Entry-Level Disciples

After nearly half a year of frenzied cultivation, Han Li finally stood before Doctor Mo to be tested.

Zhang Tie stood close beside Han Li, his hands and feet at a loss. It was no wonder: Han Li had long since learned from him that, after nearly half a year of cultivation, he had accomplished nothing with the Mnemonic.

Han Li knew that Zhang Tie had been no less serious than he was about cultivating the Mnemonic. Though Zhang Tie could not match his reckless, life-disregarding frenzy, he had put in no small amount of effort and could certainly be called diligent and conscientious.

Strangely, however, the Mnemonic had had no effect whatsoever on Zhang Tie. No matter how hard he worked at it, it produced not the slightest result. It seemed he had no affinity with the Mnemonic.

Han Li's heart was bobbing up and down too, and he felt far from reassured. He knew that Zhang Tie would most likely fail the assessment, and though he himself had achieved a tiny result, he was not much better off.

He had cultivated desperately, only to make the strange flow of energy in his body a little stronger than before. If it had been as thin as a strand of hair before, it was now as thick as a cotton thread. But he had no idea whether that would be enough to pass Doctor Mo's test, so his heart hung in midair, bobbing up and down with anxiety.

"You're both ready, I trust? Show me the results of your cultivation." Doctor Mo narrowed his eyes and looked coldly at the two of them from his grand armchair.

"We're ready," Han Li and Zhang Tie answered, steeling themselves.

Doctor Mo rose slowly from his chair and placed the book he never went anywhere without on the table.

"Hold out your hand."

"Circulate your cultivation for me."

Doctor Mo seized the pulse point on Zhang Tie's right wrist with one hand and placed the other over his Dantian.

Only after the time it took to drink a cup of tea did he withdraw his hands from Zhang Tie and look him carefully up and down, his face expressionless.

Zhang Tie's face was bright red. He hurriedly put his hands behind his back and lowered his head, not daring to look at Doctor Mo again. He knew Doctor Mo must have discovered that he had made no progress whatsoever with the Mnemonic, and probably would not give him a pleasant look after this.

"Your turn."

To their surprise, Doctor Mo made no move to scold Zhang Tie. Only a trace of disappointment showed in his eyes. He turned and came over to Han Li.

As before, Doctor Mo seized the pulse point on Han Li's right wrist.

So cold, icy cold. It doesn't feel like a living person's hand at all. Han Li's thoughts were a little noisy.

The skin on Doctor Mo's hand was somewhat dry and covered in calluses, which pricked Han Li's skin slightly. That was Han Li's first impression when Doctor Mo grabbed him.

Perhaps stimulated by the outside contact, the energy in Han Li's body began circulating on its own before he could make use of it. Following the eight extraordinary meridians and passing through the acupoints all over his body, it traveled swiftly from his Dantian to his head, then to his limbs, completing a circuit before returning to his Dantian. As soon as the energy began to circulate, the slight discomfort on Han Li's skin vanished.

"Huh!" Doctor Mo cried out involuntarily. It seemed he had discovered the energy in Han Li's body.

"Quick, circulate the Mnemonic again." Though Doctor Mo tried hard to keep his delight from showing on his face, the fervor in his eyes still left Han Li somewhat taken aback.

"Slowly, let me take a careful look," Doctor Mo added at once. His usually icy tone had grown urgent, and he placed his other hand over Han Li's Dantian.

Han Li felt Doctor Mo's hands trembling slightly. It seemed he was extremely excited, so Han Li did as he was told and circulated the energy in his body once more.

"Good! Good! That's the feeling, that's what I want. That's right! It can't be wrong! Haha..."

After a thorough examination, Doctor Mo could no longer contain himself and burst out laughing. His hands gripped Han Li's shoulders tightly, and his narrowed eyes opened wide as he stared fixedly at Han Li, as though looking at a rare and wondrous treasure. His gaze even seemed to hold traces of madness.

Doctor Mo's laughter rang in Han Li's ears, one burst after another. Feeling the grip on his shoulders grow somewhat painful and seeing the madness on Doctor Mo's face, Han Li could not help feeling afraid.

"Good, very good." Seeing the fear on Han Li's face, Doctor Mo realized he had gotten rather carried away and immediately stopped laughing.

"Keep working as hard as you do now. From today on, you are my personal disciple." He released Han Li and patted him on the shoulder in encouragement.

Doctor Mo's face returned to its usual calm, as though his earlier mad behavior had never happened. Only the eager looks he occasionally cast at Han Li showed that he was in fact still excited.

"As for you..." Doctor Mo finally turned his gaze back to Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie had long been stunned by what had just happened. When Doctor Mo turned to address him, he finally came to his senses.

Thinking of the harsh reality that he would be sent down the mountain if he failed the assessment, Zhang Tie could not help looking at Doctor Mo pleadingly.

"Your aptitude won't do. After all this time, you haven't managed to cultivate anything at all. Taking you as my disciple would really be a bit of a stretch." Doctor Mo shook his head repeatedly.

Zhang Tie's heart kept sinking with every shake of his head.

Both of them could tell from Doctor Mo's words that he did not want to take Zhang Tie in.

But all of a sudden, Doctor Mo seemed to think of something interesting, and a strange look appeared in his eyes as he gazed at Zhang Tie.

"However, I just examined your Root Bone, and there's another cultivation method that suits you better. I wonder if you'd be willing to learn it from me." Doctor Mo suddenly changed his tune, and it seemed he meant to let Zhang Tie pass after all.

When Zhang Tie heard this, how could he be unwilling? He agreed on the spot.

"Good, very good. You two may go. Tomorrow I'll teach you new cultivation methods." Doctor Mo was evidently in a fine mood, and another "good, very good" slipped out.

Han Li and Zhang Tie looked at each other. They both felt that today's test had taken one turn after another, winding around peaks and doubling back, and to their surprise, both had passed the assessment. They were greatly relieved.