Chapter 24: The Initiation Ceremony

The night was deep.

In the forbidden area of the Black-White College, on the square where the 'Black-White Diagram Stone Wall' stood, only two young disciples were present. Ji Ning slowly opened his eyes. Although it was the deep cold of the twelfth lunar month, his heart burned with fervor. He gazed at the line of characters among the many inscriptions on the stone wall: 'Holding a three-foot sword, slaying all injustices, inscribed while traveling north.' For a moment, his mind surged with emotion.

'My sword is a sword of freedom, a sword of exhilaration, a sword that slays all injustices!'

'A single day of joyful living is better than a hundred years of stifled existence.'

Ji Ning still clearly remembered the figure of that silver-haired old man, as majestic as heaven and earth.

He clearly remembered the soaring sword intent.

He clearly remembered that set of sword techniques.

All of this was etched into his soul!

'What a fearsome sword technique! Compared to it, my own swordplay is like the light of a firefly competing with the sun and moon.' Ji Ning's heart surged with excitement, his eyes filled with boundless admiration.

Suddenly—

Ji Ning's ears twitched, and he turned his head. In the distance, a figure in white robes was approaching.

'Hmm?' Ji Ning was surprised. Today, only he and Mu Zishuo, the two new disciples, should be here. Who else would come to this place in the dead of night?

The white-robed youth approached from afar.

For a moment, Ji Ning felt as if endless waves were rolling toward him, pressing forward slowly. The entire world seemed to transform into surging water. Then his vision cleared—it was not endless waves, but simply that white-robed youth walking toward him.

'How terrifying.' Ji Ning grew alert.

Though there was no oppressive aura, the threat posed by this white-robed youth was no less than that of Beishan Black Tiger. Moreover, the youth's beauty was almost demonic.

'Junior Ji Ning pays respects to the senior,' Ji Ning said, cupping his hands.

Before coming, Ji Ning had obtained a compiled intelligence booklet from Beishan Baiwei. Based on the descriptions in it, he had already guessed who this person was.

'My Daoist title is 'Bihai,'' the white-robed youth said. 'I am fortunate to temporarily hold the position of sect leader.'

'Greetings, Sect Leader,' Ji Ning said respectfully.

The Black-White College's sect leader, 'Daoist Bihai,' was naturally a true luminary in Anqi Commandery.

'Sect Leader, Junior Disciple Shuo...' Ji Ning glanced at Mu Zishuo beside him, who was still immersed in contemplating the Black-White Diagram, utterly entranced.

'Do not disturb him,' Daoist Bihai said, shaking his head. 'I came here to see you.'

With that, a scroll appeared in Daoist Bihai's hand. He extended his fair, delicate hand—more refined than any woman's—and the scroll floated before Ji Ning, who accepted it respectfully.

'You will understand after reading it,' Daoist Bihai said, glancing at Ji Ning. 'As the disciple of Senior Beixing through a separate transmission, you must not slack off. Remember, destroy the scroll after reading it.' With these words, the sect leader turned and walked away, soon disappearing from Ji Ning's sight.

Ji Ning stood there, stunned.

Disciple through separate transmission?

Must not slack off?

Ji Ning immediately unrolled the beast-hide scroll. It was made of ordinary beast hide, but the content written on it instantly captivated him.

'Immortal Beixing?' Ji Ning's face lit up with joy. He had been wanting to learn about 'Immortal Beixing.'

The first half of the scroll described Immortal Beixing's growth and some of his deeds, leaving Ji Ning dazzled.

This was a legend.

The most inspiring legend of the Black-White College.

'One should act like Senior Beixing,' Ji Ning murmured to himself.

Senior Beixing's actions could be summed up in two words: forthrightness! He sought nothing but a free and unfettered life. Once, disgusted by the heinous crimes of a scion from a super clan, he killed the man in a fit of rage, annihilating his soul. This provoked a pursuit by that super clan that lasted for centuries. During the chase, Immortal Beixing even fled from this major world, but his strength grew ever greater. Eventually, the super clan suffered heavy casualties and was forced to admit defeat, offering reparations to settle the matter.

'I wonder which super clan it was,' Ji Ning thought. 'The scroll doesn't record the name, clearly not wanting to fully disclose the matter. It was probably part of the settlement.'

To have fought to such an extent—

It showed that the super clan was formidable, but it also highlighted how forthright Immortal Beixing was, truly slaying all injustices!

The scroll also recorded a conversation.

A younger disciple once asked Immortal Beixing, 'The evil deeds in this endless land are countless. If you always go around killing villains, can you ever finish?'

Immortal Beixing replied, 'The evil deeds in the endless land are beyond counting. I can't be bothered to meddle in the world's affairs. But if I encounter them, I naturally kill them, for my own peace of mind.'

The meaning was simple.

If he didn't encounter them, he wouldn't bother.

If he did encounter them and they displeased him, he would kill them.

'Truly a life of freedom,' Ji Ning admired.

...

After reading about Senior Beixing's growth and deeds, the second half of the scroll introduced the 'Three-Foot Sword.'

