I am the snake demon!

The sun shines brightly in the sky.

Bai Xuan got up early, finished washing up, and when he figured it was about time, he headed to Xu Yushuang's Yaoguang Courtyard.

However, after entering Yaoguang Academy, she unexpectedly met Leng Qinghan.

"Is your sister-in-law here too?"

Bai Xuan asked in surprise.

They arrived so early, and they're even at Xu Yushuang's Yaoguang Courtyard?

Their relationship is truly wonderful.

"Even accepting a disciple on behalf of one's master requires witnesses. I am also a disciple of the Lingbao Sect, so I will act as a witness," Leng Qinghan said.

"I see," Bai Xuan said, suddenly realizing.

"Let's go."

Xu Yushuang walked inside, and Bai Xuan followed. When they arrived at the inner room, they saw two portraits hanging in mid-air. One portrait was of Lingbao Tianzun, and the other was of a beautiful Taoist nun in a Taoist robe.

The portrait of Lingbao Tianzun has a strong Taoist flavor, while the beautiful Taoist nun seems to have been painted recently.

Bai Xuan wondered, could it be that Xu Yushuang painted it all night?

"Our Lingbao Sect was founded ten thousand years ago. We revere the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable of the Shangqing lineage as our venerable one. We are one of the three great Dao lineages in the world. There is a saying among the people: a dynasty lasts for a hundred years, a family lasts for a thousand years, and a holy land lasts for ten thousand years. Our Lingbao Sect was one of the holy lands in the past. Anyone who enters our Lingbao Sect must pay homage to the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable."

Upon entering the inner hall, Xu Yushuang, with a serious expression, recounted the glory of the Lingbao Sect.

To be honest, this was her first time accepting a disciple on behalf of her master and being in charge of the initiation ceremony. She didn't know how to do it, so she thought about it all night. She remembered how her master did it when she entered the sect, and then tried to imitate it.

Upon hearing this, Bai Xuan dared not be careless and immediately knelt down and kowtowed.

He could be indifferent to everyone else in this world, but he truly had to worship this great deity.

Perform the proper etiquette, kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times.

Disciple Bai Xuan pays respects to Master.

After completing the ceremony, Bai Xuan felt as if something had been added to his body, but upon closer inspection, he realized there was nothing there.

However, before Bai Xuan could get up, the portrait next to Lingbao Tianzun suddenly burst into flames for no apparent reason, startling Xu Yushuang and Leng Qinghan.

"Jade Frost".

Leng Qinghan looked at Xu Yushuang in confusion. Why did she suddenly set herself on fire?

"I don't know either," Xu Yushuang said in surprise. She had drawn it last night, and there was nothing wrong with it.

"Second sister, who is this portrait of?" Bai Xuan asked.

"My master is Qiu Zhenren of the Lingbao Sect, whose honorific name is Qiu Yimeng. She is a peerless martial artist of the ninth rank of the Tongtian Realm, skilled in both Dao and sword, and a third-rank Zuozhao Realm array master. She is also your master. Since she is not here, a portrait of her was painted. I just don't know why she suddenly set herself on fire," Xu Yushuang said, puzzled.

"Cultivating both Dao and sword techniques."

Bai Xuan seemed to be deep in thought, which meant that in addition to martial arts, she also comprehended the Dao of Heaven, so he might know why.

It is only natural for him to worship Lingbao Tianzun, and Lingbao Tianzun seems to acknowledge his existence.

And by that calculation, his seniority is many times higher than Qiu Yimeng's.

According to folklore, if parents kneel before their son, the son will be struck by lightning.

This is a real saying in the cultivation world.

It should also apply to the master and apprentice relationship.

Unless, the junior's cultivation level surpasses that of the senior.

That would grant immunity.

After all, in the world of cultivation, those who have attained enlightenment are teachers.

There is an unwritten rule that once a disciple's cultivation level is the same as that of his master, they will call each other fellow Daoists.

Similar to Han Zhongli and Lü Dongbin among the Eight Immortals, the two were master and disciple to each other, and even went to take on disciples together.

However, Qiu Yimeng was indeed a strong person, and Bai Xuan did not know what his cultivation level was. He had never had a standard system for measuring it. But he thought that in a one-on-one fight, Bai Xuan could kill her with just one finger.

Naturally, it cannot withstand it.

I hope she's still alive.

Bai Xuan felt a little embarrassed. There was no past grudge or present enmity between them, so it would be wrong to worship them to death.

……

Meanwhile, thousands of miles away in the Jiangnan region...

The sacred land of Shangqing, the location of the Lingbao Sect, is Biyun Mountain.

The mountains are majestic and ancient, with clouds churning deep within them. The peaks are sacred and extraordinary, like a fairy island or a blessed land of immortals.

There is a peak in the mountains called Qingyun, and inside the peak is a cave called Wenxian.

"Pfft~"

Just as the portrait of the Northern Border inexplicably set itself on fire, inside the cave, a graceful Taoist nun suddenly trembled and spat out blood.

The Taoist nun looked up in astonishment at the sky, as if she sensed a strong sense of malice, as if she had done something heinous.

But she didn't.

She just cultivated in her cave and did nothing else.

To properly comprehend the Dao of Heaven, improve one's cultivation, not aspire to ascension, but only wish to live one or two hundred more years, how is that considered rebellious?

There are still people secretly cursing me and trying to harm me.

