"Don't worry too much, fifth junior brother. Although our Seventh Peak has few people, no one dares to look down on us. Come, since you're now a disciple of Seventh Peak, we must tell you some stories about it."
Seeing Li Xuan's expression, Song Wu Wen enthusiastically put an arm around his shoulder and said.
Li Xuan smiled wryly and nodded. Even though Seventh Peak had few disciples, it didn't matter much to him.
Seeing Li Xuan nod, Song Wu Wen pulled him down to sit, cleared his throat, and began to narrate.
As Song Wu Wen explained, Li Xuan's understanding of the Seventh Peak of the Azure Hall gradually deepened.
It turned out that long ago, the Seventh Peak was the foremost among the seven peaks of the Azure Hall. This "foremost" did not refer to the current order, but rather the first among the seven mountains.
In those days, the Seventh Peak had countless disciples. Even the previous Hall Master of the Azure Hall hailed from the Seventh Peak, which spoke volumes about its power.
As the saying goes, extremes give rise to their opposites. The immense power of the Seventh Peak had made it difficult for the other six peaks to stand tall. As the Hall Master, he naturally had to treat all peaks equally and foster their development. Consequently, the resources allocated to the Seventh Peak were gradually brought under control.
The true cause of the Seventh Peak's decline, however, was a peerless expert named Yang Mo.
"Fifth junior brother, you have no idea. Legend has it that Yang Mo arrived at the Azure Hall alone and challenged the then Hall Master. The Seventh Peak became the main battlefield. The destruction wrought by such a figure, with every movement he made, was naturally immense."
"The spiritual脉 of the Seventh Peak was forcibly destroyed at that time. It's said that Yang Mo ripped it out and used it as a weapon against the previous Hall Master in their battle."
"Later, with the Seventh Peak's spiritual脉 damaged, its spiritual energy naturally weakened. After the great battle concluded, the then Hall Master went into seclusion. The other six peaks seized the opportunity to step forward and aggressively carve up the disciples of our Seventh Peak."
"With the spiritual脉 damaged, it could no longer provide spiritual energy for so many disciples, and with the Hall Master in seclusion, Yang Mo, who had become the overlord, paid no heed to the matter. Therefore, the Peak Master of that era could only let things slide."
When mentioning Yang Mo, a flicker of something unusual flashed in Song Wu Wen's eyes, a mix of admiration and animosity. Li Xuan understood Song Wu Wen's attitude. After all, the former glory of the Seventh Peak was arguably destroyed by Yang Mo's hand.
"So, to this day, our Seventh Peak is left with only us?" Li Xuan thought, then looked at Song Wu Wen and asked.
Song Wu Wen nodded, "Although later the Hall Master and Peak Master tried to find ways to restore the Seventh Peak's spiritual脉, the damage was too severe. The recovery has been extremely slow."
"Even now, the spiritual energy supply is far inferior to the other six peaks. However, it's sufficient for the few of us."
Li Xuan nodded slightly and then asked, "If that's the case, what about the Peak Master of our Seventh Peak? Fourth senior brother, you just said we only have six people left on Seventh Peak. Does this mean the Peak Master isn't on Seventh Peak?"
As soon as Li Xuan finished speaking, Song Wu Wen and Su Yue Ze exchanged glances, a hint of bitterness flashing in their eyes before they sighed, "Since the previous Peak Master perished, our Seventh Peak has been without a Peak Master. Currently, only our Master oversees the Seventh Peak."
"Only Master? Then who resides in the main hall of Seventh Peak?" Hearing this, Li Xuan finally understood why the disciples he had encountered along the way treated his Master, Luo Kang, with such deference.
Although he was only an elder, managing the Seventh Peak meant he was on par with the Peak Masters of the other six peaks.
"Since the previous Peak Master perished, Master sealed off the Main Hall and the Right Hall. Fifth junior brother, there's something else I forgot to tell you: Master was the last disciple of the previous Peak Master," Song Wu Wen replied.
Li Xuan nodded, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected his Master, Luo Kang, to be the last disciple of the previous Peak Master.
"Alright, fifth junior brother, you've just joined us today. As your senior brothers, we should help you settle in first. According to tradition, fifth junior brother, you have to treat us to drinks." Seeing that he had explained enough to Li Xuan, Su Yue Ze said with a smile.
Li Xuan was taken aback, "Eldest senior brother, shouldn't you be treating me since I'm the newcomer?"
"Haha, fifth junior brother, on our Seventh Peak, it's always the junior disciple who treats the senior. Don't worry about it. Once Master takes in another disciple, you'll enjoy the same treatment as your senior brothers," Song Wu Wen said, laughing heartily.
Su Yue Ze and the others also smiled and nodded.
"Alright. I feel like I've been short-changed by becoming a disciple," Li Xuan muttered, touching his nose and shrugging helplessly.
Su Yue Ze and the other three exchanged glances and smiled.
"Fifth junior brother, the four of us are constantly cultivating. Plus, there are no other junior disciples on Seventh Peak besides us, so we simply built our residences here."
"Look, on that large tree is Eldest Senior Brother's residence. That large rock is Second Senior Brother's resting place. As for Third Senior Brother, he prefers water, so he lives in that cold pond."
Reaching the summit of the back mountain, Song Wu Wen pointed downwards and explained to Li Xuan.
Li Xuan's face showed another wry smile. What kind of eccentric beings were these senior brothers of his?
"Fourth senior brother, where is your residence?" Li Xuan asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Your Fourth Senior Brother is much more formidable than us. His resting place is in the peach garden, and he requires it to be covered in petals before he sleeps," Su Yue Ze chimed in with a smile before Song Wu Wen could answer.
A strange curve appeared on Li Xuan's lips. This method was too hard to accept. For a grown man to sleep amidst petals daily was truly hard to look at.
However, seeing Song Wu Wen's lack of embarrassment, Li Xuan couldn't help but smile.
With such eccentric senior brothers, his days in the Azure Hall would surely not be lonely or boring.
At that moment, Li Xuan couldn't help but think of his senior brothers and sisters, Xiu Zhu.
"Senior brothers, senior sisters, wait for me. I will definitely enter the Land of Returning Ruins and revive all of you!"