Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 384 Stop Setting New Flags! (A new month, please vote with your monthly tickets!!!)
In short, when Zhang Chengdao recounted his experiences after entering the wrong realm gate to He Yu with a heart full of guilt, the other party comforted him, saying, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, there's no need to worry. If it were me, even if I knew more about realms, I might not be able to understand the cause and effect. This is only human nature."

"Moreover, the 'Great Han' that you went to, fellow Daoist, may not be the past of this world. Although it is said that after cultivating an immortal body and attaining the Great Dao, one may have the ability to travel back in time and reverse the universe, it is truly unbelievable that the dimensional gate that appeared due to the tearing was actually a different timeline of the same world..."

Even He Yu had never heard of this before, so Zhang Chengdao was even more clueless.

But no matter what, we can't give up on finding Sun Ping.

However, one person's energy is ultimately limited. More and more dimensional gates are cracking open at the bottom of the White Stone Ice Sea, and there are already hundreds of them that can be accessed by people. If he were to search for them one by one, he didn't know how long it would take. Therefore, after careful consideration, Zhang Chengdao summoned all the disciples who had already established their foundations and issued his first mandatory order as the sect leader since he came to this world.

Explore the boundary passage behind the boundary gate to find Sun Ping.

"...Prioritize your own safety and focus on finding Sun Ping. Once you find him, come out and report back. I will prepare paper puppets for you to guard the boundary gate in case there are any further changes."

After briefly explaining Sun Ping's situation, Zhang Chengdao emphasized, "Wherever Sun Ping is found in the interdimensional passage, there must be that evil cultivator. This evil cultivator's methods are mysterious and unpredictable, and his cultivation level far surpasses yours. Therefore, you can only bring Sun Ping back as soon as possible, or come out and report directly. Under no circumstances should you act on your own and contact him, lest you cause unnecessary complications..."

The more Zhang Chengdao talked, the more mentally exhausted he felt.

If the task assigned this time wasn't actually dangerous, his rambling would sound just like my own homeroom teacher from school days who would nag about school events!
"Master, rest assured, I understand!"

Chang Ping'an bowed first and replied solemnly, "This disciple will definitely restrain my junior brothers and sisters, prioritize finding people, and never act rashly."

The other disciples also obeyed the order without hesitation.

This matter is of great importance. Apart from Huang Wu, who is really not good at killing, staying at the White Stone Immortal Sect to teach his junior brothers and sisters, even Tang Xiaoyu stopped her work of maintaining the teleportation array and joined in.

Among the disciples who were far away in Liaodong, even those in the Foundation Establishment stage were summoned back. Chang Ping'an and Shi Yizhi had all asked for leave from the Immortal Alliance.

"As the sect leader, I will not abandon any of you, and I hope that you will prioritize your own safety."

After giving a final word of advice, the disciples bowed in agreement and then turned around, each carrying a paper puppet distributed by Zhang Chengdao, and stepped into the boundary gate.

Each disciple has a total of five paper puppets. Apart from the one that was initially placed at the bottom of the White Stone Ice Sea Lake, the rest are for everyone to prepare in case of emergency.

These puppets didn't understand any magic or supernatural powers, but just in case, Zhang Chengdao equipped them with the most basic [Iron Sword]. Anyway, he could easily make many of these, and equipping the paper puppets with them would at least increase their attack power.

In the entire White Stone Immortal Sect, there are actually only ten disciples above the Foundation Establishment stage.

Besides Zhang Chengdao's six direct disciples, only four others reached the Foundation Establishment stage during this period, minus Sun Ping, who was the first to achieve Foundation Establishment.

In addition, Huang Wu will stay in the sect, so there are only eight people left.

It's worth mentioning that although the aptitude represented by the color grade of these disciples is not the decisive factor in their cultivation results, all eight of them are indeed above the purple card level.

“Fellow Daoist Zhang, there’s no need to worry too much. If what you’re saying is true, and the one sent to seal the boundary gate in the Blue Night Realm is just a Nascent Soul cultivator leading the team, then the so-called ‘Upper Realm’ is probably just the Spirit Cultivation Realm, and the Blue Night Realm is even less worth mentioning.”

Seeing Zhang Chengdao frowning, He Yu, who was standing to the side, comforted him, "These cultivators have all established their foundations. Even if something unexpected happens, they can still leave. Besides, you gave them a lot of paper puppets for self-defense, so nothing will go wrong."

The more He Yu said this, the more uneasy Zhang Chengdao felt.

Stop talking!
Because according to the typical tropes of otaku novels, this behavior is usually called setting a flag, and the next step is to be seen as a jinx, saying something that comes true.

They had done all the necessary preparations, and no matter how Zhang Chengdao reviewed the situation, he felt there weren't any major problems.

