Chapter 152: The Rivers and Streams of Ji River

The sky was dark.
The morning star flickered.
As the hour of Yin approached, a group of figures arrived at a mountain plateau halfway up the slope.
On the east side of the plateau jutted out a large rock from the cliff. This massive stone was remarkably flat and suspended in the air on three sides, exposed to winds from all directions, shrouded in mist—a breathtaking spectacle of Jishui Peak.
This place was known as the Transmission Cliff.
One by one, figures settled themselves on the Transmission Cliff. Thirteen newly inducted disciples—neither more nor less. Among them was Yu Ye, sitting beside him were Dang Guiyi, Yu Xing, Yu Fei, and others. Yet, only these new disciples from the previous day were present; no other sectmates were in sight. Everyone remained silent, quietly waiting.
“I’ve done some inquiries…”
Dang Guiyi, unable to contain his restlessness, whispered, “The five great halls of the Immortal Sect: the Divine Revelation Hall and the Pastoral Hall lie on the main peak of Yun Chuan; the Heavenly Craft Hall and the Cloud Water Hall are on Tianxiu Peak; but Jishui Peak has only one hall—the Baichuan Hall, led by Elder Fang Xunzi, a Golden Core expert. There are also stewards, managers, and multiple transmission masters. The senior I sought refuge with, Bu Yi, is an inner disciple who has gone out and not returned; otherwise, Ming Ye wouldn’t be so rampant. Brother Yu, we should secretly ally and watch each other’s backs if we want to establish ourselves in Yun Chuan Immortal Sect and carve out our own path…”
Since joining the Immortal Sect, Dang Guiyi had finally grasped the lurking dangers. Thus, while employing every means to gather information, he also reminded junior brother Yu not to forget their legendary partnership, so they might work together against Ming Ye.
“Disciples—”
Around the third quarter of the Yin hour, a faint glow of dawn appeared on the horizon.
Steward Chang Ming reappeared, accompanied by two men—one with Foundation Establishment cultivation, the other with Qi Refining. The thirteen new disciples rose to salute, then sat cross-legged again to await instructions. Chang Ming stood with hands clasped behind his back and called out loudly—
“You all memorized the rules yesterday, received your robes and tokens. Remembering the rules, restraining mortal desires, and wearing proper attire are the rites for newcomers. This Transmission Master of Baichuan Hall, Xin Jian, will instruct you in the cultivation methods and provide necessary items.”
The Foundation Establishment cultivator was Xin Jian, a slender man in his thirties with a short beard. His eyes gazed upwards silently; he simply waved his hand lightly.
The accompanying steward disciple nodded knowingly, took out a jade slip to examine briefly, then stepped forward and said, “Those who recognize your names, come forward to receive your containment rings and pay respects to the Transmission Master: Li Yun, Hong Qiao’er, Ming Ye…”
The crowd rose one after another.
The last was Yu Ye, who also stepped forward, received a containment ring, and bowed deeply to Xin Jian, marking his formal meeting with the Transmission Master.
Chang Ming continued, “Before joining, your cultivation levels varied and you had not truly entered the sect’s inner circle. Now, having entered Yun Chuan Immortal Sect, you must abandon arrogance and impatience and start anew. The first and fifteenth day of each month are days for transmitting scriptures and instruction. Every three months, the Transmission Master will assess your progress. Every six months, the outer disciples hold a competition; the outstanding ones may be promoted to inner disciples. Senior masters will select the cream of the crop for direct discipleship. Until then, besides cultivation, you must undertake duties such as chopping firewood, cooking, fetching water, building houses, and paving roads to temper your body and sharpen your character—this helps the sect discern merit and teach accordingly. The path of cultivation is long and uncertain; only those with great perseverance have the chance to succeed. Let us all encourage one another—”
With that, he and Xin Jian departed.
The steward disciple remained, face stern, saying, “You heard it. Unless rewarded for merit or pardoned by the steward, for the coming years, even decades, you must obediently chop wood, carry water, and break stones. I am Mu Hu, responsible for training you newcomers. Report all matters to me, then proceed to the back mountain to receive your assignments—”
At that moment, the red sun rose, the morning glow radiant, the sea of clouds shimmering.
Yet no one paused to admire the sunrise; they hurried after Mu Hu toward the back mountain.
Yu Ye and Dang Guiyi trailed behind, each examining their containment rings.
These containment rings, crafted from jade, were only a few feet in size, storing a jade slip of the cultivation method, a longsword, a bottle of fasting pills, a bottle of essence-boosting pills, and two spirit stones. The cultivation jade slip was the sect’s introductory method, including lightness technique and minor arts, called the “Secrets of Yun Chuan.” The longsword resembled Yu Ye’s steel-blue sword, over four feet long, without a scabbard; the hilt was worn, but the blade remained sharp.
“This is so meager—at least give us a flying sword…”
Dang Guiyi complained bitterly.
Yu Ye, however, was quite content.
For over two years he had wandered without a home, fleeing constantly, living in fear day and night. Now, with a place to settle, no worries about food or clothing, and the opportunity to cultivate in peace, it exceeded his expectations. Most importantly, having infiltrated Yun Chuan Immortal Sect, the truth he sought was now within reach.
“Hmph, only two spirit stones? Am I short of spirit stones?”
Dang Guiyi muttered.
Yu Ye couldn’t help but say, “You’re not short of spirit stones; when will you repay your debts?”
“I never owed anything…”
Dang Guiyi denied vehemently, then added, “Hey, what is Ming Ye up to?”
