When Shi Liuli pulled Luo Yan in front of Elder Shi Ding and excitedly finished explaining what had happened, Elder Shi Ding couldn't help but wear a face full of question marks.
He'd sent her to investigate a spy, and somehow she'd come back with a disciple?
He had already watched the recording of Luo Yan's entrance exam before Shi Liuli went to investigate him, and hadn't noticed anything amiss.
Or, more precisely, what kind of spy would be stupid enough to score a perfect mark on the entrance exam?
Besides, if his comprehension really was as exaggeratedly good as Liuli said, then making him a spy would be a terrible waste of his talents.
Wouldn't it be better for the sect to cultivate him itself? Whether it was alchemy methods, the principles of treasure casting, or formations with calculations that could only be described as "astronomical," all required exceptional comprehension to master.
With poor comprehension, the speed of learning... was downright heartbreaking!
Thinking of this, Elder Shi Ding calmly said:
"Your name is Luo Yan, right?"
"Greetings, Elder." Luo Yan hurriedly bowed.
"Where are you from?" Elder Shi Ding asked.
"This junior comes from Lin'an Commandery in Yangzhou," Luo Yan said respectfully. "My parents both passed away, and I have no family. In my younger days, I worked at a private school, helping the teacher draft and grade papers."
[False persona, synchronization value +1.]
"Mm." Elder Shi Ding made no comment. "Then what are your birth date and hour?"
Luo Yan: ?
Did becoming a disciple require calculating your birth date and hour?
He was a little taken aback, and beside him, Shi Liuli cried out, both embarrassed and angry:
"Father! Why are you calculating Junior Brother's birth date and hour?!"
"Father, actually, this is..." Only then did Elder Shi Ding realize that his question really could be misunderstood.
He'd asked for Luo Yan's birth date and hour because he wanted to use Taiyi Divination to check whether the background Luo Yan had described was true.
But to his daughter, it sounded as if he were checking whether their horoscopes were compatible for marriage...
Of course, Elder Shi Ding couldn't explain in front of Luo Yan, "I'm not checking your marriage compatibility; I'm verifying whether what he said is true." He could only force himself to lie:
"I merely wanted to see whether he was suited to join my lineage..."
"Then why didn't you calculate my senior brothers' and sisters' birth dates when they joined?" Shi Liuli asked, mortified.
"That's because..." Elder Shi Ding couldn't keep up the pretense. He waved his hand and forcibly changed the subject. "Enough, enough. Luo Yan, let me tell you."
"My title is Shi Ding. In my early years, I entered the Dao through casting cauldrons. I've now mastered all manner of artifact refining methods and inherited the Heavenly Works Workshop."
"At Penglai's Yuqing Temple, I wouldn't dare claim to be the best at artifact refining, but I can say that I'm second to none."
"I've seen your entrance exam. Your talent for comprehension is exceptional, and you're suited to inherit my Dao lineage."
"So I'll ask you here: are you willing to join my lineage and learn the art of artifact refining?"
Hearing this, Luo Yan immediately became solemn and bowed respectfully.
"This disciple is willing to learn."
[False persona, synchronization value +1.]
"Good." Elder Shi Ding stroked his beard and smiled.
Although Luo Yan had accepted him as his master without hesitation, he'd actually thought it all through in an instant.
A cauldron was an implement for suppressing formations, and "entering the Dao" was a very exacting expression.
To use a modern analogy, it was more or less the top level of an academician's field.
True Person Shi Ding claimed to have "entered the Dao through casting cauldrons," which meant he had attained an extremely high level in formations.
Then there was "mastered all manner of artifact refining methods"—a short phrase with a great deal of weight behind it.
Artifact refining encompassed far too much: cauldrons, mirrors, seals, pots, swords, zithers, and bells. Who would dare claim to have mastered every kind? That was why so few cultivators practiced the Dao of artifact refining, and magic treasures had remained expensive for years.
"Sword casting" deserved special mention here. Flying swords were the fastest weapons and had powerful offensive strength. They could even seal Daoist Magic within them, making them the cultivation world's equivalent of "firearms." As a result, no sect or school could do without flying swords.
As for the forging of magical swords in the cultivation world, "Penglai alone produces six out of every ten." In later generations, this would practically amount to a monopoly. The enormous wealth behind it went without saying.
In short, if he stuck close to Elder Shi Ding, he'd never lack flying swords, magic treasures, or spirit stones!
As for Shi Liuli, she was just an Eldest Young Lady who knew nothing of the ways of the world.
If Master didn't want me getting involved with her, I guarantee I won't even spare her a glance!
Seeing Luo Yan choose to become his disciple without hesitation, Elder Shi Ding was very pleased.
Thanks to the air of deception from his false persona and the mental suggestion of Mirror Flower Water Moon, Elder Shi Ding had formed an excellent first impression of Luo Yan:
He had excellent comprehension and an honest disposition. Who wouldn't love a disciple like that?
Shi Liuli pouted beside them, feeling a little unhappy.