Just as He Yu said, a mere boundary passage (Blue Night Realm) with a spiritual energy concentration similar to that near the White Stone Immortal Sect is easily handled by a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Putting everything else aside, Zhang Chengdao had great confidence in these outer disciples of the White Stone Immortal Sect.

Because he compared the disciple training methods of various martial arts sects and also consulted He Yu, who kindly provided the training models of sects in the world of cultivation civilization, he found that none of them were as reasonable as the White Stone Immortal Sect's arrangement that he designed.

After all, in the traditional master-apprentice culture, a disciple must be "sincere," "proactive," and "respectful" when learning knowledge, and his attitude must be "humble" and "low." Even under such circumstances, if a master wants to impart skills or knowledge, it depends on his mood, and he often keeps it to himself, for fear that the disciple will learn it all.

这种奴隶式的师徒模式，在张承道精心设计出来依托于现代社会5、10、6模式（早5点起床、晚10点放学、每周一共上6天课）而改良的科学学习仙道模式的对比下，简直不堪一击。

To reduce the burden on his disciples, he even only required them to choose at least 7 courses!
And they even get two days off a week! How easy is that!
Even so, under the pressure of the monthly exams and Murong Ruyan's strict teaching, these disciples learned in just a few months what a normal cultivator would learn in several years!

If I had to say something, it would be that he lacks practical experience, but when it comes to understanding and applying the Five Elements, and learning various basic techniques and supernatural powers, he is an expert!
So, no matter how you look at it, there's no way anything could go wrong!
After all eight people entered the boundary gate, just as Zhang Chengdao was feeling both worried and confident, Xu Ying's "messenger" suddenly flew over and began to circle and call out above the White Stone Ice Sea.

This means that there is something urgent to report to Zhang Chengdao.

Zhang Chengdao hurriedly leaped out of the lake and learned from the messenger that it was people from the Immortal Alliance who had come.

"The visitors are two fellow Daoists from the Taiyue Sword Sect. One is Zhuang Wansong, a guest elder of the Taiyue Sword Sect, and the other is Li Zhi, a disciple of the Taiyue Sword Sect who was born with a sword physique."

Upon welcoming Zhang Chengdao, Xu Ying immediately said, "These two heard that the White Stone Immortal Sect had lost a disciple due to an accident, so they came here specifically to help."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengdao felt somewhat puzzled.

Li Zhi is alright, after all, he was guided into the path of immortality by Chang Ping'an, so it's understandable that he feels close to the White Stone Immortal Sect.

But this Zhuang Wansong...

It seems like we have no connection whatsoever?

"Greetings, Sect Leader Zhang! I have long admired the name of Immortal Zhang. Meeting you today, I can confirm that you are truly extraordinary!" As soon as he entered the welcoming hall, Zhuang Wansong cupped his hands to greet Zhang Chengdao. Li Zhi followed behind Zhuang Wansong, bowing with admiration.

Zhang Chengdao returned the greeting politely, saying, "Not at all, Fellow Daoist Zhuang is too kind. I have long admired Fellow Daoist Zhuang's name, and he is renowned in the martial arts world."

"I dare not accept such praise. I have not yet told Sect Leader Zhang that I have already entered the path of immortality and can now be considered a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

Zhuang Wansong didn't seem to be good at beating around the bush, and directly stated his purpose: "We heard that your sect's disciples had some accidents. The Taiyue Sword Sect is deeply grateful for your sect's guidance and teaching, so we specially sent the two of us to do our part."

Oh, so it's just social interaction between sects!
"Fellow Daoist Zhuang is too kind!"

As he spoke, Zhang Chengdao took a step back with practiced ease, while Xu Ying stepped forward with equal ease, grabbed Zhuang Wansong's hand, and said with sincere gratitude:
"The Taiyue Sword Sect is truly chivalrous, and our Baishi Immortal Sect is deeply grateful. However, this matter is indeed fraught with danger, and it is not advisable to involve others in such perilous situations. We, the Baishi Immortal Sect, appreciate Fellow Daoist Zhuang's kindness!"

"Fellow Daoist Xu, Sect Leader Zhang, please don't be in such a hurry to decline,"

Zhuang Wansong bowed to the two of them again with a humble posture and said frankly, "I brought Li Zhi here this time to train him a bit."

"The path of immortality is different from the path of martial arts; it is a struggle against the heavens. If one's will is not firm, how can one go further, and how can one continue on this path?"

"Li Zhi is a clever child, but his willpower is not strong enough. It would be good to find an opportunity to train him."

"Moreover, the White Stone Immortal Sect has been incredibly kind to our Taiyue Sword Sect. I've heard that even Fellow Daoist Chang has been summoned back by Sect Master Zhang to take orders. How can we stand idly by and pretend not to know?"

