Wei Yuan turned around and saw a brawny cultivator standing not far away from him. He was nine chi tall; two heads taller than your average person. He had a thick, short beard and a stately countenance.

The man was leading a boy and walking down the immortal boat. When their eyes met, Wei Yuan immediately jolted as if he was struck by thunder. The intangible substance within his body was stirring restlessly as well.

Surprise flickered in the cultivator’s eyes before the unusual glint winked out. He then said, “Your question is one that hasn’t been solved for ages, and only a handful of people are capable of answering it. However, they are unwilling to answer it for various reasons. Assuming that you haven’t come up with this question on a whim, then keep it in mind and find your own answer on your cultivation journey!

“Anyway, this is my grandson, Xiao Yu. If you don’t mind, I hope you’ll support each other in your path to immortality. Who knows, it might allow you to go further along your journey.”

The cultivator grabbed the boy by the scruff and placed him right in front of Wei Yuan. They instinctively turned their heads and avoided each other’s gazes.

The boy possessed an extraordinary countenance. He was none other than the one who had landed several hundred useless strikes on his body before being cleaved in half in the end. Wei Yuan couldn’t help but feel a little nervous coming face to face with the victim he had killed in a very embarrassing fashion.

The brawny cultivator smacked Xiao Yu on the back of his head and chided him, “What are you waiting for? Address your Senior Brother already!”

The boy stubbornly glared at the ground beside him while replying, “He might not be older than me!”

The cultivator gave him another smack. “So what? You can’t beat him, can you? Of course you should address him as Senior Brother!”

The boy asked, “And if I beat him in the future?”

Surprised, the cultivator responded, “If you beat him, then you may do as you wish, of course.”

It was only then the boy finally turned back and stared straight at Wei Yuan’s chest. He refused to meet the latter’s gaze as he said stiffly, “Xiao Yu greets you, Senior Brother.”

Wei Yuan hurriedly returned the greeting, “I am Wei Yuan, and please, there is no need to address me as Senior Brother, Xiao Yu.”

The brawny cultivator grew impatient. “Enough with the pretentious nonsense. Just make sure that you don’t forget the question you asked today... and definitely don’t emulate your shifu and your grandmasters.”

This remark displeased Zhang Sheng. “If my Master and I have done anything improper, then I humbly request your guidance, senior!”

The brawny cultivator let out a hearty laugh. “As if you need me to remind you of Skyblue Hall’s reputation! Every single one of you are arrogant and conceited, believing yourselves above the fray and power struggles. In reality, all you care about is your self-interest. In any case, you’ve been out of touch for six years, and I can’t be bothered to explain everything to you.”

He then grabbed Xiao Yu and took a step toward the distant hall. The next moment, he was gone.

It was at this moment another girl walked up to the master and disciple. She bowed to Zhang Sheng first and greeted him, “Greetings, Teacher Zhang!”

The girl possessed an exquisite countenance and a melodious voice. She was clearly respectful toward her elders as well. Zhang Sheng was very pleased with the impression she gave him and responded cordially, “The Bao Clan has continuously produced outstanding talents generation after generation, and this generation seems poised to surpass their predecessors.”

The girl bowed again and responded, “Your praise assures me, Teacher. It looks like my decision to join the Palace of Absolute Beginning is correct after all.”

It was at this moment Zhang Sheng noticed a stirring dot of golden light at the center of the girl’s forehead and recalled something. He exclaimed in astonishment, “I recalled that someone from the Bao Clan obtained the right to inherit an Avatar from the Exquisite Blossom Pure Land this generation. It couldn’t be you, could it?”

The girl replied, “The Avatar of the Pure Land may be powerful, but it is ultimately just an external object. Since I joined the Palace of Absolute Beginning, I won’t be lacking in wise teachers or hard work. I will cultivate an Avatar that is on par with the one from the Pure Land in a century.

“The path to immortality is long, and the Avatar stage is but a stop along the way. It isn’t worth dwelling upon.”

The Buddhists’ Avatars had been passed down through countless reincarnation or inheritance, and everyone acknowledged that their potency was the greatest under heaven. That the girl had it in her to abandon it so readily and say such spirited words was such a remarkable display of fortitude that even Zhang Sheng was impressed.

