"Tiange, are you… the disciple martial uncle picked up outside?"
Mo Tiange assumed Luo Fengxue definitely had rather ill intentions when she asked this question. However, her intentions appeared too kind-hearted; Luo Fengxue acted as if she didn't have any bad intentions, acting like this was a naughty joke between friends.
This made Mo Tiange feel overwhelmed and at loss for what to do. Ever since she was a child, the only female friend she had was with Tianqiao. Apart from Tianqiao, she had no other close friends. Besides, Luo Fengxue was too enthusiastic, too friendly; they only met each other a moment ago, yet this Luo Fengxue was already talking to her so intimately… Even lively Murong Yan didn't treat her like this when they just got acquainted.
"Senior Martial Sister Luo, I…"
"I told you to stop calling me 'Senior Martial Sister Luo.' Just call me Fengxue!"
"But those disciples a moment ago all called you that…"
"It's because they're not close to me!"
Neither am I, okay? Mo Tiange swallowed these words.
Luo Fengxue once again moved closer to Mo Tiange. With a completely curious expression on her face, she asked, "I seemed to have heard martial uncle referring to you as 'Junior Martial Brother Ye'? What was that all about?"
"…" How could Mo Tiange explain this kind of relationship to others? However, faced with Luo Fengxue's curious yet innocent face, she really couldn't refuse to answer.
"It's because Senior Martial Brother Qin…"
"Ah!"Luo Fengxue exclaimed, startling Mo Tiange that she almost dropped her newly-received school identity tablet.
Luo Fengxue suddenly grabbed Mo Tiange's arms and screamed, "Senior Martial Brother Qin!?"
Her scream was really loud. Everyone in the area turned to look at them. In response, Luo Fengxue pulled Mo Tiange to a secluded area then asked in a whisper, "Could it be that martial uncle has gone and entered some cultivation group?"
Mo Tiange nodded. Upon seeing Luo Fengxue's reaction, she worded her answer cautiously, "I originally came from east Kunwu. I passed an Immortals Assembly, entered a sect and met Senior Martial Brother Qin there."
"Oh…" Luo Fengxue finally calmed down. She then asked again, "Martial uncle called you 'junior martial brother.' Did you perhaps pretend to be a man?"
"En." This wasn't something that needed to be kept a secret. In Xuanqing School, Master Daoist Shoujing knew most of her secrets, and Qin Xi had listened to her experiences; these kinds of matters would be discovered by others sooner or later.
Luo Fengxue pondered for a moment before deciding that Mo Tiange's answer was acceptable for the time being. She then asked, "In that case… Why did martial uncle want to bring you back with him?"
"Because… Senior Martial Sister Luo, it's quite hard to explain. Can we talk about this later?"
Luo Fengxue was startled, but once she saw Mo Tiange's expression, she smiled and said, "I forgot you went through a very long journey. We should first finish what we need to do so you can take a rest. Since we've finished registering your name, let's go and pick up your uniform. After that, we can ask about your living arrangements. Come on!"
Mo Tiange secretly heaved a sigh of relief. She truly couldn't hang out with this kind of overly enthusiastic person. Besides… she felt like there was something off about this whole thing.
Nevertheless, although Senior Martial Sister Luo talked a bit too much, she was quite capable of handling things. All the matters regarding Mo Tiange's admittance into the school were properly handled by her. It really wasn't a wonder that she was a supervising disciple.
"This is your uniform. We, Aura Refining disciples, are obliged to wear them. However, you're about to build your foundation, aren't you? After you build your foundation, you'll receive a different uniform style, or you can also customize one yourself. It's fine as long as it has our school's emblem embroidered on it. Of course, if you enter the Core Formation realm one day, you'd be free to wear whatever you wanted."
Mo Tiange took the uniforms, all the while listening to Luo Fengxue's long-winded explanation.
