Wei Yuan had no concept of the value of immortal silver, but he could tell that the tuition was exorbitant.Since the Daoist was willing to teach for free, Wei Yuan immediately bowed respectfully and stood quietly in wait.

“There’s no need to be so formal. Please, take a seat.” The Daoist spoke kindly. He was growing fond of the child who appeared to be quite knowledgeable and courteous despite his humble origins. It wasn’t long before he hid a sigh though. After all, it would only take a few years at most before he was led astray by the Skyblue Hall.

The Daoist sat up straight and began his lecture. “Three thousand and seven hundred years ago, the Founder was just a humble, ordinary man. It wasn’t until he accidentally obtained a cultivation method that he began his immortal journey. After he cultivated his Dao Foundation, he founded the Palace of Absolute Beginning. However, the Palace was just a realm stone and two thatched huts back then. He had to cut down every demon or monster who stood in his way and clear out the northern wilderness little by little. Eventually, he was able to carve out a land of verdant hills and limpid water amidst the desolate wasteland, saving countless lives and rendering great service to heaven and earth as a result. After that, his cultivation advanced at a godlike pace until he attained the Ultimate Unity and ascended to the pinnacle three hundred years later.”

“The Founder took in twelve disciples in succession after attaining mastery of his Dao. In particular, three of them—Chosen Ones who were born in the right time and place—embarked upon the path to immortality at an early age. After achieving supreme mastery of their Dao, they gathered the juniors of the Palace, rallied their fellow cultivators, and boldly marched north to wage a bloody war against the foreign races. This would go on for years until they finally seized a vast amount of territories from our enemies. This marked the origin of Yun Province. This great war, later known as the ‘Three Immortals’ Conquest of Yun Province’, was the foremost event of humanity at the time.”

“However, the foreign races are vicious, and war is a terrible thing. Less than three years after the great war ended, two of the Three Immortals passed away one after another. The last remaining immortal, Immortal Lord Luo Fu, too spent most of his years in secluded cultivation and rarely showed his face, acting the role of the ultimate trump card. Even so, he still passed away a century later. After his passing, his body became the Ash Gray Summit of Unfathomable Heights. It remains one of the sanctuaries of the Palace of Absolute Beginning to this day.

“Despite the passing of the Three Immortals, the Palace grew increasingly prosperous. The later generations established a monastery for each immortal lineage. As for those who successfully attained the Ultimate Unity despite not belonging to the lineage of the Three Immortals, they were divided into halls instead. That was how the Three Monasteries and Seven Halls came to be.

“This is only at the beginning, however. Later still, gifted disciples boasting outstanding talents and fortunes that outstrip their predecessors continually emerged in the Palace of Absolute Beginning. Thanks to them pioneering new paths to immortality from nothing, we are able to add another five halls to our Palace. Today, the Three Monasteries and Seven Halls have become the Three Monasteries and Twelve Halls instead.

“On a related note, the head of your Skyblue Hall is True Lord Xuan Yue, and he is an unparalleled master whose Daoist arts have reached godlike heights. He is also serving as the head of the Water Moon Hall—a distinction that is unique among all Hallmasters.”

Having said all this, the Daoist took a small break and enjoyed a sip of tea.

While he was resting, Wei Yuan asked him a question, “According to the books, the main reason one cultivates immortality is in search for eternal life and tranquility. Yet why did the Three Immortals, despite having attained supreme mastery of their Dao, chose to engage in such fierce combat that they perished one after another?”

The Daoist said seriously, “There exists no distinction between an immortal and a mortal. Is there a single immortal in the world whose root isn’t mortal? The human race has always been weak, and foreign races surround us from all sides. Not only do they invade our territories to kill and plunder each year, some even feast on humans and use us as sacrifices! Why do immortals cultivate great mystic powers and abilities? Is it truly just to live eternally in leisure? I won’t deny that people like that exist—in fact, there are quite a lot of them—but they will never be a forebear of the Palace of Absolute Beginning! First the Founder, then the Three Immortals, and finally our generation. The only reason a cultivator of the Palace of Absolute Beginning cultivates mystic powers and abilities is to expand our territory, transform the world, and secure more fertile land for the human race!”

Suddenly, he asked Wei Yuan a question, “I did not tell you the latter half of the Founder’s story. Can you guess where he is right now?”

He had no idea, of course.

The Daoist pointed at the ground beneath them and declared, “He is right here! The very land you are standing on; the entrance gate of the Green Cliffs That Hang Over An Empty Valley, is transformed from the Founder’s body after his passing.”

Wei Yuan was shocked. The entrance gate had stretched for hundreds of li in every direction as far as his eyes could see, and he had no idea where its boundaries lay. Could all this truly be a manifestation of the Founder’s body?

