A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Upon arriving at the entrance of Yongning Temple, Wang Xun tethered his horse to the hitching post, and then dismissed the blue sedan chair. The two then entered Yongning Temple.

Inside the temple gate, a monk was already waiting to greet guests, but it wasn't Shuiyue.

Duan Rong presented his registration certificate. Wang Xun was the owner of Cunmu Hall and often received orders from Yongning Temple to make some Buddhist ritual implements, so most of the monks in the temple knew him.

The monk who was in charge of receiving guests led Duan Rong and Wang Xun into the temple.

Upon reaching a moon gate, the monk suddenly stopped, turned around, looked at Duan Rong and Wang Xun, and said, "Master Wang, please wait here for a moment. I will take him in first, and then I will take you to complete the formalities."

Wang Xun nodded, looked at Duan Rong, and said, "Shicheng, now that I'm in the sect, we won't see each other often. If you have time to come back, remember to visit me at Cunmu Hall."

Duan Rong blinked. This guy had become clever again, knowing that he was going to play the part completely. He replied, "Don't worry, Master. If I return to Xidu Prefecture, I will definitely visit you."

Wang Xun said, "That's good."

Duan Rong said, "Master, then I'll go."

Wang Xun said, "Go."

Duan Rong followed the monk through the moon gate, which turned out to be a rather quiet and spacious courtyard. From the hall of an old-fashioned house not far away, faint sounds of laughter and conversation could be heard.

The monk who was in charge of receiving guests led Duan Rong inside.

Upon entering, one sees two grand chairs at the head of the hall. On one side sits an old monk, whom Duan Rong recognizes as the abbot of Yongning Temple. On the other side sits another monk, dressed in a moon-white robe. Although a monk, he exudes competence and speaks with ease.

Below the two men sat three middle-aged men with unfamiliar faces. They seemed somewhat timid and hesitant, listening to the old monk and the monk chatting and laughing without daring to interrupt.

When the monk who was in charge of receiving guests entered, he put his palms together in a gesture of respect to everyone. Duan Rong, seeing this, immediately followed suit and bowed as well.

The abbot merely glanced at them before continuing his conversation with the monk in the moon-white robe.

The monk gave Duan Rong a wink and then led him into a side room.

Lifting the curtain to go inside, there were already five people sitting inside, all of them middle-aged men dressed neatly. As soon as the guest monk brought Duan Rong in, they all stood up and clasped their hands in greeting.

The monk in charge of receiving guests said to Duan Rong, "These are all the students admitted this year. They will enter the sect together later. You can wait here with them for a while."

After saying this, the monk who was in charge of receiving guests lifted the curtain and went out. Just as he was about to step out of the hall, the old monk suddenly called out to him, "Shui De, is everyone here?"

The monk in charge of receiving guests turned around and said, "Reporting to the abbot, six people have arrived, but three are still missing."

The old monk nodded and continued chatting with the monk beside him. The guest monk then withdrew.

Inside the side room, the six men had already introduced themselves. Because Duan Rong had posted the list first under the name Zhu Shicheng, the other five men showered him with praise, and Duan Rong responded with polite and modest words, going through the motions.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the other three arrived one after another.

The nine people were chatting quietly in the side room. Apart from Duan Rong, they were all middle-aged, some with graying temples. The craftsmen's skills were honed over time and were extremely difficult to achieve.

As the others chatted, Duan Rong rarely interrupted, simply sitting there with a faint smile. He would only speak a word or two when asked. After all, he didn't truly understand Xidu Prefecture; what he knew was merely something he had crammed on at the last minute, and speaking too much would easily expose his ignorance.

Those people were not surprised by Duan Rong's reaction. After all, everyone has their own personality. Judging from Duan Rong's calm and smiling demeanor, he was clearly quite humble and not the arrogant type who looked down on everyone.

Some people are simply born not fond of talking. Duan Rong, at such a young age, had already achieved such mastery in his craft, naturally indicating that he was a person obsessed with this art, and such people are usually not good at speaking.

About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a young novice monk suddenly ran into the hall from outside, shouting, "He's here, he's here!"

Upon hearing this, the old monk stood up and said, "Call the person out."

The young novice monk lifted the curtain and went into the side room, calling out Duan Rong and his group of nine.

The nine of them, along with the others in the hall, walked out into the courtyard. Duan Rong noticed that the old monk and the monk in the moon-patterned robe were both looking up at a certain point above their heads.

Duan Rong followed their gaze and saw a golden light fall like a streak of fire, stopping in the sky above the courtyard in just a few breaths.

