The sudden decision of Elder Gu Zhixian surprised everyone; even the sect master had not expected this to happen.
In previous years, Elder Gu rarely took disciples except in special cases.
The Elder of the Thunder Peak looked at Elder Gu in anger. "Gu Zhixian, are you deliberately doing this to oppose me?"
Elder Gu sneered coldly. "How can you think that, Elder Li Dong? I'm simply interested in this disciple and want to accept him. Is there a problem? Or don't tell me you were planning to take him yourself."
The last words carried a trace of mockery. Elder of Thunder Peak snorted coldly and ignored him, folding his arms.
Zhang Yong looked at Elder Gu with a hint of mystery—not that he didn't trust him, but intervening now could only mean one thing: a test.
The elder was testing Zhang Yong—or rather, testing his character. He knew Zhang Yong's dantian was broken and his lifespan was short
Thus, he had anticipated this reaction from the two elders given their personalities, using them as tools to see more of Zhang Yong's true nature and how he would act in a situation where the odds were against him, before attempting to take him as a disciple.
Zhang Yong nodded and raised his hands in salute. "I thank Elder Gu for choosing me, and I also apologize to the Sect Master for the previous incident."
With a single leap, Zhang Yong rose and landed on one knee before Elder Gu. "Disciple Zhang Yong greets Master."
Elder Gu approached and held Zhang Yong's arms. "You may stand. From now on, you are my disciple, and your affairs are my affairs."
Zhang Yong showed a grateful smile and then greeted the two disciples behind Elder Gu. "Greetings, senior brother and sister."
A young man with long black hair in a black robe stepped forward. "Welcome, junior brother. You can call me Wang Fei, and i assume you already know Sister Liu Yan."
Zhang Yong stood beside them, still watching the scene.
The Sect Master sighed and returned to his seat. Throughout his reign, he had resolved many disputes between elders, but this was the first time a conflict had reached such a state.
In his heart, he already knew both elders were in the wrong. But if he punished them too harshly, who would their anger fall upon?
It would all fall on Zhang Yong. That's why the Sect Master decided to postpone the punishment, not carrying it out immediately, so that the incident would serve as a lesson for the outer disciples
Otherwise, this problem could arise again in the next test. He chose to show a mix of leniency and firmness to reduce damage on all sides.
The Sect Master cleared his throat and announced, "We will now resume the acceptance ceremony."
Su Ming, ranked second, stepped forward—just as the Elder of the Sword Peak raised his hand. "Then I will take the boy—"
Su Ming immediately interrupted. "Elder Gu, in fact, I have a letter from my teacher."
He took out a paper and handed it to Elder Gu. After reading it, the elder's expression changed, and a smile appeared on his old face. "Truly, that fool never changes. Very well, I'll take you as my disciple."
Su Ming also leapt forward and knelt on one knee. "Greetings, Master."
Elder Gu nodded, then turned to the other elders. "Alright, my work here is done. I'll be going. Sect Master, I request permission to leave."
The Sect Master nodded. "You may."
Liu Yan took out a yellow talisman from her sleeve and tossed it into the air. In an instant, a massive sword formed.
The five of them stepped onto the sword, but Zhang Yong paused and turned toward the two elders.
He raised his hand toward them. "Elders of Thunder Peak and Sword Peak, you have my promise that I will make your heads roll on the ground." He quickly extended his thumb and flipped it downward, signaling the fall of their heads.
It was not easy to say whether the elders would back down upon hearing this. They restrained themselves for now in front of the Sect Master, but inside, their anger boiled.
Zhang Yong turned and boarded the sword with the others. The sword soared into the sky and flew away.
Liu Yan sighed deeply. "It seems Master has accepted a hot-headed disciple."
Zhang Yong smiled calmly at this remark. "If I let anyone insult me as they please, then I'm no man. And I meant what I said—I will make their heads fall to the ground."
Liu Yan let out a light laugh upon hearing that, "A man with self-esteem and confidence, I like that, you naughty little brother."
