Chapter 161 The Disciple-Taking Turmoil: A New Spiritual Vein Appears
After the sermon ended that day, the crowd dispersed, and Ning Tang was taken away by Wang Xi and the others.
Wang Xi and the others praised Ning Tang all the way, praising her intelligence for quickly absorbing qi into her body, her courage, and her good performance, etc.
Song Yin returned to Danque Peak, and soon the list and information of this year's new disciples appeared at her side. The disciples who knew about what happened in the outer sect academy even put Ning Tang's information at the top so that Song Yin could easily check it.
“Ning Tang, fire spirit root…” Song Yin chuckled, “Spirit root is indeed suitable for alchemy, what a coincidence.”
However, she needs time to observe and see if Ning Tang is suitable to be her personal disciple.
Unaware of the matter of being a personal disciple, Ning Tang returned to the courtyard as usual and resumed attending classes with the others. A small number of local cultivators who had just joined the Immortal Cloud Sect learned that Ning Tang had attracted Elder Song's attention, and some were envious while others were jealous.
Ning Tang cultivated like the other disciples of the Immortal Firmament Sect, diligently learning new knowledge and living a low-key life, avoiding trouble. Sometimes, Ning Tang would return to her familiar restaurant to continue running errands. The manager offered Ning Tang a raise, but Ning Tang resolutely refused, saying that it was her duty to help and that she should thank the manager for taking her in for a year, which allowed her to join the Immortal Firmament Sect.
Even so, there were still people who disliked Ning Tang who blocked the door. The reason was simple: first, Ning Tang attracted Elder Song's attention, and then Ning Tang was praised by many seniors for her serious cultivation and high talent. Such behavior aroused the dissatisfaction of others.
Song Yin had an invisibility talisman on her body and her aura was deliberately concealed, so no one noticed her when she was hovering high in the sky.
Shi Heming, also concealing his aura with an invisibility talisman, watched as several people blocked Ning Tang's path. He asked, "Is that the disciple you've chosen? Do you need any help?"
The two even created a protective barrier, so no one could hear them talking loudly.
Upon learning that Ning Tang was the disciple Song Yin had chosen, Shi Heming was astonished for a long time. Who would have thought that the child who had stopped them would become the disciple chosen by Yin Yin?
Song Yin: "No need. I want to see what choice she will make in this situation."
Shi Heming: "What kind of choice do you hope she will make?"
"As long as they're not a pushover who can be easily bullied, we'll see about other requirements later." Song Yin wouldn't get involved until someone died.
As things stand, Ning Tang meets her requirements: hardworking, studious, grateful, and quick-witted. She also lives a low-key life and doesn't go out of her way to cause trouble. These are all good qualities, but it would be even better if she had a bit more of a sharp edge.
"Ning Tang...you've been living quite well these past six months, haven't you? Many seniors have been praising you to everyone they meet." The person who stopped Ning Tang wasn't very old either, no more than fifteen years old.
Song Yin had reviewed the information on the new disciples and knew that some of them came from families of cultivators. Their families might not be the most powerful, but each of them had a stronger family background than Ning Tang. The leader had a jade pendant hanging from his waist with a unique beast-face pattern, which Song Yin took a few extra glances at.
"Fellow Daoists, is there something you need?"
"Can't I just chat with you if there's nothing wrong?"
Ning Tang clenched her fists, hidden in her sleeves. There were seven of them, while she was the only one on her side. She was only at the early stage of Qi Refining, and she would definitely be at a disadvantage in a fight. It was time to go to the school, and there were still many people on the road.
Ning Tang calmed herself down and rolled her eyes. "I know what you all mean. The rewards bestowed upon me by the seniors are in my courtyard. I will bring them to you now. Please wait a moment." After saying that, she bowed to the group.
"Tch! Although a peasant like you from the mortal realm shouldn't have any good stuff on you, the seniors were so generous and gave you quite a few good things. I heard you just got a pill yesterday, I think it was a third-grade pill..."
Ning Tang: "I understand. I will certainly give the pill to you, fellow Daoist."
After saying that, Ning Tang turned and went into her own courtyard, and the seven people who stopped her burst out laughing.
"Haha, I thought he was a tough nut to crack, but he's just a coward."
"Boss, since she's so sensible, why don't we have her hand over all the rewards to us from now on?"
"But with her talent, what if one day her cultivation surpasses ours?"
The leader grinned and said, "Then let's take advantage of her low cultivation level and train her to be obedient."