In her mind, things should have gone like this: her father would initially look down on Luo Yan, and then she'd strongly recommend him until her father reluctantly accepted him as a disciple.
Then Luo Yan would be deeply grateful to her, his senior sister, and devotedly loyal.
After that, her father would finally realize Luo Yan's excellent comprehension, see him in a new light, and praise her for her good judgment...
That was how it was supposed to go! Why weren't things following her script?
Still, now that she had a junior brother, she was no longer the youngest by seniority.
So she eagerly took on the role of senior sister and said to Luo Yan:
"Since you've joined my father's lineage too, I'll show you around and introduce you to the other senior brothers and sisters~"
Watching his daughter pull Luo Yan away, Elder Shi Ding couldn't help smiling.
Setting aside matters between men and women, his daughter had been doted on by her senior brothers and sisters since she was little, the darling of them all, and had grown up with a cheerful, innocent disposition.
If little Junior Brother Luo Yan could give her a chance to act like a senior sister and develop a sense of responsibility, that would definitely be a good thing.
As for whether his daughter would develop feelings for him later, that was a matter for the younger generation.
Shi Liuli led Luo Yan around the Heavenly Works Workshop.
Along the way, she also showed him where the senior brothers and sisters lived.
Eldest Senior Brother Linghu Chu was a Golden Core True Person. He focused on sword cultivation and had considerable attainments in the Penglai Sword Control Art as well.
It was just that he seemed to be a habitual drunk. When Shi Liuli led Luo Yan into the main hall, they saw him sprawled drunkenly over a grand armchair, fast asleep and snoring.
Shi Liuli wrinkled her nose in disgust, gave a brief introduction, and then led Luo Yan away, as if afraid he might catch the drinking habit.
Second Senior Sister Lei Caiyan was also a Golden Core True Person. She specialized in making zithers and had great talent in music and divination, though her thoughts and speech were somewhat wooden.
To welcome her new junior brother, Senior Sister Lei gave him a Phoenix Tail Zither on the spot. It was made entirely from thousand-year-old paulownia wood, its wooden grain carefully opened up with true essence. It was an exceptionally fine zither-type magic treasure.
Qiu Changtian himself was skilled in music. He had put especially great effort into the xiao and flute, planning that someday, when he encountered a grand occasion and needed to make an entrance, he could arrive with "the xiao sounding before he appeared" and "a figure in flowing white robes sweeping gracefully into view."
But he wasn't good at playing the zither, so Luo Yan planned to pass the Phoenix Tail Zither on to Qiu Changtian, who could then give it to his junior sister to play with.
Third Senior Sister Liang Ruohua was also a Golden Core True Person. She studied mirror-making and seal-making and had extensive experience with sealing arts.
The Heaven-Turning Seal that Shi Liuli usually used was modeled after the acquired spiritual treasure, the Heaven-Turning Seal, and cast by Liang Ruohua. It was said to possess an estimated three-tenths of the original treasure's power.
Three-tenths of an acquired spiritual treasure's power was already outrageous, all right? It could even smash a Tenth-Order Immortal Sword crooked. It was just weaker than an "Eleventh-Order Immortal Sword" like the Taiyi Splitting Light Sword.
Shi Liuli begged and wheedled until Liang Ruohua gave Luo Yan a "Fate-Connecting Mirror." It was said that if he kept it on him, it could block a fatal attack at a critical moment.
Luo Yan was overwhelmed by the honor and repeatedly thanked her.
Fourth Senior Brother Shi Wenshi was a cultivator at the Abode Transformation Stage. He specialized in making pots and bells, and his family's inherited spatial Daoist Magic was exceedingly profound.
It was said that nearly eighty percent of the storage pouches, holding pouches, Qiankun bags, and the like on the market came from the Guangling Shi Household behind Fourth Senior Brother.
Yet this household had never produced a Nascent Soul Cultivator in any generation, so it kept a very low profile. It was one of the cultivation world's "invisible rich."
As a welcoming gift, Shi Wenshi gave Luo Yan a "Hundred Treasures Bag." It contained an enormous amount of space—enough to hold even a great sea ship—and Luo Yan was so delighted that he hurriedly thanked him.
It had to be said that Penglai Yuqing Temple cultivators were obsessed with cultivating the hundred arts of various schools alongside their main disciplines. The number of Golden Core and Nascent Soul Cultivators ranked last among the three orthodox sects, no wonder the Ziwei Sect Master of Kunlun called them "fools."
Yet Luo Yan discovered that in Elder Shi Ding's Heavenly Works Workshop, everyone not only knew one another well, but got along so well that they could casually give each other magic treasures.
They were practically like family, and it warmed Luo Yan's heart.
By contrast, over at Kunlun, although the Ziwei Sect Master had many personal disciples, outside of listening to lectures together in the Scripture Hall, the senior brothers and sisters hardly exchanged a word.
The warmth of human feeling and the chill of its absence—together, the contrast was painfully clear.
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