Chương 20: Limit

A ray of light flew between the peaks of the Scripture Pavilion Division's mountain. Not even a minute had passed when it came to a halt near the top of one of these peaks. The light transformed, and an elderly man stepped out of it. He wore simple robes with long hair and a long beard. All disciples of the division would recognize this man. He was one of their sect elders and, more importantly, a teacher to most of them.

"Welcome, Elder Bao. Please, come in." A voice echoed out of the single building built on the peak. Unlike most cultivators' abodes in the sect, this was not a courtyard, cave, or pavilion but rather a miniature palace. Calling it a mansion wouldn't be wrong. Bao Kong stepped forward through the newly opened front doors. This was not the first time he had been here as a guest. He knew the way towards the master solar, so even without a guide, he soon arrived at an open room.

Entering, he saw his partner for today's meeting. A silver-black palace dress and expensive-looking jewelry adorned her body as the woman sat behind a desk in a luxurious chair.

"Fellow Daoist Yu." Bao Kong greeted her with a nod and sat down on the stool opposite her. There was no need for elaborate courtesy, despite what the young lady always thought. They had known each other for decades, and he saw her grow from a young disciple to a respected elder firsthand. For so long, she is a member of our sect, but still marked by her experience of the secular world. He thought.

Yu Hua, known by most disciples as Elder Yu and the temporary Deputy-Division Master, came to the sect, like many others, as an official citizen of the Huang Kingdom. The difference between her and 99% of the other disciples was that she was of nobility, of royalty. Born as a princess into a declining branch of the royal line, she had no easy childhood. Yes, clothes, food, money, and other necessities were more than abundant, but her surroundings were filled with strife and schemes to better their family.

Too young to be fully immersed in the world of royalty, but still old enough to be marked by it, she entered the Charging Bull Sect. The royal family of the Huang Kingdom was, like many rulers of the Grand Path World and the Grand Vastness Continent, an immortal dao family. Meaning, a family of cultivators. While the Huang Kingdom in itself did not count as an immortal kingdom or dynasty, nearly all noble families had at least some attainment and heritage of the cultivation path.

Joining and mingling among the four great sects of the kingdom was an old tradition. However, if one wished to join the Charging Bull Sect, Falling Feather Sect, or the Three Mystery Sect, one would need to sever the connection to their noble clans and take the sect as their first priority. Among the Outer Court of the Charging Bull Sect, the various branch sects of the Falling Feather Sect, or the External Sect of the Three Mystery Sect, there was still an overlay of loyalties possible.

But once one joined, respectively, the Inner Court, the main sect directly, or the one of the Three Lineages, there was only the sect and no cultivation clan or family. Naturally, that only counted for noble clans and the royal family. Pure immortal dao clans subordinated to the sects were handled differently. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Every noble family had its own rules and laws regarding its members joining immortal sects.

The royal family had their own as well. Descendants far down the line of succession, either of the throne or family headships, were allowed to join any of the four sects. Those with higher talents or near the lines of succession were only given two paths, via royal decree. One was to cultivate in their family or clan, and the second was to join the Bright Earth Sect. The Bright Earth Sect was the official and orthodox immortal cultivation lineage of the Huang Kingdom.

It was stationed in the Huang Province and near the royal capital. The sect was not only supported but also founded by the royal family's ancestral king. Any citizen of the kingdom could join the sect, at least if they had the right talent and/or heritage. The sect's hierarchy and overall structure were not unlike those of the royal court. Elder Yu had these several possibilities for her immortal path.

Instead of deciding to join the Bright Earth Sect or the other two ancient sects, Yu Hua chose the relatively young Charging Bull Sect. Bao Kong knew she was not fond of the noble and royal political nature. Thus, his sect was the best candidate. Unfortunately, the royal princes possessed only a Three Element Yellow Spirit Root, and even with her lineage, no exception was made. As a result, she was sent to the Outer Court of the Dang Prefecture.

Still, after all these years in the sect, she couldn't eliminate the influence of her upbringing, as it was evident in her cultivation dwelling and appearance. His former student started the conversation about today's topic.

"I assume the abolishment of Disciple Lin Yi's Qi circulation pathways went smoothly?" Bao Kong nodded while stroking his beard.

"Yes, yes. The process was quite simple. He cultivated only two meridians and the foundation of their circulations. No big problem there."

"And with the help of a Spirit Calming Cushion and Lin Yi's own state of Wu Wei, there was not much difficulty on his side either."

"That is good. How was his Wu Wei state of mind? I was not without surprise when I learned that a four-year-old of mortal heritage could enter it, regardless of Innate Spirituality." Bao Kong thought for a moment about his fellow elder's question before answering. His hand still on his beard.

"Much better than I initially expected. It definitely grew stronger over the past few weeks. Under normal circumstances, him entering the state in under three hours should be no problem."

"With the help of a high-grade magic tool, the time needed was not even thirty minutes." Yu Hua's eyes widened in astonishment.

"That is... quite extraordinary. Even among the Inner Court, there would only be a few disciples with this or a higher degree of mastery over Wu Wei." Bao Kong agreed but added his own sentiment.

"Yes, but these few juniors are descendants of Dao Masters or even Perfect Ones. Their own talent or external resources allowed them a similar mental development to that of Innate Spirituality. Furthermore, they were trained starting right after their birth." He paused for a moment.

"Not to mention the young ancestor. A variant Profound Spirit Root, and the Innate Charging Bull Physique of the founding ancestor's lineage. Lin Yi and we ourselves are nothing compared to that. I even heard that he recently sparred with a Dao Master to a draw, and that under the age of twenty!" Yu Hua nodded solemnly. She knew from her time as princess roughly the depth of the Charging Bull Sect's foundation.

If the upper echelon wanted to, they could take a child with the worst talent possible, remake them with heaven and earth treasure, and forcefully pull them up to the Golden Core Realm. The sect was rising higher and higher. But that was not unusual in the grand scheme of things. The Charging Bull Daoist was still alive, and with its founder alive and growing stronger, the sect's fortune would only flourish, not diminish.

"Nevertheless, if Disciple Lin Yi can complete a perfect Golden Cauldron Stage foundation, he would be accepted by the Inner Court, even if he didn't possess Innate Spirituality." At that, Bao Kong could only nod. He understood what Yu Hua thought behind these words. A cultivator with a perfect Golden Cauldron foundation had a small chance of reaching the tenth level of Qi Condensation and a high chance of breaking through the Foundation Establishment Realm.

With Lin Yi's clean background, every requirement for joining the Inner Court would then be fulfilled. Foundation Establishment would be in sight. That was, if he could form the perfect foundation. He sighed at the thought and looked back at his conversation partner with a word of advice.

"Fellow Daoist, you are near the age limit of foundation establishment yourself, aren't you? When do you plan to take this step?" His colleague looked back at him with greater gravity than during the previous topic.

"I am near the peak of the ninth level of the Qi Condensation Realm. Furthermore, I just crossed my fiftieth year. There is still some time till my sixtieth birthday. With my Myriad Flower Art, I can delay the decline of my Essence for a few more additional years. I will have more than a decade to polish my foundation to my satisfaction properly." Bao Kong smiled in contentment at these words.

"Good, with you and the Deputy Master, our Scripture Pavilion will have two more Dao Masters." At his next thought, his mood, though, declined a little. Sigh, the realm of Dao Masters and the true entry of dao mysteries. Unfortunately, for me it will be never achievable, not in this lifetime. Bao Kong mused sadly. Among thousands of Qi Condensation cultivators, how many could truly glimpse through the veil of heaven and earth.