Good Fortune Immortal Road

Chapter 23: Reasons for Taking a Disciple

Just as Soul-Eating Ancestor was about to speak and claim Shen Lang as his disciple, a voice filled with age and experience came from outside the door: "I'll take this disciple."

This made Soul-Eating Ancestor furious. After waiting for so long without anyone else trying to snatch Shen Lang, just as he was about to speak, he saw who had entered and immediately closed his mouth obediently.

A middle-aged man in a blue robe appeared in the main hall. Although his appearance was ordinary, he exuded a daunting aura and carried an inexplicable Dao Rhyme in his every movement. He also had a large yellow gourd hanging from his waist.

This person was none other than the Wine Sword Ancestor, who was in charge of punishment in the Netherworld Sect. Among the few powerful figures in the sect, he held the highest power and strength.

Even the young Saint Child on the throne could only step forward respectfully and ask, "Why has the Ancestor come?"

The Wine Sword Ancestor casually replied, "Since we are selecting disciples, why can't I come?"

A middle-aged man walked up to Shen Lang and stared at him for a while. There was a nostalgic look on his face as he touched Shen Lang's head. "Not bad, just what I had in mind. Let's go, kid."

The young Saint Child congratulated Shen Lang upon hearing the middle-aged man speak. "Since the Ancestor favors you, you shall be his disciple. Shen Lang, go and pay your respects to the Wine Sword Ancestor."

Shen Lang respectfully bowed and said, "Disciple Shen Lang pays respects to the Ancestor."

The Wine Sword Ancestor nodded and made a sound of agreement. Carrying Shen Lang, he left the main hall. Soul-Eating Ancestor, who was standing by, didn't know how to feel. Although he couldn't take Shen Lang as his disciple, he still needed to maintain a good relationship with him in the future. He never expected that this kid would gain the favor of the Wine Sword Ancestor, surpassing his own position.

The Wine Sword Ancestor carried Shen Lang and flew directly towards his residence. Shen Lang felt like a streak of light, swiftly flying through the air. It was much faster than before, thanks to the Wine Sword Ancestor's magical power enveloping him. Otherwise, Shen Lang wouldn't be able to withstand the gusts of wind at such high speeds.

Soon, the Wine Sword Ancestor landed on a peak surrounded by clouds and mist. Next to a pool of water filled with hundreds of lotus flowers, the Wine Sword Ancestor brought Shen Lang into a cave. Although it was called a cave, it was just the exterior. The interior was extremely spacious and well-lit, with all the necessary arrangements. After placing Shen Lang down, the Wine Sword Ancestor sat on a jade lotus platform in the center.

After observing Shen Lang for a while, the Wine Sword Ancestor gently asked, "Kid, do you know why I'm taking you as my disciple?"

Shen Lang shook his head, not knowing what to expect from this elusive figure. He had to be extremely cautious when dealing with such a high-level expert, as their thoughts were the most difficult to fathom.

The Wine Sword Ancestor's thunderous voice echoed in the cave, "It's because among all the disciples I've seen, only your swordsmanship is passable."

Hearing the Wine Sword Ancestor's words, Shen Lang naturally didn't dare to argue. To these experts, being considered passable was already a sign of respect, especially coming from someone with the title of Wine Sword Ancestor, who was undoubtedly a master of the sword.

The Wine Sword Ancestor continued, "Moreover, you have learned the Four Elements Sacred Spirit Sword Technique."

Shen Lang speculated, could this set of sword techniques be created by Swordmaster Jiu Jian? However, judging from the style of the sword techniques and Swordmaster Jiu Jian, it doesn't seem likely.

Swordmaster Jiu Jian fell into reminiscence, his expression becoming somewhat joyful, then turning gloomy and sad. In a low voice, he said, "This set of sword techniques was created by my first disciple, Qin Feng. Back then, he was also extremely talented and greatly pleased me."

He sighed, seemingly reminiscing about his former disciple, and continued, "Unfortunately, he perished in a secret realm during an adventure with his friends."

"Later, I discovered some clues and found out that your senior brother was killed by someone. I went to that person's sect seeking revenge, but unfortunately, I was surrounded and accused of bullying the weak. Over the years, I haven't found a suitable disciple again. Fortunately, the heavens have favored me and finally allowed me to discover you. You are my hope!"

Shen Lang suddenly felt overwhelmed. He had already provoked an enemy before even doing anything. After so many years, he could imagine that the enemy's strength must have grown.

Swordmaster Jiu Jian understood Shen Lang's thoughts very well and directly said, "I won't force you to avenge Qin Feng. Since I have accepted you, you are now my disciple. In my entire life, I have only had two disciples, one was Qin Feng, and the other is you. If I can't make a breakthrough in the future, everything I have will be yours. I just hope that when you achieve success in your cultivation, you can avenge your senior brother with this set of sword techniques."

Shen Lang looked at the pleading Swordmaster Jiu Jian in front of him. At this moment, he was not the esteemed elder, but just an old man who entrusted his hopes to him.

