9 The Way to the Nature

The structure of the East Sword Club was like a large house, with a front hall, a back yard, a training room, and a living room.

The owner of the club, Zhao Xiongying, had the same status in the club as Wu Bai, the officer who were in charge of affairs outside the East Mountain Sword Clan.

Led by Mu Yunyi and Zhao Xiongying, Wei Gaoyuan came to a three-foot-high cylinder. Zhao Xiongying pointed at the groove on its base and said, "Put your hand on it."

Then Wei gao yuan pressed both hands in the groove. Suddenly an invisible energy gushed out from it and got into his palms.

He felt the energy extremely comforting as if his hands were in the warm water and he could not help but want to absorb such comfort.

Almost at the same time, the bottom of the cylinder abruptly glowed red.

"Huh? "Mu Yunyi's eyes flashed and her lip corner revealed a slight surprise.

At this time a soothing sense spread through Wei Gaoyuan's arms, and he suddenly felt a strength rising from his lower abdomen and instantly spreading the whole body. The warm-water-like energy was broken up immediately. "ah," along with Wei Gaoyuan's short cry, the red light from the cylinder extinguished just in a blink.

The energy in the groove was still trying to get into Wei Gaoyuan's palms, but was blocked by some force in his body. Moments later, he heard a sigh from his side.

"Okay! Take back your hands," Zhao Xiongying's tone was slightly disappointed.

After withdrawing his hands, Wei Gaoyuan watched the two men, upset and scared.

"Fake spiritual root. You're not qualified to learn the Taoism Arts, but can stay in the club to practice the martial arts," Zhao Xiongying made the conclusion, which literally condemned Wei Gaoyuan to death.

Wei Gaoyuan's face turned pale, and his mind went totally blank.

It took a long time for him to come back from a statue. Zhao Xiongying had left, only Mu Yunyi was still standing not far away with clear sighs and regrets on her face.

"I really.... have no chance to be a Land Taoist?" unwilling to admit this awful truth,  Wei Gaoyuan wanted to confirm it again from Mu Yunyi, also, hoped to get a positive answer.

"A Land Taoist?" Mu Yunyi shook her head and smiled," as I know, in spite of countless Taoism Followers in this world, Land Taoists are quite rare existences. Even my father, you know, he's only got a level much lower than a true Land Taoist, let alone you…"

Taoism Followers?

For Wei Gaoyuan, that was a completely strange term, and he just understood little about what Mu Yunyi had described. It seems that the Land Taoist was quite rare, then what were Taoism Followers?

He tried to ask, "Sister Yun, so you are actually not a Land Taoist?"

"Me? A Land Taoist? "Mu Yunyi smiled, " I am just one of Taoism Followers at the stage of the Condensed Qi, the distance from the Land Taoist is…Hmmm…108,000 miles…that's it…"

Wei Gaoyuan just felt his knowledge structure towards those powerful flying Taoists totally disrupted. Within the stories of storytellers in tea houses of the White Plain Town, those who could fly high in the sky by their magic talismans were all called the Land Taoists, and a large number of great and legendary wars and combats among Land Taoists were described vividly in the story.  According to sister Yun's words, however, those flying guys turned out not to be the Land Taoists, but Taoism Followers?

That is to say, the woman in white who took Wei Xiaoxue away was probably one of the Taoism Followers?

Mu Yunyi seemed to read his confusion, explained, " The stages of ordinary Taoism Followers could be classified into following ten levels from bottom to top — the Opening Light,  the Building Base,  the Real Inedia, the Condensed Qi, the Golden Essence,  the Original Infant, the Spirit Copy, the Spirit-Body Combination, the Heavenly Judgement; if a Taoism Follower was mighty enough to finally survive through the Heavenly Judgement, he would rise into the final stage — the Full Completeness. That's the end of practice for us mortals, and the beginning of the next legendary stage, I mean, the stage of the Land Taoist as you mentioned."

"Ah? Sounds really crazy…" Wei Gaoyuan's mouth fell open in astonishment, then remembered that he was detected the fake spiritual root just now, but why couldn't a man with the fake spiritual root practice the Taoism Arts?

In fact, Wei Gaoyuan's requirements hadn't been so high. So long as he was capable of seeing his sister again, he just cared little about which stage he would have reached. Whereas the truth told that he could never practice the Taoism Arts at all, which was really unacceptable to him.

