Ascending to Immortality by Slaying Spirits

Chapter 176 - Leisurely Journey, Sect Reform

Sunlight streamed down, and the river shimmered with golden light. Despite it being winter, the banks of the river were lush with greenery.

I don't find this strange, after all, different weather and different seasons are common in this world.

It's not uncommon for neighboring countries to experience snow all year round, while one's own country suffers from severe drought year-round.

There are many theories about why this happened, but the most popular explanation is that in ancient times, gods and demons perished, and their corpses mixed with the earth, which led to different climates in different regions.

This also explains why some regions uniquely produce certain spiritual items.

On the wide river, a small boat drifts downstream.

A boy on the boat is fishing with a fishing rod, while a plump woman is roasting fish by a clay stove. At first glance, it looks like a woman taking her child out for a trip.

These two are Lin Le and Ling Muzhu.

Although he has now left the mountain gate, Lin Le has no intention of running away.

Escape? There's no way to escape now. Since he joined the Xuan Tian Sect, his soul tablet has already been made.

That thing can know both his life and death, as well as his whereabouts.

So even if he escapes to the ends of the earth, he can't escape Xu Lingzi's pursuit, and he might even be personally killed by him as a traitor to the sect.

"Junior brother, the fish stew is ready." Ling Muzhu carefully carried the earthenware pot over and placed it next to Lin Le.

"Try it, how does it taste?" Ling Muzhu looked at Lin Le with some anticipation.

This was the first time she had ever cooked for someone else; she usually cooked for herself.

Lin Le took a soup spoon, scooped up a spoonful and put it in his mouth, smacked his lips, and then remained silent.

Lin Le's silence made Ling Muzhu a little flustered, and she asked in a slightly panicked tone, "How is it, Junior Brother?"

Lin Le put down the soup spoon and shook his head.

Seeing Lin Le shake his head, Ling Muzhu couldn't help but feel disappointed. Then she heard Lin Le exclaim in admiration:
"Its flavor is delicate yet not bland, fresh yet not greasy, and leaves a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth after eating. Senior sister, what excellent cooking skills you have!"

"Really?" Ling Muzhu's face brightened again.

"Really," Lin Le said sincerely.

Ling Muzhu picked up the soup spoon and scooped a spoonful for herself, then looked distressed: "Junior brother, why don't you just say I forgot to add salt?"

"Hahaha!" Lin Le laughed loudly, "My senior sister personally stewed the fish for me, how could I possibly be disappointed?"

Ling Muzhu burst into laughter through her tears: "Junior brother, you really have a silver tongue. I wonder how many women you've fooled?"

"Not many, just one," Lin Le said, shaking his head.

Upon hearing that there was another one, Ling Muzhu suddenly felt a little uncomfortable and couldn't help but ask, "Who is that one, Junior Brother?"

Lin Le looked at the river and said softly, "My mother."

He had only ever lied to one woman in his entire life; as for Qingli, she was a female demon.

Looking at Lin Le's serene expression, Ling Muzhu couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache. After all, once you've gone up the mountain, it's really hard to return to the secular world.

“Junior brother, where does your family live? If you have time, you can go home and visit. The sect doesn’t have strict restrictions on this,” Ling Muzhu comforted him.

"I have no home anymore, Senior Sister," Lin Le said softly.

Ling Muzhu's face stiffened, and she was somewhat at a loss. For some reason, she chose to hug Lin Le: "It's okay, junior brother. I don't have a home either. From now on, Tianqing Peak will be our home together."

Lin Le smelled the fragrance, which was as sweet as orchids and as sweet as musk, and a slight wavering appeared in his heart, but he quickly suppressed that wavering.

He placed his hand on Ling Muzhu's hand: "Yes, our home together."

Feeling the heat emanating from her hand, Ling Muzhu's face flushed slightly, but she did not choose to break free.

If it's destined to be dual cultivation with my junior brother, this outcome isn't bad.

Ling Muzhu thought to herself.

The small boat drifted slowly downstream, from dawn to dusk.

Ling Muzhu rested her head on Lin Le's shoulder, dozing off, while Lin Le sat cross-legged with his eyes closed, continuing his cultivation. His Azure Golden Core was nearing completion of its first stage.

'The difference between a top-grade Golden Core and a high-grade Golden Core is truly worlds apart. Even with the same resources, the digestion speed is two to three times slower.'

Lin Le slowly opened her eyes and let out a long breath.

This truly validates his previous understanding: if you take the first step, you will always be ahead; the strong will always be strong.

He felt that it would take a year or two, but it would only be a year or two.

After all, he was only about eighteen years old (actually fourteen, nominally fifteen, illusory sixteen, and Mao seventeen).

Lin Le stared indifferently at the mist rising from the riverbank, a damp and chilly feeling washing over him.

Then he grinned.

A vast golden light rose up, illuminating the world as if it were daytime.

The water ghosts at the bottom of the water wailed and dissipated, leaving only their true spirits to be reincarnated.

