Master Acknowledgement Ceremony

Zhang Wanqing's eyes were sparkling brightly as the group continued journeying forward. Be it the elements of nature or the buildings that seemed to blend perfectly into the surroundings, all of it came together nicely to form a scene resembling a beautiful painting.

This place was simply too indescribably magical, such that even the grand Golem City paled starkly in comparison!

Wu Meng let out a smile as well.

But unlike Zhang Wanqing, it was not because he was impressed by the scene before him. In fact, he had been to places that were far more beautiful than the Five Elements Valley, so this was nothing much to him at all.

Perhaps because it had been a long time since he last accepted a disciple, Wu Meng felt rather nostalgic when he saw Zhang Wanqing's reactions to such simple things.

Some might say that Zhang Wanqing was acting like a country bumpkin right now, but how many great cultivators of the past did not start out like she did?

Unless one was born into a powerful cultivator's family, it was almost impossible not to be awed by the world of cultivators. Not to mention others, even existences like Zheng Long and Jian Yuan acted like this back when they were still young and ignorant of the wonders of the world.

With Protector Jun Mo taking the lead, the group quickly arrived at a small house near the borders of the clearing.

The door key was already conveniently inserted into the lock itself, so Protector Jun Mo just casually retrieved the key from the door and passed it over to Wu Meng.

"Any further, and it will be prohibited for visitors to enter without permission from the elders. This is a guest house prepared specifically for visitors, so please make yourselves comfortable while I go and fetch the Violet Earth Incense," Protector Jun Mo said.

"Mm," Wu Meng nodded. "We will be waiting here, then."

"Thank you for your understanding. I will be right back," Protector Jun Mo let out a sigh of relief.

He had been worried that the young merchant would insist on following him into the depths of the valley grounds, but Wu Meng turned out to be more easygoing than he had expected.

"Guo Fei, Lin Que, stay here and accompany our guests while I am gone. Let me know if there is anything they need," Protector Jun Mo instructed. "Ting Yi, Wen Xian, follow me back."

"Understood, Protector Jun Mo!" the four young cultivators immediately obeyed.

After giving his instructions, Protector Jun Mo was about to bring the two young ladies back when Wu Meng suddenly spoke up. "There's no need for that. I do not require attendants, so you can let all of them return with you."

"Oh? Is that really all right?" Protector Jun Mo asked in surprise.

Even if guests did not require attendants, they would usually not reject them either. After all, it always felt good to have someone attend to them since it gave the feeling of being regarded as important.

"Don't worry. We will not sneak off while you are not around," Wu Meng replied with a meaningful smile.

"Young Sir is misunderstanding my words, I truly intended for them just to attend to your needs!" Protector Jun Mo hurriedly explained himself. "But since Young Sir is sure that there is no need for such a thing, I shall bring the boys back with me. Please wait here for a while. I will be right back after fetching the Violet Earth Incense."

With that, Protector Jun Mo left with the four young cultivators, leaving Wu Meng and Zhang Wanqing at the entrance of the house.

"Release her and let's enter," Wu Meng gestured towards the horse wagon.

"Got it," Zhang Wanqing skilfully released the horse from its restraints, so that it would at least be able to walk around freely without having to pull the heavy horse wagon along.

"You are getting better and better," Wu Meng praised as he observed the young lady. "Maybe you are born with an innate talent for this."

"Born to release horses from their restraints? Why does that sound more like an insult than a compliment?" Zhang Wanqing felt the corner of her lips twitch.

Wu Meng laughed lightly in response before walking up to unlock the house door with the key.

"Wait, are we going to just leave the horse wagon out here?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

"What? You want to bring the whole horse wagon in?" Wu Meng raised an eyebrow at her question.

Zhang Wanqing rolled her eyes. "Of course I don't mean the horse wagon itself, but the goods inside! It's not that I am doubting the integrity of the cultivators, but isn't it rather risky to just leave everything out here unguarded?"

Even though this was a cultivator's faction, the items in Wu Meng's possession were apparently able to tempt cultivators as well!

Zhang Wanqing believed that it was definitely better to be safe than sorry.

"What do you mean unguarded? Isn't she here?" Wu Meng gestured towards the horse.

Neigh-!

The horse immediately cried out, as though telling them to leave everything to it.

"Hear that? Don't worry and leave it to her," Wu Meng said casually before going back to unlocking the door.

"..." Zhang Wanqing was speechless.

She might not have seen much of the world, but does he think she is an idiot?

Whatever.

Since Wu Meng obviously doesn't care, she will not bother, either. After all, those are Wu Meng's belongings to begin with!

Zhang Wanqing walked back to Wu Meng and followed him into the house.

It could be said that the Five Elements Valley truly lived up to its reputation as a cultivator's faction.

The guest house was furnished in a simple manner, with nothing but the bare necessities. Yet despite its simplicity, there was no doubt that much thought had been put into the design of the house.

