CH 1.1

◎ “fastest cultivation secret manual” ◎

amidst majestic mountains and rivers, white clouds swirl, and celestial melodies drift.

zhao keran was brought by an outer disciple from the clearwater sect to the lodging area for miscellaneous disciples—a collection of scattered wooden houses in front of a lush and spiritual field.

some houses are spaced apart, while others are tightly adjoined to the walls.

the latter are mostly temporary new houses constructed due to the increased number of miscellaneous disciples required with the expansion of the outer spiritual field.

“you arrived last, and most of the outer rooms are already taken. only junior sister lin’s room has an available bed,” senior brother xu coughed lightly, and his gentle expression seemed somewhat apologetic.

zhao keran was surprised; after all, the clearwater sect is a well-known sect within the eastern realm.

each year, numerous aspiring disciples came seeking enlightenment, but those selected are required to start as miscellaneous disciples to temper their character.

in theory, a senior brother in charge of the miscellaneous disciples would oversee at least hundreds of people, and in most other sects, such a position would come with a certain degree of arrogance.

however, she didn’t expect senior brother xu to be so amiable.

“what’s wrong with sharing a room with a senior sister? even my cousin, who possesses exceptional talent, had to share a room with another when he sought enlightenment at the neighboring mountain and sea sect,” zhao keran thought to herself.

zhao keran quickly smiled and tightened the small azure bundle on her body, her traveling luggage.

“thank you for your kindness, senior brother. please just tell me the specific location, and i’ll go there myself.”

senior brother xu was slender, wearing a mist-gray daoist robe, and carrying two crossed peach wood swords on his back. upon hearing her words, a fleeting expression of relief appeared on his gentle face.

“that’s good then.”

“huh?” zhao keran was taken aback.

did senior brother xu just express genuine relief?

senior brother xu coughed and clasped his hands behind his back. “junior sister zhao, junior sister lin’s room is right in the middle of your line of sight. i have other matters to attend to, so i’ll take my leave.”

before zhao keran could react, senior brother xu was already ten steps away.

why does it feel like the senior brother was trying to escape?

zhao keran opened her mouth, but could only hear senior brother xu’s faint and distant voice, “remember to tell junior sister lin that you are the new disciple assigned to share the room with her…”

zhao keran: “???”

something doesn’t seem quite right.

assigned to share a room with her? were there previous roommates?

oh, it seems that this senior sister lin has been practicing in the outer sect for many years and has shared her room with numerous new disciples before.

as zhao keran realized this, she tightened her bundle. she plans to present some locally produced spiritual silkworm silk from her hometown as a gift to this senior sister. hopefully, that will help establish a good relationship.

soon, lost in thought, she unknowingly arrived at a junction in the small path amidst the hundred-acre spiritual field.

she thought it would take some time, but unexpectedly, she found the right place in an instant.

the junction housed a dozen or so small houses, artfully arranged.

however, there was one room with a striking yellow paper pasted on its door.

【outer sect room number 99】

the characters were vibrant and occupied at least one-third of the wooden door.

it seemed as if they were afraid that someone might not notice it.

senior sister lin was so gentle. was she afraid that the new miscellaneous disciple, zhao keran, could not find her lodging?

zhao keran’s heart warmed, but soon, she became a bit nervous.

because as soon as her hand touched the shabby wooden door of the small house, a peculiar pattern emerged from deep within the creaking door, slowly revealing itself.

lines of characters appeared, floating in mid-air.

[read carefully before knocking on the door.]

zhao keran widened her eyes.

is this a talisman or a formation?

[1. this is lin shuang’s residence. if you need to find other disciples or inquire about directions, please check the “accommodation list and general map for outer sect disciples” in the bamboo basket on the left side of the door.]

zhao keran: “!”

[2. if you have inquiries about miscellaneous tasks, please take out the communication stone from the bamboo basket on the right side of the door—press ‘2’ to contact senior brother xu rui, the steward, for inquiries.]

zhao keran: “…!”

was that the same senior brother xu who had brought her here earlier?

wait, she seemed to understand why senior brother xu “ran away” just now.

[3. if you have inquiries about cultivation…]

[4. if you have inquiries about meals…]

[5. if you have inquiries about clothing…]

zhao keran stood dumbfounded.

what’s going on? is this a disciple’s lodging?

or is it some kind of outer sect guidance center?

[7. if none of the above, look for lin shuang herself. for non-urgent matters, visit during noon.]

[for extremely urgent matters—please enter.]

the word “noon” was in bold and highlighted in yellow, as if they were afraid that someone would miss it and disturb it at the wrong time.

lin senior sister seems to be a very serious and diligent cultivator.

zhao keran felt a bit of admiration. after straightening her clothes, she gathered her courage and knocked on the door, “senior sister lin, i’m new… ”

as long as she worked hard like her senior sister, they should get along well, right?

but before she could finish speaking, she froze.

as the door opened, she saw two wooden beds placed against the wall, and in the middle was a strange, soft, horizontally-patterned floral chair.

a faint silhouette was deeply embedded in at least four or five layers of soft cotton cushions on the floral chair.

there was something dark like black algae smeared on her face, and her long black hair fell smoothly. a silver claw-shaped object was constantly rubbing against her head.

the bright phoenix eyes between the black algae revealed an air of intelligence as they gazed at the wooden rack hanging around the snow-white neck—a spread-out picture album.

the title on the cover was quite eye-catching—”the golden carp sect leader becomes the darling of the group.”

inside the room, the voice of an excited storyteller could be heard.

“the immortal beauty was captivated by his three parts desolation, three parts sorrow, and four parts despondences…”

it was currently the most popular “immortal beauty meets poor scholar” novella in the mortal bookshops.

zhao keran: “…???”

her small bundle fell to the ground.

a folded and wrinkled talisman paper floated up from the ground and turned into a white lion-dog. it gently picked up her small package and held it to her.

“visitor, it’s lin shuang’s entertainment schedule right now. there is about one-third of an incense stick’s time left.”