Chapter 128: The Five Eccentric Immortals

Yun Tian was momentarily stunned. He tilted his head in slight astonishment at the short, elderly man who looked like a beggar, blinked, and asked, "Uh, who might you be, senior?"

"I am the Mad Immortal of the Five," the short old man said, looking at Yun Tian with a peculiar gaze. "Kid, if I’m not mistaken, you’re a reincarnated immortal, aren't you? Impressive! Not only did you spend three years contemplating the Black and White Diagram, but you also managed to comprehend three minor Dao paths during that time. Your past life must have been a powerful Loose Immortal. Only then could you have awakened your memories while studying the diagram and comprehended three paths so quickly. I’ve looked into your situation; your cultivation time is far too short, yet your progress is far too fast. I’m even starting to wonder, are you truly a reincarnated immortal? Could you perhaps be a reincarnated True Immortal, Celestial God, or even a Daoluo Ancestor?"

Comprehending three paths? Yun Tian felt cold sweat break out on his back. Good heavens! Thankfully, he had previously spent time in the Xia Tribe diligently studying the profound mysteries of the various Daos of this world, and he had already mastered many minor paths. Otherwise, who knows how many more paths he might have comprehended during this session! If that had happened, the Mad Immortal of the Five and the other immortals of the Black and White Academy would truly have gone mad and grown even more suspicious of his origins.

Damn it, no matter how monstrous a genius you are, or even if you are a reincarnated immortal, it shouldn't be this abnormal, right? Is comprehending the Dao supposed to be as easy as eating and drinking?

"Cough... Senior, well, I am indeed a reincarnated immortal, and I have awakened quite a few memories. But as for who I was in my past life and just how powerful I was, I truly can’t recall clearly," Yun Tian could only cough dryly and speak with a sheepish smile.

"It’s not that you can't recall, it’s that your memories haven't fully awakened yet!" The Mad Immortal of the Five rolled his eyes at Yun Tian, then his gaze shifted as he added, "Kid, stop calling me 'senior.' Why don’t you take me as your master? How about it?"

Take him as a master? Yun Tian was slightly dumbfounded. Whether in the Primordial World, the Stellar Transformations world, or the Coiling Dragon world, he had only ever taken disciples himself; he had never once bowed to a master. Just think—what was his true identity? As the Ancestor of Qiankun, he was a Hunyuan Daoluo Golden Immortal—a saint! And now, his avatar was being asked to take a Loose Immortal, who wasn't even a Celestial Immortal, as a master? Was this a joke?

"Hiss... what’s this, kid? What? You’re unwilling? I am an immortal, you know!" The Mad Immortal of the Five gasped, staring at Yun Tian with wide eyes.

Seeing him huffing and puffing with his beard bristling, Yun Tian felt conflicted and frustrated, not knowing how to respond for a moment.

"Oh, I understand. You’ve awakened your past memories, and you were likely a powerful immortal in your previous life, so you can't let go of your pride, right?" The Mad Immortal of the Five’s eyes flashed as he nodded. "Fine, then let’s just be master and disciple in name only. You don’t have to be overly respectful or formal when you see me; all etiquette can be waived. That should work, right? Let me tell you, even if you have past memories, having a master to guide you is always a good thing! Plus, if you become my disciple, you’ll be able to obtain more cultivation resources within the Black and White Academy!"

"Alright then!" Seeing the Mad Immortal of the Five going to such lengths to entice him and lowering his stance so readily, Yun Tian pondered for a moment before nodding.

"Is that it? You’ve taken me as your master, and while I won't make you kneel and kowtow, you..." The Mad Immortal of the Five glared at Yun Tian.

Yun Tian realized his mistake and hurriedly stood up, bowing to the Mad Immortal of the Five with a conciliatory smile. "Master! Is this acceptable?"

"Fine, fine, fine..." The Mad Immortal of the Five waved his hand, his brow furrowed in speechlessness, before saying, "Right, you spent three years viewing the Black and White Diagram. You’ve been here for three years, yet you haven't officially participated in the initiation ceremony. Other things can be skipped, but the blood oath of initiation cannot. Begin."

Yun Tian was startled, then immediately reacted. With a faint smile, he extended his finger, pricked a drop of blood from the tip, and recited the initiation blood oath: "With my heart's blood as witness and the Heavenly Dao as judge, I, Yun Tian, willingly enter the Black and White Academy as a disciple, and shall abide by the rules of the Black and White Academy..."

