Chapter 657 - 412: The Hidden Ascent of Fish and Dragon (Part 2)

Amidst the laughter of the crowd, the master and disciple had a complete interaction, or rather, Zhu He completed a probing test on him.

This kind of exchange or test is actually no different from flashing swords and shadows. Is this a master testing the depth of his newly accepted disciple?

Although Duan Rong felt a bit uneasy in his heart, thinking this master seemed a bit unkind, at first meeting, suddenly giving him such a challenge. On the other hand, he felt that with such a person’s scheming, the contest for the Sect Leader, he was likely to have a big chance of winning.

As Duan Rong stepped over the threshold of the Dragon Fish Hall, he truly felt mixed feelings of worry and joy.

The old attendant escorted all the elders out of the Dragon Fish Hall and then let out a long sigh of relief, walking slowly towards the back hall.

The old attendant walked into the back hall and saw the other three people who had come with Duan Rong still standing there.

The front hall was bustling just now, and they heard the commotion too. Knowing that Duan Rong had apprenticed under Zhu He, the three couldn’t help but feel envious!

The old attendant walked in, coughed, and said, "You three, come with me."

The old attendant led the three behind the screen, pulling aside the curtain in front of the shrine on the south wall. Inside the shrine hung a portrait of an old Taoist with an immortal demeanor.

The old attendant lit three sticks of incense, placed them in the incense burner before the shrine, then stood solemnly to the side of the shrine, looking at the three and said, "Kneel."

The three immediately knelt before the shrine.

Immediately after, the old attendant recited a long string of grandiose words, the general idea being that the Taiyi Sect had a profound heritage and that they should practice diligently to live up to the ancestors’ grace.

In short, he said a lot of things, and then told the three they could rise. From today, they were Inner Sect Disciples and each was given a note to take to the villa at the foot of Cuiwei Peak Mountain to hand over to the historian there.

Afterwards, the old attendant hurriedly sent the three out of the Dragon Fish Hall.

After a busy day, his bones felt like they were about to fall apart. Once everyone was dismissed, the old attendant immediately collapsed onto a Grandmaster’s Chair, calling over a few young attendants to serve him tea, give him water, and massage his back and legs.

When no one else was around, in this Dragon Fish Hall, he was the local emperor, though pity the young attendants. After serving the elders and veterans, they still had to attend to this old fellow.

The three, carrying their notes, rounded a corner of the pavilion and from afar saw a group of elders and veterans at the step, bidding farewell to Zhu He.

The three immediately stopped. One of them said, let’s wait here for a bit, until those dignitaries have gone far, then we’ll go over. The other two agreed, and they returned to the corner of the pavilion, revealing only half their bodies, watching from a distance.

After the elders and veterans bid farewell to Zhu He, they transformed into streaks of black light, like meteors, swiftly streaking across the azure sky towards various places within the vast mountains.

At that point, only Zhu He and Duan Rong remained at the step.

Zhu He said, "Disciple, stand firm. I will take you on a journey."

Duan Rong’s eyes flashed, grasping the heavy ceremonial robe on his body, said, "Master, the historian at the villa at the foot of the mountain instructed me, after the matter, to return the ceremonial robe to them."

Zhu He chuckled and said, "Don’t bother with them. Follow me back, take off the robe, and they will come to retrieve it themselves. Don’t forget, I am the Chairman of the Internal History Department. Now that you’ve apprenticed under me, some affairs of the Internal History Department will be entrusted to you as well. Paying attention to those historians, are you really giving them too much face?!"

After Zhu He finished speaking, he suddenly clasped his hands behind his back, gracefully lifted himself with the wind. Beside him, Duan Rong also felt as if his body was being lifted by something invisible, floating up effortlessly.

The two traveled with the wind under the azure sky!

Zhu He could certainly, like the other elders, transform into black light and flash past, but since he was taking Duan Rong, he didn’t want to frighten him, so he slowed down his speed.

It seemed this master knew how to care for his disciple after all.

Duan Rong floated dreamily behind Zhu He, up in the air, the vast mountains beneath them like a bonsai. Though Zhu He had slowed down, he was still faster than usual when displaying his form. Yet on Duan Rong’s face, he could not feel a breeze at all, not even his hair swayed, hanging naturally. But on the mountain below, there was a howling wind. Although accompanying Zhu He with the wind, he did not feel a single gust, yet the heavenly sound of the mountain wind howling was clearly heard, as if right by his ear.

"Power of Law?! Dark Grotto Heaven Realm!?"

This was the first time Duan Rong truly felt the Power of Law and sensed the incredibility of those called mighty. His eyes flickered with a deep, thoughtful light.

Zhu He landed with Duan Rong on a towering peak.

This peak was utterly different from the low peaks of Cuiwei Peak where the Taiyi Pavilion and Elder Hall were located; it was steep, piercing into the sky, with the summit shrouded in white clouds, thus named Yunfu Peak.

The two of them floated down in front of a pavilion somewhere within the mountain body.

Zhu He first led Duan Rong into a room to remove the heavy ceremonial robe and place it on a table there, then led him along the walkways, winding into another room.