Fangxian Heretical Path

Chapter 50 Immortal Sect Disciples Are Isolated and Unsociable (5 words)
In the inner courtyard square, a man and the owner of the private residence stood side by side.

The other party had an outstanding temperament and looked to be only thirty-eight years old. She was a female Taoist, wearing a pale yellow Taoist robe and a gold fish-tail crown. Her face was as beautiful as a knife.

The female Taoist priest noticed Fang Shu's arrival and glanced at him with a hint of amusement, but also with a touch of aggression.

As the other person scanned him, Fang Shu felt a chill run down his spine, as if the hairs on his body had been scraped by a knife. This immediately gave him some idea of ​​the person's identity.

The owner of the guesthouse saw Fang Shu arrive and spoke:
"Everyone in the courtyard has arrived. Those who haven't arrived yet don't need to wait. Consider them unlucky."

Suddenly, the disciples who were either lost in thought or whispering all turned their attention to the sect leader and the female Taoist.

Seeing that everyone had perked up, the innkeeper cupped his hands in greeting to the female Taoist beside him and said:
"Today, I have specially invited a disciple from a celestial sect from Mount Lu for you. Why don't you all quickly pay your respects!"

Upon hearing this, those who already had their suspicions were immediately agitated, their eyes fixed on the female Taoist priest, and they hurriedly spoke up:
"Greetings, Immortal!" "Greetings, Immortal Sect Master!"

Fang Shu, mixed in with the crowd, thought to himself, "Just as I thought."

The casual glance from the other party just now sent a chill through him, a chill that was very similar to the legendary divine sense.

Therefore, he dared not be negligent and respectfully greeted the female Taoist, addressing her as "Immortal Master".

The female Taoist in yellow calmly accepted the worship of the disciples from the inner courtyard of the Dugu Pavilion, then smiled faintly:

"There's no need for such formalities. My surname is Fang, and I also came from the Dugu Sect. According to our lineage, you should call me 'Senior Sister'."

The disciples present were all surprised and quickly addressed her as "Senior Sister Fang".

"Originally, it should have been the eldest brother who came today, but unfortunately, he is currently in seclusion, and it involves breaking through his cultivation."

The woman surnamed Fang spoke demurely:

"Since I'm free, I'll take the place of my senior brother and come to encourage you all and talk about my past cultivation experiences."

Upon hearing this, the owner of the guesthouse, standing nearby, immediately chuckled hoarsely and shook his head, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Fang, why be so modest? The fact that you came back to my old, dilapidated dojo is already a great honor for us. How can you talk about 'replacing' me?"

As he spoke, the owner of the inn bowed to the woman surnamed Fang once more.

The female Taoist priest smiled and did not avoid the greeting, but simply returned the greeting.

Then, amidst the envious and longing gazes of the disciples of the Taoist temple, the female Taoist surnamed Fang began to talk about her past experiences of cultivating in the Dugu Temple and even joining the Immortal Sect.

Hearing this, he saw that all the disciples were excited, wishing they could become disciples of the Immortal Sect, break through their cultivation barriers, and become immortals.

"Generally speaking, the sooner one passes the third tribulation and enters the Immortal Sect, the easier it is to achieve Qi Refining and be granted the status of an Immortal Sect disciple."

The female Taoist priest surnamed Fang spoke eloquently:

"The chances are highest before the age of 18; after 18, the chances decrease by 30% before the age of 20; after 20, the chances decrease by 30% before the age of 25."

If one fails to enter a celestial sect before the age of thirty-five, then there is virtually no hope for the rest of one's life; it would be better to live a peaceful life at the foot of the mountain.

Upon hearing this, the expressions of several disciples in the room changed slightly.

Among them, all of them were over eighteen years old, and one of them was over twenty-five.

Fang Shu's expression turned serious upon hearing these words.

Although he is not yet eighteen, he is only a few years away!

In particular, as the female Taoist priest surnamed Fang was speaking, she suddenly turned her gaze to Qin Min in the crowd.

She looked Qin Min over with great interest and said:

"No wonder Master Du wanted to invite us old folks to come down the mountain."

So it seems another junior sister is about to emerge from the dojo.

Fang Shu and the others' attention fell on Qin Min again, and thoughts began to form in their minds.