Elder Gu Zhixian's face was slightly grim. "It's good to have your own pride, but after all, they are elders of the sect. They won't touch you for now, at least. Use this time to increase your strength."
Despite his expression, his tone carried sincere advice, making Zhang Yong think 'It seems Master has already prepared a plan for me'
Wang Fei turned and smiled. "With you both accepted, our peak's numbers have grown. Even though we're one of the four inner peaks, we don't have many disciples. Before you,Before you we already had four disciples. Now, with you two, we are six in total."
Su Ming asked eagerly, "Who are the other senior brothers and sisters?"
Wang Fei turned, trying to dodge the question. "Oh, what a nice day." He wore a fake smile.
Elder Gu chuckled lightly. "Just tell them; there's no need to hide it."
Liu Yan sighed. "One of them is my sister, and the other is just a foolish womanizer."
The way she said it made the situation almost comical. Su Ming and Zhang Yong didn't know whether to laugh or feel awkward.
Upon arriving at the peak, the sword landed on the rooftop. Zhang Yong jumped down but felt as if he had stepped on something soft. Looking down, he saw a body lying on the ground. He immediately jumped back. "Damn, there's a corpse here!"
Suddenly, the body moved and began to stand. "That's rude. Apologize to me now or—"
He froze, then glanced at the group. "Oh, Master is back. Where have you all been?"
Liu Yan glared at him with disgust and anger. "Qing Feng! You're disgracing us in front of the Master's new disciples."
The man's eyes lit up, and he placed a hand on Zhang Yong's shoulder. "That means you're my junior brothers. Welcome to our peak."
From his breath, Zhang Yong could smell a strong scent of alcohol. The man wore a yellow robe, with green eyes like jade and silky blond hair.
The name Liu Yan had spoken made Zhang Yong recall her earlier words, so he assumed this man was trouble—but who was he to judge?
Zhang Yong and Su Ming raised their hands in greeting. "Greetings, Senior Brother."
"My name is Zhang Yong."
"I am Su Ming."
Qing Feng nodded. "Good, good, you're decent juniors… Wait, your surname is Su? Could it be you're the son of General Su?"
The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, the air thick. Su Ming's expression darkened. "Yes, he is my father."
Qing Feng caught his chin and nodded proudly. "Ho, that's great. General Su's reputation is well known as one of the empire's outstanding military leaders."
Su Ming suddenly said, "Ah, excuse me, senior brothers and sister, I'll go arrange my quarters."
With that, he gave a slight bow and left. Qing Feng stared blankly, unable to read the mood. "What's up with him?"
He immediately received a punch in the stomach from Liu Yan. "You really are an idiot. You know exactly what happened, yet you still ask."
Zhang Yong turned to Wang Fei. "What's the matter with Sister Liu Yan?"
Wang Fei gestured. "Well, as you see, there's been news for years that the only son of the Su family ran away from home. But no one knows where he went. Liu Yan comes from a golden family like Su Ming—her family is the Liu clan, one of the five golden families—so she can understand the pressure he's under."
"The five golden families?" Zhang Yong's eyes lit with slight understanding. "Wait, Su Ming told me he was the son of a general, but he didn't say his family was one of the five golden families."
After living in this world for a while, Zhang Yong understood what that meant.
The five golden families—in this world, families are ranked into three tiers: bronze, silver, and gold. Across the entire empire, there are hundreds of bronze families, dozens of silver families, and above them, the five golden families—those who had stood alongside the first emperor in founding the empire at its very beginning.
Elder Gu spoke slowly. "Indeed. In truth, the Liu and Su families are both ancient houses. That boy Su probably thought you'd treat him differently once you knew this."
Zhang Yong crossed his arms. "That's a foolish reason. Why would I treat him differently? Whether he's from the Su family or not, it changes nothing."
A smile appeared on Elder Gu's face as he began walking away. "Zhang Yong, after you settle into your quarters, come to me."
Zhang Yong nodded. "Yes, Master." Then he turned to the others. "Well, senior brothers and sister, I'll take my leave."
