Chapter 3 - Entering the Dao Sect

A waterfall cascaded down from a great height, its roaring sound echoing in the ears. At the edge of the pond beneath the waterfall, Leng Yan, holding a sword, stood in the water, his gaze fixed on the fish. With a flash of azure light, his sword pierced the water and impaled a fish.

Returning to the shore, he started a fire and grilled the fish. Leng Yan walked towards a nearby cave, saying, “You’re awake? Hungry, right? Here, have some fish!” Entering the cave, he saw the woman had already awakened, and recalling what he had done, he couldn’t help feeling a bit guilty.

The woman’s gaze was sharp and chilling. She said coldly, “Come here.”

“Could you speak more gently? It really stresses me out!” A bad feeling rose in Leng Yan’s heart as he forced an awkward smile.

Approaching the woman, before he could react, he heard two slaps! His face stung from the blows. It wasn’t just the pain that bothered him; it was the fact that despite his Innate Realm abilities, he hadn’t seen her move, much less dodged it.

“You should know why I hit you!” The woman’s face was flushed with anger.

“I saved you, why would you hit me?” Leng Yan, a grown man, felt indignant being slapped by a woman.

“Hmph! If I hadn’t been saved by you, you would be dead by now,” the woman said as she stood up and snatched the grilled fish from Leng Yan’s hands, her voice still cold.

Leng Yan knew he was outmatched, but that didn’t mean he would let it go. He believed only his woman had the right to hit him, and so he decided he would win this woman over.

“What are you daydreaming about? Someone’s coming,” the woman said, holding the grilled fish and walking out of the cave.

Snapped out of his fantasies, Leng Yan hurriedly followed her out.

As they emerged from the cave, they saw Qian Tong slowly approaching. Leng Yan cursed, “I mean, you really are a persistent ghost, following me for seven days without giving up.”

“I won’t give up until I complete my mission, but I didn’t expect you to be enjoying such pleasant company in a cave at this time. You should die without regrets now. As for this woman, I’ll take good care of her,” Qian Tong said, his eyes gleaming with lust as he laughed.

Leng Yan knew the woman’s strength and silently prayed for Qian Tong.

The woman’s face turned crimson with fury, her eyes flashing with murderous intent. “You’re courting death!” With a single wave of her hand, the pond suddenly exploded with a loud bang, and a blue water dragon soared into the air.

The water dragon, about a hundred yards long, had eyes like dark ice, emitting an aura of destruction as it charged towards Qian Tong.

Upon seeing the hundred-yard-long water dragon, Qian Tong’s face turned ashen. He knew he couldn’t escape his fate and was shocked that the beautiful woman was actually a practitioner of cultivating dao. Terror of death made him turn and run, pleading, “Don’t kill me, spare my life, please no!”

However, the water dragon couldn’t understand his words. With a crash, it struck Qian Tong, instantly tearing his body apart and spraying a mist of blood that stained the dragon’s head red.

The water dragon roared longingly, flipped, and fell back into the pond, which returned to calm, with only the sound of the waterfall gushing.

“This is dao magic! Are you an immortal cultivation practitioner?” Leng Yan looked at the scene before him, utterly shocked by the power of dao techniques that could move mountains and fill seas with a mere gesture.

Seeing Leng Yan’s reaction, the woman seemed quite pleased with the effect, smiling at the astonished Leng Yan.

Indeed, this woman was an immortal cultivation practitioner named Shui Yunyao, the water element sect master of the Five Elements Sect. She had encountered a disciple of the Innate Demon Sect on her journey and had exhausted her spiritual power of the primordial spirit during a fight, accidentally falling into the water, where Leng Yan happened to rescue her.

“What, frightened by a mere dao technique?” Shui Yunyao said with a joyful laugh.

Calming his nerves, Leng Yan earnestly requested, “I hope you can take me into the dao sect and teach me dao magic.”

Seeing the sincerity in Leng Yan’s eyes, Shui Yunyao’s impression of him slightly improved, and she smiled, “Considering you saved me, I’ll take you back to the mountain. Whether you can become a disciple will depend on your own capabilities.”

Hearing Shui Yunyao’s agreement, Leng Yan gratefully smiled, “Thank you.”

Watching Shui Yunyao savoring the grilled fish, Leng Yan could only swallow his saliva. However, he was relieved that he had finally found the location of the dao sect, so a momentary hunger seemed trivial.

After finishing the grilled fish, Shui Yunyao raised a stream of Water Qi to cleanse her hands, then flicked a white silk ribbon that floated above the ground. She leaped onto it, saying, “Let’s go! I’ll take you back to the mountain gate.”

Leng Yan was aware of the so-called sword flight and, with slight excitement, stepped onto the silk ribbon. The ribbon shook violently as it soared into the air, startling Leng Yan. Instinctively, his hands found their way around Shui Yunyao’s slender waist. Surprisingly, she did not move away or say anything, prompting Leng Yan to keep his hands where they were.

Perhaps in Shui Yunyao’s heart, having been kissed by Leng Yan twice, she already considered herself to be his. However, she still wanted to test him further.

The softness in his palm led Leng Yan’s thoughts astray, while Shui Yunyao could feel the warmth of his hands, causing her mind to flutter, even affecting the stability of the silk ribbon’s flight.

Before they realized it, an hour had passed, and in the distance, they could see a towering mountain peak, enveloped by auspicious clouds, with various birds and spirit beasts flying freely.

As they passed through the clouds, what appeared before them were countless exquisite pavilions and towers, with water flowing between rocks and various rare spirit herbs emitting a faint glow-a truly celestial realm.

