A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 309 Mountain Gate
Duan Rong and his group of four stayed in Changliu Mountain, sleeping in the open air.

Although I studied the map before entering the mountain, I chose the mountain path closest to the mountain gate.

But in early spring, there was often heavy fog in Changliu Mountain, and several people often got lost at the forked mountain roads.

After three days of wandering around like this, they still hadn't reached the mountain gate.

Ximen Kankan sat on a large bluestone, catching his breath and looking carefully at the map in his hand.

Xiao Yu supported Shen Mizhi and sat not far away.

Xiao Yu asked, "What's wrong with you two? How many times have you taken the wrong path? You've been studying a map for so long, but you can't even figure out the way?"

Ximen Kankan ignored Xiao Yu. He frowned and looked at the map in his hand with a focused look.

Shen Mizhi chimed in, "Kankan, you were the one who pointed us in the wrong direction these few times. Look carefully before you point. If you point randomly, we will break our legs."

Shen Mizhi complained while pounding her calf.

Xiao Yu said: "That's it."

The two of them sang the same tune, which immediately annoyed Ximen Kankan. He threw the map in his hand and said, "You two have such big disagreements, how about you two take a look?"

Shen Mizhi lowered her head and pounded her legs. Xiao Yu turned her face away, pretending to look at the scenery over there.

They are the most directionally challenged.

In fact, the two of them only had a grudge against Ximen Kankan because it was Ximen Kankan who pointed out the wrong way along the way.

Duan Rong patted Ximen Kankan's shoulder and said, "Kankan, ignore them. Just watch your own thing. I believe in you."

When Ximen Kankan heard Duan Rong say this, his expression relaxed a little and he continued to look at the map in his hand.

Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi didn't know what was going on, but along the way, Duan Rong was very clear that they were able to avoid many detours and not get lost in such a foggy mountain, all because of Ximen Kankan.

Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi were right. Those few times when we took the wrong road, it was Ximen Kankan who pointed it out.

However, Duan Rong would only ask Ximen Kankan when he was unsure which way to go. Usually at this time, there was thick fog, and there were several hills in front of him, like a maze.

In the eyes of Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi, it was Ximen Kankan who gave the wrong directions four times, causing them to go back and forth.

But in Duan Rong's opinion, Ximen Kankan only pointed wrong four times, but he was right thirteen times, and his accuracy rate was close to 80%!

The fog was so thick and there were so many hills that it was impossible to tell which way to go.

But Ximen Kankan was able to see the clues from the comparison between the blurred mountains in the fog and the details on the map!

This is absolutely genius!

At this time, Duan Rong finally understood why Ximen Kankan was so successful in the casino. It was definitely not luck.

Ximen Kankan stood up and looked at the mountaintop covered in fog. He suddenly stopped his sight in a certain direction, looked at the map again, laughed, and said, "Duan Rong, we are almost there."

Duan Rong looked suspicious and asked, "Really?"

He also knew that according to the location marked on the map, they were not far from the sect's mountain gate, but after wandering around in the mountains, he was not sure whether he could go directly to the place that seemed very close.

Ximen Kankan nodded, pointed to a place on the map, and said, "Yes. After passing this small hill, just go down from here."

Duan Rong looked at the place where Ximen pointed at on the map, with an uncertain look in his eyes, but he still said, "Oh, let's go."

Duan Rong and Ximen Kankan walked towards a hilltop in the fog. Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi also stood up from the big bluestone and followed them.

Shen Mizhi whispered to Xiao Yu, "Sister Xiao, my legs hurt and I can't walk anymore. Why don't we wait for them here? Maybe they'll come back soon?"

Xiao Yu said, "Let's go. My legs hurt too. It will stop hurting if I walk for a while."

Shen Mizhi sighed, looked at Ximen Kankan not far ahead, and said, "Kankan, did you go the right way this time?"

Ximen Kankan said: "It must be correct."

Ximen Kankan was so confident all the way.

Xiao Yu said: "If he goes the wrong way again, I won't give him any dry food at noon."

When Ximen Kankan heard Xiao Yu's words, his face immediately turned sad.

When they entered the mountain, they bought some biscuits and dried meat, but they didn't expect that after walking for three days, they still hadn't reached the mountain gate.

Starting from noon of the second day, Xiao Yu gathered the biscuits and dried meat for them together and began to distribute them in fixed quantities.

Strangely enough, when they were walking in the mountains, they could often hear the sounds of tigers roaring and monkeys howling, but they did not encounter any wild beasts along the way.

In fact, this is related to the ban of Taiyi Sect.

Ordinary people are not allowed to enter the mountains, so those who can walk in the Changliu Mountains are almost all warriors.

Over thousands of years, the wild animals in the mountains have all known the horror of these hairless two-legged beasts. When they smell the scent of humans, they will hide away from them. In addition, it was early spring and the mountains were filled with fog, so visibility was poor. Therefore, the few people did not see a single wild animal along the way.

Several people jumped from a small hill along the bluestone and jumped into the valley below.

As soon as they fell into the valley, they were delighted because there were neat stone steps under their feet.

