NOVEL WEB
Chapter 20: Basic
After Meng Zhang succeeded as the Taiyi Sect Sect Master, Tian Li became the first disciple to be admitted to the sect. From this moment on, the sect had its next generation of disciples. Although the number of disciples in the sect was currently small, Meng Zhang decided to hold a small ceremony to celebrate the occasion.
On the chosen auspicious day, Meng Zhang, Tian Zhen, Tian Li, Daoist Clear Spirit, and his two disciples gathered in the sect's main hall. The initiation ceremony for Tian Li was simple yet solemn. First, Meng Zhang led everyone in paying respects to the heavens and the earth, followed by offering reverence to Taiyi Sect's ancestors, commemorating the hardships of their predecessors.
Then, Tian Zhen, who was recently appointed as the General Affairs Elder by Meng Zhang, read out the sect's rules to Tian Li. Taiyi Sect's rules were not complicated, consisting of only a few simple guidelines, which Tian Zhen briefly explained.
Lastly, Meng Zhang, seated high above, received Tian Li's bow and oath. Tian Li swore to join Taiyi Sect and remain forever loyal to it.
In the past, when Taiyi Sect was strong, they had a dedicated sect register to record the disciples' names. They would also take a strand of the disciples' souls to light the soul lamp. By monitoring the condition of the soul lamp, the sect could know about the disciples' status and provide help or seek justice if necessary. However, the current Taiyi Sect lacked such conditions. Meng Zhang simply prepared a new register and wrote down Tian Li's name.
Since Meng Zhang took over as the Sect Master, some time had passed, and he had been busy handling the sect's affairs. Being a new leader with new ideas, he wanted to make some changes. He first appointed Tian Zhen as the General Affairs Elder in charge of miscellaneous matters within the sect. Then, he appointed Daoist Clear Spirit as the Spirit Plant Elder, responsible for all matters related to Spirit Plants in the sect. Although these appointments were somewhat formal since Tian Zhen and Daoist Clear Spirit had already been handling these matters before, Meng Zhang wanted to reinforce their roles.
The last issue Meng Zhang addressed was the ranking of disciples' generations within the sect. In the past, when Taiyi Sect was strong, they used the disciples' cultivation bases to determine the generations, which was a common practice in the Cultivation World. However, Meng Zhang disagreed with this approach.
While some believed in the principle of "no distinction between teacher and student, the one who achieves success is the teacher," and others thought that strength should determine everything, Meng Zhang believed that some sense of ethics and hierarchy should be maintained. The old method of ranking could lead to awkward situations, where a father and son, both at the Refining Qi stage, were considered the same generation within the sect. Once the son reached the Foundation Building stage while the father remained at the Refining Qi stage, the son would be a higher generation, which could be embarrassing for the father.
Meng Zhang wanted to implement a new system. Starting from Tian Li's generation, each generation would be counted every 100 years. All disciples who joined the sect within that century, regardless of their cultivation base or their generation in the mortal world, would be considered the same generation within Taiyi Sect.
However, Meng Zhang had difficulty coming up with suitable titles for each generation and temporarily put this matter aside.
With Tian Li's generation, Taiyi Sect entered a new era.
After the initiation ceremony, Tian Zhen prepared a feast, and everyone gathered to celebrate. Even Meng Zhang, who rarely drank alcohol, took a few sips.
Even the ten-year-old Tian Li held a cup filled with tea and toasted the seniors as a show of respect.
During the feast, Tian Zhen, in a moment of excitement, accepted Tian Li as his direct disciple, making him his first disciple.
As for Meng Zhang, he had no intention of taking on more disciples at the moment.
After the initiation ceremony for Tian Li was completed, Meng Zhang's life returned to its usual routine. At night, he practiced Divine Soul Leaving the Body and entered the Trial Ground. During the day, he practiced Lesser Yang Qi Art.
These days, Meng Zhang could clearly feel that he was on the verge of a breakthrough in his Lesser Yang Qi Art.
One day, at dawn, Meng Zhang absorbed the first wisp of Yang Qi between heaven and earth. He refined the Yang Qi within his body repeatedly. Then, he continued to meditate under the increasingly intense sunlight, circulating Lesser Yang True Qi to dispel the yin qi within his body.
After several cycles of the technique, the chilling sensation all over his body disappeared, replaced by a warm feeling.
Continuing to circulate Lesser Yang True Qi, the true qi smoothly flowed through each acupoint, but when it reached acupoints that had never been connected before, the true qi started to slow down, showing signs of stagnation.
In the past, Meng Zhang would gradually withdraw his true qi and gently polish these acupoints. This gentler approach to breakthroughs took more time, but it was safer and less likely to cause damage to the physical body. It also minimized the risk of encountering demonic energies and falling into demonic cultivation.
However, today, Meng Zhang acted differently. He fully urged the true qi in his body and boldly surged ahead, forcefully breaking through these acupoints.
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