The White Cat's Divine Scratching Post Chapter 4

"My name is Chifeng, the eldest of the second generation disciples under the Sect Leader. All of you may call me shixiong." After that cheerful introduction, the narrow-eyed man explained the sect's rules as they walked.

The mountain range that the Heavy Cloud Sect had claimed as their territory was called the Heavenly Lands. There were three main mountain peaks and seventy-two abodes spread throughout the territory. The Branch Masters of each peak were the three strongest cultivators in the sect, who also shared the same teacher: Master Xuanji, Master Tianlang and Master Qingtong. Master Tianlang was the Sect Leader and took care of most of the matters of the sect.

The second-generation disciples or lower lived in the seventy-two abodes, while the direct disciples of the three Branch Masters, or first-generation disciples, lived on the mountain peaks with their masters. They would go for cla.s.ses in the other abodes from time to time.

Chifeng was the first disciple of the first disciple of the Sect Master, so he held the highest position amongst the second-generation disciples. Telling them to call him shixiong was already a concession on his part, since most of these newcomers would likely become third-generation disciples. However, there could always be some who might become first-generation disciples, in which case, he would have to call them shibo with deference. 

They quickly reached the top of the stone steps, where the sight of a long rope bridge greeted them. The bridge was strung across two high cliffs and looked rather ordinary. The ropes were made of hemp, and the boards on the bridge were made of wood. It had to be at least 2.5 kilometres in length. What was particular was the lack of any ropes to hold on to at the sides. The bridge looked very intimidating as it swayed in the mountain breeze.

After seeing what happened at the entrance, none of the newcomers dared to underestimate this rope bridge. They all started trying to guess what treasure this bridge could possibly be. Mo Tianliao twitched again. This bridge was exactly what it looked like: an ordinary bridge made of hemp rope and worn wooden boards. If anything, it was the sheer length of the rope that was impressive. Who could possibly have the willpower to make this much rope by hand…?

Mo Tianliao stood by the bridge and looked ahead. The outlines of seventy-two mountains could be seen in the distance, with the three main peaks gathered in the centre. Dense spiritual qi flowed freely here, at least five times more concentrated than it had been at the entrance. The qi on the three main peaks was so rich that there was an occasional multi-coloured glimmer in the air there. As expected, it was a great place for cultivation.

Chifeng had already stepped onto the rope bridge. He hadn't used any Qi, and was standing stably there with just his own two feet. He indicated for the applicants to follow him.

Looking at that swaying rope bridge, then at the abyss underneath it, the still-mortal applicants were filled with apprehension and fear.

"What, just this much is enough to scare you guys?" The young lady carrying the fox was called Chishan. She was grinning cheekily at them right now. "If you're scared, it's okay, you can just walk that way instead."

She pointed to the east, where they could see the other disciple, Chiyuan, leading a group of people on another mountain path.

Those were the applicants with three or more spirit attributes. They weren't good enough to meet the Sect Master, so they were sent directly to the various abodes. Those with slightly better potential might be picked out by a second-generation disciple, but those with average potential would just become an outer disciple.

The applicants with high potential and the pride to match didn't dare to say any more. They trembled as they fought their fear and stepped onto the rope bridge.

The flexible rope and thin wooden boards of the bridge swayed whenever the mountain winds pa.s.sed, like an undulating snake.

"Ahhhh!" Just as a scream rang out, the calm and stable Mo Tianliao's arm was grabbed by someone behind him. He couldn't help but turn with a frown and stare at the ashen-faced young man who had grabbed him.

"S-Slow down…" The young man was dressed quite richly; he looked like a young master who had been doted on in the mortal world. How could he possibly have encountered situations like this before?

Mo Tianliao raised a brow, "You have to walk faster on a bridge like this, or you'll fall."

"I-I don't believe you! Slow down a bit!" The young man refused to let go of Mo Tianliao's arm no matter what.

The slight upwards tilt of his lips slowly flattened into a thin line. Mo Tianliao took two careful steps forwards, before he suddenly stumbled.

"Ah…" The young man quickly let go of his arm in shock, afraid that Mo Tianliao would pull him off the bridge if he fell.

"I'll be moving ahead first." Without waiting for the young man to respond, Mo Tianliao had already regained his balance and ran down the rest of the bridge as if it was flat ground. Following that, he leaped up onto the other side of the ravine right behind Chifeng.

The young man who had thought to rely on others to cross squatted down on the bridge. He gripped both sides of the bridge tightly with his hands and inched forwards bit by bit, blocking the way for those behind him forcing them to do the same.

Mo Tianliao had simply reacted according to his own nature just now. Lord Duantian didn't have the habit of being kind to others. When he finally touched down on the opposing cliff, he felt a little regretful. Orthodox sects usually liked to put on false pretenses of being virtuous. Would they find his earlier action too selfish and narrow-minded?