Even Duan Rong was startled!

At this moment, everyone finally saw clearly what it was.
The old monk and the other monk seemed unfazed, but Duan Rong and the other eight were all astonished.

Duan Rong knew almost everything in the Taiyi Sect, but this was the first time he had ever seen this item.

The thing floating above the courtyard was a small boat, not very big. It was hovering in the air, swaying slightly, as if it were adrift in the sea of ​​officialdom. Its hull was engraved with dense ancient runes. At this moment, golden light flowed over the runes, making the somewhat dilapidated boat look like a divine object.

Although it was the first time Duan Rong had seen it, he knew it was a talisman.

Whether it's talismanic artifacts or talismanic arrays, only cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage can refine them, and they consume a great deal of mental and spiritual energy. Moreover, the materials are not ordinary items.

Therefore, the Taiyi Sect would never use talismanic artifacts to transport people. That would be a terrible waste.

However, the Faxiang school clearly had such a style.

No wonder the Faxiang Sect has been able to occupy the prosperous Yongzhou and dominate the Western Regions for tens of thousands of years. The depth of its foundation can be seen from the golden Cihang Boat in front of us.

Suddenly, the golden light on one side of the Compassionate Boat abruptly dissipated. From the dissipated golden light, two figures leaped down.

The two men were also monks dressed in moon-white robes. After exchanging greetings with the old monk and another monk, they grabbed Duan Rong and the others one by one and jumped into the golden, shimmering Cihang Boat.

Soon, only the old monk and the young novice remained in the courtyard. The two of them clasped their hands together in a gesture of respect. Then, the Compassionate Boat, gleaming with golden light, flew into the distant sky.

Duan Rong sat in a corner of the Cihang Boat. The boat was quite small, and it was already quite crowded with so many of them sitting on it.

Three monks dressed in moon-white robes, one holding a formation banner and the other two holding formation rulers, were steering this compassionate boat.

Amidst the shimmering golden light, Duan Rong could vaguely sense a mystery that transcended the laws of nature, something only Nascent Soul cultivators could fathom.

The Cihang Boat wasn't particularly fast; Duan Rong felt it was about the same speed as the Yunling Kuangying.

The Cihang Boat transformed into a golden light, weaving through the clouds. Soon, it reduced the Xidu Prefecture to the size of a palm in the field of vision, and it soon became unrecognizable.

Further west of Xidu Prefecture, not far away lies Yumen Pass.

Further west of Yumen Pass lies the Western Regions, a land of yellow sand, also known as the Moheyan Desert.

"We've arrived at Yumen Pass," a man on the boat said, looking down.

Upon hearing this, Duan Rong turned his head and looked down, only to see a lone pass built of yellow earth. A gust of wind blew by, and yellow sand filled the sky, the dust almost covering the pass's walls, resembling a yellow mist.

"The spring breeze does not reach Yumen Pass..." someone recited a line.

The Compassionate Boat transformed into a golden ray of light, passed through the Jade Gate Pass, and plunged into the vast Gobi Desert.

The clouds disappeared, and all that could be seen was endless yellow sand.

Once inside the Moheyan Desert, there's no need to avoid pedestrians anymore, because no one can leave the Moheyan Desert alive; in the endless yellow sand, there isn't a single person in sight.

The Compassion Boat began to fly lower.

Duan Rong sat there, looking down at the undulating sand dunes on the Gobi Desert below.

Suddenly a gust of wind rose below, stirring up yellow sand. The Compassionate Boat sailed through the sandstorm, its hull shimmering with golden light, preventing the sand from getting in at all.

Duan Rong saw that a sand dune not far away had been blown away by the strong wind, revealing a stone tower, and a skeleton sitting next to the stone tower.

Upon seeing the skeleton, the monk in the moon-white robe suddenly stood up, clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect, and muttered something under his breath. After a short while, he sat down again and muttered to himself, "Another senior fellow disciple who died while practicing asceticism."

Duan Rong was shocked to hear this. He had thought the skeleton was that of a lost traveler, but according to the monk, it was actually a cultivator who had died from ascetic practices.

Is the practice of the Faxiang School really this intense?

The vast, endless desert can make your eyes hurt after looking at it for a long time...

After an unknown amount of time, the sun began to set.

When the blood-red setting sun casts a veil of crimson over the entire desert, the desert reveals its poignant and mysterious side.

Amidst this blood-red landscape, an oasis suddenly appeared in the center of the yellow sand, resembling a city.

Looking out into the distance, there is a clear spring in the city, reflecting the crimson light of the setting sun, like an amber-colored wine.

