Zombie World: Starting as an apprentice of the Thunder King

The two stood in the hall for a while, and soon more and more Maoshan disciples entered the hall and took their places.

Lin Bei noticed that most of the disciples were young, with varying levels of cultivation, ranging from Taoist priests to Daoist masters. They all had expressions of curiosity and excitement on their faces, glancing at him every now and then.

Just then, footsteps came from the passageway outside the palace gate.

Lin Bei looked up and saw a group of people walking in from outside. At the front was a middle-aged man wearing a purple Taoist robe. He was tall and straight, with a thin face, sharp eyes, and an unfathomable aura.

Behind him were several elders also dressed in purple Taoist robes, and behind them were several people dressed in Taoist robes of different colors.

"The masters of the Three Palaces and Five Temples have arrived," Shi Shaojian whispered in Lin Bei's ear.

Lin Bei felt a chill run down his spine and quickly stood up straight.

The three palace masters walked at the front. The palace master of Yuanfu Wanning Palace, whose Taoist name was Zixu Zhenren, was a middle-aged Taoist with a round face. He wore an indigo Taoist robe and had a smiling face, looking very kind.

The master of Chongxi Wanshou Palace, whose Taoist name is Xuanji Zhenren, is the middle-aged man in the purple Taoist robe. He is tall and straight with an expressionless face.

The master of the Nine Heavens Palace of Ten Thousand Blessings was naturally True Man Qingwei. He walked in the very center, his white hair as white as snow, holding a whisk in his hand, his steps leisurely.

The five abbots followed behind: Deyou Temple, Renyou Temple, Yuchen Temple, Baiyun Temple, and Qianyuan Temple. Each abbot wore a Taoist robe of a different color, and their cultivation levels ranged from mid-stage to late-stage Earth Master. Each of them exuded an extraordinary aura.

Following behind were the heads of the thirty-six branch lineages. According to the rules of Maoshan, only the heads of the Three Palaces and Five Temples needed to be present for the ordination ceremony; the heads of the thirty-six branch lineages did not need to come.

But today almost all of them came, each wearing a different colored Taoist robe and standing on both sides of the main hall, their eyes all fixed on Lin Bei.

Lin Bei felt a chill run down his spine as so many eyes stared at him.

He glanced around and saw that there were more than a dozen experts at the Earth Master level alone. This only included the elders and lineage leaders who were present, not counting those who were absent.

The fact that a single ordination ceremony could gather so many top-tier geomancers shows that Maoshan's resources are far more terrifying than he imagined.

"I wonder what's going on with the Celestial Master's Mansion," Lin Bei muttered to himself, but quickly suppressed the thought.

As the heads of the three palaces and five temples took their seats, the atmosphere in the main hall immediately became solemn.

Master Qingwei sat on the futon in the center, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, and slowly began to speak.

"Today, two disciples, Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian, are disciples of Shi Jian, a disciple of the Jingyi School. They have been practicing Taoism for several years, possess both virtue and ability, and have achieved considerable success in their cultivation. They are hereby granted ordination and formally accepted into the Maoshan School."

The Palace Master of Chongxi Wanshou Palace stood up and walked to Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian.

His expression was indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger. His gaze swept over the two of them, finally settling on Lin Bei for a moment.

"Lin Bei, is it?" The Palace Master of Chongxi Wanshou Palace spoke calmly. "I've heard that you have a pure Yang Dao physique, a cultivation genius that is one in ten thousand. Seeing you today, I can confirm that your reputation is well-deserved."

He paused, then continued, "However, in the path of cultivation, talent is only one aspect; character is the foundation."

"Your master Shi Jian was also a person of exceptional talent back then. I have witnessed all those years he spent cultivating on the mountain."

"Now that he has accepted you as his disciple, it is a matter of fate. I hope you will not let down your master's expectations, nor will you let down the Maoshan sect's training."

These words sounded like encouragement and expectations from an elder to a younger person, but Lin Bei felt that something was not quite right.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he felt there was something inexplicable or unclear hidden in the person's tone and choice of words.

Shi Jian stood to the side, glanced at the Palace Master of Chongxi Wanshou Palace with an expressionless face, and spoke indifferently.

"You've gone to so much trouble, Palace Master. I will take care of my disciple myself."

The smile on the face of the Palace Master of Chongxi Wanshou Palace paused slightly. She glanced at Shi Jian, and the two looked at each other for a moment, their eyes meeting briefly in mid-air before looking away.

"Junior Brother Shi is too kind." The Palace Master of Chongxi Longevity Palace smiled without fading. "You and I are fellow disciples. I'm overjoyed that you've taken on such a good disciple."

He turned around, walked back to his seat, and sat down without saying anything more, the smile on his face gradually fading away.

Master Qingwei sat at the head of the table, taking everything in with a calm expression, while he nodded slightly to Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian.

"The ordination ceremony begins."

The ordination ceremony was far more complicated than Lin Bei had imagined.

First, they offered incense and kowtowed before the Three Mao Patriarchs, bowing eighty-one times, each time making sure it was a solid, deep bow.

Lin Bei's forehead was numb from the head hitting the ground, but he didn't utter a sound the whole time. Shi Shaojian next to him was also dizzy from the head hitting the ground.

Then came the chanting ceremony, where Master Qingwei personally recited the "Supreme Three Caverns Divine Mantra," and Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian knelt before the statue of the Three Mao Patriarchs and chanted along with him.

The scriptures were obscure and difficult to understand, with one rare character after another, but fortunately, both of them had memorized them beforehand, so they could recite them relatively smoothly.

Next came the bestowal of the Dharma register. Master Qingwei picked up two rolls of yellow silk from the offering table. When unfolded, they were much longer than the one Shijian had bestowed at Qingzhu Mountain. They were densely covered with various precepts.

Master Qingwei recited each item in turn, and Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian responded to each one.

"Firstly, good and evil are opposed and will fight each other for life."

"Your disciple will remember this!"

"Secondly, one should not steal, commit adultery, be greedy, or be angry."

"Your disciple will remember this!"

"Thirdly, respect teachers and value the Way, uphold righteousness and ward off evil."

"Your disciple will remember this!"

After reciting the precepts one by one, Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian answered all thirty-six of them before finally receiving the talisman. The yellow silk felt heavy in their hands.

Then came the bestowal of tokens and seals. Master Qingwei handed the two a wooden plaque that was larger and thicker than the previous one. The front was engraved with the four characters "Maoshan Dharma Register," and the back was engraved with the two people's names and the date of their ordination.

They were given a bronze seal each, with the six seal characters "Disciple of Maoshan Zhengyi" engraved on the seal face.

Finally, there was the blood oath. Lin Bei bit his fingertip and dripped a drop of blood onto a yellow talisman. The runes on the talisman lit up briefly before dimming.

Master Qingwei folded the talisman and put it into a jade box, which he then placed on the offering table in front of the statue of the Three Mao Ancestors.

"From this day forward, you two are officially disciples of Maoshan."

The entire process took most of the day. By the time all the ceremonies were over, the sun had risen high in the east and was gradually setting in the west.

When Lin Bei and Shi Shaojian stood up from the prayer mats, their legs were a little numb.

The two looked at each other and saw a hint of relief in each other's eyes.