Shen Lang nodded and knelt down, saying, "Disciple Shen Lang pays respects to Master. In the future, when my cultivation reaches its peak, I will help Senior Brother Qin Feng defeat his opponents and make the Four Elements Sacred Sword Technique known throughout the world."

Shen Lang's promise made the old master very happy. He stood up and laughed heartily, shaking the entire cave. Tears streamed down his face. However, Shen Lang couldn't bear such a strong aura and hurriedly shouted, "Master, please stop, I can't take it anymore."

Hearing Shen Lang's plea, Swordmaster Jiu Jian realized that he had lost control and quickly stopped.

He touched Shen Lang's head and said, "Master was too excited. For so many years, there hasn't been a satisfied disciple. Just thinking about your senior brother's situation, I couldn't help but get emotional."

After talking with Shen Lang for a while, Swordmaster Jiu Jian brought him to his residence.

The interior was well-furnished, with many jade scrolls placed inside. Swordmaster Jiu Jian said with some sadness, "This quiet room used to belong to your senior brother, and these jade scrolls were all collected by him. From now on, they will all be yours."

Shen Lang didn't care about these things. Swordmaster Jiu Jian allowing him to live in this quiet room already meant that he regarded Shen Lang as his disciple.

After settling Shen Lang, Swordmaster Jiu Jian left, only telling Shen Lang to wake up early tomorrow as he would give him a sermon.

Touching the items displayed in the room, not a speck of dust could be seen. It seemed that Swordmaster Jiu Jian often came to this room. Shen Lang casually picked up a jade scroll to examine.

Inside were some cultivation insights recorded by Qin Feng before his death, each step explained in great detail. It seemed that Qin Feng was also a meticulous person.

After casually looking through it, Shen Lang began to meditate and rest. Being able to become a disciple of Swordmaster Jiu Jian today, his status had skyrocketed. Shen Lang could tell that his master held a high position in the sect, even the revered Saint Child showed utmost respect to him.

However, these things were ultimately just external possessions. When facing a real enemy, they wouldn't ask who your master was, but only look at your strength.

Shen Lang took out the Meridian Opening Pill rewarded by the sect. This was a pill specifically developed for the Meridian Opening stage. After taking it, it could enhance the strength of one's mana and easily open up the meridians.

After taking the pill, Shen Lang began his cultivation. After all, he had only opened one meridian, and there were still thirty-five meridians waiting for him to open.

As far as Shen Lang knew, only after breaking through the Meridian Opening stage could one cultivate spells for flying or flying on a sword. Today, he had flown in the sky twice in a row and enjoyed the feeling.

After all, in his previous life, everyone had dreams of flying, but this dream was replaced by machines, rather than humans being able to fly like birds.

Only by breaking through as soon as possible could he learn spells for flying. At that time, he could truly rely on himself to fly into the sky.

A night of cultivation quickly passed. After taking the Meridian Opening pill, Shen Lang's progress indeed greatly accelerated. Overnight, he had broken through half of the second meridian, and in another day, he would be able to open the second meridian.

Early in the morning, Shen Lang got up early. Today, the Grand Elder, Jiu Jian, would personally give him a lecture. He couldn't be late. This was the benefit of being a true disciple, becoming the successor of the Elder.

The strength of each Elder was not comparable to the previous junior mentors like Yang Ming. They were true cultivation experts who were familiar with every detail of breakthroughs.

Such a person personally cultivating his disciples one-on-one was naturally very attentive. They could answer any questions at any time, which was the true way of passing down knowledge from master to disciple.

Shen Lang could feel Jiu Jian's genuine care for his disciples. Previously, for his senior brother whom he had never met, he had gone to another sect and caused trouble, resulting in being besieged by several fellow cultivators of the same level. Shen Lang could imagine how fierce the battle must have been at that time, but his master did not give up.

He arrived early at the pool outside the cave, as Jiu Jian had requested. In the early morning in the mountains, dew fell on the lotus leaves, forming droplets of water. The sound of cicadas and frogs made the environment quite uncomfortable.

Jiu Jian was already sitting by the pool at this time. Shen Lang hurriedly approached and bowed, "Disciple pays respects to Master."

Jiu Jian smiled kindly and gestured for Shen Lang to sit down. He then said, "Lang'er, your foundation in the 'Myriad Laws Void and Dark Art' that you cultivated before is already very solid. Now, practicing it doesn't have much use for you. This is a technique that I have prepared for you. It is very suitable for your cultivation."

After speaking, he handed Shen Lang a jade slip. Unlike ordinary jade slips, this one was more exquisite and complex in appearance. Shen Lang took hold of it and began to read.

After a moment, Shen Lang finished reading. Jiu Jian continued, "I have observed that you not only have some knowledge of swordsmanship, but also have a lot of proficiency in spells. Your mana is much stronger than disciples of the same level, and your physical body is also very strong. This is an advantage in terms of talent, so you need to improve comprehensively. This 'Primordial Origin Scripture' is suitable for your cultivation. It will make your mana more refined and increase the power when casting spells. At the same time, it can also strengthen your physical body."