The female Taoist priest surnamed Fang clicked her tongue in amazement: "At just over fifteen years old, she's already close to passing the third tribulation, and she even possesses spiritual roots. Not bad, not bad at all!"

She smiled and said, "When you join the Immortal Sect, remember to come visit your senior sister."

Upon hearing these words, Qin Min's face flushed red, and she straightened her posture. She cupped her hands in greeting and said happily, "Yes, Sister Fang."

The others around, including Fang Shu, were all inwardly astonished.

"It's not far from the third tribulation!"

"Could it be that Junior Sister Qin Min, at less than sixteen years old, has already passed the third tribulation and joined a celestial sect!?"

There were constant murmurs of envy and amazement from the audience.

Fang Shu stared at the other person's profile, and he was also taken aback. He immediately recalled that during the last sermon, he had heard people discussing whether Qin Min was about to overcome her second tribulation.

Now, half a year has passed, and the other party has indeed successfully passed the second tribulation and become a second-tribulation immortal.

"No wonder he possesses spiritual roots." Fang Shu sighed inwardly.

But he quickly suppressed his feelings of envy and jealousy and simply waited quietly in the crowd.

These distracting thoughts are useless; overthinking will only increase his troubles. Besides, he possesses a Dao talisman and has been guided by the Master of the Pavilion to become a Gu Master. His cultivation progress may not be slower than that of ordinary people.

In the blink of an eye, a line of text appeared in Fang Shu's mind:

[Realm Level: First Tribulation Refining Human Immortal (29% complete)]

In the past six months, Fang Shu's cultivation progressed by only one point, and he had completed 30% of the first tribulation process.

Even so, this was only because he was distracted by the Gu technique, and in the first month or so, his Gu skills were not yet perfected. This was the result of his cultivation under such circumstances.

If given another six months, he should be able to overcome the second tribulation and advance to become a second-tribulation Refining Immortal.

If he works hard, he should be able to get through the third tribulation before he turns eighteen, since there is one tribulation per year!
However, the next moment, Fang Shu's heart sank again.

Because he immediately realized that the cultivation of immortals often slows down as they progress, and they also need to solidify their cultivation and refine their new blood and energy to prevent their foundation from becoming unstable.

The second tribulation can be overcome in just one year, but the third tribulation may not necessarily require just one year; it could take two or even three years.

Thinking of this, Fang Shu glanced around and his gaze fell on the mature-looking disciples in the arena.

A sense of urgency rose even stronger in his heart.

But before Fang Shu could immerse himself in these emotions, another sound rang out, drawing his attention.

The female Taoist priest surnamed Fang overheard the disciples' whispers and began to answer some of their questions.

"Me? I am not talented. I just entered the Immortal Sect at the age of eighteen, and at the age of twenty, I just broke through the Qi Refining stage."

"No rush, no rush. Although you are already twenty, as long as you are under thirty-five, it will not affect your entry into the Immortal Sect. However, after entering the sect, when you are doing menial tasks, you will have to work harder than the younger ones in order to strive for the opportunity to refine Qi."

The woman surnamed Fang encouraged him:

"While the first, second, and third tribulations are important, the key lies in the fourth tribulation, which is the Qi Refining stage."

Among the five schools of thought at Mount Lu, quite a few have risen to prominence and even surpassed them.

Fang Shu listened intently, taking in all the questions and answers, and felt that he had gained a lot of knowledge.

It turns out that entering the Immortal Sect does not mean that one has become a disciple of the Immortal Sect. Instead, one is first given the status of a servant. Only after successfully refining one's Qi will one be granted the status of a disciple of the Immortal Sect.

If one fails to cultivate Qi, one can only endure hardship on the mountain, and may even be forced to descend the mountain, never to cultivate Qi again and never to return.

For immortals to refine their Qi, the only way is to cultivate within an immortal sect!
As everyone was asking questions with great interest, Fang Shu repeatedly raised his hand in the crowd, but the innkeeper noticed the feigned weariness on the face of the female Taoist priest surnamed Fang.

She promptly reprimanded everyone:

"Why all the commotion? Fellow Daoist Fang has limited time. He is only passing through Guling Town on his way down the mountain and has important matters to attend to in the Immortal Sect."

That concludes today's sermon; we will continue another time if the opportunity arises.