The girl then looked at Wei Yuan and said, “Since we’re fellow disciples in the same term, I’m sure I’ll need Senior Brother Wei’s guidance from time to time.”

“But of course!” He grabbed his disciple by the scruff and put him right in front of the girl. “Greet your Senior Sister Bao Yun, Wei Yuan!”

Wei Yuan turned his head away to avoid Bao Yun’s gaze, but Zhang Sheng smacked him on the back of his head, chiding, “What are you looking at?”

Thus, he had no choice but to turn back and bow to the girl. “Wei Yuan greets you, Junior Sister.”

His greeting only earned him a third smack to the head. “How rude! She’s your Senior Sister!”

He hurriedly corrected himself, “W-Wei Yuan greets you, Senior Sister.”

Bao Yun didn’t say anything at first. She just kept staring at him with those bright, clear eyes of hers until he was practically squirming inside his own skin. Finally, she giggled behind her hand and replied, “I look forward to your guidance, Junior Brother.”

It was at this moment the expressionless old man standing behind Bao Yun spoke up. “It’s almost time. We should head inside.”

Zhang Sheng checked the time and agreed. Thus, the master and disciple stepped into the grand hall.

Dozens of Daoists and cultivators bearing ceremonial duties could be seen bustling about inside the grand hall. Wei Yuan had just crossed over the threshold when suddenly, he sensed something behind him and looked back. Another immortal boat had landed on the plaza, and a bunch of people disembarked one after another. It would seem that another group of new disciples had arrived.

One of the Daoists strode up to the master and disciple and greeted Zhang Sheng with a smile. “Long time no see, Junior Brother Zhang! I heard that you took in an excellent disciple, and that he is no less impressive than you were! Congratulations!”

After the scholar returned the greeting smilingly, the Daoist examined Wei Yuan closely while commenting, “So this is Wei Yuan. I heard that he made the True Lord very proud! I’m sure you’re familiar with the admission process, so I shan’t bore you with the details, Junior Brother Zhang. All of the new disciples will arrive in three days, and the Founder Commemoration Ceremony will take place after that. This time though, there is a new procedure after that. Specifically, the disciple must now choose their method of instruction. What do you think is best for your disciple, self-directed learning or centralized learning?”

Zhang Sheng was puzzled by this. “What do you mean by ‘centralized learning’?”

The Daoist explained, “In the past, the new disciples were taught individually by each hall upon entering the Palace. But this year, at the suggestion of True Lord Yan Shi, common subjects such as generic cultivation knowledge, human history, the basics of Dao Foundation and more have been consolidated. They will be taught uniformly by selected individuals who are believed to possess both virtue and ability. But of course, the halls’ unique arts would be passed down by the respective halls. This is what we call centralized learning.

“As this is the inaugural year of this new arrangement, new disciples may choose whether they wish to participate in the centralized learning or not.”

“The Reform Party is moving this quickly?” Zhang Sheng frowned a little.

The Daoist didn’t answer the question. Instead, he said, “You can make your decision after the commemoration ceremony. For now, allow me to register your disciple and take the both of you to your residence.”

The Daoist flashed Wei Yuan with his jade booklet he was holding. His appearance, place of ancestry, master and all other information automatically appeared on a page. He then led the master and disciple out of the grand hall and swung his sleeve, enveloping them in a small cloud.

The scenery before his eyes was flickering and changing rapidly. In fact, the speed was comparable to the flight of an arrow and way, way faster than a running horse.

About fifteen minutes later, the Daoist finally put away his spell. Wei Yuan found himself staring at a tranquil valley. It had several small streams and small clusters of houses scattered here and there.

Right now, they were standing before three adjoined houses. They were surrounded by strange-looking trees that were over ten zhang tall and heavy with fruits.

The Daoist led them toward the leftmost house while saying, “This is your residence. You will be staying here until your Dao Foundation is established. All the supplies issued to new disciples are already inside. Please do not hesitate to help yourself. As for the rules you should abide by, I’m sure your shifu can explain them himself, if he hasn’t already. Also, you can find the entrance gate map on your desk. All the zones you can enter are marked on the map.

“Now then, shall I briefly explain the matters regarding the centralized learning, Brother Zhang?”