Formal Disciple

"Immortal Master Gu, you flatter me. How could I possibly...?" You Su hastily declined.

"Hey! Don't be so modest. Besides, if you don't accept this, and later when you reach the Great Dao, you tell everyone about this past event, won't I, Gu Yao, lose face?" Gu Yao interrupted, pushing the brocade box forward.

"You don't need to refuse anymore. This item isn't of much use to me, but it will be put to good use by you."

Although Gu Yao spoke in a joking tone, You Su didn't take it lightly. No matter how useless money was in the hands of the rich, there was no reason for it to be freely given to the poor.

"Immortal Master, you are too kind. The Great Dao is far off and uncertain. Even if I, You Su, were fortunate enough to reach it, I would not dare to speak lightly of Immortal Master. I simply don't understand what you mean by that."

Gu Yao's attitude made it clear to You Su that this was not only a thank-you gift for forcing him to help that day, but also an investment in his future. To refuse any further now would be to reject not just a valuable gift, but also the goodwill of this Divine Mountain Immortal Master. If that weren't the case, who would specifically send a thoughtfully chosen gift to a junior?

Seeing that You Su seemed inclined to accept the gift, Gu Yao opened the brocade box. Inside lay a milky white stone. Upon closer inspection, one could see that the stone was actually transparent, with the milky white substance swirling within like a developing embryo.

Gu Yao moved the brocade box closer to You Su's hand and said, "Hold it, then release your senses and try to perceive your surroundings."

You Su hesitated for a moment before taking the stone and placing it in his palm, releasing his senses as Gu Yao instructed.

The milky white stone in his hand seemed to react. A portion of the milky white substance, resembling liquid or gas, seeped out of the stone and merged with You Su's palm.

You Su, whose senses had been normal before, didn't understand Gu Yao's intention. Suddenly, he found that the world within his sea of consciousness had become much clearer.

To explain using concepts from his past life, You Su's senses could help him outline the shapes of surrounding objects in his sea of consciousness. However, the perception of the Spirit Platform Realm was limited. If You Su didn't deliberately focus his mind on a particular spot, it was akin to someone with myopia of 400-500 degrees, only able to see clearly by squinting.

This milky white stone was like a pair of ill-fitting glasses, directly reducing his myopia from 400-500 degrees to 300 degrees. With his senses released casually, the details of the world were much richer than before.

For You Su, who was blind, this would be a significant help in both combat and daily life.

You Su quickly put the stone back in its place, exclaiming, "This gift is too precious, Immortal Master Gu. I am unworthy of it."

Gu Yao feigned anger, "If you don't accept it, does that mean you look down on it?"

Seeing You Su about to argue again, Gu Yao softened his tone.

"This item is a White Stone Bead, made from an extremely rare ore called White Stone. It is often used by people from Divine Mountain to nourish their spiritual senses. However, for those at higher realms, its help to the spiritual senses becomes less significant. Therefore, it is often passed down to juniors or sold. I have no disciples and I don't lack money, so it's perfect for giving to you. It also saves me the trouble of carrying a stone around that bothers me every day."

Gu Yao's smile was bright, and his words were sincere. Even without knowing Lotus Sword Venerable's special attention towards this young man, his performance so far was enough to earn Gu Yao's regard.

You Su paused for a moment. The intention of friendship in Gu Yao's words was obvious. He had no reason to refuse, so he said solemnly, "Respect is not as good as obedience. I, You Su, will gratefully accept. If Immortal Master Gu has any needs in the future, I will do my utmost."

"You have extraordinary talent. We will have many more opportunities to meet in the future," Gu Yao flicked his sleeve and sat up straight. "Alright, let's get down to business. Introduce me to your sect."

You Su spoke briefly, omitting the details of dual cultivation and only mentioning the inheritance of the Mandarin Duck Sword. He also briefly mentioned his Junior Sister and Mistress.

"What is your Master's name? Does he have a title?"

"He has no title. My Master's name is Guan Chujun."

"Guan Chujun..." Gu Yao mused, repeating the name. He couldn't recall any information about this name in his mind. "I haven't heard of him."

The most memorable cultivator he knew with the surname Guan was from a hundred years ago when he was still an outer disciple of Xuanxiao Sect. It was a woman who punched open Divine Mountain and fought her way to the Immortal Ancestor Pagoda. However, that person was a fist cultivator, and You Su is from the Sword Sect. How could there be a connection?

"It's normal that Immortal Master Gu hasn't heard of him. My Master isn't anyone significant, and his cultivation is only at the Water Condensing Lower Realm."

"Water Condensing Lower Realm?" Gu Yao was clearly surprised. This cultivation level was much lower than he had expected, certainly not someone who could teach a disciple like You Su. He didn't know that You Su's skills were mostly self-taught.

"Although my Master's realm is not high, he is very powerful in combat. Even the Sect Master Qi of Sky Guard Sect is a defeated opponent of my Master," You Su said, not wanting others to look down on his Master.

"Sword cultivators are primarily focused on combat. The fact that your Master could defeat Sect Master Qi, who is at the Water Condensing Upper Realm, is enough to show his extraordinary abilities. He will surely reach a higher level during his travels," Gu Yao praised sincerely. Qi Daodong's aura was strong, and he was considered a master among those in the Water Condensing Upper Realm, not someone who could be easily defeated by someone in the Water Condensing Lower Realm.

"Thank you for your kind words, Immortal Master Gu."

Gu Yao nodded, then said with a hint of regret, "The strength of your Mandarin Sword Sect's Sect Master meets the standard for an affiliated sect, but other aspects fall far short. Although I admire your sect's sword techniques, I'm afraid you are still destined to be without a place as an affiliated sect."

You Su had never hoped for the Mandarin Sword Sect to become an affiliated sect of Xuanxiao Sect. Moreover, someone like his Master would likely not allow himself to become someone else's subordinate.

Sky Guard Sect was like a major university in a third-tier city in his past life. If the Ministry of Education didn't upgrade it to a bachelor's degree, who else would they?

"Immortal Master Gu, you jest. My humble sword sect dares not hope for such a thing," You Su said with a smile.

Gu Yao, for the first time, dropped his smile and said seriously, "Your sword sect may not have this fate, but you do."

You Su was stunned, not understanding what Gu Yao meant. Was he revealing something to him in advance?

"What do you mean, Immortal Master?"

"Before yesterday, I had already decided to list you and Wu Cheng as auditory disciples. But after yesterday's battle, I changed my mind," Gu Yao's tone was quite enticing. "I've decided to promote both you and Wu Cheng to formal disciples. As for whether you'll be outer disciples or true disciples of an elder, that will depend on your own efforts once you enter."

"May I ask, Immortal Master, what is the difference between a formal disciple and an auditory disciple?"

"Auditory disciples can only attend lectures. Formal disciples, however, can enjoy resources such as cultivation techniques, spirit stones, and magical treasures. They can also choose one of the thirteen Grand Elders or twenty-three Junior Elders of Xuanxiao Sect to be their master. Each of them is a figure renowned throughout the Five Continents. The price is that you must leave your current sect and act under the name of Xuanxiao Sect from now on. Wu Cheng has already agreed to become a formal disciple, so I am asking for your intention."

"Thank you for your kind regard, Immortal Master Gu, but please allow me to refuse."