Chapter 131: Another Surprise
Although Shi Manyu had said so discouraging words at the end, after Long Tao stepped out of the room, he still dashed several strides to the corner of the corridor, letting the corners of his mouth, which he could no longer suppress, curl upward wildly.
After the rush of excitent subsided, he carefully lifted the Cloud Radiance Pouch with both hands and examined it closely in his palm.
The pouch was about the size of a palm and carried a faint warmth.
The cloud-radiance patterns embroidered on its surface even shimred slightly.
That alone made him abandon the idea of hanging it at his waist.
What a joke! It had to be properly tucked inside his robes for peace of mind.
He leaned in to sniff it and caught a faint fragrance resembling osmanthus flowers—likely a personal preference of True Lord Qingyu when crafting it.
After admiring it from every angle once more, Long Tao followed the usual Recognition Bond thod used for most magical artifacts.
He cut his fingertip with a small knife and squeezed out a few drops of blood onto the pouch.
The blood beads were instantly absorbed by the fabric, and he imdiately felt a wondrous connection forming.
As for whether spatial pouches counted as magical artifacts or rely magical tools, that debate had persisted for years.
Many argued that sothing capable of being mass-produced artificially, no matter how precious, could not truly be called a magical artifact.
Others believed that since it involved the domain of spatial control—and so of its materials were rare and unique—it should indeed qualify as a magical artifact rather than just a magical tool.
In the end, neither side convinced the other.
They compromised by coining the term “artificial magical artifact.” Nowadays, many artificially crafted magical tools of formidable power that incorporated certain innate spiritual materials were also referred to as artificial magical artifacts.
Those beyond dispute were called innate magical artifacts.
Long Tao naturally considered his pouch a magical artifact.
After six years in the sect, he finally had one at his side.
Saying it aloud would at least save so face and keep him from seeming so pathetic.
Now that the pouch had completed Recognition Bond and was considered part of him, he tried extending his Divine Sense into it.
At first, it felt like touching a warm mbrane.
Then, with a bit more force, everything suddenly opened up—inside was indeed another world! It seed roughly the size of the side-room courtyard he used to live in, perhaps a bit smaller.
Faint clouds drifted within.
He first placed the disciple token hanging at his waist inside.
At the mouth of the brocade pouch, the token turned into a streak of light and vanished.
When he sensed it again, it was lying steadily in the center of the storage space.
“Aweso!” he whispered, unable to resist.
He then tried placing several Spirit Stones inside.
The whole process felt as natural as breathing.
After testing it back and forth several tis, he finally grew temporarily satisfied.
Stretching lazily, he left the main hall through a side door.
Judging by the ti, that batch of new disciples should have just about finished their “enrollnt procedures.”
He wandered over to a pavilion at the edge of the plaza to rest.
The Soul Lamp Hall was one of the most important places in the entire sect, located within the mountain body of the Main Peak, directly beneath the main hall.
Most disciples, aside from lighting their own Soul Lamp upon entering the sect, would never have another chance to step inside for the rest of their lives.
At this mont, many well-dressed individuals remained on the plaza—mostly mbers of the sect’s affiliated clan families—each craning their necks, waiting for their younger generation to complete the final ceremony.
Long Tao simply leaned against a pillar and took a nap.
After dozing for about half a Shichen, the entrance of the main hall finally grew noisy.
It was said that over three hundred people had joined the sect this ti—decent numbers.
These youngsters had endured an entire night in the Soul Lamp Hall.
No matter how happy or excited they had been, exhaustion now showed plainly on their faces.
Yet not a single parent dared step forward prematurely.
At that mont, an elder in a cyan robe walked out slowly.
His voice was not loud; he rely called softly, and the new disciples instinctively gathered before him.
“From this day forth, you are disciples of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect.” His voice was like clear spring water—calm yet imposing.
“What constitutes a qualified disciple, what constitutes an outstanding disciple—the road ahead is for you to comprehend yourselves.” His gaze swept across the youthful faces, his tone softening slightly.
