Volume One, Chapter 25: Taking a Master (Part One)

On the Path of Heart-Questioning, Gu Mingxi struggled to climb the nine-hundredth step. As soon as her first foot touched it, she felt an incomparable pressure.

Gu Mingxi gritted her teeth and heaved her other leg up, so exhausted that she sank directly onto the step. "Only ninety-nine steps left. I cannot give up now; I am so close to success..."

Just as Gu Mingxi rose to continue, the weight of the gravity forced her down onto one knee. Clenching her teeth, she pushed herself up, her eyes filled with determination.

After climbing a few more steps, the gravity grew so intense that she coughed up blood. Seeing the blood splattered on the stone, a strange look flickered in her eyes—she had not expected to be pushed to the point of vomiting blood. It seemed she had underestimated the gravity, but having come this far, giving up was absolutely out of the question.

With plenty of time left before sunset, Gu Mingxi was in no rush. She sat down in meditation to recover her strength. Once she had returned to her peak condition, she rose and continued upward.

She repeated this cycle—climbing a dozen steps, vomiting blood, and meditating to recover—until she finally reached the summit.

"Hah... hah... hah..."

Reaching the top, she collapsed onto the ground. She had absolutely no strength left. Had she not heard that the elders of the Tianyan Sect observed the disciples on the Path of Heart-Questioning via water mirrors, she would have simply sprawled out flat instead of sitting up.

After resting for a while, she began to meditate. Before long, a disciple arrived to summon her. As she followed him toward the plaza of the Tianyan Sect, she noticed him sneaking glances at her. She realized he likely knew she was only the third person in the sect's history to successfully summit the Path of Heart-Questioning; his curiosity was understandable.

When Gu Mingxi arrived, the plaza was already crowded. Gu Mingyue waved her over excitedly. "Mingxi, I heard you reached the top of the Path of Heart-Questioning. Is it true?"

At her question, others in the plaza turned their gazes toward them. They were all curious. After all, the only two who had succeeded before were Venerable Yuchen, the current pinnacle of combat strength in the Qingyun Continent, and the genius sword cultivator Mo Yuqing. This meant that anyone who could summit this path was a genius among geniuses; provided they did not fall prematurely, they would certainly secure a place for themselves in the world.

Gu Mingxi nodded simply. "Yes, I finished all nine hundred and ninety-nine steps."

Gu Mingyue exclaimed in surprise, "Mingxi, you are truly amazing! I couldn't go any further after reaching the eight-hundred-seventieth step."

Gu Mingxi frowned at the constant attention, feeling a slight headache; she was far too conspicuous, but there was no way to hide. Fortunately, this agonizing atmosphere did not last long before the elder in charge of the testing arrived.

The elder produced three stones.

What was this for? Was there to be another test of their spiritual roots?

The elder scanned the crowd. "To prevent cheating, we must conduct one final test after the completion of the Path of Heart-Questioning."

Some were displeased at the prospect of another test. "We already tested! Do you think we would lie to you?"

"That's right!"

The elder glared at the defiant disciples and let out a cold snort. "These are the rules of the Tianyan Sect. I repeat: if you are not satisfied, you may withdraw!"

The threat hit home instantly. All voices of dissent vanished, and they lined up obediently. Leave? They had endured so much suffering on the Path of Heart-Questioning just to join the Tianyan Sect; they would never give up over such a small matter.

Seeing that there were no further objections, the elder organized the testing. The first to step forward was a young girl.

"Wen Yu, bone age eight, metal-earth dual spiritual roots, metal eight, earth six, no special spiritual body."

So, the three stones were for testing bone age, spiritual roots, and spiritual bodies! Soon, it was Gu Mingxi's turn.

"Gu Mingxi, bone age six, variant lightning spiritual root, ten, lightning spiritual body."

When the announcement was made, the gazes of the other disciples focused on her once more. Meanwhile, the sect masters and elders observing via the water mirror in the main hall of Star Peak received the news.

Yue Heng was astonished. "A variant lightning spiritual root and a lightning spiritual body!"

Yue Qi and Qiong Yu turned immediately to look at Yuchen, who was leisurely sipping tea nearby. They spoke in unison, "Yuchen, you knew about this all along, didn't you?"

Yuchen took a slow, deliberate sip of his tea before saying with great satisfaction, "Naturally, I knew. Unlike you lot, who never pay attention to news of promising talent."

Yuchen's remark was so provocative that Yue Qi, Qiong Yu, and Yue Heng all glared at him.

At this moment, Su Yu interjected quietly, "When did you find out that Gu Mingxi had a variant lightning spiritual root and a lightning spiritual body?"

Yuchen, in high spirits, replied, "Naturally, a year ago. I knew the moment her spiritual roots were first tested!"

Yue Qi suddenly realized, "I completely forgot that you and the head of the Gu family are friends!"

Yuchen raised an eyebrow. "Mmhmm."

Seeing his smug expression, the others turned away, finding him an eyesore. He was far too infuriating; if they weren't all weaker than him, he would have been beaten up by now.

Just then, a disciple came to report, and everyone in the hall instantly composed themselves. Qing Mu gestured for the person to enter. "What is the situation?"

The disciple replied, "Reporting to the Sect Master, there are five disciples with single spiritual roots this time. They are waiting outside."

"Five? That is not a small number. Let them enter."

"Yes!"

After the disciple left, he beckoned to the five of them, including Gu Mingxi. "Follow me."

The disciple led them in and then withdrew, leaving the five of them standing in the great hall.

"Disciples pay their respects to the Sect Master, the Peak Masters, and the Elders!"

Qing Mu nodded. "To have made it this far shows that your talent and resilience are exceptional." After some brief pleasantries, he began to call their names for the apprenticeship ceremony.

The first name called was Gu Mingxi.

"Gu Mingxi, whom do you wish to take as your master?"