Chapter 27

"Disciple is willing!" Liu Ming naturally could not refuse a Spirit Master without reason, even if the other party seemed to be speaking casually.

"Good, you can stand to the side as well." The scholar with the surname Gui instructed lightly.

At this moment, besides Xiao Feng, the Nine Spirit Vein disciple who was there from the beginning, another red-haired disciple named Yu Cheng was also standing there.

However, the expressions of the two were completely different. Xiao Feng had a gloomy look, while Yu Cheng smiled kindly at Han Li.

Seeing Liu Ming being chosen by the scholar with the surname Gui first, Lin Caiyu hesitated for a moment.

If it were any of the other branches, she could have asked for him, and the other party would not have refused her request just because of a Three Spirit Vein disciple. However, the Nine-Infant Branch did not have a good relationship with the other branches, and they had just suffered a significant loss. If she were to propose an exchange of disciples now, it might be seen as a provocation.

"Maybe I should give up!"

After some consideration, Lin Caiyu finally sighed and thought to herself.

After all, this "Bai Congtian" was just a Three Spirit Vein disciple, not worth the risk of angering another Spirit Master.

The mountain master of the Ghost Dance Branch did not speak up either, and when it was his turn, he casually chose another Three Spirit Vein disciple.

In a blink, dozens of disciples were completely divided among the various branches. The mountain masters of the different veins left the ancestral hall with their newly chosen disciples, returning to their respective mountains.

Under the scholar's spell, Liu Ming and the others were lifted by a gray cloud and flown to a peak at the edge of the mountain range.

This peak was the "Nine-Infant Mountain," where the Nine-Infant Branch was located. However, the number of buildings on the mountain was clearly far fewer than on the other peaks, especially at the summit, where only a dozen or so tall buildings could be seen from a distance.

As the gray cloud suddenly dispersed, Liu Ming and the others landed on a small square in front of a large hall.

There, more than a dozen Nine-Infant Branch disciples in green robes were already waiting.

In front of these disciples stood a man in his thirties with disheveled hair and a vermilion gourd at his waist. Upon seeing the scholar and Liu Ming, his eyes lit up, and he immediately came forward:

"Senior Brother, how did it go? I heard that a Ground Spirit Vein disciple appeared during the Spirit Opening Ceremony. Did you bring him back?"

"Junior Brother, do you think the Headmaster's branch would let go of a disciple with such potential? However, this time it's not bad; I did bring back a Nine Spirit Vein disciple. You few, come over. This is your Uncle Zhu Chi. Come and pay your respects." The scholar smiled bitterly and then gestured to the new disciples.

"Pay respects to Uncle Zhu!" Liu Ming and the others did not dare to be disrespectful and bowed respectfully.

"No need for formalities, stand up. So, the Ground Spirit Vein disciple was taken by the Headmaster's branch. That's quite normal. A disciple with such potential, if the Headmaster let him join our branch, that would be strange." Zhu Chi waved his hand and then his expression turned serious.

"This is not the place to talk. Let's go inside and discuss it." The scholar changed the subject and said.

Zhu Chi naturally had no objections and immediately accompanied the scholar into the hall. The other disciples naturally followed closely behind.

The new disciples and the original Nine-Infant Branch disciples subconsciously split into two rows and began to size each other up.

Liu Ming curiously observed the dozen or so senior disciples.

Among them, about half were male and half were female, mostly around seventeen or eighteen years old, with the oldest being a man in his late twenties with a determined expression. His aura was thick, giving a sense of exceptional steadiness.

This young man seemed to notice Liu Ming's gaze and smiled at him.

Liu Ming returned a friendly smile.

Among the other disciples, two female disciples caught his attention.

One had an oval face, fair skin, and a tall, slender figure, giving a very gentle impression. The other had dark eyebrows, eyes like water, and a very curvaceous figure.

Both women were exceptionally beautiful and would likely attract the attention of many young men wherever they went.

On Liu Ming's side, besides Xiao Feng, Yu Cheng, and Liu Ming, there were two other male and female disciples, both Three Spirit Vein disciples chosen by the scholar at the end.

While Liu Ming was deep in thought, everyone had already entered the hall. The scholar and Zhu Chi sat down at the front, while the disciples stood in two rows.

"Shichuan, these are your new junior brothers and sisters. This is your Senior Brother Shichuan, who now handles all the miscellaneous affairs in the mountain." The scholar hesitated for a moment and then gestured to the man in his late twenties to stand up and introduce himself.

