"So, acting on a sudden impulse, I followed this little brother here to Mufu Peak, hoping to apprentice myself to the senior. I never imagined that before I even got to see the senior, I would stumble blindly into the Sea of Bitterness."
"Still, regardless of any of that, this humble woman entered the peak without the senior's consent. I can only beg the senior to forgive my transgression."
With that, Su Wenjiu dropped to her knees, sincerely prostrating herself on the ground.
"Bah! This old man has never seen such a shameless person."
Hearing Su Wenjiu's words, Sword Elder in the Sword Ring couldn't help but scoff aloud.
"Hmph, I told you she wasn't saying it like that at all! Sword Elder, you heard her yourself back then. How can she be so brazen?"
Lin Feng's face was also filled with indignation.
Just as he was about to expose this shameless woman's true colors to Zhong Qing, Zhong Qing waved his hand to stop him.
As for what the actual truth was, he wasn't an idiot; naturally, he could see right through it, so there was no need for further explanation.
However, he wasn't all that angry either.
Ever since the hundredfold multiplier had been activated, the terrifying speed of Lin Feng's cultivation was something anyone would envy. It was only natural for someone to be moved to take him as a disciple.
As for following them all the way to Mufu Peak and getting trapped in the Sea of Bitterness, this woman must have suffered a great deal.
Besides, even though this woman had brazenly lied through her teeth, her attitude could still be considered sincere.
Therefore, he couldn't be bothered to pursue the matter any further.
"Young lady, be on your way. Do not come to Mufu Peak again," Zhong Qing said, waving his hand.
Su Wenjiu felt her face burn with embarrassment.
Naturally, from Zhong Qing's attitude, she could tell that he knew she was lying. Blushing, she hurriedly offered a respectful apology: "My apologies, Senior. I lied just now. I am sorry, I shouldn't have done that."
"Blame me for being blind, ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth, and offending Senior."
"Someone with such a terrifyingly fast cultivation talent as your honorable disciple has is completely beyond my qualification to take as a master."
"However, Senior, what I said later—that I genuinely and from the bottom of my heart wish to apprentice myself to you as your disciple—is the absolute truth. I only hope Senior will grant my wish."
Su Wenjiu said this respectfully.
Now that she had met Zhong Qing, the thought of becoming his disciple had genuinely and truly taken root in her mind.
Because Zhong Qing was the first person she had ever met in her life who made her feel unfathomably profound, to say nothing of witnessing the Sea of Bitterness and the terrifying method he used to fish that colossal creature out of it.
Therefore, taking Zhong Qing as her master could never be wrong.
Su Wenjiu's words actually caught Zhong Qing somewhat off guard.
While he couldn't exactly say he felt any fondness for this woman's final display of candor, at least the bad impression had dissipated.
Still, as for taking her on as a disciple...
Zhong Qing couldn't help casting his gaze toward Su Wenjiu. After observing her for a moment, he ultimately shook his head.
"Young lady, you do not meet my criteria for taking disciples. You should be on your way."
Just a moment ago, Zhong Qing had used his Heavenly Eyes to observe her; her natural talent and aptitude were indeed very, very good.
Yet she couldn't trigger any bonds.
To him, she was completely useless.
Besides, he didn't know how to teach, so for both parties, this master-disciple arrangement was entirely unnecessary.
"I don't meet the criteria?"
Hearing this, Su Wenjiu was utterly struck.
One had to know that, given her talent and strength, she had broken all-time records in Zhaoxia Valley.
Those old seniors of the various sects back then had even gone so far as to come to blows in order to take her as a disciple, bringing out all sorts of trump-card treasures. In the end, no one could best the others, and none of them would yield.
They had finally debated and settled on joint instruction by everyone present to calm the storm.
Precisely because of this, as the Saintess of Zhaoxia Valley, strictly speaking, she had never had a true master.
Nor had she let anyone down; at merely twenty-odd years of age, her cultivation had already reached the Moon Profound Realm.
It was no exaggeration to say that she was the future of the Zhaoxia Valley Sacred Land.
