Wentesi Only Accepts Those with Fate

Wuchen knelt on the ground and froze at those words. Tongue-tied, he had no idea how to answer.

Seeing him like that, Wentesi asked,

"Are you someone with yuan?"

Wuchen was baffled. What did he mean by someone with fate?

"When I take disciples, I have always accepted only those with yuan.

"Those without yuan, I will not accept even if they are heaven-sent geniuses. Those with yuan, I will accept even if they are dull-witted in the extreme."

Wentesi explained, stressing every word:

"You and I met by chance, like duckweed on the water. You could say we have fate, or you could say we do not.

"So for now, I cannot accept you as my disciple."

The words came down like a bucket of cold water. Some of the color drained from Wuchen's face, and he could not voice the bitterness in his heart.

He had risked grave disrespect to make his plea, only for it to end like this. Naturally, Wuchen could not accept it.

As he brooded over his disappointment, Wentesi changed tack, speaking hesitantly:

"Of course, if you want to have fate with me, it's not as if there's no way."

Wuchen perked up and asked eagerly,

"May I ask what way you have in mind, Elder? Whatever you ask, your disciple would not shrink from dying ten thousand deaths!"

"There's no need to die ten thousand deaths. It's really nothing much."

Wentesi sighed, his tone casual.

"You see, after this elder reincarnated to cultivate anew, I found that less than one part in ten of my memories remained. I'm no longer very familiar with the Buddhist order, either.

"I have no defensive arts on me, nor any Law Artifacts suited to my hand. Every step of cultivation has been difficult... Speaking of which, that Brahma Sound Six Consciousnesses Many Ears Penetration you mentioned just now sounded rather interesting."

In truth, Wentesi knew what was interesting about the Brahma Sound Six Consciousnesses Many Ears Penetration. He simply wanted it.

Wuchen had spent decades scrambling his way through life in the temple. Naturally, he knew how to read people's expressions. How could he miss the meaning beneath the words?

It was only because he had taken Wentesi for an elder of the Buddhist order from ancient times and believed he possessed the six hearts that he had misjudged him and made a fool of himself.

Now he understood.

Without another word, he removed the gold storage bracelet from his wrist and took out a gold scroll inlaid with jade. He held the scripture over his head and said respectfully,

"You jest, Elder. Since this art has caught your eye, your disciple is naturally willing to offer it for your study."

With that, he placed the scripture before Wentesi.

Wentesi reached out with a dragon claw and took the scripture.

But Wentesi's gaze then fell on the gold storage bracelet. His dragon eyes fixed on it, and he said nothing more.

Wuchen's heart skipped a beat, and he understood at once.

He promptly put on a thoroughly respectful smile, took off the storage bracelet of his own accord, and placed it on top of the scripture.

"Elder, you have only just arrived after reincarnating, so presumably you have no storage Law Artifact at hand. This gold-and-jade bracelet is only an ordinary storage Law Artifact. Please take it for the time being.

"The spiritual items and money inside are a token of your disciple's regard."

"Thoughtful of you. I'm a little tempted to take you as my disciple now."

Wentesi chuckled and took both the bracelet and the scroll without the slightest hesitation.

At the sight, Wuchen could not help feeling a pang in his heart. It still pained him to part with them.

But he quickly adjusted his attitude and sighed inwardly,

Wuchen, oh Wuchen! Why care about such worldly things? As long as you become this elder's disciple, what could you possibly fail to obtain!

Once you become a mage, would you still need to worry about having no treasures?

Just as Wuchen breathed a sigh of relief, he heard Wentesi speak again, unhurriedly:

"Now I have an art and something for storage, but I'm still missing a Law Artifact for fighting enemies.

"Speaking of which, that bronze bell you shook earlier was rather good. With just a gentle shake, it immobilized two Devil Cultivators. Quite a useful little thing."

Wuchen's expression changed slightly, and he cursed inwardly at how insatiably greedy this elder was.

Was he really an ancient cultivator?

Weren't ancient cultivators supposed to cultivate the six hearts?

He forced a smile and tried to decline.

"There is something you do not know, Elder. This bell is called the Soul-Stabilizing Bell. I spent years searching for spiritual materials and paid a great sum to have one of the temple's top artifact refiners forge it. It is a Law Artifact of the Qi Refining Realm in the Shamanic Qi lineage.

"The bell requires its own Method Formula to use, and one must practice for three to five years just to grasp the basics.

