Becoming a Disciple

In the open space outside the side rooms.

Several dozen young people surrounded Zhang Cheng and Second Ox, constantly asking them about the trick to drawing qi into their bodies.

With only three days left of the one-month deadline, they had all grown anxious. They truly did not want to lose this chance to become immortal cultivators and soar to greatness.

Yet although Second Ox and Zhang Cheng did not begrudge sharing their experiences, they seemed unable to help the others.

As he watched the crowd outside the side rooms chatting animatedly, Song Wen overheard two guards by the surrounding wall some distance away, their gazes full of mockery.

"These fools are about to die, yet they do not even know it," one guard said derisively.

"Ah, they are a pitiful bunch too. They are only fourteen or fifteen, inexperienced in the ways of the world and ignorant of how treacherous people can be. There is no such thing as a free lunch."

The two did not speak loudly, but Song Wen, hidden behind a large tree, heard them clearly.

The tree happened to block the guards' view, so they did not notice Song Wen.

Song Wen's hair stood on end. It was not difficult to tell from their conversation that whether or not they successfully drew qi into their bodies, the final destination of this group of youths was death.

Originally, Song Wen had only worried that Extreme Yin had designs on those with talent for immortal cultivation. Now, it seemed that even those without such talent would not escape his clutches.

Upon thinking it over carefully, that made sense.

All these youths had cultivated the Longevity Art. Though they had not succeeded, they knew the technique and its key points. If they were released, the Longevity Art would inevitably be leaked.

Then, someone would eventually succeed in refining qi and become an immortal cultivator.

Naturally, Extreme Yin did not wish to see that happen. Would that not be needlessly creating more competitors for himself? If a large number of immortal cultivators appeared near Salt City, they would very likely threaten Extreme Yin and the Heavenly Baleful Gang's status and power in the area.

Song Wen carefully remained concealed behind the tree and listened a while longer. When he gained no further information, he quietly withdrew without alerting the two guards, who were still idly chatting.

After returning to his room, Song Wen had no choice but to make a decision. Tomorrow, he would tell Extreme Yin that he had successfully drawn qi into his body.

The next day, at the hour of the dragon.

Song Wen stood with the other youths in the open space outside the side rooms, waiting for Extreme Yin to arrive.

Today, Extreme Yin was unusually late, arriving a full half hour behind schedule. Second Ox and Zhang Cheng came with him.

Second Ox was in a strange state today. His steps were unsteady, his spirits listless, and even his skin had become somewhat loose. He looked as if he had aged thirty years overnight, transformed from a vigorous youth into a middle-aged man beginning to show the decline of old age.

An unnatural flush had also appeared on his face, like someone recovering from a serious illness who had taken too much tonic medicine and could not bear its effects.

Why had this suddenly happened? Could he have gone wrong in his cultivation and suffered an injury, leaving his blood and qi depleted?

Song Wen could not make sense of what had happened to him. He could only follow the plan he had made beforehand and tell Extreme Yin that he had successfully drawn qi into his body.

Only three days remained of the one-month deadline. If he still could not succeed in drawing qi into his body, his life might be in danger.

And from the current situation, those who had successfully drawn qi into their bodies did not seem to be in immediate danger.

Song Wen strode directly toward Extreme Yin and bowed.

"Lord Extreme Yin, I successfully drew qi into my body last night."

A gleam flashed in Extreme Yin's eyes as he grabbed Song Wen's wrist.

Song Wen immediately felt a current of heat enter his body through his wrist. It shared the same origin as the spiritual power he had refined within himself, but it was far more vast and powerful.

He instantly became uneasy. He had secretly cultivated for over twenty days, so the spiritual power within him was certainly much stronger than that of someone who had only just drawn qi into their body.

He was deeply worried that Extreme Yin would notice something amiss and hold him accountable for concealing it.

Fortunately, Extreme Yin did not inspect the strength of Song Wen's spiritual power too closely. Once he sensed spiritual qi within Song Wen's body, he immediately withdrew.

Song Wen had only just drawn qi into his body, and the spiritual qi within him was extremely weak. Extreme Yin also feared that the spiritual power he sent in might be too overwhelming and shatter that weak spiritual qi, causing irreparable damage.

Extreme Yin showed an approving expression. "Not bad. What is your name?"

"Song Wen!"

"From today onward, you are my third disciple. Come, sit beside your eldest and second senior brothers."

"Thank you, Master."

Song Wen sat beside Zhang Cheng.

At the same time, Zhang Cheng and Second Ox both looked at him with kindness.

The two had both been born in small places and were still young. Their minds had not yet been poisoned by society's corrupt influences, and their natures remained simple and kind. They showed great goodwill toward their new junior brother.

Half an hour later, Extreme Yin finished today's lesson with only a brief explanation.

As the one-month deadline drew near, Extreme Yin had become increasingly perfunctory in his daily explanations of the cultivation method. Today, only because Song Wen, a newcomer, had successfully drawn qi into his body did he exceptionally speak for half an hour. Over the previous few days, he had only spoken for around a quarter hour. He had gradually lost hope for those who remained.

"Song Wen, come with me."

Extreme Yin turned and headed toward the small building at the foot of the mountain. Song Wen, Zhang Cheng, and Second Ox quickly followed behind him, while the other youths watched them with envious gazes.

"Eldest Senior Brother, Second Senior Brother, I hope you will both look after me in the future."

Following behind Extreme Yin, Song Wen quietly greeted Zhang Cheng and Second Ox.

A moment later, the four arrived outside the small building.

"Song Wen, you will stay in the vacant room on the first floor. Cultivate diligently. If there is anything you do not understand, you may ask me at any time."

"Second Ox, come up to the second floor with me."

The first floor was where the disciples lived, while the second floor was Extreme Yin's cultivation area. Without his permission, disciples were forbidden from going upstairs.

"Yes, Master."

The three disciples bowed in response.

Second Ox followed Extreme Yin upstairs.

"Junior Brother, I'll show you to your room," Zhang Cheng said.

"Thank you, Second Senior Brother."

There were only three rooms on the first floor. With Second Ox and Zhang Cheng occupying two of them, only the vacant room beside the stairs remained.

After the two entered the room, Song Wen had many questions, mainly concerning Extreme Yin's habits and daily routine. If he wanted to survive here and escape, he needed to learn as much about Extreme Yin as possible.

However, this was certainly not a suitable place to ask. The small building was made of wood and had extremely poor soundproofing. If they spoke even slightly loudly, Extreme Yin upstairs would hear them.

Not to mention that Extreme Yin was an immortal cultivator, with senses far sharper than those of ordinary people.

Moreover, if he directly questioned Zhang Cheng about Extreme Yin, he might arouse Zhang Cheng's suspicion. If Zhang Cheng informed on him, Song Wen's loss would outweigh any gain.

If he wanted to learn about Extreme Yin, he could only probe indirectly.

And Zhang Cheng was not the best person to question. Second Ox was dull by nature and had followed Extreme Yin for the longest. Combined with his unusual condition today, Second Ox was the best person to approach.