Yet today, right here with Zhong Qing, she didn't even have the qualification to become a disciple.
Yet the more this was the case, the less she wanted to give up.
Because she understood that stumbling into Mufu Peak and running into Zhong Qing this time might be a disaster for her.
But it could also be a great opportunity.
She prepared to reveal the greatest secret she harbored.
Aside from a select few people in Zhaoxia Valley, absolutely no one knew this secret, because before she grew strong enough, once it leaked out, both Zhaoxia Valley and she herself could face total annihilation.
She believed that after revealing this secret, Zhong Qing would change his mind and take her as his disciple.
"Senior, actually, aside from my own natural talent, there is a hidden, unknown secret within me..."
Su Wenjiu took a deep breath.
She was about to muster her courage to speak the secret, but before she could utter it, Zhong Qing beat her to it.
"I know, you still have a sliver of ancient Divine Phoenix bloodline in your body, right?"
Zhong Qing said indifferently.
When he had used his Heavenly Eyes to look at her just now, he had already seen it. Under the Heavenly Eyes, whatever one's strength, talent, or hidden constitution might be, nothing could remain concealed.
?
?
???
Su Wenjiu's eyes widened, her red lips parting into an "O" shape.
She stared at the Zhong Qing before her with an expression of utter disbelief.
The Divine Phoenix bloodline that she was so proud of and believed she had hidden so well that no one could possibly detect it—had he known about it all along?
And he just tossed it out so casually?
"My apologies, young lady. Even if you possess the Divine Phoenix bloodline, it is still not enough to meet the conditions for becoming my disciple."
"Please leave."
Zhong Qing put away the fish he had just reeled in. Remembering that his goal of satisfying his appetite for the day had been achieved, he picked up his fish creel, packed up his things, and stood up, preparing to head back.
"Disciple, see the guest out."
"Yes."
Watching Zhong Qing depart, Su Wenjiu wore a grim expression.
Her mind could not stop echoing Zhong Qing's words.
*Even if you possess the Divine Phoenix bloodline, it is still not enough to meet the conditions for becoming my disciple...*
This single sentence had utterly shattered every last shred of her pride.
Chapter 14: The Second Disciple
Su Wenjiu left Mufu Peak.
She hurried back toward Zhaoxia Valley.
Soaring through the sky, she looked down at the Xianjiang Sect, which was gradually shrinking in the distance, and her heart remained in turmoil for a long time.
Who could have imagined that such a mighty expert was hidden within this tiny sect?
Originally, having grown up surrounded by all sorts of halos and accolades, she had been somewhat full of herself.
But this trip out had finally taught her what it meant when people said there were always people beyond people, heavens beyond heavens. Her own tiny halo was truly nothing at all in front of truly powerful individuals.
Setting Zhong Qing aside for a moment, just looking at the cultivation speed of Zhong Qing's disciple, Lin Feng, was something she couldn't hope to catch up with even if she whipped a horse to its limits.
When she got back, she must certainly tell the people of her sect: the people of the Xianjiang Sect must never, under any circumstances, be offended!
Days passed, the sun rising and setting.
In a mere half a month or so, the earth began to thaw, and the temperature grew warm.
Sunlight blanketed the world, grass and wildflowers gradually broke through the soil, and the season of all things reviving was fast approaching.
Zhong Qing, dressed in white robes, lay lazily in a reclining chair, sensing the state of his cultivation.
"Host: Zhong Qing"
"Cultivation: Moon Profound Realm."
"Disciples: Lin Feng, Xiantian Peak cultivation, hundredfold multiplier currently active."
"Triggered bonds: Good-for-Nothing Bond 1/2."
"Acquired constitution: None."
"Acquired special abilities: Old Sixth Aura, Heavenly Eyes."
Ever since he took in Lin Feng and activated the thousandfold multiplier, in the span of just a single month, Zhong Qing had relied entirely on Lin Feng's cultivation feedback to break through directly from the previous Star Profound Realm to his current Moon Profound Realm.
If word of this speed were to get out, it was hard to imagine how much envy it would provoke.
