Chapter 8: So It Was You
Chu Huaixu looked around and took a deep breath.
"The air in the Dao Gate is really fresh!" he sighed inwardly.
This was not an illusion.
Even though they were currently in the outer sect area, under the enhancement of the Spirit Gathering Formation, the spiritual energy here was much denser than in the outside world.
An ordinary person staying here, even without cultivating, would become healthier and could even extend their lifespan.
Li Chunsong looked at the two of them and said, "The place where the Dao Gate resides is called 【Mountains Beyond Mountains】. I believe you both must already know that."
"Mountains Beyond Mountains is divided into multiple regions. The place you're currently in is called 【Medicine Mountain】, one of the three outer peaks."
"From now on, you two are registered disciples of my Dao Gate."
When playing the game, Chu Huaixu's main account had at least been a disciple of Spring and Autumn Mountain, so he was fairly familiar with the hierarchical system of such major sects.
Upon first entering the sect, one's status usually started as a registered disciple.
The status of a registered disciple was just slightly higher than that of a servant disciple, and they still had to perform duties.
The only difference was that servant disciples handled miscellaneous chores, while registered disciples on 【Medicine Mountain】 probably tended to spiritual herbs.
Aside from that, servant disciples were not taught cultivation techniques, whereas registered disciples would be taught the method for the 【Aperture Clearing and Body Training Stage】.
Once they broke through the Aperture Clearing Stage, they could be promoted to outer sect disciples.
Above that were inner sect disciples and true disciples.
Chu Huaixu had never expected that entering the sect alongside Han Shuangjiang would begin with the status of registered disciples.
"Well, I don't really mind. After all, my mission was to sneak in as a servant, so this actually counts as a promotion..." he thought.
"But Han Shuangjiang is the world protagonist. How come she gets no special treatment either?"
In his memory, 《Borrowed Sword》 had started its open beta in Xuanli 1991, and by that time, Han Shuangjiang was already an inner sect disciple of the Dao Gate.
"In other words, she must have advanced to inner sect within just a year?" A guess formed in his mind.
Elder Li Chunsong's smile gradually faded as he looked at the two of them, replaced by a powerful sense of pressure that emanated from his body and enveloped them.
"You both arrived at Wumeng Mountains by midnight tonight, so I assume you each encountered a storyteller."
"This matter—I hope you keep it buried in your hearts. Do not speak of it to anyone. Understood?" he said sternly.
After speaking, he first looked toward Han Shuangjiang.
Han Shuangjiang immediately responded, "Yes, disciple obeys."
Then, he turned his gaze to Chu Huaixu.
Chu Huaixu thought briefly and deliberately replied, "This disciple has not seen any storyteller."
Upon hearing this, Han Shuangjiang couldn't help but glance at him.
Li Chunsong smiled slightly and said, "Good! Very good. You are quite glib!"
Elder Li appeared very satisfied.
"Remember, neither of you have ever seen a storyteller!" he emphasized again, raising his hand to end the discussion and signaling that the matter should not be brought up again.
...
...
After instructing the two of them, this elder who always lost at gambling waved his hand and removed the surrounding restrictions.
The conversation between the three just now could not be heard by outsiders unless their cultivation was significantly higher than Li Chunsong's.
"You two, give me a drop of blood from your fingertip each," he spoke again, "I will personally craft your 【Life Tokens】. When one dies, the token shatters!"
Life Tokens were not rare items. Their purpose was to let others know whether you were dead—and where you had died.
Even the trash Xue Hu, who was instantly killed by Chu Huaixu with a single strike, had his own Life Token, which is what triggered the pursuit from the Patrol Bureau.
Of course, even among Life Tokens, there were differences in quality.
The main difference lay in the second function—pinpointing the location of death.
The more advanced the Life Token, the wider the 【positioning】 range.
Someone like Xue Hu, if he had died farther away, his location wouldn't have been trackable.
"Having Li Chunsong personally craft our Life Tokens—it seems the Dao Gate does value us," Chu Huaixu thought.
"But why start us off as registered disciples?" He was somewhat puzzled.
Chu Huaixu had essentially stolen Xu Ziqing's “script,” and thought he might enjoy some privileges as the 【World Protagonist】, but unexpectedly, he still had to start from the bottom.
Li Chunsong waved his hand, and two blue ice spikes appeared out of thin air—they were sharp, like needles.
Han Shuangjiang was the first to raise her index finger and lightly touched the tip of one of the ice spikes, causing a small wound to appear.
A drop of blood fell and floated in the direction of the Sixth Elder.
