PDLP Chapter 1 Shen Gui
Chapter 1 Shen Gui
Canglan Immortal Sect.
Pavilions and towers stretch out in a staggered pattern.
Jade palaces and magnificent buildings stretch across the vast ocean, amidst swirling clouds and mist, creating an ethereal and otherworldly atmosphere.
A gentle and handsome young man, dressed in the blue robes of a Canglan Sect disciple, strode towards the main hall of Qingxuan Peak.
"Have you heard? Senior Brother Zhao from the Northern Frontier has passed away!"
"Those kinds of desperate places are suicide missions for anyone who goes there."
Two junior disciples from the outer sect were chatting on the road. When they saw Shen Gui passing by, they should have respectfully bowed to this senior brother according to etiquette, but they only gave a perfunctory bow, their eyes revealing no contempt.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
Shen Gui had long since become indifferent to the attitudes of others, calmly returned their greetings, and continued on his way.
He entered the sect at the age of six and has been cultivating for fourteen years, but he has not even been able to achieve the first level of embryonic breathing.
The cultivation realms are, in order, embryonic breathing, qi refining, foundation building, and even the Purple Mansion. Beyond that, even the master has stopped teaching.
As for whether there will be higher realms in the future, Shen Gui has no way of knowing.
To reach the Fetal Breathing Realm, one needs to condense six spiritual wheels in the three acupoints of the dantian, the first of which is the Xuanjing Wheel in the lower dantian.
Shen Gui's spiritual aperture is clear and transparent, allowing him to normally breathe in and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. Even though the spiritual energy in his body is extremely abundant, he is still unable to condense the Xuanjing Wheel.
As the most senior disciple of Qingxuan Peak, he had long been a laughing stock for Qingxuan Peak, mocked by other peaks.
After traveling all the way to the main hall of Qingxuan Peak, Shen Gui arrived at the quiet room where his master usually cultivated in seclusion and gently knocked on the door.
"Master, did you call me?"
"Come in," a clear, melodious female voice rang out, like that of a young girl.
Shen Gui pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully: "Disciple Shen Gui greets Master."
The Foundation Establishment cultivator, Daoist Miaoyin, wore a blue-green Daoist robe that only peak masters of the Canglan Sect could wear, with the robe shimmering with magical light.
She looked to be no more than twenty years old, with stunning beauty, a graceful figure, and captivating charm. Yet, when she looked at Shen Gui, her eyes radiated warmth.
Shen Gui had no way of knowing the true age of this stunningly beautiful master from the immortal sect. He only remembered that when he was a poor, orphaned child and was taken in by her, she already possessed such unparalleled beauty. Fourteen years had not left a single mark on her; on the contrary, with the advancement of her cultivation, she had become even more breathtakingly beautiful.
"Gui'er, you look about the same age as your teacher now," said Miaoyin Daoist softly.
"This disciple is ashamed."
Filled with resentment and shame, Shen Gui dared not look up at him.
"Has anyone been speaking ill of you lately?"
"Reporting to Master, it was just some idle gossip; there was nothing out of line," Shen Gui deliberately downplayed the issue.
A hint of heartache flashed across Master Miaoyin's eyes.
Shen Gui was her first disciple, and the two shared a deep bond. She knew best the predicament and embarrassment her disciple had faced within the sect over the years.
This child's spiritual aperture is clear and bright, but he is inexplicably stuck at the Xuanjing Wheel level and has been unable to break through it.
Having been together for over a decade, Shen Gui knew his master's temperament well. Seeing that she spoke in a roundabout way, he knew that there was something she was having trouble saying, so he took the initiative to speak: "Master, if you have any instructions, please speak frankly."
Miaoyin pondered for a moment, then slowly asked, "How much do you know about the affairs of the Northern Frontier?"
Shen Gui's heart skipped a beat.
The name "Northern Frontier" is associated with countless dangerous rumors among the disciples of the sect.