"Junior brothers and sisters, if you need anything in the mountain, you can come to me directly." Shichuan bowed to the new disciples and smiled.

Liu Ming and the others did not dare to be disrespectful and bowed in return.

"Our branch has two Spirit Masters, me and Uncle Zhu, and one Spirit Aunt, Aunt Zhong. However, she is currently in seclusion, so you won't be able to meet her. Also, my energy and that of Junior Brother Zhu are limited, so we cannot take all of you as personal disciples. We can only personally teach Xiao Feng and Yu Cheng for now. The rest of you will be registered disciples." The scholar's gaze swept over Liu Ming and the others, and he continued slowly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ming felt a bit disappointed, but he did not show it on his face.

The other two Three Spirit Vein young men and women truly looked disappointed but did not dare to say anything.

"You don't need to worry. Whether you are registered disciples or personal disciples, in the early stages, you will all learn the same few basic cultivation techniques. Whether we personally teach you or not doesn't make much difference; it mainly depends on your own comprehension. If you show exceptional talent in cultivation, Junior Brother Zhu and I can still take you as personal disciples. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can ask your senior brothers and sisters first. If they can't answer, you can come to us. However, there are few Spirit Masters in our branch, and we need time to cultivate and complete tasks assigned by the sect. If we are all away from the mountain, the sect has a special place called the Wisdom Hall. Every half month, a Spirit Master will go there to teach various secret techniques and answer questions from the disciples. You can also go there and will surely gain a lot." Zhu Chi added.

"Alright, you will gradually understand the matters of the sect. Shichuan, take these three junior brothers and sisters to the affairs hall to collect their items, arrange their accommodations, and inform them of the sect rules and taboos." The scholar nodded and instructed.

"Junior brothers and sisters, please follow me!" Shichuan nodded and politely said.

Then, he led the three of them out of the door.

As they walked out of the door, Liu Ming faintly heard the scholar's instructions from behind:

"Besides Xiao Feng and Yu Cheng, you can all go. In two months, it will be the time for the minor competition. You must practice diligently and bring glory to our branch!"

Below, the disciples responded in unison.

"Junior brothers and sisters, please follow me. I will first arrange your accommodations and then take you to the affairs hall. By the way, I don't know your names yet!" Shichuan smiled and asked as he led them out of the door.

"Senior Brother is too polite, I am Bai Congtian!"

"Xue Shan"

"Wan Xiaoqian"

Liu Ming and the other two young men and women hurriedly replied.

Xue Shan was quite sturdy, with a dark complexion, and Wan Xiaoqian, though not beautiful, had a rare sense of spirit in her features.

"So, you are Junior Brother Bai, Junior Brother Xue, and Junior Sister Wan. Our branch has only a few dozen disciples, much fewer than the hundreds in the other seven branches. According to the sect rules, senior brothers and sisters over thirty must leave the mountain and find their own caves, so there are not many disciples living in the mountain now, and there are many available accommodations. You can choose a suitable place. This is one of the few benefits of our Nine-Infant Branch." Shichuan smiled lightly.

"From what Senior Brother says, is there something special about choosing accommodations?" Liu Ming's heart stirred upon hearing this.

Xue Shan and Wan Xiaoqian also exchanged glances.

"Junior Brother Liu is indeed smart. Normally, the denser the heaven and earth energy in the accommodation, the more beneficial it is for cultivation. Although these accommodations are mostly built in such places, there are still some subtle differences. Moreover, depending on the cultivation techniques chosen by the disciples, they may have different preferences for accommodations. For example, if someone cultivates a yang-attribute technique, they would prefer an accommodation that receives sunlight for all twelve hours of the day. On the other hand, someone who cultivates a yin-attribute technique would prefer an accommodation built underground to avoid sunlight, which would make their cultivation more efficient." Shichuan explained casually.

"I see!" Liu Ming and the others were enlightened.

"However, as you are just starting to cultivate, you don't need to consider too much. Just choose an accommodation with denser energy, which will help you cultivate faster." Shichuan added.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Shichuan!" Xue Shan replied gratefully.

"Ha ha, we are now fellow disciples. You don't need to be so formal. Although our branch is weaker than the others, our disciples are very united, and there are not many of the messy things that happen in other branches. You can focus on your cultivation. Alright, I will now take you to see the available accommodations. If you like any place, just let me know." Shichuan said as they arrived at the square where they had come from, and he began to chant a spell.