Primordial World: Big shots are all my friends
Chapter 57, Gathering Disciples Extensively

Chapter 57: Chapter 57, Gathering Disciples Extensively

Tongtian’s voice emanated from within Shangqing Palace: "Some Independent Immortals have come to the foot of the mountain seeking the Tao. Take them all as Outer Disciples."

Accept disciples? Bai Jin’s heart skipped a beat, and he promptly inquired: "Master, how many are there to take as disciples? I’m afraid I might make a mistake."

Tongtian’s indifferent voice came through: "You will see when you go down; there aren’t many."

Bai Jin’s heart relaxed; not many was good. He feared a crowd of lawless ones would push him into a storm.

"Accept them all?" Bai Jin asked.

"As long as they have the heart to seek the Tao, they all may enter it."

"Yes!" Bai Jin respectfully replied, his mind not taking it too seriously. It was just a few people, no big deal.

Bai Jin straightened up and commanded: "Shi Ji, come with me!"

"Yes!" Shi Ji followed Bai Jin as they glided towards the base of the mountain.

Duobao suddenly spoke up: "Lingya Immortal, Qiu Shouxian, you both go and assist Bai Jin."

Lingya Immortal and Qiu Shouxian were taken aback, were just a few disciples really in need of help? But they still responded: "Yes!" And immediately followed him down.

Bai Jin led Shi Ji all the way down to the foot of the mountain, where he saw in the forest below, Demon Qi, Demonic Qi, and Immortal Qi filled the air, figures rising from the woods, densely packed and suspending in the air, looking up expectantly at the four figures descending from the mountain.

Shi Ji whispered: "Senior Brother, there seem to be quite a lot of people!"

Bai Jin stood frozen in mid-air, completely dumbfounded; it was as if a horde of Demon Gods were rampaging through his heart, filled with despair. Master, are you setting me up? Is this what you meant by not many?! Does anyone take disciples like this in the Primordial World? Others select their disciples carefully, one by one, while you’re dragging in hordes at once. Is this really taking on disciples? It’s more like opening a zoo! And a free-range one at that.

Lingya Immortal and Qiu Shouxian also had twitching corners of their mouths; there seemed to be even more people here than up on the mountain.

Shi Ji asked quietly: "Senior Brother, what are you thinking? What do we do now?!"

Bai Jin suddenly snapped back to attention, a sense of urgency rising in his heart. He could guarantee accepting these thousands of demon-ghosts as disciples would turn Kunlun Mountain upside down. The Three Pure Ones might split up over this, and his three main supports would part ways, never to meet again. No! He absolutely could not accept them all, at least not all of them.

A figure with wings sprouting from its back flew out, its body covered in golden hair, protruding fangs visible, startlingly a mutated Golden-haired Zombie.

The Golden-haired Zombie called out hoarsely: "Immortal Elder, we have all come to take you as our Master. Please report to the Saint and take pity on our hearts that seek the Tao, take us under your wing."

Pity you? Who will pity me! Bai Jin was desperate, his mentality near collapse from being tricked by his Master, and he bellowed: "Why are you all here?"

The Golden-haired Zombie paused, hesitated, and then said: "The Primordial Saint decreed in the Primordial World that he would widely accept disciples on Kunlun Mountain. All of us came in admiration, but we couldn’t pass through the Primordial Saint’s Big Array and were kept outside the door.

Some of our peers, disappointed, dispersed. We are the ones who could not bear to leave just like that, to be forever severed from the path of the Tao, hence we’ve awaited here, hoping Saint Tongtian in his immense compassion will take us in, to transmit the Supreme Saint’s Dao."

"Yes! Yes!"

"We implore the Saint’s mercy to accept us!"

"My heart truly belongs to the Dao; it’s not for reliance on the Saint."

"Saint Lord, I am willing to serve as your mount."

...

Demon Clouds churned, the multitude of demon-ghosts and Immortals all began to clamor.

Bai Jin frowned and shouted: "Silence!" The majesty of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, like a great mountain, thunderously descended.

All Demon Immortals momentarily froze, immediately cooling down and looking at Bai Jin with reverence.

As a Taiyi Golden Immortal in the Primordial World, one isn’t considered very strong, but certainly isn’t weak either. At least among this crowd seeking to be disciples, not a single one was a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

Bai Jin, silent for a moment to steady his mind and collect his thoughts, spoke: "Our Jie Sect believes in teaching without distinction, enlightening all beings, any sentient being may enter our gates. However, once you enter the Jie Sect, you must honor the Jie Sect rules.

The foremost precept: one must not harm fellow disciples, nor be insolent to elders. Any violations will be strictly punished without leniency.

