Seeing Xiao Chen's utterly terrified expression, Lin Zhou stroked his chin, feeling a little uneasy.

Is it okay to take this back? Won't it just be a burden?

He secretly asked the system in his mind, "Hey, this kid's meridians are broken, his cultivation is gone, he's like a cripple. Are you sure he's a peerless genius? Even if I take him in, do I have to be your babysitter with this broken body? How am I supposed to repair him?"

[Upon successful acceptance of a disciple, a "Rebirth Pill" will be automatically issued, which can reshape meridians, reverse physical constitution, and stimulate potential talents.] The system's voice remained flat.

"Break through and then establish the elixir?" Lin Zhou raised an eyebrow. "That sounds impressive. You should have said so earlier."

He turned to look at Xiao Chen, who was still in a daze, cleared his throat, and said in an extremely calm tone, "I forgot to mention earlier that you'll receive plenty of benefits if you become my disciple. I have a pill here that can reconnect your meridians, restore your cultivation, and even... make you stronger than before."

Xiao Chen suddenly looked up, his cloudy eyes bursting with an astonishing light, like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.

"You...what did you say?" His voice trembled, almost unable to believe his ears. "A pill? It can restore me?"

He had tried countless methods and begged countless people, only to be met with ridicule and disdain. His family had abandoned him, his childhood sweetheart had betrayed him, and he was almost resigned to his fate. But this mysterious man who suddenly appeared and effortlessly dealt with the assassin claimed to have a way to restore him?

"Hmm." Lin Zhou nodded, too lazy to say more. "Are you going to pray or not? Give me a straight answer, I need to go back to sleep."

"I bow! I bow!" Xiao Chen practically shouted.

Ignoring his injuries, he knelt on the ground with a thud, his knees hitting the hard stone floor with a dull thud. He kowtowed three times, his forehead turning red, but his eyes remained unwavering: "Disciple Xiao Chen greets Master!"

[Ding! Congratulations, host, you have successfully accepted Xiao Chen as your disciple!]

[Mission Complete! Rewards: Break Through and Rebuild Pill x1, Rusty Iron Spear x1, "Wildfire Spear Manual" x1.]

[Activate the "Apprentice Training System": The host can gain reputation through apprentice growth and external training, and exchange it for generous rewards.]

A series of notification sounds rang in Lin Zhou's mind. He paused for a moment, then looked down at the object that had suddenly appeared in his hand—

A pill the size of a pigeon egg, pure white, emitting a faint fragrance; a rusty iron spear that looked like a fire poker; and a thread-bound book with a yellowed cover and blurred print.

"That's it?" Lin Zhou weighed the iron spear in his hand. It was quite heavy, but its appearance... it looked no different from the scrap metal piled up in his warehouse. "System, are you sure you didn't pick this up from some junkyard?"

[Rusty Iron Spear: Contains the essence of ancient spear techniques. It must be given to a disciple after the host has pledged allegiance to it with their blood. Once the disciple's cultivation has improved, they can unlock the seal themselves.]

[The "Prairie Fire Spear Manual": Written by an ancient spear master, it is the supreme classic of spear techniques.]

"Oh..." Lin Zhou suddenly realized, and casually stuffed the things into Xiao Chen's hands, who was still kneeling on the ground. "Here, this is your gift."

Xiao Chen accepted the pill with both hands. When his fingers touched it, he clearly felt a gentle power spreading along his fingertips, easing the pain in his meridians. Looking at the "rusty iron spear," it appeared worn and old, yet it caused the long-dormant spear shadow deep within his soul to tremble slightly, as if it were cheering.

He clutched the object tightly, his eyes instantly welling up with tears. After so many years, he had finally tasted the sweetness of "hope" again.

"Thank you, Master!"

"Alright, get up." Lin Zhou waved his hand. "This isn't the place to talk. Come back to the sect with me."

As he spoke, he once again activated the "One Breath, Ten Thousand Miles" talisman and grabbed Xiao Chen's arm.

Xiao Chen felt a blur before his eyes, and when he regained his footing, he was already standing in a place that was even more desolate than the wilderness he had just been in.

The first thing you see is a mottled, peeling vermilion gate with a plaque hanging above it, the words "Qingyun Sect" barely legible. The stone lions on either side of the gate are missing a leg, the courtyard is overgrown with weeds, and a crooked bamboo house stands there all alone, next to an old locust tree that is almost dead.

When the wind blows, the door creaks and the grass rustles, looking like a ruin that has been abandoned for hundreds of years.

Xiao Chen: "..."

He looked blankly at Lin Zhou, then at the dilapidated "sect" in front of him, his mind buzzing.

A rotten wooden board with the words "Qingyun Sect" written on it.

The strength that Master just displayed was clearly unfathomable—traveling ten thousand miles in a single breath, killing with a flick of the finger—he was no ordinary person.

But how could someone like that live in a place like this?

Is this... definitely a sect, and not some vagrant's stronghold?

Was he... kidnapped by some scammer?

"No, no, Master must be a reclusive master, he must have seen through the vanities of the world, that's why he lives in seclusion here, yes, that must be it."

Lin Zhou ignored the turmoil in Xiao Chen's heart, stretched, and pointed to the bamboo house: "That's where I live. The one next to it is half collapsed. If you don't mind, you can fix it up and live there yourself."

After saying that, he yawned, turned around and walked towards the bamboo house, leaving Xiao Chen alone in the yard full of weeds, clutching the pill and the "rusty iron spear" in his hand, looking bewildered in the wind.

Xiao Chen watched Lin Zhou leisurely recline back on the bamboo chair, casually grabbing a handful of melon seeds, and then looked at the dilapidated sect that could scurry with rats. Suddenly, he felt that his "apprenticeship" was not quite what he had imagined.

But in any case, he had the elixir and the chance to stand up again.

Xiao Chen took a deep breath, bowed respectfully to Lin Zhou's back, then looked down at the "rusty iron spear" in his hand, his eyes regaining their resolve.

So what if the sect is in ruins? As long as he can regain his mastery of the spear, he'd be willing to live in a dilapidated house or even a cave!

Lin Zhou, who had reclined back in his rocking chair, was munching on sunflower seeds while complaining to the system: "Look at your lousy sect! You still have the nerve to call yourself 'Qingyun Sect'? I think 'Beggar Gang Branch' would be more appropriate. I can't just let a disciple starve with me, can I? Shouldn't we issue some 'Sect Repair Fund'?"

Lin Zhou was just used to chatting and joking with the system; after all, the system's inventory contained a ton of resources.

[...] The system fell silent again.

Lin Zhou pursed his lips, not caring at all; his life still had to go on. As for that new apprentice?

Hmm... as long as you don't disturb him while he's sunbathing, let him do whatever he wants.

Little did he know that the "trash" he casually tossed out would soon cause the entire Southern Region to tremble.