The Daoist said slowly, “The Founder was three hundred and thirty years old when he reached the pinnacle of his cultivation. At the time, the world we’re currently in still belonged to the Shamans. It used to be covered in liquid fire and earthen pits. The ground was crawling with bizarre trees and poisonous grass, and the air was filled with deadly miasma. An ordinary person will die here in half a day at most. The Shamans used humans as sacrifices, and their strength was beyond the reach of the human race at the time. Every time they needed to perform a great ritual, they would capture and sacrifice hundreds of thousands to heaven and earth.

“After attaining supreme mastery of his Dao, the Founder journeyed to the west[1] alone and fought their three Heavenly Shamans for several months straight. Despite being outnumbered three to one, he slew their strongest Heavenly Shaman and gravely injured the other two. It was a war that pushed back the Shamans for eight thousand li and scared them away from our borders for three decades.

“After the Founder returned, he passed away next to the realm stone he planted with his own two hands. He was only three hundred and thirty one at the time. Not only did his body transform everything within nine hundred and ten li from a desolate wasteland into a treasured land, the treasured land itself transformed everything within seven thousand li into hospitable land across a long period of time. This is how the initial four commanderies of Ning Province came to be.

“Speaking of which, the Founder’s statue you’ll be paying homage to three days after you joined the sect is built on that very first realm stone.”

Wei Yuan was so absorbed in the story that he nearly forgot to breathe. He never knew that the forebears of the Palace of Absolute Beginning were such resolute, upright characters. Their stories were completely different from the kind he was imagining.

It was at this moment a figure flickered into the building. Zhang Sheng put a small pouch on the table and said, “Here’s the tuition fee you asked for.”

The Daoist complained after putting it away, “What took you so long? I just finished telling him about the origin of the Founder, the Palace of Absolute Beginning, and the achievements of the Three Immortals. I was going to finish my tea if you came back even a minute later.”

Zhang Sheng smiled. “Exactly. Considering how expensive the tuition fee is, I would be remiss if I did not make the most out of your free lecture.”

The Daoist didn’t linger. He left as soon as he had accepted the tuition fee. It was only then Wei Yuan was free to check out his new place.

The house wasn’t big. It had a main room that functioned both as a bedroom and a study, a side room that functioned as a cultivation room, and another side room that was completely empty. He could convert it into any room he wanted depending on his future needs.

In the corner stood a modest kitchen that was equipped with all the necessary utensils. The Palace actually had a central kitchen where new disciples could dine at, so this kitchen was really meant for preparing special spirit foods and medicinal dishes.

As per the Daoist mentioned earlier, his new disciple supplies were resting on the study table in the main room. They were three sets of clothes—putting them on would automatically clear one’s mind, improve one’s vision, and prevent them from getting dirty—a copy of the Sect Rules of the Palace of Absolute Beginning, a copy of the Sect Admission Guidelines, an identity jade token, a bottle of Qi-drinking Pills, and three immortal silver.

This was the first time Wei Yuan saw immortal silver, so he picked one up and examined it curiously. The immortal silver was milky white in color and warm to touch. Each piece was as long as a little finger and as thin as an incense stick. It was very different from the mundane silver he had seen and much, much heavier.

The three immortal silver were worth thirty taels in value. They represented the first three months of allowance he received as a new disciple.

An immortal silver was a blend of silver, gold, mica[2], star sand[3], and other substances nurtured with Dao energy for six months. It was a most versatile material that was commonly used to forge mystic artifacts and arrays. According to the customary practices of the Palace of Absolute Beginning, a tael of immortal silver[4] could be exchanged for a hundred taels of mundane silver. Though, mundane currencies were practically useless in the sect.

From hereon out, Wei Yuan’s daily expenses within the Palace of Absolute Beginning would be paid with this type of immortal silver. However, the monthly allowance for new disciples was woefully inadequate compared to the tuition fees. Even if he abstained from eating and drinking entirely, it was barely enough to cover for a single lesson. This was why his seniors or the hall he belonged to were expected to cover for his expenses.

This whole valley was where the new disciples would be staying. Zhang Sheng wouldn’t be residing here as he had his own separate abode. After instructing Wei Yuan on several points of note, he told the boy to review the sect’s rules and admission guidelines on his own. He also informed him that he would officially impart his teachings after dinner.

Having been away from the sect for seven years, Zhang Sheng himself had a pile of matters to attend to.

After his master departed, Wei Yuan retrieved the two booklets and immersed himself in careful study. Having devoted himself to relentless reading over the past three years, he had honed the ability to focus intensely long ago. He sat engrossed for the entire afternoon and finished both books by the time dusk approached. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

1. YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH ☜

2. Micas are a group of silicate minerals whose outstanding physical characteristic is that individual mica crystals can easily be split into fragile elastic plates. ☜

3. Star sand, also known as living sand, is a rare sand-like substance made up of the star-shaped skeletal remains of marine foraminifera in the family Calcirinidae. ☜

4. In case you’re wondering, Wei Yuan did not receive three taels of immortal silver. He received three very narrow sticks of immortal silver. ☜