Chongguang Continent, Jiayuan Kingdom Dengzhou.
At dusk, the Man Yuan Xiang Restaurant in Shannan Town is packed with guests, noisy and lively, and the sound of joking and shouting can be heard throughout half the long street.
In the backyard of the restaurant, thirteen-year-old Xue Tong unloaded a load of dry firewood.
"Master Chen, two hundred and eighty pounds of pine firewood, just a little more." Xue Tong wiped his sweat and licked his dry lips and said.
Chen Zixiong is about thirty years old, six feet tall and has big ears. Since he first met Xue Tong two years ago, he has noticed this unusual young man. At that time, Xue Tong picked up more than a hundred kilograms of pine branches from thirty miles away and sold them along the street. Chen Zixiong lamented his strength and hardship at a young age, so he bought firewood on the spot and told him that he could pick up a load every ten days and sell it to a restaurant.
Xue Tong has slightly dark skin, a tall and straight figure, a thin face, thick eyebrows and bright eyes, reflecting a keen and persevering gaze.
Chen Zixiong neatly handed over eighty copper coins and said, "If I have something to ask you, come with me."
The two came to Chen Zixiong's hut. There were three large bowls of dishes on the table, plus half a stone pot of rice.
"You're hungry, let's eat first."
Xue Tong swallowed and looked at Chen Zixiong hesitantly.
Chen Zixiong waved his hand and urged: "Eat quickly, it's specially prepared for you."
Xue Tong stopped being polite and devoured everything like a whirlwind. He licked the oil on his hands and smiled shyly at Chen Zixiong.
Xue Tong was often hungry and panicked. His parents died young and he was raised by his second uncle since he was a child. The family had a meager diet and struggled to have enough food and clothing. However, for some reason more than half a year ago, Xue Tong's appetite doubled, and he could barely eat half full every day. He could only have a full meal if he caught game such as rabbits or pheasants while chopping firewood. , replenish oil and water.
"What does Mr. Chen want from me?" Xue Tong asked.
"Well, I want to recommend you to a good place."
"Oh." Xue Tong felt strange that Manager Chen treated him well, but he had never thought about expecting him to arrange his future.
Chen Zixiong looked solemn and said word for word: "This matter is very important to you and me. Please listen to me slowly."
"Within Dengzhou, Luoxiao Mountain stretches for thousands of miles, with high mountains and low valleys, deep forests and lush trees. Most of the places are deserted. From the mountains to the southeast, the terrain becomes gentle, and only then there are villages, towns and farmers."
"Seven hundred miles to the northwest of the town, deep in the mountains, there is a Taoist sect called Yunxiao Sect. I am an outer disciple of the sect. I became the head of Man Yuanxiang three years ago. I am actually the sect's eyes and ears in the south of the mountain."
"Cultivation of immortals is also called martial arts cultivation, which is the so-called practice of magical skills to achieve Tao and become immortals. Yunxiao Sect has been passed down for more than six thousand years and has two thousand disciples. It is divided into four categories: true disciple, inner sect, outer sect and miscellaneous servants."
"You have strong muscles and strong bones, and are full of energy. You seem to have the talent for martial arts. I would like to recommend you to be a servant of the sect. If you really pass the exam within two years, I can also gain 50 points of sect contribution and be promoted to a sect servant." Disciple."
"The opportunity to enter Xuanmen is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Many people dream of it. If you go to Yunxiao Sect, you will have no worries about food and clothing. Secondly, you will have a bright future. Thirdly, your second uncle can get a large sum of money."
"I wonder if you understand?"
Chen Zixiong stared at Xue Tong with lightning eyes.
"What does a handyman disciple do?" Xue Tong asked in confusion.
"While working, practicing martial arts, the sect built bridges and roads, built houses, and even grew vegetables and cooked rice, all were completed by handyman disciples. All kinds of chores are not easy to do, so they require certain talents, and ordinary people cannot do them. "
"Okay, I'll go!" Xue Tong's eyes flashed without hesitation.