Zhang Yong left and began to think deeply. 'Hah, I never thought I'd one day have a master. I still remember when Title Douluo tried to take me as his disciple, but I refused. And now, I've taken a master'
Until now, Zhang Yong had never taken a master—not because he didn't want to, but because he didn't need one. A master could offer help and advice, but in the Shrek Academy, even without a master, he could receive the same treatment. He simply had no real need for one. Perhaps if someone had the same martial soul as him, he might have considered it—but douluo Continent was filled with different martial souls, and the chance of finding such a person was extremely low.
Upon arriving at his quarters, he found a room made of old wood. Opening the door, he was met with the stench of mold. "Ugh, this is disgusting. Time for some cleaning."
He entered and locked the door behind him. Sounds of banging, scrubbing, and dragging echoed inside. After about half an hour, he stepped out and inhaled deeply. "Phew, okay, this isn't too bad now. Some of the wood is still withered and old, and the floor is a bit worn, but at least the mold smell is gone. Some renovations will still be needed, but I'll leave that for another day."
He clapped his hands to shake off the dust and walked toward Elder Gu's quarters. Knocking softly, the door slid open, and Elder Gu stepped out.
"Have you settled in already?"
Zhang Yong nodded in reply. "Yes, thank you for your concern, Master."
Elder Gu chuckled lightly. "Follow me."
Zhang Yong walked quietly behind his master, his pace neither too fast nor too slow.
"Do you know why I chose you despite knowing your dantian is broken?"
Zhang Yong shook his head in confusion. "No."
The master smiled and kept walking. "I know the five elements reside within your body, along with two special constitutions."
Zhang Yong was shocked when he heard this. The master had seen through him completely.
The master continued, "Do you have any questions about the laws?"
Zhang Yong nodded calmly. "In fact, Master, I feel I've reached a bottleneck in my Laws of Ice and Fire. I've reached the third level in both but cannot progress further, and I've also reached the first level of the Law of Darkness."
"As for the Ice and Fire Laws, that's normal," the teacher replied. "You've reached the peak of the lower stage of the laws, so moving to the middle stage will take time. What you've achieved is already the best in your generation considering you still only 15 , May I ask, what physiques do you possess?"
Zhang Yong smiled and saw no harm in telling him. "I have the Alchemical Ice and Fire physiques, as well as the Life and Death physiques"
The elder's eyes gleamed with shock, but he kept his composure. "This is truly unbelievable — two constitutions, each containing two laws. No wonder your progress with the laws is so fast. I can even say you obtained these physiques rather than being born with them."
Zhang Yong listened quietly. "What does the physiques have to do with this?"
The teacher smiled. "In this world, everything has its inherent laws. Sometimes, certain people are born with a natural understanding of a specific law — what we call heavenly physique or sacred bodies. These are categorized based on the type of law within the body. You must know of the Life and Death Laws; they are among the highest laws in the world and extremely difficult to comprehend. Consequently, all laws equal to them are slightly easier to grasp, and those lower are even easier. Haven't you noticed that your progress with the Ice and Fire Laws has been swift, but on the other hand, the Darkness Law — which is on the same level as Life and Death — took you much longer to understand?"
"I understand what you're getting at," Zhang Yong replied quietly.
The teacher waved his hand and explained, "But even with this physiques, you still cannot learn even the first level of the Life Law or Death Law. The power of laws is the fundamental force and original source of all power in the universe. By understanding the laws of the universe, you can understand the universe itself. Look around you — laws are everywhere; everything contains a law.
"What seems simple doesn't necessarily mean it is; it may instead signify something deeper.
"Each law is made up of smaller laws, much like Water drops that accumulate in the bucket and fill it coming together to form a law. Some higher laws give rise to smaller ones, and smaller laws can sometimes form the strongest laws. Humanity's classification of laws is arbitrary — sub-laws can be stronger than elemental laws at times. There is no true hierarchy; all laws are important and all have a role in life.