The Taoist nun looked around suspiciously, but after a long time she did not notice anything unusual. In the end, she could only carefully resume her cultivation to recover from her injuries.

……

"Since the portrait is gone, we can replace it later. I don't think Master will mind. I'll accept you into the sect for now. But you must remember Master. If you travel in the martial world in the future, when you introduce your sect, you must say that you are a disciple of Lingbao Sect and Qiu Zhenren," Xu Yushuang said.

"Thank you, Second Sister, no, now I'm Senior Sister," Bai Xuan replied, thinking to himself that if he didn't spare some of his divine sense to stay here, he would have burned the painting as soon as Xu Yushuang finished it.

Otherwise, it's inappropriate to bully someone without any grudge against them.

No, it's not just anyone. The Celestial Venerable recognizes himself; these are his own disciples and grand-disciples.

"Our Shangqing lineage is different from the Taiqing and Yuqing lineages in that we pursue the Great Dao and forget emotions. Instead, we pursue the clarity of thought and the inclusion of the Bai family's teachings. As for the rules of our sect, as the Prince of Zhenbei, you, my third brother, hardly need to remember them. Just remember not to fight among yourselves unless absolutely necessary," Xu Yushuang said.

The rules of the Lingbao School are not lenient; there are ten major precepts and five major prohibitions. However, if the rules were strictly followed, Bai Xuan would not be able to become a disciple.

Therefore, special arrangements were made.

If you encounter any members of the Lingbao Sect, just show them mercy.

"If he encounters a disciple of the Lingbao Sect, it is the Great Zhou Zhenbei King who will kill him, and it has nothing to do with Xu Shi'an of the Lingbao Sect," Bai Xuan said.

If all else fails, the murderer is Bai Xuan, so it's a minor matter.

Xu Yushuang, whether tacitly agreeing with Bai Xuan's explanation or simply not caring, said, "The initiation ceremony ends here. Third brother, you can't really become a Taoist priest. Even if you become a lay disciple of my Lingbao Sect, there are no restrictions. Just remember that when you discuss Taoism with others in the future, Lingbao is the most respected, and Daode and Yuanshi are second only."

"I understand," Bai Xuan said.

Of course I have that awareness.

"By the way, senior sisters, I think it's a big deal for me to become a disciple of the Lingbao Sect. Where in Xuanwu is there a large temple or monastery dedicated to the Lingbao Heavenly Venerable? I'd like to go and offer my thanks," Bai Xuan said.

The cult leader seems to have acknowledged him.

Then he would have to set up a private room in his own courtyard, where he would burn incense three times a day without fail.

"Large palaces or temples?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yushuang frowned slightly and said, "Qinghan and I spend most of our time in Jiangnan. We haven't been in the Northern Territory for long, so we don't know much about the temples and monasteries nearby. However, we imagine they are hard to find. People in the Northern Territory mostly believe in Yuanshi Tianzun and Daode Tianzun."

"What's going on? Wudang Mountain, the sacred ground of the Taiqing Sect, and Qinghua Mountain, the sacred ground of the Yuqing Sect, weren't they both conquered by our father?" Bai Xuan asked.

The two sects' most treasured secrets, the Tai Chi True Scripture and the Taiyi Lion Technique, are still kept in the library.

The methods by which the Prince of Zhenbei obtained these top-secret techniques were naturally not gentle.

"Because we are in the north, according to the Xuanmen (Taoist) tradition, the north worships Zhenwu, the righteous god of Wudang. According to the Xuanmen tradition, the Zhenwu Emperor was enlightened by the Daode Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of Morality) to become the Zhenwu Divine General, and then, after making meritorious contributions, was conferred the title of Zhenwu Emperor by the Yuanshi Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of Primordial Beginning). He has no relation to the Lingbao Tianzun (Celestial Venerable of Spiritual Treasure)," Xu Yushuang said.

"Who said there isn't? Zhenwu the Great is a subject of Ziwei the Great, who is the son of Doumu Yuanjun, and Doumu Yuanjun is a direct disciple of Lingbao Tianzun," Bai Xuan immediately retorted.

According to the Investiture of the Gods, Doumu Yuanjun was the Golden Spirit Holy Mother under the Tongtian Sect Master.

Furthermore, when it comes to fighting, has the Shangqing lineage ever backed down?

While it's true that the Shangqing sect's "supernatural powers were no match for destiny," one must also acknowledge the extent of their supernatural abilities.

"There are no similar texts in the Xuanmen sect. Where did you hear about this?" Leng Qinghan asked curiously.

"Now I have it. I'll trouble you two senior sisters to write to the Lingbao Sect and inform them that I intend to promote Taoism, Shangqing, and Lingbao in the Northern Territory. Please ask if they are willing to send someone to help me," Bai Xuan said confidently.

Elsewhere, his reach isn't long enough to cover everything.

But as the inheritor of the Zhuxian Formation Diagram, it wouldn't make sense for him not to pay homage to the Tongtian Sect Master on his own turf!

Leng Qinghan and Xu Yushuang looked at each other, wondering why Bai Xuan would suddenly think of this.

But it's also a good thing, especially for Xu Yushuang. It's not very proper for her to take on a disciple on behalf of her master, but if they knew about this, the senior uncles and elders of the Lingbao Sect would probably be eager to send her gifts.

Therefore, Xu Yushuang immediately agreed.

Bai Xuan then revealed a satisfied expression, and looked expectantly at Xu Yushuang and Leng Qinghan, "Is it time to pass on my cultivation technique?"