Taking a Master

"Senior Brother Yi, I don't understand what you mean."

Li Gan shook his head.

Yi Zhong hadn't expected Li Gan to refuse both soft and hard tactics. His expression immediately turned icy. "Junior Brother Li, you're only a Menial Disciple. Some things aren't yours to keep all to yourself. I'll let you in on something: what Elder Song left behind has already caught the eye of a major figure in the Inner Sect."

"Senior Brother Yi, to be honest, I'm still completely in the dark about the opportunity you mentioned. After all, I've only been in the Bell Tower for a little over two years, and Elder Song left a long time ago. Were we really that close? Why would he hand the opportunity you mentioned to someone with no connection to him?"

Li Gan sighed.

"Then why did you say before that Chu Yingying was your cousin? Why hide it on purpose?"

Yi Zhong said coldly.

"Senior Brother Yi, you and I are both Menial Disciples, not superior and subordinate. I don't need to explain myself to you."

Li Gan's voice turned stern.

Even if Song Yingying told him about the letter, he still wouldn't admit it.

"Junior Brother Li, I've said all I have to say. Think it over."

Seeing that neither soft nor hard tactics worked on Li Gan, Yi Zhong snorted and turned to leave.

"Elder Song, you've really put me on a hot stove."

Li Gan watched Yi Zhong's retreating figure, his heart heavy.

The matter of the Treasure Map was far from over.

He'd rather not have the Treasure Map at all. With the Sacrificial Artifact System, he could rise to prominence just the same, without taking such a huge risk.

But now, a single Treasure Map had put him in grave danger.

At least he was inside the Divine Sword Sect, and Yi Zhong was the man behind the Bell Ringer. Yi Zhong shouldn't dare make a move against him lightly.

But what would happen if this dragged on? Who could say?

"Yi Zhong mentioned a major figure in the Inner Sect. Was he trying to scare me, or was he telling the truth?"

A thought stirred in his mind.

The Chore Hall and the Inner Sect were worlds apart.

Anyone admitted to the Inner Sect was an Official Disciple. Above them were True Disciples, elders, and Peak Masters.

For Li Gan now, those were levels he couldn't even come into contact with.

Though he was already a Ranked Martial Artist in the Postnatal Realm First Layer, in the Inner Sect he'd still be nothing more than the lowest-ranking Official Disciple.

"No, I can't let things go on like this. If someone from the Inner Sect really gets involved, I'll only have more and more trouble down the line."

Li Gan took a deep breath, feeling an even greater sense of urgency.

All he wanted was to quietly be a Bell Ringer.

Why did trouble always come looking for him?

"Looks like this is the only way."

Li Gan finally made up his mind.

He knew that with his status as a Menial Disciple, even as a Ranked Martial Artist in the Postnatal Realm First Layer, he couldn't protect himself.

His status simply wasn't high enough.

Forget Inner Disciples—even the higher-ups in the Chore Hall could order him around.

Li Gan returned to his room, gathered his things, and headed down the mountain.

He didn't go to the Chore Hall. Instead, he went to the valley behind it.

A lone wooden hut stood in the valley.

Behind the hut was a waterfall.

It was the dry season, so little water flowed down from the mountain. During the rainy season, the waterfall was a magnificent sight.

From the Bell Tower, he could see the waterfall perfectly.

An old man with a scraggly beard lay sprawled across a wooden chair outside the hut. His face was flushed, and he reeked of alcohol. One look was enough to tell he was drunk.

"Senior."

Li Gan called out.

"Mm... mm."

The old man scratched his nose and shifted into a more comfortable position.

"Senior."

Li Gan called again.

"Old man's not deaf. I heard you. What is it?"

The old man didn't even open his eyes as he muttered.

"This junior wishes to take the Re-examination."

Li Gan spoke respectfully.

That was right. He planned to take the Divine Sword Sect's Re-examination and become an Official Disciple.

As for how becoming an Official Disciple would make it inconvenient to stay in the Bell Tower—

That was what he'd thought at first.

But his current situation had left him no choice but to change his mind.

"The Re-examination?"

The old man finally opened his eyes and looked Li Gan up and down. "So you really have reached the Ranked Martial Artist level."

