"He's gone?"
The lead Black-clothed Cultivator's brow furrowed upon hearing that Tang Shun hadn't returned all night and was still missing.
'That guy was never right in the head.'
'Did something set him off and make him run for it?'
Looking up at the sky, the Black-clothed Cultivator turned to his subordinates. "Go find him. A grown man can't just disappear. Report back as soon as you have news."
"Yes, sir!" With a sharp reply, the accompanying Black-clothed Servants scattered, quickly melting into the morning mist and the depths of the alleyways.
The lead Black-clothed Cultivator then turned and cupped his hands in a fist-and-palm salute to Qi Yun's group.
"My apologies, everyone. We don't know where Tang Shun has gone, but I've already sent my men to look for him. I must ask you to... wait just a little longer?"
"Wait? For how long? If we miss the sect's initiation ceremony, will you take responsibility?" Shen Fan said indifferently, his phoenix-like eyes lifting slightly as he toyed with his fingernails.
He and Tang Shun had a nasty falling out earlier over some failed Magic.
If it weren't for the Black-clothed Cultivator's presence and his fear of the Holy Sect's rules, the two would have already come to blows.
Tang Shun is missing?
'Heh. Good riddance. Finally, some peace and quiet.'
Put on the spot by Shen Fan, the Black-clothed Cultivator looked embarrassed. Despite his Qi Refining Third Layer Cultivation, he was ultimately just a servant and couldn't compare to these official Holy Sect Disciples-to-be. He could only say in a low voice:
"One hour at most... at most. If there's still no word after one hour, we'll depart immediately. We absolutely won't delay your initiation into the sect."
"Hmph."
Letting out a noncommittal grunt, Shen Fan turned and walked back toward the inn's main hall, a gesture of reluctant agreement.
"That Tang Shun really was a strange one. A few days ago, he was turning the place upside down looking for his Storage Pouch, causing a huge ruckus."
"And now, poof, he's just gone..."
Sitting together in the main hall, Wu Tao picked up a teapot and poured a cup for Qi Yun and himself. He took a small sip, and the bitter tea stimulated his taste buds, making him frown and smack his lips.
"Who knows," Qi Yun said, his expression placid as he accepted the teacup.
But no one else in the room could have possibly imagined it.
The very person responsible for Tang Shun's disappearance was sitting right before their eyes, sipping tea with a perfectly calm expression.
An hour passed quickly.
Unable to find any trace of Tang Shun, the Black-clothed Cultivator had no choice but to arrange for the group to set out. As for Tang Shun... he would just have to fend for himself.
Wheels rolled over dust, and the clatter of hooves echoed.
They traveled for thirteen long days, weary from the road, crossing mountains and valleys.
On the morning of the fourteenth day, as the first faint rays of dawn pierced the thin mist, the carriage finally came to a slow stop.
"Everyone, we've arrived." The Black-clothed Cultivator's voice carried a hint of exhaustion, but more than that, a sense of profound relief and an imperceptible trace of awe.
He was the first to jump down from the carriage, raising his hand and pointing toward the heavens.
"This is the location of the Holy Sect Mountain Gate—Taixu Mirror Heaven!"
Following the direction the Black-clothed Cultivator pointed, Qi Yun and the others stepped out of the carriage, their faces masks of disbelief. Their Hearts and Spirits trembled violently!
The universe was a backdrop for colossal mirrors suspended in the void!
High above in the vast expanse of the Celestial Vault, immeasurably enormous Glazed Treasure Mirrors stood majestically. They were not stationary but rotated slowly, their surfaces shimmering with dazzling, five-colored halos of light that blazed with such intensity they illuminated the surrounding thousands of miles of sky.
These Treasure Mirrors were stacked one upon another, wider at the base and narrowing toward the top, forming a structure that resembled a grand altar.
And in the center of these Treasure Mirrors, clusters of immense, ancient, and imposing palaces sat enthroned.
Countless divine lights, like shooting stars, streaked across the surfaces of the Glazed Treasure Mirrors. Each beam emanated an aura as deep as an abyss, seeming to possess the magnificent power to shatter mountains, break open the earth, and reshape the very landscape.
Gazing upon the Taixu Mirror Heaven, a sight that defied mortal imagination, Qi Yun and the others finally felt the terrifyingly profound heritage of the behemoth that was the Wuji Holy Sect.
The sight of the mountain gate alone was enough to humble countless souls.
"Alright, everyone, my mission is complete. You just need to pass through this forest ahead, and someone from within the mountain gate will be there for your Guiding."
