Chapter 12

This is the second update today, more to come in the afternoon!

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Over the past month, almost all the named disciples have come to know Wang Lin. Each of them would display a condescending expression and speak with malicious sarcasm whenever they saw him.

Wang Lin ignored all of this. He knew that these named disciples were all psychologically twisted and perverted. Before he arrived, these people were at the very bottom of the sect, bearing all kinds of hardships without any outlet. Now that he had come, having entered the sect through suicide, his status was undoubtedly even lower than that of a named disciple, making him a target for everyone to bully.

He sneered inwardly, knowing that such matters couldn't be resolved by resistance. In the sect, the strong were respected, and those named disciples who had entered earlier were all very strong. Some had even learned some basic immortal techniques. If he resisted, he would definitely be the one to suffer.

However, Wang Lin was not the kind of person to be a pushover. He remembered every mocking face and waited for his strength to increase so he could repay them one by one.

With this mindset, he acted like a deaf and blind person, ignoring whatever others said and continuing to do as he pleased. Every day, he would either fetch water or secretly study the mysterious bead.

He tried soaking the bead in various liquids: spring water, dew, sweat, and even blood. In the end, he found that dew had the best effect.

However, there were differences in the dew. The dew that appeared on the stone bead in the early morning had the best effect, followed by the dew at night. If the dew was collected from other objects to soak the bead, the effect was even worse.

In order of effectiveness, spring water came next, while blood and sweat had almost no effect at all.

To avoid drawing attention, he specially found several wild small gourds in the mountains, emptied them, and used them to store different types of dew.

He didn't carry these gourds with him but buried them in different remote locations. He only took them out when collecting dew and never brought them back to the sect.

The gourd he carried with him contained spring water, which he drank when tired, immediately feeling refreshed.

In addition, Wang Lin discovered a strange phenomenon: whenever dew appeared on the stone bead at night or in the early morning, the surface of the bead seemed to be covered in water droplets, but when he actually collected them, more than half of the dew would mysteriously disappear, leaving less than one-tenth behind.

For this strange phenomenon, Wang Lin could only conclude that the dew was being absorbed by the bead. Although this explanation seemed absurd, he couldn't think of any other answer.

One evening, Wang Lin filled the remaining three water barrels and said to the young man in yellow who was meditating, "Brother Liu, I need to go home for a while. I won't be coming tomorrow."

The young man in yellow glanced at Wang Lin, then grunted through his nose.

Wang Lin didn't mind. From Zhang Hu, he learned that named disciples could visit their families three times a year. They could apply to an elder surnamed Sun at any time and request a talisman that would allow them to come and go freely, demonstrating the sect's immortal techniques.

Wang Lin remembered that his father's birthday was approaching, and he had to go back. After leaving the miscellaneous affairs office, he walked to the elder in charge of the named disciples.

The Hengyue Sect was divided into six courtyards: five subsidiary and one main. The five subsidiary courtyards were named after the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—and each housed named disciples. Inner disciples and elders mostly lived in the main courtyard. While fetching water, Wang Lin had often gazed at this place from a distance, filled with envy. This time, he came here, carefully observed it, and stood outside the main courtyard, shouting, "Named disciple Wang Lin, seeking an audience with Elder Sun."

A young man in white walked out of the main courtyard, glanced at Wang Lin, and said arrogantly, "You're Wang Lin?"

Seeing the man in white, Wang Lin's heart sank, and he nodded.

He now knew that all disciples in the Hengyue Sect were divided by rank, indicated by the color of their clothing. Named disciples wore gray or yellow, with yellow representing those who had the资格 to practice immortal techniques. Inner disciples were ranked from highest to lowest by the color of their clothing: purple, black, white, and red.

The young man in white curled his lip, glanced coldly at Wang Lin, and walked back into the courtyard. Wang Lin remained expressionless and followed him.

They didn't walk for long before he was led to a garden filled with flowers and plants. The young man in white said lazily, "Uncle Sun, a named disciple is here to see you."

He then stood aside indifferently.

An old voice came from the garden: "You may leave. Let the named disciple come in."

The young man in white chuckled and left.

Wang Lin was very nervous. He pushed open the garden gate and walked in. As soon as he entered, a strong medicinal scent hit him. He was taken aback and looked back at the garden gate, wondering why he hadn't smelled any medicine from outside.

"What are you standing there for? State your name!" The voice, filled with dissatisfaction, came from a room in the corner of the garden.

Wang Lin quickly replied respectfully, "Disciple Wang Lin, paying respects to Elder Sun. My father's birthday is tomorrow, and I wish to go home."

"You're Wang Lin? So it's you. Hmph, cultivators should sever all ties with the mundane world. Your attachment to the secular world means you will never step into the realm of immortality!" The old voice scolded.

Wang Lin frowned and couldn't help but say, "Disciple has not learned any immortal techniques. How can I be considered a cultivator?"

The other side was silent for a moment, then said impatiently, "You have three days. Go and return quickly. Here is a Thousand Mile Talisman that can be used twice. Stick it to your leg to increase your speed." A plain yellow paper floated out of the window and gently landed at Wang Lin's feet.

Wang Lin picked it up and carefully placed it in his chest. From Zhang Hu, he knew that all named disciples who went home to visit their families were given such a talisman. The Hengyue Sect's purpose was simple: to showcase their immortal techniques through these disciples, attracting more children to take the entrance test.

This talisman, in essence, was very low-quality, with only one advantage: it was easy to use. Each time, you just needed to stick it to your leg to activate it, increasing your speed for mortals.

However, many inner disciples were also enthusiastic about collecting these talismans. It was said that they could be exchanged for things at external trade fairs. For named disciples, these talismans were even more precious, and some were reluctant to use them, accumulating quite a few under the pretense of visiting their families.

Leaving the main courtyard, Wang Lin pondered for a moment and walked to his residence. He packed his luggage, said goodbye to Zhang Hu, and went down the mountain.

The sky was filled with stars. Wang Lin had planned to leave the next day, but he was unsure about the speed the talisman would provide and was afraid of missing his father's birthday, so he decided to set off immediately.

Not long after Wang Lin left, Elder Sun in the main courtyard opened the door, preparing to collect some herbs. Suddenly, his expression changed as he stared at a spot near the garden gate. The several strands of blue thread grass planted there had all withered.