Upon entering Fire Cloud Elder Hall, they found Elder Huoyun sitting on a large, gilded chair, reading a book with yellowed pages.
On the table before him, wisps of green smoke curled upward, releasing a clear fragrance. A single whiff was enough to clear the mind and invigorate the spirit.
Hearing their footsteps, Elder Huoyun slowly lowered the book in his hands and looked over with a smile.
Xu Yang and Gao Lin strode forward, cupped their fists, and said, "Greetings, Master."
Elder Huoyun nodded slightly and looked at Gao Lin with a smile. "You handled things well. This can be considered revenge for your third and fourth junior brothers. Inform their families of the news later."
The Blood Lotus Sect lost three members at the Marrow Cleansing Great Success stage in this battle. Essentially all of the Blood Lotus Sect disciples who attacked in the Earth Vein Fire Valley that day were among them.
Gao Lin nodded. "I will take care of it later."
Elder Huoyun’s gaze swept over to Xu Yang. "Who would have thought... everyone underestimated you. It seems I’m the one who lucked out. Even I misjudged you. You little rascal, you sure know how to hide your true abilities."
To reach Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement within three years of joining the Sect... This was the first time he had ever taken on such an astonishing disciple.
In the past, any disciple like this would have been taken by either the Sect Leader or one of the three Peak Masters. Of course, a disciple with such talent wouldn’t have given an Elder like him a second glance, either.
But this time, he was the one who had unexpectedly lucked out.
Elder Chang Chun didn’t want him, the Peak Masters didn’t want him, and Elder Tie Fu didn’t want him either. In the end, he was shoved onto him, and he had accepted him grudgingly. Who could have imagined it was a case of a priceless pearl hidden in the dust? In the future, his lineage might even produce a genius capable of Secondary Dragon Ascension.
"I must thank you, Master, for being willing to take me in," Xu Yang said, cupping his fists.
Elder Huoyun shook his head. "If you had revealed your talent sooner, none of this would have happened. Why did you hide your true strength?"
He was very curious about this.
If it hadn’t been for the incident at the Earth Vein Fire Valley, which cast suspicion on Xu Yang as a Blood Lotus Sect spy, he wouldn’t have sent him to Qiushui Manor. If he hadn’t gone, his cultivation level couldn’t have been exposed, and Xu Yang would likely have continued to hide his abilities.
Gao Lin was curious about this as well. ’Wouldn’t it be better to show off your talent, become a disciple of a Peak Master or even the Sect Leader, and have the Sect pour its resources into you?’
’If Xu Yang had revealed his talent sooner and had the Sect’s resources behind him, he probably would have reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement long ago.’
"Because I’m afraid of dying."
Xu Yang said with a sigh, "When I was in Qingyuan County, the number one genius was a man named Kong Yu. But his fame grew too great, and he was killed just a few months after joining the Sect."
"The first time at the Earth Vein Fire Valley, I wasn’t even on the Ten Heroes List, yet the Blood Lotus Sect still singled me out for assassination."
"The second time I ran into the Blood Lotus Sect in the Earth Vein Fire Valley, they specifically targeted me and Qiao Yong. I was lucky enough to escape with my life, but Qiao Yong was left behind forever."
"Sect resources are important, yes, but what good are resources if you’re dead?"
His words made both Elder Huoyun and Gao Lin feel a pang of shame.
If it weren’t for them, Xu Yang could have remained hidden.
Now that he was so famous, he would surely become a primary target for the Blood Lotus Sect.
He would have resources now, but he would also be in constant danger. It was hard to say whether the trade-off was worth it.
He wasn’t like Du Chuan or Li Chuyang, who had experts secretly protecting them whenever they left the Sect, unafraid of assassination attempts from the Blood Lotus Sect.
"A Martial Artist should still strive to be bold and advance diligently. Hardship is but a whetstone to sharpen you. A person’s lifespan is limited. Every day you delay could impact your ability to climb to a higher realm in the future."
Elder Huoyun shook his head.
Xu Yang’s words made sense, but on the path of the Martial Dao, if one didn’t fight for resources and advance boldly, even the greatest genius would eventually just fade into obscurity.
Take Marrow Cleansing, for example. If you can’t break through by age fifty, it’s basically impossible to ever do so.
As for the Celestial Essence Realm, if you can’t break through before you turn eighty, you’ll never get another chance.
Once a Martial Artist’s qi and blood begin to decline, nothing can bring them back.
’But I’m already immortal, and my body will forever remain at its peak.’
Xu Yang cupped his fists and said, "I will take my master’s teachings to heart."
Elder Huoyun nodded in satisfaction. "Now that you’ve reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, you are officially my Inner Disciple. If you have any problems with your cultivation from now on, you may come and ask me at any time."
The moment he reached Marrow Cleansing Minor Achievement, the relationship between Xu Yang and the elder had changed.
Xu Yang cupped his fists again. "Thank you, Master."
Elder Huoyun turned to Gao Lin. "Xu Yang’s talent is extraordinary. In the future, he has a good chance at achieving Secondary Dragon Ascension and bringing glory to our lineage. From now on, you are to allocate one Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill to him every three months from my personal share."
Gao Lin was stunned. Even he, the one designated to succeed the Elder, had never received such treatment. Elder Huoyun only provided him with a single Profound Yuan Qi Transformation Pill each month, which was nothing compared to a Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill every three months.
"Yes, Master!" Gao Lin replied, cupping his fists.
Xu Yang immediately followed suit, cupping his fists. "Thank you, Master!"
This time, his gratitude was truly from the bottom of his heart.
A single Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pill cost three hundred contribution points at the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, with a limit of one per month. Of course, for most disciples, being able to afford one every four or five months was already an achievement.
Revealing his talent was dangerous, but it had its benefits. From now on, anyone who wanted to cause trouble for him would have to think twice about whether they could afford to offend Elder Huoyun.
"Master," Gao Lin said, "the Ten Heroes List has already been published. By the rules, it won’t be re-ranked for another year. With Junior Brother Xu’s talent, he could rank fifth or sixth at a minimum. The losses from waiting a whole year would be significant."
Elder Huoyun laughed. "Don’t worry. I’ll go negotiate with the Sect Leader and that old bastard Li Songhe about this. No one can take what belongs to my disciple. They were the ones whose old eyes failed them, misjudging him. My disciple won’t be the one to bear the consequences."
"They can keep the Ten Heroes List as it is, but they absolutely must provide the rewards he’s due."
Xu Yang thanked him once more.
Elder Huoyun waved his hand. "You are dismissed. You two haven’t rested in days. Go on, get some rest."