After pacing around the room, Xiao Wenbing's gaze suddenly fixed on something. He looked at it in disbelief and asked uncertainly, "What is this?"
The two young Taoist priests also seemed quite surprised, and cautiously said, "This is a television set."
"TV set……"
Xiao Wenbing's expression was extremely strange. He had been traveling for some time and had vaguely guessed that the legends about immortals might be true. The Taoist priests here gave him that feeling; it was very likely that he had arrived at a celestial abode.
Just by looking at the environment here, so different from the outside world, you know it's anything but ordinary. But when he suddenly saw a high-tech modern product in this place full of ancient charm, a feeling of utter absurdity welled up in his heart.
"Is it available in every room?"
"No, besides the one in Fifth Uncle's room, there's only one in the guest room."
Xiao Wenbing nodded silently, then turned on the television and began watching it, seemingly bored. However, his mind was in turmoil; though his eyes were fixed on the screen, he wasn't really paying attention.
Volume One: Farewell to the Mortal World, Chapter Eight: Becoming a Master
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"Brother Xiao."
Xiao Wenbing stood up in response; the person who came was none other than Daoist Mingmei.
"I have already informed my master. Please come with me to pay your respects."
Xiao Wenbing gave a bitter smile. What other choice did he have but to agree?
Soon, they arrived at the old Taoist priest's room.
Xiao Wenbing's eyes quickly scanned the room. There was only a table, a bed, and a chair in the room, which was completely different from the beautifully decorated guest room he was staying in.
"Disciple Mingmei greets Master." Mingmei bowed respectfully.
Xiao Wenbing stood there blankly, mimicking Mingmei's manner of bowing and lowering his head, unsure of how to address him.
The old Taoist priest suddenly opened his eyes, revealing a smile, and said, "You can go down now and go find Zhao Feng."
Mingmei responded and turned to leave, glancing at Xiao Wenbing with a hint of envy as he went.
He knew his master's temperament perfectly well; he was always stern and unsmiling towards his disciples. But today, he showed such a rare gentleness, which clearly demonstrated how much he valued Xiao Wenbing.
"May I have your name?"
“I…I am…no, I am Xiao Wenbing.”
Several titles flashed through his mind in an instant, but he ultimately decided to address him as a junior.
"Hmm, very good." The old Taoist priest nodded with a smile, his gaze towards Xiao Wenbing becoming increasingly pleased.
No matter how hard Xiao Wenbing racked his brains, he couldn't figure out what was so good about his name, but since the old Taoist priest liked it, it couldn't be a bad thing.
"What message does Jun'er want you to convey?" The old Taoist priest, who had been amusing himself for a while, finally remembered his business and asked.
"Mr. Lu asked me to deliver something to you." Xiao Wenbing took off the travel bag he had been carrying, took out the combination lock suitcase inside, and handed it over.
The old Taoist priest casually took the box and tore off the seal on it.
"Mr. Lu did not give me the key, nor did he tell me the password to open the box, so..."
Xiao Wenbing's voice suddenly stopped, as if a sharp knife had sliced through the sentence, cutting it in two.
The old Taoist priest extended two fingers and forcefully broke into the combination lock box. With a casual pull, he neatly divided the entire box into two equally even halves.
He swallowed hard, and even if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have almost doubted that he was seeing things.
This safe is made of high-quality steel; even with all the tools, it would take a long time to pry it open.
But the old Taoist's hands were even more powerful than lasers, splitting the box apart without any resistance. Was he even human?
Inside the box was a jade bottle, small in size, just the right size to be held in one hand.
The old Taoist priest, holding the jade bottle, suddenly changed his expression, revealing obvious surprise and ecstasy, even more excited than when he heard that Xiao Wenbing possessed spiritual roots.
"This...how is this possible? Where did we get Jun'er from?"
However, the old Taoist priest's loss of composure did not last long, and he quickly returned to normal.
With a flick of his wrist, the jade bottle vanished instantly. Xiao Wenbing had been paying close attention, but still couldn't discern the technique he used to achieve such incredible speed.
"Come with the old Taoist priest."
Xiao Wenbing followed the old Taoist priest to the door, but the old Taoist priest did nothing. Suddenly, Xiao Wenbing realized something was wrong.
His feet felt light as if they were floating on air, as if he were walking on cotton. However, that wasn't the most important thing.
Most importantly, the scenery in front of him was constantly descending because his body was rising higher and higher; he was actually flying into the air.
No longer caring about etiquette, Xiao Wenbing made his wisest decision and hugged the old Taoist priest tightly.
Without a doubt, this must be the old Taoist priest's doing. Although we don't know what he's up to, even if he dies, he'll at least take someone down with him.
"It's alright, don't worry. With this old Taoist priest here, I will absolutely not let you suffer any mishaps." The old Taoist priest comforted him with a smile, letting him act as he pleased, without being annoyed at all.
Xiao Wenbing managed a forced smile. It was quite unexpected that he could still smile at this moment, which showed that he was indeed quite bold.
"Old Immortal Master, you are truly skilled." Xiao Wenbing's words were full of flattery, but his hands gripped tighter and tighter, refusing to loosen their grip even slightly.
"Haha..." The old Taoist priest laughed loudly and said, "This is just a trivial skill, nothing special. All five of my disciples can do it."
