A peak Heaven-grade metal spiritual root was indeed a rare and excellent talent, but his pride was a bit too high.
The elders felt a faint wave of displeasure. They withdrew their jade slips and sat back behind their desks.
Jiang Jin, however, didn't seem to realize anything was wrong. He quickly took a few steps forward and laid out his bargaining chip. “This disciple not only has a peak Heaven-grade metal spiritual root, but also possesses the Primal Chaos Void Flame!”
As he spoke, a faint blue flame ignited at his fingertips.
A wave of heat instantly swept across the area, warping the surrounding air.
The newly admitted disciples all paled, beads of sweat forming on their foreheads.
“It really is the Primal Chaos Void Flame!”
The Third Elder stood up abruptly, his eyes wide. “You are actually the inheritor of the Primal Chaos Void Flame!”
“This is a wisp of source flame left behind when the world first opened. It is said to be capable of burning all things!”
The Fifth Elder said in a deep voice, “With this by your side, your cultivation will yield twice the results with half the effort. If you have the luck in the future, you might even reach that legendary realm...”
Pair after pair of eyes stared intently at the near-transparent, faint blue flame at Jiang Jin's fingertips.
The other three Heaven-grade disciples beside him looked at him with clear, undisguised hostility.
Song Yao silently nudged herself away from Jiang Jin.
To become a personal disciple, Jiang Jin was being way too high-profile. He had actually brought out a trump card like this.
Wasn't this just making enemies for himself?
Still...
She recalled that Jiang Jin had won the heart of their Fifth Junior Sister precisely by relying on this Primal Chaos Void Flame.
Whispers broke out all around, but Jiang Jin acted as if he didn't hear them.
He still stared straight at Xie Zhou, the expectation in his eyes impossible to suppress.
Unfortunately—
Xie Zhou stopped in his tracks. He turned around, cast a brief glance at Jiang Jin, and quickly withdrew his gaze. He said indifferently, “There is no cultivation ground on the main peak. It is inconvenient, and it is not allowed.”
Having said his piece, he cupped his hands to the elders. His moon-white robe flashed before everyone's eyes as he disappeared at the end of the Fuguang Platform.
Song Yao: “Wow.”
Fourth Junior Brother was clearly a sweet little darling in the past, so how did he become so incredibly cocky?
But Fourth Junior Brother wasn't wrong either. The main peak was actually just their living quarters. There were no classrooms or martial arts arenas, and their master took a completely hands-off approach.
Cultivating on the main peak would, at most, offer slightly richer spiritual energy.
However, that soft “wow” took on a different meaning when it reached Jiang Jin's ears.
He turned his head and glared at her with an unreadable expression.
Song Yao: “...”
What?
Wasn't she being low-profile enough?
It wasn't her fault he couldn't enter the inner sect.
The atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
In the end, the Second Elder sighed, walked forward, and patted Jiang Jin on the shoulder. “My boy.”
His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears. “Having ambition is a good thing, and wanting to climb higher is also a good thing, but—”
He paused, his gaze falling on Jiang Jin's face with a trace of deep meaning. “You should have heard a thing or two about what happened in the Nine Saints Hall before.”
Song Yao: “?”
What happened in the Nine Saints Hall before?
Her?
“If you don't want to suffer, do not provoke the people of the main peak anytime soon.”
The Second Elder didn't elaborate, simply patting Jiang Jin's shoulder again. “Got it?”
Jiang Jin fell silent for a moment. Ultimately, he lowered his eyes and replied in a low voice, “This disciple understands.”
“Wait.”
While they were speaking, the Great Elder, standing to the side of the high platform, noticed a line of words suddenly appear on the jade slip in his hand.
He brought the jade slip closer, examining it carefully for a moment as a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
After a moment, he looked up and cleared his throat. “The Hall Master has commanded: during the year-end Grand Sect Tournament, if any of you perform exceptionally, you will still have a chance to become his disciple.”
The eyes of the youths lit up one after another, and Jiang Jin raised his head abruptly.
