bookbashuk Chapter 232 Won Min Becomes a Disciple
Chapter 232 Won Min Becomes a Disciple
Although Zhang Lingyu did not use all his methods, this puppet did have the strength to fight against a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator. It could not be said that it could defeat them, but at least it could keep them busy while they dealt with the others.
"You two fellow Daoists are indeed extraordinary talents; I, Zhang, am truly impressed!"
"Oh, fellow Daoist, you flatter us. My wife and I know our own limitations. There's no need to elevate us."
Lin Qing waved his hand, putting away all the puppets. The three of them then turned around and went back into the room to discuss matters concerning the Spirit Puppet Sect.
"By the way, Fellow Daoist Zhang, am I wondering if you are the only one from your family going this time?"
"Are there any other members of the tribe?"
"To be honest, fellow Daoist, I was indeed the only one who went."
Zhang Lingyu understood his meaning; it was simply a matter of having one more person, one more helper. Although Zhang Xingyao had reached the later stages and his combat abilities were quite considerable, he did not intend to have him come along.
If anything were to happen to either of them in the ruins, the family would lose its top combat power, and Zhang Xinghao and Zhang Yuanyi alone would probably be unable to cope with external threats.
Therefore, before Zhang Yuanyao and the others grew up, Zhang Xingyao was the protector of the family.
"Is that so..."
Upon hearing this, Lin Qing's face showed a hint of disappointment. The more helpers the better, because the three of them alone would probably not be able to withstand a sudden accident.
Although the couple had many friends, their cultivation levels were not high, so going there would only be a pointless death.
Unable to enter the circle of top cultivators, he could only rely on Zhang Lingyu.
"Fellow Daoists, there is no need to worry. I have made an agreement with the Li family of Yuhu that if we meet after entering the ruins, we will help each other."
Seeing that the two were somewhat embarrassed, Zhang Lingyu explained:
"There is another fellow Daoist whose skills are also quite remarkable. If we encounter him after entering, he can be of assistance to us."
"One more thing, that is, we are all cultivators from the Six Sects. As long as we don't go against them, we won't have any trouble. Our main target is still those outside cultivators."
The Spirit Puppet Sect was originally a sect of the Zhao Kingdom, and now other forces want a share of the pie. Do you think the Six Sects will be angry?
Naturally, we should deal with the outsiders first before discussing internal matters.
This information was relayed back to the family by Zhang Lingxiao from within the sect. It is said that the higher-ups of the six sects have already discussed this matter.
"That's good. It seems we'll be benefiting from your kindness this time." Hearing this, the couple finally breathed a sigh of relief. As rogue cultivators, their social skills were certainly not as good as those of family cultivators.
When we enter the ruins, we should at least respect the Buddha, even if we don't respect the monks.
"Not at all, it's just mutual support. Fellow Daoist has nurtured so many talents for my family; I should be thanking you."
Zhang Lingyu chuckled and asked:
"My juniors have been staying with you for several years now. What do you think of them? Are there any truly outstanding individuals?"
"The clansmen you sent to me were all carefully selected, how could we not be satisfied?"
Lin Qing and Zhang Lingyu were used to peace and quiet, and they were a little uncomfortable at first, but they agreed out of consideration for Zhang Lingyu. As time went on, they got used to it.
With apprentices, at least you don't have to do those chores and hard work yourself. The ones sent over are all clever ones, so you don't have to worry too much.
Furthermore... they had another idea.
Taking on apprentices.
Originally, there was no such danger, after all, he was used to being alone, had a long lifespan, and usually stayed in Tianliu City, so there was no danger of him dying.
Judging from the current trend, the probability of perishing after entering the Spirit Puppet Sect ruins is not small.
But for the sake of the path, they had no choice but to go.
Thus, the idea of taking on disciples and passing on his mantle came to him. Over the past few years, he has devoted himself to teaching the Zhang family and has already selected his disciples.
Since Zhang Lingyu happened to be here today, I simply brought it up directly.
"This is a great thing, and a great blessing for the Zhang family. I wonder who you two have in mind for the choice? I'd like to know who the lucky one is."
Zhang Lingyu was not surprised by the idea proposed by the two, after all, they were both Foundation Establishment cultivators, and it was very difficult for them to have offspring.
Unless it's accompanied by all sorts of rare and precious natural treasures, it's probably impossible in the short term.
Even if you have children, you won't have that much time to teach them, unless you give up this opportunity with the Spirit Puppet Sect.
"To be honest, fellow Daoist, we have our eyes on Yuan Min. This young man is meticulous, has strong practical skills, and is quite talented in the art of puppetry..."