“Can you let go of your hands now?” Shui Yunyao’s voice was soft, her cheeks flushed with a pink hue.

Hearing this, Leng Yan chuckled, reluctantly withdrawing his hands, though his heart was already bursting with joy. Shui Yunyao’s actions indicated that she did not resist him, and Leng Yan had not expected to win her affection so easily.

However, upon reflection, it wasn’t surprising. Immortal cultivators are still human, and as a woman who had already been physically close to Leng Yan, in other words, her purity was already tarnished by him.

Since Shui Yunyao had not killed Leng Yan, it meant that she tacitly accepted their relationship. However, Leng Yan did not dare to act rashly, fearing he might misinterpret her intentions or behave poorly, potentially causing her disgust. If she were in a bad mood, she might kill him, leaving him nowhere to cry.

…

As they flew towards the mountain gate, many disciples practicing sword flight cast admiring glances at Shui Yunyao, respectfully moving aside and calling out, “Senior Sister.” But seeing Leng Yan sharing the silk ribbon with Shui Yunyao, they felt a mix of envy and resentment, enough to metaphorically kill Leng Yan a million times.

The silk ribbon descended onto the plaza, landing in front of a building labeled “Master’s Pavilion.” “Follow me inside, and tomorrow I’ll take you to the outer disciple assessment,” said Shui Yunyao, her voice returning to its usual icy tone.

Leng Yan found nothing odd and nodded, following Shui Yunyao inside.

…

Sitting on the meditation cushion in the room, Leng Yan watched Shui Yunyao, who was also sitting cross-legged. Her beautiful face, slightly closed eyes, and enchanting fragrance made Leng Yan smile foolishly.

He had never dreamed that he would be together with such a beautiful person-a true joy in life.

“What are you looking at?” Shui Yunyao opened her eyes and saw Leng Yan smiling at her, questioning him.

“Nothing! I was just thinking why such a beautiful fairy is by my side. Even if I were to die now, I think I would have no regrets.” Leng Yan, having spent many years in the marketplace, was quick with flattering words.

Shui Yunyao, being a woman, and indeed a very beautiful one, naturally enjoyed compliments. Moreover, since Leng Yan was already the chosen one in her heart, his words mattered even more to her, making her feel immensely sweet inside. Yet, her response was cool: “It seems you’ve also seen through my feelings. I won’t deny it, but I expect my man to be responsible and faithful. Otherwise, even if we were intimate, I would kill you and then myself.”

This woman was truly fierce! But it also showed she was a woman of deep feelings, which Leng Yan liked. He thought to himself and then reassured her, “Don’t worry, although I may seem carefree, I am also a man of deep affection and will treat you well.”

Leng Yan had not expected to find romantic involvement so soon after joining the dao sect.

“Good, that’s best. Here is the sect’s technique of spiritual cultivation, the ‘Star Refining Technique,’ this ‘Mystic Ice Sword,’ and the ‘Moonlight Ring’ for self-defense.”

“This ‘Compendium of All Things’ introduces the essentials of spiritual practice. Take a look; it will deepen your understanding of cultivating dao. The path of cultivation is fraught with danger, and I won’t always be by your side, so be careful.” Hearing Leng Yan’s promise, Shui Yunyao was very pleased and handed over the magical treasures to him, starting to guide him in cultivating dao.

“Thank you. You rest for a while, and I’ll take a look at this ‘Compendium of All Things.'” Their conversation flowed easily, no longer awkward, as if they had known each other for a long time.

Shui Yunyao nodded, closed her eyes, and began her meditation practice, while Leng Yan watched her with a slight smile, a trace of happiness rippling across his face.

Upon opening the Compendium of All Things, the details were very comprehensive, including the Spiritual Practice Chapter, Magical Treasure Chapter, Rare Treasures Chapter, Exotic Treasures Chapter, Sects Chapter, and Experiences Chapter.

Sitting for an entire day, Leng Yan flipped through the Compendium of All Things and gained a general understanding of cultivating dao. He was currently in the Innate Realm, and the next realms he would encounter included the Divine Transformation Realm, Realm of Divine Power and Magic, True Essence Realm, Primordial Qi Realm, Heavenly Human Realm, Unification Realm, Golden Core Realm, Great Tribulation of Wind and Fire, Heaven and Earth Dharma Form, and Defy the Heavens and Change Fate, though the latter realms were not recorded in the Compendium. Presently, Shui Yunyao was in the Golden Core Realm and a true disciple of the Five Elements Sect.

Leng Yan belonged to the water element branch of the Five Elements Sect’s mountain gate, where Shui Yunyao was the sect master.

The grades of magical treasures were divided into spiritual weapons, treasure tools, and dao artifacts, each with the subcategories of low-grade, middle-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade. The Mystic Ice Sword that Shui Yunyao gave to Leng Yan was a supreme-grade spiritual weapon, while the Moonlight Ring was a middle-grade treasure tool.

In the current immortal cultivation world, treasure tools are already considered rare treasures. Only true disciples of a sect possess a few of them, and a sect might only have a few dao artifacts, which are still just middle-grade, highlighting the scarcity of magical treasures.

Even before formally joining, Leng Yan possessing a supreme-grade spiritual weapon and a middle-grade treasure tool marked him as a wealthy individual, provoking envy among many.

Within a sect, disciples are classified into many levels. Those outside the Realm of Divine Power and Magic are considered outer disciples. Reaching the Realm of Divine Power and Magic qualifies one to upgrade to an inner disciple, and reaching the Golden Core Realm makes one a true disciple.

Leng Yan’s current wealth could rival that of many inner disciples, showing the great favor Shui Yunyao held for him.