Personal Disciple

Lei Dong's face lit up with unconcealable surprise and excitement. He quickly knelt down solemnly and said, "Thank you, Ancestor, for fulfilling my wish."

Seeing his expression, Ancestor mistook his joy for excitement over becoming a personal disciple and nodded inwardly. If he had known the kid was actually overjoyed at escaping death and didn't care much for the personal disciple title, he might have slapped him to death and found someone else.

"Kid Lei, cultivate well from now on and don't shame Ancestor," Ghost Slave also solemnly instructed.

"Yes, Ghost Slave Sir," Lei Dong replied, putting away his joy and responding with utmost seriousness.

Next, Ghost Slave began to explain the many benefits of being a personal disciple. For example, they would receive two Spirit Stones and a bottle of Pill for Cultivating Origin each month. As their cultivation increased, their monthly allowance would also rise. Furthermore, at the end of every month, Ancestor would hold a lecture for all personal disciples. Here, personal disciples could ask Ancestor any questions they encountered during their cultivation. Additionally, personal disciples could move into their own residences, which not only had a much better environment than ordinary Disciple quarters but, more importantly, their cultivation rooms were built upon Spirit Caves, meaning the Spirit Qi there was far richer and more abundant than in ordinary Disciple rooms.

There was also a benefit unknown to ordinary Disciples: personal disciples only needed to spend 80% of the marked price when exchanging items with Contribution.

Originally somewhat dismissive of the personal disciple title, Lei Dong now began to take it seriously. He had to admit that some of the advantages of being a personal disciple were exactly what he needed. With the heaven-defying treasure Soul Devouring Pagoda in hand, it only significantly increased his combat power. It didn't offer much benefit to his cultivation progress. Unless he was willing to sell more Middle Grade Spirit Ghosts and use the Spirit Stones to buy Pills like Pill for Cultivating Origin, he could only indirectly improve his cultivation progress by a small margin.

However, always selling Spirit Ghosts was like a tiger that ventured too often into the mountains; sooner or later, it would be discovered by someone with ill intentions. After all, no matter how good one's Qi was, it was impossible to effortlessly obtain Middle Grade or even Upper Grade Spirit Ghosts all the time, right?

But it was different for personal disciples. Twenty-four Spirit Stones a year was neither too much nor too little, and it allowed them to legitimately enrich their Storage Bags. A bottle of Pill for Cultivating Origin each month was a much-desired item, far better than the Lesser Vitality Pills Lei Dong used to use. The residences built on Spirit Caves, and Ancestor's personal guidance, were all direct benefits to his cultivation. As for the 80% exchange rate, it would save him a considerable amount in the long run.

There were indeed quite a few benefits. No wonder Monster Zuo Chao and Zhou Minghua had both advanced to the fifth level in just three years, and Ding Wanyan's cultivation had progressed by leaps and bounds. While their exceptional talent was a factor, the various benefits of being a personal disciple also played a significant role. At least with these advantages, Lei Dong's cultivation would surely be much faster than before.

"Kid Lei, today is your first day as a personal disciple, and Ancestor is giving you special treatment. If you have any questions about your cultivation, you can ask Ancestor now." Having interacted with Lei Dong several times, Ghost Slave quite admired the young man and his attitude softened considerably.

Indeed, Lei Dong had spent many times fumbling in the dark over the past three years, accumulating quite a few questions. After obtaining Ancestor's consent, he began to ask the problems that had long troubled him. Ancestor was also uncharacteristically amiable, answering each question one by one.

Often, problems that had perplexed Lei Dong for a long time were clarified by Ancestor with just a sentence or two, bringing him sudden enlightenment. Both in his heart and on his face, his admiration for Ancestor grew. Of course, this was also because Lei Dong was now a personal disciple and had gained Ancestor's favor. Otherwise, an ordinary Disciple would not even dare to stand steadily before Ancestor, let alone ask questions.

After a good half-day, Lei Dong had no more questions. Ancestor then solemnly bestowed upon him a treasure that made Lei Dong feel a mix of amusement and exasperation: a Spirit Ghost of Middle Grade quality.

Admittedly, this was already a very generous reward. It was worth over a thousand Hundred Spirits on the market. However, a Middle Grade Spirit Ghost was somewhat of a chicken bone to Lei Dong, as he could produce one himself with a bit of effort in a month or two.

