Jin Yangqiu took two enthusiastic steps forward, a broad smile on his face. "Not bad. To think you could defeat the Sect Master's clone. You are truly worthy of being chosen by my Xinglan Sect. What is your name?"
Xu Shan looked up, his heart racing.
Seeing an immortal-like cultivator standing before him, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
This must be the Inner Sect elder here to receive him... He might even be here to take on a disciple.
Xu Shan bowed and said with a serious expression, "Disciple Xu Shan. May I ask for the elder's name?"
Neither servile nor overbearing, and with an excellent bearing! Good! Very good!
Jin Yangqiu was exceptionally pleased. He stroked his long beard and said, "I am Jin Yangqiu, the elder in charge of the Inner Sect's Qingfeng Hall, specializing in sword cultivation. I saw that you chose a sword for your trial, which shows we are fated to meet."
"Today, I will take you as my personal disciple. You will enter Qingfeng Hall and cultivate with me. This is your Senior Brother, Lu Xiangjun. He will explain the minor rules of the Inner Sect to you later."
Lu Xiangjun? The name sounded like a woman's.
Xu Shan glanced at the person beside Jin Yangqiu. His features were quite delicate, but there was an air of shiftiness about him.
And for some reason, this Senior Brother's eyes seemed to hold a faint, hidden hostility towards him...
"Xu Shan, it's a pleasure to meet you, Senior Brother Lu."
Lu Xiangjun nodded emotionlessly, which served as his acknowledgment.
"Here, this is the Foundation Establishment Pill specially bestowed upon you by the sect. In addition, as a reward for defeating the trial clone, you may go to the Scripture Pavilion and choose a cultivation technique. You can pick any technique in the pavilion, but let me give you a word of advice: the strongest is not always the best. The one that suits you is the best. You must choose carefully," Jin Yangqiu added thoughtfully.
Putting everything else aside, the more he looked at this disciple, the more he admired him.
He had a naturally distinct air about him, and his looks were more than presentable.
Out in the world, he looked like the kind of prime material that female demonic cultivators would snatch up to use as a cultivation cauldron.
Xu Shan suppressed the wild joy in his heart and reached for the Foundation Establishment Pill.
But just then, Jin Yangqiu asked another question, "By the way, what is your aptitude?"
"Low-grade Spiritual Roots."
"......"
When you're just trying to make great content at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
Jin Yangqiu's expression changed drastically, and he snatched his hand back!
Low-grade Spiritual Roots! This kid really did just get in by a stroke of luck. I almost wasted a Foundation Establishment Pill!
And I damn well thought I'd found a treasure. Turns out I picked up trash, just a pretty face!
Jin Yangqiu cursed inwardly. Beside him, Lu Xiangjun's expression suddenly softened considerably... the hostile look in his eyes was gone.
Xu Shan's hand was still frozen in mid-air, his expression gradually turning ugly.
He had always been discriminated against because of his aptitude, and now the reward that had just been offered to him was being taken back.
Couldn't they even pretend for a moment?
Seeing the change in Xu Shan's expression, Jin Yangqiu also felt a bit awkward. He cleared his throat and said, "Xu Shan, ah, there are actually two paths you can take after entering the Inner Sect. One is to continue cultivating. The other is to return to the mortal world, just like the Outer Sect Disciples. However, the Inner Sect will provide you with a bottle of Spirit Gathering Pills to ensure your cultivation doesn't regress in the mortal world, allowing you to enjoy a long and prosperous life."
"Since I have already accepted you as my disciple, you are my disciple. To be honest, there's not much point in continuing to cultivate with low-grade Spiritual Roots. Rather than living as a bottom-feeder in the Cultivation World, it's better to return to the mortal world and be a cut above the rest. This is all based on my experience."
Xu Shan withdrew his hand, lowered his head slightly, and said in a deep voice, "This disciple is determined to cultivate and will consider no other path."
Jin Yangqiu frowned. "Was I not clear enough? There's a limit to how far low-grade Spiritual Roots can take you. Even if you never leave the sect for your entire life, you'll only ever be at the very bottom, living a life of mediocrity. That is a very painful existence. Have you thought clearly about why you want to cultivate?"
Xu Shan didn't respond immediately, gathering his thoughts for a moment.
