On the other side, the young girl holding Xu Taiping's hand silently smiled at him.
Xu Taiping glanced at the young man in front of him, then at the red-clad girl by his side. Afterward, he looked at his uncle and aunt, who were still struggling with the steward of the Bai family. The last trace of hesitation in his eyes finally vanished.
"I am willing."
Xu Taiping's gaze was resolute as he nodded toward the young disciple.
Upon hearing this, the young man laughed heartily, then waved his sleeve. A gust of wind from his sleeve lifted Xu Taiping and the red-clad girl, and they immediately soared into the air, landing on a celestial crane in the sky.
"I am Du Gu Qingxiao, the second disciple of the Seventh Peak of Qingxuan Sect."
"I am Zhao Linglong, the sixth disciple of the Seventh Peak of Qingxuan Sect. From now on, I'll be your senior sister."
"Xu Taiping pays respects to Senior Brother and Senior Sister."
Amid their casual conversation, the villagers below saw the celestial crane gradually disappear into the clouds, and in the blink of an eye, there was no trace of them.
As for Xu Taiping's uncle and aunt, they were ultimately unable to outmatch the Bai family steward and his subordinates. In the end, they were left with nothing but insults and curses as they sat under the old elm tree at the village entrance, shouting at the sky.
...
Yunlu Mountain.
In just one day, Xu Taiping rode the celestial crane and arrived at the legendary Yunlu Mountain.
To be precise, the secular Yunlu Mountain was merely the entrance to Qingxuan Sect.
It was similar to the tip of an iceberg in the sea; the part of the iceberg visible above the surface is only a small fraction of the entire thing.
"What you mortals call Yunlu Mountain is merely the barrier of the Seven Peaks of Yunlu. The real Yunlu Mountain is shrouded in a misty barrier and can only be accessed with a spiritual beast's guidance."
As they approached the peak of the mountain, Zhao Linglong, sitting on the celestial crane, excitedly introduced the mountain to Xu Taiping.
"How large is the real Yunlu Mountain?"
After hearing Zhao Linglong's introduction, Xu Taiping was curious about Yunlu Mountain.
"The Yunlu Mountain range stretches for ten thousand miles, with seven main peaks towering over ten thousand feet. Its area is probably not smaller than your Great Liang Kingdom. However, because the entire Yunlu Mountain forms its own realm, in the eyes of mortals, it is only a small mountain peak."
The one answering Xu Taiping's question was Du Gu Qingxiao, who had been meditating beside them.
"Not smaller than the Great Liang Kingdom?"
Xu Taiping's perception was once again shaken.
"Indeed, within the cultivation world, there are many realms like Yunlu Mountain. Our Qingxuan Sect is considered a third-tier cultivation sect."
Zhao Linglong nodded in agreement.
"And what about above the third tier?"
Before Xu Taiping could ask more about the cultivation world, a violent gust of wind suddenly blew toward them, and the celestial crane they were riding on screeched in alarm.
"Junior Brother, this is the barrier wind triggered by the Mountain Protection Array. Hold on tight to Senior Sister's hand, or you'll fall off."
Zhao Linglong shouted as she grabbed Xu Taiping's hand.
"Mm!"
Xu Taiping nodded and tightly grasped her soft, boneless hand.
"Whoo whoo…"
In the blink of an eye, the turbulent winds around them dissipated, leaving behind a clear blue sky, endless mountains, towering peaks rising into the clouds, and floating mountains concealed within the sea of clouds.
"This is the real Yunlu Mountain."
Zhao Linglong proudly stood up and gazed at the landscape.
"Qingxiao Brother, Linglong Sister."
At that moment, a soft and sweet voice came from beside them.
Xu Taiping turned his head and saw a streak of green light fly out from the cloud sea. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a beautiful woman, accompanied by a little girl, both riding a jade gourd as they flew through the air.
"Purple Mist Sister? Why did you come down the mountain too?"
Zhao Linglong waved her hand and greeted the woman.
"Not long after you left the mountain, the Spiritual Bone Stele reacted again. My Sixth Peak has found a disciple chosen by the Spiritual Bone Stele."
Purple Mist smiled as she glanced at the little girl behind her.