Take Su Wenjiu from a little while ago, for instance: although she was also in the Moon Profound Realm, that was because she had started building her foundation from the time she was a toddler, coupled with the vigorous nurturing of Zhaoxia Valley, before finally reaching this realm.
By comparison, Zhong Qing had achieved it with utter ease.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng's cultivation had now reached the Xiantian Peak, leaving him only a single step away from the Chen Profound Realm. Once he stepped into the Chen Profound Realm, he would truly enter the ranks of genuine experts.
"Although the speed is fast, I still need to find a second good-for-nothing disciple as soon as possible."
Zhong Qing couldn't help muttering to himself.
After all, the feedback given to him as a master by the Good-for-Nothing Bond at 1/2 versus 2/2 had a thousandfold and ten-thousandfold difference!
Yet Zhong Qing had also studied the matter recently.
The system's requirements for this "good-for-nothing" status were actually extremely harsh.
It had to be someone who couldn't even manage to get spiritual energy to enter their body.
In a cultivation world like this, wanting to find someone like that was, in a sense, even harder than finding someone with a purple-tier talent.
Because even a mortal, if they sat cross-legged and put on a show of absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, would always manage to draw at least a tiny trace of spiritual energy into their body to strengthen their health.
Otherwise, Zhong Qing would have already rushed out into the secular world and casually grabbed someone off the street to make up the numbers long ago.
Yet perhaps the system had heard his plea.
A long-awaited voice finally rang out.
"Ding! A disciple candidate has been discovered. Please hasten to take them on as a disciple."
"Oh?"
Zhong Qing's eyes brightened as he sat straight up.
"Please have the Host immediately proceed to Tianyue City. The eligible candidate is currently within Tianyue City."
As the system's voice faded, a direction was mysteriously pointed out to Zhong Qing in the back of his mind.
"Tianyue City?"
Zhong Qing packed up simply and hurried toward Tianyue City. He could hardly wait for the ten-thousandfold multiplier feedback from his disciple.
Moon Profound Realm cultivation allowed one to travel several thousand miles in a single day.
Tianyue City was only eight hundred miles away from the Xianjiang Sect, and before long, Zhong Qing had arrived in Tianyue City.
The city was bustling, with people coming and going, displaying a thriving prosperity.
Even though it was a mortal city, several nearby sects purchased their daily necessities right here in this city—including the Xianjiang Sect itself—so practitioners could be seen everywhere in Tianyue City.
Following the system's guidance, Zhong Qing hurried toward Tianyue Square in the center of the city.
When he reached Tianyue Square, however, he found that it was already packed so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through.
Right in the center sat a few elderly men, with a group of sect disciples in uniform attire standing behind them.
Below the elderly men were several talent-testing stones, and many people were lined up to have their talents tested.
This scene was no different from when Zhong Qing had accepted disciples at the Xianjiang Sect last time.
Listening to the crowd's discussions, Zhong Qing managed to figure out the specific situation: it turned out that the Flying Blade Sect needed to recruit a batch of outer disciples, so they were publicly recruiting people right here in Tianyue Square.
The Flying Blade Sect was considered a first-rate sect in the Eastern Region, one that even the Xianjiang Sect couldn't compare to.
For many ordinary people, such an opportunity was rare indeed.
At this moment, however, the process had already reached its final stages.
"Congratulations to those disciples whose tested talent is above the white tier. Later, you may step aboard the Flying Blade Sect's flying boat and officially become outer disciples of our Flying Blade Sect."
Up front, an elder of the Flying Blade Sect spoke in a voice like a booming bell.
As soon as these words fell, those who had tested at or above the white tier revealed looks of pleasant surprise.
Yet far more people wore crestfallen expressions of defeat.
Zhong Qing had no interest in any of this; instead, he searched through the densely packed crowd for his precious disciple.
Just then, among the crowd of eliminated candidates, a dirt-covered little boy walked up to the platform and bowed to the Flying Blade Sect elder.
"You've been eliminated! What are you running over here for?"
Seeing this, a Flying Blade Sect disciple moved to chase him away.
Seeing this, the boy hurriedly pulled a token from his cloth pocket.
