bookbashuk Chapter 132 The Reason
Chapter 132 The Reason
The old man walked up the stone steps at a moderate pace, his greyish-white Taoist robe fluttering gently in the wind.
Xiao Er remained squatting on the edge of the field, watching his figure disappear at the end of the mountain path before turning around and running back to the wooden house.
The old man walked for a while, then turned into a bamboo grove, where a young monk appeared, sitting on a roadside stone, idly picking at a blade of grass.
The young cultivator was dressed in a blue Daoist robe, with a jade token from Danfeng hanging at his waist. He had a handsome face and looked to be no more than twenty years old.
Seeing the old man approaching, he quickly stood up, brushed the grass clippings off his robes, and went to greet him.
He looked at the old man, his tone tinged with confusion.
"Master, aren't you being too good to him? Giving him pills and extensions, is he really worth all this trouble for a mere outer disciple at the second level of Qi Refining?"
The old man glanced at him, but did not stop and continued walking forward.
The young cultivator quickly followed, walking beside him, muttering to himself.
"I just don't understand, what's so special about him? His spiritual sense is incredibly weak, he failed the alchemy assessment, and his cultivation level has even dropped to the second level of Qi Refining."
"A person like that is not even as good as a handyman..."
"Are you done talking?"
The old man interrupted him calmly.
The young cultivator awkwardly stopped talking, but the doubt in his eyes did not diminish at all.
The old man took a few steps, then suddenly stopped, turned around and looked at him, a slight smile playing on his lips, a smile that held a profound meaning.
"His talent is indeed very poor."
The old man said.
"It's not even certain whether I can become an inner disciple."
The young cultivator was taken aback.
"Then you still..."
"But the Qingling Pill he gave me back then was indeed made by himself."
The old man interrupted him, his voice not loud, but every word was clear.
The young cultivator was stunned. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.
The old man looked at him and continued.
"Don't you find it strange that someone with only the fifth level of Qi Refining could refine a decent Qingling Pill using the most basic alchemy furnace?"
The young monk frowned, and he began to seriously consider the question.
Weak spiritual awareness means inaccurate perception of the heat, inadequate control over the medicinal liquid, and inaccurate grasp of the timing for condensing the elixir.
For someone like that to be able to refine pills of decent quality, there are only two possibilities: either he's lucky and stumbled upon a good batch.
Or... does he have some special alchemy technique that can compensate for the lack of divine sense?
One instance could be attributed to luck, but he refined two more pills during the assessment. Although they were of low grade, it was already a miracle that he could form pills under that state of spiritual consciousness.
The young cultivator's eyes gradually brightened. He raised his head, looked at the old man, and his voice was filled with excitement.
"Master, do you mean... he has some kind of superb alchemy technique?"
The old man neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply said...
"Not only that, during the assessment that day, I used the most ordinary alchemy furnace, with simple patterns and basic functions. He was clumsy in using it and was clearly not used to it."
"It seems that the alchemy furnace he usually uses is no ordinary item."
The young cultivator's heart raced a little. How could a disciple who came from a rogue cultivator background possess such a fine alchemy furnace and such superb alchemy skills?
Where did these things come from? They were either passed down from his master or obtained through his own good fortune.
Regardless of the reason, it shows that there is something about him worth exploring.
"Master, then you..."
The young cultivator leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Why don't you use some tricks to make him die accidentally? Then his alchemy furnace and his techniques would all be yours!"
The old man stopped in his tracks, turned around, looked at his apprentice, his eyes filled with a hint of disappointment and helplessness.
The young cultivator felt uncomfortable under his gaze, lowered his head, and dared not speak again.
"You think I haven't thought about it?"
The old man's voice was not loud, but his tone carried a coldness.
The young cultivator suddenly raised his head, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.
"Originally, he wouldn't have been able to join the Suyang Sect."
The old man turned around and continued walking forward, his voice as calm as if he were talking about something that had nothing to do with him.
"At the disciple recruitment meeting, he failed the spiritual sense test and should have been eliminated directly according to the rules, but Elder Liu personally intervened and kept him."
The young cultivator paused, realizing the truth.
He had a deep impression of that unfathomable old woman with a full head of silver hair.
She is one of the few Golden Core cultivators in the Suyang Sect, holding a prestigious position, and can change the fate of a disciple with just a word.
The old man continued.
"Moreover, a few days ago, Liu Yao specifically stopped Zhao Fan, and the two even exchanged a few words."
The young monk gasped.
Liu Yao is one of the ten true disciples and the granddaughter of Elder Liu.
Since she stopped Zhao Fan, she must have some kind of relationship with him.
"so."
The old man stopped and turned to look at his apprentice, his gaze calm yet carrying an undeniable authority.
"Do you think I should harm someone who might be connected to Elder Liu for the sake of an unknown alchemy furnace and a set of alchemy techniques whose authenticity is unknown?"
The young monk fell silent.
The old man sighed, his tone softening somewhat.
"A person who cultivates himself but is too greedy will eventually bring about his own downfall."
"Zhao Fan may have some good stuff on him, but you need to think carefully about whether it's worth risking your life for."
"Elder Liu can admit an unqualified disciple with a single word, and dismiss a qualified one with the same word. If he holds a grudge against me for Zhao Fan's death, do you think I can withstand it?"
The young cultivator lowered his head and clasped his hands in greeting.
"Disciple understands."
The old man said no more, turned around and continued walking up the mountain, talking as he went.
"Besides, although that kid has poor talent, he has a good character. He was able to stay in the back mountain for a year, managing the spirit fields every day without slacking off. He didn't become depressed after his cultivation was dissipated. Such a person may not necessarily have no future."
"These things I gave him aren't worth many spirit stones. If he really has a relationship with Elder Liu, this timely help will allow him to gain a good reputation with Elder Liu even if he doesn't get his alchemy skills."
The young cultivator paused for a moment, then nodded.
"Master is right."
The old man's figure disappeared into the depths of the bamboo forest. The young cultivator stood there, looking in the direction his master had left, his thoughts churning.
After a while, he shook his head and turned to walk in another direction.
The bamboo forest returned to silence, with only the rustling of the wind through the bamboo leaves and the occasional bird calls from afar.
Inside a wooden house on the back mountain of Danfeng.
Zhao Fan was completely unaware of this. He was sitting cross-legged on the bed, his eyes closed, circulating the "Mysterious Gold Technique." The golden vortex in his dantian slowly rotated, and spiritual energy flowed smoothly and quietly through his meridians.
The little boy was lying at his feet, his belly rising and falling, fast asleep.