Chapter 13

Xu Qingsnow walked behind Xu Ziyun, occasionally glancing at her back. She was constantly thinking, and in fact, she hadn't slept well all night. She kept tossing and turning, replaying the scenes of her confrontation with Xu Ziyun in her mind.

Since she was young, her family had always seen her as a prodigy. She started practicing at the age of three and reached the sixth level of the Postnatal stage by the age of thirteen. This wasn't uncommon in the Xu family, and there were quite a few others who had achieved the same. However, someone like her, who had never taken a single pill and had reached the sixth level of the Postnatal stage solely through her own efforts, was very rare.

In the Xu family, and not just in the Xu family, but in every family on this continent, there was a distinction between the direct-line disciples and the ordinary disciples from birth. Although they couldn't consume pills like Xu Ziyun, who treated them like candy, they still had access to many pills. Thus, many so-called prodigies in the families were created through the consumption of these pills.

However, Xu Qingsnow was different. Coming from a poor family, she had relied entirely on her own talent and hard work to achieve her current level. Therefore, she was very proud in her heart. When Xu Ziyun came to visit her yesterday, after a few words, she understood Xu Ziyun's intentions. Her originally cold and proud personality led her to believe that Xu Ziyun had heard of her reputation and had come to seek her guidance. This made her somewhat arrogant.

Moreover, she deeply believed that cultivation was something that couldn't be easily discussed. If one wanted to exchange ideas, it could only be done through a fight. Just as she was about to suggest this to Xu Ziyun, she didn't expect Xu Ziyun to misunderstand and think that she was unwilling to communicate, and thus proposed to leave.

After Xu Ziyun left, Xu Qingsnow felt a bit guilty because she had received a gift from her and realized that Xu Ziyun had clearly misunderstood her. She decided to visit Xu Ziyun when she returned, and if necessary, engage in a sparring match to guide her.

However, the result of the sparring match was very embarrassing and disheartening. At first, she had a slight advantage, but after just a dozen rounds, she lost it. In the end, she was even pushed back by Xu Ziyun's punch, and she could tell that Xu Ziyun hadn't used her full strength.

Lifting her head to look at Xu Ziyun's back once again, a thought suddenly flashed through Xu Qingsnow's mind. This Xu Ziyun was definitely not an ordinary person and might one day soar to great heights. If she could form a bond with her now, it might be very beneficial to her in the future. But did she have to submit to her? Proud Xu Qingsnow was unwilling, so she followed Xu Ziyun and the others to the lecture hall in a daze.

Everyone chose a spot, sat down, and began to chat quietly, waiting for the teacher to arrive. After a few minutes, the hall suddenly fell silent, and Xu Ziyun and the others quickly closed their mouths and looked up. A middle-aged man walked up to the front of the hall. Using her Spirit Eye, Xu Ziyun could see that he was at the first level of the Qi Condensation stage.

The middle-aged man, without looking at anyone, began his lecture. Everyone below listened quietly and attentively. Today was the first class for the new outer hall disciples, so he was explaining the basic principles of cultivation from the fifth to the twelfth level of the Postnatal stage. These were exactly what the new disciples lacked, so they listened with great interest and enthusiasm.

At this moment, the hall was filled with new disciples, only a few dozen in total. The older disciples of the outer hall knew that this was the first class for the new disciples and that it covered only the most basic principles, so they didn't come.

Xu Ziyun listened very attentively. Her cultivation level was naturally different from that of the new disciples, and she had a complete set of cultivation techniques passed down to her. Therefore, she could immediately understand and apply each word the teacher said, drawing connections and gaining deep insights. She quickly integrated everything the teacher had taught.

After finishing his lecture, the teacher glanced at the disciples below. He saw that their eyes were all blank. He secretly smiled to himself. Today, he had only given them an overview of the principles of cultivation from the sixth to the twelfth level of the Postnatal stage. He knew that these new disciples, who were just starting to understand this level, couldn't possibly understand it all. If they could understand one or two points, that would be good enough. He remembered how confused he had been when he first entered the outer hall and listened to the lectures. In the future, he would explain each level in detail, and whether they could understand it would depend on their individual insights.

After a moment of reflection, he didn't want to disturb the disciples' understanding and was about to leave. However, his gaze suddenly focused on Xu Ziyun, who was sitting among the crowd. He saw that her eyes were clear, with no trace of confusion.