Xuanqing School was a traditional Dao School, so its uniform was naturally a Daoist robe. The pairing of white robes and blue coats looked very simple and neat. Even though she didn't know what materials they were made of, they seemed to be very tough and durable despite feeling soft and silky in her hands. Moreover, they possessed a faint spiritual aura. Compared to Yunwu Sect's uniforms, they resembled spirit tools more than uniforms.
"The Daoist robes of our Xuanqing School are made of Mount Taikang's unique cloud brocade fabric and undergo the purification of natural Real Fire. Wearing them in fights of magical powers will bring you a lot of benefits. Therefore, they could also be categorized as spirit tools."
Sure enough.
As she caressed the robe, she sighed and said, "They're extraordinary."
Luo Fengxue laughed and said, "This isn't specific to Xuanqing School. Tiandao Sect, Gujian Sect, and Biyun Sect also have something similar."
Luo Fengxue might not have thought this was a big deal, but Mo Tiange, on the other hand, was perfectly aware of how rare these items were. As expected of a great cultivation group… Not only was the nearby spirit vein exceptionally good, but the school's formidableness could also be seen in every detail. For example, the school had several thousand disciples at the very least. Every disciple was given several sets of uniforms which were frequently changed and a spirit tool was refined for each disciple. How could an ordinary cultivation group afford these luxuries?
Right after they finished picking up various required things and Luo Fengxue was about to inquire about Mo Tiange's living arrangements, someone came to summon them.
"Fengxue, Martial Uncle Xuanyin is looking for you… He told you to bring the new junior martial sister along." The person who passed the message was a youth who seemed to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, and sure enough, he called Luo Fengxue directly by her name.
"Got it!" Luo Fengxue turned towards Mo Tiange and said, "It seems martial uncle has spoken to grandmaster and decided how to place you. Let's go."
"En." Mo Tiange answered, feeling quite nervous in her heart.
Upon seeing Mo Tiange's expression, Luo Fengxue said consolingly, "Don't worry. Right now, my master is grandmaster's eldest disciple. Since he wants to see you, they must've paid quite a lot of attention to you. I think at the very least, they'll make you an inner disciple."
What she said was reasonable. Mo Tiange pondered for a moment before asking, "Senior Martial Sister Luo, does Master Daoist Shoujing also live in Clear Spring Peak?"
Once Mo Tiange's question was asked, Luo Fengxue's expression turned a bit odd, though she soon smiled and said, "Of course! Martial Uncle Shoujing is grandmaster's blood-related younger relative as well as his direct disciple. Naturally, he lives in Clear Spring Peak. Why do you want to know?"
Mo Tiange answered, "Senior Martial Brother Qin was able to bring me to Xuanqing School because my late father was friends with Master Daoist Shoujing…"
"I see…" Luo Fengxue's eyes shifted around as she said, "But you might not be able to see Martial Uncle Shoujing. Of all the numerous martial uncles in Clear Spring Peak, Martial Uncle Shoujing is the one most diligent with cultivating. He rarely comes out, even to give sermons. If he isn't in Closed Door Meditation, he's fooling around outside. Eh… No, I mean traveling around. It's very hard even for us, the inner disciples of Core Formation elders, to see him."
Not at all disappointed by this information, Mo Tiange said, "It's already good that he admitted me into Xuanqing School. Whether I can see him or not isn't important. Thank you for the information, Senior Martial Sister Luo."
"You're being too polite! I told you to call me Fengxue…"
Seeing that Luo Fengxue was once again trying to make themselves closer, Mo Tiange hastily said, "Senior Martial Sister Luo, why are the Core Formation grandmasters in the school called only by their names but not their surnames?"
