Chapter 52: The Formal Apprenticeship

At this moment, Mu Xuyang, Ao Qing, and Nie Yifan were standing on a circular floating platform with an area of approximately one square kilometer. Surrounding the platform were palaces floating in the air, each covered by faint clouds and colorful lights, giving them an ethereal and unreal appearance, like a mirage.

Within the mist and lights enveloping the palaces, there was an abundance of spiritual energy and auspicious aura. However, there were no bridges or paths between the palaces. Occasionally, one could see streaks of light flying out from one palace and shooting towards another.

"Young Master, it seems that in the sect, one must rely on their own abilities to fly through the air and travel between the palaces. Currently, there is no direct route from this floating platform to Elder Zhong's residence. How can we get there?" After taking in the environment they were in, Ao Qing regained his composure and anxiously asked Mu Xuyang.

"I have several flying cushions. Although we can't activate them directly, we can sit cross-legged on the cushions and use spiritual stones to activate them, allowing us to traverse the spatial distance between the palaces," Mu Xuyang calmly replied.

"Spiritual stones are extremely rare and valuable. They are excellent materials for cultivation. It would be a waste to use them to activate the flying cushions. Crossing such a long distance would require thousands of spiritual stones, and the three of us would need to spend three thousand of them," Ao Qing said.

"Do you have a better solution to cross this distance without wasting spiritual stones?" Mu Xuyang asked.

"The spiritual energy here is abundant, making it a good place for cultivation. How about this: you spend the spiritual stones to activate the flying cushions and go to Elder Zhong as planned. Listen to his arrangements, and the two of us will cultivate on this floating platform. When our cultivation reaches the realm of magical power, we will come to find you," Ao Qing suggested.

"How can that be? I won't leave you here. We walk together, we stay together," Mu Xuyang shook his head. Just as he was about to say something else, he suddenly saw a golden light shooting out from Elder Zhong's palace, heading straight towards the platform where Mu Xuyang, Ao Qing, and Nie Yifan were.

As the golden light touched the platform, a yellow light bridge appeared, directly connecting the platform to Elder Zhong's residence.

"Someone at the Golden Core stage is truly formidable. With a casual display of their magical power, they can directly traverse such a long spatial distance and create a floating bridge connecting the two places." Witnessing the appearance of the bridge, Mu Xuyang couldn't help but marvel silently. Without hesitation, he left the platform and stepped onto the bridge, which emanated a yellow light, hurrying towards Elder Zhong's palace.

Upon seeing the bridge, Ao Qing and Nie Yifan guessed that it was Zhong Xiaoyun who had discovered that Mu Xuyang had arrived. They understood the difficulties faced by Mu Xuyang and quickly used their magic to create a suspended bridge for them to cross. As soon as Mu Xuyang stepped onto the suspended bridge, they followed closely behind.

Crossing the spatial distance between the suspended platform and the palace where Elder Zhong resided, Mu Xuyang, Ao Qing, and Nie Yifan arrived in front of a magnificent palace. They were greatly surprised and thought to themselves, "When we made our wish on the suspended platform, we felt that this palace seemed very small. But now, standing in front of it, we realize its grandeur. The senior of Qingxuan Sect, who created this magical space, is truly amazing!"

While Mu Xuyang, Ao Qing, and Nie Yifan were still amazed by the palace before them, a figure flew out from the palace gate and landed not far from them. This young man who emerged from the palace was named Mo Fulin. He had a moderate build, a slightly thin face, and was wearing a gray-brown robe with a faint earthy yellow glow.

The robe Mo Fulin wore was a low-grade magical tool with a certain defensive capability. If infused with mana, its defensive power would be enhanced, sufficient to withstand the attacks of anyone below the realm of magical power.

After steadying himself, Mo Fulin's gaze swept over Mu Xuyang, Nie Yifan, and Ao Qing. He stopped on Mu Xuyang, observing him from head to toe for a while, but couldn't figure out anything. He furrowed his brows slightly, gave up examining Mu Xuyang, and then looked at him, asking, "Are you Mu Xuyang, junior brother?"

"Yes, I am Mu Xuyang," Mu Xuyang replied with a smile and nodded.

"Master is waiting for you in the hall. Hurry inside," Mo Fulin said to Mu Xuyang. Then he looked at Ao Qing and Nie Yifan and said, "Both of you, follow me."

"Thank you," Mu Xuyang expressed his gratitude to Mo Fulin. After waving his hand to Ao Qing and Nie Yifan, he swiftly entered the palace gate.

Inside the grand hall, Mu Xuyang's sight was greeted by an immensely vast space. Directly facing the entrance was a golden humanoid statue towering at fifty zhang (approximately 150 meters). In front of the golden statue, there was an altar.

Below the altar is a round cushion.

At this moment, Zhong Xiaoyun was sitting cross-legged on the cushion, smiling as he watched Mu Xuyang enter the main hall.

Mu Xuyang walked up to Zhong Xiaoyun and respectfully bowed to him, saying, "Elder Zhong, it is truly a pleasure to see you again."

"Mmm." Zhong Xiaoyun nodded with satisfaction and smiled, saying, "Although you have taken Zhao Junming as your master, you didn't pay your respects before the ancestral master of Qingxuanmen, did you?"

"No, when I first met my master, I only performed a simple ceremony to pay my respects to him during our journey," Mu Xuyang truthfully replied.

"According to the rules of Qingxuanmen, one can only be considered a disciple of Qingxuanmen after performing the ceremony to pay respects before the ancestral master's portrait. From now on, you will be my sixth disciple. Come quickly and perform the ceremony to pay respects before the ancestral master," Zhong Xiaoyun said with a smile.

"Yes, Master." Mu Xuyang was both surprised and delighted to hear that Zhong Xiaoyun wanted to take him as his disciple. After responding with a smile, he asked, "Performing the ceremony to pay respects is a significant event, especially before the ancestral master's portrait. It requires extra caution. Are there any special rules?"

"First, perform the ceremony to pay respects to me, then light a stick of incense for the ancestral master," Zhong Xiaoyun replied.

"Okay." Upon learning that there were no special rules, Mu Xuyang knelt down before Zhong Xiaoyun, knocked his head three times, and performed a simple ceremony to pay respects to him.

After completing the ceremony, Mu Xuyang took three sticks of incense from Zhong Xiaoyun's hand and swiftly walked to the altar. He lit the incense and respectfully bowed three times to the portrait of the ancestral master of Qingxuanmen, then placed the incense in the censer.

Watching Mu Xuyang finish offering the incense, Zhong Xiaoyun walked to his side, supported his shoulder, and said with a smile, "The master opens the door, but cultivation depends on the individual. Even disciples taught by the same master will have different futures. Now, I want to tell you that true cultivation is not solely about practicing techniques, martial skills, and spells. Experience is also one of the most important aspects of cultivation. Have you ever left the Leiying Hall since you entered?"

"No, Master," Mu Xuyang truthfully replied.

"For now, I have nothing to teach you. Here is a tattered map for your experiences," Zhong Xiaoyun said, taking out a torn animal-skin scroll from his storage bag and handing it to Mu Xuyang.