The Past of the First Five Disciples

Bai Ling'er's words seemingly indicated that she did not have a Dao companion either, but in truth, they contained an unspoken sentiment that needed no explanation—they were all waiting, waiting for their Master's return.

Until then, matters of the heart and thoughts of finding a Dao companion were not a priority for them.

Although the Heavenly Human Sacred Land was jointly supported by the ten founding disciples, there was a subtle difference between the first five and the latter five.

That was, the first five disciples were children raised by Gu Changyuan himself.

Over a thousand years ago, when Gu Changyuan first arrived in this world, he had nothing. Getting people to join an obscure, even dilapidated so-called "sect" was easier said than done.

His primary targets were children.

Preferably those who were homeless, abandoned by their families, or displaced.

To put it nicely, they were young, their temperaments unfixed, and highly malleable, making it easy to cultivate loyalty and a sense of belonging from a young age.

To put it bluntly... children were easy to trick.

At that time, Ye Qingxue, Lin Jingyu, Bai Ling'er, Yue Lingxi, and Xiao Yi perfectly met Gu Changyuan's requirements.

Ye Qingxue was a little beggar struggling at the bottom, lacking food and having tasted the fickleness of human nature at a very young age.

Lin Jingyu came from a mortal family. Because he revealed an astonishing talent for the Sword Dao, he attracted the covetousness of a local minor cultivation sect, leading to the extermination of his family. He was heavily injured and near death when Gu Changyuan saved him.

Bai Ling'er was born with an Exquisite Dao Heart, able to vaguely perceive the truth and falsehood in people's hearts. Because she spoke the "truth" without restraint as a child and her family failed to recognize her heaven-defying talent, she was cold-shouldered and despised. Gu Changyuan appeared and took her away.

Yue Lingxi was born with a special soul body that unconsciously emitted fluctuations affecting the emotions and spirits of those around her. Viewed as an ill omen by her family, she was tragically abandoned in a desolate forest. It was Gu Changyuan's appearance that saved her from the mouths of wild beasts.

Xiao Yi came from a small alchemy family that was exterminated by evil cultivators. On the verge of death, he accidentally awakened, bursting out with his final strength before falling to his last breath, and was similarly picked up by Gu Changyuan.

At that time, all five were still tender children. It was Gu Changyuan's appearance that gave them a place they could call "home."

He gave them food, clothing, and shelter, and more importantly, he gave them hope, inheritance, and unreserved teaching and care.

This kindness and bond, acting as both father and master by reaching out a helping hand in their darkest hours, had long been deeply branded into the depths of their hearts.

As for the latter five disciples, Gu Changyuan found them one after another after the sect had shown a bit of improvement.

They were generally older than the first five when they joined, but due to the order of entry, they still respectfully called Ye Qingxue and the other four their senior brothers and sisters.

Although Gu Changyuan taught them with the same care and devotion, the emotional bond of relying on each other in humble beginnings and raising them with his own hands was ultimately slightly different.

Hearing Bai Ling'er's answer, Gu Changyuan did not say anything more.

Matters of the heart and Dao companion marriages were all personal destiny and could not be forced.

As their Master, he would only respect his disciples' choices. Even if they chose to remain alone and focus on the Great Dao, so what?

His, Gu Changyuan's, disciples—he could naturally afford to raise them and protect them.

...

Two hours later, Gu Changyuan's divine sense swept over the council hall. After confirming that all the elders' auras were stable and the refinement process was going incredibly smoothly, he did not linger.

The integration of the Supreme Bone would take at least a few days. With the help of Gu Changyuan's array, it would still take at least eighteen hours.

As long as there were no mistakes early on, the rest would naturally fall into place, and there was no need for him to keep watching.

Returning to his familiar room, Gu Changyuan saw Gu Xing'er sitting on the edge of the bed at a glance.

Her two short little legs dangled in the air, her large eyes staring straight at her toes. Not knowing what she was thinking about, her small face was filled with a spaced-out, adorable look.

The moment Gu Changyuan appeared, she sensed his familiar aura, immediately lifted her head, and her eyes instantly lit up.

Gu Xing'er quickly jumped off the bed, her bare little feet pattering as she ran toward Gu Changyuan, opening her short arms.

Gu Changyuan's heart softened. He bent down and scooped the little girl up, holding her in his arms.

Little Xing'er immediately wrapped her arms around his neck in satisfaction, burying her small face in the crook of his shoulder and rubbing against it.

Carrying her to the bed, Gu Changyuan lay down.

After a thousand years away, this bed was still exactly as he remembered it. He had to test if it was still comfortable.

As for setting up the grand teleportation array, with his current strength, he could simply separate a divine sense avatar to take full charge of carving the runes. His main body didn't need to act at all; he only needed to step in at the final step to complete the formation.

With that thought, Gu Changyuan simply lay down on the bed holding Gu Xing'er, and before long, he fell into a deep sleep.

Gu Xing'er nestled in his warm embrace, smelling the faint, crisp scent on him. She blinked her eyes and soon drifted off to dreamland as well.

...

The next day, just as the sky showed a touch of pale white, Gu Changyuan opened his eyes right on time.

The little girl was sleeping soundly, her pink little mouth slightly pouting, occasionally smacking her lips unconsciously, wondering what delicious food she was dreaming of.

Gu Changyuan carefully got up, tucked her in, and then tiptoed out of the room.

Today was the second day of the Heavenly Abyss Sacred Ceremony. According to custom, elders needed to oversee the plaza to host and supervise the assessment process.

However, at this moment, all the elders were in secluded cultivation in the council hall refining the Supreme Bone, clearly unable to spare themselves.

It was a good opportunity to personally see the grand occasion of the Sacred Land recruiting disciples nowadays.

In the courtyard, Bai Ling'er had already been waiting for a long time.

Seeing Gu Changyuan appear, her eyes instantly curved into crescents, and a smile rippled across her face:

"Good morning, Master."

"Mhm, good morning, Ling'er."

Gu Changyuan returned a smile and nodded.

"Let's go. We'll head to the Heavenly Abyss Plaza to take a look at the Sacred Ceremony."

Before his voice had even faded, he took Bai Ling'er and transformed into two streaks of light, instantly appearing at the elder seating area at the very top of the steps of the Heavenly Abyss Plaza.

At this moment, the high platform of the elder seating area at the edge of the plaza was completely empty. Meanwhile, at the plaza entrance, dozens of Sacred Land disciples were lined up in an orderly manner, their expressions respectful and focused.

When they saw Bai Ling'er and the unfamiliar man in dark clothes beside her, all the disciples were momentarily stunned. They then quickly straightened their backs and bowed respectfully:

"Greetings, Third Ancestor!"

Bai Ling'er nodded slightly, her crisp voice spreading across the entire plaza:

"Today's Sacred Ceremony assessment will be overseen by the two of us. Let it begin immediately."

Overseen by an Ancestor personally?

The disciples could hardly conceal the shock on their faces. Although they had countless doubts in their hearts, no one dared to ask too many questions. They merely replied in unison.

Following that, they composed themselves and returned to their respective posts, preparing to guide the cultivators from all over the Nine Heavens Realm—who had long been waiting on the outskirts of the plaza—to enter in an orderly fashion and begin today's assessment.