Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 12 Climbing the Mountain to Seek the Dao, "Cultivating Fate"

"finally reached."

Looking at the magnificent mountain before him, a hint of longing flashed in Chen Xiuyuan's eyes.

"I am willing to travel far to seek immortality and enlightenment, and I love to wander among famous mountains all my life."

In his lifetime, the hermit Qinglian sought immortality and visited famous mountains and rivers, but in the end he never found the answer. Most of the time he came with high hopes but left disappointed.

It is said that Li Bai was actually looking for a Qi cultivator from the pre-Qin period, but unfortunately he found nothing.

As he climbed the steps, Chen Xiuyuan looked out over the entire mountain. The mountain was majestic and towering, shrouded in clouds and mist, just like a splashed-ink landscape painting.

The mountains rise and fall, with layers of peaks and ridges. Evergreen pines and cypresses take root among the cliffs, and occasionally a few white cranes flit among the branches and leaves, their clear cries echoing through the valley, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere.

There are clear springs and waterfalls in the mountains, which cascade down like silver ribbons. The sound of the water is murmuring and blends with the sound of the wind in the forest, exuding the most natural charm of heaven and earth.

After walking for some time, Chen Xiuyuan still hadn't seen the mountain gate, which made him feel a little strange.

Although the Heavenly Sect is detached from the world, it still needs to eat, drink, and relieve itself. If the mountain gate is built halfway up the mountain or on the top of the mountain, it does not fit the current situation. The disciples of the sect may not care about these steps after they have achieved success in their cultivation, but what about the common people who deliver the food or the chefs who are in charge of cooking?
Of course, although he felt something was strange, he did not stop and continued climbing the mountain.

In a well-maintained courtyard on the back mountain of Taiyi Mountain, two elderly men suddenly opened their eyes.

"Uncle-Master, another person has ascended the Heavenly Road."

Another elderly man, with an air of otherworldly wisdom, stroked his beard, a ripple of emotion stirring in his calm gaze.

Heavenly Road

The unique assessment method set up by the Taoist Heavenly Sect generally means that disciples who join the Heavenly Sect do not need to take the Heavenly Path. Only young people who want to skip the outer sect and directly join the inner sect elders will choose this method.

The elders of the inner sect value fate more when it comes to accepting disciples. Therefore, they usually go down the mountain to find their own disciples. In addition, the Heavenly Road is extremely difficult, so those with ordinary aptitude will not choose it. As a result, the Heavenly Road has become a mere decoration.

Taoists accept disciples every five years. Under normal circumstances, you can hardly see anyone here. Instead, you can go to another small courtyard at the foot of the mountain where disciples are always present. When people visit, they usually go there first to give a greeting before notifying their sect elders.

"He chose this mountain path instead of the main road; he's quite an interesting young man."

The old man spoke calmly, then closed his eyes again.

Another elderly man, seeing this situation, glanced in the direction of Tianlu Road, and then shook his head.

Since its founding, the Heavenly Sect has taken in many talented young people over the years. However, most of them are disciples personally recruited by the elders. There are also quite a few opportunists who have entered through formal recruitment, but the Heavenly Sect has never paid any attention to them. Seeking immortality and asking questions requires talent, and opportunists are destined not to go far on this path.

Once these people realize they're not cut out for it, most of them will slink away in disgrace; they've seen this happen many times.

Now that they see Chen Xiuyuan embarking on the Heavenly Path, they subconsciously assume that Chen Xiuyuan is an opportunist and immediately stop paying attention to him.

On the other side, when Chen Xiuyuan arrived at the foot of Taiyi Mountain, he did notice the small courtyard on the other side, where there were quite a few pilgrims. However, in his mind, such a place for offering incense was naturally not the location of the Tianzong sect. It was just like Longhu Mountain in the present world, one of the ancestral temples of Taoism, but it had become a tourist attraction. The area in front of the mountain was a tourist area, and the staff inside were all ordinary people. Pilgrims and tourists came in an endless stream, making it very lively. But as lively as it was, not a single real person could be seen.

He had even seen reports of pilgrims who genuinely sought guidance from experts being turned away by景区 staff who told them to believe in science, causing a burst of laughter and making the pilgrims even more embarrassed.

So, subconsciously, he didn't go to crowded places, but instead took this small path up the mountain, planning that if he didn't see anyone, he would go back to ask, so as not to be seen as a monkey.

Time flew by, and another half hour passed in the blink of an eye. Chen Xiuyuan stood on the steps, his brows furrowing unconsciously. He calculated that it had been almost an hour since he started climbing the mountain. He hadn't stopped at all along the way, and with his extraordinary talent, he had climbed at least eight thousand steps. But when he looked up, he still couldn't see the end of the mountain, and the situation behind him was almost the same. This strange situation left him somewhat at a loss.

"Ghost hits the wall?"

That was all he could think of, but then another idea popped into his head—an introductory test.

He already knew that Taoism values ​​innate talent and physical attributes when accepting people, and he had been pondering how Taoism judges innate talent and physical attributes on the way. Now, he had a clearer understanding of this.

Born in the modern era, an age of information explosion, his thoughts were naturally diverse, and he began to ponder the introductory test.

Is it a test of perseverance or something else?

After standing there for a moment, he looked up and saw an endless series of steps ahead.

"The Heavenly Sect transcends worldly affairs, emphasizing the unity of heaven and man, or perhaps it can be said that the Great Dao is ruthless; there's no need for them to use such a maze to trouble a mere child."

Chen Xiuyuan muttered to himself for a while, then sat down cross-legged on the steps. He needed to think carefully about how to break the deadlock.

He gradually cleared away his complicated thoughts, and his heart gradually calmed down. A breeze blew past his ears, ruffling his hair, and the moist scent of mountain mist filled his nostrils. Occasionally, the cry of a white crane would pierce the sky, bringing a touch of life to the silence.

Everything was gray and hazy. He didn't know how much time had passed when he felt as if his consciousness had jumped out of his body. He could look down on his physical body from high above. Apart from himself, all he could see in the outside world was nothingness.

On the back mountain, the two old men opened their eyes again at some point, and it was the old man who spoke first.

"Uncle-Master, this boy..."

The old man stroked his beard, his eyes suddenly becoming somewhat complicated.

"I misjudged him. I thought he was just an opportunistic kid, but I didn't expect him to have such a mindset at such a young age."

During adolescence, people are restless and easily distracted, and very few can sit still. Chen Xiuyuan has been in meditation for two hours now. This may not be much for an adult, but it is quite remarkable for a child like him.

"Bring him here!"

The old man stood up, his eyes somewhat unfocused. The Dao aura emanating from the other person made him feel a little dazed, as if this child was born to be a Daoist.

"Time flies, the world changes, a child sits and watches, and another destiny unfolds."

(End of this chapter)