Seeing the nearly one thousand merits increase, Lin Le withdrew the golden light, licked his teeth with his tongue, and thought, "This is just an appetizer."

Ling Muzhu, who was beside him, was completely unaware of anything and was resting her head on his shoulder.

The merits of the earth are gradually depleted; to do something well, one must first have the right tools.

As the sun rose, the righteous energy of heaven and earth surged into Lin Le's body.

Within the Qiankun Circle, smaller restrictions emerged one after another, then combined and locked together, eventually forming eight major restrictions that echoed the previous major restriction, greatly enhancing its evil-slaying properties.

Meanwhile, Ling Muzhu, who was next to Lin Le, slowly woke up. Although her sleeping posture was not elegant, strangely, she did not feel numbness in her limbs. On the contrary, she felt comfortable all over.

This made her stretch and yawn.

In Lin Le's eyes, however, it was a lazy beauty waking up, her half-open eyes reflecting the morning light, like two pools of spring water rippling with golden waves.

Then she suddenly stretched out her body, and as she raised her lotus-like arm, her silk sleeve slipped down, revealing a section of her forearm that looked like mutton fat jade.

The crimson bodice on her chest tightened, the embroidered intertwined branches trembling under the strain, like a branch of begonias bent low in the wind.

As she tilted her head back, the snow streaks on the upper edge of her clothes became more pronounced, reflecting a breathtaking shimmer in the morning light.

Seemingly sensing someone's intense gaze, the beauty placed her hand on her full chest, saying with a mixture of pleasure and reproach, "Junior Brother!" Lin Le calmly turned his head and said, "Good morning, Senior Sister."

"Good morning," the senior sister replied subconsciously, then she couldn't remember what to say next.

Two small puffs appeared on her cheeks as she sat down to the side and started playing in the water with her toes, deciding to ignore her junior brother this morning.

Looking at her senior sister's inexplicable emotional changes, Lin Le also felt somewhat confused.

The small boat continued downstream, while inside Tianqiong Peak, the sect leader Yunxiaozi and the deputy sect leader Jiulingzi sat facing each other, with a chessboard between them.

"Senior brother, what do you think of Lingzhuzi's unauthorized alteration of ancestral rules?" Jiulingzi asked slowly.

Yunxiaozi stared at the chessboard: "How can you interpret it? That child was just trying to protect himself by being put on a bonfire."

Jiu Lingzi placed a chess piece: "Senior brother seems to value that child quite a bit."

“It doesn’t matter whether you value him or not.” Yunxiaozi placed his piece. “That child wasn’t trained within the sect. He’s wild and unruly. Without demonstrating the sect’s internal fairness, it’s hard to keep him at ease.”

"Moreover, the ancestor's methods have indeed been changed. In the past, our Xuantian Sect was a small and humble sect, and we could recruit more talents by not caring about background."

"But now that my Xuantian Sect stands alongside great powers and has a large and prosperous family, this approach is indeed somewhat outdated. After all, the elders of the sect have made great contributions and have created a wide and extensive lineage. The slogan of not judging by one's background is indeed a bit laughable."

Jiu Lingzi paused, then looked up at Yun Xiaozi: "But each family has its own prejudices, which will be detrimental to the sect in the long run, Senior Brother."

“I know,” Yunxiaozi nodded, “but the sect is already riddled with internal strife. Do you dare to act decisively and cleanly?”

Jiu Lingzi remained silent; he didn't have the courage.

"So it doesn't matter whether the selection of talents is changed or not, unless we can cut off the support from the families below." Yunxiaozi picked up the chess piece he had eaten. "What we need to do now is to ensure that there is no interference from the upper echelons of the sect."

"Does Senior Brother have a contingency plan?" Jiu Lingzi asked earnestly.

“The roots are nothing more than blood ties, but upon self-observation, those who are related by blood have a thin bond after three generations.” Yunxiaozi made another move. “The current draft is that any successor to the position cannot be from the same source as the previous leader, nor can they be related to other leaders by blood within three generations.”

"What if there are exceptionally talented individuals in the third generation?" Kureshiko hesitated again.

Yunxiaozi looked outside the hall: "If one is truly exceptionally talented, what difficulty would there be in opening another peak? Junior brother, back then our Xuantian Sect only had seven peaks."

"Junior Brother understands." Jiu Lingzi cupped his hands. "Then the Spirit Pearl?"

“He is willful and reckless. After he completes his task, he will be punished by having to copy the sect’s rules by hand once.”

"Yes." Kyūreiko stood up.

Then a notice was issued, officially reserving a certain number of places for the Xuantian Sect's subordinate forces in the selection of talents.

This result was somewhat unexpected. They thought the sect leader would argue with the other leaders for a while, but they didn't expect the sect leader to make such a decisive decision and not argue with the other leaders at all.

The crowd erupted in cheers, with some applauding and others looking grim.

Because of the quota system, a gray industry chain has long been formed within the Xuantian Sect, and they are the beneficiaries.

