Too Much Wine, Too Much Talk

The four of them sat around the stone table, and after a few bowls of wine, the atmosphere immediately changed. The four of them became less formal, and their conversations became much more straightforward. After some small talk, Yue Qianchou got a general idea of the personalities of these three. He could tell that Ling Feng and Bei Zi were straightforward and honest people, who spoke directly and were true to their feelings. This was quite rare in the Cultivation World. As for Xuan Ping, he was a man of few words, but when he did speak, his words could be quite impactful.

Yue Qianchou found no fault with the character of the three, and felt they were worth befriending. Moreover, it was never a bad thing to make more friends in a strange place. However, character was truly rare in the Cultivation World, and to meet three such individuals at once made Yue Qianchou have to inquire about them indirectly, with a hint of suspicion.

It turned out there was no other reason than the fact that the three of them didn't know how to behave. To put it bluntly, they didn't know how to go with the flow and flatter people. This angered the person in charge, who then grouped the three of them together. They usually did all the menial, heavy labor that no one else wanted to do. It could also be said that their unyielding personalities brought them trouble. Unfortunately, none of the three had very good spiritual roots. All of them had failed Foundation Establishment once. If they failed two more times, they would all be expelled from Fu Xian Island.

Yue Qianchou was a little dumbfounded. What was the meaning of him being assigned here? Why would they put him together with three people who had no future? Was Guan Wei Wu planning to cross the bridge and then burn it, abandoning him after getting the Fu Xian Token?

Ling Feng seemed to see his dejection. He picked up his wine bowl, drank it all in one gulp, and then chuckled, "You were brought here by Yan Shu, so you probably don't know some things. Yan Shu's father is Elder Yan Tuo, who manages all the miscellaneous affairs on Fu Xian Island. When Yan Shu first joined the Alchemy Pavilion, he relied on his father's name to try and become Elder Guan's disciple. As a result, Elder Guan didn't give him any face, refused him on the spot, and casually assigned him a Master. Yan Shu was narrow-minded and a complete scoundrel. He was furious at the time but couldn't do anything to Elder Guan. Later, when Elder Guan felt like it, he took in a few disciples, but without exception, they were all harmed by Yan Shu."

"Uh..." The wine Yue Qianchou had just taken into his mouth almost sprayed out. He finally managed to swallow it and then heard Bei Zi chuckle, "Brother Yue, aren't you scared? You are also Elder Guan's disciple! I hope you are the exception."

Yue Qianchou put down his wine bowl and looked at the three, stunned. "It's not that exaggerated? Yan Shu harmed Elder Guan's disciples just because Elder Guan didn't accept him as a disciple?"

"It's true," Xuan Ping, who had been drinking with his head down, stated definitively. Although he spoke little, his words were more effective than Ling Feng and Bei Zi's ten explanations. Yue Qianchou completely dismissed his doubts and asked resentfully, "Can't Elder Guan even manage his own disciples when they are being harmed?"

Bei Zi chuckled again, "Haven't you heard Elder Guan's nickname, 'Alchemy Fanatic'? Besides alchemy, there's probably nothing else that can make him pay attention. He might even forget the disciple he just accepted the next day. Do you think such a Master can be relied upon?"

Xuan Ping, who was pouring wine, shook his head and interjected, "He can't be relied upon."

Yue Qianchou was speechless. To have such a muddled Master, how could he have encountered him? He hated that he had been blind at the time and chosen him as his Master. Damn it! His life was even more bitter than a common cabbage.

Ling Feng grabbed the wine jar next to Xuan Ping and refilled Yue Qianchou's wine bowl. He said, "If Yan Shu didn't rely on his father's prestige, there are plenty of Nascent Soul stage cultivators. How could a mere Core Formation stage cultivator manage the miscellaneous affairs of the Alchemy Pavilion? However, assigning you to our courtyard seems to indicate that he does intend to harm you. While I say this, you don't need to worry too much. The sect rules of Fu Xian Island are not just for show. He wouldn't dare to harm you openly. As long as you stay vigilant, it won't be easy to harm you."