"The Life and Death Laws are different. You can find life everywhere and death everywhere. But if you ask someone what life is, each person will give a different answer based on their own experience — making it seem as if the Life Law has no shape. Understanding laws means observing and comprehending them, but how can you understand that which has no shape? You'd be like a blind person trying to describe a world he has never seen."
Zhang Yong looked at his hands for a moment. "I understand, teacher. Then I should strengthen my foundations in the Five Elemental Laws before stepping into the next stage."
Elder Gu smiled, pleased to have accepted such a student. "There is a realm above the Emperor stage. I realized this after some time, but no one has ever reached it. That realm is the pinnacle of power in this world. It has remained shrouded in mist, making me think that perhaps to reach it, one must sacrifice a lot of things , maybe going even far beyond the fruit of the paths— the truth. Unfortunately, I was arrogant and reckless in my youth, and as a result, I failed. I was left injured, but it was a blessing in disguise, as I reached a new understanding. Still, even if I understood the laws to their peak, I could not advance to that stage."
A look of dissatisfaction appeared on Zhang Yong's face. "That's not fair, teacher. If that's the case, why didn't you try to find a cure? Perhaps you could have reached that stage."he didn't want to make his master lose hope
Gu zhixian shook his head in resignation. "Unfortunately, there is no such cure in this era. Perhaps my case is as bad as a broken energy core — even if I were healed, I am nearing the end of my life. But you… you are still young. My hope is to pass on everything I've learned to you and my other students."
Zhang Yong sighed. "But master, even if I learn the laws, I can't use them directly."
"Laws aren't only for direct combat. Take these two books." The teacher tossed two books to Zhang Yong, who caught them. The first was titled The Art of Arrays and the second, The Art of Talismans.
Zhang Yong opened the first and saw it contained information on arrays — their types and methods of creation, and the shock...The book was thick.
The teacher spoke. "In these two books is the culmination of my life's research into arrays and talismans. Train in them under my supervision, and I will continue teaching you about the laws."
To understand the universe fully, one must fully understand its laws — something extremely difficult for mere humans.
Sacred bodies are precious existences; they enhance one's comprehension of that particular law.
But here lies the flaw of innate sacred bodies — those born with a body containing a certain law can only comprehend that law.
Zhang Yong's case, however, was different. He had not been born with the Life and Death physiques — he had acquired it , which means he wasn't bound by the same restrictions, but this also meant that if he met the innate life and death innate sacred body, he would naturally be defeated by it.
With the teacher's explanation, Zhang Yong discovered the issue with the fourth level of the laws. The fourth level of elemental laws was different — it was called the Manifestation Level, a stage all elemental laws shared as their fourth level. It meant breathing life into the law itself, making it almost like a living law.
When laws reached an extremely high level, they could be fused together — even laws of entirely different types could be merged , and that was understandable since a lot of paths had two oppsite laws
After that, the teacher gave Zhang Yong some advice on the arts of arrays and talismans.
After a while, the teacher finished instructing Zhang Yong and answering his questions. Zhang Yong stood and asked, "Teacher, it is said that the art of arrays requires flags, and I've encountered an array before. But what kind of flags are these?"
The teacher hummed softly. "Flags are a necessary component for an array. They are made from special materials. Ordinary flags require money, but those infused with a law cost far more — and here lies the benefit of your comprehension of many laws since you can put the laws in them"
"I understand, then I have a personal question, Master. You've seen me and know my personality and actions aren't the best. Why did you still accept me?"
The teacher sighed slightly, a trace of sadness in his tone. "Because in this world, there's not much difference between good and evil — both serve to fulfill a desire in someone. All great figures ascended the throne of power through their ability to commit evil. I'm not against killing, but I have one piece of advice for you: never kill an innocent person. That feeling is worse than the killing itself."
Zhang Yong's eyes widened as a complicated emotion welled up inside him. "Thank you for guiding me, teacher."
Elder Gu waved his hand. "You may leave. If you have any questions about talismans, you can ask Liu Yan. And don't worry about the other elders — as long as I live, I won't allow them to touch you."
Zhang Yong nodded and turned to leave, heading back to his residence for some rest.