Observing Wanfa from the martial arts school servants

Chapter 103 Idle Sect

On either side of the Xianzong Gate crouched a bronze lion, its body covered in dark green rust, looking as if it hadn't been cleaned for at least several hundred years.

The bronze lion held a bronze ring in its mouth, with several very shallow and fine lines engraved on the ring. Lin Mu looked at it closely for a moment and recognized it as the three bamboo leaf symbol on the Xianzong waist tag.

He reached out and grasped the bronze ring, then gently tapped it three times on the bronze lion's face.

The copper ring struck the bronze lion's teeth, producing a clear and resonant sound that lingered in the bamboo forest for several breaths before dissipating.

The bamboo door creaked open by itself, without the hinges making a sound, as if it had been blown open by the wind, or as if the door itself was yawning.

Behind the door was a small courtyard paved with blue bricks, the cracks between which were covered with moss. Several sparrows perched on the edge of the well, drinking water. When they saw Lin Mu come in, they were too lazy to fly away and simply hopped a couple of steps to the side to make room for him.

nobody.

Is anyone there?

Lin Mu stood in the center of the courtyard and looked around.

Several faded blue robes, embroidered with the character "闲" (leisure) on the hem, hung to dry under the eaves, swaying gently in the breeze.

A faint yet enticing aroma of braised food wafted from the kitchen, a blend of star anise, cinnamon, and some other unidentified spices, swirling slowly in the afternoon sunlight.

"Am I not human? How stupid."

The sound came from above.

Lin Mu raised his head.

A little girl, about seven or eight years old, was sitting on the door ridge, with two crooked ponytails.

She wore a short jacket so faded from washing that its original color was no longer discernible. She swung around barefoot, a red string tied around her ankle with three tiny copper bells hanging from it, which jingled with each swing.

He was happily gnawing on a chicken wing, his mouth full of oil, his cheeks bulging like a squirrel that had stolen a whole jar of rice, and a few crumbs still stuck to his fingertips.

She looked down at Lin Mu, her eyes round and bright, with extremely dark and deep pupils, like two pebbles just pulled from a well, carrying an undisguised scrutiny.

"Who are you?" the little girl asked, tearing a piece of meat from a chicken wing.

"Lin Mu. Wen Haoran sent me."

Upon hearing this, the little girl paused for a moment while gnawing on her chicken wing. She blinked her round, bright eyes, then jumped down from the doorframe, the copper bells on her ankles jingling softly as she landed. She jumped down, waved to Lin Mu, signaling him to follow, and then walked through the bamboo gate. Lin Mu crossed the courtyard and followed her across the threshold.

The world inside the gate suddenly opened up. It wasn't the sect's main hall he had imagined, but a vast, open valley. Towering cliffs rose on either side, covered with ancient vines as thick as a child's arm, their petals shimmering with tiny, unidentified purple flowers in the afternoon sun. In the center of the valley, a waterfall cascaded down from the cliff top, its roar echoing as it crashed into the deep pool below, creating a mist that filled the air. The mist condensed in the sunlight into a very faint, long rainbow, stretching from the pool's edge to the opposite cliff. Beside the pool was a smooth, blue stone platform, intricately carved with patterns. Deep within these patterns, a dark golden light seemed to flow, somewhat similar to the myriad-people's light patterns Lin Mu had seen on the walls of Heyuan City, but even more ancient and profound.

Scattered around the platform were several bamboo houses, built against the mountain at varying heights. Several disciples dressed in the robes of the Xianzong sect sat meditating by the waterfall, their robes dampened by the mist, yet they remained motionless. Several others were practicing by the pool; one conjured an extremely thin, transparent wall of azure light in his hand, while another launched a fierce attack with his fists, the fists striking the light wall and creating visible ripples, yet the light wall remained unmoved.

The little girl led Lin Mu along the stone path, stopping at a blue stone platform beside the waterfall. Two people stood on the platform. One was a man of about thirty-five or thirty-six, wearing a faded blue robe with the character "闲" (leisure) embroidered on the hem. The robe was open, revealing a short gray tunic underneath. His hair was casually tied back, with a few strands of white at his temples. His face was serene, but his eyes held a faint weariness, as if he had just woken up, or perhaps hadn't slept enough. The little girl ran to his side, tugged at his sleeve, and called out crisply, "Daddy!"

The other was a young man in his early twenties, dressed in the blue robes of a Xianzong disciple, with a long sword hanging at his waist, its scabbard engraved with several fine wind patterns. He sat cross-legged on the platform, palms facing upwards, his chest rising and falling slightly with each breath, and a faint aura flowing around him. The senior disciple stood opposite him, hands behind his back, his voice not loud, yet steadily and powerfully drowning out the roar of the waterfall.

"After the Transformation Realm comes the Core Formation Realm. There are two paths to the Core Formation Realm, and you are about to enter that stage. You have to choose one yourself."

The young man opened his eyes and listened attentively. The senior disciple continued, his voice unhurried. "One type is martial arts. It draws qi into the body, which can then be projected outwards. Look at Duanmu Hong's Azure Light Wall—" He raised his right hand, his fingers slightly spread, and an extremely thin and transparent azure light wall appeared in his palm. The light wall was only the size of a palm, but the flowing patterns on its surface were extremely fine, each pattern slowly flowing, the azure light refracting a very faint halo in the mist of the waterfall. "It can attack and defend, and can be used at both close and long range. When facing an enemy, it condenses qi into a wall, blocking a blow from a condensed elixir without shattering it; when killing an enemy, the azure light transforms into a blade, taking a person's head from dozens of feet away as easily as taking something out of a bag. Martial arts is fast and powerful, and doesn't require the daily grueling training of martial arts."

The young man listened intently, his gaze fixed on the blue light barrier. The senior brother withdrew his palm, and the blue light barrier silently vanished from his fingertips. "The other path is martial arts. Embracing the Core. It condenses all the body's power into a single line, unleashing tremendous force and doubling the speed of Transformation Realm. But it can only be achieved through fists and feet; one must reach the Gang Realm to release that power externally. To walk this path, one must endure much more hardship and spend much more time. Ten years of arduous practice may not be as effective as a single volume of sage's teachings."

The young man answered almost without hesitation: "Who still practices martial arts these days? I'd definitely choose martial arts."

The senior disciple glanced at him, said nothing, and simply nodded slightly. The young man stood up, bowed deeply to the senior disciple, turned and walked towards the mountain wall, muttering, "The Azure Light Wall is much more effective than fists," before quickly disappearing into the mist of the waterfall. A little girl squatted by the platform, gnawing on a chicken wing. After finishing, she tossed the bone into the pool, and several plump koi leaped from the bottom to snatch it. She clapped her hands and giggled.

The eldest disciple turned around, his gaze falling on Lin Mu. He sized Lin Mu up for a moment, his eyes lingering briefly on the pair of shattered mountain and river bracelets at Lin Mu's waist before returning to his face.

"Who are you?"

"I am Lin Mu, introduced by Wen Haoran."

"My surname is Jiang, Jiang Wang. I am the senior disciple of the Qingzhou branch of the Xian Sect."