Xiao Bangchui had a chaotic jumble of dreams, vaguely recalling her Master throwing a tantrum and whacking her head hard with his smoking pipe—the pain was excruciating.
"Mmm... damn old man..." she muttered as she opened her eyes, her head still throbbing painfully. Clutching the sore spot, she looked around and saw nothing but blue skies and white clouds, with puffs of cottony mist drifting like little doves—was she still dreaming? Dreaming of flying through the sky?
"You're awake." A kind, aged voice came from above. Xiao Bangchui jolted as last night's memories flooded her mind like a rushing stream. She sprang up like a startled rabbit, only to realize she was standing on a giant gourd flying steadily through the sky. The clouds whooshed past, left far behind in an instant, yet she felt not a single gust of wind.
So this was what flying felt like.
Xiao Bangchui looked up at Dongyang Zhenren. After chasing him for so long yesterday, did she pass the test?
"Old grandpa, are you taking me to No Moon Court?" she asked softly.
He shook his head, and Xiao Bangchui's shoulders slumped instantly. "Did I... fail?"
Dongyang Zhenren said gently, "Little girl, you've got grit and perseverance to chase me that far. I admire that. But you still can't go to No Moon Court."
"Why not?"
"Even if I took you there, you wouldn't be able to see No Moon Court, let alone enter it." Dongyang Zhenren patted her shoulder reassuringly. "No Moon Court is a place where the Five Elements Aura of heaven and earth converge. Mortal eyes cannot perceive it, nor can mortal bodies enter. You're not ready yet."
"I could wait outside, then."
Dongyang Zhenren shook his head again. "Do you know how many disciples No Moon Court has? Tens of thousands. You don't even know your senior brother's name, appearance, or age. Moreover, disciples often go into seclusion—ordinary retreats last nine years. How could you wait? Or perhaps he's out cultivating, wandering without a trace. How would you find him?"
Xiao Bangchui was dumbfounded. Nine years in seclusion? Wandering without a trace? Was it really that extreme? What about eating and bathroom breaks during nine years of seclusion? At first, she'd mustered all her determination just to find her senior brother, thinking that knowing No Moon Court's location would make it easy. Who knew finding him would be as hard as climbing to heaven?
"However, it's not entirely hopeless," Dongyang Zhenren said, smiling at her dazed expression. "But it would likely take about a year. Are you willing?"
A year? She almost refused outright. Her Master's life was in danger at any moment—how could she waste a whole year?
But... even if she searched everywhere and asked everyone, the chances of finding her Master and senior brother within a year were slim. Even if she found her Master, without any skills, how could she save him? At best, she'd die with him, or worse, become a burden hindering his escape...
Calculating it this way, spending a year might be the better choice. At least after a year, the likelihood of finding her senior brother would be high. If she could find him, and if her Master was lucky enough to still be alive, there'd be hope of saving him. Compared to those vague possibilities, this path was indeed the most reliable.She was about to agree when Dongyang Zhenren continued, "A great calamity approaches, and the higher-ups of various sects cannot afford to divert their attention to accept ordinary disciples. Little girl, your aptitude is average, and I too am stretched thin—I cannot simply take you into the sect as a disciple. However, there is a place for you now. If all goes well and you excel in the new disciple selection a year from now, I can admit you into the No Moon Court. Whether you succeed or not depends entirely on yourself."
Xiao Bangchui was dumbfounded again. Was he suggesting she join the No Moon Court as a disciple? But all she had wanted was to find her senior brother!
Perhaps sensing her hesitation, Dongyang Zhenren said, "You currently lack any foundation in cultivation and still need training. Whether or not you become a disciple of the No Moon Court, you must first learn to see the locations where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathers. If you cannot see or enter them, you’ll never find your senior brother in this lifetime."
Xiao Bangchui nodded silently. He made sense.
"Where do I need to go?"
"Have you heard of the 'Young Phoenix Academy'?"
At three quarters past noon, under the scorching sun, the front of Lu Gongzhen’s ancestral hall was crowded with carriages, donkey carts, and sedan chairs, stretching in a bustling line for miles. The usually solemn and quiet hall was packed with people. Despite the crowd, everyone remained silent, queuing orderly as they waited to enter the inner gates of the hall.
"Is this the Young Phoenix Academy?"
Xiao Bangchui was surprised to see so many people upon landing. Wasn’t the selection process for the Young Phoenix Academy extremely strict, with only a few chosen out of a thousand? And wasn’t the academy supposed to be vast and breathtakingly beautiful? This… didn’t seem to match the description.
"This is the preliminary selection. These people have all brought their children to participate. Go over there to get a number, then wait in the courtyard."
Dongyang Zhenren led her to a corner where a large wooden box stood. Xiao Bangchui drew out a small copper plate engraved with the numbers "359." Before she could speak, a strange cry came from above: "359! 359!" A brilliantly colored large bird flapped its wings and flew into the inner gates.
"That’s marking your turn," Dongyang Zhenren said, patting her head with a smile. "I must go now. I hope you pass the preliminary selection, little girl. Take care."
Xiao Bangchui felt a pang of reluctance. This kind old man reminded her of her master, and he had helped her greatly. She bowed deeply to him. "Thank you."