An ancient, mysterious aura descended with Yun Tian’s oath, swirling around him. The blood oath of the Heavenly Dao was an absolute vow that could never be broken, which was the reason why betrayal of one's sect was rarely seen throughout the Great Xia Dynasty. If one were to betray the sect, the punishment of the Heavenly Dao would be enough to kill the traitor before the sect could even enact retribution.

"Good. Now you are officially initiated. Think of a Dao name you like," the Mad Immortal of the Five nodded in satisfaction.

Yun Tian pondered for a moment and said, "Qiankun. Let’s go with Qiankun. From now on, I shall be known as the Daoist of Qiankun."

"Qiankun?" The Mad Immortal of the Five was taken aback, looking at Yun Tian with surprised eyes before smiling. "Good lad, you’ve got quite the ambition! Choosing 'Qiankun' as your Dao name—are you planning to comprehend the Great Dao of Qiankun in the future?"

Yun Tian smiled calmly without saying much, thinking to himself, *If I told you I had already comprehended the Great Dao of Qiankun, you’d be scared to death!*

"Haha... ambition is a good thing!" The Mad Immortal of the Five laughed. "As your master, I hope you achieve great things. If you can become a Celestial Immortal or even a True Immortal or Celestial God, I will have no regrets, even if I fail to withstand the increasingly difficult Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations in the future."

"Why must Master be so self-deprecating? If you don't have confidence in yourself, how can you become a Celestial Immortal?" Yun Tian asked.

"You brat!" The Mad Immortal of the Five was stunned, then shook his head and laughed. "Alright, enough of that. You should know that in our Black and White Academy, if you want top-tier cultivation techniques or divine abilities, you must trade for them with Black and White Pills."

Yun Tian nodded. That had been recorded in the black and white manual. If he wanted divine abilities, he needed pills; if he wanted secret techniques, he needed pills; even if he wanted to exchange for cultivation methods for his spirit beasts, he still needed pills.

Black and White Pills were the sect’s rewards. If one reached the Realm of the Dao, one was granted pills; if one’s strength increased, one was granted pills; if one joined the Yinglong Guard, one was granted pills... In short, the better one’s performance, the more pills the sect bestowed, allowing one to learn more profound techniques within the school.

"But as for you, you won't need Black and White Pills," the Mad Immortal of the Five said, leaving Yun Tian stunned. If he didn't have the pills, how was he supposed to learn the techniques and secret arts of the Black and White Academy?

Seeing Yun Tian’s bewildered expression, the Mad Immortal of the Five laughed. "You kid, you’ve already comprehended three paths! In terms of realm, many Primordial Spirit Daoists aren't even your match. At such a level, there is no need for you to be rewarded with pills. The cultivation techniques, divine abilities, and secret arts within the Black and White Academy are yours to study at will."

"So that's how it is! Master, you startled me," Yun Tian said with a relieved laugh, feeling secretly excited. *Damn, so comprehending three paths has such perks!* But on second thought, it made sense; with Yun Tian’s current level of understanding, as long as he had enough elemental liquid, reaching the Void Return Earthly Immortal stage in a short time wouldn't be an issue. Why would the Black and White Academy restrict his access to techniques and arts?

Feeling impatient, Yun Tian quickly bade farewell to the Mad Immortal of the Five and hurried toward the Dao Repository Palace, where the academy’s top-tier techniques and divine arts were stored.

"Tsk tsk..." A burly man wearing magnificent armor was sitting at a stone table outside the Dao Repository Palace, holding an exquisite wine cup and savoring the fine liquor.

Yun Tian flew down and quickly bowed slightly. "Disciple Yun Tian greets you, Uncle-Master!"

The person guarding the Dao Repository Palace was a Primordial Spirit Daoist. Although Yun Tian had taken the Mad Immortal of the Five as his master, he was still only a Purple Mansion cultivator, so he had to address a Primordial Spirit Daoist as "Uncle-Master," and other immortals of the Black and White Academy as "Grandmaster."

"Master-Uncle Five has already notified me. You are free to view the techniques, divine abilities, and arts within the Dao Repository Palace. Also, here is one hundred jin of elemental liquid; this is the standard quota for third-generation disciples every ten years." The burly man flipped his hand, took out a jade bottle, and handed it to Yun Tian, then added, "Alright, you may enter."

The Dao Repository Palace had three floors. As soon as Yun Tian stepped into the first floor, he felt as if he had entered a sea of books. Rows upon rows of massive bookshelves were filled with countless books and jade slips—likely over a million of them. On the side of the largest bookshelf against the wall, there was a single, prominent character: "Law."