"The boss is right! This way we can have another genius as a slave."
The seven men were dreaming of having another slave to do their bidding, unaware that danger was lurking.
"Elder, it was them who surrounded and robbed me. You heard it just now. They even wanted me to be their slave." Ning Tang's voice rang out from the other end of the road.
The elder in charge of managing the bamboo hut also appeared at the other end of the road. Upon hearing the sound, all seven people turned to look.
"How did you end up here?! And you actually called the elders, you're shameless!" The seven people began to feel afraid, afraid that they would be expelled from the Immortal Cloud Sect.
Anyone who commits a crime in the Xianxiao Sect will be expelled from the sect without exception.
"Elder, it's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding."
Song Yin, observing from the air, cast an approving glance, "If you can't beat them, run away and call for reinforcements, not bad."
Shi Heming: ? ? ?
Yinyin's condition for accepting apprentices is knowing when to run away if you can't win a fight?
Shi Heming recalled the past and thought it seemed... quite normal; Yinyin had been like this since she was little.
Song Yin took out the list and put a checkmark next to Ning Tang's name. Looking at the list again, there were several other names on the shortlist, even some ordinary disciples from Danque Peak. Some names had one checkmark next to them, while others had several.
After Song Yin finished ticking the box, she put the list back into her spatial storage and said to Shi Heming, "Let's go, we don't need to watch over this place anymore."
After the two left, the elder in charge of managing the bamboo hut looked thoughtfully into the air. Only after hearing the disciples repeatedly shouting that they knew they were wrong and apologizing did he turn his gaze away.
The person who stopped Ning Tang was punished, and Ning Tang was already sitting in the classroom.
The person next to Ning Tang asked, "Xiao Tang, what path do you want to choose in the future?"
Ning Tang put down her book, and the image of Elder Song automatically appeared in her mind. Since that sermon, she had learned a lot about Elder Song's deeds from Senior Sister Wang.
“I want to choose.” Ning Tang paused for a moment, then answered, “The Dao of Alchemy.” If there were a good medicine to cure diseases, her mother wouldn’t have to worry about getting sick on the way to escape disaster; if there were a fasting pill, her mother wouldn’t starve to death.
"You have a fire elemental root, so alchemy is indeed a good choice for you. Who knows, you might even have a chance to enter the Pill Refining Peak in the future!"
"Her? Danque Peak?" The newcomer laughed upon hearing this.
Ning Tang didn't reply and picked up her book again...
While Song Yin was secretly scoring the candidates for her personal disciples on the list, Shen Yuzhu had already accepted disciples.
After receiving the news, Song Yin marveled at how quickly her senior brother had accepted disciples.
"Senior brother, where is your new disciple?" Song Yin flew to Wujian Peak to see her junior disciple.
Shen Yuzhu: "Jin'an, come over here and greet your martial uncle."
The seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy was dressed in a tight-fitting outfit, with a storage ring on his left hand and a sword on his back. His first impression was that he was clean and neat.
"Disciple Yan Jin'an greets Martial Uncle." Yan Jin'an bowed generously, his eyes revealing the unique sincerity of a young man.
Song Yin looked Yan Jin'an up and down, and after a long while she said, "Not bad, consider these pills as a gift." After saying that, several bottles of pills flew to Yan Jin'an's front.
"This disciple thanks my master."
Song Yin then said to Shen Yuzhu, "Senior brother, may I speak to you in private?"
Shen Yuzhu: "Jin An, you may leave now."
"Yes." Yan Jin'an obediently withdrew.
After everyone left, Song Yin set up a protective barrier and asked Shen Yuzhu, "Senior brother, have you officially accepted this disciple?"
Shen Yuzhu: "We've only confirmed that we'll take him on as our personal disciple; we haven't taken him to register his new identity yet, nor have we left him a soul lamp."
Song Yin: "..."
Shen Yuzhu's smile gradually faded. "Is there a problem?"
Song Yin recalled that the leader who stopped Ning Tang took a second look because of the special pattern on the jade pendant at his waist, and Yan Jin'an's storage ring had the same beast face pattern.
“I just saw the beast-face pattern on Yan Jin’an’s storage ring today, on a disciple of a noble family in the outer sect.” Song Yin frowned. “I hope I’m just being paranoid.” If he wasn’t being paranoid, then another noble family was eyeing the Wujian Peak’s inheritance.
Song Yin: "I still don't know how Yan Jin'an caught my eye, Senior Brother?"
