Chapter 7: Apprenticeship

“Hmm, not bad, young man, come here.” The Nascent Soul stage cultivator, whom Zhou Yi and He Yitong referred to as their master, pointed at Qiu Han and asked, “Young man, what is your name?”

Qiu Han dared not refuse. He stepped forward respectfully and replied, “Immortal Master, my name is Qiu Han, and I have just turned fifteen.”

The middle-aged Nascent Soul cultivator nodded and continued, “Young man, stretch out your hand.” Though Qiu Han felt some trepidation, he reasoned that if an immortal wished to harm him, there would be no need for such ceremony. Gathering his courage, he extended his hand.

The cultivator grasped Qiu Han’s hand for less than a breath before exclaiming excitedly, “Good, good, very good! As I thought, a naturally single-wood spiritual root. Young man, let me ask you—would you be willing to become my disciple?”

Startled by the sudden turn of events, Qiu Han froze. Zhou Yi, beside him, nudged him and whispered, “Quick, thank Master!”

“Thank you, Master!” Qiu Han blurted out without thinking. The middle-aged man laughed heartily. “Excellent! Excellent! Excellent! Qiu Han, from this moment onward, you are my third disciple. I rarely take students—counting you, there are only three. You must already know that Zhou Yi and He Yitong are my disciples as well. From now on, they are your senior brother and sister. If you have any problems, you may ask them for help. If you encounter difficulties in cultivation, you may come to me.”

He paused before continuing, “Now that I have taken you as my disciple, I will give you a few items.” With that, he reached into his storage pouch and withdrew three objects: a small, ancient-looking dagger, a palm-sized round shield of peculiar design, and a jade token engraved with a large character for ‘Valley.’

After presenting these, he explained, “This small dagger is called the ‘Black Feather Blade,’ a top-grade spiritual weapon, usable from the Foundation Establishment stage, renowned for its speed and attack power.”

He picked up the second item and went on, “This small shield—I don’t know its name. I acquired it by chance many years ago. It’s a top-grade defensive spiritual weapon. Both of these can be used until you approach the Core Formation stage. As for this jade token, it is the token of our lineage. Your senior brother and sister each have one as well. ‘Gu Sui Feng’ is my name. If you carry this token within the sect, you may go anywhere except for a few forbidden places. If anyone bullies you, invoke my name and I will stand up for you.”

“Thank you, Master. Your disciple will remember your teachings.”

Gu Sui Feng casually placed the three items into an empty storage pouch and handed it to Qiu Han, who accepted it with a respectful salute. This, too, Zhou Yi had quietly reminded him to do. In fact, Zhou Yi was more nervous than Qiu Han; although the outcome was almost certain, he still worried about unforeseen complications.

Nearby, a middle-aged woman smiled and spoke, “Elder Gu, we have agreed to let you choose one disciple. As for the remaining child with the mutated ice spiritual root, you mustn’t compete with me for her. And as for the items promised to everyone, I won’t fall short.”

The other elders voiced no objections, all agreeing to the arrangement, exchanging meaningful glances in silence. This seemingly frail woman was in the late Nascent Soul stage—a grand cultivator. Aside from the reclusive Supreme Elder and the elusive ancestor in the Divine Transformation stage, she currently possessed the highest cultivation in the sect.

Those old monsters who had reached the Nascent Soul stage were all shrewd and calculating. Though they were of the same sect, none would risk offending her over such a small matter; after all, compared to what she had promised, the balance was clear.

The middle-aged woman beckoned to Yun Rou, who hesitantly stepped forward. The woman nodded, her smile gentle as she said, “Come here, don’t be afraid, give me your hand.”

Having witnessed the previous scene, Yun Rou understood what was expected and gently extended her hand. The woman took Yun Rou’s hand, then released it, nodding repeatedly with a look of approval on her lips. “Excellent, indeed a mutated ice spiritual root.”

Still not satisfied, the woman scrutinized Yun Rou from head to toe, the more she looked, the more she liked the girl. She nodded again and asked, “Little girl, what is your name?”

“I—I am Yun Rou.”

Yun Rou answered softly, her mind racing with nervous thoughts. She was extremely tense, never having experienced anything like this before, unsure of what to do, standing motionless, eyes fixed on the ground as if searching for a hole to hide in.

The occasion was overwhelming; she, a teenager, had never witnessed anything so grand—especially in front of such a formidable immortal.

“Yun Rou… what a lovely name. You are beautiful, and your name suits you well. Yun Rou, would you like to become my disciple?”

“I—I would. Thank you, Master!”

She glanced back to see He Yitong secretly smiling at her, grateful that Yitong had coached her on how to respond. The woman gave a gentle laugh, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her manner full of grace. Though middle-aged, her features still revealed the beauty of her youth.

At this moment, Elder Gu—the Nascent Soul cultivator and now Qiu Han’s master—cleared his throat and addressed the sect leader of the Hengyuan Sect standing nearby, “Nephew Zhang, among all the mortals brought back by disciples after their training outside the sect, how many possess spiritual roots?”

The sect leader replied respectfully, “In answer to Elder Gu, this time our Foundation Establishment disciples brought back forty mortals with spiritual roots. I have arranged for all of them, and each disciple who returned with a spiritual root mortal has been rewarded with a Foundation Establishment cultivation pill.”

“Very well, you may go.”

Sect Leader Zhang replied obediently and withdrew. Gu Sui Feng, now the master of Zhou Yi and Qiu Han, turned to Zhou Yi and said, “Zhou Yi, Yitong, you have both rendered great service. When the time comes for you to reach Core Formation, I will request two Spirit Transformation pills and several treasures suitable for the Core Formation stage as rewards for you. Also, for any cultivation pills you need to advance during Foundation Establishment, just ask.”

Hearing their master’s promise, Zhou Yi and He Yitong felt immense joy, though they kept their expressions composed and respectfully saluted. “Thank you, Master!”

“Good. Now, take your junior brother with you. Arrange his lodgings close to yours so you can look after him.”

“Yes, Master.”

Zhou Yi and He Yitong led Qiu Han outside, saying to him, “Come on, Qiu Han—or rather, we should call you junior brother now. From today onward, Yitong and I are your senior brother and sister. But privately, you can still call me Brother Zhou.”

“Brother Zhou, what about Yun Rou? Why isn’t she coming with us?” Qiu Han asked, a little worried.

“Yun Rou has been taken as a disciple by the sect’s second-highest elder. Her status and treatment will be much better than ours. Who would dare bully her? You’ll see her in a day or two. Come, let’s get you settled and arrange your daily needs.”

He Yitong smiled, comforting Qiu Han as the three walked unhurriedly towards the residence of the inner sect disciples.