"What did you say??"
In the dead silence, Zhang Ling was the first to break, swallowing hard and asking with a tremor in his voice:
"Little Lu Xuan, you... you say that again!"
Lu Xuan was a bit dazed. He shrank back and said blankly,
"I said... I comprehended a few of the golden texts from the Mediation of Creation and formed a grain of rice. The grain is very mystical..."
"COUGH COUGH COUGH..." The elderly Li started coughing, then discreetly hid the strand of white beard he had just plucked out.
After a long moment, the old man spoke slowly,
"Hmm, no wonder the Innate Qi around your physical body has grown so much denser. I had thought you'd stumbled upon and eaten a branch from some incomplete Celestial Medicine... So, how many texts did you comprehend? Regardless of the number, it shows your talent is at least passable."
The corner of Zhang Ling's eye twitched as he screamed internally, 'You call this passable talent???'
Meanwhile, Lu Xuan just scratched his head and smiled sheepishly.
"Not that many. Those texts are too profound, all explaining deep principles of the Dao. It's still a bit too difficult for me."
As he spoke, he lowered his head, looking ashamed and somewhat dejected.
'In the end, my aptitude isn't bad, but it's really just passable. I must have disappointed Grandpa Li, right?'
'Grandpa Li taught me the Mediation of Creation, and I spent two whole days on it, only to grasp a mere seventy-something texts...'
Just as Lu Xuan was feeling down,
The old man forced a smile and spoke in a casual tone.
"Child, you don't need to be so disheartened. The Great Dao Texts are inherently difficult. Even my eldest disciple has only comprehended several thousand of them so far."
Lu Xuan's eyes widened.
"Several thousand!!"
He was truly astonished. The Mediation of Creation had 1,800 texts, and he could clearly feel that it grew progressively more difficult. 'At first, I could grasp a text in a single breath, but the seventy-fifth one took me an entire day!'
'And Grandpa Li's eldest disciple has comprehended several thousand of such profound texts??'
Lu Xuan didn't notice the utterly bizarre expression on Zhang Ling's face...
Zhang Ling truly had to admire his master; the man could spout any nonsense without batting an eye! 'Just who is our Senior Brother?? He's the first of the Human Race since the Creation of Heaven and Earth, someone who has lived for an unknowable number of Years. He's already a true Upper Celestial Venerable, an out-and-out revered True God who bears the title of Great Emperor! He isn't one of the Six Celestial Lords, but that doesn't mean he's any weaker than them!'
'The time that man spent just comprehending the Great Dao Texts must add up to several million years, right? And that's probably a low estimate!'
'And Little Lu Xuan? Even if he had only comprehended a single Great Dao Text, how much time had passed? At most, it had only been two days!'
At this thought, Zhang Ling's gaze toward the old man grew even stranger. 'How have I never noticed before that Master doesn't even blush or skip a beat when he tells such bald-faced lies...'
Being stared at for so long, the old man seemed to feel a bit embarrassed and let out a soft cough.
"Lu Xuan, though your aptitude is merely passable, we are, after all, bound by seven years of fate... Would you be willing to enter my tutelage? Of course, only as a nominal disciple, like your Brother Zhang."
Lu Xuan was stunned for a moment, then became overjoyed. His heart pounded as he quickly bowed.
"There is nothing I would want more!"
"Good." The old man smiled and nodded. Zhang Ling also breathed a sigh of relief, but then he suddenly felt that something was not right.
'Wait a minute, doesn't that mean I taught Little Lu Xuan the Supreme Foundation Establishment Chapter for a huge loss?! I ended up with a hundred-lifetime tribulation for nothing!'
The corner of his eye twitched with exasperation, but he quickly returned to normal.
'Then again, my cultivation has stagnated. Without undergoing the hundred-lifetime tribulation, it would probably be difficult for me to advance anyway.'
At the same time, the old man spoke again in a gentle voice:
"Since you have entered my tutelage, but only as a nominal disciple, I will only perform your capping ceremony, bestow upon you a Daoist name, and announce it to all the Celestial Realms when you come of age."
He paused, then continued slowly,
"But before then, there are four sect rules you must know."
Lu Xuan suppressed his turbulent emotions and bowed quickly.
"Your student is listening respectfully!"
"First: Members of my sect must not commit evil or cause disaster. Your conduct must be upright, your bearing proper."
"Second: Members of my sect are responsible for their own life and death and must face their own tribulations. I can guide the way, but I will not guarantee your Longevity."
