Within the outer city of Baojiao County, in a rather simple and rustic courtyard, Chen Ku bowed deeply:

"Master, please accept the disciple Chen Ku's salute."

Shan Lingguan's eyes were almost overflowing with joy, yet he did not immediately accept but pondered before saying:

"Although I came to find you myself and hope to take you as my apprentice, and now you have come to seek apprenticeship, there are still some words that I must tell you in advance about the origins of our Imperial Enlightenment Sect, and the results and costs of taking me as your master."

Chen Ku felt a slight shock in his heart.

But he immediately took a deep breath and said, "Please, enlighten me, elder."

Indeed, there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

"You don't need to be too nervous."

Seeing Chen Ku's sudden tension, Shan Lingguan chuckled softly and said:

"Let's go inside and talk slowly."

With that, he led Chen Ku and Qin Yuxian separately into the main room of his humble house. Inside, there were only a few small stools. The tall old man sat on one of them, gesturing for them to sit once they were settled.

Then he began to speak to Chen Ku:

"I assume, after hearing me mention 'Imperial Enlightenment Sect,' you might have investigated it privately. How did it go?"

"I didn't find any useful information, only heard that the Imperial Enlightenment Sect once supported one of the Ten Great Rebel Kings..." Chen Ku honestly replied.

"That's quite normal."

Shan Lingguan slowly narrated:

"Two hundred years ago, it was the late Hong Dynasty. Back then, rebel kings arose in great numbers, each claiming a righteous cause. Everywhere you looked, they were all heroes raising their banners, all wanting to seize the beautiful land. Among them, there was a rebel king named Yi Wang, known as Sun Dan Gui, who was originally the governor of the county where our Imperial Enlightenment Sect was located. His grandson was killed under the Hong Dynasty's river jurisdiction, so he rose in anger. Our Imperial Enlightenment Sect knew him inside out, recognized his benevolence, and saw the potential of a wise ruler, thus intended to descend the mountain to assist in his grand endeavor. However, during those chaotic times, all the rebel kings were magnificent heroes. Although Yi Wang quickly captured one state of the Hong Dynasty and proclaimed himself king, it wasn't long before Hero King Pei Dongliu captured Hongdu, plunging the world into chaos. Various kings contended for power. Yi Wang, whose strength and power were moderate among the Ten Great Rebel Kings, was the first to be subdued. After his downfall, our sect, unable to sever ties in time, was defeated by King Le Dou Shentong who led a large army, destroying our sect and exterminating our lineage."

This was Chen Ku's first time hearing about the chaotic years before the founding of the Daji.

In terms of the history of this world, he wasn't particularly familiar, only knowing that the Ji Dynasty had reigned for 156 years, with the Grand Ancestor Emperor named Yang Yin, who swept the land clean and then unexpectedly died, succeeded by his brother, Yang Jiong, the current Emperor Ji.

And before the Ji Country, there was the Hong Dynasty, which lasted over four centuries.

Between the Ji Dynasty and the Hong Dynasty, there were over fifty years of chaos, the same period when Hero King Pei Dongliu, Grand Ancestor Yang Yin, and other rebel kings existed simultaneously.

Chen Ku was secretly shaken.

He hadn't expected that after getting entangled with the treasure of Hero King Pei Dongliu, his quest for mentorship would involve him with the subordinates of another rebel king, Yi Wang, Sun Dan Gui.

In this light, the Imperial Enlightenment Sect fell because of their poor judgment, leading to their destruction.

But still, he did not understand what relevance this had to him.

"Though Yi Wang Sun Dan Gui was not the principal adversary of Grand Ancestor Yang Yin, and there was no conflict or clash between them, now it is the era of the Daji's establishment. As one of the rebel king factions back then, the name Imperial Enlightenment Sect can no longer be used."

Shan Lingguan slowly said:

"I'm telling you all this to say that if you become my apprentice and join our Imperial Enlightenment Sect, you should brace yourself for the potential risk of your identity being uncovered by the Imperial Court, as they could mark you as a traitor. However, it could also result in nothing happening; it's all uncertain. Are you mentally prepared?"

After hearing this, Chen Ku thought to himself:

"This doesn't seem like an issue."

Since Grandmaster Qin Yu could advance with the identity of a disciple of the Imperial Enlightenment Sect and even manage to control the Qiu Dragon's Thirty-Six Martial Association, it indicates that this identity issue isn't a real problem.

"I am prepared, master." Chen Ku said.

Seeing Chen Ku reply this way, Shan Lingguan lowered his head and said: "That's good, now for the second matter, which is related to my special identity within the Imperial Enlightenment Sect, the mentor you seek to learn from.

The matter traces back to those times when the group descending the mountain to follow Yi Wang Sun Dan Gui was actually the 'Inner' of our Imperial Enlightenment Sect. The Inner is supposed to operate covertly, but due to the failure of that faction to execute well, they exposed their tracks, attracting attention to the sect and inviting the calamitous destruction of our sect."

"Outer? Inner?" Chen Ku pondered these terms.

"To live in this world is to maintain your 'Outer'—it must be clean and beautiful, without a speck of dust upon it. Bloodshed must seep within, invisible to outsiders."

Shan Lingguan sighed and said:

"For someone to be the Outer, another must be the Inner. In later years, I have been responsible for the bloodshed in the Inner, towards the resurgence of the Imperial Enlightenment Sect. So, if you take me as your master, only you, Little Qin, and I would know of this within our sect. Outside, no word should spread, or else the work I've done will not only harm you but also expose the Imperial Enlightenment Sect."

Chen Ku pondered.

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