183: Chapter 183 The Sect Master's Son Asks the Way on Mountain
[The light of the teleportation formation completely dissipated.]
["Hey! Newcomer?"]
[A dark-faced burly man walked out from the pavilion next to the stone platform.]
["I am Li Tie, an Outer Sect Deacon, specifically in charge of receiving newcomers."]
[He patted his chest, "You can just call me Brother Tie."]
[Chu Sheng cupped his hands: "Chu Sheng, Outer Sect Elder Candidate. This is Yue Jianli, Inner Sect Disciple Candidate."]
["Dao Companions?"]
[Chu Sheng nodded.]
[Li Tie gave a thumbs up: "You have good taste."]
[Li Tie was a chatterbox.]
[He pointed at the looming Peaks in the distance.]
[That one is Alchemy Peak, that one is Sword Casting Valley, that one is the Elders Court, and the farthest and highest one is called Wendao Peak...]
[Chu Sheng listened, nodding from time to time.]
[The Wendao Sect was much larger than he had imagined; the outer perimeter alone stretched for thousands of miles, and the Sect-protecting array had three layers, each more formidable than the last.]
[The outermost layer is called the "Maze Formation"; those below the Spirit Sea cannot find the entrance.]
[The middle layer is called the "Evil Slaying Formation," specifically for dealing with demonic cultivators; anyone below the Dao Palace will be injured upon contact.]
[The innermost layer is called the "Wendao Formation," left behind by the Ancestral Master; it is said to be able to block Divine Abilities.]
[Li Tie led them onto a Spirit Boat.]
[Chu Sheng stood at the bow, watching the sea of clouds churning beneath his feet, suddenly feeling a bit surreal.]
[A few days ago, he was still being dispersed by a whisk in Qingshi Town, and now he was catching the breeze on a Spirit Boat of the Wendao Sect.]
["By the way, Brother Tie," Chu Sheng asked casually, "there's someone in our Sect named Ye Wuhen, do you know him?"]
["Leaf... Ye Wuhen?" His voice lowered significantly, "You know him?"]
[Chu Sheng said, "I helped him with a small favor."]
[Li Tie lowered his voice, "Ye Wuhen... is the Sect Master's only son."]
[Chu Sheng's heart skipped a beat.]
The Sect Master's only son?
He knew from the simulation that Ye Wuhen had a background, but he hadn't expected it to be so significant.
The son of Ye Cang, the Sect Master of the Wendao Sect?
That would make him the crown prince of the Wendao Sect.
[Yue Jianli glanced at him but didn't speak.]
[Yue Jianli asked curiously: "Why did Ye Wuhen go to the Northern Region to sweep streets?"]
[Li Tie coughed twice: "This... I'm not too sure about this."]
[Chu Sheng didn't press the matter on the spot.]
[When the Spirit Boat stopped at a mountainside for a rest, he produced a jar of fine wine from his Storage Pouch.]
["Ye Wuhen's mother," Li Tie lowered his voice, his cheeks flushing, "is Su Yao, the leader of the East Sea Merchant Alliance."]
[East Sea Merchant Alliance?]
[Several thoughts flashed through his mind, but he didn't interrupt Li Tie.]
["Back then, the marriage alliance between the Sect Master and Su Yao was a major event in the Central Region and the East Sea."]
[Li Tie took a sip of wine, "Later, after Ye Wuhen was born, Su Yao returned to the East Sea."]
["As for specifically why, no one knows. Some say it was due to emotional discord, some say something happened in the East Sea; there are all sorts of rumors."]
["Ye Wuhen was physically weak since childhood and was sent to the Tianfeng Kingdom in the Northern Region to recuperate."]
[Li Tie lowered his voice, "This isn't exactly a secret within the Sect. There are four people in the Wendao Palace who hold the status of Dao Seed, distributed across the five regions."]
["Whoever develops the best in the end will be eligible to inherit the position of Sect Master; no help is allowed, it all depends on one's own destiny."]
["Now that he has recovered and returned, the Sect Master intends to groom him as the successor."]
[Ye Wuhen is the Sect Master's only son and is eligible to compete for the position of Dao Seed, with the two major powers of Ye Cang and Su Yao behind him.]
[This connection was even stronger than he had imagined.]