Lin Qing didn't hide anything: "As for the remaining few, please rest assured, fellow Daoist. We will not neglect them just because we have taken Yuan Min as our teacher. We will still teach them everything we know."
"Won Min..."
Just now at the store entrance, Zhang Yuanling didn't recognize him immediately, but Zhang Yuanmin was quite clever. This child was also brought back from the mortal world, and his aptitude was passable.
When he left home, he was at the second level of Qi Refining. In the past few years, he has reached the bottleneck of the sixth level of Qi Refining. The others are about the same.
After all, with the good family benefits now, coupled with the cultivation environment in Tianliu City and the rewards from Lin Qing and his wife, it's reasonable that he's advancing so quickly.
He was about to agree when he saw the two of them stammering.
"If...if the two of us perish in the Spirit Puppet Sect, it would be perfect if Yuan Min could inherit the Spirit Puppet Pavilion."
If Zhang Yuanmin were to truly inherit the Spirit Puppet Pavilion, it would likely be managed by the Zhang family. Although this might seem like a case of usurping someone else's place, as long as their legacy isn't buried, that would be fine.
"Why...why are you two acting like you're entrusting your children to someone else?"
Zhang Lingyu fell silent for a moment, her thoughts seemingly returning to Lingyue Mountain, to the time when Wang Menghan's father, Wang Lin, entrusted her to her.
These two couples were his rare close friends. Last time, he wasn't by their side and couldn't ask for help, but this time it was different.
With sufficient preparation and by avoiding risks and greed, there is still a high probability of survival.
Zhang Lingyu comforted him, "I understand what you mean, fellow Daoist. I will have Yuan Min come to become my disciple later."
"My other two fellow Daoists, please also work hard these next few years to see if you can have more children. In any case, my Zhang family will do everything in our power to raise them!"
"However, these are only measures to preserve the inheritance and bloodline. Right now, we should focus on cultivation. If you two are really so pessimistic, I suggest you don't go, lest you really end up perishing."
Pity is one thing, but advice is another.
If the two of them still have the intention to back down, Zhang Lingyu will not hesitate to abandon them and turn to the Li family.
With such wavering cultivators, wouldn't going in with them just be a pointless death?
You should always put yourself first.
"Fellow Daoist is right..."
Seeing the hint of displeasure on Zhang Lingyu's face, the two felt a pang of unease and quickly said, "Please rest assured, fellow Daoist, we have no intention of backing down and guarantee to advance to the late Foundation Establishment stage before the ruins open."
"I was just giving you a heads-up, there's no need for you two to be so flustered. I'll have Yuan Min come to become my disciple later." Zhang Lingyu didn't expect such a strong reaction from the two of them, and shook his head with a smile.
......
After the shop closed, Zhang Lingyu and the other two gathered all the clansmen in the courtyard.
"We pay our respects to the clan leader and the two seniors."
"Get up, all of you. You are the future hope of the clan. We sent you here a few years ago to learn puppetry. You should all have some skills now. When you return to the clan, it will be your time to show your talents."
Zhang Lingyu smiled and said:
"I saw it during the day as well. You have never been negligent in your words, actions, or cultivation. However... it is still unknown whether you have seriously studied the art of puppetry or truly mastered it."
"I also asked two fellow Daoists, and they both praised you as good, which makes me very pleased. But words are useless; we must see real skills. I have gathered you here to see for myself, and I will reward you if you perform well."
"Yes, we obey!"
When Zhang Yuanmin and the others saw a pile of puppet materials laid out in front of them, they understood what was going on.
"The other two fellow Daoists also said that whoever creates the best puppet will be accepted as their personal disciple!"
"A personal disciple!?"
The clansmen present were immediately filled with disbelief. They never expected that two Foundation Establishment cultivators would be taking on disciples, and personally at that.
If you can become their disciple, you will have a great chance of achieving Foundation Establishment in the future.
Just thinking about it is exciting.
"Neither of the two seniors mentioned taking on disciples before, but the clan leader wants to do so right away. It seems the clan leader promised the two seniors some benefits..."
"Yes, it's too much trouble for the clan leader, but with our abilities, we're afraid we wouldn't be of high enough caliber to catch his eye."
"Indeed, I think it's most likely Won Min..."
Since arriving at the Spirit Puppet Hall, the dozen or so of them have been learning together, and it's easy to see who is learning well and who is learning poorly.
So when he announced that he would be taking on apprentices, the gazes cast upon Zhang Yuanmin were complex, filled with envy, jealousy, and so on.
All of this was observed by the three Foundation Establishment cultivators, but they ultimately said nothing more.
Zhang Yuanmin himself didn't seem to react strangely.