Following the stone steps toward the back mountain, they saw Ming Ye and Gu Muzi whispering and sneaking behind Xin Jian.
“Who knows.”
Yu Ye knew Dang Guiyi meant to shirk his debts but had no way to stop him.
“Something’s fishy,” Dang Guiyi said suspiciously.
After a while, they reached the back mountain.
By the lakeside stood a row of stone houses, the kitchen quarters.
Xin Jian led them here and instructed, “Gu Muzi, Ming Ye, Yu Fei, Yu Xing, assist in the kitchen; Cheng Li, Wu Ji, Li Yun, Zheng Jun, chop wood and fetch water for the kitchen. The remaining five, follow me—”
Yu Ye, Dang Guiyi, and the others had no choice but to follow Xin Jian to the lake shore where a broken stone staircase lay.
“Your duty is to break stones to pave roads and repair staircases. Work for two hours daily. Eat at the kitchen. Equipment must be collected from the storeroom. No shirking or slacking!”
Xin Jian tossed the instructions and left.
The five stood by the lake, exchanging glances.
Dang Guiyi suddenly understood and followed Xin Jian away, only to return a moment later carrying a bundle of hoes and hammers, looking sullen.
“Hmph, Senior Brother Xin indeed took spirit stones from Ming Ye and the others but left the hard labor to us. I offered two spirit stones, and he still found it insufficient.”
“Helping in the kitchen is easier, but the price is steep—five spirit stones.”
“How did Qiao’er find out?”
“I happened to overhear it unintentionally. Brother Mu, Brother Shang, do you intend to bribe with spirit stones as well?”
“Haha, we have no such intentions.”
The lake, several miles in circumference, was crystal clear and tranquil, surrounded by mountain forests. The rising sun’s light made the scenery breathtaking.
Yu Ye paid no mind to the hardship of the tasks. He walked to the lakeside, cupped his hands to scoop water, and sprinkled it on his face, feeling a refreshing coolness.
“Alas, truly unlucky!”
Dang Guiyi threw down his hoe and hammer helplessly. “Senior brothers and sisters, please take care of me!”
The other three unfortunate souls were Mu Sha, about twenty-five or twenty-six, strong and simple-looking, at Qi Refining stage four; Shang Xin, in his early twenties, fair-skinned and slender, at Qi Refining stage three; and Hong Qiao’er, a young woman of about twenty-one or twenty-two, delicate features, petite, also at Qi Refining stage three.
One must accept what comes.
As cultivators, they all understood the art of survival.
The five gathered, divided tools, then began breaking stones, paving roads, and building the lakeside staircase.
Yu Ye took a hammer and struck stones with a rhythmic clang, finding some joy in the labor.
Coming to Yun Chuan Immortal Sect had been fraught with hardship. He had expected fiery trials but found himself a stonemason on the second day.
Looking up at Jishui Peak, shrouded in mist and suffused with spiritual energy, was truly uplifting. This must be the so-called immortal realm.
“Ah, the stone is too far left, shift right, right—”
Three people moved stones and hammered while Dang Guiyi and Hong Qiao’er adjusted the foundation, shouting and gesturing loudly.
A hundred yards away, several new disciples carrying shoulder poles and machetes entered the forest to cut firewood. Between the caves on the mountainside, figures moved about. It was said Baichuan Hall’s outer disciples numbered in the hundreds, and the entire Yun Chuan Immortal Sect had nearly a thousand disciples…
Work ended at noon.
The five headed together to the kitchen for their meal.
Inside the stone houses were rows of wooden tables. Ming Ye, apron tied and wooden ladle in hand, served food to the arriving disciples. Dang Guiyi chuckled secretly, covering his mouth.
Yu Ye found it amusing as well.
Fate was unpredictable; one never knew when one might become a kitchen hand or a stonemason.
The meal was plain broth and watery rice—after all, the sect’s pure land was a place of austere cultivation and hardship.
Yu Ye drank a mouthful of the broth, then rose and left.
He returned to his cave, sealed the entrance, sat on the couch, took out some preserved meat he had bought earlier, and ate quietly while lost in thought.
Half the day spent breaking stones, the other half for cultivation—a balanced routine that seemed quite reasonable.
As for Ming Ye, he would disregard him for now.
Having become a disciple of the Immortal Sect, one ought to be familiar with its cultivation methods.
Yu Ye wiped his mouth after eating, rested a moment, then took out the “Secrets of Yun Chuan.”
The entry-level cultivation method of Yun Chuan Immortal Sect was not difficult. At his current level, he could comprehend it fully in three to five days. The “Heavenly Gang Scripture” was the true foundation; studying the “Secrets of Yun Chuan” was merely a cover.
However, the appended minor arts were not trivial—such as lightness technique, wind driving, and thousand-pound strength…
While studying the method, Yu Ye glanced at his right hand.
Inside his Beast Control Ring on his right thumb, two demon salamanders had finally ceased their turmoil and were now curled up, snoring soundly.
Yu Ye shook his head, not with relief but with a troubled expression.
He had nothing left to feed the demon salamanders. Desperate, he tried giving them two spirit stones. After devouring the stones, the creatures seemed intoxicated, roaring loudly before collapsing to the ground, falling into a deep sleep.
Though quiet, they consumed his spirit stones; he still could not afford to keep them.
Now that he was inside the Immortal Sect, unable to kill or plunder, his source of spirit stones was cut off. What would he do in the future…?