciple, no less. Unlike the others inside, who all wore plain white disciple robes, this newcomer was clad in a long robe of many colors. The hem was composed of individual multicolored feathers, and as he walked, the sunlight caught them, refracting brilliant streams of rainbow light. He looked as if he were wearing a suit embedded with LED color-changing lights, dazzlingly bright.

Could it be that a Shamart was here as well?

The man held a feathered fan, waving it gently as he strode forward with a stride that showed no regard for kinship or familiarity, moving boldly in all directions. He walked at a steady pace, not hurried, but the outer disciples who had just been lounging inside suddenly changed their expressions sharply, as if confronted by a ferocious beast. In an instant, all stood up and parted like the parting of the Red Sea, quickly making a two-meter-wide path in his direction.

Some even stumbled and fell from moving aside too quickly, but still struggled to their feet and cleared the way on their hands and knees.

The multicolored man seemed perfectly accustomed to this scene. Tilting his head back like a proud peacock, he walked straight ahead and took a seat in the central position at the front. Only then did the other disciples slowly return to their places, though no one dared sit in the two rows around him, leaving a vacant zone surrounding him.

Who was this man?

Curious, Qiu Ci whispered to Wen Zhang beside her, “Senior Wen, do you know who that is?”

Wen Zhang’s face stiffened, looking somewhat constipated as he replied, “That’s Senior Ban Mu from the Hundred Refinements Peak. He…” Wen Zhang seemed about to explain more but hesitated, then simply warned, “Just stay away from him whenever you see him. The farther, the better. Don’t get too close, no matter what.”

“Why?” Zhen Yi asked, intrigued. “Is this Senior’s background so powerful that he’s not to be trifled with?”

“Not exactly,” Wen Zhang shook his head.

“Is it because he’s highly skilled and strong?”

“He’s only two years ahead of you in cultivation.”

“Then why?”

“You’ll find out eventually,” Wen Zhang said, as if recalling something. He gave a final reminder, “Anyway, among the outer disciples, you’d rather offend an elder in charge than get near him.”

The three of them were bewildered but nodded in agreement.

Soon, the elder in charge of the lecture arrived. His eyes immediately fell upon the Shamart at the front and the vacant seats around him. The elder hesitated briefly but, strangely, said nothing about it. Instead, he pretended not to notice and began the lesson.

This lecture wasn’t about cultivation techniques or method analysis but covered foundational theoretical knowledge like the strange meridians, acupoint diagrams, and the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, even introducing some common cultivation lore.

These were quite useful even for disciples who had yet to draw energy into their bodies. Feng Ting and Zhen Yi listened attentively, but Qiu Ci had already absorbed much of this from the system when she first read the manual. Compared to the elder’s delivery, the system directly imprinted the information into her mind in a more comprehensive and detailed manner.

The elder lectured for a full three hours. Qiu Ci endured the whole time with Feng Ting and the others, nearly dozing off by the end, before the elder finally dismissed the class and everyone began to disperse.

Feng Ting and Zhen Yi were visibly excited, eagerly recalling the lesson’s content with eager anticipation to immediately apply what they learned.

Qiu Ci finally found an opportunity to ask Wen Zhang about the sect’s situation, and he didn’t refuse but instead spoke warmly.

“There are distinctions in cultivation for alchemy, talisman arrays, formations, laws, and swordsmanship. But since you just entered, you don’t need to worry about that yet. When you reach the Qi Refinement stage and join the outer sect, you can make your choice then. If you earn the favor of a peak master and join the inner sect, that’s even better. After all, the peak masters of our Xuantian Sect are all renowned Dao Lords.”

“Dao Lords?”

“Yes,” Wen Zhang nodded proudly. “Only cultivators who reach the Golden Core stage can be called Dao Lords. Among the three major sects, only our Xuantian Sect has ten Golden Core Dao Lords.”

“Is the Golden Core stage really that powerful?”

“Of course,” Wen Zhang answered earnestly. “The cultivation realms are: Qi Refinement, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and Divine Transformation. Each great realm is further divided into ten minor levels, and each breakthrough is extremely difficult. Across the Linyuan Continent, there are fewer than fifty Golden Core Dao Lords in total.”

“What about Nascent Soul?”

“That’s called the True Man stage, rarely seen in the mortal realm,” Wen Zhang continued. “I’ve heard that only the Immortal Alliance has Nascent Soul True Men, and Divine Transformation has never been heard of.”

“I see… so Divine Transformation is the highest realm?”

“Presumably,” Wen Zhang nodded.

Qiu Ci grew more confused. If Divine Transformation was the highest, then what about the Mahayana and Tribulation Crossing stages the system mentioned? Is their system different from hers?

Suppressing her confusion, she took the chance to inquire about the terrain. “Is there a Dao Lord peak master at the main peak where we are now?”

“No, there isn’t,” Wen Zhang shook his head and pointed to the floating peaks around them. “The main peak, also called the Outer Affairs Peak, handles external sect business and isn’t considered an official peak. Our Xuantian Sect is divided into three peaks and sixteen academies. The three peaks are: Hundred Refinements Peak, Azure Sky Peak, and Thousand Fathoms Peak. Hundred Refinements Peak specializes in talismans, formations, and artifacts; Azure Sky Peak cultivates alchemy and arcane arts; Thousand Fathoms Peak focuses on sword cultivation…”

Qiu Ci glanced toward the floating peak to the east. “That’s Thousand Fathoms Peak?”

“Yes. Sister Chu wants to cultivate swordsmanship?” Wen Zhang considered before warning, “Sword cultivation is the strongest in combat, but Thousand Fathoms Peak is not easy to enter. Our sect leader himself is the peak master there, with only three disciples, all already at Foundation Establishment level. Their standards for disciples are extremely strict; it’s very difficult to join the outer sect there.”

“Is it really that hard?” Qiu Ci casually pointed toward the side and rear of Thousand Fathoms Peak. “What peak is behind that?”

Wen Zhang tilted his head, replying casually, “That’s not a peak. It’s a forbidden zone! It’s said to be the burial ground of our Xuantian Sect’s ancient ancestors. To avoid disturbing the founders, no disciple is allowed near.”

“I see,” Qiu Ci finally understood.

She probed for more information obliquely before bidding farewell to Wen Zhang and returning to the courtyard. Feng Ting and Zhen Yi were eager to practice what they had learned and didn’t linger, exchanging greetings before heading to their own rooms.

As dusk gradually fell, Qiu Ci thought about the data issue. Taking advantage of everyone resting, she slipped out again.

Forbidden zone or not, she had to go take a look at that “research institute” no matter what.