Yan Zhengming finished speaking crisply and stood up to leave. As soon as he opened the door, Li Yun called him from behind.

Li Yun hesitated for a moment, looked away, and said, "Oh, by the way, there is actually one more thing..."

Yan Zhengming followed his gaze and asked, "What's the matter?"

A voice in the air answered, "It's me... I, I, I... Ouch!"

With a loud bang, a heavy object fell to the ground, and Yan Zhengming silently retracted his foot.

"Nian Dada, who lives in the guest room of Fuyao Villa," Li Yun said with a wry smile, "is determined to take Xiaoqian as his master. He insists on becoming a disciple of our Fuyao sect. He also said that no matter what kind of test it takes, he can handle any situation."

Nian Dada raised his head with a bruised face and a bloody nose, and gave Cheng Qian a toothy, silly grin. His speech was unclear, and it was unclear whether he had broken a tooth or chewed his mouth when he fell. "Master Hu, please accept my nest."

Li Yun: "Xiao Qian has been in seclusion these days, and I haven't had time to see him. He has been wandering outside for a long time."

Cheng Qian asked curiously, "Why haven't you left yet?"

Nian Dada rubbed his face, spoke more clearly, and said with his chest puffed out: "I persevere!"

Yan Zhengming frowned. The fate of the Fuyao Sect was already unfortunate enough. In the previous generation, the nominal disciple turned himself into a half-human, half-ghost demon, and the official disciple turned into a weasel with a long waist and short legs. The first disciple of this generation was himself. Yan Zhengming was very self-aware and knew what kind of person he was.

There has not been a single reliable disciple in two consecutive generations. If the next generation accepts another disciple named "Nian Dada", will the sect still have dignity in the future?

This tradition of accepting disciples as a joke must not be allowed to continue!

"No." Yan Zhengming said firmly, "Excuse me, we have something important to do and need to leave. I'm afraid we don't have the energy to entertain guests. Please do as you please!"

Nian Dada took a deep breath and shouted, "I am willing to be a disciple serving tea and water, and serving you at your side. Master, please let me join you!"

Yan Zhengming was too lazy to argue with him: "Li Yun, write a letter to Nian Mingming. His own son has defected to another sect, doesn't he care?"

Li Yun said leisurely, "You don't know this. Mingming Valley is just a gang of thugs among the cultivators. They usually occupy the mountain to eat offerings and help the villagers drive away some small demons that have not yet transformed. The valley masters of all generations are selected by drawing lots or something else. If others don't want to live a lazy life, they can join other sects at any time. Mingming Valley has gained a backer from now on. They are so happy that they don't care about it."

Yan Zhengming: “…”

There actually exists such a gang in the world that is not interested in fighting with others.

Yan Zhengming: "My Fuyao sect doesn't lack disciples who can even fall down while flying a sword."

The three junior brothers and sisters behind him were all speechless. They felt that the eldest senior brother was simply asking for an exorbitant price. When they first started learning, they couldn't even hold a sword steadily, let alone fly one.

Nian Dada said loudly: "Master, I know that I am not very talented. I will practice hard in the future and will never bring shame to the sect."

"You've brought shame to our sect, so why do we need to look at your cultivation?" Yan Zhengming glanced at him and said unreasonably, "Go back. While I'm the head of the sect, we won't accept ugly people."

Nian Dada: “…”

This excuse is so sufficient that it cannot be refuted.

Nian Dada struggled to look at Cheng Qian, but Cheng Qian was distracted. Yan Zhengming's words reminded Cheng Qian of many things he had forgotten - yes, the eldest brother was not a person who was only satisfied with being self-satisfied since he was a child. He was a peerless troublemaker who would not even pick up his chopsticks if the food he cooked was ugly.

Cheng Qian glanced down at his half-worn indigo robe, which had remained unchanged for thousands of years, and for the first time in his life he realized that he seemed a little unkempt.

Nian Dada, who was kneeling in the courtyard, struggled for a while and finally managed to say, "Master, I can't do anything about my face, but I can find ways to cultivate my extraordinary temperament!"

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Cheng Qian and flattered him in a self-righteous way, "Be like Master as soon as possible!"

Unexpectedly, this flattery hit the horse's leg firmly. Yan Zhengming thought to himself: "Who the hell do you dare to compete with Xiao Qian?"

The pressure from the sword cultivator who had sheathed his sword was no joke. Nian Dada felt that even if he had ten spines, they would all be bent by the pressure. But he thought that this was an entry test, so he gritted his teeth and dared not relax at all. But in a moment, his face, which was already stained red by the fall, began to show thin traces of blood.

Finally, Cheng Qian, who had been silent the whole time, spoke up: "Brother, please forgive him. If he is really so persistent, it is not impossible."

Over the past ten days, Yan Zhengming had not had the chance to speak to Cheng Qian, and he was feeling very anxious. When he heard Cheng Qian speak, he wanted to hold on to the stairs as if they were a life-saving straw. His heart was beating wildly for a while, and he suppressed the urge to rush over immediately. He barely maintained the face of the head of the sect and hummed with difficulty: "Hmm?"