At this moment, Xu Ziyun saw the teacher pause, clearly about to leave. She thought that they should also leave, but when she looked at Xu Li and Xu Ling, she found that they were all sitting there in a daze. Xu Ziyun felt strange and turned to look around. She saw that the dozens of people in the hall were all in a similar state, their eyes blank.

Seeing this, the teacher on the stage was not pleased. He saw Xu Ziyun looking around and immediately assumed that she was not paying attention to his lecture. He couldn't believe that a new disciple could understand the basics of cultivation after just one class. The only reason her eyes were clear must be that she hadn't been listening.

He coldly snorted, thinking to himself, "Such an unambitious person, wait until she suffers in the future. Even if she dies, it won't be a loss." He waved his sleeve, glared at Xu Ziyun, and turned to leave the hall.

Coincidentally, Xu Ziyun saw the teacher's gaze and felt very disheartened. She didn't know what she had done to offend the teacher or why he had glared at her as he left.

At this moment, the disciples were awakened by the teacher's cold snort. They saw the teacher's departing back and stood up in unison, bowing and saying, "Thank you, teacher."

After the teacher left, Xu Ziyun noticed that everyone was still there, whispering to each other. Affected by this, she quietly pulled Xu Li and whispered, "Xu Li, why isn't everyone leaving? What are they whispering about?"

Xu Li's expression was grim. She leaned close to Xu Ziyun and whispered, "Everyone is afraid to go out!"

"Why?" Xu Ziyun asked, puzzled.

"This is a rule in the outer hall. After the new disciples finish their first class, the older disciples will wait for us at the entrance of the hall."

"What are they waiting for?" Xu Ziyun felt a sense of foreboding.

"To beat us! Each new disciple will be beaten by the older disciples, and then every month, we will be required to give them some gold and silver as protection money. If we don't, they will beat us, and even if we die, the family won't care."

At this point, Xu Li sighed and said, "If it were just a beating and some gold and silver, it would be bearable. But what is even more hateful is that every month, the family gives us a Spirit Nourishing Pill, which they will also try to take. Since we can't fight them, without the Spirit Nourishing Pill, our cultivation progress will fall further behind, and we will be bullied by them."

"Is there no solution?" Xu Ziyun asked, frowning.

"There is, but only if you join their gang and become their dog. Then you will suffer less."

"Then... the family doesn't care? Is this a rule set by the family?" Xu Ziyun asked, somewhat angrily.

"This isn't a rule set by the family. It's something the older disciples came up with on their own. However, the family knows about it but doesn't intervene, saying that competition leads to progress. Only through harsh experiences can one become a true talent."

Hearing this, Xu Ziyun couldn't help but sigh. Although this method was cruel, anyone who could survive in such an environment would surely be the strongest of their generation. This could be a way to cultivate talent for the family, but it was too harsh. After some thought, she shook her head and said, "But we can't stay in this hall forever, can we?"

"Right!" Xu Li said, looking around at the people whispering.

"What's the problem? If they want to fight, let's fight. Sister Ziyun, let's go out and fight." Xu Qingsnow, known for her combative nature, said this without turning around. But after some thought, it seemed that this was the only solution. Besides, Xu Ziyun had already benefited from sparring with Xu Qingsnow and had planned to seek out the experts in the outer hall for guidance after familiarizing herself with the environment. Now that they were coming to her, it seemed like a good opportunity to have a fight.

Just as she was about to suggest this to her companions, she saw that the other disciples in the hall had made their decision and were slowly walking out. So, Xu Ziyun followed them without a word.

As they walked out of the hall, they saw many people standing outside. Xu Ziyun roughly counted and saw that there were over a hundred people, divided into four groups near the entrance of the hall. They were all smiling at the new disciples, their smiles and gazes like those of wolves seeing sheep.

This time, there were thirty-six new disciples. At this moment, about a dozen of them walked up to the older disciples, each taking out a bag and handing it to the older disciples with both hands. The older disciples took the bags, weighed them in their hands, and put them in their own pockets. The new disciples who had paid saw their bags being taken and looked pleased, bowing and saying, "Senior brothers, can we leave now?"

"Slap~"

A series of slaps echoed, and the new disciples were pushed back. A arrogant voice came from the crowd, "You're worse than pigs and dogs. What are you talking about leaving?"

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