Chapter 35

Inside the hall stood more than forty inner disciples, dressed in black, white, and red, but none in purple. Each of these disciples was respectful and solemn. Among them, Wang Lin recognized many familiar faces: Wang Zhuo, the Xu family girl, the Zhou family girl, Senior Brother Zhang, and others.

In front of them, on both sides, sat over a dozen elders, all with cold expressions. In the center sat a man in his forties, wearing a blue robe, with a demeanor of a transcendent being and eyes like lightning. He said calmly, "Junior Brother Sun, is this your disciple?"

Sun Dazhu quickly put on a smile and said, "Patriarch Senior Brother, this young man is indeed my disciple, Wang Lin. He joined late and doesn't know the meaning of ringing the bell five times."

"Indeed, like father, like son. Junior Brother Sun, your disciple looks quite foolish, just like you did back then," a red-faced elder on the right side sneered.

"Senior Brother, that's not right. Junior Brother Sun, though not outstanding, was still qualified in talent, far better than this disciple!" another elder laughed from the side.

Sun Dazhu's face turned red and white, and he glared at Wang Lin fiercely, huffed, and walked to an empty seat on the left, sitting down without further argument.

The man in the blue robe frowned, glanced coldly at Wang Lin, and then ignored him, saying sternly, "I have already said that this training must be effective. In four years, we must not lose to the Xuan Dao Sect! Starting today, you will enter the back mountain. Each of you will have your own cultivation area. You must seclude yourselves and cultivate, improve your cultivation, and use the Spirit Seizing Pills. The sect has provided 10,000 pills for your use. You must not leave the back mountain during this period. Do you understand?"

All the inner disciples responded in unison.

The man in the blue robe nodded slightly and continued, "I hope that in four years, some of you will wear purple robes. Purple robes represent the core disciples of our Hengyue Sect, far superior to inner disciples. You should understand the implications. Now, I will send you to the back mountain, and someone will arrange your cultivation areas."

With that, the man in the blue robe waved his sleeve, and a beam of white light shot out from his sleeve, circling the hall. He then shouted, "Open!"

The white light expanded infinitely, turning into a light curtain that enveloped all the inner disciples.

"Go!" With another shout from the man in the blue robe, the light curtain shimmered and disappeared from the hall.

Wang Lin felt a warm sensation, and his vision blurred. When it cleared, he found himself standing in a valley. The spiritual energy here was much more concentrated than outside, and the sound of flowing water could be heard in the distance. He scanned the area and saw that all the inner disciples looked surprised, looking around continuously.

The valley had no plants, only a huge, bare cliff. The cliff was dotted with countless honeycomb-like caves, some of which were sealed with large rocks.

Suddenly, Wang Lin sensed someone watching him. He turned his head and saw Wang Zhuo looking at him with a sneer and a look of disdain.

At that moment, a young man in a purple robe flew out of a cave on the cliff. He scanned the crowd coldly and said, "Fellow disciples, this is the back mountain of our Hengyue Sect. It's not actually behind Hengyue Mountain. This place was created 500 years ago by several Ancestor Elders at the Core Formation stage for the inner disciples. The spiritual energy here far exceeds that outside. Since you are here, you must seize every moment to cultivate and not slack off, or don't blame me for throwing you out of the back mountain!"

Wang Lin recognized this purple-robed young man as his Second Senior Brother, Zhang Kuang, who had taken his spirit spring water. It was said that he had already reached the sixth layer of the Qi Condensation stage, making him unfathomable.

Wang Lin bowed his head slightly. He knew well the cunning of Zhang Kuang, who had put him in a crisis with just a few words.

"I have all the incantations up to the sixth layer of the Qi Condensation stage. If you reach the corresponding level and need an incantation, you can come to me. I will give it to you after checking. As for your cultivation areas, you can choose any cave on this cliff that is not sealed with a large rock. Here are the Spirit Seizing Pills, with 50 pills in each bottle, replenished annually!" Zhang Kuang finished and waved his right hand, causing fifty small white bottles to appear on the ground.

One by one, the inner disciples walked out, silently picked up a bottle, and found their cultivation areas to enter.

Wang Lin took a deep breath, thinking that the Shape and Voice Transformation Pill he used that day made it impossible for anyone to recognize him. He then walked out and picked up a bottle. Zhang Kuang stood to the side, watching each inner disciple pass. When he saw Wang Lin, his expression became strange, and he said, "What's your name? How come you haven't even reached the first layer of the Qi Condensation stage? Who is your master?"

Wang Lin stopped, turned around, and said respectfully, "Senior Brother, I am Wang Lin. My master is Sun Dazhu. Perhaps my talent is insufficient, and I have yet to reach the first layer."

Zhang Kuang was taken aback and laughed, "You are Wang Lin? I've heard of you. Talent is important, but perseverance is also key in cultivation. Since your talent is insufficient, you must work even harder!"

Wang Lin quickly agreed.

"Fine, this cliff is too high, and since you haven't even reached the first layer, you probably can't climb it. I'll help you!" Zhang Kuang waved his sleeve, and a force pushed Wang Lin, carrying him to a cave entrance before dissipating.

Wang Lin thanked Zhang Kuang respectfully and turned to enter the cave. His face immediately turned grim, thinking that if it weren't for that incident, he might have considered this Second Senior Brother to be kind. Unfortunately, he knew the true nature of the man and wouldn't take this small favor to heart.

The cave was small, with only a stone bed. On the wall was a handle. Wang Lin focused for a moment, then pulled it. A loud rumbling sound filled the air as a huge stone wall slowly descended from the top of the cave entrance, finally sealing it completely with a loud thud.

He carefully inspected the cave, ensuring there were no abnormalities, and was very satisfied. He had initially approached Sun Dazhu to find a reason to leave the sect and seek a cultivation place. Although he was refused, the current situation was not much different from his original plan.

The only downside was the lack of water in the cave. Wang Lin's cultivation mainly relied on liquid spiritual energy, but he had accumulated a fair amount of snow water in his storage bag, which should last for some time.

Additionally, he had heard the sound of flowing water in the valley, so the water issue could be resolved with caution.