Xue Tong's parents were killed in a terrible mudslide many years ago. Xue Tong's mother struggled to throw his infant son onto the roof at the last moment when the mudslide hit him, saving his life.
After that, his second uncle worked hard to raise him, and Xue Tong became sensible early on, chopping firewood and cultivating the land, and doing his best to shoulder the household and farm work. However, he understood in his heart that his future was bleak, and it would be difficult for him to achieve anything great in his life if he continued like this.
Now that there is finally a way out, how can Xue Tong miss it?!
…
Ten days later, Luoxiao Mountain Jinglan Valley.
A carriage drove up from the mouth of the valley. The horse pulling the carriage was tall and strong, and its body was dark red. The rapid and messy sound of hooves broke the tranquility of the valley in the early morning.
The driver in black pulled the reins, and the fire dragon horse neighed and stopped. Xue Tong jumped out of the carriage. A man on the roadside came up to him and said, "Xue Tong? I am Chen Zixiong's junior brother Shen Chuanpeng."
"Yes, hello, Brother Shen!"
Shen Chuanpeng arrived as promised, and Xue Tong's anxious heart was finally relieved.
"Senior Brother's recommendation letter has been submitted to the Deacon Hall. I will take you to go through the formalities."
Shen Chuanpeng pointed forward as he spoke, "That is the Red Gold Peak, the main mountain of the Yunxiao Sect. It is so majestic and steep that the handyman disciples are not allowed to go up the mountain unless summoned."
In the distance, a majestic mountain peak stands on the top of the clouds. The top of the mountain is golden, red and red. It is majestic and magnificent, and it is a grand sight.
"What a magnificent mountain, but I didn't expect that the status of the handyman was so low. He couldn't even climb the main mountain."
"Oh, yes, Xuanmen is very hierarchical, so take your time."
Xue Chen and the two walked for a few miles, and a hanging mountain-style building with cornices and brackets came into view. It was the Jinglan Branch of the Deacon Hall that they wanted to go to.
Jinglan Valley is far away from the main mountain, with gentle slopes and wide valleys. Stone houses and wooden houses are dotted on both sides of the valley. It is the place where half of the Yunxiao Sect's servants live in groups. The Deacon Hall specially set up a branch hall in Jinglan Valley to take charge of nearly five hundred servants of the sect.
There is a long stone table in the branch hall. The outer hall is empty. In the inner hall, two young people are leisurely sipping tea.
"Deacon Cui, I made an appointment to go through the formalities today." Shen Chuanpeng walked towards the person on the left and greeted him respectfully.
"Oh~" Cui Yuanping put down the cup reluctantly and looked Xue Tong up and down.
"Is it him? He looks bad. Is he reliable?"
"Reliable, reliable, Chen Zixiong's vision should be reliable."
"Linqiu Quarry is in urgent need of manpower. Since Chen Zixiong said he is strong, it's a good place to go." Cui Yuanping said lazily.
Shen Chuanpeng's face suddenly tightened, and then he smiled unnaturally: "I agreed with Deacon Cui that day... I think we were going to the orchard."
"They registered the wrong vacancy that day. Now only Linqiu is looking for people. Are you going?" Cui Yuanping looked impatient.
Shen Chuanpeng was speechless for a moment. The Linqiu Quarry was simply a bad place. It was extremely remote and the surrounding environment was dangerous. It was also the place where the handyman disciples suffered the most casualties.
"Xue Tong is still young, but Deacon Cui showed his kindness and arranged for a better place to go?" Shen Chuanpeng said almost in a pleading tone.
"The Yunxiao Sect is not a place to do good deeds. You know what you brought him here for when he was young. If you don't want to go, just go home. According to the sect's rules, Chen Zixiong's contribution value will not be deducted."
Shen Chuanpeng's face turned red and he was trembling slightly. Xue Tong hurriedly pulled his sleeves and nodded to express his willingness to go.
