nyslfriends Chapter 99 Factional Divisions
Chapter 99 Factional Divisions
The next morning, just as Zhang Lin got up, there was a knock on the gate.
Upon opening the door, he saw an unfamiliar young Taoist boy in blue robes, holding a blue token. He bowed respectfully to Zhang Lin and said, "Senior Brother Zhang, the Peak Master invites you to his courtyard after your morning prayers."
Zhang Lin's gaze fell on the token. The Cuiping Peak seal was clearly visible, and it was indeed the Peak Master's token.
He put away the token: "Understood, then I will go."
The young Taoist bowed again, turned and left, his steps light and quick, disappearing in the blink of an eye at the end of the bluestone path.
Zhang Lin returned to his room, changed into the Tianlan Daoist robe, carefully stored away the ancient artifact of fortune he had received the day before, and put the Hundred-Refined Bronze Furnace and several bottles of pills into his storage bag before finally pushing open the door and going out.
Outside the courtyard, the morning dew was still wet, and the branches and leaves of the osmanthus tree rustled in the morning breeze.
Yu Youwei happened to come out of courtyard number eighty-three, carrying a bamboo basket in her hand, and was heading to the spirit field.
Seeing that he was neatly dressed, he asked, "Where are you going?"
"The Peak Master summons you."
Yu Youwei nodded without asking any further questions. She simply told him to come back soon and then carried the bamboo basket toward the spirit field.
Zhang Lin walked along the bluestone path toward the summit.
The courtyard of the master of Cuiping Peak is located on a slightly higher part of the mountainside, adjacent to the lecture hall. It is a two-courtyard house with blue bricks and gray tiles.
Two old plum trees stand in front of the courtyard gate, their branches gnarled and twisted like iron. Although it is not the flowering season, they still exude a sense of vigor and strength.
The courtyard gate was ajar, and a wooden plaque hung above the gate with the four characters "The Way of Heaven is Constant" written in a simple and unadorned style.
Zhang Lin stopped in front of the door, straightened his robes, and knocked on the door knocker.
"Disciple Zhang Lin requests an audience as summoned."
"Come in," Lu Yuanshan's voice came from the courtyard.
Zhang Lin pushed open the door and entered.
Passing through the courtyard and entering the hall, the space is not large, but it is decorated in an elegant and tranquil manner.
A sandalwood table, a few cushions, and a landscape painting of misty clouds hanging on the wall, the ink vibrant and the artistic conception profound.
Lu Yuanshan had already taken his seat in the main position, with the three deacons standing on his left and right.
Lu Yuanshan nodded slightly and pointed to the futon opposite him: "Sit."
Zhang Lin sat down as instructed, his back straight, his eyes looking straight ahead, neither humble nor arrogant.
Lu Yuanshan looked at him for a moment and said, "I saw your performance yesterday."
"In the path of alchemy, your ability to refine the Qi Cultivation Pill to the highest grade, creating a rare phenomenon in the outer sect over the past hundred years, as well as your skills in both technique and combat, such as breaking three puppets in five breaths and crushing Zhou Mingyuan in the finals, are not something that an ordinary Qi Refining Perfection cultivator could achieve."
He paused, then asked, "I ask you, you've only been in the Danxia Sect for a little over a month, yet you've made such progress. What is the secret to that?"
This is a test.
Zhang Lin's mind raced, but his face remained calm as he replied, "Reporting to Peak Master, before joining the sect, I cultivated at Shangqing Temple and had some fortuitous encounters, which is why my progress was somewhat faster."
"After joining the sect, I dared not slack off. I meditated and refined elixirs every day, and dared not let down the sect's cultivation."
He didn't utter a single lie, attributing everything to a stroke of luck and diligence.
In the cultivation world, fortuitous encounters are commonplace, and the system itself is no exception. Lying is more likely to expose one's true colors.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yuanshan remained noncommittal, then asked, "Do you have any personal grudge against Zhou Mingyuan?"
Zhang Lin was silent for a moment, then said, "Reporting to Peak Master, Zhou Mingyuan is the eldest son of the Zhou family in Qingxuan City. When I participated in the alchemy competition in Qingxuan City, I won first place, while Zhou Mingyuan came in second. He harbors resentment towards me."
"After that, the Zhou family sent people to test my background many times. After I entered the sect, someone also secretly kept an eye on me. Yesterday, during the alchemy assessment, I mixed blood-thread grass into the medicinal materials. Although there is no concrete evidence, I am aware of it."
This statement came out.