"Senior, I have a Flying Blade Token here. May I ask if this can allow me to become a disciple of the Flying Blade Sect?"
"A Flying Blade Token?"
Hearing this, the elder at the head of the platform looked somewhat surprised.
The Flying Blade Sect indeed had the concept of a Flying Blade Token; anyone holding a Flying Blade Token could unconditionally become a disciple of the Flying Blade Sect.
After a disciple presented the token, the elder examined it to determine its authenticity. Once he verified that it was real, he looked down at the little boy and asked, "Where did you get this Flying Blade Token?"
"Reporting to Elder, five years ago, a Flying Blade Sect elder was hunted down and heavily injured. He produced this Flying Blade Token and asked my parents to save his life, promising that anyone holding this token could unconditionally join the Flying Blade Sect."
"However, so as not to expose his whereabouts, my parents were killed by his enemies because of this. Before dying, my father handed this Flying Blade Token to me."
The boy said this with a sincere expression. When he spoke of his parents' deaths, his eye sockets welled up with unstoppable tears.
Having heard the boy's words, the elder at the top had already judged whether it was true or false.
Because such an incident had indeed occurred five years ago: their Great Elder had been hunted down by enemies, and while heavily injured and stripped of his cultivation, he had been rescued by a mortal family.
Yet his face remained entirely expressionless.
As he looked at the dirt-covered little boy, there was even a hint of disgust between his brows.
After a long while, he crushed the Flying Blade Token in his hand into powder, waved his hand dismissively, and said, "Just become a menial disciple. Go mine for the sect after entering."
"A menial disciple..."
"That's fine too. At least I should be able to get enough to eat."
The little boy showed a look of satisfaction, then hurriedly expressed his gratitude: "Thank you, Elder."
"This..."
Zhong Qing had finally found his disciple candidate. It was none other than this little boy.
Yet he hadn't expected that before he even had time to make a move, the boy had already joined the Flying Blade Sect.
At the same time, he hadn't anticipated that this disciple of his would have such a tragic background.
And the Flying Blade Sect's handling of the matter also filled him with contempt.
Even though the little boy had no talent, a protector was, after all, a core pillar of the sect. The boy's parents had used their lives to save that protector's life; upon entering the Flying Blade Sect, leaving aside giving him great treatment, they shouldn't have assigned him to mine!
Just assigning him some idle duty to ensure the child never had to worry about food and drink would have been practically no burden at all to the Flying Blade Sect.
Fortunately, however, he was about to become his own disciple.
Chapter 15: Overwhelming Suppression at the Same Level
Just as Zhong Qing was pondering how to approach the Flying Blade Sect and take this disciple into his fold, however, a man stepped through the air from the heavens.
The man had a head of red hair, flashed a pair of blood-red pupils, and emitted faint wisps of black qi all over his body.
"Who goes there?"
Seeing the man appear, the Flying Blade Sect elder furrowed his brow, slapped the table, stood up, and cast a gloomy gaze toward the man.
"Elder, remain calm and do not be impatient. I am Blood Mad."
The man flashed his unearthly pupils, landed, and bowed to the Flying Blade Sect elder.
"Blood Mad?"
"The red-haired old ghost's disciple?" the Flying Blade Sect elder asked in alarm.
"Elder is truly well-informed, instantly recognizing my identity," Blood Mad said with a leisurely smile.
"Naturally."
After confirming his identity, the Flying Blade Sect elder's expression and tone immediately grew much more polite.
For no other reason than that the red-haired old ghost was a renowned rogue cultivator within a radius of ten thousand miles.
Although the cultivation techniques he practiced leaned somewhat toward the demonic path, no one could deny his formidable strength in the Moon Profound Realm. Even if their own Flying Blade Sect's founding ancestor stepped out, he might not necessarily be able to defeat him.
"I wonder what brings Young Master Blood Mad here so suddenly?" the Flying Blade Sect elder asked with a smile.
"I only have one tiny request."
