Taking a Disciple

But even just this once was enough to make those outside green with envy.

By the order of the queue, Wen Xu stood at the very end, with Xia Ying and Lin Congcong ahead of him. Clearly, the order had been decided according to the difficulty of cultivating their Spiritual Roots.

The first person entered quickly and came out quickly as well, followed by the second, then the third. Some emerged smiling, while others wore grave expressions. But Wen Xu was currently blind; he could only sense the line steadily moving forward. As for anything else, with his cultivation, he did not dare stir even a shred of spiritual power in such a setting.

"Are you nervous? I saw your good friend Bian Chunchou go in."

The speaker was Lin Congcong. He had a baby face and a youthful voice. Though they had barely spoken before, Wen Xu remembered him. "No. You saw wrong."

"He has a Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Root, don't you..."

"Quiet! If you do not wish to take a master, why not leave this place now?"

Lin Congcong's expression froze. He knew Xia Ying's identity and therefore did not dare offend her too much, so he could only swallow his anger. Anyway... after today, the one surnamed Bian would be sent to the outer sect. Though Chen Zui's talent was excellent, he was not good at socializing. Among the new disciples entering the sect this time, only Xia Ying and Wen Xu would be his rivals.

Xia Ying had a powerful background, so he naturally did not dare play any tricks on her. But Wen Xu... if he could become Wen Xu's close friend while he was still weak, then one day, Wen Xu would surely become a great help to him as he traveled the world.

While he waited, Bian Chunchou was actually quite nervous. But when the hall doors opened before him and a beam of light guided him inside, he instead... stopped feeling so nervous.

The hall shone with splendid light and solemn grandeur, while the spiritual energy in the air was so dense it felt almost sticky. Step by step, he walked across the scarlet floor tiles, suddenly feeling like some obscure small-town internet celebrity from the eighteenth tier stepping onto an international stage.

Mm, that metaphor was truly spot-on. Bian Chunchou could not help praising himself inwardly.

Thus, by the time he stopped before the only prayer cushion on the floor, the emotion called nervousness had completely vanished from his heart.

"Disciple Bian Chunchou pays respects to the Sect Master and to all the elders."

Oh heavens, Buddhas of all realms, Guanyin Bodhisattva, Jesus, Holy Mother Mary—please bless me and let me enter the inner sect!

"A Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Root? Am I seeing this correctly?"

"Speaking of which, this Spiritual Root is even rarer than a Wind Spiritual Root, is it not? How about..."

"It is not impossible. Since we cannot get the Wind Spiritual Root, we might as well take in this unusual Spiritual Root and give it a try..."

And so, things gradually veered in an absurd direction. Bian Chunchou had thought no one would want him, but who would have known—oh heavens, people were actually fighting to take him! All the mentors had turned around for me—this damned personal charm of mine!

"Um, this disciple is not particularly skilled with weapons, so I wish to study talismans." Under the gazes of all the great figures lining the walls, Bian Chunchou spoke neither humbly nor arrogantly.

He had actually desperately wanted to learn swordsmanship, but unfortunately, he truly had no talent for it. Over the past three days, he had specifically gone to the Sword-Practice Grounds and practiced for two days. He had nearly injured himself. Bian Chunchou was someone with keen self-awareness, so he immediately and happily gave up using a sword.

"Talismans are good. Since that is the case, why have you not yet taken a master?"

The cultivator from Talisman Peak this time was a female cultivator named Chang Ruoshui. Venerable Ruoshui had only entered the Spirit Transformation stage this year. She specialized in the Dao of talismans and was obsessed with it to the point of madness. In truth, she could have accepted disciples once she reached the Nascent Soul stage, but she simply had no mind to spend on such matters. This time, with nowhere left to hide, she had come to Juyong Hall—yet she had never expected... to encounter such a promising seedling.

She had long wanted to try researching Water-Fire Talismans. Now things had worked out perfectly; a disciple with a Water-Fire Dual Spiritual Root had actually come to her.

The moment she heard that he wished to cultivate the Dao of talismans, she immediately struck first.

When Bian Chunchou looked over, he saw a beautiful older sister and immediately kowtowed. "Disciple Bian Chunchou pays respects to Master."

And for the next several centuries, a certain Bian-surnamed cultivator who wished to remain anonymous would regret agreeing too quickly back then, to the point that... never mind. The more said, the more tears fell.

As the line grew shorter and shorter, Xia Ying and Lin Congcong, who had been ahead of him, also entered the great hall. At last, Wen Xu stood alone before the hall doors.

The doors of Juyong Hall were towering, as though they rose straight into the clouds. But Wen Xu was a "blind man." He stood straight without noticing a thing, able only to hear the creaking sounds of the doors opening and closing.

With his hands lowered, he gripped the Windfold Fan hidden in his sleeve and quietly suppressed the excitement in his heart.

Wen Xu naturally knew very well now that he possessed exceptional talent for cultivation. The Mutated Wind Spiritual Root had mutated from a Wood-Earth Spiritual Root. Not only did it possess every advantageous attribute of the Wood-Earth Spiritual Root, it also granted absolute comprehension of wind. Whether his future path of cultivation leaned toward offense or support, he would always be a step ahead of others.

If an ordinary person awakened such a Spiritual Root talent, they would probably wake laughing even from their dreams. Wen Xu was naturally happy as well, but extremes turned into their opposites, and slow work produced fine results. Fate had played several jokes on him over the past twenty years, so even though his Spiritual Root had already been confirmed, he still could not set down the stone in his heart.

The hall doors creaked, and this time, they opened for him.

Wen Xu straightened his robes before stepping into the hall. Because his eyes were covered, he could not see its furnishings, but a pleasant, ethereal fragrance hung in the air. Paired with the spiritual energy, so dense it was almost intoxicating, it gradually eased his mood despite the defenses he had raised again and again in his heart.

"Disciple Wen Xu pays respects to the Sect Master and to all the elders."

Kowtowing was not popular in the cultivation world. Even heaven and earth were rarely worshipped with kneeling rites. Only when taking a master did cultivators need to perform a grand kowtow ceremony before their master, making it far simpler than the etiquette of the imperial examinations in the mortal world. Wen Xu had specifically studied etiquette. Even the simplest clasped-hand salute carried two extra measures of grace when performed by him.

Thus, even though thirty-four people had already entered before him, Wen Xu still gave everyone a refreshing impression.

Ah, what a good child. Unfortunately, he had no master-disciple fate with any of them.

Everyone went through the usual process, asking Wen Xu how his cultivation was progressing, whether his cultivation level had improved, what direction he wished to pursue, and so on. Wen Xu answered every question well, but unfortunately... not a single person spoke of taking him as a disciple.

Wen Xu was deeply puzzled, but excessive anxiety bred impatience. He could not possibly question his elders at this very moment about why they were unwilling to accept him as a disciple.