After floating in mid-air for a long time, Xiao Wenbing grew bolder and tried to loosen his grip. Apart from feeling a little uncomfortable with the softness under his feet, he actually didn't fall.
So the legend of riding the clouds and mist is indeed true.
A look of envy welled up in his eyes. If he could remain unmoved after seeing such skill, then he would truly be inhuman.
The old Taoist priest took in his expression and was secretly pleased.
For those who cultivate immortality, arduous practice is indispensable, but without extraordinary talent, they often end up with nothing to show for it.
Spiritual roots are a special physique that all cultivators dream of. Those who possess spiritual roots far surpass ordinary people in both cultivating magic and accumulating spiritual power.
No one knows where spiritual roots come from, but there is a legend circulating in the immortal path that all those who possess spiritual roots are descendants of ancient immortals.
Once such people embark on the path of cultivation, their achievements will undoubtedly surpass those of others. What is even more enviable is that throughout history, no one with spiritual roots has ever encountered the Nine Heavens Thunder and Fire Tribulation during the final tribulation of ascending to immortality.
In other words, barring any unforeseen circumstances and escaping death by weapons, achieving immortality through spiritual roots is a sure thing.
No matter how good an ordinary person's foundation is, they can never compare to someone born with a spiritual root and body. The path to immortality is fraught with tribulations, and only one in a thousand can safely overcome them all and achieve their wishes.
The advantage that a person with a spiritual root body has in this regard is simply too great.
In Taoism, the inheritance of a sect is highly valued, especially for small sects that have established themselves on Earth. If a sect has a disciple with spiritual roots, it is definitely something to celebrate and bring glory to the sect.
"So, do you want to learn?" The old Taoist priest squinted, smiling as if asking casually, but in his heart, he had been fully focused, just waiting for Xiao Wenbing to agree.
It's quite remarkable that he hasn't made such a special move in over a hundred years; for a moment, it really felt a bit strange.
Xiao Wenbing looked up in surprise and saw the old Taoist's incredibly kind smiling face.
The scene of his meeting with Lu Jun and Ming Mei flashed through his mind in an instant, and a sudden realization welled up in his heart.
He had always wondered why Mingmei had used that astonishingly powerful lightness talisman on him upon first meeting him, knowing full well that the sacred mountain gate was not a place anyone could enter, yet still recklessly brought him in.
The old Taoist priest, with his refined and elegant demeanor, performed a set of crude actions in front of him that were completely out of character, such as splitting steel with his bare hands.
At this point, they used the promise of riding the clouds and mist as bait to arouse their longing.
If Xiao Wenbing still couldn't guess their purpose by this point, then he would truly be a complete fool.
A sudden inspiration struck him. Ignoring the emptiness beneath his feet, he knelt down abruptly in mid-air. Since the man wanted to take him as a disciple, he couldn't just watch himself fall to his death.
"Master, please accept my bow."
Volume One: Farewell to the Mortal World, Chapter Nine: Transformation
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After opening the incense hall and paying homage to his ancestors, under the witness of heaven and earth, Xiao Wenbing officially embarked on his journey to seek immortality.
"Wenbing, now that you have joined my sect, let me introduce you." The old Taoist priest could not hide the ecstatic look on his face and said, "Our sect is known as the Secret Talisman Sect, and we are indeed unique in the art of talisman making. Looking across the entire land of China, there are very few sects that can rival ours in this respect. No, it can be said that there are none."
Xiao Wenbing nodded repeatedly. The Secret Talisman Sect, as the name suggests, clearly relies on talismans for its livelihood. Does that even need explaining?
"My Taoist name is Xianyun, which means 'free from worldly affairs,' but over the years I have been busy with worldly matters and have failed to live up to this name. Alas..."
Xiao Wenbing listened carefully. This was a difficult question to answer, so apart from a silly laugh, he didn't express any opinion.
"In my lifetime, including you, I have taken in six disciples. Besides my eldest disciple Lu Jun and second disciple Zhang Jie, who have already reached the Golden Core stage, my third disciple Ming Mei, fourth disciple Yu Bosheng, and fifth disciple Chen Shujun have also reached the Core Formation stage. Hmm... You have already met Lu Jun and Ming Mei. The other three are currently in seclusion. They will definitely be out of seclusion in two months at most, and I will introduce them to you then."
"yes."
The old Taoist priest led him to a quiet room, which contained nothing but three futons.
"You are already old, but fortunately you possess spiritual roots. I will directly lend you a hand and help you comprehend the Qi mechanism. As for your future achievements, that depends on your destiny."
He ordered Xiao Wenbing to sit cross-legged on a futon, pressed his palm against Xiao Wenbing's Mingmen point, and said softly, "Calm your mind and pay attention."
A vibrant current of heat surged through the meridians of his body, and countless streams of spiritual energy poured into the old Taoist's palms, like a mighty river, flowing endlessly.
There was no need to memorize it at all; Xiao Wenbing could clearly feel the direction and path of the heat flow, and each flow gave him a feeling of floating on air.
After an unknown amount of time, the old Taoist priest withdrew his hand, leaving Xiao Wenbing alone sitting cross-legged.
When he finally emerged from that state of ecstasy, which was no less intense than sex, he checked the time on his phone and realized a whole day had passed.
Looking around, the old Taoist priest had already vanished.
He leaped up from the futon and was surprised to find that his body felt much lighter. Moreover, after such a long time, he did not feel hungry at all, which amazed him.