OUTSIDE OF TIME

360 Master Acknowledging Ceremony

This voice was spoken with a tone that was different from usual.

It was like an ode that spread through the world!

The words were ancient and the content was elegant.

Like reporting to heaven and earth!

Even the captain who was beside the door had an unprecedented solemn expression. He no longer winked at Xu Qing and walked out.

Today, the captain was no longer wearing a gray Daoist robe but a purple Daoist robe with golden patterns that was exactly the same as Xu Qing’s.

Their Daoist robes looked similar to the disciples of the Seventh Peak at first glance, but in reality, there was a huge difference.

The captain stood at the door. His gaze became deep as he stared at Xu Qing and calmly spoke.

“Xu Qing, follow me. From now on, I’ll be your protector.”

The captain had never spoken like this before. Not only was his expression solemn, but his words were also the same. As he spoke, he cast a deep glance at Xu Qing. He cupped his fists and stacked his thumbs, raising them to the level of his brows. He then bent down deeply and performed an extremely formal Dao salute.

A sense of seriousness filled the atmosphere. Xu Qing could sense that what he was going to participate in next was an extremely solemn ceremony. He tidied his clothes and returned the greeting to the captain before walking to the entrance of the hall.

The moment he stepped out, Xu Qing’s mind shook.

The hall he was in was located near the top of the Seventh Peak. In front of him was a huge octagonal Dao altar made of limestone that emitted spiritual charm. There was a statue enshrined on it.

This statue was of a middle-aged man. He had his hands behind his back and was looking into the distance.

His face couldn’t be seen clearly. One could only see that he was wearing an ancient emperor robe and blue emperor crown. There were nine dazzling canopies above him and dragon qi enveloped his body. He looked down on the world from high above and his aura devoured mountains and rivers.

Just the statue alone had such an earth-shattering aura, causing Xu Qing’s pupils to narrow.

However, he quickly retracted his thoughts and looked around the Dao altar.

Around the altar, Xu Qing saw at least a thousand Seven Blood Eyes disciples. There were men and women, old and young among these disciples. All of them wore serious expressions and wore purple Daoist robes that seemed to have not been used for a long time.

As for the front of the Dao altar, there was a white stone staircase with dragon patterns. There were a total of 90 steps.

Above the steps was a large hall that emitted a purple light and a vast intent. That place… was the tallest hall of the Seventh Peak.

Clouds and mist were lingering above the hall. A huge black pterosaur was flying in the clouds. Bolts of lightning followed its movements and rumbled in all directions.

In the clouds, there were six tall figures standing like Buddhist statues, staring at the ground.

Among these six people, Xu Qing saw the peak lords, including Lord Sixth.

They were all looking at Xu Qing. There was even encouragement in Lord Sixth’s eyes.

Xu Qing was somewhat nervous at this sight. He looked up again and saw a blood-colored figure standing like a god above the clouds. He was extremely tall and seemed to be able to support the world.

He was the Seven Blood Eyes’ ancestor, Xue Lianzi.

They were all here to witness the ceremony!

“Disciple of the Seventh Peak, Xu Qing. This statue is of Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether, the source of my Seventh Peak’s teachings.”

“Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether is the last sovereign of the human race to suppress Wanggu. Bow to it!”

The captain stood beside Xu Qing and stared straight ahead at the statue on the Dao altar. He spoke solemnly and his voice spread in all directions.

Xu Qing lowered his head, cupped his fists, and bowed deeply to the statue of the ancient sovereign. The moment he raised his head, the captain and all the Seventh Peak’s disciples around the Dao altar lowered their heads and bowed in unison to the statue of the ancient sovereign.

Their movements were uniform and their auras were astonishing.

Xu Qing’s expression became even more solemn. He followed the captain and walked forward under the gazes of the surrounding Seventh Peak’s disciples.

At this moment, the captain’s voice rang out.

“Our cultivation goes against heaven. The Wanggu Great World has nine heavens and ten lands, so our Seventh Peak set up ninety steps. Step on the stairs and prove that you can walk past the nine heavens and tread on ten lands!”

“Xu Qing, go up the stairs!”

The captain’s voice resonated like a dragon’s roar.

Xu Qing solemnly lifted his foot and stepped onto the first step.

The instant he landed, a bell chime rang out in the Seventh Peak.

Dong!

The bell rang heavily. As the sound rang out, the color of the sky changed and the wind and clouds churned.

Xu Qing’s mind focused and a jade slip flew out from his pocket. It was given by the servant.

At this moment, this jade slip emitted a resplendent light and floated in front of him. It followed him like a guiding light.

Under the light of the jade slip, a scene that was recorded by someone was reflected in Xu Qing’s mind.

The scene was of the Beastfight Arena in a scavenger campsite. In it, a youth in a leather coat with a dirty face was dragging a large python.

Sitting at the side were two figures invisible to outsiders. One was Old Master Seventh and the other was the servant. They were looking at Xu Qing. Old Master Seventh’s voice carried some interest as it traveled softly.

“This youth is pretty interesting.”

Xu Qing’s eyes widened. The youth in the Beastfight Arena was naturally him. At this moment, Xu Qing finally understood why he came to the Seven Blood Eyes later.

