Enlightenment Volume, Chapter 58: Personal Disciple of the Elder

At the mountain gate grand hall of the Array Sect.

Candlelight flickered within the hall, casting its glow upon the diverse expressions of the elders. Though some appeared satisfied while others harbored discontent, all ultimately accepted the arrangements.

The Third Elder gently flickered his sleeves, quietly withdrawing the array boundary. Immediately thereafter, Yue Dong, Qing Lan, Chen Yan, Chen Xi, along with the two late First Realm disciples Wei Yun and Zi Yi, and the two mid-First Realm disciples Si Lian and Guan Min—a total of eight personal disciples—arrived inside the hall.

Right at that moment, the two elders guarding the Star-Veiled Cloud Pavilion and the Flying Mist Nine Abysses also arrived together.

The eight disciples successively paid their respects to the eight elders.

Qing Lan raised her head and caught sight of the elderly man who had previously been gathering spiritual herbs within the array boundary. A trace of surprise flickered through her heart, though she soon felt it was entirely reasonable—knowing he belonged to the Array Sect, she had guessed his status would not be low, yet she had never expected it to be this lofty.

Yinhua, the Third Elder, looked at her and smiled faintly.

She also noticed that among the eight elders, the only female elder was gazing at her as well. Within those eyes lingered emotions she could not fully comprehend, though they were unmistakably filled with goodwill.

The dignified and resonant voice of the Second Elder sounded, "We are already aware of your circumstances. First of all, we must congratulate you; as the outstanding victors of this mountain gate trial, you have successfully passed every test. From this day forward, you are disciples of the Array Sect, entitled to receive ten superior-grade spirit stones every month, and your personal disciple tokens will be issued to you as well. Furthermore, you need not reside in the Star-Veiled Cloud Pavilion alongside the inner and outer gate disciples; it will suffice for you to dwell with your respective masters."

"There are a total of nine mountain gate elders in the Array Sect, but since the First Elder has failed to return this time, the eight of us shall take you in."

Qing Lan and Yue Dong exchanged a glance, a tacit understanding passing between them—eight elders and eight disciples, could this mean they were about to initiate one-on-one instruction?

"Very well, enough idle talk, announce your affiliations."

"Wei Yun, Zi Yi, the two of you shall enter under the Second Elder."

The two youths could not conceal their excitement and stepped aside.

"Chen Xi, Chen Yan, the two of you shall enter under the Fifth Elder."

The two young women bowed gently in gratitude.

"Si Lian, Guan Min, the two of you shall enter under the Fourth Elder."

...

Seeing that six disciples had already stepped aside, only Yue Dong and Qing Lan remained.

"Whoosh..."

A streak of pure radiance suddenly appeared, twisting the surrounding space, and the six disciples vanished from sight. Simultaneously, the figures of the eight elders stirred, gathering like drifting clouds to encircle Qing Lan and Yue Dong.

Seeing the eight terrifyingly powerful elders drawing close, the two of them retreated in a momentary panic, yet after taking merely a few steps, they discovered that a high wall of condensed spiritual energy had abruptly risen behind them.

Unable to pass through, they could only stand obediently, forcing themselves to remain calm as they met the gazes of the eight elders with scalp-tingling trepidation.

Qing Lan even harbored a lingering sense of guilt, seeing that she had already taken a master.

A somewhat youthful elder stroked his chin, gazing at Yue Dong with astonishment; the doubt in his eyes made Yue Dong feel rather uncomfortable.

Sharing a similar reaction, the aforementioned Second and Fourth Elders also looked at him with very peculiar gazes, seemingly tinged with a hint of grievance.

Yue Dong began to break into a cold sweat.

On the other side, the Third and Fifth Elders were likewise casting rather peculiar looks toward Qing Lan.

Under the scrutiny of these two mighty figures, Qing Lan managed to squeeze out a forced smile and said with some difficulty, "I'm sorry... both elders, I have already completed my apprenticeship over at Mirror Mountain."

