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Arriving at a quiet house, Chen Shanji stopped and said softly, "Junior Brother Xiao, my master is waiting for me in the inner room. Please go in by yourself."
Xiao Wenbing nodded to him and was about to enter when he suddenly heard him say, "Junior Brother Xiao, how long have you been a disciple?"
"It's been almost three years, hasn't it?" Xiao Wenbing replied casually. He turned around and saw Chen Shanji's face twitching slightly. He couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, is there anything else?"
"Ah..." Chen Shanji was taken aback, and said with a wry smile, "That's all, junior brother, please go."
Xiao Wenbing glanced at him in surprise, then turned and went into the house.
Chen Shanji outside sighed. No wonder he was so arrogant. He didn't even take his master's summons seriously. It turns out he really did have the qualifications.
As he walked in, Xiao Wenbing was surprised to find that this place was almost identical to the room of the old Taoist priest Xianyun. Both were simple and unpretentious, with just a table, a chair, and a bed, without any trace of luxury.
Entering the last room, a middle-aged Taoist priest sat cross-legged.
Although he appeared much younger than the old Daoist Xianyun, Xiao Wenbing wasn't sure. These people who had reached the Nascent Soul stage were all hundreds of years old. At that age, it was no longer possible to tell them apart simply by their appearance.
A 200-year-old tortoise and a 150-year-old tortoise will look almost identical.
"Disciple Xiao Wenbing greets Sect Master." Although he could act cool outside, here, when it was time to act subservient, he had to. Xiao Wenbing knelt down and kowtowed three times heavily.
"Get up."
"Yes, thank you, Sect Master." Xiao Wenbing stood up without any hesitation.
After carefully examining the situation, the Sect Master of Tianyi sighed deeply and said, "Brother Xianyun is truly blessed."
Volume Two: The Fairy in White, Chapter Fifty-Six: Eyes Like Lightning
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Xiao Wenbing was taken aback. How was he supposed to respond to that? Fortunately, the Sect Master of Tianyi sighed for a moment and then quickly returned to normal.
"I heard from Brother Xianyun that True Immortal Baihe personally passed down a life-saving golden talisman from the Immortal Realm. Is this true?"
"Yes, thanks to Master's grace, this junior has already been bestowed upon me."
"Hmm, may I take it out and have a look?"
Without hesitation, Xiao Wenbing immediately summoned the life-saving golden talisman from his Heavenly Void Ring. Who was this old Taoist priest in front of him? The sect leader of the Heavenly Dao Sect. Even if the old Taoist coveted his golden talisman, he would definitely not try to snatch it. Xiao Wenbing was confident of that.
Once the life-saving talisman was taken out, the entire room was immediately enveloped in a ball of light, a gentle and soothing light that made one feel as if bathed in a spring breeze.
The Sect Master of Tianyi looked up and stared for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh and saying, "It really is his work. Alas... thousands of years have passed. Fellow Daoist Xiao, you are truly lucky."
Xiao Wenbing was shocked. Just now, the Tianyi Sect Master seemed to have called him "Fellow Daoist." How could this be? Could it be that he has lived too long and has become senile?
"Sect Master, it's you?"
The Sect Master of Tianyi smiled slightly and said, "Today you are not as good as me, but within a hundred years, you will far surpass us. When we meet again in the future, there may still be some trouble for you. Therefore, although this old Daoist is shameless, I dare not call myself your elder."
Xiao Wenbing never expected that this titan of the Earth's cultivation world would say such a thing, and for a moment he was at a loss for words.
"Master Baihe's cultivation is far beyond our comprehension. Regarding this life-saving talisman, this old Daoist has only discerned two points: besides protecting oneself, it also has the ability to heal the wounded and save lives. As long as the primordial soul is not scattered, using this talisman should be able to reshape the physical body, making one immortal and indestructible." Sect Master Tianyi sighed and said, "Besides that, there should be other wonderful uses, but that is beyond our knowledge."