[He poured another cup of wine for Li Tie, "I see. Thank you for the guidance, Brother Tie."]
[Li Tie waved his hand: "Don't thank me, I didn't say anything."]
[The Spirit Boat continued to fly for another half hour before finally reaching the core area—Mount Wendao.]
[There were Disciples inspecting at the mountain gate.]
[Chu Sheng presented his token, and the guard took it, "Senior Brother Lin, receive the guests!"]
[The corner of Chu Sheng's mouth twitched.]
["Receive guests"? That choice of words is quite... unique.]
[A young man walked out from the mountain gate, at the Peak of the Spirit Spring realm, and he was quite good-looking.]
[Lin Xiao, an Inner Sect Disciple, was specifically responsible for receiving outside guests.]
["Outer Sect Elder Candidate?" Lin Xiao's tone was flat, as if he were reading an insignificant document, "Follow me."]
[Chu Sheng said nothing and followed with Yue Jianli.]
[Lin Xiao took them to the Outer Sect Registration Office, a three-story building on the mountainside.]
[The registration process was quick: just filling in a name, providing a handprint, and receiving an Identity Jade Plate.]
[But when it came to arranging accommodations, Chu Sheng noticed something was off.]
[Lin Xiao led them to a row of low stone houses.]
[The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds, looking as if no one had lived there for a long time.]
["These are the quarters for Outer Sect Guest Elders," Lin Xiao said. "The two of you will stay in this one."]
[Chu Sheng looked at the room: "Don't Guest Elders get better accommodations?"]
["All Outer Sect Guest Elders receive this treatment. If you don't like it, you don't have to stay."]
[Chu Sheng nodded and said no more.]
[He pulled Yue Jianli into the room and closed the door.]
[Lin Xiao stood outside for a while, probably wanting to see him get angry, but when it didn't happen, he snorted and left.]
[Yue Jianli looked at the bed in the room, which was missing a leg, and the wobbly table. She was silent for a moment and then began to tidy up.]
[She propped up the bed leg with a stone, wiped the table clean, and took out a clean cloth from her Storage Pouch to spread over the bedboards.]
[Her movements were light and quick, as if she had done this many times.]
[Chu Sheng sat on the only intact chair: "I've put you through some hardship."]
[Yue Jianli didn't even look up: "It's no hardship."]
[In the evening, Yue Jianli was taken away by a female Disciple to have her talent tested.]
[Chu Sheng sat alone at a stone table in the Outer Sect, pretending to look at the scenery while actually observing the people around him.]
[There weren't many Guest Elders in the Outer Sect, only seven or eight, gathered in small groups chatting.]
[As Chu Sheng was listening, a voice came from behind him, carrying clear hostility.]
["Are you the one from the Northern Region?"]
[Chu Sheng turned around.]
[A man in his thirties stood behind him, at the Middle Stage of the Sea Opening realm.]
["Du Yu," he introduced himself, his tone sounding like he was announcing a rival's name, "a distant relative of Elder Feng Qingyang."]
[Chu Sheng stood up and cupped his hands: "Chu Sheng, pleased to meet you."]
[Du Yu did not return the gesture.]
[He looked Chu Sheng up and down, "Early Stage of Sea Opening? As expected, everyone from the Northern Region is trash."]
[He turned and left after speaking, leaving Chu Sheng standing there alone.]
[Chu Sheng smiled, not showing any anger.]
["Is this guy sick?"]
[He noted Du Yu's name in his mind and then turned to strike up a conversation with the other Guest Elders.]
[One was named Zhou Yuan, at the Early Stage of Sea Opening, a Loose Cultivator by origin, and easygoing.]
[One was named Zhao Qing, at the Middle Stage of Sea Opening, also a Loose Cultivator, and taciturn.]
[There was also one named Sun Miao, at the Early Stage of Sea Opening, who didn't look very old and spoke with a scholarly air.]
[Chu Sheng chatted with them for a bit, getting to know them.]
[Outside the window, at the Peak of Wendao Peak, in the highest palace, a lamp had been lit for a long time.]
[Under the lamp, an old man in white sat on a prayer mat, his fingers lightly tapping his knee, his gaze piercing through thousands of miles of mist to land on the mountain gate.]
["Why is there a familiar scent?" he said.]