Chapter 96

He was already old, and he knew that his lifetime achievements were limited. Now, he could become an elder of the Qingyun Sword Sect, but if he were in the Lingbao Sect, he would only be an ordinary disciple, the most ordinary disciple. Even though his cultivation techniques were higher, relatively speaking, it was better to be an elder in the Qingyun Sword Sect. At least here, he was an elder, and everyone would respect him.

Being a disciple in the Lingbao Sect, no matter how high his status, he would still be an ordinary disciple. This feeling was not as good as being an elder in the Qingyun Sword Sect. At least, Chen Yong thought so.

Everyone has different aspirations, and each person has different thoughts and choices. In this process, there are gains and losses. What he gained was the status of an elder, but what he lost was the potential to enhance his own strength to a higher level, which he could no longer do now.

Which was better and which was worse, there would never be a definitive answer, because both had their pros and cons. It all depended on one's personal choice.

Like Bu Zheng, if it weren't for the danger of staying there, he would have wanted to continue staying in the Qingyun Sword Sect, because it was free and easy, and the money was not bad.

Of course, this was possible. If he knew the difference in treatment between the two places, he would, without hesitation, choose the Lingbao Sect.

Bu Zheng tidied up his room, and his stomach growled. He hadn't had dinner there, and he didn't know if there was any dinner here. He didn't want to use his own supplies first; he wanted to eat someone else's.

So, Bu Zheng opened the door and found several people waiting at the door, as if they were waiting for him to come out.

"Hello..." Bu Zheng greeted them. Although he didn't recognize any of them and felt they weren't very friendly, he still maintained his politeness.

"You were brought back by Black Bear. Black Bear said you will be part of our Timu Hall. What's the story?" Those people seemed to be curious and were there to gather information. They were also likely to be Bu Zheng's future fellow disciples.

"I don't know. I was... just a gatekeeper for a minor force before..." Bu Zheng was very honest and told them everything.

"Is that so? Then you are quite lucky. A gatekeeper of a minor force was actually noticed by the Hall Master. It must be your ancestors' good deeds." After listening, they sighed and dispersed. They had just come out of curiosity.

"Excuse me, is there any food here?" Bu Zheng asked as they left.

"Go to the innkeeper and ask them to prepare food for you. The cost will be charged to the public account, so you can eat freely." Someone replied.

" Innkeeper, innkeeper..." Bu Zheng went to find the innkeeper and ordered a table full of food, then asked if the cost would be included in the room charge.

The answer was no, it was charged separately, but it wouldn't be charged to Bu Zheng. It would be recorded and settled by Li Zhi later.

So, Bu Zheng started eating heartily. The innkeeper watched in amazement as he finished the entire table of food and then ordered two more pieces of roasted meat, roasted monster meat.

This was the Seven Star King City, where monster meat was sold everywhere. Of course, the price was a bit higher, but it wouldn't make Li Zhi feel bad. When he settled the bill later, he didn't notice anything wrong, though he felt the cost was a bit high.

After eating, Bu Zheng returned to his room to rest and practice. Now he didn't need to practice his body techniques anymore, as he was no longer a miscellaneous disciple of the Qingyun Sword Sect and wouldn't be sought for revenge. However, he decided to continue practicing the next day, as he was starting to get a feel for it.

The next morning, Bu Zheng didn't know what to do. Did he need to serve the Hall Master? But there were inn staff here, so he didn't need to do it himself.

So, Bu Zheng went to fetch water to wash his face and rinse his mouth, preparing to have breakfast. The breakfast was already prepared: fried dough sticks, soy milk, and warm buns.

Bu Zheng got up very early, earlier than everyone else except the inn staff. So, he started eating breakfast first.

Just as Bu Zheng was eating a bun, Black Bear came over and said, "Bu Zheng, come with me. The Hall Master wants to see you!"

"Understood." Bu Zheng bit into the bun in his hand, wiped his mouth, and followed.

Black Bear liked Bu Zheng's attitude. He didn't ask questions and just came along. Asking or not asking made no difference; he still had to go to the Hall Master.

This was a sign of a practical person, and Bu Zheng's future position required such a person. He didn't need to worry about other things, just do his own job well.

"Hall Master, Bu Zheng is here." Black Bear arrived at a room, and the open door revealed Li Zhi sitting in the middle.

"Hall Master!" Bu Zheng immediately bowed.

"Bu Zheng, what are the two characters in your name?" Li Zhi asked, looking at Bu Zheng.

"Bu as in 'one step, two steps,' and Zheng as in 'iron bone, resolute.'" Bu Zheng replied. He only knew how to say it; he couldn't write it.

"Bu... Zheng..."

Li Zhi took out a token, carved two characters on it, and threw it to Bu Zheng.

"This is the Lingbao Sect's identity token. You are now a member of the Lingbao Sect. Give me your old token, and I'll prepare a box for Chen Yong later." Li Zhi said to Bu Zheng, and a smile appeared on his face, directed at Chen Yong.

Yesterday, Bu Zheng disrupted things, and now he wanted to continue giving Chen Yong a hard time, returning the token as part of the rules. When leaving a sect, one must return the token, and to join another sect, one must leave the current one.

Leaving a sect involved more than just this; there were other procedures. Li Zhi had already discussed these with Chen Yong at the New Moon Tower yesterday, and Chen Yong would take care of everything.

"Yes!" Bu Zheng took the token without looking at it and handed his old token to Li Zhi.

"Wait outside. I'll have you deliver this when I'm done." Li Zhi said and then busied himself, creating more difficulties for Chen Yong.

Bu Zheng responded and started playing with his new identity token at the door. Although it was a token for a miscellaneous disciple, the Lingbao Sect's token was not just a piece of black iron. It was made of green jade, with the words "Lingbao Sect Timu Hall" and Bu Zheng's name, though the name was smaller.

Besides the characters, there were some array patterns, which felt very different from the Qingyun Sword Sect's identity token. It seemed to have many more features.

In fact, the identity token was a type of array device. The more advanced the force, the more features the identity token had, indicating a higher level.

In most sects, one would receive the identity token after joining the sect, but the Lingbao Sect was different. They specialized in forging, and each Hall Master was an expert in forging. They usually made the tokens themselves, which didn't take much effort and could also serve as practice.

Martial arts needed practice, and forging array devices also needed practice. Any skill required constant practice, or it would become rusty.