A Mortal's Journey to Immortality

Inside the Weapon Hall of the Armory, the walls were covered with all kinds of weapons, and a burly man paced back and forth.

Beside him sat a long-faced old man, holding a teacup, looking impatient.

"Hey kid, it's just a blacksmith apprentice, no need to get so worked up."

Yuan Tianjun, the steward of the Weaponry Pavilion, gave a wry smile upon hearing the old man's words.

"Elder Ma, what worries me isn't this young boy, but the Sect Master himself. He's decreed that, starting with this boy, we must completely change the old prejudices that the new disciples of the Green Bamboo Sect hold against our Weapon Pavilion!"

"But how can I change this? I really don't know where to begin!"

Elder Ma leaned back in his armchair, seemingly oblivious to Yuan Tianjun's words, while the tea in his cup dwindled.

Upon seeing this, Yuan Tianjun quickly poured tea and water for him. His burly arms stood out starkly against the exquisite tea set.

"Elder Ma, please don't just drink your tea. I invited you here to give me some advice."

Hearing the complaint in Yuan Tianjun's tone, the old man wasn't in a hurry. He slowly put down his teacup.

"You bunch of blacksmiths, all muscle and bones, even your heads are made of iron."

"For the sake of your Jade Fragrance, I'll teach you a lesson."

Elder Ma beckoned to Yuan Tianjun with a mysterious expression, gesturing for him to come closer.

"Keep it as it is, use this as bait, and slowly fish for it. You do it like this for now..."

Elder Ma was afraid that Yuan Tianjun wouldn't understand, so he explained it in detail several times. Yuan Tianjun nodded as if he understood, as if he had grasped the key to it.

Then he saw the old man pick up the exquisite teapot on the table, get up and leave the main hall. As he left, he didn't forget to take the jade incense from the table with him.

Yuan Tianjun shook his head with a pained expression, watching Elder Ma walk out of the weapons pavilion.

......

Zhou Ping stood nervously in the main hall of the Weapon Pavilion, carefully observing everything around him.

The weapons came into view, some familiar, some strange.

He felt familiar with these weapons because he and his father had all forged them; yet, they were strange to see displayed in this bright hall, giving him a sense of disorientation.

"So you're the new page, Zhou Ping?"

A detached voice interrupted Zhou Ping's thoughts. He looked up and saw a tall man standing next to the armchair in front of him.

The newcomer was Yuan Tianjun, the steward of the Weapon Pavilion. However, the anxious look he had just shown was completely gone, and now his face was calm.

Zhou Ping naturally knew that the person in charge of the Weaponry Pavilion had arrived. He nodded slightly.

"This disciple is indeed correct!"

Yuan Tianjun looked him up and down, a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

He hadn't seen a new recruit in the weapons shop for seven or eight years, and he was starting to wonder if the kid really had something wrong with his head.

Why did you insist on coming in when you could have just asked around?

He didn't understand, he really didn't understand, but remembering the Sect Master's words, he straightened his clothes and said with a dignified expression,

"I am Yuan Tianjun, a steward of the Weapon Pavilion. Your future tasks and responsibilities will be arranged by me. You don't need to take the rumors about our Weapon Pavilion seriously. Just do as I, the steward, tell you."

Do you understand?

"Disciple understands; I will follow Deacon Yuan's arrangements in everything!"

A resolute look appeared on Zhou Ping's still somewhat immature face; he was already prepared to endure hardship.

Yuan Tianjun's expression softened as he looked at the serious-looking young man in front of him.

"Not bad, quite impressive for such a young age!"

"Starting tomorrow, you only need to report to the Weapon Pavilion every morning. After reporting, you can arrange your own time. Go to the Transmission Pavilion to learn various basic knowledge, especially in forging."

"Don't worry about the rest for now. Of course, you will still receive your daily basic contribution as usual."

Yuan Tianjun raised his hand to touch his forehead, and after confirming that he had not missed anything, he waved his hand, indicating that Zhou Ping could leave.

Zhou Ping, sitting in the audience, was stunned. This was completely different from what he knew.

He suppressed his nervousness, appearing slightly bewildered, but still voiced his doubts.

"This disciple is foolish; has Your Excellency forgotten to assign this disciple... a task?"

"Assign tasks?"

Yuan Tianjun frowned and asked back, a sly glint in his eyes as if he had known this all along.

"Didn't everything just get arranged? You don't need to worry about the rumors outside, just do as I say."

"Do I need to repeat myself?"

"I dare not, this disciple will take his leave."

Zhou Ping sensed a hint of anger in his tone, so he stopped dwelling on it, bowed, and left the main hall.

After leaving the weapons store, Zhou Ping let out a long sigh of relief. For a moment, he felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

Although he didn't know why the Weapon Pavilion was different from the rumors, the fact that he had dared to question Steward Yuan just now made him feel quite frightened.

Was he out of his mind, a twelve-year-old boy? How dare he directly question a high-ranking steward of the Weapon Pavilion!

"Listen more and talk less, listen more and talk less..."

Zhou Ping repeated his father's instructions to him as he left home over and over again, and walked toward the Chuan Gong Pavilion without looking back.

......

Inside the Transmission Pavilion, Zhou Ping found the disciple in charge of teaching basic knowledge and began studying with many outer disciples.

This includes not only basic skills such as literacy, but also some novel knowledge they have never encountered before, such as the twelve regular meridians, the eight extraordinary meridians, and some major acupoints of the human body.

The Chuan Gong Pavilion had all the basic knowledge of martial arts. Zhou Ping and the others were like people in the desert finding water, eagerly replenishing their deficiencies and forgetting to eat and sleep.

During this period, Zhou Ping also gained a general understanding of the Green Bamboo Sect through the other disciples he studied with.

The structure of the Green Bamboo Gate is not complicated; it can be roughly described in one sentence.

One lineage, two gates, three pavilions, and four halls.

The "one clan" refers to the Jin clan, the "two gates" are the inner and outer gates, and the "three pavilions" are the Trial Pavilion, the Skill Transmission Pavilion, and the Weapon Pavilion, all of which Zhou Ping had come into contact with.

As for the Four Halls, Zhou Ping didn't know much about them. It was said that they were the core strength of the Green Bamboo Sect in dealing with external forces.

They are, respectively, Mad Blade Hall, Flying Shadow Hall, Pharmacist Hall, and Golden Bamboo Hall.

Of all these messages, the one that surprised Zhou Ping the most was that the leader of the Green Bamboo Sect was not actually the highest authority in this martial arts force.

Deep within the Songzhu Mountain range, there lies a hidden Jin clan, and the Qingzhu Gate was established by this clan as their gateway to protect themselves.

Only those who have become disciples of the Green Bamboo Sect can learn about these things. Ordinary people like Zhou Ping, who haven't joined the sect before, probably wouldn't even hear a whisper of them.

It is said that the leaders of the Green Bamboo Sect all come from the Jin clan, and the patriarch of the Jin clan is the actual controller of the Green Bamboo Sect.

Zhou Ping secretly marveled at the unfathomable power of these sects, and time passed quickly in this mundane cultivation.

More than a month passed in the blink of an eye. Zhou Ping still went to the Weapon Pavilion to report every morning and spent the rest of his time studying various basic knowledge.

Although the days were boring, he could clearly feel his progress, and he was completely different from when he first started.

Zhou Ping felt that his vision and understanding had improved rapidly. Although he was not yet proficient in these basics, he was at least familiar with them. He was no longer the blacksmith's son who only knew a little bit about blacksmithing techniques.

Meanwhile, a piece of news that made many outer disciples of the Green Bamboo Sect envious spread silently.