First, he took a long, deep breath. Then, mustering all his strength, he bellowed, "Reporting to Master! The sole purpose of my, Xu Shan's, cultivation is to serve my senior brothers and sisters, to serve the elders and the Sect Master, to serve the Xinglan Sect!!!"
After all, he was at Qi Refinement Great Perfection. His lung capacity was far beyond that of an ordinary person. The tremendous shout echoed through the sky.
The Inner Sect cultivators all had extremely sharp hearing. Many of them paused what they were doing... and looked curiously towards the source of the voice.
Even Ye Qingbi and the elders, who were in a meeting in the main hall, looked up in surprise.
Xu Shan... the new disciple? Interesting. To say something like that, he must love the sect to his very bones.
I'd like to see just how this fellow serves...
Jin Yangqiu's face contorted. He immediately stumbled back two steps, his finger trembling as he pointed at Xu Shan.
Fuck, with him shouting like that, the entire sect heard him... How am I supposed to convince him to quit now?
This kid did it on purpose!
"Fine, fine, fine! Well said! Take this Foundation Establishment Pill. From this day on, you will follow your Senior Brother Lu to cultivate. Do not come to see me unless it is absolutely necessary!"
Jin Yangqiu, somewhat flustered and exasperated, slapped the Foundation Establishment Pill into Xu Shan's hand and flew away without another word.
Xu Shan looked at the Foundation Establishment Pill in his hand, feeling no joy, only bitterness.
Aptitude... It seems this will be the biggest obstacle on his path of cultivation. Who knows how many more hurdles lie ahead.
"Fucking hell, Junior Brother Xu, you're a f'ing genius! You've got to be way smarter than the average person!" Lu Xiangjun suddenly gave him a thumbs-up, looking at Xu Shan with an expression of pure admiration.
This guy's move was a real eye-opener for him.
Xu Shan glanced at him, feeling only that the guy was kicking him while he was down. He sighed lightly, "Senior Brother Lu, please don't make fun of me. When can I begin cultivating with you?"
"No rush!" Lu Xiangjun waved his hand grandly. "I'll show you around the Inner Sect first and tell you a bit about it."
The two walked forward side by side.
Lu Xiangjun said, "Since you were qualified to take the trial, it means you've reached Qi Refinement Great Perfection. With the Foundation Establishment Pill, you have a very high chance of successfully establishing your foundation."
"Only after successfully reaching Foundation Establishment can you be considered a true cultivator, completely separating yourself from mortals. This is why the Foundation Establishment realm is called what it is. Once you succeed, you can begin learning the Xinglan Sect's introductory heart-law, the Star Attraction Technique. The sect will also provide you with five low-grade Spirit Stones every month to aid your cultivation."
"Besides the Spirit Stones provided by the sect, you can also go out and hunt demonic beasts or gather spirit herbs. The sect will take a portion, and you can exchange the rest for Spirit Stones to trade for cultivation technique jade slips or magical artifacts at the Scripture Pavilion or the Armory Pavilion."
Xu Shan nodded repeatedly. This sounded exactly like the electronics factory from his previous life. You earn money in the factory and spend it in the factory; there was no fundamental difference.
"Then can I buy second-hand cultivation technique jade slips from other disciples? The Scripture Pavilion must be very expensive, right?" Xu Shan asked.
"Smart!" Lu Xiangjun snapped his fingers in appreciation. "We usually trade for second-hand ones. But buying them is another matter, since the material of the jade slips themselves is very expensive."
"I see. Without your guidance, Senior Brother, I don't know how many detours I would have taken."
Seeing that Xu Shan's attitude was quite good, Lu Xiangjun asked tentatively, "Junior Brother, I was wondering, did you ever find a cultivation partner in the Outer Sect?"
"A cultivation partner? Why do you ask, Senior Brother?" Xu Shan found this a bit strange.
A bashful look appeared on Lu Xiangjun's face. He hesitated for a long while before finally speaking. "Forget it! I'll just be direct with you. I'm pursuing Junior Sister Li Ting. Everyone in the Inner Sect knows about it. Judging by your looks, you seem to have a lot of experience. I was wondering if you could give me some pointers in that department?"
......
Proofreader: Peter Pan