Fang Shu and the others all looked regretful, but dared not utter a sound. They all quickly bowed to the woman surnamed Fang.

"Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister!"

After another round of pleasantries, the master of the pavilion and the female Taoist priest surnamed Fang chatted casually as they walked toward the council hall, seemingly having something to say in private.

Fang Shu and the others saw them off, and even after they reached the outside of the council hall, they still hadn't dispersed, but they didn't dare to enter the hall to disturb them.

They gathered in twos and threes outside the hall, whispering and discussing their findings. Fang Shu was no exception; he shared his discoveries with an excited Li Hou'er.

Li Hou'er said with great interest, "Damn it, if I ever reach the Qi Refining stage, I'll definitely come back to the academy and share my experience with my fellow disciples. That way, our academy's incense will never stop burning!"

Fang Shu smiled gently:
"I think you just want to show off in front of others, to see how admiring your junior brothers and sisters are."

Li Hou'er feigned seriousness, but waved his hand and said:
"This is only human nature, so why not do it?"

Just as everyone was discussing animatedly, Senior Sister Yu'er suddenly walked out of the hall and called out to Qin Min, who was surrounded by several disciples:
"Bao'er, Master and Senior Sister are calling you."

These words immediately drew everyone's attention, and everyone once again cast envious glances at Qin Min.

Needless to say, the owners of the restaurant called Qin Min over to give her more encouragement and some extra help.

In the crowd, Qu Yan and Fu Shi'er, a man and a woman, bowed deeply to Qin Min and smiled:
"Among all the disciples in the academy, only Junior Sister Qin Min is qualified to get to know a disciple of the Immortal Sect like Senior Sister Fang in advance."

"Junior Sister Qin will soon be a disciple of the Immortal Sect. It is truly our blessing to be able to study under her in the same academy!"

With these two leading the way, nearly half of the disciples also spoke kindly and smiled, like green leaves surrounding Qin Min, making her shine brightly, like a crane standing among chickens.

As for the other half, Fang Shu and Li Hou'er, who were standing further away and had little interaction with Qin Min, simply watched silently and with envy.

Qin Min was radiant. She gracefully cupped her hands to the people around her without saying a word, then waved to Du Yu'er with an air of nonchalance and strode into the council hall.

After the person entered, the disciples outside the hall began to discuss the matter even more animatedly, but they all kept their voices down and dared not make a loud noise.

Especially Qu Yan and Fu Shi'er, a man and a woman, who seemed to represent the many disciples, were even discussing:

"Junior Sister Qin Min kept it a secret from us for so long. She didn't even say when she got through the second tribulation, and no one in the embassy celebrated for her."

"How about this: each of the inner disciples in our sect contributes a little to make up for the victory celebration banquet for Junior Sister Qin Min. If she doesn't wish for it, we can use a gift instead. What do you all think?"

Those disciples who had just surrounded Qin Min naturally agreed readily, even those who were short of money gritted their teeth and agreed, even flattering her:
"Yes, while Qin Min is still at the dojo, we must seize the opportunity to build a good relationship with her."

Who knows, when we go into the mountains in the future, we might be counting on Junior Sister Qin Min for guidance!

The words came out.

When Qu Yan and Fu Shi'er looked at the remaining half of the disciples, many hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.

In the end, only Fang Shu and Li Hou'er remained standing in the middle of the field, without saying a word.

Li Hou'er stammered, having overheard Qu Yan and the others discussing that each person should contribute at least three thousand coins.

Given his father's stinginess, he simply couldn't afford that much on him, nor did he want to, so as not to add to the family's burden.

As for Fang Shu, he is currently very short of money. He has already sold off the remaining purple lead cloud breast milk and has no extra money to ask for favors.

Besides, even if he did have it, he wouldn't be foolish enough to throw it away.

Fang Shu glanced at the faces of Qu Yan, Fu Shi'er, and others, as well as Li Hou'er's awkwardness beside him.

He stepped forward and declined the gift with a cupped hand: "I will not get involved in the matter of the congratulatory gift."

Seeing this, Li Hou'er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He hurriedly and awkwardly followed suit, bowing and saying, "Such a good thing, you senior brothers and sisters can discuss and arrange it yourselves, I... I don't need to."

Upon hearing their excuses, Qu Yan and Fu Shi'er immediately showed displeasure.