Yue Qianchou nodded and remained silent. A sharp glint flashed in his eyes before quickly disappearing. The others didn't notice that he had already developed a killing intent towards Yan Shu. Although he didn't know if the Yan Shu the three spoke of was truly that despicable, if he truly had to live in constant fear, then there was no room for consideration. He wasn't doing this for the first time, the saying "let a fellow daoist die rather than myself" came to mind.

However, he would endure what he had to for the sake of successfully establishing his foundation. It was difficult to find a sect with such good conditions. Moreover, what he had heard so far was only the one-sided account of these three. It was better to see things for himself. With this thought, Yue Qianchou cupped his hands and smiled, "Thank you, three brothers, for the reminder. I've noted it. Since this is our first meeting, let's not discuss these unpleasant matters. They say Fu Xian Island is a blessed land. I haven't yet experienced its beautiful scenery. Can you three brothers take me to see it?"

Xuan Ping shook his head and said, "No."

Yue Qianchou was stunned and asked, "Why?"

"Didn't Yan Shu tell you that disciples who haven't reached Foundation Establishment are not allowed to wander around without permission?" Ling Feng asked back curiously, while the other two also looked at him.

Yue Qianchou thought about it. Yan Shu had indeed told him about such a rule. At the time, he thought Yan Shu was trying to scare him, a newcomer, and didn't take it to heart. Now, it seemed it was true. He couldn't help but ask, "Is there really such a rule? Why?"

"It's very simple," Ling Feng said. "Only disciples who have reached the Foundation Establishment stage or above can be considered true disciples of Fu Xian Island. They can freely enter and exit any place on Fu Xian Island that doesn't have restrictions, including going to the 'Scripture Repository' to browse various cultivation texts that can be publicly displayed within the sect. Secondly, every sect has its secrets that it doesn't want outsiders to know, and Fu Xian Island is no exception. Most importantly, disciples who fail Foundation Establishment three times will be expelled from the sect. Brother Yue, you should understand now why disciples who haven't reached Foundation Establishment are not allowed to wander around without permission!"

"I understand. It's to prevent disciples who are expelled from the sect from leaking Fu Xian Island's secrets," Yue Qianchou said, then frowned again. "In other words, disciples like us who haven't reached Foundation Establishment aren't considered true disciples of Fu Xian Island yet."

Ling Feng stood up, patted his shoulder, and chuckled, "Brother Yue, don't be discouraged. In the entire Cultivation World, which sect's disciples have three chances to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill to attempt Foundation Establishment like Fu Xian Island? I'm afraid you won't find a second one besides Fu Xian Island? Just this alone is enough to make disciples from other sects envious. As far as I know, some sect disciples never even get a chance to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill in their entire lives."

"Mm," Bei Zi nodded. "I've also come to terms with it long ago. If I fail Foundation Establishment three times and am expelled from Fu Xian Island, I won't have any complaints. The opportunities are the same, and I can only blame myself for being inferior."

"Me too," the taciturn Xuan Ping also added his agreement.

They misunderstood him. Yue Qianchou wasn't discouraged; he was just annoyed that Guan Yu was too dishonest, not even telling him these basic things, leaving him in the dark and asking such foolish basic questions. Guan Yu clearly had psychological issues and deliberately wanted to make him look foolish. As for whether he was a true disciple of Fu Xian Island, it wasn't important to him. As long as he succeeded in Foundation Establishment, everything else would be manageable.

Moreover, he still held the trump card to solve all his current troubles. Thinking of this, Yue Qianchou smiled slightly. Wasn't Alchemy Pavilion Guan Wei Wu's domain? Wasn't Guan Wei Wu an Alchemy Fanatic? I don't believe the 'Pill Recipes' of the 'Pill Sect' can't handle you