Cultivating Immortality, Starting from Childhood Sweethearts

Chapter 212

“Cock-a-doodle-doo~~~ Cock-a-doodle-doo!”

Dong… Dong… Dong…

At dawn, the sound of a rooster’s crow echoed, followed by a series of bell chimes reverberating throughout the Tianxuan Sect.

Inside the room, Xu Ming slowly opened his eyes. His first sensation was the weight pressing heavily on his shoulder.

Lowering his head, Xu Ming saw that Shen Shengsheng was sprawled on his shoulder, sound asleep.

Since Xu Ming was traveling with just this little girl, they were assigned a single-occupant courtyard, per the Tianxuan Sect’s rules.

However, the sect had thoughtfully considered their situation. In the small room, the bed was a bunk bed—Shen Shengsheng slept on the top bunk, and Xu Ming took the bottom.

This arrangement worked quite well, actually.

Being in someone else’s territory, Xu Ming couldn’t fully trust the courtyard’s protective formations. What if something happened while he was asleep? After all, Shengsheng was his only weakness now.

With Shen Shengsheng by his side, he could keep a close watch on her.

The only issue was that Shengsheng wasn’t the most obedient sleeper. Somehow, in the middle of the night, she had ended up climbing into Xu Ming’s bed.

Gently moving her arm off his neck, Xu Ming got up and stepped out of the room.

The abundant spiritual energy of the Tianxuan Sect filled the morning air, instantly clearing his mind.

Truthfully, since leaving Wudu City, this was the place with the densest spiritual energy Xu Ming had encountered—there was no comparison.

And yet, the Guest Peak wasn’t even the area with the highest spiritual energy concentration in the sect.

It was rumored that the Tianxuan Sect’s core disciples and direct disciples had their own exclusive cultivation grounds, where the density of spiritual energy was something Xu Ming couldn’t even imagine.

After washing up, Xu Ming sat cross-legged in the courtyard, absorbing the pure morning spiritual energy from heaven and earth.

But no matter how much he focused, his mind kept returning to the old man he saw yesterday.

“Who was that old man? Why was he imprisoned inside that mountain? And do the disciples of the Tianxuan Sect know about this?”

These three questions lingered in Xu Ming’s mind, refusing to go away.

“Awooo…”

As Xu Ming was lost in thought, Shen Shengsheng emerged from the room.

“Awake?” Xu Ming smiled, walking over to pat her small head.

“Mm!” Shen Shengsheng nodded obediently.

“Go wash your face and brush your teeth.”

Xu Ming fetched her a basin of water. Shen Shengsheng took out a cup and the toothbrush Xu Ming had crafted for her from her storage pouch. Dipping it in fine salt, she squatted down and earnestly began brushing her teeth.

Afterward, she ran over to Xu Ming, grinning wide to show off her clean, white teeth.

“Very good, all clean,” Xu Ming nodded approvingly. “Now go wash your face.”

“Okay!”

With that, Shen Shengsheng ran back over to the basin to wash up.

“Young Master Xu, I’ve brought you breakfast,” a voice called out.

A female outer disciple entered the courtyard carrying a tray.

This was Cui Caihua, an outer disciple who had been with the Tianxuan Sect for five or six years.

“Thank you, Miss Cui,” Xu Ming expressed his gratitude.

“You’re too kind, Young Master,” Cui Caihua replied with a smile. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”

“Wait a moment, Miss Cui,” Xu Ming interjected, raising a hand. “Actually, there is something I’d like to ask you.”

Cui Caihua bowed slightly. “Please, Young Master, feel free to ask. I will answer everything I know.”

“It’s like this…” Xu Ming paused briefly, organizing his words. “Yesterday, I had some free time, so I wandered around and came across a mountain. It caught my curiosity.”

Cui Caihua tilted her head slightly. “Which mountain is the one Young Master is referring to?”

Xu Ming kept his tone casual. “The mountain is about three hundred zhang high—quite tall—and its shape is peculiar. It looks like a long rectangular seal pressed into the earth. On top of the mountain, there are three large boulders, though the boulders themselves don’t seem particularly special.”

Hearing this, Cui Caihua immediately understood. “Ah, Young Master must be talking about Sanshi (Three-Stone) Peak.”

“Sanshi Peak?” Xu Ming echoed, intrigued. “Does this mountain have any special significance?”

Cui Caihua shook her head. “I don’t know much about it myself. That mountain is one of the sect’s forbidden grounds. Not just us outer disciples, even the inner disciples aren’t allowed to enter. Since ancient times, only the sect master has been permitted to set foot there.

“As for what lies within, the common rumor in the sect is that it contains rare heavenly treasures. Other than that, there’s not much known about Sanshi Peak.

“Actually, the sect has quite a few forbidden grounds like this. Young Master will get used to it. But I must remind you, Sanshi Peak is heavily fortified with powerful defensive formations. If anyone tries to enter without authorization, the odds of survival are slim to none. Please, Young Master, do avoid getting too close.”

Xu Ming cupped his hands and bowed. “Thank you for the reminder, Miss Cui. I understand.”

“Young Master is too polite.” Cui Caihua bowed again and turned to leave.

However, as Xu Ming stood in the courtyard, reflecting on what she had said, his curiosity only deepened.

He thought to himself, If I really want to know more about this, I might have to ask Elder Wang Xuan. With her seniority, she surely knows more than most.

But then another concern arose in Xu Ming’s mind: Even if I ask, will Elder Wang Xuan tell me? And what if I inadvertently discover something I shouldn’t? Would she silence me to protect the secret?

“Brother Xu!”

“Brother Xu, long time no see!”

As Xu Ming wrestled with these thoughts, two cheerful voices called out from outside the courtyard.

Looking up, Xu Ming saw two familiar faces—Yu Wenxi and Miao Feng—walking toward him with broad smiles.

“Brother Yu, Brother Miao,” Xu Ming greeted, clearly delighted to see them again.

The two men entered the courtyard, returning Xu Ming’s bow with their own.

Miao Feng grinned. “We thought we had arrived early enough, but it turns out, Brother Xu got here even earlier than us!”

Yu Wenxi’s expression was one of excitement. “When we were still resting in Xuanyue City, we saw the Qingyun Ranking being updated. We couldn’t believe it when we saw Brother Xu ranked second! It’s truly an honor to know you.”

Xu Ming shook his head modestly. “To be honest, I actually lost that match. It’s just that Senior Brother Chen felt it was an unworthy victory and conceded instead.”

Miao Feng chuckled. “No, no, you’re being too humble. A win is a win, and a loss is a loss. Regardless of how it happened, Senior Brother Chen conceded, and you should accept that victory with pride.”

Xu Ming merely smiled and said no more.

Yu Wenxi clapped his hands. “By the way, since it seems like Brother Xu has some free time, how about joining us at the Dao Debate Conference?”

“Dao Debate Conference?” Xu Ming asked, intrigued.

Miao Feng explained, “It’s basically a martial arts competition. Since the Zixia Grand Ceremony hasn’t officially started yet, but many guests have already arrived, the Tianxuan Sect organized this conference as a way for everyone to spar and exchange insights. The more victories you accumulate, the better the rewards.

“I’ve also heard that even the envoys from the Wanjian Sect are participating.”