Cheng Qian said: "Before I left Mingming Valley, he waited for me outside the valley for a whole night and came all the way to Fuyao Villa. He is quite admirable. In those days, Qinglong Island also recruited a large number of independent cultivators who had not entered the Qi Gate every year. Although his swordsmanship was sparse, he could still control the sword crookedly."

In Cheng Qian's view, it was just a matter of accepting a few disciples. As long as they had good moral character and no bad intentions, there was no need to be too picky about other things - anyway, their sect usually followed the principle of "the master leads the way, but the practice is up to the individual", and those with great abilities had their own burdens, and those without abilities had their own responsibilities.

As soon as he said this, Sect Master Yan, who had been very resolute just now, softened his tone and said, "I think his roots and qualifications may not be excellent."

Cheng Qian smiled and said, "I owe Mingming Valley a favor. I don't care about the monk's face, but the Buddha's face. I still owe Mingming Valley a favor."

Yan Zhengming remained silent. Just as Shuikeng was about to open his mouth to express his opinion, Li Yun raised his hand to stop him. The two of them sat quietly aside, watching the excitement of the sect leader.

Sure enough, Yan Zhengming, who was about to slap Nian Dada back to Mingming Valley, readily gave in and said, "Well, fine, if you want to take him in, then take him in. We can afford it anyway... Right now, we have to verbally agree to it in the chaos, and when we return to Fuyao Mountain in the future, we will give him an initiation and ordination..."

Li Yun said, "Master, why are you so easy to talk to when Xiao Qian starts talking?"

Yan Zhengming: “…”

He glared at Li Yun fiercely, didn't dare to look at Cheng Qian's expression, and ran away.

Cheng Qian stepped forward and patted Nian Dada on the shoulder: "Follow me."

So he took away this cheap apprentice who had come to his door.

Li Yun watched his back and poked the puddle with his elbow: "What did you see?"

Shuikeng thought about it and said very honestly: "If you have any problems in the future, go ask Junior Brother first. If Junior Brother convinces you, Senior Brother will agree even if he doesn't agree!"

Li Yun: “…”

Puddle: "Isn't what I said right?"

Li Yun touched her head lovingly: "No, child, you are right."

Shuikeng shook off his hand and asked, "Second Senior Brother, have you also received precepts? What are the precepts?"

Li Yun was silent for a moment, and the lewd smile on his face suddenly disappeared. He suddenly showed a nostalgia that Shuikeng had never seen before, and said softly: "Master said that I am cunning and too shrewd. People who are too shrewd are impetuous. When they are used to being impetuous, they are easily shaken. Over time, it is painful and stressful, so he gave me the word "Holding Simplicity" as a precept."

After he finished speaking, he lowered his eyes and sighed, as if he knew that he had let down his master's expectations.

Shuikeng said with some envy: "Don't sigh, I haven't quit yet."

When her master passed away, she couldn't even utter a complete sentence, and she didn't have time to give her precepts. It has been delayed until today, and with this one step missing, she always feels like she has not grown up.

Shuikeng murmured, "Second Brother, if Master were still alive, what words of commandment would he give me?"

Li Yun: "The general advice is to learn from others' strengths and make up for their weaknesses. If it were you..."

Puddle looked at him expectantly.

Li Yun asked, "Maybe it's 'hairless'?"

He became the first senior brother in the history of Fuyao Sect to be beaten up by his junior sister.

Ten days later, the moon appeared in the Central Plains.

Taiyin Mountain is flat. Compared with Taihang Mountain where immortals live, it is more intimate and more earthly.

Nearly a hundred miles southwest along the mountain, there are villages and towns lined up, majestic passes hundreds of feet high, and an official road running through it. In the early years, there was a lot of traffic and business on both sides, and the valley had thousands of acres of fertile fields and countless oxen.

Legend has it that there is an immortal residence not far away, which appears and disappears from time to time. Only "destined people" can see a hazy shadow on a full moon night, and there are cranes dancing on the top of the mountain.

But now, the Taiyin Mountain area is no longer what it used to be.

Half a month ago, the number of armored soldiers in the pass at the foot of Taiyin Mountain suddenly increased by two times, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The next day, those immortals who flew high in the sky appeared. They often flew on swords and did not come into contact with mortals. However, someone got a rumor from the soldiers guarding the city that those immortals were drawing a formation near Taiyin Mountain, as if they were going to deal with someone.

No one stepped forward to drive out the people who originally lived here, but local officials issued notices saying that those who voluntarily left for a few months could receive a sum of money to provide food and drink during their journey.

As soon as this notice was released, it immediately caused panic among the people. As the formation near Taiyin Mountain gradually took shape, the murderous atmosphere around it became increasingly strong. The common people were finally scared and lined up in groups from dawn to dusk every day to collect their money. However, within a few days, nine out of ten households in the Taiyin area were basically empty, except for a few elderly, weak, and sick people.

The demons are heading north to keep the appointment at Taihang. To reach Taihang, they must pass through Taiyin area. Taiyin Mountain is very close to the old site of Fuyao, and the evil dragon Han Yuan will definitely stay here. You Liang is ordered to ambush here in advance and set up a demon-slaying formation around the Taiyin Mountains. Even if he cannot trap the evil dragon, he must take him down before the much-anticipated Taihang appointment.

