Ever since Li Yan had heard that gentle voice upon entering the sect, then seen Wei Zhongran's modest expression and gone through the process of becoming his disciple, he had unconsciously overlapped Wei Zhongran with Strategist Ji. Though their builds were vastly different—one fat, one thin, utterly impossible to overlap—he still felt that even in taking a master, a man under the eaves had no choice but to bow his head. Who could blame him for being so weak now? Yet in his heart, he had never held even the slightest respect for this master. He did not know whether a blade was likewise hidden behind that modest face.
But now that he had been called forward, he could only steel himself and rise. When he stepped up, everyone below watched him, equally unaware of what their master intended to do. Only their master's wife seemed to know what would happen next. Seeing Li Yan's uneasy expression, she smiled radiantly, like a breeze passing through sunlit summer shade within the bamboo hut of the main hall. Her vermilion lips parted slightly. "The little fellow seems rather afraid."
Wei Zhongran also noticed Li Yan's expression. His honest, mellow voice rang out. "I am merely checking your aptitude, so that I may choose suitable cultivation methods for you later."
Even now, he knew very little about this newly accepted disciple's cultivation. Even Li Yan's background had come from Li Yan's own account, while his aptitude had only been heard from Senior Brother Feng. Unlike the other disciples, who had either been submitted with detailed reports by subordinate sects before entering the sect or personally tested by him.
As he spoke, he reached out and seized Li Yan's wrist. The fat man who had looked like an ordinary mortal just moments ago instantly