Shi Hao’s face darkened, his heart churning with bitterness. To be lured into such a place—he truly wanted to bang his head against a wall in shame. It was utterly humiliating.
If word ever got out, he’d be scorned by thousands, spat upon by the masses. He could already picture the scene—wherever he went, people would be calling for his head.
Now he remembered why Qi Daolin had asked if he’d heard of his name. That old man had a guilty conscience himself!
“Heh, what a rare sight—someone actually joining this sect. Even the sect master Qi Daolin ran off years ago and hasn’t been seen since. Yet here’s someone claiming to be his disciple.”
“You must be one of those who failed to get into our Celestial Immortal Academy, right?” Senior Brother Liu said, tilting his chin up with an air of superiority. After all, only the elites of various clans could enter the academy.
In his eyes, those who failed were naturally losers, not even on the same level.
Lu Ming chuckled as well. A newly ascended genius, he had just joined the Celestial Immortal Academy not long ago. As a direct descendant of the Five-Colored Deer Clan, he was both powerful and arrogant. With a restrained smile, he said, “If you failed, you can always try again next year. Who knows, you might even become my junior brother. But to end up in this shabby little sect—are you just squatting here temporarily?”
The others laughed too, their gazes strange as they looked at Shi Hao.
Shi Hao felt embarrassed—not because of them, but because of Qi Daolin. That old bastard had tricked him so badly! He’d thought the Supreme Dao Field was something extraordinary!
“Work hard. I believe in you. Maybe next year you’ll really become our junior brother?” A girl of about sixteen or seventeen spoke up, proud as a peacock spreading its tail.
Shi Hao was thoroughly displeased. He had clearly passed the Celestial Immortal Academy’s most difficult trial, climbed the Heavenly Staircase—yet now he was being looked down upon by its disciples as some kind of failure.
“Enough. Get lost. Don’t disturb me, and don’t wander around my Supreme Dao Field,” Shi Hao said, his face dark.
“Oho, someone’s got a temper!” Lu Ming teased, his five-colored antlers glowing.
Many burst into laughter, their disdain palpable.
“By the way, this place used to have grand structures. How did they collapse?” someone asked.
The crowd immediately shifted their attention, no longer looking at Shi Hao, and focused on the question.
“Think about it. Qi Daolin was so detestable, his infamy unmatched. He committed too many atrocities. At one point, this mountain range was golden, filled with jade towers and palaces—all stolen or seized from major sects. How could that not end in disaster?” Senior Brother Liu explained.
“In the end, the experts of those sects united to hunt him down. How could they tolerate their own sect’s signature buildings being displayed here? It was too shameful. So they destroyed everything rather than let him flaunt it. That’s why it’s all ruins now,” a senior sister added.
“But I heard Qi Daolin was exceptionally talented, his aptitude rare in the world?” Jing Xiaorou interjected.
“Hmph, that man was indeed formidable despite his infamy. Otherwise, how could he have infiltrated over a dozen major sects as a core disciple and stolen their techniques?”
“Why would he do that? What was the point?” someone asked, puzzled.
“First, because he was a martial fanatic, wanting to fuse the bone texts of a hundred schools to create the ultimate divine art. Second, he had a personal grudge—he wanted to restore a certain forbidden ancient sect,” Senior Brother Liu said, his expression slightly odd.
“What sect could be worth all that?” someone gasped.
“No one knows. Rumor has it that sect had pitifully few members, but their power was unimaginable,” a senior sister said.
Senior Brother Liu added, “It’s said that during the transition of leadership, Qi Daolin was chosen as the successor. But just then, enemies attacked. The old sect master made a decision—he sent Qi Daolin away to save his life.”
“There’s a rumor that the enemies who besieged that sect were so terrifying, you wouldn’t believe it,” another senior brother whispered.
“Who were they?”
“They say the most ancient figure from the Immortal Palace awoke from his slumber since the Primordial Era and invited several other supreme beings to join the assault.”
“Hiss—” The crowd gasped. The Immortal Palace? A place with fewer than five members, yet it dominated the world, its might shaking the ages.