He stood on the city wall, looking down at those people as small as ants who were filing out with their families.

You Liang knew very well that these people were not safe after leaving Taiyin Mountain. Instead, they had lost protection. If they happened to encounter the evil cultivators heading north on the road, it would be like a small insect being attacked by a vicious child. It would be the best fate for them to be skinned and have their tendons pulled out.

But You Liang also knew that these people must leave. Mortals are in the cycle of reincarnation, and their breath is disordered. If so many people are left here, it will definitely disrupt their demon-slaying formation.

He gripped his sword tightly - his senior brother had said that the inscription on his sword was "Tan Heart" because when the sword was being forged, the swordsmith accidentally sprinkled a handful of incense ash into the furnace. As soon as this sword came out, it was less ferocious than other swords and was called a "Sword of Compassion".

The young swordsman took a deep breath and felt that the "Mercy" sword in his hand couldn't be colder.

At this time, a monk with messy hair flew in front of You Liang on a sword and saluted, “Master You, it seems that a powerful person has broken into the formation, and the southwest formation has been triggered.

This person is a peripheral staff member of Tianyan Department. Others call him "Straw Zhang". Because he is proficient in formation, he was recruited to Taiyin Mountain and was fully responsible for drawing and activating the Demon-Slaying Formation.

Upon hearing this, You Liang collected his thoughts, injected his true energy into his eyes, and used the "Eagle Eye" technique to look into the distance of about thirty miles. He looked in the direction pointed by Dao Cao Zhang, and unexpectedly his eyes met with those of a person. You Liang was startled - the people coming were none other than the Fuyao Sect.

Yan Zhengming glanced at him indifferently, and the next moment, a sharp sword energy came from the air and rushed straight into You Liang's eyebrows.

You Liang was shocked and did not dare to take it head-on. He retreated more than ten feet away from the spot before he dared to raise his sword to block. He only heard a light "ding" sound. It turned out that the sword energy that looked scary was just teasing him. It brushed past the scabbard lightly and dissipated immediately.

You Liang gasped for breath, without any sense of relief for having escaped danger. He was so frightened by the sword that his palms were covered in cold sweat.

It is easy for a sword cultivator to be extremely sharp and to rush forward recklessly, as long as one has courage in his chest and sword energy in his heart - however, "knowing when to stop" and "being able to control oneself" are beyond the scope of You Liang's comprehension. He then realized that the difference between him and Yan Zhengming was not just a sword god domain, but a chasm in the sky.

"Master You!" Straw Zhang was startled and stepped forward and asked, "Who is that person so bold? Should I send a small team to chase him and see what happens?"

You Liang's face was pale, and the words were almost squeezed out of his lips: "That man is a sword cultivator from the Sword God Realm. Even the Four Saints gave him three points - with you? Are you delivering food to him?"

Straw Zhang was stunned.

You Liang said in hatred: "Get lost!"

After he yelled at others to get out, he left first, feeling ashamed and angry.

As soon as You Liang turned around, the respectful and somewhat flattering smile on Dao Cao Zhang's face disappeared. He stared at You Liang's back with a sinister look for a while, then turned around and looked into the distance in the direction where the sword energy came from, with an uncertain expression.

Several monks gathered around him, and the leader whispered, "Brother Zhang, our formation department has always been regarded as a craftsman who only knows unorthodox methods by these so-called 'orthodox monks'. This is really too much."

Straw Zhang sneered, "He is just a young man who has just cultivated his primordial spirit. It is still unclear whether his realm is stable or not. He relies on the fact that he is a sword cultivator and really puts on airs - who am I setting up this demon-slaying formation for? The Demon Dragon Han Yuan! Those from the Sword God Realm and the Sword Ghost Realm? As long as I make a little move, I can wipe them out!"

A monk asked cautiously: "What does Brother Zhang mean..."

Straw Zhang called a group of people over and arranged it like this. In the distance, Li Yun frowned and said to Yan Zhengming: "Master Brother, what are you doing again?"

"Tear the relationship apart," Yan Zhengming put his hands behind his back, "Can't you see? Since Tianyan can produce something as amazing as the Demon-Exorcising Seal, I can't resist, but can't I just humiliate their people for no reason?"

Li Yun said earnestly, "Alas, there are many villains in Tianyan. To deal with villains, you must use villain methods. Either pretend to be nice to them, or take advantage of their unpreparedness and kill them with one strike. Never play with them. If a poisonous snake bites you in a hurry, will it hurt?"

Yan Zhengming listened to it with one ear and out the other, not taking it to heart. He was not belligerent nor bloodthirsty, but he had a problem - perhaps because he had been rolling in the mud for too many days, Yan Zhengming was too obsessed with his self-esteem, and he could easily slap others in the face. If he had offended people without knowing it before, now he was deliberately leaving no room for them.

He has gone too far in the way of swordsmanship, so far that the Four Saints don't even need to take him seriously. How could he take seriously a swordsman who has just cultivated his primordial spirit?

But how can a person be so unforgiving? Li Yun was always uneasy.