Li Chunsong raised his hand, letting it hover in his palm, and his expression shifted slightly.
"Body of Profound Yin?"
"Unexpected. You actually possess the Body of Profound Yin."
He clicked his tongue in amazement and continued, "The founder of our Dao Gate was famed for possessing the Pure Yang Body, a match to the Body of Profound Yin."
Li Chunsong looked at Han Shuangjiang, originally intending to explain some secrets of this physique, but in the end, he refrained due to the difference between men and women.
"This physique of yours has some aspects that require attention. I'll have the Ninth Elder speak with you later," he said.
Listening to all this, Chu Huaixu formed a few guesses in his mind.
What made the Body of Profound Yin special, or what needed to be noted—he didn’t know.
But information about the Pure Yang Body of the Dao Gate's founder had been uncovered by players.
"The Dao Ancestor of the Dao Gate was nicknamed by forum users as the 'Strongest Virgin of the Eastern Continent', an old bachelor through and through."
As long as one with a Pure Yang Body preserved their virgin essence, their cultivation could progress at lightning speed.
The stronger this Dao Ancestor became, the more it proved his essence remained intact—the higher his 'Chastity Archway' stood.
It was said that during the era when the Dao Ancestor roamed the Xuanhuang Realm, even his old rivals would joke about it frequently.
Some unverified records even claimed that defeated enemies and sworn foes had schemed to send someone to force themselves on him...
Those same sources claimed that the female sect master of Spring and Autumn Mountain in that generation had written about this many times in her diary and wished to attempt it herself—unfortunately, she wasn’t strong enough to overpower him.
Chu Huaixu could easily imagine how many beauty traps the Dao Ancestor must have faced in that era.
Such a strong figure would undoubtedly attract countless admirers—how many times did he have to resist temptation?
"As for the mysteries of the Body of Profound Yin, maybe I’ll have the chance to learn more in the future," he thought, his inner gossiping soul ignited once more.
At that moment, Li Chunsong turned his gaze toward Chu Huaixu.
His eyes clearly revealed anticipation.
"I want to see just how many surprises the two of you can bring me," Li Chunsong’s heart burned with excitement.
Han Shuangjiang, still veiled, also turned her eyes toward this fox-faced fellow, her heart tinged with curiosity.
Although she still didn’t know what the Body of Profound Yin was, if it could shock the dignified Sixth Elder like that, it had to be rare in the world.
Moreover, this physique had never even been detected back when she was at the Joyous Sect!
A third-rate sect was still a third-rate sect—how weak!
The icy-cold woman stared forward, thinking, “What about him?”
Chu Huaixu casually raised his index finger and mimicked the earlier gesture, lightly pricking the blue ice spike.
A sting at the fingertip, and blood flowed out.
Li Chunsong used his spiritual sense to inspect it and gave a short, "Hm?"
He glanced at Chu Huaixu, unwilling to believe it, and scanned again—another, "Hm?"
In the end, he could only force out, "That’s fine, let’s leave it at that."
Chu Huaixu understood exactly what that meant and didn’t mind at all.
No player’s account ever came with an earth-shaking physique or innate talent.
Everything had to be upgraded later through leveling up, lucky encounters, or hidden missions.
So, he had already expected this outcome.
After completing all the necessary steps, Li Chunsong looked toward a courtyard not far away and activated his spiritual power to send a voice transmission: "Niu Yuanshan, come out and meet me!"
As soon as he spoke, someone immediately stepped out of the courtyard and respectfully saluted, "Niu Yuanshan greets the Sixth Elder."
The man looked middle-aged, with a square face that radiated righteousness—he’d be a perfect fit for the role of an incorruptible judge in a historical drama.
For some reason, though, he looked slightly miserable.
To be fair, he did feel pretty miserable inside.
Tonight, he had a task from the 【Organization】, and had only just returned from a trip out.
Now this—he was summoned again by the Sixth Elder.
It’s already midnight, and both sides are treating me like a beast of burden?
"This is Niu Yuanshan, the outer sect steward," Li Chunsong introduced him to Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang.
Then, he ordered Niu Yuanshan, "These two are registered disciples brought back by me personally—make arrangements for them."
"Yes, Elder," Niu Yuanshan responded, finally raising his head to look at them, curiosity rising in his heart.
Just a couple of registered disciples, and they warranted the Sixth Elder's personal attention?
When his gaze landed on Chu Huaixu, Chu Huaixu happened to be looking at him as well.
Both men were stirred internally and instantly had the same thought:
"How is it him!?"
...