Once this notice was issued, their money became the sect's money.

For a moment, they couldn't help but hate the instigator, Ling Zhuzi. They never expected that this newly promoted disciple would cause such a big problem so quickly.

The following day, another notice was issued, summoning all the leaders of the seventy-two peaks, even those in seclusion, to gather at the Xuantian Hall on Tianqiong Peak.

Xu Lingzi arrived at the Xuan Tian Palace, sat on his futon, glanced indifferently at the leaders of the other peaks, and then closed his eyes to concentrate.

As everyone gradually arrived, a large bell rang, and the crowd, who had been communicating with each other using their divine senses, immediately fell silent.

Yunxiaozi slowly appeared on the futon. He glanced at everyone and then said slowly, "Everyone, today's matter concerns the future of my Xuantian Sect for ten thousand years, so I have specially invited many of my fellow disciples to come and discuss it."

Everyone remained silent, waiting for Yunxiaozi to say the next thing.

"Everyone, because our Xuantian Sect does not prohibit marriage like some other lineages, it is inevitable that there will be descendants cultivating in the sect," Yunxiaozi said. "By learning from history, we can understand the rise and fall of sects. If this continues for a long time, it will inevitably lead to the sect leader and even the sect master being related by blood, which will not be conducive to the sect's development and progress."

"Leaving aside distant examples, let's just talk about the Dragon Tiger Holy Land. Due to the fierce struggle between the outsiders and the Zhang family, it was almost destroyed in the end, and its strength is not as great as before."

"So we only have two paths before us," Yunxiaozi said. "First, follow the example of the entire Qingdao lineage and prohibit marriage within the sect. Second, establish rules now that any successor to the position of headmaster or sect leader cannot be from the same source as the previous headmaster or sect leader, nor can they have blood ties within three generations with other headmasters or sect leaders."

After Yunxiaozi finished speaking, he waved his hand, and seventy-two bamboo sticks flew into the hands of the seventy-two masters: "There are restrictions on the bamboo sticks. The top one is one, and the bottom two are two. Please choose, fellow disciples. The time limit is one incense stick."

The crowd stared silently at the bamboo sticks in their hands, exchanging thoughts among themselves. Many looked towards Xu Lingzi, since it was his disciple who had caused this commotion.

Xu Lingzi remained unmoved. He was a loner by nature, and the favor or dislike of others was of no importance to him. He only sought the Great Dao.

After an incense stick had burned, Yunxiaozi collected the bamboo sticks from everyone's hands and displayed them: "Twenty-four to forty-two, six people abstained."

"From now on, the rule that successors cannot be related by blood has been recorded in the sect's regulations."

At this moment, Jiu Lingzi suddenly asked, "Sect Leader, what if any of the third-generation leaders have exceptionally talented individuals? We can't push our own people out!"

Yunxiaozi stroked his beard and nodded slightly: "Indeed, since that's the case, let's establish a rule that those who achieve the Nascent Soul Dao Lord status can establish another peak, with the sect's main treasury providing the funds and personnel. However, they must earn their own spiritual veins, spiritual objects, and other essential resources outside."

"Junior brothers and sisters, what do you think?"

Some people frowned, some seemed thoughtful, but most did not object, since it would also benefit their disciples.

Finally, everyone said in unison, "Let's do as the sect leader says!"

As soon as he stepped out of the main hall, Mu Xuanzi said sarcastically, "What a great display of power this disciple has! He doesn't even respect the ancestral master's teachings."

Xu Lingzi remained silent, but Bai Yunzi retorted first: "What does this have to do with Lingzhuzi? The sect leader's sudden change of system was obviously premeditated. This matter is clearly just a prelude. If it wasn't Lingzhuzi, it would have been Ling Xuanzi or Ling Fengzi!"

Mu Xuanzi scoffed, "Who knows? Let's go. Junior Brother Xu Lingzi, keep an eye on your disciple, make sure he doesn't die in battle, hahaha!"

As he spoke, he rode away on a lucky cloud.

Bai Yunzi turned to Xu Lingzi and said, "Senior Brother Xu Ling, let's not take Senior Brother Mu Xuan's words to heart. He never says anything nice."

"Thank you for your concern, Junior Sister Baiyun." Xu Lingzi nodded lightly. "If there's nothing else, I'll go back to continue my seclusion."

Bai Yunzi's expression immediately darkened: "Alright, you should go back and go into seclusion first."

Xu Lingzi immediately turned and left.

“Hey, Junior Sister Baiyun, don’t waste your time on Senior Brother Xulingzi.” Lan Haizi, the head of Tianlan Peak and also a female Daoist, came over to comfort her. “Senior Brother Xulingzi is devoted to the Dao and obviously won’t waste his time and energy on romantic relationships.”

Bai Yunzi sighed: "I know, Senior Sister."

What good is knowing? She still can't suppress the pounding in her heart.

Lan Haizi didn't try to persuade him any further; this was a hurdle he had to overcome on his own.

(End of this chapter)