The materials used, for both the house and every piece of furniture within, seemed to be of nothing but the highest grade. Just by standing in the house, one would feel a pleasant feeling of cosiness and comfort.

Even though the guest house had not been occupied prior to their arrival, it was still clean and well-maintained. There were even dry snacks and refreshments to be found in the house.

Besides the house that they were in, there were also many similar houses that the Five Elements Sect had constructed in the outer regions of its grounds. These were all guest houses specifically meant for their visitors to rest, which was why the key to each house was left in such an easily accessible location.

As for stealing the key... perhaps some people had tried it before, but who knows what happened to them in the end?

Wu Meng sat down at the table and turned towards Zhang Wanqing. "Go prepare some tea. Since you have already recovered for the most part, it is time to carry out the master acknowledgement ceremony."

"Understood," Zhang Wanqing nodded and did as she was told.

It did not take long before Zhang Wanqing found herself standing in front of Wu Meng with a cup of hot tea in her hands.

"I am giving you one last chance," Wu Meng said solemnly while looking into her eyes. "Regardless of what has been said previously, I will not fault or blame you if you choose to walk away right now. I can even personally escort you back to Golem City or your village if you are worried about the journey. But if you choose to go through with this today, then there is no turning back for you."

"On my end, I will groom you into someone who can walk freely across the Nine Realms. Be it power or riches, everything will be at your fingertips as long as you are willing to work hard for it!" Wu Meng continued. "But in exchange, I will also expect absolute loyalty from now on. I do not expect you to carry out my every instruction without thinking it through, but I will also not tolerate any acts of insubordination if I tell you that I am firm about my decisions. In addition, I will personally hunt you down if you ever betray me in any way. Now, take this time to slowly think it through."

While preparing the tea, Zhang Wanqing had merely been following Wu Meng's instructions, so she did not feel anything special. But now that she stood there hearing Wu Meng speak with such a serious expression, she suddenly felt her heart palpitating in nervousness.

She understood that this decision would indubitably have a major impact on the rest of her life.

No, not just that. This was very likely to be the most important moment of her life!

She might have agreed to acknowledge Wu Meng as a master before, but she was not nearly in the right frame of mind back then. It did not truly count as a decision made of her own free will, and it was obvious that Wu Meng thought so as well.

Now, she finally had the chance to seriously think about what she was getting herself into.

Just about a week ago, Zhang Wanqing was still a young village girl with no idea of how a city even looked like.

Every part of her life – be it working, eating, or sleeping – happened within or in the vicinity of Green Seed Village. She was destined to be born in the village, grow up in the village, and die in the village. That would likely be the fate of her kids as well, if she ever had any.

Yet in this short span of time, she had been brought to the brink of death by a spirit beast and survived, visited a city for the first time, and even travelled alongside cultivators to visit a cultivator's faction.

She was even presented with an opportunity to become a cultivator herself!

All this was made possible only because of Wu Meng.

Her horizons had been widened, and many of the things she saw were nothing like those that she would ever be able to encounter had she continued staying at Green Seed Village.

Even if the villagers were willing to accept her now, did she still want to return to Green Seed Village and continue living the life of a clueless villager?

Back then, if she had died to the Ravenous Dark Spitters, how many people would even mourn her departure from this world?

Luo Quan, his parents, and maybe Qing Ting.

That should be about it.

Four people, eh?

After seventeen years in the village... how pathetic.

At this moment, Zhang Wanqing made her decision.

She no longer wanted to live a meaningless life in the village.

She wanted to see the world, to take in beautiful sights, and go on exciting adventures. She wanted to strive her hardest and see how far she could go on this journey of life.

She wanted to be a cool and powerful cultivator who can awe others with each wave of her sleeves, or at least die trying to become one!

Okay, maybe dying while trying to become one was a bit too much...

"It seems like you have made your decision," Wu Meng smiled upon seeing the look in her eyes. "Kneel."

Zhang Wanqing immediately got down on her knees in front of Wu Meng and raised the cup in front of her.

"Are you, Zhang Wanqing, willing to acknowledge me, Wu Meng, as your master?" Wu Meng asked solemnly. "This means that you will swear absolute loyalty to me from now on. If I command you to run, you shall not walk. If I command you to speak, you shall not remain silent. If I command you to kill, you shall not show mercy. If you were to go against any of my orders or betray me in any manner, it will be equivalent to breaking this oath, and I shall personally hunt you down and eliminate you! If, despite all that, you are still agreeable and willing to take me as your master, then say so and offer me the tea in your hands. That shall be the seal of this oath!"

"I, Zhang Wanqing, pay my respect to Master Wu Meng!" Zhang Wanqing loudly declared. "Let this tea be the seal of my oath!"

"Good!" Wu Meng nodded in satisfaction before receiving the tea and downing it in one gulp. "From now on, you shall be considered one of my people. As long as you wish for it, I shall see to it that you rise to the very peak of the Nine Realms!"

"Yes, Master!" Zhang Wanqing responded at the top of her voice.