Several people who were usually no worse than him were secretly rubbing their hands together, determined to perform exceptionally well tonight and outdo him.
"Alright, if there are no objections, let's begin in half an hour."
The tribesmen were exhausted after a busy day, so Zhang Lingyu didn't rush to test them, but instead gave them some time to rest.
Half an hour later, everyone began making it without hesitation.
The test wasn't difficult; it simply required everyone to make the puppet within a fixed time. After all, making a puppet required a lot of mental and physical effort, and every detail had to be handled with extreme precision.
To save time, all the materials were prepared in advance. All that was needed was to assemble the puppets and inscribe the formations on the key parts.
Zhang Lingyu was quite knowledgeable; his powerful divine sense had long been monitoring every member of the clan, and he could keep track of who was doing well or struggling.
However, being a disciple of the Zhang family after all, he carried out the entire process in an orderly manner.
However, being a disciple of the Zhang family after all, he carried out the entire process in an orderly manner.
"Hmm, not bad."
He was very satisfied with the performance of his clansmen. These were the future pillars of the family. After returning from the Spirit Puppet Sect, he would pass on the inheritance. The family's puppetry skills had begun to improve.
As mentioned before, the key to the puppet lies in the internal array. Larger parts are relatively easy to handle, but the smaller ones, especially those used at the joints, are quite troublesome.
If there is even the slightest mistake, you have to start all over again.
Two hours passed quickly, and many tribesmen were drenched in sweat, some were panting and resting, and others were taking pills to regulate their breathing.
Only a few people are still persisting.
This includes Zhang Yuanmin.
The young man was neither arrogant nor impatient, and focused on the delicate work at hand. Since Lin Qing had taken a liking to him, Zhang Lingyu naturally paid more attention to him.
His brush moved swiftly, and the array on the parts was completed almost in one go. He didn't stop even when he encountered small parts, only at a slightly slower pace.
As for the remaining few, the formations were well-depicted, but some were intermittent, and some even failed a few times.
"It seems the disciple has been chosen."
At that time, Lin Qing was prepared to let Zhang Yuanmin become his disciple directly, but Zhang Lingyu refused. After all, this would easily cause dissatisfaction among other clansmen. As the clan leader, he should care about the growth of his disciples.
Since Zhang Yuanmin is valued, it proves that his potential is the strongest among everyone.
Holding this competition would allow him to understand the growth of his people and also convince them of his worth.
Nearly an hour later, clansmen began to give up one after another, leaving only Zhang Yuanmin on the field. The three Foundation Establishment cultivators did not call for a halt and waited silently.
Once the puppet was completely completed, everyone cupped their hands in congratulations: "Congratulations, Yuan Min!"
"Congratulations!"
"My fellow clansmen, there's no need for this. Yuan Min was merely lucky."
Although they may be modest, when it really comes down to it, who can suppress their excitement?
"Yuan Min is good, and you guys are good too."
Zhang Lingyu stood up with a big laugh. He knew how difficult the art of puppetry was. The fact that these juniors had achieved this much showed that they were already quite good. As long as they continued to work hard, they might one day stand out from the crowd.
With a wave of his hand, more than ten rewards immediately flew into the hands of the crowd.
Upon closer inspection, Zhang Yuanling and the others found that each of them held a full three hundred spirit stones and several bottles of pills for improving their cultivation!
For them, this is a considerable fortune!
"We thank the clan chief!"
"You're welcome. I hope you'll work hard and contribute more to the family in the future."
Zhang Lingyu's smile remained unchanged as she looked at Zhang Yuanmin and continued, "Yuanmin, why don't you pay your respects to your master!"
"Disciple Zhang Yuanmin greets Master." The young man immediately snapped out of his daze, knelt down, and kowtowed.
After the apprenticeship ceremony ended, Lin Qing smiled and stepped forward to help him up. He took out a magic weapon from his storage bag and handed it to him, saying with a smile, "This is something I used in my early years. It is a high-grade Qi-refining magic weapon called the Azure Cloud Sword. I am bestowing it upon you today."
"Thank you, Master."
"Your master bestowed something upon you, how could your master's wife not reciprocate? This is an Earth Element Shield, also a top-grade Qi Refining Shield. Keep it safe."
This scene filled the others with envy. They simply couldn't afford two high-grade Qi-refining magic artifacts without two or three years of training.
Afterwards, Lin Qing smiled and looked at everyone: "Don't give up either. We won't hold back. How much you learn depends on your abilities."
"I'm not just taking on one disciple; this is just the first one. Look at your Senior Chen; she hasn't taken on any disciples yet."
"You guys really need to work hard!"
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