Chapter 203: Chapter 203: Huangliang Cave Heaven
But this downpour was very strange. Not a single drop of rain fell anywhere else in Taoyuan Town; only above the alley where Yi knelt did it pour. Large raindrops plummeted from high above, stinging a person’s skin on impact.
But Yi remained kneeling at the academy gate, unmoving.
On a nearby rooftop, Shen Daoxing turned and glanced toward the academy. He knew, of course, whose hand was at work here.
But Shen Daoxing did nothing.
For an entire day, the rest of the town was clear and cloudless, while a torrential downpour soaked the academy’s alley. Yi did not move.
On the second day, the skies over the rest of the town were bright and clear, but in the academy’s alley, a north wind howled and a blizzard raged. Even covered in a thick blanket of snow, Yi remained motionless.
On the third day, the sky above the rest of the town was as clear as ever, but in the academy’s street, it began to hail. Hailstones the size of small pebbles pelted Yi, covering his skin in bruises, yet he still did not move.
Seeing this, Shen Daoxing frowned. As a Cultivator who had repeatedly tempered his physical body, he was naturally unconcerned by the hail. But Yi was an ordinary person who had never cultivated. If this continued, his life would be in danger.
Shen Daoxing looked back at the academy, but the person inside still showed no intention of opening the gate.
"This child’s aptitude is abysmal, but I didn’t expect him to possess such a resolute will."
At that moment, Blood Dragon’s voice echoed from within Shen Daoxing.
Shen Daoxing’s face lit up. "Elder Blood Dragon, you’re awake! Have you recovered?"
He immediately looked inward but couldn’t see Blood Dragon’s form.
"No. The injuries the Celestial Court inflicted upon me are far more severe than you can imagine."
Blood Dragon’s voice slowly sounded out again. "You want to help that child?"
Shen Daoxing nodded.
Blood Dragon said slowly, "I have a Heart Method, the Guiyuan Heart Method. Although it can only awaken eighteen of the body’s acupoints at the start, it can be advanced time and again as the Cultivator’s strength grows, eventually opening up to seventy-two acupoints. It is perfectly suited for someone like him—untalented, but with an iron will."
Shen Daoxing was overjoyed. "Elder Blood Dragon, on behalf of Yi, I thank you."
Immediately, Blood Dragon’s murmuring voice began to echo from the depths of Shen Daoxing’s mind.
A profound and mysterious Heart Method appeared in Shen Daoxing’s mind, and he silently committed it to memory.
"Alright, I must return to my slumber."
After saying this, Blood Dragon fell silent once more.
Yi remained kneeling at the academy gate as enormous hailstones rained down from the sky, striking his body. He grimaced in pain but never once made a sound. His body was already covered in black and blue bruises, battered and broken.
At that moment, Shen Daoxing slowly approached Yi.
Shen Daoxing looked down at him. "Yi, the path of cultivation is a single-plank bridge to the heavens, crossed by millions but fraught with peril. The chances of survival are slim. Do you truly wish to walk it?"
Yi nodded.
"You aren’t afraid of death?"
Shen Daoxing asked again.
Yi nodded once more.
"Good. Today, I will teach you a Heart Method to help you take your first step onto the path of cultivation."
Shen Daoxing said slowly.
Yi’s eyes lit up. He kowtowed earnestly before Shen Daoxing, his forehead thudding loudly against the ground. "Thank you, Shen!"
Shen Daoxing nodded. "I will now recite the Heart Method’s Mantra for you. Memorize it, and follow it to sense the power between heaven and earth."
With that, Shen Daoxing sat down in front of Yi and began to murmur, reciting the Heart Method’s Mantra to him.
Although Yi’s aptitude was poor, the initial stage of the Guiyuan Heart Method only involved opening eighteen acupoints, so it was not overly difficult.
Under Shen Daoxing’s guidance, Yi practiced the Heart Method repeatedly, attempting to sense the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi.
An unknown amount of time passed.
BOOM!
With a low hum, the acupoints in Yi’s body opened, and the surrounding Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi surged frantically into him.
Nourished by the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi, Yi’s body began to recover, the bruises on his skin slowly fading away.
Seeing this, Shen Daoxing relaxed. Yi had now officially begun to cultivate. The Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi here was abundant, and with the Primordial Energy nourishing his body, he would be able to withstand the hail.
Witnessing this, Ge Ye looked up toward the scene outside and nodded involuntarily. The outsiders who came from beyond the Grotto Heaven had always been arrogant, viewing the ordinary townspeople as ants not even worth a second glance. Shen Daoxing was the first to ever intervene to save one of them, and the first to be willing to impart his own Heart Method and Martial Techniques to a local.
He didn’t act superior or treat the townspeople as if they were worthless.
Ge Yu nodded again.
CREAK!
The academy’s main gate suddenly opened.
"You may both come in."
Ge Ye’s voice rang in the ears of Shen Daoxing and Yi.
The two exchanged a surprised glance, then walked inside, overjoyed.
Ge Ye was already waiting for them in the courtyard.
Ge Ye looked at Shen Daoxing and nodded in satisfaction. "You are quite different."
Yi looked at Ge Ye with delight. "Mr. Ge, does this mean you’re willing to take me as your disciple?"
Ge Ye turned to Yi. "With your aptitude, the path of cultivation will be fraught with hardship. You will have to put in a hundred, a thousand, even ten thousand times more effort than others. Are you willing to do that?"
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yi nodded eagerly. "I am willing! I am not afraid!"
With that, he dropped to his knees before Ge Ye with a THUD and began to kowtow. "Please, Mr. Ge, accept me as your disciple!"
Ge Ye nodded, formally accepting Yi’s display of respect and finally taking him on as his disciple.
The scruffy man standing nearby couldn’t help but feel happy for Yi.
"Lan, take Yi to get settled in. He will be living with us from now on. For the time being, you’ll be in charge of him," Ge Ye said slowly.
"Yes, sir!"
The scruffy man nodded respectfully and led Yi away.
Ge Ye turned back to Shen Daoxing and said slowly, "You may ask your questions now."
Shen Daoxing paused for a moment before asking, "What exactly is this place?"
Ge Ye gave Shen Daoxing an odd look. "You truly don’t know where you are?"
Shen Daoxing nodded.
"This is the Huangliang Cave Heaven, the burial ground of the Huangliang Immortal."
Ge Ye said calmly.
"The Huangliang Cave Heaven! An Immortal’s burial ground!"
Shen Daoxing was taken aback for a moment before realization dawned. He looked around. ’No wonder the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi here is so dense, and opportunities are so abundant.’ He had suspected it before, but now he finally had a definitive answer.
Shen Daoxing turned back to Ge Ye. "Then, sir, your Taoyuan Town is..."
Ge Ye didn’t answer his question directly. Instead, he asked one of his own: "Do you know why those two men you cut down earlier wanted to come to my academy?"