With regard to his question, Mu Yunyi answered patiently, "The spiritual root is the innate talent for us Taoism Followers, which enable the people to feel, understand, absorb and store almost endless Spirit Qi spreading within this world."

Then she subconsciously turned to look at Wei Gaoyuan, said slowly and softly, " The fake spiritual root can also make you feel the Spirit Qi, but hardly absorb and store it. Accordingly, you could only stop at…theoretically… the stage of the Opening Light…"

"Is the man at the Opening Light one of the Taoism Followers? I mean, he's  got the capacity of flying by his sword like you?" Wei Gaoyuan asked.

Mu Yunyi shook her head, "To fly by a sword need to reach at least the stage of the Condensed Qi."

Like a heavy hammer, Mu Yunyi's reply broke Wei Gaoyuan's last glimmer of hope, despite of her calm and sweet voice.

Seeing Wei Gaoyuan frustrated, Mu Yunyi added, " As a matter of fact, competition among Taoism Followers is far crueler than you could imagine, and the world of Taoism Followers is far more dangerous than the world of mortals. Although fake spiritual root can't make you practice the Taoism Arts, but it gives you another talent superior to the ordinary people which is suitable for learning the Martial Arts. In another word, the fake spiritual root could be a present for you to reach the top stage of the Martial Arts — the Nature, to be the most powerful martial artist in the world of mortals… "

An uncomfortable smile was on Wei Gao yuan's face. The most powerful martial artist? Powerful enough to seek Wei Xiaoxue? How powerful a Martial Artistist could be to enter the world of Taoism Followers?

Thinking of the woman in white once again, he just gave a long sigh, a extremely unwilling sigh. He tried to ask, "Sister Yun, have you ever heard of a sect whose member sports the uniform embroidered with a cloud pattern?"

"A cloud pattern?!" with an obvious change on face, Mu Yunyi asked, "what cloud pattern are you talking about? Where is it embroidered?"

"Just close to the right cuff…Hmmm…a cloud, light, not big... "Wei Gaoyuan searched in his memory for the details.

With his description, Mu Yunyi's look turned more and more serious. Before Wei Gaoyuan finished, she'd murmured, "Is it…the Cloud-Heaven Palace?"

Wei Gaoyuan's eyes immediately lit up, unexpectedly, sister Yun knew the sect of that woman in white?

He unconsciously clenched his fists, "sister Yun knows the location of the Cloud-Heaven Palace?"

Mu Yunyi shook her head, "The Cloud-Heaven palace is one of the three most mysterious sects in the world of Taoism Followers, extremely powerful and incredibly  secretive, even my father has got little idea about where it is located exactly… even if you get its location, you think it's easy to find it?"

Wei Gaoyuan kept silent. He'd always thought if got any information about whereabouts of that woman in white, there might be a chance to find his sister in the near future. But now this idea seemed failed.

Mu Yunyi was somewhat curious, "How did you get to know the uniform of the Cloud-Heaven Palace? You've ever seen someone of its members?"

Wei Gaoyuan sighed and told her what had happened that day… Mu Yunyi was listening in surprise, and could not help but raise sympathy for this miserable brother and sister.

Supposing that Wei Xiaoxue was taken by anyone of other sects, she could try to inquire some useful information for him. But it was the Cloud-Heaven Palace…who dare knock at its door for something without the power of the Land Taoist.

Now she'd understood why Wei Gaoyuan was so desperate to be the Land Taoist. What a pity, the reality is so cruel and helpless.

Seeing Wei Gaoyuan's dejected-looking, she said, "Instead of a direct knock at the door of the Cloud-Heaven Palace,  it's more rational to wait for your sister to knock at your door…I mean, if you'll be successful in making a name for yourself in the world of mortal, your sister must hear of you some day while traveling around the world of mortals on the orders of her master after graduating from the sect…"

What she said made Wei Gaoyuan's eyes lit up again. As a routine, a Taoism Follower like sister Yun had to travel around the world of mortals after graduating, Wei Xiaoxue was not the exception. Once he'd been a big guy among mortals, his fame was most likely to be delivered to his sister. And if so, what he needed to do then was just waiting for his sister's arrival.

Yes! A secret determination was made deeply in Wei Gaoyuan's heart, to exert all his strength to learn and practice the Martial Arts, to be a mighty warrior of the Nature, to let his name spread and thunder throughout the world of mortals!