Chapter 16 – Disciple Initiation Ceremony

The next morning, Li Guanqi was already up and had made his bed by the hour of the Rabbit.[1]

He did his punching routine tens of times in his backyard, boosting his blood circulation and drenching him in sweat.

He looked up at the brightening sky, then finally set down the sword box on his back. After that, he heated some water for a bath.

He still did not know why his grandfather called this sword box a sword coffin.

Meanwhile, the main pavilion of Heavenly Lightning Peak was bustling with activity. Nearly all the disciples had gathered there.

Li Guanqi was the first new disciple of Heavenly Lightning Peak in three years. And not just any disciple—he possessed the legendary Saint Spirit Root. He was an inhuman prodigy!

In a courtyard behind Heavenly Lightning Peak, a young girl in a flowery coat had just spent all her energy hanging up clothes to dry. She squatted by the door, pulled out a bao from her pocket, and took a bite.

Half the bao disappeared into her mouth in just one bite. The fragrant filling burst forth, coating her lips in grease.

“Grandfather Li, aren’t you attending the disciple initiation ceremony today?”

A drunken voice came from inside the house. “Nope.”

The young girl nodded as if the answer did not surprise her. Then, she continued, “The Saint Spirit Root chose the Lightning Lineage. And he’s blind.”

A soft snoring came in reply. The young girl rose and ran excitedly to the main hall. She raised both her arms, running like a goose with outstretched wings.

***

“Guanqi! Over here!” Gu Ran called out as Li Guanqi strode quickly toward the main hall, the sword box still strapped to his back.

A crowd had already gathered in the hundred-zhang-wide plaza. Every disciple of Heavenly Lightning Peak was present, along with Sect Master Lu Kangnian and several peak elders. They all wanted to see who this prodigy would pick as his master.

Of the three main leaders of the Heavenly Lightning Peak, however, only Xu Zhengjie had shown up.

Heavenly Lightning Peak had one peak master, two peak elders, and thirty-seven disciples.

The peak master, Lei Yingze, had reached the Perfect Golden Core Realm and was currently in closed-door cultivation, seeking a breakthrough into the Nascent Soul Realm.

The first peak elder rarely appeared in public, leaving Second Elder Xu Zhengjie to oversee all affairs of Heavenly Lightning Peak.

When Lu Kangnian saw that Li Guanqi had arrived but Xu Zhengjie was still alone, he frowned. “

Hmmph.

Is Li Nanting not coming, even on a day like this?”

No one aside from Lu Kangnian had the authority or guts to make such a remark. The Heavenly Lightning Peak’s Grand Elder, Li Nanting, had a unique position in the Daxia Sword Sect. Not a single peak elder dared to joke around in front of Li Nanting—after all, he had once been the Daxia Sword Sect’s disciplinarian.

There was a flash, and a white-robed person suddenly appeared next to Lu Kangnian. His posture was as straight as a sword, his face angular, and his gaze sharp as an eagle’s. He was old, but one wouldn’t guess his age by how he carried himself.

Lu Kangnian looked at the man, then chuckled and said, “I thought you weren’t coming.”

The old man also chuckled and replied, “Heavenly Lightning Peak hasn’t been this noisy in three years. I’ve got to come no matter what.”

Lu Kangnian nodded. “Where’s Little Bao?”

“There.”

Li Nanting pointed at the roof of the main pavilion. A little girl in a flowery coat was sprawled on her stomach, munching on a carrot. Only her head peeked out.

Lu Kangnian waved, and the girl flew up into his arms.

Lu Kangnian pressed her delicate cheeks to his scruffy face, making her frown. She stuffed the carrot into his mouth.

He laughed and let her sit on his shoulders.

“Since everyone has arrived, the disciple initiation ceremony of Li Guanqi shall begin! Sound the drums! Light the incense sticks! Prayers to the ancestors!”

Dong! Dong dong!

More than a hundred disciples hit the war drums in a booming rhythm.

A copper cauldron about one zhang in width landed in the pavilion's center.