Chifeng's narrow eyes turned into even smaller upturned crescents as he smiled at Mo Tianliao.

After Chishan hopped over with the fox in her arms, she looked up at him and grinned, "You're a pretty interesting person."

Mo Tianliao was slightly stunned by their reactions. Didn't the orthodox sects uphold the virtues of 'teamwork' and 'friendship'? Then…

Before he could a.n.a.lyse this further, a red beam of light shot out from within the mountains and a handsome man dressed in red robes appeared by the bridge, "The Sect Leader has been waiting for some time, why are you dawdling here?"

"Master!" Chifeng and Chisan immediately made 90-degree bows towards the man, the first disciple of the Sect Leader, Yanlie.

"We weren't the ones who were dawdling…" Chishan pouted and looked towards the rope bridge.

It only took one glance at the tortoises on the bridge for Yanlie's temper to flare, "A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

He immediately raised his hand and flipped the bridge over.

The bridge wasn't very stable in the first place, so this move caused the bridge to spin and cast all of the people on it down to the depths below.

"AHHHhhhh…" Their screams faded away as a blue pattern lit up about thirty feet under the bridge. The beautifully intricate pattern turned out to be a spell array, which instantly tossed all of the fallen applicants onto the side of the cliff they were standing on.

Mo Tianliao: "…"

This sect was… rather interesting themselves.

After crossing the rope bridge, it was another endless set of stone steps. At the top of the steps were three rainbow bridges, each pointing towards one of the main peaks. Everyone followed Yanlie onto the one in the middle.

The lofty rainbow-coloured bridges were made out of crystals, so they could see through them and spot birds flying down below.

At the end of the rainbow bridge was a large hall about thirty feet wide. It had a grand air to it and the words 'Heavy Cloud Hall' were written at the top of the entrance.

This was where the Heavy Cloud Sect held conferences and hosted other sects when they came to visit. Master Tianlang's living quarters were located behind the Heavy Cloud Hall.

There was a group of second-generation disciples gathered outside the hall, all dressed in different coloured robes. When they noticed Yanlie's arrival, they bowed in greeting in unison.

There weren't any support columns in the middle of the hall, so it looked very s.p.a.cious. Intricate patterns were drawn under the smooth surface of the floor, and they glimmered with green light as they stepped on them. In the middle of the hall stood a man dressed in a black and white cultivator's robe and a plain jade crown at the top of his head, his back towards them and his hands clasped behind his back.

"Greetings to Sect Master," Yanlie led everyone in the greeting bow.

The Sect Master slowly turned around, revealing his face to everyone. He looked to be in his thirties; he had a long moustache, a slightly aloof aura, and a friendly smile on his lips.

Master Tianlang looked like what most people would imagine when they thought of deities!

"It is our fortune to welcome talented young people with such potential like yourselves into our sect." Master Tianlang had a smile on his face as he spoke in a kindly tone.

This swept away all the fright and dissatisfaction in the hearts of the youths, who finally showed excitement in their expressions.

Mo Tianliao cast his gaze downwards. He couldn't sense Master Tianlang's cultivation level, which meant that the Sect Master's cultivation could be even higher than what he had reached in his previous life. It was better to remain low-profile here, in case they could detect anything off about him.

The Sect Master gave a short and polite speech, before handing things over to Yanlie, who read out the sect rules and took care of the remaining procedures.

Most of the applicants here would be sent to the Thousand Sprouts Abode to practise cultivation alongside the second-generation disciples there. Once they formed their foundation, they could then find a master for further learning according to their skill level. However, there were also exceptions to this. The three Branch Masters and a few of the first-generation disciples would be meeting them today. If they caught the eye of any of them, they could be taken in as a direct disciple immediately.

Although they were all considered inner disciples, direct disciples and normal disciples picked out later had different positions in the sect. Normal disciples were just like students in a private school, where the masters were only involved in teaching the cla.s.s and grading homework. In comparison, direct disciples were like apprentices, serving constantly by their masters' sides and putting up with any nagging or scolding. Of course, the benefits far outweigh the cons. For example, direct disciples could have their own personal kitchen in their houses, or learn a cool technique.

When Yanlie was done with his explanations, three grand seats appeared above them. There was also a circular platform in front of the seats. Master Tianlang leaped into the air and landed gently on the seat in the centre. His five direct disciples stood right underneath him.

After a moment of silence, Master Tianlang frowned slightly, "Where's Xuanji?"

Just as he finished speaking, a black beam of light shot across the sky. When the beam faded, a man dressed in azure appeared and led a group of disciples into the hall.