Of course, he still put on a face of mixed surprise and joy, repeatedly thanking Ancestor for the gift.

After bidding farewell to Ancestor, he returned to his own room and collapsed onto his bed, utterly exhausted. Meeting Ancestor and becoming a personal disciple had been more tiring than fighting Zhou Minghua to the death. However, having truly become a personal disciple, Lei Dong felt extremely fortunate. He knew his aptitude was, at best, above average, and his comprehension was decent at most. With the status of personal disciple, the path ahead would be much smoother.

After Ghost Slave announced Lei Dong's promotion to personal disciple, many people came to visit and curry favor. Lei Dong refused to see anyone except ****. He had a brief gathering with them, and then they all returned to their cultivation to prepare for the upcoming matches.

In the subsequent matches, Lei Dong's progress was exceptionally smooth. Most opponents immediately surrendered when they encountered him, their faces filled with awe and respect. They were likely afraid Lei Dong would kill them and feed them to his ghosts. Their trembling expressions made Lei Dong feel somewhat amused.

It wasn't until the nineteenth round that he encountered Chen Ge. After a perfunctory spar, Lei Dong announced his surrender. In the twenty-third round, he met Wei Hua again, and naturally, Lei Dong sparred for a while before surrendering. In the twenty-seventh round, he finally drew Ding Wanyan. This time, he had no choice but to fight. Facing Senior Sister Ding, even with all three ghosts unleashed, he would not be her match.

By the thirtieth round, his opponent was none other than Zuo Chao. Lei Dong pondered for a moment. To defeat Zuo Chao, he would likely need to unleash all three ghosts to barely manage it. Two powerful Ghost Soldiers were already attention-grabbing enough; if he unleashed three, it would truly arouse suspicion. After all, Lei Dong had only been cultivating for three years. To have produced two powerful Ghost Soldiers with the Upper Grade Soul Nurturing Pagoda, multiple blood sacrifices, and immense effort was already his limit.

However, it would be a shame not to fight at all. Therefore, Lei Dong deployed his two Ghost Soldiers and fought with all his might, ultimately falling short and losing. But Zuo Chao was not much better off. His Lower Grade Magic Shield was shattered, and he even had to consume a Return Origin Pill to barely defeat Lei Dong.

Whether it was Zuo Chao's youthful nature or his genuine kindness, after Lei Dong forced him to shatter his shield and expend pills, he showed no anger towards Lei Dong. Instead, he greatly admired him, stating that if Lei Dong had been a personal disciple three years ago, he, Zuo Chao, would have been no match for him now. He also mentioned his young age and, despite ranking above Lei Dong this time, he did not wish for Lei Dong to call him Senior Brother. Instead, he proactively called Lei Dong Senior Brother.

In truth, Lei Dong also deeply admired him. At such a young age, to possess such cultivation. Even more impressive was his extremely proficient use of Spells, far surpassing the second-rate Zhou Minghua.

In the final match, he encountered a girl who was only at the third level of Qi Refining. With a sorrowful and pitiful look, she pleaded with Lei Dong to let her win, willing to pay any price, otherwise she would fall outside the top twenty. Lei Dong merely sneered, summoned his Ghost Soldier, and within ten breaths, he forced her to surrender.

The rankings for this Small Competition were soon released. As expected, Ding Wanyan won all thirty-one matches. Zuo Chao ranked second with thirty points, and third place was held by Chen Ge with twenty-nine points. Chen Ge had only lost to Ding Wanyan and Zuo Chao. It also helped that Lei Dong had already defeated Zhou Minghua, allowing **** to each gain a point without fighting.

Wei Hua was also very lucky. He didn't encounter any strong opponents in the early stages. In the mid-stage, he coincidentally advanced from the third level Peak to the fourth level. With his decent cultivation and Magic Items and Spells, he surged forward, accumulating twenty-eight points to rank fourth. Lei Dong accumulated twenty-seven points, ranking fifth. Although he ranked fifth, everyone knew that he was the true third place.

However, only Lei Dong knew that if he unleashed all three ghosts, he could completely defeat Zuo Chao. For a moment, Lei Dong couldn't help but sigh, realizing how powerful the Ghost Taming Art was when paired with good Spirit Ghosts.