Shu Ziming nodded. "That's true. That's exactly how it was for me back then."
"It's like that for the general parts, but even more so for the core," Shen Banxi said, sounding a bit pained. "The disciples responsible for the core components must possess a wind spirit root. Furthermore, they must master the other three of the four arts of cultivation—arrays, artifacts, and talismans—to a certain proficiency. Just training them to the point where they can actually help takes until they're nearly at the Golden Core stage."
Shen Banxi sighed. "You know my master is the Great Elder of Spirit-Attuning Peak, Daoist Lord Yi An. But have you noticed that in my generation at Spirit-Attuning Peak, I'm the only one with a wind spirit root? Before I joined the inner sect, the core tasks were all handled by my master's generation. Once I joined and was able to work, they were thrilled. Now, most of those tasks fall on me alone!"
Shu Ziming gave Shen Banxi a look of pity. He had known this senior brother was proficient in arrays, talismans, and artifacts and was incredibly wealthy, but he hadn't realized the burden he carried behind the scenes.
He patted Shen Banxi on the shoulder. "Senior Brother Shen, the edge of a blade is sharpened through honing, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from the bitter cold. Only by enduring the most bitter hardships can one become the best of men!"
Shen Banxi accepted the sympathy readily, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes. "This time, the Peak Master is finally taking a disciple. He's recruiting a Peak Master successor, so the entire peak will naturally pour all its resources into her training. Once the successor is ready, most of this work will be hers. Ahem... as they say, when Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a person, it must first test their resolve, exhaust their body, and starve their skin. Necessary tempering is very important."
This time, Shu Ziming's pity shifted to Gu Ningyun, who was currently oblivious to her fate.
He didn't bother asking why the successor had to have a top-grade wind spirit root. It was common knowledge that all things possessed spirit. Just as high-level cultivation techniques only revealed themselves to brilliant individuals they were compatible with, certain laws of the cultivation world only granted their recognition to those with top-grade spirit roots.
Unfortunately for Shen Banxi, his little schemes were his and his alone. If a little fox like Gu Ningyun ever found out, she would surely say, "Hmph, just you wait."
Shen Banxi, having never spent much time with Gu Ningyun, naturally had no idea. He only knew one thing. "So this time, I must protect my little junior sister well. I need her to feel the sincerity of our Spirit-Attuning Peak and see our strength so that when she advances to the inner sect, she'll choose us. I have to guard against demons, evil, and especially our fellow disciples. We can't let another peak snatch her away."
A few batches ago, a disciple with a mid-grade wind spirit root had appeared, only to be lured away by Punishment Peak. Every time the subject came up, his master and the other elders would sigh and grumble, constantly lecturing him.
"The sect doesn't allow us old fogies to interfere with the training of new disciples. You must cherish this escort mission for Ruiyu Pavilion."
They didn't even need to remind him. Shen Banxi had been lamenting the situation for ages. "They're workforce, a precious workforce!"
His master had slapped him on the back of the head. "What workforce? That is the fresh blood of our Spirit-Attuning Peak, the future of our peak! When we are gone, Spirit-Attuning Peak will be in your hands."
What could Shen Banxi do? He could only clutch his head and agree repeatedly.
As he drifted into his memories, Shu Ziming pulled out another recording stone.
It turned out the five little ones had begun using movement techniques to travel through Conghe City. As their speed increased, the wind they generated grew stronger. Following Gu Ningyun's lead, the hoods of all five disciples were blown back by the wind.
Shen Banxi stared in disbelief. How could this guy be so wicked?
Knowing his senior brother well, Shu Ziming spoke quickly before Shen could act. "Senior Brother, keep the recording stone. You can bring it out after they join the inner sect. Senior Brother, the opportunity is now or never! Think about the embarrassing history the martial uncles recorded before you joined the inner sect!"
Shen Banxi's face darkened. "My embarrassing history was all recorded by your master, Daoist Lord Yi Xing. We people from Spirit-Attuning Peak aren't as wicked as you lot."
He performed a complex hand seal and cast it toward Shu Ziming's recording stone.
"There, go ahead and record."
Shu Ziming looked at Shen Banxi with suspicion and swept his divine sense into the recording stone.
Good heavens! He didn't know how Shen Banxi had done it, but the images being recorded completely edited out Gu Ningyun, leaving only the other four little ones.
"You... you... it's common knowledge in the cultivation world that recording stones cannot be tampered with! How did you do that?!"
As artifact cultivators, they had the most authority on the subject of recording stones. They had discovered long ago that the principles of the recording stone were tied to certain laws. If they tried to fake the images, the stone would simply shatter and lose its function.
This was a fact proven by artifact cultivators across the entire cultivation world. Because of this reliability, recording stones were considered the most convincing evidence for the Xiaoyao Punishment Peak and other law enforcement organizations.
Yet now, Shen Banxi was showing him through practical action that a recording stone could indeed be tampered with!
Shen Banxi gave him a look as if he were a country bumpkin and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Relax. This spell is only known to a few wind spirit root cultivators on our Spirit-Attuning Peak. Its only function is to mask cultivators with wind spirit roots. Our Peak Master already cleared this with the Sect Leader and Punishment Peak. It won't affect law enforcement in the cultivation world."
This explanation did nothing to calm Shu Ziming. As an artifact cultivator, he didn't care about law enforcement. He was excited. "Is this a spell derived from your innovations on the Spirit-Attuning Jade Tokens? What's the principle? Does it relate to artifact crafting?"
Shen Banxi saw through him instantly. "Researching the principle is fine. You can come to Spirit-Attuning Peak after we return to the sect. But learning it is impossible; you need a wind spirit root."
"No matter, no matter. Knowing the principle is enough. Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles. The more knowledge I store, the further I can go in artifact crafting."
Shu Ziming grinned, thoroughly satisfied.
Ignoring his companion's antics, Shen Banxi looked at the five shiny bald heads in the distance. He pulled five bottles of Hair Growth Salve from his storage ring, ready to dash over.
Shu Ziming quickly stopped him. "Senior Brother, the New Disciple Training Department has rules. Unless it's a life-or-death situation, we are not allowed to intervene."
Recalling the mission requirements for being a protector, Shen Banxi hesitated for a moment before stepping back. If the sect caught him breaking the rules and sent him back to replace him with someone else, it wouldn't be worth it.
Shen Banxi sighed inwardly. Why weren't there any short-sighted Golden Core cultivators coming out to attack these kids? That would at least give him a chance to show off his strength and gain some favor.
He looked at the five again. These kids were too good at pretending to be disciples of a small sect; they didn't show a hint of wealth. The only robbery they had encountered so far was from a few Qi Refining rogue cultivators.
Were the new disciples of previous years this good at disguising themselves?
Shen Banxi felt a bit anxious. This mission had been hard to get; he couldn't let it go to waste.
Rate on N.U.