Master Xuanji was tall and slender, his sharp cheekbones highlighting his clean beauty. However, his eyes were ice-cold and he didn't seem very easy to get along with. He flew into the great hall like a rush of wind and onto his seat without looking at any of the gathered newcomers. After a single nod to the Sect Master, he narrowed his eyes and remained silent.

"Alright, everyone, take a good look and see if there's anyone you might like," Master Tianlang smiled and gestured for the first-generation disciples to look around.

Mo Tianliao looked up and peered at the empty seat to the east. Wasn't the Sect Master going to wait for Master Qingtong to arrive before starting?

The three seats looked rather similar, but there were a few key differences. The Sect Master's seat was simple but imposing, while Master Xuanji's was covered in a layer of black silk. As for Master Qingtong's, his seat was draped in a layer of mermaid silk with another layer of translucent fabric hanging at the sides. There was no one on the seat, nor any disciples standing under it, so it looked rather lonesome.

"Master Qingtong spends most of his time in closed cultivation and doesn't accept disciples often." The amiable Sect Master explained after seeing the confusion of the crowd.

Mo Tianliao stared at the empty seat quietly. Curiosity towards the mysterious Master Qingtong stirred in his heart.

Two newcomers with single spirit attributes were quickly picked out by Master Xuanji and the Sect Master's first-generation disciples respectively. Another person with a divine spirit attribute was immediately taken by Master Xuanji as a direct disciple.

"He's going to become a disciple of a branch master, that means his position is going to be much higher than ours…" Two young men standing behind Mo Tianliao whispered to each other.

Once the disciples were done picking, the rest of the newcomers were to be sent to the Thousand Sprouts Abode. As someone with double spirit attributes, Mo Tianliao hadn't been chosen to be a direct disciple.

"Hold it!" Master Tianlang suddenly called out to the crowd and stared at Mo Tianliao with profound meaning, "You, come here."

Mo Tianliao's heart thumped in anxiety, but he still stepped forward obediently.

Just as the Sect Master was about to say something, a glittery white light flew in from the east, and a disciple outside the hall announced, "Master Qingtong has arrived!"

The Sect Master and Master Xuanji were both clearly surprised. All of the disciples present started to bow even before the light had entered the hall.

A snow-white figure drifted in effortlessly and settled down on the seat to the east. The person was dressed in pure white robes and had a long, thin shawl of mermaid silk draped around him. After he sat down, the ends of the long strip of silk pooled on the ground.

He tossed his sleeves, revealing his elegant and slender fingers. A gentle breeze pushed aside the shawl and exposed an incredibly beautiful face underneath. His eyes were as clear as snowy mountain springs while his aura was pure and n.o.ble, an unattainable immortal.

Mo Tianliao had seen plenty of beauties in his past life, but there were none who could compare to the man before him now. He was instantly dazed by this man's beauty.

If even the calm and collected Demonic Lord had been affected, what more the inexperienced young newcomers?

"Hmph!" A light snort rang out from Master Qingtong. Somehow, even though his voice was sweet, when the sound drifted to the newcomers' ears, it suddenly cracked like thunder.

The faces of the people who had dared to stare at Master Qingtong paled immediately. They hurriedly lowered their heads in a bow, having lost their courage.

However, Mo Tianliao couldn't bear to shift his gaze away. In his past life, he had been completely enamoured with anything and everything beautiful, whether it was treasure or people. Thus, those wanting his favour would send him all sorts of great beauties. Yet none of those 'beauties' could even hold a candle to the snow-white beauty before him now. Tossing those gifted beauties aside and using them as manual labour to stoke the fires of his forge had been a good use of them after all!

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Author's Note:

《Demonic Lord's Daily Life》

Beauty A: I can play the zither, play chess, compose poems and paint

Carpenter: Then go and draw some models

Beauty B: I have fine, delicate hands

Carpenter: Then go and mould some clay

Beauty C: I have a high cultivation level

Carpenter: That's good

Beauty C: Would Milord like this servant to be your furnace*?

Carpenter: You can stoke the forge

Beauties: ……

Carpenter: My little Zhaozhao, let's go soak in the sun!

*Furnace = someone who raises the cultivation level of anyone who sleeps with them, tend to be abused as s.e.x slaves

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TL Note:

Beautiful master has arrived~ Also, thank you for the comments! My main motivation behind translating is to share good stories and get more fellow readers into the cult fandom, so I enjoy reading the comments!

I made a small change in terms: Qi -> qi

There are some hints in the names of the Branch Masters of what's to come~

Master Tianlang (天琅真人) – sounds exactly like 'heavenly wolf' when read out

Master Xuanji (玄机真人) – profound phenomena

Master Qingtong (清潼真人) – clear eyes

This will provide some context when certain things are revealed.