This was a scene caused by fate.

As Xu Qing’s heart trembled, he unknowingly crossed eight steps and arrived at the ninth step. The bell of the Seventh Peak rang out a second time.

The jade slip in front of Xu Qing shone as another scene appeared in Xu Qing’s mind.

In the scene, a youth was squatting in a dark corner of an alley. When a tall and skinny scavenger passed by, the youth leaped up and directly covered the scavenger’s mouth from behind and slit his neck.

On the roof at the side, Old Master Seventh sat there with admiration in his eyes.

“Interesting little fellow.”

Xu Qing’s breathing became slightly rough. He understood, completely understood. When the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth bell chimes rang out one after another, Xu Qing had already walked very far away.

The bell chimes grew louder and more majestic. Just like the scenes in his mind, each of them caused increasingly large waves in his mind.

The third scene was him wearing new clothes and carefully avoiding the mud. Old Master Seventh was curious why he had changed his clothes.

In the fourth scene, he killed Fat Mountain and staggered away under the moonlight after being poisoned. Old Master Seventh, who was watching from a roof, laughed.

The fifth scene showed Grandmaster Bai. Old Master Seventh said something before he left Grandmaster Bai’s tent.

“Grandmaster Bai, if you really think that that kid is a promising talent, then impart some knowledge to him. Let him have a chance to become a scholar with cultivation in the Seven Blood Eyes.”

The sixth scene was after Captain Lei, Grandmaster Bai, and the little girl left one after another. Xu Qing was alone in the house, silently merging into the darkness. The moment he was enveloped by loneliness, Old Master Seventh spoke softly outside the door of his house.

“Give him a white token.”

Xu Qing’s body trembled. He had many guesses before but now that he understood the reason, he lifted his head and looked at the top of the mountain. The seventh bell chime rang out.

This was followed by the eighth and ninth chimes.

As the bell rang, the jade slip continued to shine. Xu Qing saw the seventh scene.

That was when he had just arrived at the Seven Blood Eyes. In the middle of the night, when the magic boat was swaying, he picked up the wine flask and toasted his parents, Captain Lei, and his birthday.

The eighth scene was Xu Qing being chased in the Sea Corpse Race.

The ninth scene was the battle in front of the temple.

An indescribable emotion fluctuated in Xu Qing’s heart. As the light from the jade slip dimmed, it returned to his arms. Xu Qing took the last 90th step.

He saw the vast purple hall and Old Master Seventh, who was sitting there and watching him.

Beside Old Master Seventh were the second highness and third highness.

Today, Old Master Seventh’s clothes were much more grand than before. He wore a purple robe, his hair was tied up, and he wore an azure crown with nine pythons carved on it. His gaze was like lightning and he gave off a feeling of vastness.

“Xu Qing.” The person who spoke wasn’t Old Master Seventh but the captain who had followed Xu Qing all the way here.

“You have proved that you can walk through the nine heavens and tread the ten lands. Now, bow three times to heaven and earth.”

When the captain’s voice rang out, Xu Qing stood on the 90th step, looking at the sky and land. He bowed three times!

The moment he rose, the captain and the surrounding disciples bowed three times to the world!

All of these scenes were filled with solemnity. Every ritual carried deep meaning. In the chaotic world of cultivation, everything could be simplified and benefits were paramount. However, paying respects to the ancestors and the taking of disciples couldn’t be done like this. The ritual was important.

“The Dao is originally invisible. It can’t be understood without the scriptures and a teacher.”

“Ancient Sovereign Mystic Nether started a great undertaking, so our human race needs to bow once to him.”

“Heaven and earth bear the weight of history, so our human race needs to bow three times.”

“However, the high and mighty ancient sovereign hasn’t graced you. The sea of bitterness of all living beings in the world didn’t spare you. Only a teacher can take you to the sky and tread on the ground. He shall grace you in this life and help you to cross into the next. He will do his best to walk the Great Dao together with you, so you need to bow nine times!”

The captain’s voice resounded through the sky and shook the world.

Xu Qing turned and stared at Old Master Seventh’s figure in the hall. He bowed nine times!

He bowed once to the ancient king, three times to heaven and earth, and nine times to his master.

Only the captain could bow nine times with Xu Qing. The cultivators around the Dao altar could only lower their heads solemnly. They didn’t have the qualifications to bow with Xu Qing.

After the ninth bow, Xu Qing stepped forward. The captain took out a purple teacup and passed it to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing drew in a deep breath and stepped into the purple hall.

“Thought tea!”

Xu Qing took three steps forward. He then lifted the teacup high in the air.

Almost at the instant he lifted the teacup, wind and clouds suddenly surged in the sky outside. One could feel the monstrous sword qi in the distance, bringing with it the color of blood. It was like a large blood-colored hand that wanted to cover the sky as it approached the Seven Blood Eyes.

The Soaring Cloud Sword Sect had arrived!

A voice that contained endless killing intent spread to every inch of the Seven Blood Eyes sect from the sea of sword qi.

“Xue Lianzi, hand over that bastard Xu Qing!”