The little girl, wearing a white dress and with skin as pale as jade, looked like a flawless porcelain doll from a distance, very beautiful.
"What a lovely little girl."
Zhao Linglong genuinely praised.
"Congratulations, congratulations. The Sixth Peak has found a great talent. The next Seven Peak Tournament, I'm afraid the Sixth Peak will take the lead."
Qingxiao smiled and cupped his hands toward Purple Mist.
Hearing this, Purple Mist chuckled and unintentionally revealed a charming look.
"Not yet, quickly greet Senior Brother Qingxiao and Senior Sister Linglong."
Purple Mist patted the little girl's shoulder.
"Not yet, greet Senior Brother Qingxiao and Senior Sister Linglong."
The little girl shyly performed a small bow to Qingxiao and Linglong.
"No need for formalities."
Qingxiao smiled.
Linglong then looked at Xu Taiping beside her, patted his head and said:
"Taiping, quickly greet Senior Sister Purple Mist and your future little Junior Sister. Among the Seven Peaks, the Sixth Peak is the most affluent, you must try to make a good impression on her."
"Xu Taiping pays respects to Senior Sister Purple Mist, and to Junior Sister Buyu."
Though Xu Taiping was a little confused, he still respectfully bowed to Purple Mist.
"No need for such formalities, no need. Once you become an official disciple of the Seven Peaks, I'll give you a Cultivation Pills."
Purple Mist smiled.
"Not yet, thank Purple Mist Senior Sister!"
Seeing that Xu Taiping was still in a daze, Zhao Linglong hurriedly pressed his head down so he could thank her properly.
"Th-thank you, Senior Sister Purple Mist."
Xu Taiping, still a bit confused, stammered his thanks.
"Qingxiao Brother, are you all going to the Dragon Gate Hall?"
Purple Mist changed the subject.
"Exactly. Before taking Taiping to the Seven Peaks, we need to go to the Dragon Gate Hall to test his Spiritual Bone."
Qingxiao nodded.
"Then I'll go with you, Qingxiao Brother."
Purple Mist flew her sword alongside the celestial crane they were riding on.
"Let's go together."
Qingxiao nodded.
"Heh heh heh, Purple Mist Senior Sister, how about you and my Senior Brother ride the celestial crane together, and I'll carry Buyu with my sword?"
Zhao Linglong teased with a mischievous smile.
"Zhao Linglong, are you looking for a beating?"
Purple Mist blushed and playfully scolded.
"Say another word, and I'll kick you off the crane."
Qingxiao shot a glance at the teasing Zhao Linglong.
"I won't dare, I won't dare!..."
Zhao Linglong hurriedly begged for mercy, holding Xu Taiping's shoulders.
At this moment, Xu Taiping's face was also a little red. It was the first time in his life that a stranger had embraced him.
But more than the embarrassment, what intrigued him was Qingxiao's earlier words—"We need to test your Spiritual Bone at the Dragon Gate Hall."
"Qingxiao Senior Brother, why do we need to test the Spiritual Bone?"
Xu Taiping couldn't help but ask.
"Although you were personally chosen by the Spiritual Bone Stele and don't need to take the entrance exam to become an official disciple of the Seventh Peak, we still need to test the type and rank of your spiritual bone. This will be beneficial for your future cultivation."
Qingxiao explained.
"Little Taiping, you probably don't know this, but in the cultivation world, even though having a spiritual bone allows you to cultivate, there are different types and ranks of spiritual bones."
Zhao Linglong casually draped her arm around Xu Taiping's shoulder and started to explain, counting off with her fingers:
"The most common types are the Five Elements Spiritual Bones—Wood, Fire, Earth, Water, and Metal. There are also rarer ones, like Ice, Thunder, Wind, and other exotic bones."
"As for ranks, there are four: Purple Spiritual Bone, Gold Spiritual Bone, Xuan Spiritual Bone, and White Spiritual Bone. Among these, Purple Spiritual Bone is the rarest and is known as the Heavenly Spiritual Bone, while White Spiritual Bone is considered the most useless."
Upon hearing this, Xu Taiping immediately understood.
"Why is White Spiritual Bone considered the most useless?"
He asked curiously.