"Oh?"

The gazes of several elders snapped toward her simultaneously, carrying formidable auras and a heavy oppressive force aimed squarely at Qing Lan.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Yinhua understood the situation well. At that moment, he smiled faintly, dispersing the inspecting gazes of the other elders.

"None of you old fellows could resolve her problem, so naturally, she had to seek out a teacher who could."

Nanming hurriedly asked, "Who is it?"

Yinhua slowly uttered two names: "Yue Jun."

Qing Lan cooperatively produced the wooden token from the Spiritual Moon Cottage.

Yaoyu and Luo Qinghe turned their gazes sideways, unable to conceal the shock within their eyes.

Nanming even let out an involuntary gasp of disbelief, exclaiming, "That woman is actually taking on a disciple?"

Tianze's expression grew grave as well, his heart filled with apprehension over the impending upheaval of the realm.

That woman had once stirred countless storms across the world; having finally retreated into seclusion upon their Thousand Array Mountain, a century of silence on her part had brought a century of peace to the martial world.

And now...

Tianze's gaze fell quietly upon Yinhua, carrying an inspecting look toward his junior brother—the array boundary was your domain, and since Yue Jun was able to step inside, you must have known everything. Why did you not speak of it?

Yinhua’s expression remained calm without a single ripple of response, as though he had failed to notice his senior brother's silent interrogation.

The elders exchanged glances, each reading the gravity and astonishment mirrored in the other's eyes.

At that moment, Yaoyu stepped forward slowly. Standing slightly taller than Qing Lan, she extended a jade-white hand and gently stroked Qing Lan's head.

Following her initial surprise came a sense of brisk delight intertwined with a hint of regret. She spoke in a soft voice, "I originally desired most for you to become my disciple, but I was powerless to resolve the issue with your spiritual roots."

"Yet now, fate appears to have opened another door for you, and someone has emerged who can aid your cultivation."

With that, she slowly retrieved a crystal-clear jade stone from her sleeve. "Although it is a pity we cannot become master and disciple, there is a treasure I still wish to bestow upon you, for it may lend you some assistance."

The very instant this jade stone appeared, the grand hall instantly became suffused with an immensely rich vitality of the wood element. This aura was fresh and refined, akin to the morning breeze and thin mist brushing across the peak of a spiritual mountain, refreshing the mind and expanding the chest with tranquility.

Standing closest to it, Qing Lan felt this billowing life force permeate her body, bringing an unprecedented sense of comfort as though her entire meridian network had been cleansed and her whole being rendered translucent.

Feeling somewhat troubled and unaccustomed to such benevolence from an elder she met only today, she hesitated for a moment, not daring to accept it.

Yaoyu understood everything; seeing this, she smiled faintly and placed the jade stone directly into Qing Lan's palm. "Hold onto it, wear it close to your body, and do not part with it lightly. Let this fulfill my heartfelt wish."

Knowing full well that this was by no means an ordinary treasure, Qing Lan could only offer a low expression of gratitude.

"Should anything arise in the future, you may come to the Myriad Spirit Star Pool to find me."

Yaoyu smiled with satisfaction. Indifferent to the past and legends surrounding Yue Jun, as a powerful female cultivator of the previous generation herself, she held mostly admiration for that person.

Having spoken, she turned and stepped back. Nearby, Yinhua's tone grew gentle as well: "Since you have already taken a master, you need not carry any burden. However, you must still abide by the inner gate regulations in all matters concerning the Array Sect."

He glanced at Yue Dong, seemingly recalling something, and hesitated over whether he should send Qing Lan off to the Spiritual Moon Cottage.

At this moment, Nanming, who had remained silent for a long time after the initial shock, could finally no longer suppress the turbulence within his heart. He abruptly stepped forward, his face brimming with excitement as though rejoicing over some scandalous gossip, and blurted out, "Third Brother, Third Brother, there is no need to make her leave! She is allowed to know everything!"