The northern frontier is vast and rich in spiritual energy, yet the situation there is extremely chaotic.
Monsters roam freely, and demonic cultivators are everywhere.
The lives of cultivators are as worthless as grass, while the lifeblood of mortals is clearly priced.
The Five Sects and Nine Schools of the Celestial Empire have a long tradition of developing subordinate sects and expanding their influence.
The Canglan Sect has repeatedly tried to establish subordinate sects in the northern border, but each attempt has failed.
With repeated defeats, the Northern Frontier gradually degenerated from a place of pioneering and establishing sects into a place where sects would send their outcast disciples to the margins.
Shen Gui cupped his hands and said solemnly, "This disciple is willing to serve the sect."
Looking into her disciple's clear, uncomplaining eyes, Miaoyin felt a growing pang of sorrow in her heart.
According to the sect's rotation, it should be Qingxuan Peak that sends someone this time, but in her heart she really didn't want her first disciple to go to such a desperate place as the Northern Frontier to die.
The sect elders deliberately named one of them: "I've heard that the peak master of Miaoyin Peak has a senior disciple who has been cultivating for over ten years. He'd be a perfect role model for the younger generation of the sect."
The other party was a powerful elder from the Purple Mansion, and since he had spoken, Miaoyin had no way to refuse.
"Your sect has ordered you to go to the Northern Frontier to establish your own sect. You shall depart immediately."
As soon as she finished speaking, Miaoyin felt a strange sense of relief.
Shen Gui remained expressionless, but a sense of relief welled up inside him.
The years in the sect were oppressive and unbearable. This journey to the northern frontier can be seen as a way to repay my master's fourteen years of teaching and nurturing.
"Disciple obeys. Master, please take care... If the sect agrees, please relinquish my position as the head disciple of Qingxuan Peak to fulfill my junior brother's long-cherished wish."
Rather than continuing to occupy the position and attract criticism, bringing shame to Qingxuan Peak, it would be better to leave. Second Junior Brother has always coveted the position of First Disciple, which would also save Master from being caught in the middle, and allow me to do my part for Qingxuan Peak in the end.
Miaoyin's eyes widened suddenly, her voice trembling slightly: "What do you mean by that? Do you harbor resentment and no longer acknowledge me as your master?"
"Gui'er would never have such an intention!"
Miaoyin interrupted urgently, "If you have no such intention, then don't say such angry words."
After a moment of silence, Miaoyin slowly spoke: "I originally intended to give you a storage bag, but since your Xuanjing realm has not yet condensed and you lack spiritual consciousness, you wouldn't be able to use it even if I gave it to you. Secondly, the people of the Northern Frontier are known for their fierce nature, and possessing valuable treasures would only invite trouble. After much thought, I decided to give you this."
Miaoyin reached into her clothes with her jade-like hand and took out a pure white sachet, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Driven by magical power, the sachet slowly floated into Shen Gui's hand.
It feels warm and smooth to the touch, and a delicate, elegant fragrance wafts into the nose—perhaps it's the inherent aroma of the sachet itself?
"This item has two great uses: first, it can gather spiritual energy to aid your cultivation; second, it can detect malicious intent and automatically defend against enemies. It contains the profound mysteries of my immortal foundation [Wood with Branches], making it a top-tier magic weapon for the Nascent Soul Realm. As for the other treasures... even if I gave them to you, I'm afraid you would have difficulty bringing them off the Heavenly Dynasty's treasure ship."
Shen Guizhen carefully put the sachet close to his body.
"What is the reason why Master said 'it cannot be taken off the ship'?"
"You are not alone on this trip to the Northern Frontier. All five sects and nine schools within the Heavenly Dynasty's territory are sending people to take up their posts, and those sent are all those whom the sects dislike, those who are cunning and arrogant. Since we are all traveling together on the Heavenly Dynasty's treasure ship, I'm afraid that as soon as we disembark, there will be no safety to speak of."
Shen Gui's eyes narrowed, realizing that the Northern Frontier was far more dangerous than he had imagined.
