Chapter 492: Chapter 481: Sword Cultivator Father
Hearing Master Wu’an say that Lin Shen has Five Spirit Roots, everyone lost interest even though he was highly perceptive. Most with Five Spirit Roots basically have no hope of reaching Foundation Establishment, and even if they do, reaching Core Formation is almost impossible. In the Tianyan Sect, having Five Spirit Roots means at most they could have an extra servant disciple from the Outer Sect. However, since Master Wu’an has taken Lin Shen as his disciple, they didn’t have much to say.
Seeing their reactions, Master Wu’an scoffed, calling them all commoners. What does having Five Spirit Roots matter? As long as one finds the correct cultivation technique and has sufficient fate and fortune, someone with Five Spirit Roots is no worse than anyone else. Lin Shen has the best temperament he’s ever seen, and he will not let him down.
Lin Shen, don’t disappoint my expectations of you. When the time comes, fiercely slap the faces of those who looked down on you.
The Heavenly Ascending Stairs in the Tianyan Sect reach a height of nine hundred ninety-nine steps, symbolizing the unity of ninety-nine, with legends saying the highest level in the Tianyan Sect has ninety-nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine steps. Even Nascent Soul Masters might not be able to get past its array.
Ascension to the Upper Realm is also the ultimate pursuit of realms like the Xuanyuan Realm. Only by ascending to the Upper Realm might one have the hope of achieving the elusive dream of becoming immortal.
"Senior Brother, how is it? Have you found any disciple you’re interested in?" Halfway up the Heavenly Ascending Stairs, the little disciples had mostly been sorted according to their potential. The most eye-catching was Lin Shen, leading the front, but after observing, everyone shook their heads in disappointment. Qin Guan had found a few disciples with good potential and asked Ye Qiu if he was interested in any.
Ye Qiu, being a master of One Peak and a highly skilled Sword Cultivator, hadn’t taken any disciple in these years. So when the Sect Leader asked this, everyone intended to let him choose first.
"You guys go ahead, I haven’t particularly liked anyone," Ye Qiu said expressionlessly. Seeing his reaction, nobody insisted further. Indeed, this year’s disciples lacked any with Metal Spirit Root or Thunder Spirit Root, which are most suitable for Sword Cultivators; it was natural for Ye Qiu to be uninterested. They turned to pick their favored disciples instead.
Upon seeing this, Ye Sheng pursed his lips, staring blankly at his father.
"Let’s go back," Ye Qiu said, losing interest in watching further upon seeing Lin Shen become the first on the Heavenly Ascending Stairs. He signaled to Ye Sheng.
"Is everything packed? If nothing unexpected happens, you will participate in the apprenticeship ceremony with the other disciples tomorrow. Afterward, you will live on Artifact Refining Peak. Your Master said you have good talent and are already at the Fourth Layer of Qi Cultivation, so there’s no need to live with other disciples. You can choose a cave dwelling for yourself later; your eldest senior brother will take care of you," Ye Qiu instructed.
"Yes, father, I understand," Ye Sheng replied, his voice very subdued.
"Go ahead. Though you will be living on Artifact Refining Peak, this cave dwelling will always be reserved for you, and you can come back anytime you want."
Hearing Ye Qiu say this, Ye Sheng’s eyes brightened, and his face flushed slightly, his tone clearly excited: "Thank you, father!"
The next day was the grand ceremony for accepting disciples, which the Cultivation World takes very seriously. The inheritance between master and disciple is even closer than familial inheritance, which is why Perfected Ming Shi said once Ye Sheng has become his disciple, Ye Qiu is not to interfere with Ye Sheng’s cultivation.
"Little junior brother, since you didn’t come to choose for yourself, Master chose one for you. This is your cave dwelling; it contains an Artifact Refining Room connected to the Earth Fire of our Artifact Refining Peak. My dwelling is nearby as well, so feel free to come ask me if you have any questions," the eldest senior brother on Artifact Refining Peak, Jin Quan, explained. Like his name implies, he is comprehensive in his approach, maybe not the most talented among his siblings but definitely the best suited to be the eldest senior brother.
Before Ye Sheng joined, Perfected Ming Shi had accepted three other disciples – Jin Quan as the eldest senior brother, a second senior brother, and a third senior sister. However, they were all out on training missions, not presently in the sect, making Ye Sheng the fourth junior brother.
Jin Quan had heard of Ye Sheng even before he joined Artifact Refining Peak; he knew he had a Metal Spirit Root and that he was the sole son of the Lonely Swallow Sword Lord. Jin Quan had been quite worried initially but felt relieved after meeting Ye Sheng in person. Fortunately, his little junior brother wasn’t arrogant like other ’Second Generation Cultivators’.
He not only lacked the temper of ’Second Generation Cultivators’ but was also very humble, believing their future interactions would be quite pleasant.
"Junior brother, this is your first day in the sect, and Master might personally teach you tomorrow, remember not to close yourself off for cultivation in the near future."
"I understand, thank you, senior brother."
"No need to thank, from now on we are fellow disciples, it’s all part of the norm."
After Jin Quan finished speaking, he left. Ye Sheng looked around his own cave dwelling and suddenly felt a sense of loneliness. Although it had only been him and his father at Hidden Sword Peak usually, and his father didn’t talk much, knowing his father was there brought a lot of peace to his heart.
From now on, it would just be him living here. Although it felt somewhat novel, he couldn’t figure out why there was an emptiness inside him.
Would Father also feel lonely and not accustomed to this?
After arranging his familiar belongings, Ye Sheng took out a jade scroll that his father had given him yesterday. It was a Soul Refining cultivation technique. He had glanced over it and noticed big differences from the current Soul Refining techniques, but he knew his father wouldn’t harm him.
"Sit." The next day, Perfected Ming Shi summoned Ye Sheng to meet him, treating him very gently.
"Master." Ye Sheng respectfully greeted, then sat down according to Perfected Ming Shi’s instruction.
"From now on, you are my disciple. It doesn’t matter whether your father brought the Roc Wing Bone to ask for my favor, I will teach you earnestly."
"Roc Wing Bone? Ask?" Ye Sheng was stunned. Did he understand that correctly?
"You didn’t know?" Perfected Ming Shi looked at his disciple enviously. Having a good father was indeed beneficial, but being his master wasn’t too bad either.
"Father never told me." Ye Sheng honestly replied, then looked eagerly at his master, hoping he would reveal the truth.
Perfected Ming Shi also felt that there were some issues in the father-son relationship between Ye Sheng and Ye Qiu, and for their sake, he decided to act nicely this time.
"A few days before you became my disciple, your father had brought a pair of Roc Wing Bones to me, hoping I would take you as a disciple. Tsk, tsk, such a divine beast, I don’t know where he got it from." said Perfected Ming Shi, feeling emotional.
"Although, had I known earlier that your father had wised up, I would have accepted you as a disciple without gifts. But you know, since it’s a Roc Wing Bone, it would be a waste at your father’s place. Since he has given it to me, it wouldn’t be right for me to give it back." After saying this, Perfected Ming Shi chuckled. He really struck a good deal this time: not only did he gain a promising disciple, but he also got an extra divine bone. It would be great if deals like this happened every year!
After listening to his master’s words, Ye Sheng felt a piercing ache in his heart along with a strong surge of warmth. His father had actually done so much for him! His father hadn’t given up on him!
Father is such a proud man, yet he asked the master for help for his sake. That pair of Roc Wing Bones must have been obtained through countless hardships! And yet, he gave it away so easily for his sake!