noffsinger Chapter 23 Entering the Hidden Moon Sect
Chapter 23 Entering the Hidden Moon Sect
Sunset Peak is the main peak of the Tianyue Mountain Range. Every sunset, the sun's trajectory coincides with the ridge of the peak, and the sun seems to be slowly swallowed by the towering mountain pillar, hence the name "Sunset Peak".
The Hidden Moon Sect was built around this peak. From afar, the Sunset Peak appears as a sea of green trees, undulating in the wind. Amidst the verdant forest, one can see magnificent palaces and pavilions, a scene reminiscent of a celestial palace.
Led by Nangong Wan, the group flew over the magnificent mountain gate and headed towards the hall where registration was conducted, a necessary procedure for newly initiated disciples.
Suddenly, a slender white streak of light appeared on the horizon. It was so fast that it landed on the Heavenly Moon Divine Ship in a flash.
The light vanished, revealing a beautiful young woman with fair skin. Her expression was cold, and her eyes gleamed with a chilling light. As her gaze slowly swept across the room, a faint yet terrifying spiritual pressure made Yao Guang and the group of low-level disciples who accompanied him feel their hearts pound.
Although none of them recognized the woman, they could guess that she must hold a prominent position within the sect.
"Who is Yao Guang?" the cold woman asked, her voice devoid of any emotion.
Upon seeing the newcomer, Nangong Wan's expression immediately became respectful. Not daring to be negligent, she bowed deeply and pointed to the man in blue behind her, saying, "Reporting to Martial Aunt Ningyue, this is him."
"Uncle-Master?"
"My God, she's our Nascent Soul Grandmaster of the Hidden Moon Sect!"
The disciples were greatly shocked, their knees went weak, and they knelt down, trembling, saying, "Disciples pay respects to the Ancestor!"
Nascent Soul cultivators usually live a secluded life and do not concern themselves with daily affairs. How could these Qi Refining cultivators of the Hidden Moon Sect have the opportunity to see them in person? Their sudden appearance in front of them startled them so much that their hearts pounded.
Yao Guang also bowed deeply with the others, but did not kneel down like the other cultivators.
The cold woman known as "Ningyue" suddenly fixed her gaze on Yao Guang with lightning speed, scrutinizing him closely without uttering a word.
If it were any other Qi Refining cultivator, being scrutinized like this by a Nascent Soul Ancestor would have already made their legs go weak and they would have been trembling with fear. But Yao Guang only lowered his head slightly to show respect. His gentle and extraordinary demeanor remained unchanged, which made the disciples kneeling beside him feel a chill run down their spines.
Ancestor Ningyue nodded inwardly. Just this composure in the face of a Nascent Soul cultivator revealed the man's extraordinary character. She turned her gaze to Nangong Wan and said coldly:
"You've done a great job. Go to the Hall of Merit and collect your reward. You don't need to worry about anything else after that."
Her tone was very cold and hard, as if she had a natural aversion to Nangong Wan.
Yao Guang learned from his previous casual conversations with the disciples that the Hidden Moon Sect currently has three Nascent Soul elders. The eldest elder is nearly a thousand years old and on the verge of death. Several years ago, he stopped caring about worldly affairs and went on a journey.
Another male cultivator at the Nascent Soul stage had only been cultivating for a few years and spent most of his time in seclusion in his cave.
The old ancestor Ningyue before us is the third Nascent Soul cultivator and the designated successor to the Grand Elder of the Hidden Moon Sect.
Recalling the original work, Yao Guang guessed the identity of this Ancestor Ningyue. She was the mid-Nascent Soul female cultivator who forced Nangong Wan to marry Wei Lichen during the Nine Kingdoms Alliance, but was captured by Han Li who came to snatch her away. Her ending was also tragic; she was killed by the ancient demon's split soul in the battle of Fallen Demon Valley.
Nangong Wan seemed to have long been accustomed to the attitude of the Ancestor Ningyue. She didn't say anything more, bowed, and left with the others, leaving Yao Guang alone to face this Nascent Soul Ancestor with an icy aura.