The few of them walked along the mountain paths that were all pristine and wild. It was the first time they saw such obvious man-made marks, which meant that they were not far from the mountain gate.

Duan Rong patted Ximen Kankan on the shoulder and said, "You have a sharp eye, boy!"

In this way, they jumped down from the top of the mountain to the middle of this half-valley road, which was obviously a shortcut. Ximen Kankan was able to take them through a shortcut in the heavy fog. He really had a sharp eye.

Ximen Kankan smiled and said, "Duan Rong, I tell you, I was also lucky. Half of it was because I found the way in, and the other half was because I encountered a cliff, just like the last few times. However, this is the same as being at the gambling table, if you dare to gamble, you have to be bold. If you go the wrong way, the worst that can happen is that you can just turn back."

Xiao Yu smiled and said, "Kan Kan did a good job this time. I'll give you an extra cake later."

Ximen Kankan said: "What bread?! I want to eat meat!"

Duan Rong looked at the stone steps in the mist and said, "Let's go! We should be there after crossing these stone steps in the canyon."

The few people wandered around in the mountains like headless flies for several days. When they saw that they were finally reaching their destination, they all felt relieved.

Several people climbed up along the stone steps in the valley.

After walking for several feet, they went around a large rock and the stone steps suddenly turned. After climbing up for a while, they saw a huge, towering stone gate in the mist. It was like the Gate of Heaven, and was dimly visible in the mist.

Duan Rong leaped up and stepped on the stone pillar beside the stone gate to the top. He suddenly jumped and held the top of the stone gate with one hand, hanging himself there. Duan Rong looked closely and saw three characters as big as people engraved on a large stone like iron hooks, which were wet by the mist. It was Taiyi Sect.

Duan Rong was delighted, and as soon as he loosened his grip, he floated down to the ground. He looked at his companions who were looking at him expectantly, and said, "It's the mountain gate of Taiyi Sect. We're here!"

Xiao Yu and Shen Mizhi looked at each other and happily held hands.

Several people passed through the mountain gate and continued to climb the stairs.

After taking a few steps, a figure suddenly flashed in the fog, and the stirred fog rolled.

A few people saw a dark figure not far away, who shouted in a deep voice: "Who are you? Why did you enter our mountain gate?"

Duan Rong's eyes flickered, and he said, "We are newly promoted registered disciples."

The dark shadow took a few steps forward and emerged from the mist. He was a thin young man in a Taoist robe with a sword tied around his waist.

The young man in Taoist robes glanced at Duan Rong and asked, "The sect's cloud certificate?"

Duan Rong took out the sect's cloud certificate from his inner pocket and handed it over. On the sect's cloud certificate, there was Duan Rong's basic information and a simple portrait of him. The young man in Taoist robe looked at the portrait in the sect's cloud certificate, looked at Duan Rong twice, then pulled the sect's cloud certificate to the back and glanced at the two seals at the end: one was the sect's seal, and the other was the seal of the Shenyun Mansion's government office.

The young man in Taoist robe closed the sect's cloud certificate and handed it back to Duan Rong. Then he glanced at the three people behind Duan Rong.

When Ximen Kankan, Xiao Yu and the others saw the man's look, they also prepared to take out their respective sect's cloud certificates.

"No need, you guys go up."

As soon as the young man in Taoist robe finished speaking, he leaped up and disappeared without a trace in the mist.

Duan Rong was the closest, and he couldn't see clearly which direction the young man ran away from.

Duan Rong thought to himself, "After all, this is a sect. A gatekeeper has such amazing Qinggong skills."

Several people continued to climb up the stone steps. They didn't know how long they had been climbing. The stone steps seemed to never end and kept appearing from the mist.

At this moment, a strong wind suddenly blew up, and the mountain mist rolled up. How magnificent!
As the fog dissipated, rays of golden light suddenly shot out from the gaps in the clouds, like a fairyland's aura.

The clouds and mist dispersed with the wind, and the golden light gradually expanded. After a while, a golden sun could be seen hanging in the clouds, shining directly into people's eyes.

Several people were dazzled for a moment, and when they looked carefully, they found that the end of the stone steps was not far away. They immediately ran madly and stepped onto the last stone step.

Above the stone steps is a huge open platform.

Four people were on it, like four ants.

There was nothing on the big platform except a towering rock, like a mountain, standing on the edge of the cliff, with four large characters engraved on it in gold powder: Tai Yi Sheng Shui.

The brushstrokes are majestic and varied!
Several people were still staring at the boulder in a daze, stunned by its majestic grandeur. The sunlight shone on the gold powder, and the four big words "Tai Yi Sheng Shui" were shining brightly.

At this moment, eight figures suddenly flashed out from different directions, with swords drawn in their hands, surrounding Duan Rong and the others.

"Who are you? Why are you climbing the mountain?"

Among these eight people, one of them looked a little older. He looked Duan Rong and the others up and down and asked in a deep voice.

At this time, without the fog obscuring them, Duan Rong could see all of them clearly. Each of them wore a crown and had a dignified bearing, and they were all about the same height.