"How old are you?"

He asked suddenly.

"Seventeen."

"How many years have you been a Menial Disciple?"

"Two years, two months, and eleven days."

"Did you cultivate before you entered the sect?"

"No."

"What martial art are you practicing now?"

"Sword Piercing Fist."

"Sword Piercing Fist?"

The old man suddenly sat up and looked at Li Gan. "That's a basic fist technique. Reaching the Ranked Martial Artist level with that technique alone is no easy feat. There have been very few like you in the history of my Divine Sword Sect. And to do it in just over two years? That's impossible."

"Show this old man a set of Sword Piercing Fist."

He thought for a moment before speaking.

"Yes, Senior."

Li Gan immediately assumed a stance. Internal Qi circulated in his body, his fists surged into motion, and an invisible, razor-sharp aura poured from him.

The old man's eyes, dull a moment ago, suddenly gleamed. "Fist intent?"

"That's enough. You can stop."

He spoke.

"Tsk, tsk. You've taken the most basic fist technique all the way to perfection and even grasped fist intent. That kind of comprehension is extraordinary. It seems you slipped through the cracks during the entrance test."

The old man marveled.

He no longer doubted that Li Gan had reached the Ranked Martial Artist level in just over two years using a basic fist technique.

Taking a basic fist technique to perfection was a miracle in itself.

"Kid, do you want to become my disciple?"

The old man suddenly asked.

Talented geniuses with excellent natural aptitude were nothing rare in the Divine Sword Sect.

But someone with such extraordinary comprehension was exceedingly rare.

In martial cultivation, the higher one's realm, the less important natural aptitude became. Comprehension was what mattered most.

Li Gan had taken a basic fist technique to perfection, showing just how exceptional his comprehension was. The old man couldn't help wanting to nurture such a talent.

"This junior doesn't yet know your honored name, Senior."

Li Gan asked respectfully.

"I'm just a gatekeeper of the Divine Sword Sect. But if you become my disciple, you'll naturally enjoy the same treatment as the other Official Disciples."

The old man smiled.

"This disciple, Li Gan, pays his respects to Master."

Li Gan didn't hesitate for a moment. He immediately knelt down.

All he wanted was the status of an Official Disciple. It didn't matter who he took as his master.

As far as he knew, becoming an Official Disciple didn't mean one was qualified to take a master.

Most Official Disciples of ordinary aptitude were merely Named Disciples of some elder or Peak Master.

Only true geniuses were taken in as Personal Disciples by elders and Peak Masters.

The old gatekeeper's standing within the Divine Sword Sect was a mystery to him, but the fact that the man had offered to take Li Gan as a disciple meant he had the authority to accept one.

That alone was enough.

Having a master or not made all the difference.

It was like having a powerful backer.

"Good. From now on, you're my Personal Disciple, Zhou Buping's."

The old man nodded. "Disciple, where were you working before?"

"Reporting to Master, I was a Bell Ringer in the Bell Tower."

Li Gan replied.

"Then from now on, you can stay here with me. The Chore Hall can send someone else to the Bell Tower."

The old man said.

"Master, I'd like to keep cultivating in the Bell Tower."

Li Gan said.

"Hm? Why?"

His master, Zhou Buping, asked.

"Master, the Bell Tower is quiet, and I'm already used to the life of cultivating as a Bell Ringer."

Li Gan hurriedly explained.

"Mm. Morning bells and evening drums stir the mind and wash the heart clean. You spent over two years cultivating alone, enduring the loneliness, and took Sword Piercing Fist to perfection. Continuing to cultivate in the Bell Tower really will benefit you greatly."

The old man, Zhou Buping, nodded. "Still, as an Official Disciple, you shouldn't let menial tasks hold you back. How about this? You can keep cultivating in the Bell Tower. If you find the bell-ringing interferes with your cultivation, the Chore Hall can send another Menial Disciple to help."

"Thank you, Master."

Li Gan replied hurriedly.

He certainly didn't want the Chore Hall to send anyone else to the Bell Tower.

After all, he'd already come to think of the Bell Tower as his own territory.

The Chen Bell was his Sacrificial Tool. He absolutely wouldn't let anyone else lay a finger on it.