The Great Elder's gaze swept over the crowd as he spoke earnestly, “So, cultivate diligently over these next few months. Whether you can enter the main peak depends entirely on your own luck!”
As his voice fell, the atmosphere on the Fuguang Platform shifted completely.
The few Heaven-grade disciples looked as if they had been injected with chicken blood, a blazing fighting spirit igniting in their eyes.
As long as they were outstanding enough, they could become the Hall Master's disciple!
At that point, wouldn't all the resources of the Nine Saints Hall be theirs to choose from and use as they pleased?!
With this development, the other three Heaven-grade disciples hesitated no longer, quickly accepting the jade slips of their preferred elders to perform the apprenticeship rites.
Even Jiang Jin stopped being difficult and joined the Second Elder's faction first.
Only Song Yao pondered deeply for a long while before walking over to the Seventh Elder, who had remained silent in the corner the entire time. She reached out and deftly pulled the jade slip out of his robes. “This disciple pays respects to Master.”
Seventh Elder: “?”
Wait.
Did he say he was accepting disciples?
The Twelfth Elder was instantly displeased upon seeing this. “Hey, wait, little girl, why are you apprenticing under him? With your talent, you should obviously be a spiritual cultivator. Why don't you follow me~”
“Oh, you should follow me instead!”
The Tenth Elder hurriedly stepped forward. “Our Nine Saints Hall is famous for swordsmanship, so you should naturally become a sword cultivator! Learn from me, and I guarantee you'll become a personal disciple in the grand selection.”
“What about artifact refining?”
“Why would a wood spiritual root learn artifact refining? What a waste. Talisman cultivation is much more suitable.”
Several pairs of eyes stared greedily at Song Yao.
There were only five Heaven-grade disciples in total, but there were eighteen elders. Every one of them wanted to snag a treasure to be their disciple.
This Song Yao was young and possessed a single spiritual root. Her talent was only slightly inferior to Jiang Jin's. Getting her was an absolute steal!
Unfortunately, Song Yao stepped firmly behind the Seventh Elder. “I've already made up my mind.”
Seventh Elder: “...”
He hadn't made up his mind yet.
Just as he opened his mouth to protest, the Great Elder spoke up. “The Elixir Pavilion hasn't recruited new disciples for a long time, and the Nine Saints Hall is indeed lacking in pill cultivators compared to others. This little girl happens to have a wood spiritual root, which is perfect for pill cultivation. Let her follow Old Seven.”
Since the one in charge had spoken, the group of elders could only retreat with regret.
Song Yao felt quite emotional watching this.
When she had first arrived here before her rebirth, because of her extraordinary talent, these elders had treated her the exact same way. Unfortunately, within a few days, she had tormented them so much that they wept and wailed, eventually viewing her as a thorn in their flesh.
The Seventh Elder was still the best.
The Seventh Elder had simply fainted from anger after she blew up the Elixir Pavilion, and he had never demanded an explanation from her until the day she died.
Besides, she remembered that the Seventh Elder only had one disciple. The Elixir Pavilion was also located on Baicao Peak, which was deep in the mountains and had even fewer people.
In addition, she had heard that pill cultivators lived relatively leisurely lives and earned quite a lot. It was the perfect place for her to lay low.
After the apprenticeship rites, the chief elders began their routine long-winded speeches.
Song Yao stood below the stage, half-asleep, planning what she should eat later.
So hungry.
Although this body had inherited the spiritual root, it hadn't inherited physical strength, nor had it been nourished by spiritual energy. Right now, she was frighteningly weak.
“Since you have entered my Nine Saints Hall, you must abide by the rules of the Nine Saints Hall.”
The Great Elder's voice suddenly rose, snapping Song Yao out of her daydream.
She looked up and saw the Great Elder standing on the Fuguang Platform, waving his sleeve.
“Rise!”
With a deep shout, the bluestone ground right in the center suddenly split open.
Great rocks rumbled as dust and smoke billowed everywhere.
A giant stone monument, over fifty feet tall and thirty feet wide, rose from within and crashed heavily onto the ground, shaking the entire Fuguang Platform three times over.
Rate on N.U.