Then, one by one, over thirty one-zhang-tall stone statues landed. Each was carved so intricately that they looked almost alive. These were all the former sect masters of the Daxia Sword Sect.

Lu Kangnian’s voice echoed across the whole sect.

“The Daxia Sword Sect has stood for 13,298 years and has been led by thirty-eight sect masters. One has passed the Tribulation Realm to ascend to immortality, two were at the Mahayana Stage, three at the Combined Body Realm, five at the Illusory Refinement Realm, and fifteen at the Divine Transformation Realm!

“After today, you will be a disciple of the Daxia Sword Sect for the rest of your life! You shall embark on the journey of cultivation, and as long as you maintain your virtues, the sect will stand behind you!

“These are the sect rules!

“The sword in your hand must never be raised against the weak. The sword in your heart must never falter before the strong!

“Restore fairness where there is none. Kill those who must be killed!

“If one day you meet a strong enemy while upholding our rules, the Daxia Sword Sect will use everything in its power to ensure your safety!

“Li Guanqi, are you willing to join the Daxia Sword Sect? To join the Heavenly Lightning Peak?”

Li Guanqi stood tall, slowly untying the cloth covering his eyes. He met Lu Kangnian’s gaze with his pure white eyes. Then, he raised the incense stick in his hands and said solemnly, “I, Li Guanqi, am willing to join the Daxia Sword Sect! I will join the Heavenly Lightning Peak!”

Dong dong dong dong dong!

The war drums echoed across the whole Heavenly Lightning Peak.

Lu Kangnian said solemnly, “Make the incense offering! The initiation ceremony has officially ended!”

The following rituals were very simple. Lu Kangnian approached Li Guanqi and handed him a small, white jade slip no larger than his palm.

Etched on it was the symbol of the Daxia Sword Sect. His name and an engraving of Heavenly Lightning Peak were on the reverse side.

“This is your identity jade slip. Never lose it! Take your time to study and figure out its uses.”

Lu Kangnian turned to the other old man, who seemed difficult to get along with. “So... Li Nanting, do you want to take him in as a disciple?”

Second Elder Xu Zhengjie glared at Lu Kangnian resentfully. The sect master had not even asked him or Heavenly Lightning Peak’s peak master.

Li Guanqi stood there without a word. He did not mind if the sect master chose a suitable master for him.

“Why must it be me? Old Xu can do it too.”

Lu Kangnian shook his head. “In all these years, the Daxia Sword Sect has only had two disciples with this much potential. Since he chose the Lightning Lineage, you’re the most suited in Heavenly Lightning Peak to be his master.

“Among the eight peak elders, you’re the only one who has mastered swordsmanship, cultivation techniques, Lightning Soul Power, and spellcraft. I wouldn’t entrust him to anyone else.”

Li Nanting fell silent. He had lived in solitude for so long, answering to no one. But... this was a disciple with a Saint Spirit Root.

His chances of attaining the Nascent Soul Realm in this lifetime were incredibly low. He really wanted to pass down the knowledge he had accumulated over his life.

The previous candidate, Wu Bing, had a Metal Lineage Spirit Root, so he was unsuitable to become Li Nanting’s disciple.

He took a step toward Li Guanqi and bent slightly.

“Kid,” he said softly. “I’ll take you as my disciple. Are you willing to... become my disciple?”

The old man’s voice was shaking, and he seemed uncomfortable.

However, Li Guanqi sensed the sincerity and cautiousness in the old man. There was also hope in the old man’s eyes, which startled Li Guanqi.

Then, Li Guanqi lifted the hem of his robes and slowly knelt. “I, Li Guanqi, am willing to take you as my master!”

Li Nanting’s eyes reddened as he teared up. Looking up at the sky, his voice trembled. “Good... Good! Good!”

He helped Li Guanqi to his feet and then looked around.

“From this day onward, I, Li Nanting, take Li Guanqi as my closed-door disciple! All eight peak elders shall take good care of him!”

1. 卯时 - Hour of the Rabbit, from 5 to 7 AM. ☜