“After the separation of your Divine Souls last night, you must be weary. Those who have residences within the sect may return ho to rest. Those without lodging, follow these senior brothers and sisters—they will arrange accommodations. Three days from now at this sa ti, the Hall of Dao Learning will comnce its first lesson. Do not be late. If there is anything unclear, consult your family or your senior brothers and sisters.”
After saying this, he looked once more at the tender seedlings before him, his expression growing much gentler.
“Dismissed.”
The disciples, who had been forcing themselves to stay alert, instantly relaxed.
So rubbed their drowsy eyes; others yawned, dispersing in small groups.
The parents who had long been waiting finally stepped forward, and concerned voices filled the air.
Long Tao stretched and searched the crowd for his younger sister.
Before long, he spotted Long Xi and Jiang Wuyun.
The two girls were looking around uncertainly on the plaza, unsure where to go.
“Little Xi, over here!”
“Brother!”
Hearing his call, Long Xi’s eyes lit up.
She grabbed Jiang Wuyun’s hand and ran over.
“It’s finally over! I’m so tired. That Soul Lamp Hall felt so gloomy.”
“Alright, alright, we’ll head ho soon. By the way, Miss Jiang… if you don’t have a place to stay, would you like to temporarily live with us? We still have quite a few guest rooms.”
Jiang Wuyun had originally planned to follow the guiding senior brothers and sisters to find lodging, but she did not want to part from her newly made friend Long Xi.
Hearing Long Tao’s invitation, she fell into hesitation.
“Is… is that convenient?”
“It’s fine. Outer Disciples aren’t required to stay in sect housing anyway. Stay with us for now—once you’ve settled in, you can decide later.”
“In that case… I’ll trouble… um… Senior Brother.”
The two girls had already changed into their Outer Disciple robes, holding their original clothes and the items issued by the sect.
Seeing them like this, Long Tao truly felt like a senior brother.
He had only entered the sect six years ago.
Most people he t in the sect required him to address them as Senior Brother or Senior Sister.
Although Nan Yuchen always called him Senior Brother Long, he never truly regarded himself as a prodigious senior.
Yet seeing his younger sister now wearing the sa robes, he genuinely felt he had begun to take on the role of a senior brother.
Ah… he was getting old.
Soon, he led the two girls to the Cloud Vessel Dock, intending to find a public Cloud Vessel bound for Yingxia Town.
Instead, he saw his parents, Steward Liu, and Xiao Ying already waiting there.
…
On the return journey, Xiao Ying could not wait to reveal the connection between Luo Yusi and Long Tao’s mother, staring eagerly at him in anticipation of his embarrassnt.
“Young Master, Sister Luo—no, we should call her Aunt Luo now—is your godmother. From now on, you must mind your conduct and not lose your manners.”
“What? That’s way too absurd! How could there be such a coincidence!”
Long Tao found it hard to accept.
Yet for so reason, thinking of Luo Yusi suddenly becoming his elder—even his godmother—stirred a strange feeling in his heart.
Rembering how he had once ridden on her back, his face instantly burned.
“Young Master! You’re not thinking improper thoughts again, are you?”
“No, no! It’s just… we beca friends first. This godmother business… isn’t really necessary.”
Xiao Ying knew the matter could not be rushed, so she nodded obediently and ran to the back to learn how to pilot the Cloud Vessel from Steward Liu.
Long Tao’s father then walked over at just the right mont, looking at his still-dazed son.
“Father, I never knew Mother’s clan was actually an imperial dynasty lineage.”
“It doesn’t matter whether you know or not. Your mother and I more or less eloped back then. There won’t be much chance to return in the future anyway.”
“That’s fine. It just feels like I’ve missed out on so much New Year’s gift money growing up.”
“You brat! I thought buying a house in the sect would make you more magnanimous, but you’re still this petty.”
“Didn’t I inherit that from you, Father? Be honest with —was your clan even more powerful than Mother’s? So hidden cultivation aristocratic family that never told the truth, just testing all along?”
Long Tao’s father looked at his son’s unusually serious expression.
He could only pat his shoulder and sigh.
“You really are my son, even in this way you’re just like . Sigh… back then, I was also always waiting for your grandfather to tell exactly that.”
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