Miaoyin reluctantly gave him further instructions regarding the taboos of the Northern Frontier. Seeing that dusk was approaching, Shen Gui quickly asked, "Master, what should be the name of the sect I'm going to establish?"
Ever since his master achieved foundational enlightenment and condensed his immortal foundation [Wood with Branches], he has refused to see him at night and has stayed indoors every night.
Each immortal foundation has its own unique mysteries, which must be due to the secrets of the master's immortal foundation.
Miaoyin escorted Shen Gui to the door of the meditation room and said softly, "The elder's intention is that you may choose a name yourself."
As the sun set and night approached, Miaoyin's breathing became slightly rapid, and her face flushed again.
"Take care on your journey, my disciple. If you have the opportunity, please be sure to send me a letter."
"Your disciple will remember this."
The door to the quiet room slowly closed. Shen Gui respectfully kowtowed several times in front of the door, then stood up, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and turned back to his cave to pack his belongings.
………………
As soon as they returned to the entrance of the cave, they saw a figure standing quietly at the door.
Also wearing the Qingxuan Peak Taoist robe was his second junior brother, who was a few years younger than him.
His junior brothers and sisters were all much younger than him. It was only because his cultivation had stagnated for several years that Master Miaoyin took in a group of disciples to continue the lineage.
Li Zhirui's tone was icy, showing no respect whatsoever for his senior brother: "Returning so late, knowing you're heading to the Northern Frontier tomorrow, is it because you can't bear to leave the sect?"
"So it's my second junior brother." Shen Gui said calmly.
Compared to the ridicule and exclusion from other peak disciples, the second junior brother's arrogance was nothing.
"All the major immortal sects exile their inferior disciples to the northern frontier. In my opinion, you, senior brother, are not worthy of such treatment. You can just take a menial job in the sect and live out your life. Anyway, your lifespan is no different from that of a mortal, so you won't waste many years."
Shen Gui was too lazy to argue and simply pushed open the door and went inside.
"Don't just die in vain. Test the power of my newly drawn talisman for me, and you'll die a worthy death."
Before he could finish speaking, a storage bag was tossed in through the crack in the door, and Li Zhirui's figure had already disappeared into the night.
Looking at the dozen or so hand-drawn talismans in the bag, Shen Gui felt a warmth in his heart, but smiled bitterly to himself: "In the end, I'm just too straightforward... I don't even have spiritual consciousness, so I can't use the storage bag at all."
He had no choice but to hide the storage bag in his luggage and then carefully place the talisman and sachet close to his body.
He had hardly any belongings to pack, and his gaze fell on a piece of white ancient material of unknown origin on the bedside table.
This item was carried by Master when he found him. Its origin is unknown. It is known that the material is hard and flexible, and even ordinary Nascent Soul Realm magic swords cannot damage it.
Shen Gui picked it up casually, thinking it would be perfect for use as a breast protector.
"Since we've already decided to go, let's accept it as it is. Establishing a new school of thought might just be a new path."
Shen Gui packed his bags, thinking to himself: If I can establish a great sect in the future, I will never let my disciples suffer the same humiliation and bitterness I have experienced.
As soon as he finished speaking, a wave of scorching heat suddenly emanated from the ancient fragment on his chest.
Before he could remove it, the heat flow entered his meridians and vanished instantly.
He reached up and touched his chest, only to find that the ancient fragment had vanished into thin air.
The Heavenly Bell has a successor, inheriting the lineage, restoring the ancestral artifacts, and revitalizing the clan.
Slaying demons and eliminating evil spirits, accumulating Taoist merit, passing on the teachings based on merit, and cultivating disciples.
They protect the common people, bless the masses, offer incense and sacrifices, and register and ordain the people.
A surge of profound information rushed into his mind. The ancient fragment had already merged into Shen Gui's body, and countless mysterious uses of the fragment known as the Mingtian Bell slowly emerged in his mind.