The Programmer Cultivator

In Hongmeng, it was a common dynamic among neighboring Upper Sects that if one excelled in a particular path, the other would either be its equal or avoid that path altogether. It was likely a way to avoid competing in the same primary field.

The Bai Shu Sect was exceptionally skilled in the Guardian path. They were masters of both traditional Beast Taming and the new, unconventional styles. In fact, their non-traditional approach represented the cutting edge in all of Hongmeng.

The Bai Shu Sect was different from the Celestial Spirit Sect. The Celestial Spirit Sect was more like a true sect; although it had core Noble Families, it was, in essence, a traditional sect.

The Bai Shu Sect, however, was a Noble Family masquerading as a sect. Within the entire Bai Shu Sect, the Bai Family reigned supreme. The status of all other families was equivalent to that of an ordinary Vassal Family in the Celestial Spirit Sect.

This resulted in a situation where the most powerful disciples of the Bai Shu Sect were mostly named Bai, which in turn led to the sect’s severe specialization.

They were not diverse like the Celestial Spirit Sect—or, one might say, not as mediocre.

They paid no mind to other paths and barely developed them at all. Only the Guardian path flourished, so much so that it was ranked among the very best, even among the Upper Sects.

Solely due to their achievements in this field, their sect’s status was slightly higher than that of the Celestial Spirit Sect.

This also led to a "hundred flowers blooming" within their Guardian path, as this single path branched out in many different directions.

Not only did they have the most traditional forms of Beast Control and Beast Taming, but as the trends of Hongmeng Technique evolved, they also developed numerous new paths of Beast Taming.

There were two representative new directions. One was the path of the Lifebound Beast, where a person and a beast were bound by life—an extension of the Lifebound Treasure path. After all, this path was the most popular in Hongmeng today, with almost every discipline having some development in this direction.

The other was the Bloodline Transformation Path, where one would tame oneself, transforming their own body into that of a beast.

These two were the new paths of Beast Taming, and they were also the most popular paths in the Bai Shu Sect today. It was this unique Inheritance from the Bai Shu Sect that gave rise to their distinctive "riding ceremony."

In the past, when the traditional Beast Taming path was dominant, the riding ceremony initially involved letting others ride one’s own precious Spirit Beast. For any Cultivator, this was acceptable. Coupled with the Bai Shu Sect’s professional focus on Beast Taming, the riding ceremony gradually developed.

Later, with the emergence of new forms of Beast Taming—like the one-person-one-beast lifebond, or even taming oneself and becoming one’s own "pet"—it would have been impossible to initiate such a riding ceremony from scratch. It would have been a downright insult to a Cultivator.

However, due to the long-standing cultural evolution, the custom had already taken root. Many Cultivators of the Bai Family felt it was perfectly natural and not insulting at all—just a traditional ceremony. After all, they were the ones who had chosen these new forms of Beast Taming, weren’t they?

And this jellyfish beneath everyone’s feet was a product of the newest of these new Beast Taming methods: developing Beast Taming through the Bloodline Transformation Path, taming oneself, becoming one’s own "pet."

...

Guan Shouxin led Zhang Deming and the others to the two groups, and they all exchanged greetings.

"I am Guan Shouxin," Guan Shouxin said with a bow after the groups met. "My greetings to you, fellow Daoists."

The two groups they met paused slightly. On the side of Xuande Temple, there were also two cultivators at the Three Talents realm. They stood on either side of Huixin, clearly indicating him as their leader.

The three of them frowned slightly, not speaking immediately. Instead, they looked past Guan Shouxin at the people behind him.

Bai Zhixin, who had been about to return the greeting, paused. Her eyes darted back and forth as she sensed the subtle shift in the atmosphere, and she refrained from speaking rashly.

The three monks glanced at each other. The old Monk to Huixin’s left was the first to speak. "Fellow Daoist Guan, might I ask which one of you is Fellow Daoist Guk Liancai?"

Zhang Deming and Song Huidong exchanged a glance, a strange light flickering in their eyes.

’So Guk Liancai is actually popular! Do these Monks really have such strange taste?’

Guan Shouxin replied without betraying any emotion, "Spirit Nurturing Peak took on a major order for the Sect last year. The deadline is approaching, and the task is not yet complete. My three senior brothers are all in closed-door cultivation and truly could not get away. That is why the Sect arranged for me to come this time."

The already subtle atmosphere became even more so as Guan Shouxin’s answer plunged the members of Xuande Temple into silence.

Bai Zhixin, who had not yet had a chance to speak, considered for a moment. With a flicker in her eyes, she decisively tapped her toe on the ground a few times.

Following her movement, before the subtle atmosphere could ferment any further, Spiritual Light gathered beside Bai Zhixin. A phantom image of an ordinary-looking old man appeared before everyone, drawing their attention.

After appearing, he returned Guan Shouxin’s greeting with a slight bow. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Guan!"

Guan Shouxin looked at the old man and said, "Is Fellow Daoist Bai Chuzhong in charge of the escort this time?"

The phantom, Bai Chuzhong, smiled and replied, "Indeed. We of Bai Shu don’t have a Fellow Daoist Guk like you Celestial Spirit folk, so beloved by the members of the Buddhist Sect that he can land such an enviable assignment year after year."

"In order to bask in some of that good fortune myself, I had to put in a great deal of effort and promise many favors just to secure this escort duty."

Guan Shouxin also smiled and responded, "Isn’t that the truth? It’s the same for us at Celestial Spirit. Everyone wants the honor of meeting the High Monks of Xuande Temple ahead of time."

"In the past, Senior Brother Guk, thanks to his status as a Spirit Nurturing Master, managed to beat everyone else to this assignment time and time again for centuries. It left all our fellow disciples speechless, but there was nothing we could do but sigh in resignation."

"This time, he was finally unable to get away, which gave all the other disciples a chance. A few days ago, the competition for it in Celestial Spirit Hall was a real war of dragons and tigers."

"I originally didn’t have much say in the matter, so I had already given up on the idea of getting to see the esteemed High Monks of Xuande Temple so soon. But unexpectedly, in the midst of that war of dragons and tigers, no one managed to gain any advantage."

"And so, this incredible stroke of good fortune just inexplicably fell into my lap. When the matter was settled, I hadn’t even processed what had happened."