Chapter 385 - 202: Sect Daoist Abbey

Chapter 385: Chapter 202: Sect Daoist Abbey

Additionally, the island was inhabited by ordinary Qi Cultivators who served the facilities and handled various chores, along with younger disciples from the different sects.

Qin Huaiming took a deep breath of the island’s pure Five Yang Five Qi and said to Yang Wenqing, "Let’s go. First, we’ll get settled at the Xuanyue Lineage’s lodge here. I’ll show you the way and help you get familiar with the surroundings. After that, you’ll need to stay here to calm your mind and adjust in preparation for the Three Sects’ competition in a few days."

His feet treading the smooth green flagstones of Jade Chime Island, Yang Wenqing followed behind his master, Qin Huaiming, toward a cluster of buildings with white walls and black-gray tiles on a seaside hill.

As they drew closer, the first thing he noticed was an overwhelming sense of spaciousness. The buildings were spaced far apart, separated by large open areas that were either covered in white sand or blooming with wildflowers. A few ancient, nameless trees stood silently in these spaces, creating an atmosphere free of the dense, oppressive feeling of a city.

Qin Huaiming led him toward one of the most orderly-looking three-story pavilions. Its exterior walls were a simple off-white, with clean, straight lines.

As they got closer, Yang Wenqing could see for himself just how exceptionally tall and wide the main door was. It was crafted from a single piece of dark spirit wood and was more than twice the size of the main gate at his own residence. Simply standing before it, one felt compelled to look up in awe.

Qin Huaiming stepped forward, placed both hands on the door, and pushed it open. The hinges rotated with perfect smoothness, emitting only a low, grinding sound.

The moment the door opened, a cool draft of air mixed with the faint scent of spirit wood gently flowed out, brushing against Yang Wenqing’s cheek. At the same time, he felt as though the sounds of his own footsteps and breathing, and even the slight flutter of Lan Ying’s wings on his shoulder, were being absorbed by the space beyond. In an instant, everything around him grew much quieter.

He lifted his eyes and looked inside.

His gaze was first drawn uncontrollably upward.

Because the ceiling was so high.

The space inside extended upward to a height that forced him to tilt his head all the way back just to see the top. It was a vaulted ceiling with a smooth, flowing arch, supported by a framework of thick timber beams. The natural grain of the wood was clearly visible in the daylight slanting in from the high windows at the sides.

The sunlight formed slanting pillars of light, illuminating the fine dust motes drifting slowly in the air. This effect made the high dome seem even deeper and more distant, as if it were a gateway to some tranquil realm among the clouds.

Only then did his gaze spread across the room.

Beneath his feet were dark floor tiles polished to a mirror-like sheen, reflecting the blurry shadows of the beams above and the figures of him and his master as they stepped inside. The space was extraordinarily open, stretching forward and to both sides all the way to the distant walls.

Empty.

That was his strongest impression. Other than a few necessary load-bearing columns standing throughout the first-floor hall, there were no partitions, screens, or any other superfluous furniture.

The walls were a plain, clean white, bare of any paintings or decorations. The space itself was the only centerpiece.

Sound was different in here. His and his master’s footsteps were clearly audible, yet they carried a slight echo that was drawn-out and softened. It wasn’t noisy; on the contrary, the sound only served to accentuate the great hall’s tranquility.

Lan Ying stood motionless on Yang Wenqing’s shoulder, only turning her small head as her sapphire-blue eyes reflected the high dome and the slanting pillars of light.

’It’s so big in here. Can I fly?’ she asked softly in his Spirit Sea. Her voice held an instinctive reverence; had they been outside, she would have taken flight long ago.

Yang Wenqing took a deep breath.

He had heard before that Yuqing Cultivators were fond of grandeur, but he’d never given it much thought. Now, he knew it was true. The grandeur here wasn’t the worldly kind of gilded splendor or ornate carvings, but an ultimate reverence for spatial scale and structural order.

In a space like this, a sense of one’s own insignificance arose spontaneously. Yet at the same time, one’s mind and spirit felt as if they were being invisibly cleansed, making it easier to grow calm, to meditate, and to connect with the vaster Dao of heaven and earth.

Qin Huaiming, long accustomed to this, simply smiled faintly and glanced back at Yang Wenqing.

"Come on, let’s go see the Quiet Chamber that’s been prepared for you." His voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet, lofty space.

Lan Ying could no longer hold back. After receiving tacit approval from Yang Wenqing in his Spirit Sea, she chirped in delight. With a beat of her wings, she gracefully lifted off from his shoulder.

At first, she was cautious, only daring to circle about ten feet off the ground. But soon, the hall’s incredible height and emptiness gave her boundless courage and space.

"Waaaah—!"

She let out the joyous, clear cry as she gave a powerful flap of her wings and shot upward. Her sapphire-blue figure was like a streak of light, rushing straight toward the dome above. She darted nimbly between the thick timber crossbeams, then dove back down, following the sunlight.

Finally, she spread her wings, catching the currents of air flowing in from the high windows, and glided silently through the immense hall, her form elegant and fully extended.

Just then, an inconspicuous side door in the hall was gently pushed open. Two middle-aged men in simple, gray short-sleeved shirts walked in, their hands held respectfully at their sides. Upon seeing Qin Huaiming, they bowed deeply and called out, "Sixth Grand-uncle."

They then bowed to Yang Wenqing. "Martial Uncle."

These two were clearly from a side branch of the Qin family, sent here to serve the establishment.

Qin Huaiming nodded and asked, "Is the room ready?"

"Yes, Sixth Grand-uncle," one of them replied. "It’s all ready. It’s the room on the east side of the second floor, the one facing the sea."

"Good. Lead the way."

"Yes."

The two men led Qin Huaiming and Yang Wenqing toward a spiral staircase on one side of the hall.

After climbing to the second floor, they found the corridor was just as spacious, lined with closed doors on both sides. One of the men led them to a door at the end of the hall and pushed it open.

Inside was another vast, empty space.