Before Jiang Lu could finish speaking, two shrieks rang out.
Chi Li and Cangchen stared wide-eyed at each other, their pupils dilated and their faces filled with disbelief. The two of them had recovered a tiny bit of their strength!
Before the contract, they had not possessed a single trace of spiritual power!
Chi Li opened its mouth and spat a ball of fire to one side. Cangchen immediately sprayed out a stream of water and extinguished it, then burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha—"
Heaven had not forsaken them!
Though they had only recovered First Layer strength, against these ordinary demon beasts and Spirit Beasts of the Lower Realm, they could still fight even opponents at the Third Layer!
Just wait until they turned the Lower Realm upside down!
Seeing their suddenly smug expressions, Jiang Lu vaguely had a bad feeling. Could these two be huge troublemakers?
But looking at their obedient appearances again, they did not seem like it.
Hopefully, she was overthinking it.
Now that she knew this tree hollow had been made by these two little creatures, there naturally was no treasure inside. She placed them on her shoulders, one to the left and one to the right, then walked out of the cave.
"Do you two know anything about this place?"
Jiang Lu asked as she walked.
"Master, we don't know." Upon hearing that, Chi Li awkwardly tucked its head into its feathers.
Would Master abandon them because she thought they were useless?
Chi Li and Cangchen exchanged glances, their eyes revealing their helplessness. No, they could not sit and wait for death. There could only be the two of them by Master's side!
Jiang Lu had no idea of the stormy undercurrents swirling in the two beasts' eyes. She led them through twists and turns until they emerged from the dense forest.
There seemed to be quite a few presences lurking in the shadows outside the forest. Yet when she came out, those presences stiffened for an instant.
The cultivators who would normally leap out from the shadows to rob people acted as if they had not seen her and continued watching the forest exit.
As for why no one robbed Jiang Lu, who had just emerged from the forest, it was entirely because she looked poorer than anyone else. She did not even have a cloth sack to carry things in, while the two Spirit Beasts on her shoulders were merely First Layer.
They did not believe she had a storage bag. Dressed in those rags, she was not even worth a second glance on the road.
Besides, she was only at the Qi Refinement First Layer yet had already contracted two Spirit Beasts. Only cultivators with limited talent would do such a thing.
To put it bluntly, they looked down on what little Jiang Lu had.
Jiang Lu thus swaggered out of the forest. Then she suddenly noticed quite a few people gathered before a notice board in the distance.
Only after she approached did she learn what was going on.
The West River City branch of the Medicine King Pavilion was recruiting apprentices. The Medicine King Pavilion was spread throughout the entire Crimson Wasteland Spirit Domain. Its strength was no weaker than the Three Upper Sects or the ten great aristocratic families. Most pill refiners and medicine masters chose to join the Medicine King Pavilion, and for that very reason, its influence had grown increasingly vast, making it one of the top powers.
However, their requirements for accepting apprentices were harsh. Applicants had to be Rogue Cultivators who had never joined any faction, be at least at the Qi Refinement First Layer, and possess either a Fire Spirit Root or a Wood Spirit Root.
A Rogue Cultivator was a cultivator without the support of a Lineage. Those from Qi Refinement families could also try their luck, but those from Foundation Establishment families were expressly forbidden.
This was also to prevent excessive entanglement with the various powers. After all, once a family became a Foundation Establishment family, many would choose to attach themselves to one faction or another.
Others might not qualify, but Jiang Lu met every requirement. Standing before the notice board, she carefully read through the conditions for becoming an apprentice.
Now that she had come to another world, she was like someone with her eyes covered in darkness. She needed systematic learning and an understanding of this world's rules, and the Medicine King Pavilion perfectly suited her needs.
Moreover, she badly needed a place where she could learn about this world and study.
Joining the Medicine King Pavilion did not mean one would belong to the faction forever. So long as one did not take away anything they should not, there was a chance to leave in the end. After leaving, one could still bear the name of having stayed at the Medicine King Pavilion. If one truly had ability, one would not fare badly.
Following the directions on the notice, she headed toward the branch pavilion in West River City. Quite a few other cultivators accompanied her, all wanting to give it a try as well.
When Jiang Lu arrived before the Medicine King Pavilion, she saw that it occupied a considerable area. The place selling medicinal pills and spirit herbs had three stories. Even a branch pavilion in such a remote place possessed such a building; those in other cities would surely be even more magnificent.
Registration was in the corner to the right after entering. When she walked over, she saw two fairly long lines already formed, so she immediately stepped forward and stood at the back of one.
Quite a few cultivators lowered their heads and left in disappointment. Had they not said that anyone meeting the requirements could join? It seemed there were other screening methods they had not announced.
Soon, it was Jiang Lu's turn. The person seated behind the table glanced up at her, pointed at the crystal on the table, and said airily,
"Put your hand on it."
Jiang Lu did not understand, but she placed her hand on it. The crystal slowly turned green.
"That will do. Take this wooden token and head to the back."
Seeing the crystal turn green, he looked satisfied and said with a smile.
What he tested here was one's degree of perception toward plants. Although some cultivators possessed Wood Spirit Roots, their perception of plants was not strong. Recruiting them would be useless.
Furthermore, many of the disciples who came possessed Fire Spirit Roots or Wood Spirit Roots, but very few met the requirements. Who could blame this place for being so remote?
Having finally recruited one, he was naturally pleased.
Jiang Lu walked toward the back with the wooden token in a daze. She had passed just like that?
Then she grew happy. Hehe!
"Are you a disciple who passed the test?"
Seeing someone arrive, the disciple in gray robes looked up at Jiang Lu. Someone had finally come. She let out a breath and asked gently.
Jiang Lu nodded.
"What is your name? Where are you from?"
The female cultivator took the wooden token from Jiang Lu and set it aside.
"Jiang Lu, from the Mortal Realm."
The female cultivator paused upon hearing this and could not help looking Jiang Lu over a few more times. This female cultivator was young and had come from the Mortal Realm, yet she had achieved her current strength. She must have encountered some sort of opportunity.
Then she noticed the two Spirit Beasts on Jiang Lu's shoulders, and a look of understanding crossed her face.
Since she had come from the Mortal Realm, she was undoubtedly a Rogue Cultivator. They were not worried that the cultivators who came would lie, for the consequences were not something they could bear.
Spiritual power flowed around her fingertips as she carved the name onto the wooden token. A flash of green light passed over it, and she instructed Jiang Lu to infuse it with a trace of her aura. Her disciple token was then complete, and Jiang Lu took it into her hand.
Afterward, she followed Yue Ying toward the back.
"My name is Yue Ying. You may call me Senior Sister Yue or Senior Sister Ying. Like you, I am an apprentice."
"I simply arrived a little earlier than you. This is where we live. You can choose any room you like; all the daily necessities are prepared inside. Over the next two days, you can look around. Once apprentice recruitment is finished tomorrow, we will naturally tell you what you need to do."
Jiang Lu nodded. This was truly fortunate. Had she arrived one day later, she would have missed this opportunity.
After asking a few more questions, she chose one of the rooms and settled in.
Before you continue