Indulging in flesh or blood, obscene language, nature of slaughter, disregard for hierarchy— for any such misdeeds, there will be severe punishment.

Those who can abide may stay; those who cannot adhere to the sect rules, disperse immediately."

All over a thousand cultivators below were ecstatic, all excitedly shouting, "We are willing, we are willing to obey."

Bai Jin’s eyes betrayed a hint of disappointment; not a single one left, and they just agreed without even a thought, how perfunctory could they get!

Shi Ji whispered, "Senior brother, are we really taking all of them in?" She also felt something was amiss.

If Master wishes to take them in, the will of heaven is not with us, what can I do?! No, I must not sit idly by, think! There must be a way, if Master is the heavens then I will defy the heavens.

Bai Jin stood motionless in mid-air, thoughts flickering through his mind and getting dismissed one after another; needing to weed out disciples but not make it apparent to Master that it’s deliberate, all the while keeping Master satisfied, what a headache, truly a headache.

But after waiting for just a moment, the hordes of demons and ghosts below were already becoming restless, enmeshed in a web of Divine Thoughts, communicating with each other telepathically.

After a while, Bai Jin let out a long sigh of resignation and said, "Shi Ji, first take them into the sect, register them and create records to show Master."

"Yes!" Shi Ji responded.

"Wait~" Register and create records? A spark of inspiration flashed through Bai Jin’s mind, and with a smile, he said, "During the registration, make an identity proof for everyone, including the old Jie Sect Disciples. They all need it."

Shi Ji asked puzzledly, "Identity proof?"

"I will refine a template, and afterward, the task of making identity proofs will be handed over to you."

"Alright, senior brother!"

Bai Jin looked down at the excited crowd below, his smile warm as he said, "Come up with me, for now, just build a Tao Palace for yourselves, no disputes allowed."

Everyone eagerly answered, "Yes!"

The crowd rode on Demon Clouds, Demonic Qi, and Immortal Clouds, following Bai Jin as they flew upwards en masse.

After ascending the mountain, Bai Jin had them stay temporarily by the tranquil lake, forbidding them from wandering off, and then brought Shi Ji to the front of his own Tao Palace, saying, "Come in with me!"

Shi Ji followed Bai Jin into the palace, Bai Jin then floated and sat cross-legged on the bed. In front of him, a flame suddenly burst into existence, the very Samadhi True Fire he had received from Lord Lao Zi of the Great Monad. Shi Ji instinctively took two steps back, a look of fear flashing in her eyes as she saw the Samadhi True Fire.

A piece of jade appeared in Bai Jin’s hand, which he then threw into the flames. The jade melted and reshaped in the fire, runes darting across its surface, and as the flames contracted sharply, a crystal-clear jade piece was revealed, quite simple.

Bai Jin reached out and picked up the jade piece, his finger tracing runes in the air.

Name: Shi Ji.

Mentorship: Second-generation outer disciple of Jie Sect.

Race: Spirit Stone.

"Shi Ji, where was your original Taoist sanctuary?"

"Skull Mountain."

Place of origin: Skull Mountain.

Current residence: Upper Pure Peak on Kunlun Mountain.

Bai Jin clapped his hands and the runes in the air instantly sunk into the jade piece, then handed the Jade Talisman to Shi Ji and said, "Input a strand of Divine Thought into it."

"Okay!" Shi Ji took the jade piece, a strand of Divine Thought entered, and an image of Shi Ji, a three-dimensional hologram, immediately appeared on the blank left side of the jade.

Shi Ji handed back the jade and said, "Senior brother, it’s complete."

Bai Jin took the jade piece and examined it. It was functional enough for now, but this wasn’t adequate, it lacked anything to highlight the prestige of the Saint Sect?!

Bai Jin’s lips curved with a hint of a smile, the time for a bit of embellishment had arrived. With a flick of his finger, a strand of Merit Golden Light shot from his fingertip into the jade, and instantly, golden patterns appeared along its edge, dignified and holy yet magnificent.

Bai Jin nodded with satisfaction, "That’s better. Now it’s worthy of being an identity proof of the Saint Sect." He handed the brand-new jade piece to Shi Ji, saying, "This is your identity proof."

"Thank you, senior brother!" Shi Ji hurriedly accepted the identity proof, the more she looked at it, the more she liked it. This was her proof of being a Jie Sect Disciple; previously, although she was claimed as a disciple verbally, it was just that—in words, nothing like this identity proof. The proof gave Shi Ji a strong sense of belonging and honor.

"Did you clearly see how it was refined just now?"

Shi Ji nodded vigorously, "I saw it clearly," she said hesitantly, "Senior brother, the thing you added at the end was Merit, right?"

"Yes! Is there something wrong with that?"