Taking on New Disciples Ye Xiao and Qin

Recently, a few amusing things happened in Qingyun City.

First, at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, someone erected a tomb for ants.

Second, rogue cultivators stopped calling each other by name and started using numbers, asking "What is your number?" upon meeting.

What was even more interesting was that anyone who got curious and went up the mountain to investigate would come back the next day with a number of their own.

Third, a new beggar appeared at the city gates.

This was not exactly news, as Qingyun City had plenty of beggars, but what was fresh was this beggar's formidable background.

It was none other than the former Outer Sect Elder of the Heavenly Sword Sect and the Chief Administrator of Qingyun City affairs, Zhao Feng!

This great cultivator at the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, a figure who could once make Qingyun City tremble with a stomp of his foot, had now been reduced to a street urchin. It was truly a lamentable sight.

And the final matter was the most explosive.

The son of Qingyun City's Lord Ye Boyong, Ye Xiaoqin, was actually not his biological son!

Rumor had it that he was born from an affair between the City Lord's wife and a servant.

The moment this news spread, it instantly detonated the entire Qingyun City.

Everyone in the city knew that the City Lord loved his wife dearly. As the local emperor of Qingyun City, Ye Boyong did not even have a single concubine.

As for the young lord Ye Xiaoqin, he was a renowned genius youth in Qingyun City.

At a young age, not even ten years old, his cultivation had already reached a terrifying Sixth Level of Qi Condensation.

It was said he possessed some special constitution. A big shot passing through from the Capital had personally evaluated him: "This child has extraordinary bone structure; the Nascent Soul realm is within his reach."

Nascent Soul!

The entire Qingyun City did not have a single Nascent Soul True Monarch!

Even in the Capital, a Nascent Soul True Monarch was a prominent figure!

Yet, this genius youth turned out to be a bastard!

Unable to bear the blow, Ye Boyong personally crippled this bastard that very night, then killed his wife of many years, and finally committed suicide in the City Lord's Estate.

The City Lord murdering his wife and son, this news directly set Qingyun City ablaze!

...

At the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

"Young Master, we have arrived."

The old butler crouched down and carefully set the youth on the ground.

The youth could not stand steadily; his legs gave way and he was about to fall, but the old butler quickly supported him.

"Young Master, this old servant can only escort you this far."

The old butler's voice was terribly hoarse. He reached out a trembling hand and gently patted the youth's head, his movements full of reluctance and heartache.

"Please do not blame the Master and Madam. They... they just wanted to fight for a chance for you to live."

"Before he passed, the Master found out that the Sect Leader of the Tianyan Sect was trying to recruit disciples in the city."

The old butler said, pointing a withered hand up the mountain.

"This might... be your only chance."

"May the spirits of the Master and Madam in heaven protect my Young Master and keep him safe."

"Sigh, if only your Spirit Body was still..."

The old butler's voice choked with sobs.

He had only just learned that his young master actually possessed a legendary Spirit Body!

But it was too late to say anything now. With a single "Grandpa, I want it" from a young master in the Capital, his own young master's Spirit Bone was ripped away.

"Young Master, please go up by yourself. This old servant... this old servant is going to find the Master and Madam..."

The old butler released his grip on the youth, took a step back, and looked at him deeply.

Then he turned around and walked away, step by step.

He walked very slowly, as if every step drained all his strength.

His back grew more and more hunched, as if weighed down by something that kept him from straightening his spine.

After walking a dozen steps, he raised his hand and wiped his face.

The youth stood in place, watching him, his eyes turning red.

He did not understand.

He had merely gone to the Capital with his mother, but after returning, everything had changed.

His father was gone, his mother was gone, his cultivation was gone, and his perfectly fine home was gone.

He did not even know what he had done wrong.

The youth sniffled, turned around, and began walking up the mountain.

The mountain path was not long; from the foot to the mountain gate, it was only a few hundred steps.

But to him right now, these few hundred steps were harder than ascending to the heavens.

After less than ten steps, his legs began to tremble.

His dantian was completely empty, like a torn sack unable to hold anything.

The place where his Spirit Bone had been extracted still throbbed with pain, as if someone were gouging his bones with a knife.

A few steps later, he could not catch his breath.

His lungs felt like they had been scorched by fire, and every breath carried the taste of rust.

He leaned against a tree by the road, hunched over, panting heavily as his vision continuously faded to black.

But he gritted his teeth and did not stop.

When he could no longer walk, he crawled.

With his hands pressing against the gravel and dirt, and his knees kneeling on sharp stones, he moved forward step, by step, by step.

The stones dug into his flesh, and blood seeped out, dyeing the mountain path red.

He did not feel the pain, or rather, he could no longer feel pain.

Compared to a shattered dantian, an extracted Spirit Bone, and the death of both his parents, what did this little pain amount to?

He crawled like an ant.

No one saw him, no one cared about him.

He used to be the most dazzling youth in this city, surrounded by crowds wherever he went, being called "Young Master Ye" or "Little Lord."

But now, he lay sprawled on the ground like a stray dog, lacking even the strength to lift his head.

Yet he kept crawling.

Because he remembered what the old butler had said: "That might be your only chance."

He did not know what kind of place the Tianyan Sect was, did not know what kind of person the Sect Leader was, and did not know if he could ever cultivate again.

He knew nothing at all.

He only knew that if he did not climb up there, his father and mother... would have died in vain!

So he crawled.

He crawled over gravel, over thorns, over steep stretches of the mountain path.

His fingers were scraped raw, his nails flipped back, and a layer of flesh was worn off his knees, revealing the pale white bone underneath.

