Chapter Thirty-One: White Clouds and Departure

"This is White Cloud Peak, the place where I grew up," Dong Guzhi said, leading Chen Fan deep into the rolling mountains. They stopped before a towering summit, Dong Guzhi’s face suffused with wistful memories.

To Chen Fan, this peak seemed little different from the others. Its height was merely average among the surrounding mountains.

"In days past, disciples of White Cloud Peak would ascend on spirit cranes. Now..." Dong Guzhi sighed gently, turning to Chen Fan. "We have only an hour to spend here. Let me take you to the summit."

With that, he lifted Chen Fan and, in a graceful leap, soared high into the air. He landed lightly atop ancient, verdant trees clinging to the mountain’s sides, leaping ever higher with each bound. Even someone as robust as Chen Fan felt dizzy from the rapid ascent.

After the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, his master finally reached the peak and set him down. Chen Fan exhaled in relief.

Turning his head, he saw clouds swirling about him. The endless mountains and countless peaks pierced the mist in a breathtaking vista. Amid the peaks, black specks flashed by as cries echoed, reverberating through the white clouds and mountains. Upon closer inspection, he saw white cranes weaving between the summits, each carrying a figure on its back.

Blue skies, white clouds, cranes circling ancient pines.

"White clouds and pine cranes... So this is the origin..." Chen Fan was entranced by the scene, until a rune flashed before his eyes and his inner true essence surged. Only then did he realize that his White Cloud True Art had broken through once more—not only had his cultivation efficiency doubled, but his martial strength had advanced from the third stage to the fourth.

His breath became long and deep; he could sense his organs had been refined to their limits. Excitement and exhilaration welled within him. Still, even with doubled efficiency, he calculated that the next breakthrough would require another eight or nine months.

"The body’s meridians are many; the fourth stage is especially arduous. But this is also the phase of swift growth—each meridian opened increases the speed of true essence flow. At perfection, true essence can leave the body, and martial arts gain tremendous power!"

The third stage is a threshold; upon crossing it, improvement comes rapidly. Stages four, five, and six each bring greater power and wider gaps between practitioners.

Meanwhile, the two arts Chen Fan had left cultivating—the Cloud-Dispelling Leg and the Flowing Cloud Sword, both linked to White Cloud imagery—also achieved breakthroughs, reaching perfection. He immediately set these arts to further cultivation; progress would be slow, but within five or six months they could also reach perfection.

With his martial arts finally advancing, Chen Fan naturally felt elated. He turned back, only to see his master’s eyes brimming with tears. Chen Fan’s excitement faded.

The summit lay in ruin. Pavilions, towers, and dwellings before him were broken and covered in moss.

"Master..." Chen Fan hurried forward, wishing to comfort him, but uncertain what to say.

Dong Guzhi sighed, "Rise and fall, victory and defeat, ebb and flow—nothing lasts forever..."

He and Chen Fan lingered on White Cloud Peak for a long while, waiting until their hour was nearly spent, then descended together.

They returned to the outer courtyard of the Spirit Divine Dao Sect. As they neared the gate, a man dressed in feathered robes descended atop a white crane, landing not far from them.

The man glanced at them, frowning slightly. "Who are you two, and why are you not wearing the sect’s disciple robes?"

He appeared to be in his twenties, but his gaze bore into Chen Fan with immense pressure, his presence overwhelming, as if the heavens themselves pressed down.

Dong Guzhi immediately stepped forward, cupping his fists and shielding his disciple, sharing the pressure as he explained, "I am Dong Guzhi, a former disciple of White Cloud Peak. I left the sect for certain reasons, but today I have brought my disciple to seek an opportunity for him to join."

With his master standing before him, Chen Fan felt the pressure ease.

The feather-robed man’s eyes flickered, his expression odd. "So you are a former disciple of White Cloud Peak..." He looked Dong Guzhi over, then glanced at Chen Fan, frowning, but said no more and turned away.

Once he was gone, Chen Fan breathed out, and Dong Guzhi wiped sweat from his brow as well.

Chen Fan, astonished, asked, "Master, is that man’s strength above the seventh stage of martial arts?"

He looked barely twenty, yet possessed such terrifying power!

Dong Guzhi sighed, "More than that. Your master is at the eighth stage, but I still felt immense pressure. That man is at least perfected eighth stage, perhaps even ninth stage..."

Chen Fan was shocked. "Ninth stage? So young, yet already at the ninth stage?!"

Dong Guzhi shook his head. "After entering the Transcendence realm, the body draws upon the world’s essence to replenish itself, lengthening lifespan. Appearance can no longer be used to judge age. Still, he looks so young—meaning he attained the master’s realm at a young age. He is likely a prodigy not inferior to your uncle."

Chen Fan was startled anew. In recent years, Li Linliu’s performance in Qinghe County—at the sixth stage and before attaining the unity realm—was already counted among the county’s top ten experts. After reaching unity, and half a step into masterhood, his reputation soared. Yet in the Spirit Divine Dao Sect, such talent seemed commonplace, a shocking realization.