Xiao Wenbing raised his eyebrows, thinking to himself, "You're already quite formidable. Even the old Daoist Xianyun only discerned one function, yet you were able to see an additional one. Hmm, a great reputation is well-deserved; truly worthy of being the Sect Master of Tianyi Sect."
"Since Fellow Daoist Xiao possesses this talisman, it is evident that True Immortal Baihe also holds high hopes for you. In that case, this old Daoist will take advantage of this opportunity to do you a favor." Sect Master Tianyi said slowly, "From today onwards, you may consult all the classics and books of our sect. The weapon-making room and alchemy room are also open to you. Take whatever you need without having to report to anyone."
"Yes, thank you, Sect Master." Xiao Wenbing was overjoyed.
It would be fine if he could consult all the books of history and literature, but to have the equipment room and alchemy room open to him was an extraordinary privilege.
Even most disciples of the Heavenly Dao Sect cannot easily use the Pill and Weapon Chambers.
After leaving the old Taoist priest's room, Xiao Wenbing returned to his residence, still feeling extremely fortunate.
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In the very center of the Heavenly Dao Sect stands a tall pavilion, large enough to accommodate thousands of people without feeling crowded.
Every day at noon, under the sunlight, it shines brightly, like a bright pearl hanging in the center of the Taoist gate.
Three days later, the Tianyi Sect Master summoned all the disciples from the sects who had come to this pavilion.
Xiao Wenbing and Zhang Jie had already arrived on the platform. Before long, the crowd gradually increased, and there were already seven or eight hundred people.
The vast majority of them were at the Golden Core stage, and there were dozens of old monsters at the Nascent Soul stage or higher. However, apart from the freak Xiao Wenbing, there wasn't a single Core Formation stage cultivator.
Strangely, a large area on the west side of the pavilion was left empty, as if it were a forbidden zone where no one dared to enter.
Xiao Wenbing glanced around. Although his cultivation level was indeed the lowest here, he remained neither arrogant nor servile in the face of these ancient monsters who were at least a hundred years old. Perhaps, in his heart, he had never taken these Golden Core stage experts seriously.
So what if you reach the Golden Core stage? Just wait, within ten years, I'll also reach the Golden Core stage and open your eyes to the world.
However, he, the only Core Formation stage cultivator, was quite an eyesore here.
Although those who can cultivate to the Golden Core stage are all cultivators over a hundred years old, it is undeniable that they are all exceptionally talented individuals, each with a proud and arrogant attitude. Apart from experts of the same level, they do not take cultivators at the Core Formation stage seriously.
Therefore, apart from Zhang Jie, there was no one else within several meters of Xiao Wenbing, and no one else approached them.
"Senior Brother Zhang, Senior Brother Xiao." Familiar voices rang out; this was the first time anyone had greeted them today.
"Senior Brother Shang."
Uncle Shang, with a smile on his face, came to their side. He knew Xiao Wenbing's background very well, and was too busy trying to curry favor with him to have any disdain for him.
While chatting and laughing with them, Uncle Shang greeted the surrounding crowd. As soon as he entered the building, he immediately spotted Xiao Wenbing and his companion, who stood out conspicuously in the crowd.
So he went straight to their side before greeting the people around him. His strange behavior immediately drew everyone's attention, and everyone wondered who the two men were.
Uncle Shang was clearly an old face here; almost everyone on the platform recognized this eldest disciple of the Heavenly Sealing Sect. Not only that, his status was obviously quite high; many people greeted him casually and bowed respectfully. Even the few Nascent Soul stage elders smiled and nodded at him.
"Senior Brother Shang, you seem to be quite popular here," Xiao Wenbing said with a smile.
Uncle Shang immediately withdrew his gaze from the surroundings, turned around, and said with a smile on his face, "Junior Brother Xiao, you may not know this, but the cultivation world is actually a very realistic world. The only people we cultivators admire, or rather acknowledge, are the strong. Here, only the truly strong can obtain the status they deserve."
"Ah? So Senior Brother Shang is a powerful expert?"