"..." Now it was Shen Yuzhu's turn to be silent. After a moment, he recalled, "Before you returned to the sect, I went out incognito and encountered some accidents. He helped me out of the predicament. Later, after getting to know him better, I found that he was a good person and had the same spiritual root as me. After chatting for a long time, I learned that his wish was to become a famous sword cultivator, so I had a thought."
Song Yin narrowed her eyes slightly, "There's more than that, isn't there?"
Shen Yuzhu's eyes darted away: "He was homeless, just like I was back then. I could tell he had spiritual roots, so I suggested he come to the Immortal Firmament Sect..."
Song Yin raised her hand and rubbed the solar system, sighing, "Let's put the matter of taking on a disciple on hold for now. I'll go and investigate for you. Before we find out the results, just pretend you don't know anything and put on an act in front of him."
"By the way, were you able to handle the accident you encountered before by yourself?"
Shen Yuzhu: "Yes."
So when the other person does what you can, you fall back into your old habit of feeling obligated to repay kindness.
Shen Yuzhu felt uncomfortable under his junior sister's gaze, which made him feel like he was an idiot. "I was just thinking that since Master picked me up, I might as well pick up a disciple too."
Song Yin: "When Master's wife found you, she immediately took you as her disciple?"
Shen Yuzhu: "No."
Song Yin: "Later, when you wanted to join Wujian Peak, your master's wife readily agreed?"
Shen Yuzhu: "...No, I begged for a long time back then."
Song Yin: "Why do you think your master's wife didn't immediately accept you as her disciple?"
Shen Yuzhu: "Testing my character? Confirming whether I am worthy of becoming a direct disciple of Wujian Peak?"
Song Yin shrugged. "It's that simple, but did you manage to do it?"
Shen Yuzhu hadn't thought too much about this. After confirming that he wanted to take on a personal disciple, Yan Jin'an became the best choice, and he didn't investigate too much.
Shen Yuzhu said gravely, "Junior sister, please stop talking. Senior brother knows he was wrong and will go and investigate carefully."
Yan Jin'an, who had already stepped down, opened each of the pill bottles and smelled them.
"Being a disciple of a major sect is really great; even the initial gift is a fifth-grade pill."
Yan Jin'an's expression suddenly changed, and a different, calm voice rang out: "Get out of my body."
Yan Jin'an's expression changed again. "Your body is mine now. Let's see how long you can hold out." He turned to look at the main hall behind him. "My good brother, I will slowly take everything from you." Shen Yuzhu should be trampled under his feet forever.
After reminding Shen Yuzhu, Song Yin went back and began investigating the Li family related to the beast-face pattern.
The Li family, a cultivation family that is not considered a major family in the Eastern Continent, is located in Yujing City of the Eastern Continent, and the beast-face pattern is the family totem.
The surnames of the Li family and Yan Jin'an don't match.
Could it be that she was overthinking things? She had been to Jade Capital City once before, during the mission to seize the Heavenly Spirit Fruit, but she hadn't stayed there for long, so she didn't know much about the cultivation families there.
Based on the beast-face pattern and the person who stopped Ning Tang, Song Yin followed the clues and found the Li family in Yujing City. Shen Yuzhu, reminded by Song Yin, did the same, but the difference was that when he saw the name Yujing City, Shen Yuzhu felt as if he had been struck by lightning.
The Shen family also lived in Yujing City.
Inside the main peak.
Sect Leader Yan leaned back in his chair, reading the letter in one hand while tapping the table repeatedly with his fingertips. Upon reaching a crucial point, his gaze sharpened, and he abruptly rose from his seat, heading straight for the forbidden area.
“Yanxi, you asked Fellow Daoist Lian to go to the ancient battlefield back then, but he hasn’t returned yet. Now you’re asking us old guys to step in again. What’s the matter? You’re asking us to step in for everything, which makes us doubt your ability as the sect leader.”
Sect Master Yan bowed deeply and said sincerely, "Ancestor, this concerns the future development of the Immortal Cloud Sect. The new spiritual vein—has appeared!"
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Author's Note: Song Aotian's Apprenticeship: Taking Notes and Carefully Observing
Turning his head to look at Shen Yuzhu, Song Aotian let out a sharp scream: "Ah—! You better be serious!!"
Shen Yuzhu: (Her old habit kicked in) (Feeling guilty) (Bursts into tears after finding out the results) (Junior sister, I'll change my old habit right away! TvT)
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[Empty bowl]
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