“Shh, let’s not dwell on these old tales. Careful what you say,” a senior brother warned, fearing trouble.
Senior Brother Liu continued, “After Qi Daolin was sent away, he tried to find his sect’s legacy but found nothing. So he stole from a hundred schools to strengthen himself.”
“Understandable,” Jing Xiaorou said.
“Hey, junior sister, don’t sympathize with him! Sure, he had a tragic youth, but look what he did later—detestable, infamous!” Senior Brother Liu emphasized.
“By the way, see that patch of green over there? That’s copper rust,” someone pointed to a mountain peak.
“Qi Daolin once stole a copper house from the Immortal Palace and used it as an outhouse.”
The crowd was stunned, further realizing just how vindictive and eccentric this sect master was.
Rumors said that if not for the two ancient, unfathomably powerful figures in the Immortal Palace, Qi Daolin would have sought revenge long ago.
Shi Hao pondered in silence.
“Huh, you’re listening intently. Still guarding this shabby mountain? Train hard—maybe next year you’ll have a chance to join our academy,” someone said condescendingly.
“All of you, scram. Get lost. You’re annoying me,” Shi Hao waved them off.
“You’re not seriously planning to stay as a disciple here, are you?” Lu Ming sneered.
Senior Brother Liu seemed to recall something. “Thousands of years ago, Qi Daolin did reappear here on a whim and took in some disciples. But in the end…”
“What happened?” the crowd pressed.
“In the end, disciples from other sects beat them up. Those disciples all abandoned the Supreme Dao Field and never showed their faces again. It was tragic,” Senior Brother Liu said, giving Shi Hao a meaningful look.
“I heard those weren’t actually taught by Qi Daolin, just people who stumbled upon some of his leftover legacies.”
“Wrong. Two of them were personally taught by him. They got beaten so badly they fled and never returned.”
…
Listening to their chatter, Shi Hao sensed there was more to the story from thousands of years ago.
“Brother, did you find some legacy here?” someone asked, eyes gleaming as they looked at him.
Shi Hao wasn’t focused on them. Instead, he wondered—if he traveled the world under the banner of the Supreme Dao Field, would he end up like those two senior brothers, hunted by disciples of other sects?
But could it really be worse than exposing his true identity?
“Over the millennia, many have come here seeking opportunities, claiming to be disciples of this sect to occupy the mountain. They all got beaten badly,” Senior Brother Liu said.
“Heh heh…” A few senior students smirked ominously at Shi Hao.
“Laugh all you want. Get lost. This is my dao field,” Shi Hao said.
“Oho, such a temper! Since you claim to be a disciple of the Supreme Dao Field, let’s follow the old tradition!” Senior Brother Liu declared.
“What tradition?” Lu Ming perked up eagerly.
“We deal with him, make him flee like his predecessors!”
Someone added, “If word spreads, disciples from all sects will come!”
“Watch me!” Lu Ming struck, his five-colored antlers glowing as bone texts shot forth.
But to everyone’s shock, with a crisp snap, one of his antlers broke off—now in Shi Hao’s hand.
“I’ve been exhausted lately. How thoughtful of you to gift me some deer antler for nourishment,” Shi Hao said, growing more irritated the more secrets he heard.
**Bam!**
The next moment, Lu Ming went flying, tumbling down the mountain.
The crowd was stunned. Was this guy a Primordial? Too terrifying! Even if Lu Ming was just a freshman, being one-shot like this was unimaginable.
Senior Brother Liu paled and turned to leave.
**Whoosh!**
Shi Hao shot forward like an arrow, grabbing him by the neck. “A willow spirit?”
With a sigh—out of respect for his kinship with the Willow Deity—Shi Hao didn’t harm him, just slapped him away to the foot of the mountain.
Senior Brother Liu shuddered. What kind of monster was this? Handling him like a chick!
“You’re from the Golden Luan Clan?” Shi Hao locked onto his next target, unceremoniously carving out a chunk of golden meat from its leg. Given its massive size, it wasn’t a crippling injury.