Duan Rong sighed in his heart: After all, he is the one guarding the mountain gate and the face of the sect.

Duan Rong smiled and said, "My fellow brothers, the four of us are newly promoted registered disciples. We were late for a few days due to some reasons. This is our sect's cloud certificate."

When the man saw the sect certificate handed over by Duan Rong, he put away his sword and checked the sect certificates of the four of them one by one. Then he waved his hand.

As that person waved his hand, sword shadows flashed, and the remaining seven people also sheathed the cold swords in their hands.

The man said, "You guys go ahead." He raised his hand and pointed in a direction, saying, "Registered disciples, report to the lower courtyard."

After he finished speaking, he leaped up like a crane soaring into the sky, and with a flicker, he disappeared.

The rest of the people disappeared almost at the same time.

This time there was no fog obscuring the view. Duan Rong and his companions only saw a few people leaping upwards from in front of them. When they looked up, they were gone.

Duan Rong and others were amazed.

"So fast!?"

They walked in the direction the man pointed, and when they reached the edge of the large platform, they saw two stone steps leading downwards.

Duan Rong glanced at Xiao Yu beside him and asked, "Which one did that person just point to?"

Xiao Yu blinked his eyes, thought for a moment and said, "It seems to be this side."

Xiao Yu felt that the location that the man had just pointed to should be closer to the stone steps on this side.

"Let's go." Duan Rong and the others walked down the stone steps over there.

Just after taking two steps, a figure suddenly appeared on the large bluestone beside him and said coldly, "Go that way! This way is to the Judgment Bureau of Zongzheng."

When they heard the sound, they turned around and saw a shadow flashing above the big bluestone, and then it was empty. They turned back to the platform and walked down another stone staircase.

Behind the large bluestone, a young man in a Taoist robe and wearing a crown and tied his hair came over with a grin and said to the man who had just called out to Duan Rong and the others, "What's going on? Did those young fools almost run to the Judgment Bureau?"

The man laughed and said, "The King of Hell has gone there, and everyone is trembling. They really dare to leave."

Duan Rong and his companions walked down the stone steps and saw lush vegetation on both sides of the steps, which was quite quiet and peaceful.

At this moment, Duan Rong suddenly felt a powerful spiritual sense sweeping over them.

Duan Rong shuddered and paused slightly.

He turned his head and saw Xiao Yu and the others, still with faint expectant smiles on their faces, walking briskly, completely unaware.

Duan Rong followed immediately, but his mind was in turmoil.

At that moment just now, it was not an illusion. Although the feeling was extremely subtle, the three stars in his sea of consciousness trembled together.

It should be an extremely powerful divine sense that swept past.

Duan Rong walked and thought. After all, he was now in the sect, and was definitely not still in that remote, desolate Xiangu County.

He was shrouded in the spiritual awareness in the Taizang Sutra and tried to use it as little as possible. In this sect full of experts, he would be exposed if he was not careful.

This is the mountain gate of Taiyi Sect, not Xiangu County.

Just as Duan Rong and the others were standing on a large rock in the dense forest not far away, an old man with a bald head and thinning hair was lying on his side with his chest bare. He was holding a wine gourd high, and the wine was flowing into his mouth like a thread. He smacked his lips and drank it slowly.

He had already drunk quite a bit, and his face had already turned red. At this moment, the old man suddenly frowned and almost choked on the wine.

The old man took away the wine gourd and looked at a certain place through the dense forest. If someone looked down from a high altitude at this moment, they would see that the direction the old man was looking at was exactly where Duan Rong and the others were.

There was a look of contemplation in the old man's eyes. The moment his spiritual sense swept over, a young man paused for a moment, and then returned to normal in an instant.

"Is it a coincidence?"

Maybe the boy was just thinking about something else and suddenly paused.

The old man's spiritual awareness was too powerful, and he had just released it without any scruples, which irritated Duan Rong.

If he had suppressed the strength of his spiritual consciousness a little bit just now, Duan Rong, who was at the third level of the Taizang Sutra, would not have been able to discover it at all.

Just as the old man was thinking with a frown on his face, a figure suddenly appeared beside him. It was a middle-aged man in a green shirt.

The man looked at the old man, smiled, and said, "What's going on? Old Zhao! Are you here again, using your spiritual sense to spy on the female disciples?"

"Pah!" The old man spat on the ground and said, "Stop slandering me!"

The middle-aged man glanced at a certain spot in the dense forest and said, "I think you just don't learn your lesson! Was Yang Sixuan's punishment light last time he was judged by the Zongzhengsi?"

The old man's face was full of impatience, and he said, "If you have something to say, say it. If not, get out!"

"The Sect Master is looking for you!"

"Why didn't you say it earlier? You're so nagging!" After the old man finished speaking, he wrapped up the torn Taoist robe that exposed his chest, tightened his belt, leaped up, and disappeared from the dense forest.

The middle-aged man shook his head slightly, and disappeared from there with a flash of his body.

(End of this chapter)