I Cheated While Cultivating

This was the absolute summit of a mountain, where he looked down upon all other mountains. Even the rolling sea of clouds was beneath him, the bright sunlight shining down, turning it into a river of golden light, as if it were a layer of golden earth.

Jade Void Peak Golden Top.

Upon arriving here, Zhou Heng instinctively knew the name of this place, as if it had been imprinted in the rhythm of the Dao, invisible and profound.

This was truly “knowing at a glance.”

On the Golden Peak, there were not many things, only three evergreen pine trees, some rocks, and a stele with inscriptions; apart from that, only a Daoist Palace that seemed neither grand nor luxurious stood there.

Pure Yang Palace.

No one stood guard here because it was pointless, as the resident of Pure Yang Palace was the current number one on the Celestial List, known as Staying World Pure Yang,” a Celestial Power.

Yan Shouyi.

“Come in directly.”

A gentle voice came from inside the Pure Yang Palace.

Zhou Heng did not hesitate and walked towards the gates of the Pure Yang Palace.

As he stepped through the gates of Pure Yang Palace, what caught his eye first was a meditation cushion and a shrine with a golden statue of a Taoist, complete with an incense burner and spirit plaques.

On the spirit plaque, there were only two words: “Pure Yang.

Sitting on the meditation cushion in front of the shrine was a Taoist dressed in a simple blue Taoist robe, his hair tied up with a grass rope. He sat cross-legged with his back to Zhou Heng, and hints of silver could be seen amidst his black hair.

“This is the founding ancestor of my Pure Yang Palace.” The Taoist stood up, turned slowly, and looked at Zhou Heng with gentle eyes, smiling, “I am Yan Shouyi, the sixth patriarch of Pure Yang Palace.”

The Taoist appeared to be in his thirties, with average looks and ordinary features. Although he was certainly a Taoist, he exuded an intense scholarly aura, resembling a well-read sage rather than a profound Immortal of the land.

Within the Martial Path, those of Upper Third Rank were all regarded as first-rate land Immortals.

“I pay my respects to Predecessor Staying World Pure Yang,” Zhou Heng bowed

in salute.

“From now on, you may simply call me senior brother,” Yan Shouyi said with a smile.

“Yes… Senior, senior brother??” Just as Zhou Heng was about to agree, he suddenly realized something, looking up in shock at Yan Shouyi, “What did you just say?”

“No need to be surprised,” Yan Shouyi said with a smile, “I called you here to take a disciple on behalf of our master. From now on, you’ll be the sixth­generation True Disciple of Pure Yang Palace, a direct disciple of the previous patriarch. It is only right for you to call me senior brother.”

“Why, why is this?” Zhou Heng was full of doubts and uncertainty.

He could not understand the situation at all now. Even if he was suspected to be the rebirth of a great power, why would Pure Yang Palace go to such lengths? Wasn’t that a bit too much importance placed on a mere possibility?

This was, after all, a supreme sect of Immortal Home with a living Divine First

Rank Daoist master.

For him, just an Eighth Rank of the Martial Path, to immediately become the contemporary patriarch’s equal in status upon joining, to become the junior uncle to countless Pure Yang Palace disciples across seven generations… such a thing seemed utterly abnormal no matter how he looked at it.

Could there be some ulterior motive?

Faced with such an unfathomable situation, Zhou Heng could not help but be deeply suspicious.

“Are you wondering if I have an ulterior motive?” Yan Shouyi asked, his eyes crinkling with a smile.

Zhou Heng did not speak.

“Indeed, I do have an ulterior motive,” Yan Shouyi said, seemingly unconcerned with Zhou Heng’s reaction, “Or it might be more accurate to say Pure Yang Palace has an ulterior motive regarding you.”

“Ah?” Zhou Heng couldn’t help but be stunned. Was he being so direct and frank?

He was already considering whether or not to use his various abilities like the Five-Colored Divine Light, Prophecy, Luck, Peak Card, and so on. If he used them all at once, perhaps he could escape from this Celestial Man?

“Don’t panic,” Yan Shouyi said with a smile, “I too have just received the divine decree from our master. When Brother You brought you to Ta Hua Mount, the old man sensed something and peered into the future using the celestial seeds to divine a prophecy.