Then he eyed another. “You’re a flood dragon? Leave some meat behind, then scram.”
The crowd was dumbfounded, especially the freshmen. They’d entered the Celestial Immortal Academy with grand dreams, only to be crushed by some kid from a shabby little sect.
Wasn’t this supposed to be an infamous, weak sect? How was this kid so strong?!
And he was treating them like ingredients, eyeing them as food! Terrifying!
“Run! Report to the academy’s experts—this cursed sect is rearing another villain!” someone shouted.
**Boom!**
Shi Hao struck, knocking the crowd flat. He inspected them one by one, harvesting ingredients. Screams of terror filled the air.
“Senior brothers lied! This is a terrifying sect!”
“Junior brother, this place is indeed infamous, but we never said it was weak. Back then, it took disciples from multiple sects working together to cripple and drive out its members,” a senior brother explained.
In the end, everyone except Jing Xiaorou was relieved of some “ingredients” before rolling down the mountain, howling.
“Since you didn’t look down on the Supreme Dao Field, you can go,” Shi Hao waved at her.
“You… what’s your name?” Jing Xiaorou asked, pale-faced. This guy seemed even more eccentric and terrifying than the legendary Qi Daolin—not calling for blood, but for food, treating them all as ingredients.
“Supreme Dao Field… Head Disciple,” Shi Hao declared.
Finally, peace returned. Shi Hao’s gloom lifted as he happily lit a fire, washing the deer antler, luan meat, flood dragon whiskers, and other ingredients before stewing them together.
“This is mixed stew—great nourishment,” he mused, waiting for the feast to cook.
Silently, Qi Daolin appeared, nodding. “Not bad. You’re much better than your two senior brothers—no hesitation. Don’t hold back. Strike when needed.”
Shi Hao stiffened. The deception and the rumors about the Supreme Dao Field had left him fuming.
“Don’t sulk. Countless people beg me to teach them. You should be grateful,” Qi Daolin said, shamelessly picking delicacies from the pot.
“As a disciple of the Supreme Dao Field, I’ll be like a rat in the streets—everyone will want to beat me!” Shi Hao protested.
“No need to go out. They’ll come to you. Whatever creatures you crave, all kinds will appear—some even carrying sacred herbs or rare treasures. Take whatever you want,” Qi Daolin said irresponsibly.
“You—” Shi Hao had no retort. Finally, he whispered, “What if I eat some fierce beasts, beat them until they howl, and their sects come after me?”
“That’s what I’m here for. As long as I roam free, no one dares touch my disciples. I’ll wipe out their entire sects!” Qi Daolin declared domineeringly.
Shi Hao stared at him. The old man looked sage-like, but he was more like a hardened rogue.
“You sure? Like, if I stroll into the Celestial Immortal Academy, their elders won’t come after me?”
Qi Daolin waved a hand. “I just returned from there. They owe me. They’ve agreed—you’re officially a disciple of the Supreme Dao Field now. No one will touch you.”
Soon, Qi Daolin regretted his words. The kid was trouble!
Because before anyone could come to him, Shi Hao took the initiative—posting a sign at the academy’s entrance, offering paid services.
He’d fight anyone for a fee—beating up juniors or thrashing seniors, no problem, as long as the price was right.
“You little brat, get back here!” Qi Daolin’s teeth ached.
Though Shi Hao left the academy’s gates, the commotion had already spread.
“Are you defying me?” Qi Daolin glared.
“No! I just wanted to sneak in. I need the Tribulation Transcendence Lotus,” Shi Hao said guiltily.
“Nonsense! You’re testing me!” Qi Daolin scowled, then relented. “Fine, take this. Find a way into the divine pool. And while you’re at it, carry your dao partner back.”
“What?” Shi Hao stared blankly at the black metal token in his hand.
“This is from the Celestial Immortal Academy. With it, you can enter the divine pool unimpeded.”
Shi Hao eyed him suspiciously, as if he’d just been handed a trap.
“Scram! Go already!” Qi Daolin roared.
And so, Shi Hao set off for the Celestial Immortal Academy!
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