Dongyang Zhenren slipped a string of wooden beads from his wrist and placed it around her neck. "You’re so young, and being alone outside will surely be difficult. I give you this Amulet Bead. Even if you don’t enter the Young Phoenix Academy, with this Evil-warding Pearl, you can barely manage to turn misfortune into fortune."
The Amulet Beads were amber-colored, each the size of a pellet. Xiao Bangchui stared at them for a while, and when she looked up again, Dongyang Zhenren was gone.
From this moment on—perhaps for a long time to come—she would be truly alone. Since she could remember, she had relied on her master, and even when pretending to perform exorcisms, she had never been without him. Only now, truly alone, did she fully grasp the meaning of helpless solitude.Xiao Bangchui stroked the Evil-warding Pearl on her wrist, gazing blankly at her surroundings. The courtyard was packed with people, mostly parents accompanying their children. Only she stood alone. Occasionally someone would glance her way, but their eyes would quickly shift elsewhere. No one was interested in a filthy child who looked like a little beggar.
"...I have to try harder..." she murmured. With her Master's fate unknown, she was determined to enter Young Phoenix Academy even if it cost her life.
Dongyang Zhenren had explained Young Phoenix Academy to her. There were many Immortal Sects like No Moon Court, all established in places abundant with spiritual energy, invisible to ordinary eyes. But these sects needed to recruit new disciples to renew their ranks, and their higher-ups couldn't spend all their time searching for promising children. Thus, Young Phoenix Academy was founded.
This was a place visible to all. It was said the academy was built in perilous terrain, inaccessible to ordinary people by mere hands and feet. Every year, the academy opened its selection process, accepting only children under thirteen. Any family who believed their child had potential could participate in the preliminary selections held across various locations—Lu Gongzhen being one of them.
After the dual selection process, children confirmed to have potential would be taken to Young Phoenix Academy for a year of foundational training. A year later, major Immortal Sects would come to recruit new disciples, selecting the most outstanding children to join their ranks. This system saved the sects' leaders time in searching for disciples, ensured generational renewal, and served as an excellent way to foster inter-sect exchanges.
Though Young Phoenix Academy had no powerful Celestials overseeing it, it was the safest place imaginable. No matter what conflicts arose between sects, they would never spill over into the academy. The wars and bloodshed of the mortal world had no bearing on the academy either—it was a place of absolute neutrality.
It sounded like a peaceful and harmonious place... Xiao Bangchui mused as she watched the thinning crowd in the courtyard.
Many had left in tears earlier, likely having failed the selection. The fewer people remained, the more nervous she became. She hadn't seen anyone pass yet—was the preliminary round really that difficult? Could she make it?
"Three-five-nine! Three-five-nine!"
A brilliantly colored large bird flew out from the inner gate, calling in a strange, singsong voice. Was it calling her? Xiao Bangchui's palms grew sweaty with nerves. Slowly, she made her way through the crowd. Inside the gate stood a table and chair. Seated across the table was a woman completely veiled in black, only her hands visible—strikingly white.
"Come here. Sit down," the black-veiled woman said calmly, though her voice was surprisingly delicate.
Xiao Bangchui's heart pounded so violently it felt ready to leap from her throat. She sat in the chair as the black-veiled woman placed a palm atop her head, remaining perfectly still.
What would she say next? Rejection? Or acceptance? Xiao Bangchui swallowed hard.
Whether from nerves or something else, a strange, hoarse voice suddenly whispered faintly in her ear: "Hold your breath."
Startled, Xiao Bangchui looked around frantically, but there was no one nearby except the black-veiled woman. Was she speaking to her?
"Don't move," the black-veiled woman said coldly.
At the same moment, the raspy voice spoke again: "Hold your breath, little girl."Forget it, who cares who it is! Xiao Bangchui obediently held her breath. After a moment, the black-veiled woman suddenly made a surprised sound, as if she couldn't believe what she was sensing. She switched hands and placed the other one on Xiao Bangchui's head again.
"Hold your breath, don't stop," that hoarse voice continued to remind her.
But she was about to reach her limit... Xiao Bangchui's face turned red from the strain. Already nervous and breathing rapidly, having to hold her breath for so long made her see stars.
"I've never seen anyone so clumsy," the hoarse voice remarked before falling silent again.
Just as Xiao Bangchui felt she couldn't hold on any longer, the black-veiled woman finally removed her hand. She immediately exhaled deeply, greedily gulping in air.
The black-veiled woman's delicate voice asked softly, "How strange... have you practiced some secret arts before?"
Xiao Bangchui shook her head. She'd only studied arcane arts with her master for a few years, and hadn't managed to master anything.
"What's your name?"
"Xiao Bangchui."
The black-veiled woman lowered her head and quickly wrote something on a piece of paper. After folding it, she placed it in an envelope and lightly scratched it with her fingernail. The envelope floated up and slipped into Xiao Bangchui's robes. As the black inner door silently opened amidst the crowd's clamor, the black-veiled woman said indifferently, "Go in. You've passed."
...Just like that? Xiao Bangchui walked slowly through the inner door in complete bewilderment. Was putting a hand on her head really the preliminary test? What kind of miraculous test was this? And who was that hoarse voice that had helped her? Why couldn't she see them? Had that person helped her pass?
Everything was so perplexing, she couldn't make sense of any of it.
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