"En?" After a moment of confusion, Luo Fengxue finally understood Mo Tiange's question. She smiled and started to explain, "It isn't like that… Our Xuanqing School is a traditional Dao School. We naturally follow the rules of Dao Schools. For Aura Refining and Foundation Building disciples, their cultivations are considered incomplete, so they don't receive any names. However, once they form their Gold Core and enter the Core Formation realm, their masters award them with a Daoist name which they would be called from then on. As for their real names, only the people closest to them would call them by it. For example, my master's Daoist name is Xuanyin, while his original surname was Ma, so he's known as Ma Xuanyin. Regarding his real name, it's long been forgotten by others."
"I see…"
"Furthermore, the title of Core Formation cultivators is 'Master Daoist,' but after they enter the Nascent Soul realm, they'll be known as 'Lord Daoists.' Outside, my master is known as Master Daoist Xuanyin, while grandmaster is known as Lord Daoist Jinghe."
Mo Tiange had never heard of this kind of title before so she asked, "Does that mean if I form my Gold Core one day, I can no longer be called Tiange?"
A flicker of surprise flitted across Luo Fenxue's eyes. She laughed and said, "If you form your Gold Core, the elders in our division will personally confer a Daoist name on you. From that moment on, every disciple in the school would call you by your Daoist name… However, Tiange, since you're very confident in yourself, your talents must be extraordinary, am I right?"
Mo Tiange shook her head and said, "It was just an example. I haven't even built my foundation yet, so what kind of core-forming can we talk about? The Core Formation realm is still too far away."
As they chatted, they finally arrived at their destination.
The area had good scenery and was permeated with spiritual aura. It was indeed a good place for an Immortal's Cave.
Luo Fengxue used her identity tablet to open the restriction then led Mo Tiange into the cave.
They bypassed a protective formation and opened a stone gate. Before they even stepped into the hall, Luo Fengxue already called out loudly, "Master!"
Once Mo Tiange followed Luo Fengxue into the hall, she instantly saw that an imposing Daoist, who physically looked like a man around forty years old, was sitting inside.
Upon seeing Luo Fengxue, the Daoist glared and said, "What are you being so noisy about!?"
Luo Fengxue wasn't afraid. She giggled and said, "Master, isn't disciple just trying to see you? How can you still blame me?"
Her mischievous appearance made the Daoist both feel mad and want to laugh. He said, "Sweet talker! That'll do, move aside."
Now that they were facing a serious matter, Luo Fengxue no longer dared to be mischievous. She obediently stood by the side and said, "Master, this is the newly admitted Junior Martial Sister Mo, Mo Tiange. You told me to bring her here. Was it because you wanted to accept her as a disciple?"
Instead of answering, the Daoist simply shifted his gaze towards Mo Tiange.
Mo Tiange knew the man in front of her was Master Daoist Xuanyin, so she bowed and saluted him. "Junior, Mo Tiange, greets Senior Xuanyin."
"No need to be too polite." Master Daoist Xuanyin was a very amiable person. He said warmly, "Come here."
Even though this wasn't the first time she saw a Core Formation senior, this was the first time she ever faced one directly. Mo Tiange was a bit nervous but she still calmly stepped forward.
Master Daoist Xuanyin reached out to hold her wrist. A thread of warm yet dense spiritual aura flew into her meridians.
A moment later, faint amazement appeared on Master Daoist Xuanyin's expression. "Your spiritual roots…"
Mo Tiange's heart jumped, wondering if he perhaps didn't intend to admit her into the school because her spiritual roots weren't good.
"Five complete spiritual roots, and all of them are also equal in force… Is this the rumored Spiritual Roots of the Origin?"
Mo Tiange's heart stopped beating for a second and she was completely stunned. This Master Daoist Xuanyin actually knows about the Spiritual Roots of the Origin?
Master Daoist Xuanyin showed a faint smile when he saw her expression. He let go of her hand while asking, "Apparently, you also know your spiritual roots are peculiar. Could you perhaps tell me where you learned about them?"