Once the others had gone far away, the icy aura emanating from Ancestor Ningyue seemed to have subsided somewhat, and her tone softened slightly: "Come with me. You are new here and need to register and collect sect items. I will show you around first."
Yao Guang was quite surprised. Did he really need a Nascent Soul cultivator like her to do these things for him? No matter how outstanding he was, it wasn't worth it, was it?
Ancestor Ningyue didn't explain anything. With her guidance, they quickly completed all the procedures for joining the sect, and Yao Guang also changed into the white robes of the Hidden Moon Sect.
With the introduction from Ancestor Ningyue, Yao Guang gained a preliminary understanding of the regional distribution of the Hidden Moon Sect. The entire sect was divided into three concentric rings, centered on Sunset Peak.
The outermost ring area is the largest, but the spiritual veins are thin, making it the place where low-level Qi Refining disciples live and cultivate. The spiritual veins in the middle ring gradually become abundant, and only Foundation Establishment stage disciples are qualified to open cave dwellings there. The inner ring area and the most central Sunset Peak are the places with the most abundant spiritual veins, and naturally only Core Formation stage cultivators are qualified to live there.
Before long, Ancestor Ningyue led Yao Guang to a quiet courtyard in the outer ring area. The courtyard had simple restrictions, and the concentration of spiritual energy was significantly better than the surrounding area.
"According to the sect rules, Qi Refining disciples must undertake miscellaneous tasks within the sect, but I hereby grant you special permission to be exempt from all such tasks. These are Yang-attribute cultivation techniques that I have selected for you. You may choose any one to cultivate. These pills are also sufficient to help you reach the pinnacle of Qi Refining."
Ancestor Ningyue's voice was flat and emotionless. With a casual wave of her hand, several jade slips and a few jade bottles floated towards Yao Guang.
"Thank you, Ancestor." Yao Guang felt a slight warmth in his heart. It seemed that this woman was not as cold and ruthless as she was in the original story.
However, Ancestor Ningyue abruptly changed her tone, becoming serious and stern:
"One year from now, I will arrange a duel for you. Regardless of who wins or loses, and no matter what technique you cultivate, you must demonstrate the potential worthy of your Light Spirit Root aptitude. Do you understand?"
Ancestor Ningyue's gaze was sharp, with a hint of cold light flashing in her eyes, but it disappeared in an instant, so fast that Yao Guang could not detect it.
Yao Guang agreed and seized the opportunity to ask, "May I ask, Ancestor, what about the 'Cuiyang Cave'...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Ancestor Ningyue: "We'll discuss everything a year from now."
Yao Guang looked at the series of Yang-attribute cultivation techniques in the jade slip, such as "Fire Righteous Technique," "Golden Yang Sword Technique," and "Heavenly Gang True Technique," and smiled bitterly to himself. He neither liked these Yang-attribute cultivation techniques nor intended to cultivate them.
The pills used to help Qi cultivators condense their Qi Sea are not suitable for him to cultivate the "Covering the Sky" technique.
What he truly desired were a large quantity of spiritual herbs imbued with life essence, as well as demonic beasts for him to devour.
"It seems I'll have to go to the market to exchange." Yao Guang sighed inwardly and bowed to thank Ancestor Ningyue.
Ancestor Ningyue nodded slightly, her figure flickered, and she flew away in the blink of an eye.
However, her expression gradually turned cold, and she muttered to herself:
"One year from now, you'd better demonstrate potential that satisfies me, proving that you have the potential to reach the Nascent Soul stage and are worth my resources in forming your Golden Core and Nascent Soul. At that time, I will use the secret method of dual cultivation to borrow your Light Spirit Root physique to help me break through the Nascent Soul bottleneck and even reach the legendary Divine Transformation realm."
"But if you have this body with the Light Spirit Root but mediocre comprehension and weak Dao heart..." Ancestor Ningyue's eyes flashed with cold light, "Hmph, then you should leave this body to someone who has a better chance of forming a Nascent Soul."