But he kept crawling.

Finally, he saw the mountain gate.

It was not some magnificent architecture; there was no resplendent gold and jade, no lingering immortal aura.

It was just an ordinary courtyard with blue bricks, black tiles, and vermilion wooden doors. A plaque hung above the lintel—

Tianyan Sect!

...

"Master, Master, come out quick, I picked someone up!"

Liu Ruyan's crisp voice rang out from outside the courtyard gate, carrying a hint of joy.

Lin Yan responded and pushed open the door, only to see Liu Ruyan dangling a youth in her hand in the courtyard.

"Yan'er, where did you pick him up?"

This was not just picking someone up; she had clearly dragged back a bloody person.

The youth's clothes were entirely torn, his hands and knees were covered in blood scabs, and his face was smeared with dirt and gore.

"Just halfway up the mountain!"

Liu Ruyan gently placed the youth on the ground and clapped her hands. "I originally wanted to collect some morning dew to brew tea for Master, but when I got halfway down the mountain, I saw him lying motionless on the ground."

"I thought it was another person coming to steal our treasures, so I kicked him twice. No reaction. I kicked him two more times, and still no reaction."

"Later, seeing him covered in wounds and looking so pitiful, I just carried him back."

When the little girl said this, her tone was as casual as if she were talking about what she ate for breakfast.

Lin Yan glanced at the youth on the ground and fell silent.

He could finally see that his first disciple, who appeared obedient and soft on the outside, was actually quite wild to the bone.

Lin Yan took a step forward, crouched down, and carefully examined the young boy.

He looked to be about ten years old, wearing a mud-stained brocade robe. The material was of high quality, a cloud brocade with subtle patterns, not something an ordinary family could afford.

His face was filthy, but one could still tell he had handsome, regular features beneath the grime.

However, at this moment, his face was as pale as paper, his lips were cracked and bleeding, his eye sockets were deeply sunken, and his cheekbones jutted out sharply.

His hands and feet were worn raw, several of his fingernails were torn off, and his flesh was a bloody mess. In some places, the stark white of his bones was even visible.

Lin Yan's gaze fell on the boy's hands and knees, then shifted toward the direction of the mountain gate. A thought suddenly welled up in his mind.

This child... could he have crawled all the way up here?

By the looks of it, he wasn't one of those fortune-seekers climbing the mountain in search of treasures and fortuitous encounters.

Right at that moment, a system prompt suddenly rang in Lin Yan's ears:

Ding! Special physique detected!

Innate Spirit Body (Spirit Bone has been extracted)

Current Status: Dantian shattered, multiple meridians severed, Spirit Bone missing, cultivation completely lost, vital signs weak. Immediate treatment required.

A Spirit Body?

Spirit Bone extracted?

Lin Yan frowned slightly.

"Yan'er, go fetch a bowl of hot water."

"Yes!"

Liu Ruyan turned and went into the house. A moment later, she returned carrying a bowl of hot water.

Lin Yan crouched back down, supporting the back of the boy's neck with one hand while bringing the rim of the bowl to his lips with the other, slowly feeding him.

The hot water seeped through his cracked lips. The boy's throat bobbed as he swallowed subconsciously.

After a few mouthfuls of hot water reached his stomach, the boy's eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes.

His vision went from blurry to clear. When he made out the sight of Lin Yan, who was dressed in a plain long robe and exuded a tranquil aura, the boy's entire body violently shuddered.

"May I ask... are you an immortal of the Tianyan Sect?"

Lin Yan subconsciously nodded.

With a heavy thud, the boy fell to his knees and offered a grand bow of reverence.

"I beseech the immortal to take me as a disciple!"

Ding! Current target's initial loyalty detected at 70 percent, meeting the requirements to join the sect!

Lin Yan paused in surprise.

Oh ho!

An initial loyalty of 70 percent, that was even higher than the little girl's when she first started.

Seeing that the immortal remained silent, the boy kept kowtowing.

Once, twice, three times...

"I beg the immortal to take me as a disciple, I am willing to work like a horse or an ox..."

"I can do anything..."

"Please..."

His voice grew quieter and hoarser, but his kowtowing didn't stop for a single moment.

Lin Yan looked at him, remained silent for a few breaths, and then let out a sigh.

"So be it. Such is destiny!"

He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing calmly into the distance. His tone carried an indescribable hint of worldly vicissitudes.

"Since you are so sincere, I shall make an exception and take you in."

The boy's kowtowing came to an abrupt halt.

He lifted his head, his face covered in blood and tear stains, but a glimmer of light had finally appeared in those eyes.

"Thank you! Thank you, Master!"

"Immortal Master above, please accept your disciple's bow!"

The boy once again earnestly performed a grand bow.

Ding! Congratulations to the host for taking in a second disciple!

Rewards obtained: Special building Dao Enlightenment Tree, Disciple Trait Draw x 1, Nine-Revolution Body Sculpting Pill x 2, Sect Points +100

Dao Enlightenment Tree: Planted within the sect. Cultivating within its range enhances comprehension. Yields one Dao Enlightenment Fruit every month, which grants a temporary state of epiphany upon consumption.

Nine-Revolution Body Sculpting Pill: Can reforge a shattered dantian and severed meridians, heal all physical injuries, and increase physical body strength by 100 percent upon consumption.

Lin Yan was overjoyed.

Starting today, he would be getting three years' worth of cultivation power every single day!

He suppressed the wild joy in his heart, his face still maintaining the calm and detached demeanor of a transcendent expert.

"By the way, what is your name?"

"To reply to Master, your disciple's name is... Ye Xiaoqin!"