Since things have come to this point, and Zhang Chengdao is indeed short-handed—

These boundary rifts change every few hours, making the search for Sun Ping an urgent matter. The more people there are, the more opportunities there will be, so Zhang Chengdao naturally wouldn't pretend to be polite about it.

So he finally coughed lightly and took over the conversation, saying, "Since Fellow Daoist Zhuang is so kind as to accept my invitation, then I shall respectfully comply."

Without further delay, Zhang Chengdao gestured and invited, "Please come this way, both of you. The situation is urgent, so I won't waste any more pleasantries. Do you two know anything about 'realms'?"

The "White Stone Immortal Dao Book" does mention the concept of realms, but it is only mentioned briefly when introducing various immortal Dao knowledge, without any detailed explanation. It is likely that Zhuang Wansong and Li Zhi did not know much about it either.

As expected, the two followed Zhang Chengdao out of the reception hall, one after the other, and replied as they walked, "To be honest, Sect Leader Zhang, we really know almost nothing about this."

Zhang Chengdao nodded and began to explain: "The so-called 'realm' refers to different worlds. For example, the world we are in now, I privately call it... the White Stone Realm."

"For example, after you two enter the interdimensional passage, you should be able to hear about another world called the 'Spiritual Cultivation World,' which is also known as the 'Upper Realm.'"

The term "upper realm" is usually relative. For example, the spiritual cultivation realm is called the "upper realm" because its concentration of spiritual energy and the level of development of immortal civilization are far higher than those of the Blue Night Realm where the realm passage is located.

“And a ‘domain’ is a small world similar to a grotto-heaven. Compared with a real large world, it is more unstable, smaller in area, and has a more homogeneous civilization.”

“There are many kinds of ‘domains’. Many powerful demons and ghosts have created their own small worlds, which are also a kind of ‘domain’ and are often called ‘demon domain’ or ‘ghost domain’.”

"As for 'realm,' it is the 'domain' formed by the gap between worlds. Its full name is 'realm passage.' Because cultivators with sufficient strength can travel to other worlds through this realm, it is called 'passage.'"

"The missing outer disciple of the White Stone Immortal Sect accidentally entered the still unstable boundary passage."

"The spiritual energy of the White Stone Realm has just been revived, and the rules of heaven and earth have just been shaken. The world barrier has been weakened considerably by the impact—don't misunderstand, this is a good thing, which means that the White Stone Realm will gradually open up from a closed world and will be able to come into contact with the civilizations of other worlds."

"In short, for this reason, these newly appeared rifts are very unstable. I have investigated them, and although they all lead to the same place, the timelines that each rift leads to are different. The ones I have been to all lead to the past, but I don't know which rift Sun Ping went to, so I can only send people to try to find them one by one."

"I will prepare ten paper puppets for the two of you to mark the entrance and exit of the dimensional gate, in case the dimensional gate changes and becomes difficult to identify, causing you to be trapped in the past timeline."

"This... is also the most dangerous aspect of this matter."

Upon hearing Zhang Chengdao's words, Zhuang Wansong solemnly replied, "Sect Leader Zhang, rest assured, I will enter the same interdimensional passage as Li Zhi. With such thorough preparations, Sect Leader Zhang, there will certainly be no problem!"

As they spoke, the group arrived at the edge of the White Stone Ice Sea. Zhang Chengdao gratefully handed ten paper effigies to the two men and said, "Your safety is the most important thing. If you can't find Sun Ping, just come out. If you do find him but there's anything difficult, please come out and let me know, and I'll go down!"

Then, he used magic to slowly part the lake water.

The icy blue lake water, like two pieces of crystal, was split in two, revealing the sand and stones at the bottom of the lake and allowing everyone to see the sealing barrier reinforced by layers of arrays in the distance.

Within the barrier, hundreds of black vortexes of varying sizes slowly rotated, with spiritual light flickering on and off along their edges. Just looking at them made one feel dizzy.

These black vortexes are the boundary gates that Zhang Chengdao just mentioned.

Upon seeing this scene, both Zhuang Wansong and Li Zhi's expressions turned serious.

The group quickly followed the passage that Zhang Chengdao had cleaved open and arrived in front of the barrier.

He Yu waited by the side, firstly because the barrier still needed his adjustment so that people could enter and exit, and secondly because the White Stone Immortal Sect was truly out of people to use, so Zhang Chengdao had no choice but to ask He Yu for help.

After He Yu sent Zhuang Wansong and Li Zhi into the barrier, the two bowed to Zhang Chengdao one last time, left a puppet to guard them, and then stepped into a new realm gate.

……

(End of this chapter)