"When your cultivation reaches great heights in the future, Elder, I fear you may not be accustomed to using such a crude Law Artifact."

Wuchen's words betrayed his reluctance to part with the Law Artifact, as well as the drawback that it took years of practice to use.

He clearly did not want to give it away.

But the moment Wuchen finished speaking, Wentesi's expression turned icy.

He raised his dragon tail high and slammed it into the ground, sending dust flying. His tone became bitterly cold.

"It seems that, in the end, you and I have no fate."

With that one sentence, Wuchen no longer dared refuse. He hurriedly took the bronze bell from his robes and offered it with both hands, adding with an apologetic smile,

"Your disciple was foolish! Elder, your Divine Abilities are vast. A mere Method Formula is nothing to you.

"This bell can stabilize the soul and calm the spirit. It is quite effective against low-level cultivators, so it would be just right for you to keep it for protection, Elder!"

Only then did Wentesi's expression ease somewhat. He hooked the bell with a claw, his tone somewhere between approval and admonition.

"A gentleman does not take what another loves. I will not change the name of this Soul-Stabilizing Bell, and I will remember your kindness.

"I'll accept it for now. Once this elder's cultivation is restored, I will surely repay you with a better Law Artifact."

Wuchen repeatedly agreed, feeling a little less pained at the loss. He consoled himself:

What kind of person is the elder? Surely he wouldn't lie to me about this. He'll definitely give me a better Law Artifact in the future. All of this is worth it.

Just as Wuchen thought it was finally over and the elder was about to take him as a disciple, Wentesi turned his gaze back to him, raised his heavy brows slightly, and said with a smile,

"That monk's robe you're wearing is rather nice. Its spiritual light is restrained, and it seems to offer protection?"

Wuchen: "..."

Wentesi obtained the monk's robe.

Wuchen had changed out of the monk's robe into ordinary cloth garments, which he had found on a mortal's corpse on the plain.

He had originally wanted to ask Wentesi to open his gold storage bracelet and take out a set of clothes.

But he had barely opened his mouth when Wentesi gave him a wary look, leaving Wuchen no choice but to drop it.

What a joke. How could the red dragon Wentesi possibly spit out what he had swallowed?

Wentesi was about to speak again, but this time Wuchen was very quick-witted. He pressed his palms together and spoke first.

"Elder, I have no more fate on me!"

Wentesi smiled at once. "Then you and I can be considered to have fate."

Wuchen was overjoyed. He raised his head sharply, expectation showing in his eyes.

He thought the matter of becoming a disciple had finally settled like dust, bringing it to an end.

But just then, Wentesi added unhurriedly,

"As of now, you and I can be considered people with preliminary fate."

The smile froze on Wuchen's face. "Preliminary??"

"That's right."

Wentesi raised his head and spoke as though it were only natural.

"Above preliminary is intermediate, and above intermediate is advanced. Only once you and I have forged advanced fate and taken a further step can you enter my tutelage.

"Mm, your performance today was acceptable. I've taken note of it. You and I are now people with preliminary fate."

Still kneeling where he was, Wuchen felt a tightness in his chest and nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood in his heart.

So he had handed over his cultivation method, gold storage bracelet, Soul-Stabilizing Bell, and magic robe, emptying out all his worldly possessions, just to get the title of someone with preliminary fate?

Ah! Yaaah!!

Wuchen screamed madly in his heart.

But he did not dare show the slightest displeasure on his face. He could only keep his head bowed and agree through gritted teeth.

"...Wuchen understands. To have forged preliminary fate with you, Elder, is already an immense blessing for your disciple."

"In that case, let us part ways."

Wentesi nodded in satisfaction and spread his twelve-meter-long dragon wings.

"Since you came here to go to the Buddhist Shrine Secret Realm, go on.

"This elder still has matters to attend to, so I won't travel with you."

Before he had finished speaking, Wentesi beat his dragon wings. A fierce wind swept across the plain in an instant, and his massive dragon body soared into the air.

In the blink of an eye, he became a gold-and-red speck on the horizon and vanished into the clouds.

Corpses remained scattered across the plain, while vultures still circled low in the distance, seemingly restless and ready to swoop.

Wearing coarse cloth garments, Wuchen looked at his empty hands, then toward the place where the dragon's silhouette had vanished. He stood rooted to the spot, his expression caught between laughter and tears.