The Three-Foot Sword consisted of nine forms, a supreme technique that made Immortal Beixing famous throughout the Grand Xia Dynasty. It was the culmination of a million years of his life's work, so powerful that even Immortal Beixing himself could not fully record it in books or diagrams. The 'Daoist Scripture Pavilion' of the Black-White College only contained the first six forms.

The last three forms had never been recorded in any book or diagram.

Only the line of characters left by Immortal Beixing on the 'Immortal's Inscription Wall' could, through resonance of sword intent, be transmitted across generations, offering a chance to teach them.

'So that's how it is.'

'Occasionally, later disciples receive this separate transmission of sword intent. Even then, few receive the complete sword technique. The last time someone received the complete technique was three million years ago.' Ji Ning finally understood how extraordinary his gain was.

Ji Ning also realized why Sect Leader Daoist Bihai had given him the scroll. Because the Three-Foot Sword was of great significance, if hostile forces learned that the Black-White College had another genius who had received the complete 'Three-Foot Sword' transmission, they would try to sabotage it, causing the genius to fall early.

Thus, the news absolutely could not be made public.

Of course, using the Three-Foot Sword was permissible, as the Daoist Scripture Pavilion contained the manuals for the first six forms. As for the seventh form, if one reached that level, secrecy was no longer necessary. Having the strength to execute the seventh form meant standing at a pinnacle. After all, even Immortal Beixing could not record the seventh form in books or diagrams—its power was unimaginable.

...

Another hour or so passed.

Only then did Mu Zishuo fully awaken.

'Wonderful, absolutely wonderful!' Mu Zishuo's eyes blazed with fervor. He turned and saw Ji Ning beside him, and said excitedly, 'Brother Ji Ning, this Black-White Diagram is incredibly helpful for cultivation. I feel I've made great progress in the way of puppetry.'

But then Mu Zishuo realized something.

Ji Ning had awakened before him, meaning he probably hadn't gained as much from the Black-White Diagram. This made Mu Zishuo feel a bit embarrassed.

'Indeed, it's quite beneficial,' Ji Ning said with a smile. 'It's late now; dawn will soon break. Junior Disciple Shuo, you should rest well. In two days, we'll go to the Sect Leader's Hall.'

'Mm,' Mu Zishuo nodded.

'Also, this Immortal's Inscription Wall has quite a history. You should take a good look at it too,' Ji Ning reminded him. Mu Zishuo followed the path of puppetry and surely lacked a swordsman's heart, so he wouldn't receive Immortal Beixing's transmission. But since Ji Ning himself had received it, there might be other transmissions left by predecessors on the wall.

'Yes, dawn is almost here. I'll come back later to study it slowly,' Mu Zishuo said with a laugh.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The two then mounted a leaf boat and a green dragon puppet respectively, flying toward their own residences.

...

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

As expected, on the second and third days, no one managed to become an official disciple of the Black-White College. So this year, the only new official disciples were Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo transformed into streaks of light, flying through the sky above the Black-White College, heading straight for the Sect Leader's Hall.

'Brother Ji Ning,' Mu Zishuo said, his eyes full of anticipation. 'Today, after we receive our Black-White Pills, we can go to the Daoist Scripture Pavilion to exchange for cultivation methods and immortal techniques. And today, we'll formally take a master. I wonder who my master will be.'

'Yes, I wonder who my master will be,' Ji Ning said softly.

Master.

Taking a master in immortal cultivation was different from learning archery as a child. Archery was merely a mortal skill. But a master on the path of immortality taught the methods leading to immortality—a far greater kindness. Moreover, the bond between master and disciple might last for centuries or even millennia.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo landed before the Sect Leader's Hall. They saw that the hall already held many official disciples—over a hundred—chatting casually, each exuding an extraordinary aura.

When Ji Ning and Mu Zishuo entered the hall, many of the official disciples glanced at them, some with goodwill, nodding slightly.

'It seems only a portion of the official disciples are here,' Ji Ning thought. 'That makes sense. Immortal cultivators don't always stay in the sect. Many are probably away.'

Every year, there was a ceremony to accept new disciples.

Since immortal cultivators sometimes go into seclusion for decades, the ceremony for new disciples wasn't very solemn. Those who could come did; those who couldn't, it didn't matter. However, most disciples who were in the sect and had no urgent business would come to the Sect Leader's Hall to pay respects.

'Uncle-Master Sect Leader is here,' someone suddenly said.

Ji Ning and the others turned to look. Outside the hall, a white-robed youth descended from the sky, followed by other figures—all Primordial Daoists of the Black-White College. This group of Primordial Daoists descended together.

'According to the normal rules of the Black-White College, new disciples usually take a Primordial Daoist as their master,' Ji Ning thought. The Primordial Daoists of the Black-White College were far more powerful than those of ordinary sects, comparable to ordinary immortals. Thus, becoming a disciple of a Black-White College Primordial Daoist was a great fortune.

'I wonder which of them will be my master?' Ji Ning's gaze swept over the group of Primordial Daoists, including Sect Leader 'Daoist Bihai,' as he speculated silently.

...