Although this Master Daoist Xuanyin's attitude was amiable, he was a Core Formation cultivator, after all, so Mo Tiange didn't dare to fool him. She said, "Several thousand years ago, junior's family gave birth to a cultivator. That ancestor cultivated until the Nascent Soul realm, but because her lifespan was about to be exhausted, she still couldn't advance to the next realm. Hence, she left a strand of her primordial spirit in the family before she passed away."
"Because my body possesses spiritual roots, the restriction she left behind was triggered. The ancestor then passed down her cultivation technique and taught me that my spiritual roots are known as Spiritual Roots of the Origin."
"So that was what happened…" Master Daoist Xuanyin said while stroking his beard and nodding his head. He then said, "Since your ancestor lived several thousand years ago, it isn't surprising that she knew about the Spiritual Roots of the Origin."
After examining Master Daoist Xuanyin's expression, Mo Tiange didn't think further and directly asked, "Ever since this junior stepped onto the road to immortality, junior has always wanted to know about the Spiritual Roots of the Origin. Since Senior knows the Spiritual Roots of the Origin, does Senior perhaps know what they are exactly?"
Master Daoist Xuanyin stared at her for a moment before he regretfully shook his head. He said, "The matter about Spiritual Roots of the Origin was something mentioned incidentally by my childhood master years ago. It seems there's something special about them, but in the end, what their specialty is, I never know." Unable to elicit an answer made Mo Tiange feel disappointed.
Master Daoist Xuanyin once again smiled and said, "Let's not talk about this now. Mo Tiange, I told Fengxue to bring you here because I want to talk to you about a few things regarding your admittance to the school."
Hearing him addressing the real business, Mo Tiange recomposed her mood. She said with respect, "Senior may speak."
Master Daoist Xuanyin's expression became serious. He stared at her and solemnly asked, "Mo Tiange, since you're joining my Xuanqing School, Lord Daoist Jinghe of Clear Spring Peak wishes to accept you as his registered disciple. Do you agree?"
"Huh!?" Luo Fengxue, who had been watching on the side, cried out. She stared at Mo Tiange in amazement. She always assumed since Mo Tiange was brought over by Martial Uncle Shoujing, Mo Tiange would be arranged to be accepted by one of the martial uncles as a disciple at the most. She never expected that the one to be Mo Tiange's master would actually be the grandmaster himself!
Mo Tiange was even more dumbfounded than her. She was nothing but a tiny insignificant cultivator. Not to mention having an identity as a Nascent Soul cultivator's registered disciple, even becoming an elite disciple had never once crossed her mind. It was already great that Xuanqing School was willing to consider Master Daoist Shoujing and accept her. She had never really expected that… Could it be that Xuanqing School still harbored some kind of hidden intention towards her!?
"Mo Tiange!"
"Junior's present." Mo Tiange tried to calm her heart but she still couldn't hide her nervousness.
Master Daoist Xuanyin smiled when he saw her expression. He then said with a warmer tone, "Don't think too much, master accepted you as a registered disciple simply out of consideration for Junior Martial Brother Shoujing. Before you form your Gold Core, you'll be taught by me, and your position will also be the same as my disciples. If one day you do manage to form your Gold Core, master will formally accept you as his inner disciple."
This kind of explanation soothed her. This one was understandable; her identity would be the same as Luo Fengxue's. It was just that she was given a chance to live a brighter future. If she one day really did form her Gold Core, being accepted by a Nascent Soul cultivator would be considered very normal.
However, she also knew that right now, being a Nascent Soul cultivator's disciple for such a tiny insignificant Aura Refining cultivator like her was an enormous glory. Hence, she promptly straightened her clothes, kneeled, and solemnly said, "Senior has accepted me as a disciple on master's behalf. Please accept my respect."
Master Daoist Xuanqyin watched her with a faint smile on his face. It was only after she respectfully kowtowed three times that he helped her up and said, "From now on, you will be part of my Clear Spring Peak. You can call me martial uncle… I hope that one day, you'll be able to call me senior martial brother."