“The master discovered that Pure Yang Palace might face a great calamity in the future, and you would be the one to break the impasse. Therefore, he issued a decree for me to take a disciple on his behalf, granting you the status of a sixth-generation disciple of Pure Yang Palace. This will make your future actions much more convenient.”

“Me, break an impasse?” Zhou Heng frowned slightly.

This explanation seemed quite reasonable, yet whether the words were true or false, how could he discern and verify?

Huh?

Appraisal?

At this thought, he suddenly had an inspiration and used an appraisal card, attempting to see if it could determine the truth of Yan Shouyi’s words.

He wasn’t sure if a single sentence counted as a thing.

Very quickly,

Zhou Heng received feedback.

Yan Shouyi’s words were true.

It could actually appraise!

This pleasantly surprised him and eased many of his concerns.

“You don’t seem to believe me much,” Yan Shouyi said with a smile, “Whether you want to join Pure Yang Palace is up to you, I won’t insist.”

“How could I refuse such generosity from my senior?” Zhou Heng made up his mind and nodded, “I will be in your care from now on, senior brother.”

“Hahaha! Excellent!” Yan Shouyi laughed heartily, “You Ziheng said you were fated with Pure Yang Palace, and it’s indeed the case. I knew you would agree.

“So, senior brother, what should I do next?” Zhou Heng asked. To be honest, he was still a bit nervous, as he was actually calling the number one of the contemporary Celestial Rankings ‘senior brother.

That thigh was just too sturdy!

“You just need to offer incense to our ancestor, Pure Yang Zi, and then you will be officially admitted,” Yan Shouyi explained, “I will first take you to Jade Void Peak’s mid-mountain annex, where the disciples from the Jade Void lineage live. You will stay with them for now, and once your cultivation reaches the Seventh Rank Peak, I will help you establish a cave dwelling.

“Later, a disciple from the Deacon Hall will come to exchange your waist tag, Taoist robe, and sword, as well as give you some Taoist scriptures and information about Pure Yang Palace and other sects in the world. At that time, just accept them.

“Tomorrow morning, come to the Golden Peak, and I will impart to you the foundation martial arts of Pure Yang Palace.”

This was the way of the Taoist cultivation, without superfluous formalities; everything was incredibly straightforward.

Zhou Heng truly experienced it this time.

The mid-mountain annex was a large courtyard on the mid-slope of Jade Void Palace, with hundreds of ordinary brick and tile houses fortified by protective spells, unspoiled for a thousand years.

It was home to the True Disciples of the Lower Third Rank from the Jade Void lineage. There were not many of them, but still over a hundred lived there- practicing martial arts and reciting Taoist scriptures together, making it quite lively.

However, that was all in the past.

Recently, many had completed their arts and left the mountain to wander and experience the world.

Now, only about twenty to thirty people were left in the annex, mostly over thirty years old who had not yet broken through to Sixth Rank and did not rank among the notable in the martial world, with no worldly attachments.

These people usually cultivated quietly, leading a life as peaceful as still water. With the arrival of Zhou Heng, it was like a stone tossed into calm waters, rippling out in every direction.

Because new faces that came to the mid-mountain annex were usually fresh disciples of Jade Void Peak, the moment Zhou Heng stepped into the courtyard, even before he had a chance to explain, he was surrounded by a crowd.

“Don’t be scared, new junior brother, your senior brothers will help you with anything!”

“If someone bullies you, just say my name. In both the inner and outer sects of our Pure Yang Palace, my words carry weight.”

“Junior brother, if you ever have any questions about cultivating martial arts, feel free to ask me. I promise to leave no question unanswered, heh heh!

“Finally, a new face has arrived; I’m tired of looking at these same old faces.”

Zhou Heng was surrounded by this group of people, everyone talking at once here and non-stop chatter there, but as they were all friendly and well- intentioned, it wouldn’t have been polite to push away. He could only stand and listen.

“Hey, hey! What are you all doing?” Just then, a clear voice sounded, followed by a tall figure parting the crowd, “This is your junior uncle!”