Uncle Shang first showed an arrogant expression, but it quickly disappeared. He smiled wryly and said, "If someone else had asked this question, I might have been able to shamelessly boast a few words. But, Senior Brother Xiao, you asked this question—isn't that insulting my old face? I think it would be difficult to find any strong people in front of you."
When Xiao Wenbing heard him constantly calling him "senior brother," he couldn't help but get goosebumps.
Xiao Wenbing didn't know how old he was, but he must be much older than himself.
Volume Two: The Fairy in White, Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Pavilion of a Hundred Arts
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"Ahem... Senior Brother Shang, you are a senior in the Daoist sect. Even though we are not from the same sect, I am absolutely unworthy of being called Senior Brother."
“Yes, Senior Brother Shang, whether it’s cultivation level or seniority, you are the senior brother.” Zhang Jie chimed in from the side.
After a moment's thought, Shang Lingshu laughed loudly, "In that case, my two junior brothers, I won't stand on ceremony."
"Senior Brother Shang, who are these two...?" Their conversation wasn't deliberately lowered, and everyone around could hear it clearly. One of them couldn't contain himself and stepped forward to ask.
Uncle Shang coughed, attracting the attention of the people nearby. He introduced them: "Seniors and fellow disciples, these two are Junior Brother Zhang Jie from the Secret Talisman Sect, and Junior Brother Xiao Wenbing."
"Secret Symbol Gate..."
A murmur of whispers spread among the crowd, indicating that this sect indeed possessed extremely high prestige, and the way people looked at them had changed somewhat.
"The sect leader has arrived."
Someone gave a soft shout, and the entire pavilion fell silent.
Xiao Wenbing looked up and saw the Tianyi Sect Master leading the way, followed by six people of varying ages, though their appearances alone did not reveal their identities.
However, the most eye-catching of the six is a stunningly beautiful girl.
Her eyes were as pure as autumn water, spotless, like a proud, solitary plum blossom, making her unapproachable.
Of these seven, she was the only one at the Golden Core stage. The others had already cultivated to the Nascent Soul stage, and the Sect Master of Tianyi was even more formidable, having reached the late stage of the Tribulation Transcending realm.
"Greetings, Sect Master."
A chorus of voices rang out in the room, and no one dared to be disrespectful to him in the slightest.
The Sect Master of Tianyi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping around the arena before settling on Xiao Wenbing. He smiled and said, "So Fellow Daoist Xiao has already arrived."
His words immediately caused an uproar.
For the sect leader of Tianyi Sect to address a Core Formation cultivator as a fellow Daoist would be an absolutely shocking and appalling event that would reverberate throughout the entire cultivation world.
Xiao Wenbing then realized that the man hadn't just said it casually that night, nor was it a private address; he genuinely wanted to befriend him.
However, being stared at by so many eyes at once was not a pleasant feeling. Besides, he didn't want to be seen as disrespectful to his teachers.
He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you for your concern, Sect Master."
Zhang Jie looked at his junior brother with a face full of surprise, only then realizing that his master was not the only senior in the Taoist sect who valued him so much, but there were many others.
The Sect Master of Tianyi returned a half-bow, indicating that he was merely an equal to him and therefore dared not accept a full bow. His behavior was truly astonishing.
After exchanging greetings with Xiao Wenbing, the Tianyi Sect Master spoke a few more words to several highly skilled elders before announcing in a loud voice: "Fellow Daoists, this year marks the ten-year opening ceremony of our sect. All fellow Daoists who have mastered our art may enter the reading room to read according to their own cultivation level."
"Thank you, Sect Master."
The Sect Master of Tianyi nodded slightly and said, "Those who wish to enter the reading room can now register."
As soon as he finished speaking, a person stepped forward and said loudly, "Sect Master, this humble Taoist wishes to enter the Tenth-Level Auxiliary Pill Pavilion for ten years of study. Please grant me permission, Sect Master."
An old Taoist priest beside the Tianyi Sect Master flipped his hand and took out an object. Xiao Wenbing stared at it and was taken aback. If he wasn't mistaken, it was a laptop.
I never imagined these old guys would be so thoroughly modernized, even using this kind of thing.