The others stared at Fang Shu and Li Hou'er with surprised expressions.

Some of them, whether mocking or kindly reminding the two, were unclear:

"Everyone else has it, but you two are out of place, which is not very nice."

Under an invisible pressure, Li Hou'er's unease became even more apparent, while Fang Shu frowned slightly.

Neither of them changed their tune; they either avoided the topic or remained silent.

Across from them, since everyone was from the same sect, and even though Fang Shu and Li Hou'er joined later, they were still immortals. Qu Yan and Fu Shi'er, seeing that the two of them were really unwilling to say anything, withdrew their scrutinizing gazes.

In the end, the two only said one sentence to each other:
"You two were invited by your senior brothers and sisters for such a good opportunity. If you missed it this time, don't blame us for not telling you in the future."

"Junior Brother Fang, I heard that you performed quite well during your tribulation. Your senior sister admires you very much. If you change your mind, you can come to me anytime."

Fu Shi'er smiled and raised her delicate eyebrows at Fang Shu before gracefully walking away.

Immediately, the inner disciples ignored Fang Shu and Li Hou'er, leaving them behind, and instead gathered together to discuss where to hold the banquet and what kind of gifts to buy.

"Junior Sister Qin Min is focused on cultivation, so the banquet can be simple, but the congratulatory gift is absolutely out of the question."

"Yes, yes! We must obtain a precious medicine to be worthy of Junior Sister Qin Min."

"I am not very talented, but my family runs a pharmacy. I will definitely ask for some good medicine when I get back. By the way, I heard that your family elders also have a stake in a certain building?"

They were talking animatedly, buzzing like flies.

Fang Shu and Li Hou'er stood alone in a corner.

This scene is just like when the two of them were still practicing before they entered the Dao, standing side by side in the training hall, watching the scorpion pit from afar, looking like two lackeys.

………………

Not long after.

Qin Min strode out of the council hall.

The woman was agile and full of energy, with a hint of joy still lingering on her face.

Her appearance immediately attracted the attention of everyone outside the hall, and more than ten inner disciples rushed up to her.

"Junior Sister Qin! Did you receive guidance from Senior Sister Fang again? Congratulations!"

"Is Sister Fang giving a sermon tomorrow?"

The disciples chimed in with their own comments, making Qin Min appear even more radiant.

Fang Shu and Li Hou'er leaned against a corner, watching from afar, the two sides seemingly worlds apart.

Li Hou'er's eyes were filled with envy, and his gaze was even more envious than when he looked up at Senior Sister Fang earlier.

Li Hou'er sighed and clicked his tongue at Fang Shu, saying, "I wonder when we'll be able to become a part of the inner courtyard."

at this time.

Faced with the crowd's adoration, Qin Min frowned slightly, finding it rather noisy.

The woman ignored the curiosity, kind words, and concern of the crowd, and instead looked around, searching for something outside the hall.

Upon seeing Fang Shu and Li Hou'er, her gaze paused for a moment, then she strode over and stood abruptly in front of Fang Shu.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Qin Min cupped her hands in a respectful gesture towards Fang Shu and spoke politely:

"Senior Brother Fang, Master and Senior Sister Fang invite you."

In an instant, the voices of the crowd outside the hall came to an abrupt halt.

Qu Yan, Fu Shi'er, and the others were speechless. They stared blankly at Fang Shu and Li Hou'er, wondering if they had misheard.

Li Hou'er himself stared wide-eyed, intently looking at Fang Shu beside him as if he were meeting his own brother for the first time.

Fang Shu remained calm, showing no particular surprise.

He simply returned the greeting politely: "Thank you, Junior Sister Qin."

After speaking, Fang Shu nudged Li Hou'er beside him with his hand, and then calmly strode towards the council hall.

Fang Shu's actions caused a change in the gazes of the inner courtyard disciples around him.

Some accounts from the outer academy regarding Fang Shu's entry into the Dao and his tribulation instantly became clear in their minds, making them vaguely aware of something.

Outside the hall.

When Li Hou'er came to his senses, he realized that he was being watched by everyone else and suddenly became the center of attention, no less than Qin Min.

Li Hou'er touched his arm, which Fang Shu had twisted, and hesitated, his expression quite interesting.

(End of this chapter)