Standing by the carriage, the Black-clothed Cultivator looked at Qi Yun's group with envy before he departed.
Although he had some Cultivation, it was gained entirely by consuming Secret Medicine and squeezing out his potential. In other words, he had no true aptitude for cultivation.
"The Holy Sect... we're finally here."
The magnificent, radiant Taixu Mirror Heaven reflected in his phoenix-like eyes. Shen Fan and two others strode quickly toward the forest, clearly unable to wait any longer.
"Brother Wu," Qi Yun said, his own eyes burning with a fiery light as he gazed at the divine miracle of the Mirror Heaven that reached into the clouds. He turned to the still-dazed Wu Tao with a hearty smile and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Let's go! Let's go see it for ourselves—this true, grand age of cultivation!"
As they passed through the forest, Qi Yun and his group suddenly felt the air around them become thick and viscous, but the sensation came and went in a flash.
It was as if they had just passed through the surface of water.
Just a few steps later, everything returned to normal.
"A Mortal Exclusion Barrier. With this barrier in place, even if a mortal were to stumble upon this place by mistake, they wouldn't be able to enter. They would just end up walking in circles."
As expected of someone with a background, Shen Fan had identified the source of the strange phenomenon at a glance.
The words had barely left his mouth when a long, lazy yawn echoed from a simple thatched hut not far ahead.
Everyone turned toward the sound. Under the hut, a young Daoist in a light gray Daoist Robe was slowly straightening up from a worn-out rocking chair.
His eyes were heavy with sleep, his hair was a bit of a mess, and he squinted as if not yet fully awake, casting a lazy glance in their direction.
"You lot are cutting it close. The initiation ceremony starts in two days. Anyone who hasn't arrived by then will be considered a deserter."
Hitching up his loose Daoist Robe, the young Daoist walked up to the group. After sizing them up, he took out a Jade Scroll tied with a golden rope. With a tap of his finger, lines of small characters instantly materialized on the once-blank page.
"Oh, from Ling Family Mountain. That's quite a ways away, indeed."
"Wait a minute. There should be six of you. Why are there only five?" the young Daoist asked, puzzled, after checking the register.
"Reporting to Senior Brother, one of us vanished halfway through the journey. We suspect he fled," Du Yunian explained with a chuckle, his face fixed in its usual smiling expression.
"Is that so? Alright then, you lot, follow me."
Putting away the Jade Scroll, the young Daoist casually formed a few profound Finger Techniques with his hands.
In the next instant, a gentle Clear Wind suddenly swirled up from the ground.
The wind felt tangible, instantly and steadily lifting the five of them. It enveloped them, carrying them off the ground and into the air, soaring straight up toward the Taixu Mirror Heaven suspended high in the nine heavens!
Riding the wind, the ground grew more and more distant below. Qi Yun and the others were both excited and a little panicked.
"Don't you worry, don't you worry. I've been practicing this Wind-Manipulation Skill for eighteen years, and I've only dropped and killed... what, a little over thirty people in total? It's perfectly safe."
The young Daoist's 'reassuring' words instantly made their hearts, which were already in their throats, drop straight to their stomachs.
Fortunately, the young Daoist proved reliable this time. They traveled steadily upward, passed through swirling layers of clouds, and finally landed safely on the lowest and most colossal Glazed Treasure Mirror of the entire Taixu Mirror Heaven.
Straightening his slightly disheveled clothes, Qi Yun felt a warm, solid surface beneath his feet. He looked down to see a mirror-like expanse, polished and pristine, reflecting the clouds drifting across the sky.
"This is the Holy Sect Mountain Gate of our Wuji Holy Sect. Wait here. After the initiation ceremony in two days, you can officially enter the sect and become its disciples."
Having led Qi Yun's group to the mountain gate, the young Daoist gave them a few instructions. Then, before their astonished eyes, he simply leaped off the edge of the mirror from tens of thousands of feet in the air, disappearing into the churning sea of clouds below.
'We're finally here...'
Shaking himself from the lingering thrill of flight, Qi Yun looked around, taking in the mountain gate of the Wuji Holy Sect.
It was only then that he noticed the edges of the vast, plaza-like mirror surface were already crowded with a dark mass of people.
Hundreds of figures were there, some standing, some sitting, gathered in small groups.
They wore varied clothing and their auras fluctuated in strength, but every young face was etched with undisguised, eager anticipation.
These people, it seemed, were all Apprentice Disciples here for the initiation ceremony!
...