"Okay" Shen Chuanpeng was helpless.
"Well, children are still sensible."
After Cui Yuanping finished speaking, he took out the animal skin volume and turned to the line where Xue Tong's name was recorded. "Come, register here with this drop of blood. Keep the newlyweds' packages. The book of precepts must be read carefully. Don't violate the sect's laws." Law."
After registering and collecting the belongings, Shen Chuanpeng and Xue Tong left angrily. As soon as they left, Cui Yuanping winked at the other deacon and laughed proudly.
Huang Qing patted Cui Yuanping on the shoulder and whispered: "Brother Cui did a good job. It's unlucky for this person named Xue. Chen Zixiong offended Senior Brother Lu, and none of the people introduced will survive!"
On the way back, Xue Tong saw that Shen Chuanpeng was unhappy and took the initiative to strike up a conversation: "Brother Shen, what happened to Deacon Cui just now?"
"Cui Yuanping is too stupid. Last time we agreed to go to the orchard, but today he suddenly changed his mind. I don't know the details of the dirty things behind it. I hope it was just a good job that was robbed and there is no other conspiracy."
"Zong Li forms gangs, creates conflicts and frame-ups, and uses endless tricks. You will soon find out." Shen Chuanpeng said angrily.
Xue Tong seemed to understand, but vaguely felt that he needed to be more careful when dealing with others in the future.
"From what Brother Shen said, it seems that Linqiu is not a place for people to stay."
"Alas, Scale Hill is remote and far away. Except for the front of the stone field, it is surrounded by dense forests that can't be seen. It is filled with gloom and miasma. You must not wander around after you go there."
Shen Chuanpeng led the carriage parked on the roadside, "I'll take you there."
Xue Tong had nothing to do in the car, so he curiously opened the newcomer's bag and took inventory.
"Three pieces of coarse gray clothes, two pairs of boots, sect jade tablets, maps, "General Introduction to Xuanmen", "Book of Commandments", "Spirit Gathering Technique", "Hundred Lie Fist", "Shen Yang Technique", "Five Elements Basics" "Spell", hey, there are still five stones."
A gray-black stone the size of a broad bean.
Shen Chuanpeng glanced at it and said, "That's called a spirit stone. You can find out by reading the general description."
"Brother Shen, these are all the sect's exercises, right? There are so many of them."
"Here's everything you can get before promotion. If you can't refine the Spirit Gathering Technique within two years, you will be expelled from the sect."
Xue Tong didn't understand, but when he saw Shen Chuanpeng's face was gloomy and he was obviously in a bad mood, he refrained from asking any more questions.
…
It was already afternoon when Xue Tong sent Shen Chuanpeng away. Before leaving, Shen Chuanpeng left his address and gave Xue Tong a small bag containing one hundred spiritual stones. He told him that this was a gift from Chen Zixiong, so he must keep it and save some flowers.
There are more than thirty handymen in the quarry, scattered in Xiaoyi Mountain near the quarry. Xue Tong's stone house is a single-family house, which makes him very satisfied. The conditions of the residence are better than expected. It seems that there are many people in Xuanmen. Young people, building some stone houses and courtyards is a piece of cake.
"Brother Shen said that the Spirit Gathering Technique must be perfected within two years. It seems that the road to martial arts will begin with this Spirit Gathering Technique."
Xue Tong took a long breath and opened the home page of Ling Jue.
"The movement of Qi through the meridians turns to the sky; the gathering of Qi in Dantian condenses into the sea."
After the general outline, the first chapter "Breathing and Breathing Techniques" talks about the method of harmonizing breathing and calming the mind, which is the basis of the Soul Gathering Technique.
Xue Tong read two pages and then picked up "General Introduction to Xuanmen". There were so many things he needed to know. Fortunately, Hong Tianyou, the manager of the quarry, gave him three days as usual, which was enough for him to understand the general outline of Xuanmen. .
