“He was brought in by me for initiation. Because… he…” Liu Qingxuan started to explain, but when she tried to think of some advantages to tell everyone about Lin Zhi, she couldn’t come up with any.
“So he was brought in by Junior Sister!” Senior Disciple Mu nodded in surprise and quickly said, “No wonder I felt this person had an imposing aura about him. His appearance suggests he is loyal and kind. Although his Five Spirit Root is indeed poor, diligence can compensate for lack of talent. As long as he cultivates diligently, he can still make up for the deficiency in his spirit root.”
These words astonished everyone present, especially Lin Zhi. He had never known he had such an imposing aura in his entire life.
Was this simply to flatter Liu Qingxuan?
“Here, your disciple token.” Director Li was very good at reading the room. He originally would not have allowed someone with a Five Spirit Root to join the sect, but with both of the sect’s prodigies agreeing, why would he want to obstruct them and make a fool of himself? It’s just a Five Spirit Root, merely another mouth to feed, and the sect wouldn’t starve?
“Thank you, Director Li!” Lin Zhi took the token. It was a wooden token about half the size of his palm, with his name carved on it.
“To be initiated, you must first start as a Laborer/Attendant. Only when your cultivation reaches the Qi Refining middle stage, which is Qi Condensation Level Five, can you be assessed for entry into the Outer Sect,” Director Li explained. “Your temporary dormitory is No. 920. Go there to rest for the night, and report tomorrow to receive your Laborer/Attendant tasks.”
“Yes.” Lin Zhi took the token, dazed, his joy evident on his face.
From this moment on, he was a disciple of a top sect!
“If there’s nothing else, Junior Sister Liu, would you honor me with dinner?” On the other side, Senior Disciple Mu whispered to Liu Qingxuan.
“My Master has given me orders to cultivate. Let’s gather another time. Senior Brother, farewell.” Liu Qingxuan cupped her hands and left without looking back, not glancing at Lin Zhi at all.
Mù Bái smiled and sighed.
The others then bid each other farewell and left. No one cared about Lin Zhi, a Laborer/Attendant with a Five Spirit Root.“After she knew I had a waste spirit root, did she look down on me?”
On the way to the dormitory, Lin Zhi doubted himself.
Thinking of Liu Qingxuan and that Senior Disciple Mu, he smiled bitterly and shook his head…
They were a match made in heaven; I was the one who intruded.
After wandering around, he finally arrived at dormitory number 920. It was just a dilapidated wooden hut, which was only marginally better than a woodshed! It was almost identical to the room he lived in at the Lin Family.
“Sigh… Director Li said it’s only temporary! Maybe it’ll be better later?” Lin Zhi consoled himself and sat down in the room.
But then he thought.
“I was a Laborer/Attendant when I was at the Lin Family. Why am I still a Laborer/Attendant after finally joining the Luoxia Sect?” Lin Zhi complained loudly.
“What? Not satisfied?” Suddenly, a voice that sent shivers down his spine sounded from outside the door—Liu Qingxuan!
Lin Zhi quickly got up and opened the door.
“You… why are you here?”
Standing at the door was not that fairy-like Liu Qingxuan?
Seeing her up close, she was still in her green attire, her long hair casually falling to her waist. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains veiled in mist, and her eyes were like a cold pond reflecting the moon, possessing a breathtaking beauty.
Compared to when they first met at the sect’s gate, she seemed a bit more approachable now. Was it… an illusion?
“I came to see you…” Liu Qingxuan blushed under Lin Zhi’s gaze. “W-what are you staring at me like that?”
“Um… you’re too beautiful…” Lin Zhi replied foolishly.
“Stop that, tell me, why did you come to Luoxia Sect?” Liu Qingxuan pouted, though she was secretly pleased by the compliment.
“Why? Of course, to find you!” Lin Zhi immediately returned to his usual playful demeanor.
“Hmph?” Liu Qingxuan glared at him.
“Uh… mainly to cultivate.”
“With your aptitude, cultivation will be very difficult,” Liu Qingxuan said with a sigh, remembering Lin Zhi’s Five Spirit Root aptitude.
“Mm… but I won’t know until I try. I won’t regret it if I work hard.”
“Quite confident, aren’t we?”
“Mm, that’s right…”
After a pause, Lin Zhi asked the question that was bothering him the most:
“By the way, what’s your relationship with that Senior Disciple Mu?”
“Mù Bái? Just a normal senior and junior disciple relationship.”
“He seems to like you, though…”
“My relationship with him is pure and has not crossed any boundaries.”
“Wait… why are you asking this?” Liu Qingxuan suddenly remembered the intimacy between her and Lin Zhi that night. She felt both shy and angry. “I… I came to remind you that you absolutely cannot tell anyone about what happened between us!”
“Definitely, definitely! I absolutely won’t say a word!”
He hadn’t even divulged anything when he endured the defamation and whipping from his family. How could he possibly speak carelessly after coming to Luoxia Sect?
“Also, don’t come looking for me in the future. I don’t want any connection with you!”
At this moment, Liu Qingxuan became ice-cold, and Lin Zhi suddenly felt she was a stranger.
But then again, they had only met by chance and spent one night together. What familiarity was there to speak of?
This was her true purpose for coming, wasn’t it?
Lin Zhi felt as if his heart had been hollowed out. He stared blankly at the unfamiliar woman in green before him. After a long while, he silently nodded.
Seeing him nod, Liu Qingxuan let out a sigh of relief.
However, when she saw Lin Zhi’s crestfallen look, she inexplicably felt a pang of sympathy within her heart…
What was this feeling?
Could I have… fallen for him? Impossible! It must be that Fated Affinity Contract! It binds us together!
With this thought, Liu Qingxuan felt a surge of inexplicable anger. She turned and prepared to leave.
“Then how can I find you?”
Lin Zhi was not resigned. Mustering his courage, he blurted out to Liu Qingxuan’s retreating back.
“Find me?”
Liu Qingxuan turned around, confused, and looked at Lin Zhi. After a moment, she smiled helplessly, “Wait until you win the Sect Competition.”
Win the Sect Competition? Luoxia Sect had countless hidden talents. To emerge victorious with his Five Spirit Root, he would likely never achieve it even if he lived forever.
However, this gave Lin Zhi a glimmer of hope!
“Okay!” Lin Zhi replied firmly.
Liu Qingxuan looked at his determined gaze and felt a strange sensation. This young man before her seemed as mighty as a pillar of heaven, yet he was also oblivious to the immensity of the challenges ahead.
Where did this confidence come from? But his appearance wasn’t bad either…
Liu Qingxuan shook her head, smiled bitterly, and softly said to Lin Zhi, “I’m leaving.”
After taking a few steps, she stopped again and, with her back to the young man, said, “The next Sect Competition is only three years away. You might as well go and broaden your horizons. If you can truly win the competition, then I…”
Unfortunately, she didn’t finish the sentence.
Liu Qingxuan didn’t know what else to say. Her cheeks flushed red, and she rushed into the sky without looking back, disappearing without a trace.
“What did she mean by that?” Lin Zhi stared blankly at the clear blue sky.
“Like… like she’d, agree to be my girlfriend?”
His heart rekindled with hope, and he was instantly filled with drive!