Blood Mad let out a cold laugh, cast his gaze toward the little boy from earlier, and said leisurely, "This kid was poisoned with a certain toxin since childhood. Although this toxin isn't fatal, due to long-term poisoning, it has merged completely with his vital blood and his heart."
"Right now, I am practicing a technique imparted by my master, and I happen to need vital blood and a heart containing this specific toxin to serve as a medicinal guide."
"Although this kind of constitution can be cultivated, it takes quite a bit of time after all. Since there's a ready-made one right in front of me, I've come out to request it from the Elder, and I hope Elder will grant this favor."
"This..."
The Flying Blade Sect elder revealed a hesitant expression.
"Elder, this brat is nothing more than a piece of trash. Having one more or one less makes no difference to your Flying Blade Sect. And if you grant me this favor, this favor will always remain valid."
Blood Mad continued to persuade him by appealing to both reason and emotion.
The Flying Blade Sect elder remained torn.
What he cared about wasn't the little boy's life; what he cared about was the Flying Blade Sect's reputation.
If this Blood Mad were just a demonic cultivator, that would be one thing, but he was shouting it out in public! If his Flying Blade Sect agreed, wouldn't that mean they were colluding with demonic cultivators?
Yet, thinking deeply on what Blood Mad had said, it also made sense.
He was just a piece of trash, after all; indeed, having one more didn't make him a surplus, and having one less didn't leave a deficit.
Most importantly, he could win a personal favor.
The red-haired old ghost only had a single disciple; wouldn't Blood Mad's favor be the red-haired old ghost's favor?
Thus, he made his decision and said with a faint smile, "Since Young Master Blood Mad has spoken, how could I possibly refuse?"
"No, don't!"
Beside them, the little boy cried out in a breakdown, his entire body trembling with anger and grief.
He had never imagined that life's turning point could be so cruel.
"Elder, I beg you, please don't!"
"I am a disciple of the Flying Blade Sect now! My parents saved the life of a Flying Blade Sect elder!"
The little boy pleaded almost desperately.
Hearing this, the Flying Blade Sect elder hesitated for a moment.
The boy's parents had after all saved the Great Elder's life. If the Great Elder were to pursue the matter...
Thinking of this, he directly pulled out a jade slip to contact the Great Elder within the sect.
"Hmph, a mere mortal! Asking me about a trivial matter like this—the Flying Blade Token was given to his parents, not to him. Since his parents died back then, that Flying Blade Token naturally becomes void."
From within the jade slip came the cold voice of the Flying Blade Sect's Great Elder, carrying a heavy undertone of impatience.
As soon as these words dropped, they caused the little boy to collapse and sit flat on the ground.
Back then, his parents had risked their lives to carry out that rescue precisely because they relied on the Flying Blade Token, hoping to hand it over for him to use so he could escape the bitter life of an ordinary person and become someone above others.
Yet he never expected that the people he had saved at the cost of his life would turn out to be such as these.
Had he known, he shouldn't have come today at all.
Meanwhile, upon learning the Great Elder's attitude, the Flying Blade Sect also completely finalized its stance. The elder said in a deep voice, "Regardless of whether the Flying Blade Token counts or not, you already became a disciple of the Flying Blade Sect just now. A disciple of the Flying Blade Sect should obey the sect's commands; when it comes to matters concerning the sect's interests, you should take the initiative to sacrifice yourself for the Flying Blade Sect!"
The onlookers at the scene, though inwardly holding the Flying Blade Sect's actions in contempt, not a single person spoke up for the little boy.
In the immortal cultivation world.
The law of the jungle—the strong preying on the weak—was precisely like this.
The cold and ruthless conduct of the Flying Blade Sect completely chilled the little boy's heart.
With reddened eyes, he etched the Flying Blade Sect's behavior and this hatred deep into his memory, turned on his heels, and bolted out of the crowd to run.
Seeing the little boy try to escape, Blood Mad sneered, not in the least bit hurried.
After letting him run some distance, he calmly and unhurriedly raised his palm, and a surge of vital energy blasted toward him.
Watching the surge of energy close in, the little boy wore a look of despair, his heart filled with a profound and bitter unwillingness.
However—