Within the oasis city, various palaces stand side by side, with golden Buddha statues gleaming in the sunlight, creating a scene that resembles a fairyland from afar.

Surrounded by endless Gobi Desert, there is a city that seems to have fallen from the heavens to earth.

"We've arrived!" one of the monks said, waving the banner in his hand with force. Amidst the flashing golden light, the Compassionate Boat suddenly accelerated and rushed into the celestial palace filled with chanting.

The Compassionate Boat stopped somewhere, and one of the monks pointed with his array ruler, causing a patch of golden light on the side of the boat to dissipate on its own. He then said, "Go down."

The Compassionate Boat was still suspended in mid-air, about three or four zhang above the ground, so the craftsmen naturally dared not jump down. The monks then dragged them down one by one.

Everyone landed, and the Compassionate Boat transformed into a golden light and disappeared into the distance.

Duan Rong stood there, looking around briefly. He didn't know where he was, but there was a fountain nearby, with a stone turtle spouting water in the middle.

At this moment, besides Duan Rong and his group of nine, there was also the monk who was chatting and laughing with the abbot in Yongning Temple, and three middle-aged men were with him.

Along the way, Duan Rong had already roughly learned that the four of them were the people who reviewed their assessment results, and among them, the monk was clearly the leader.

“Let’s go. It’s getting late. We need to find you some lodgings tonight,” the monk said, walking along a narrow stone path.

Duan Rong and the others immediately followed.

Duan Rong stepped onto the cobblestone path, quite surprised. He was now standing on the grounds of the Faxiang Sect. Among the eight sects of the Nine Provinces, the Faxiang Sect was a rather mysterious entity. Firstly, naturally, because it was a Buddhist sect. Moreover, for tens of thousands of years, it had dominated the Western Regions. In the last two hundred years, the emergence of the unparalleled genius, Master Lingji, had made this already mysterious sect even more unfathomable.

The monk led the group to a building. The building seemed to be in a somewhat remote location, but it occupied a large area and was three stories high.

It was already getting dark. The monk glanced at the building, then turned and said, "We've arrived." He looked at the three middle-aged men who had followed him all the way and said, "You must be tired from your journey. Go and rest."

The three middle-aged men nodded in agreement. It was then that Duan Rong learned the name of the monk from them for the first time. All three called him Master Yu Dai.

After the three middle-aged men left, Yu Dai looked at Duan Rong and the others and said, "Come with me."

Yu Dai led Duan Rong and the other nine people into the building. On the first floor, they walked along a dark corridor to a corner.

Yu Dai pushed open the door and entered, at which point a voice immediately shouted, quite gruff. "I thought I wouldn't be able to make it tonight!?"

Yu Dai said, "Unless something happens on the way. Old Qin, I'm leaving these newbies in your hands."

Old Qin said, "Don't worry. Master Yudai, haven't I been handling this all along? You just go and rest."

Yu Dai smiled and then turned and left.

Old Qin glared at Duan Rong and the others, and said, "Come with me."

Duan Rong and the others followed Old Qin in a certain direction. Duan Rong sniffed the air and smelled a strong scallion aroma on Old Qin. He couldn't help but wonder, "Could this guy be a cook?"

Old Qin led them to a place where he took out a tinderbox and lit an oil lamp. There were nine neatly arranged tables and desks, each with a stack of old books on it.

Old Qin said, "After you come here, you will undergo seven days of training. This is where you will be trained. On the first day, Master Yudai, who brought you here, will explain some rules to you. For the next six days, the leaders of the six teams will each give you some instructions with a different focus. You will find out what they will say when the time comes. After the seven days of training, you will be assigned to different teams according to the rules."

After Old Qin finished speaking, he blew out the oil lamp with a puff and said, "Come out with me, come over here next door."

Everyone followed Old Qin to the next room, where Old Qin lit another dim oil lamp.

This was a cramped room with five bunk beds, all fully equipped with bedding.

Old Qin said, "You'll stay here tonight. Tomorrow morning, as soon as the bell rings, you must go next door. You'll be punished if you're late."

Old Qin suddenly lifted the white cotton cloth covering a wooden basin on the table beside him and said, "There's a basin of dried steamed buns and a jar of water here. That's your dinner. You came back late, and the canteen is already closed. Just make do with this for tonight."

After saying that, Lao Qin turned and walked away.

The craftsmen were starving, and when they saw the oily steamed buns, they immediately became very hungry and started eating them with just water.

Duan Rong also ate a piece to mark the occasion.

After finishing their meal, everyone went to rest. (End of Chapter)