Chapter 20

Wang Lin was also happy to have some peace and quiet. Although he had been expelled from the main courtyard and secretly heard many named disciples mock him, he did not take it to heart. Over the past month, he had gained a general understanding of cultivation. Cultivation was divided into five levels: Qi Condensation, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul, and Deity Transformation.

The entire Hengyue Sect currently had only two Core Formation experts, who lived high up in the back mountain where the spiritual energy was the densest. They spent their days in seclusion, never participating in sect affairs unless it was a major event. Even within the sect, there were no more than ten Foundation Establishment cultivators, who formed the backbone of the sect and enjoyed special privileges, with access to spirit stones and magical treasures.

Apart from these people, most were still at the Qi Condensation stage, like Sun Dazhu, who was only at the fifth level of Qi Condensation.

Cultivation was very difficult and required a great deal of time. If one's talent was lacking, the few decades of a lifetime were not enough for cultivation. The Qi Condensation stage was already so arduous, let alone the Foundation Establishment stage and beyond. In addition to having sufficient spiritual energy, one needed great fortune and insight, none of which could be missing.

Wang Lin deeply understood the importance of spiritual energy and was eager to retrieve the mysterious bead.

Although he still could not channel spiritual energy into his body, he believed that drinking the spring water infused with the bead regularly would certainly speed up the process. After all, Qi Condensation was about accumulating spiritual energy.

From Sun Dazhu's level of concern, the spring water infused with the bead must have been very rich in spiritual energy. Thinking about this, he was very excited. The spring water was one thing, but he had hidden three gourds of dew at the place where the bead was stored, and this stuff must be even richer in spiritual energy.

If he drank it, it would certainly not be worse than the medications he had taken over the past month, and it might even be better. Therefore, Wang Lin was filled with joy at being able to leave the main courtyard without Sun Dazhu's supervision.

As an inner disciple, although he did not live in the main courtyard, he could freely choose a residence in any of the five secondary courtyards. Wang Lin chose a secluded house near the East Gate in the Fire Courtyard and settled there.

Inner disciples, based on the color of their robes, enjoyed certain privileges. Over the past month, Wang Lin had learned a lot from Sun Dazhu, such as the fact that on the 10th of every month, they could go to the main courtyard's alchemy room to collect a fragment of a low-grade spirit stone and a Spirit Seizing Pill that increased spiritual energy.

Ten fragments could be exchanged for a complete low-grade spirit stone from their respective masters.

After settling into his new residence, Wang Lin did not immediately retrieve the mysterious bead. He was worried that Sun Dazhu might secretly monitor him, so he continued to go to the spring during the day and meditate in his room at night as usual.

In fact, Sun Dazhu did indeed monitor him for over ten days, but eventually gave up.

A month later, Wang Lin quietly left one night, winding his way through the mountains to the place where he had hidden the gourds. He retrieved the bead and the gourds and placed them in his storage bag, where no one could notice.

After being cautious for a few days and finding no abnormalities, Wang Lin finally felt at ease. He no longer went to the spring during the day but spent his days at home studying the bead.

Wang Lin touched the bead and noticed that the number of clouds on it had increased from seven to nine. He guessed that the mountain's high humidity had allowed the bead to absorb a lot of moisture.

As for the three gourds, Wang Lin opened each one and found that the dew inside had become viscous, especially the gourd containing morning dew, which had almost turned into a jelly-like substance.

Wang Lin looked at the bead and the three gourds, and a thought suddenly came to him. The mysterious bead needed moisture to increase the number of clouds. If he used all three gourds of dew on the bead, would it be able to immediately produce the tenth cloud?

His heart raced at the thought. The bead was not large, and the nine clouds now almost covered its entire surface, leaving only a fingernail-sized space. Wang Lin analyzed that this space was likely where the tenth cloud would appear.

He pondered for a moment, eager to know what would happen when the bead had ten clouds. After all, from the outside, there was no space for an eleventh cloud, so the tenth cloud was likely the last one.

However, today was the day to collect spirit stones from the main courtyard. Seeing that it was almost dark, Wang Lin carefully placed the bead and the gourds in his storage bag, tucked it into his robe, and left his room.

He was now very familiar with the paths within the sect and soon arrived at the main courtyard. Taking advantage of the fact that it was not yet dark, he hurried to the alchemy room.

Before he got close, he heard a familiar voice.

"Senior Sister Zhou, my master asked me to seclude myself for three months to break through to the first level of Qi Condensation, but I couldn't stop thinking about you and couldn't calm down. I just wanted to cultivate quickly so I could see you. Finally, last night, I broke through to the first level and went to the mountains to pick these flowers for you. Look how beautiful the petals are. There was a large snake guarding them, and I had to struggle to kill it. Look at my arm; I'm injured."

Wang Lin paused, his brows furrowed, and he inwardly sneered, then calmly stepped forward.

At this moment, a clear and crisp female voice, like that of a lark, sounded: "Senior Brother Wang, my family has been traditional doctors for generations. This flower is just a common Mingri Fragrance. I saw many of them when I went up the mountain, but I've never heard of a snake guarding them. If that were true, our Hengyue Sect would be full of snakes. Senior Sister Zhou, don't believe him."

At this point, Wang Lin entered the alchemy room garden and scanned the area. There were four people, two men and two women, all wearing red robes.

One of the men had a handsome face and a dignified appearance. He looked embarrassed and was about to argue when he suddenly stared at the entrance, his eyes wide with disbelief, and exclaimed:

"Wang Lin! You... Why are you here? You should be at home helping your father with carpentry work."

"Wang Lin? Ah, you're Wang Lin, the one who became a named disciple through suicide and became Senior Uncle Sun's disciple through flattery. That's you!" A girl nearby covered her mouth in surprise. She had a long braid, black and shiny, with thick eyebrows and large, bright eyes, making her quite beautiful.

The other two people also looked surprised and kept examining Wang Lin. The girl had a pair of innocent, long-lashed, beautiful eyes, like two crystal grapes, which now sparkled with interest.

Wang Lin's face was expressionless as he glanced at the group. The girl who spoke was the one who had mocked Wang Zuo earlier. Her face seemed familiar, and Wang Lin recalled that she was the one who had passed the talent test a few months ago. Since he recognized her, the other girl must be Senior Sister Zhou, to whom Wang Zuo had given the flowers.