But then, the Spirit Divine Dao Sect rivaled the imperial court, its disciples numbering in the thousands. If it couldn’t surpass the talent of a single county, that would be more surprising.

The two returned to the outer courtyard, arriving at the spot where they had arranged to meet the man in blue.

He was already waiting, smiling broadly.

"Congratulations, Brother Dong! My felicitations!"

Dong Guzhi stepped forward, his lips twitching. "Has my disciple been identified as possessing a special constitution? Blood or arcane body?"

"Ah..." The man smiled awkwardly. "Brother Dong, you jest. Special constitutions are not so easily found..."

Dong Guzhi’s face fell, disappointment written all over.

With Chen Fan’s extraordinary comprehension, he had hoped for a special arcane body, but clearly that was not the case.

Chen Fan looked speechlessly at the middle-aged man before him. What congratulations were there to give?

Dong Guzhi, feeling dejected, rallied his spirits. "Then, brother, if you congratulate me, my disciple’s talent and foundation must be acceptable?"

The man in blue nodded repeatedly. "Your nephew has strong roots and vigorous blood; at a young age, he has already reached the third stage of martial arts. While his bone test was ordinary, his overall evaluation places him in the B-grade talent category, eligible to join the Spirit Divine Dao Sect as a servant disciple!"

This result did not surprise Chen Fan—his cultivation was all thanks to his automatic training, unrelated to his physical foundation. Still, his blood and martial stage were plain to see. If a fifteen-year-old third-stage martial artist couldn’t join, the sect’s standards would surely be too high.

But hearing this, Dong Guzhi was not pleased. His face darkened with anger. "What nonsense! My disciple’s foundation isn’t enough and he can only be a servant?"

In truth, B-grade talent was quite high—joining Spirit Divine Dao Sect, even as a servant, was rare. But compared to Dong Guzhi’s expectations, it fell short.

He thundered, "My disciple, not yet fifteen, has reached the peak of blood and third stage of martial arts, and already mastered subtle movement. Anywhere else he’d be called a peerless genius! Yet in your sect, he can only be a servant?"

The blue-robed man was startled by these words.

The third stage was not uncommon, but the combination of peak blood and subtle movement was astonishing. He looked embarrassed, flipping through his papers. "But... but, this is only your word. Strong blood doesn't equate to talent; the test shows Chen Fan’s foundation is average. If his comprehension is truly exceptional and he has mastered subtle movement, then after joining, I am sure he can quickly rise from servant to outer disciple!"

Yet Dong Guzhi, hearing this, only gave a bitter smile. "I understand. Is it Falling Jade Peak? They’re deliberately obstructing us?"

The man’s face turned red with embarrassment. "Brother, what are you saying? White Cloud Peak’s decline is only because the peak master disappeared... If I remember right, there are still active disciples from White Cloud Peak. And you, Brother Dong, left the sect of your own will—who forced you?"

Dong Guzhi had no answer.

The man handed over the booklet. "Your nephew may be highly perceptive, but we cannot see that. The results are here; if you have any objections, we can retest anytime."

Dong Guzhi flipped through the papers, then shook his head. "No need."

He turned away. "Disciple, let’s go."

As they left, the blue-robed man shook his head. "The Chen boy is talented enough to be an outer disciple, but he lacks a special constitution—not even blood body. Servant or outer disciple—such distinctions are often decided by a single word..."

...

Chen Fan followed his master down the mountain, unable to resist asking, "Master, they said I could be a servant disciple and slowly advance. Why were you..."

Dong Guzhi paused, his voice helpless. "The Spirit Divine Dao Sect is vast. Servant disciples are low in status, but even then, only talents are accepted. If you were ordinary, with your comprehension and foundation, you’d still have a chance to stand out and rise to the outer, inner, even core ranks.

"But the problem is, you are not ordinary—you are my disciple, a former member of White Cloud Peak!"

Chen Fan understood.

Dong Guzhi sighed, "Linliu, with his arcane body, became an inner disciple, a core candidate. In the sect, no peak master would dare mistreat him. But if you join as a servant, your status will be worlds apart; life will be hard, and some may even..."

He did not finish, but Chen Fan understood.

He felt helpless.

He did not care about the starting point—his peerless 'talent' would surely shine in time and he would ascend step by step to core disciple.

But the paradox was this:

Without his master, he would have no chance to enter Spirit Divine Dao Sect. Yet because of his master, he could not enter.

Dong Guzhi gritted his teeth. "Do not worry, my disciple. The world is vast—there is more than just Spirit Divine Dao Sect. I will find you a worthy place!"

Chen Fan turned, gazing at the endless mountains, the clouds piercing their summits, and the white cranes dancing among the peaks. For a moment, he was lost in thought.

Then, decisively, he turned away.