"Third: Members of my sect, upon encountering tribulation, must enter that tribulation. Upon encountering calamity, you must face that calamity. You must not be cowardly, nor shall you retreat."
"Fourth: Members of my sect may obtain ten thousand Dharmas, but you will be granted only one treasure. The Dharma must not be passed to outsiders, and the treasure must not be lost."
"If you violate these rules—for a minor transgression, you will be expelled from my sect and may only return after enduring a hundred lifetimes of tribulation. For a moderate transgression, your name will be removed, and you will henceforth have no connection to my house. For a serious transgression, your life will be forfeit, and you will be forbidden from cultivating for ten thousand lifetimes. For the most grievous transgression, I will sever your Cause and Effect, making it so you were never born into this world. All the world's history, all the Years of antiquity, will contain no record of such a person."
"Do you understand?"
Lu Xuan bowed again.
"Your student has understood and taken it to heart."
The old man nodded again and continued,
"Of my Divine Techniques, I have already bestowed one upon you, and you have also obtained my method of cultivation. Go back now. When you come of age, I will announce it to all the Immortals and Buddhas of the Celestial Realms, record your name, and grant you your treasure."
"Thank you, Master!"
The old man nodded in satisfaction, but then, as if remembering something, he asked casually,
"Oh, right. About the Great Dao Texts, how many did you comprehend exactly? To be able to create Innate Spirit Rice, it must have been two or three, right?"
Lu Xuan looked up in confusion, scratched his head, and said naively,
"So that grain of rice is called Innate Spirit Rice... Ah, to answer your question, Master, I only comprehended seventy-five of the texts. The seventy-sixth is too difficult; I've only grasped about seventy percent of it. It'll probably take another two days to understand it completely."
Zhang Ling: "???"
Li Er: "!!!"
The two of them fell into silence.
In the dead silence, blue smoke from the incense drifted upward, curling around the rafters.
After another long moment, Lu Xuan couldn't help but ask cautiously,
"Master, is something wrong?"
The old man finally came back to his senses. He remained silent for another moment before speaking.
"Hmm, in that case, your aptitude is a bit better than just 'passable.' We could even call it 'not bad.' How about this: we won't wait until you come of age. After three months, come back here, and I will grant you your Daoist Crown and Daoist name, and announce it to the Celestial Realms."
He paused, then, as if feeling this wasn't secure enough—afraid this disciple might be snatched up by someone else—he changed his mind again.
"Three months is a bit long. Let's make it seven days."
Aside from his shock, Zhang Ling couldn't help but feel a sense of defeat welling up inside him. 'This Little Lu Xuan, this little junior brother...'
He then rolled his eyes dramatically. 'Hmm, I wonder who it was that said just two days ago that he would absolutely not go back on his word...'
The old man, as if sensing this, remained expressionless, though his fingers twitched slightly.
The next second, Zhang Ling felt his memory blur for a moment. When he came to his senses, he was a bit confused. 'Huh? Who went back on their word? I don't think anyone did... Master is such a trustworthy person, saying he would take a disciple today, and then taking a disciple today!'
Seeing this, the old man finally nodded in satisfaction.
'Going back on my word? Impossible. Others must have just misremembered. Being wrong? Also impossible. If there truly is a mistake, then it is heaven and earth that are mistaken.'
At that, he beamed a brilliant smile and spoke to Lu Xuan in an exceptionally gentle voice,
"Child, since you have entered my sect, you should know my name."
"The name of this incarnation is Li Er. You may also call me Old Lord."
Zhang Ling rolled his eyes. 'For a lesson in false modesty, you really have to look to Master. He holds the title of Supreme, the reality of Taiqing, and the name of Daoist Virtue, yet he insists on calling himself Old Lord...'
He immediately explained to Lu Xuan,
"And this isn't just any Old Lord. It's the 'Old Lord' from Supreme Laojun!"
As he spoke, Zhang Ling grew expectant, wanting to see the look of utter shock on his little junior brother's face... and he was not disappointed.
Lu Xuan's eyes flew open. 'Su... Supreme Laojun?'
'The Immortal responsible for performing Alchemy for all the Immortals and Buddhas of the Celestial Realms and the Celestial Emperor himself—Supreme Laojun!'
'He might misremember other things, but the Federation had only recently unearthed and compiled some historical records about Supreme Laojun. He had seen it clearly on the news at Wu Xiaoxu's house; there was no way he was mistaken!'
'The Celestial Court's Alchemy Official, Supreme Laojun!'
'Grandpa Li is actually a real Immortal!!'