Du Zhong spoke up, "Steward Sun has already reported the matter of the Blood Thread Grass. Manager Wang of the Spirit Materials Room was recommended by the Zhou family, so there is indeed something fishy about this matter."
Qian Tong sneered: "The Zhou family's reach is too far; they even dare to tamper with minor outer sect contestants."
Lu Yuanshan raised his hand and pressed down, and the quiet room immediately fell silent.
He looked at Zhang Lin, his gaze deep: "Do you know that the status of an outer disciple of the Danxia Sect is insignificant in front of the Zhou family?"
Zhang Lin said, "This disciple understands."
"Then why did you choose to confront him directly?"
Zhang Lin remained silent for a moment, then said frankly, "Because this disciple is unwilling to retreat."
"The path of cultivation is one of progress without regression. I entered the Danxia Sect to seek the Dao, not to avoid disaster."
"If you yield at every turn out of fear of powerful families, then the path you cultivate will not be the path to immortality, but the path to survival."
In a quiet room, you could hear a pin drop.
The three deacons looked at each other in bewilderment. Lu Yuanshan stared at Zhang Lin for a long time before suddenly smiling.
The smile was extremely faint and fleeting, yet it left everyone present stunned.
The peak master was calm and rarely showed his emotions in front of outsiders. Although his smile was brief, it was enough to say something.
"A fine example of 'no retreat'." Lu Yuanshan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly said, "Zhang Lin, I ask you, are you willing to become my disciple and a personally taught disciple of Cuiping Peak?"
Upon hearing this, the entire room fell silent.
The three deacons all looked at Zhang Lin, their eyes filled with urging.
Although both are disciples of the Danxia Sect, the treatment of direct disciples and outer disciples is vastly different.
There are three thousand outer disciples, but fewer than twenty personal disciples. Each one is a future pillar carefully selected and nurtured by the peak master.
Zhang Lin did not answer immediately.
He rose from his seat, straightened his clothes, knelt down, clasped his hands above his head, and spoke in a steady and powerful voice.
"Disciple Zhang Lin wishes to become the Peak Master's disciple."
Lu Yuanshan nodded slightly, took out a token from his sleeve, and handed it over.
The token is dark blue all over, made of neither gold nor jade. The front is engraved with the three characters "Cuiping Peak" and the back is engraved with the character "Lu".
It was exactly the same as the one given to him at Thousand-Foot Cliff, except that this token had a faint spiritual light flowing over it, and its grade was completely different.
"This token is the mark of a direct disciple of Cuiping Peak. With this token, one can enter the third floor of the Cuiping Peak Scripture Pavilion, receive a monthly offering of 500 spirit stones, and two second-grade superior Qi Condensation Pills. It can be used after Foundation Establishment."
"Furthermore, you no longer need to live in your current courtyard number seventy-two. I will allocate another cave dwelling for you halfway up Cuiping Peak."
Zhang Lin accepted the token with both hands: "Thank you, Master."
Lu Yuanshan then said, "There is something I need to tell you before you become my disciple."
"The outer and inner sects of the Danxia Sect have always been divided into two lineages. One lineage is the master-disciple lineage, where disciples are taught orally by their master and disciple, emphasizing a solid foundation and progressing step by step."
"The other lineage is the inheritance of aristocratic families, where disciples unite as a group with their families, emphasizing the accumulation of resources and the cultivation of personal connections."
"I am a member of the master-disciple lineage. Now that you have joined my sect, you are also a disciple of the master-disciple lineage. In the future, you will inevitably have to deal with people from aristocratic families within the sect."
He paused, his gaze falling on Zhang Lin: "You have a deep-seated grudge against the Zhou family. Even if you don't become my disciple, the Zhou family will not let you go."
"Instead of doing that, let me share some of the burden with you."
Zhang Lin understood.
While Lu Yuanshan's decision to accept him as a disciple was partly due to his high aptitude, a deeper reason was to use him, a thorn in the side of the aristocratic families, to suppress the influence of the outer sect aristocratic lineage.
It doesn't matter why you are valued.
With the system at his disposal and the ability to enhance it, as long as the platform is large enough and the resources are plentiful, he will surely soar to great heights sooner or later.
Whether it's a master-disciple lineage or a noble family lineage, for him, they are all ladders to leverage, not shackles to bind him.
"I understand," he said. "I will always remember Master's kindness in nurturing me."
Lu Yuanshan nodded in satisfaction and said, "There's no rush for the apprenticeship ceremony. Go back and rest for a day. Come to the main hall of Cuiping Peak at dawn tomorrow, and I will make the arrangements for you."
Zhang Lin cupped his hands in agreement, bowed to the three stewards, and then left the hall.