Shen Lang nodded. When he was reading just now, he could already feel that this technique was much stronger than the previous "Myriad Laws Void and Dark Art."

"Of course, this is what you can cultivate now. When you become a Saint Child, you will have the opportunity to come into contact with the sect's supreme scripture, the 'Reincarnation Heavenly Book.' This is a true divine technique that ranks among the top three in the world." Jiu Jian continued.

Shen Lang didn't expect that there would be such a divine technique in the sect. He was truly broadening his horizons. He thought that if he had the opportunity to become a Saint Child in the future, he would also be able to learn it. For now, he needed to lay a solid foundation.

"Your senior brother's talent and aptitude were also among the best in the sect. Before reaching the Foundation Building stage, he created the 'Four Spirit Holy Sword Technique.' Although his cultivation level was not high at that time, this sword technique was not that simple."

Listening to his master introducing the sword technique he was cultivating, Shen Lang was also filled with curiosity. He became even more curious about his senior brother whom he had never met. To be able to create his own sword technique at such a young age was truly remarkable.

Old Master Jiu Jian continued to speak eloquently: "This set of sword techniques was created by your senior brother Qin Feng. He combined the changes in the celestial stars with the Four Symbols Formation and spent three years comprehending it. What you are using now is just scratching the surface. You must study this set of sword techniques more and create your own in the future."

Upon hearing the explanation and encouragement from his master, Shen Lang naturally gained a deeper understanding. This set of sword techniques was indeed not as simple as it seemed on the surface.

Moreover, Old Master Jiu Jian mentioned that this set of sword techniques was created by combining the changes in the celestial stars with formations, indicating that it contained great power.

Regarding his master's encouragement to create his own sword techniques, Shen Lang was naturally filled with anticipation. However, given his current cultivation and experience, it was still somewhat unlikely for him to create his own sword techniques.

Putting aside those fantasies, Shen Lang began to listen to Old Master Jiu Jian's teachings. This old master not only had a high status, but his cultivation was also among the top in the sect. He explained the basics of cultivation in great detail, focusing on the "Four Symbols Sacred Spirit Sword Technique" today.

The old master first explained the origin of this set of sword techniques, and then he would explain the variations of this set of sword techniques to Shen Lang.

Although this set of sword techniques was created by Qin Feng, many key aspects of it were also guided by Old Master Jiu Jian.

Just by hearing the word "sword" in Old Master Jiu Jian's name, one could naturally imagine his profound attainments in sword techniques. Otherwise, he would not have taught a genius disciple who created his own sword techniques.

Starting from the most basic four sword moves, Old Master Jiu Jian guided Shen Lang. Although he was very satisfied with Shen Lang's self-taught progress, he sternly pointed out some crude aspects of his sword usage.

"Lang'er, you must understand that sword techniques are different from spells. The power of spells lies in the depth of understanding, but sword techniques are different. Do you understand what a sword is?" Hearing the question from his master, Shen Lang also fell into contemplation.

Old Master Jiu Jian did not rush to get Shen Lang's answer. Instead, he took a yellow gourd from his waist and slowly took two sips.

A refreshing aroma of wine emanated from it, and it seemed that this was the origin of the "wine" in the old master's name.

Combining his own understanding and some experiences from his past life, Shen Lang earnestly said, "Disciple believes that a sword is just a sword, an extension of the human body, like the limbs of a person. It is merely a weapon used by people, but at the same time, it is also the life of every swordsman. Besides the sword, there is nothing else."

Old Master Jiu Jian couldn't say whether he was satisfied or not with this answer. Instead, he took another sip of the wine from the gourd, looked at Shen Lang with a slight smile, and his eyes showed both appreciation and reminiscence.

"You little rascal, your answer can be considered right or wrong." Hearing his master's evaluation, Shen Lang naturally understood that each Sword Dao Sect master had their own views, so he wanted to hear his master's answer.

"Just as you said, a sword is a weapon or a Law Treasure in the hands of a cultivator. These are all part of the sword itself. We are not those madmen who specialize in sword dao, so besides the sword, we can also use spells, Law Treasures, or other things." Patting Shen Lang's head, Old Master Jiu Jian continued to explain.

"The so-called sword techniques and spells also have their similarities. Sword techniques can be classified differently. Some focus on sword moves, some focus on Sword Intent, and some focus on sword momentum. Different sword techniques have different emphases, so your sword techniques still have a long way to go!" After saying that, he took another sip of wine, looked at Shen Lang with a smile that seemed like a smile, and seemed to be evaluating him.

Listening to his master's evaluation, Shen Lang also knew that he still had many shortcomings that needed to be learned.

Old Master Jiu Jian didn't dawdle either and continued to explain this set of sword techniques to Shen Lang. Shen Lang absorbed the knowledge explained by Old Master Jiu Jian like a sponge.

(End of this chapter)