Not long after, more than a dozen young men and women, dressed in white pill refining robes and chatting delightedly, gathered at the pill array.
Besides Fang Lin, Lu Xiaoqing and a few other Pill Apprentice Disciples looked at them with awe and admiration.
"Elder Sun, we're here." Among them, a young man respectfully greeted the short old man.
The short elder nodded at them, pointed towards Fang Lin and his group, and said, "These are the newly recruited pill apprentices this year. You can choose your desired apprentice."
With that, he turned his back and walked away.
The official disciples riveted their gazes at Fang Lin and the others, scrutinizing them one by one.
Suddenly, besides Fang Lin, the other eight became nervous. After all, standing before them were the official disciples who were of a higher rank than them, the pill apprentices.
Fang Lin, however, looked calm. As others were observing him, he also returned their inspection without restraint.
Soon, Fang Lin noticed that many of them, both intentionally and unintentionally, glanced at him, their eyes seemingly filled with mockery.
"What does this mean?" Fang Lin wondered inwardly. Although he was more handsome than the others, he didn't expect to attract such attention.
The leading young man smiled mysteriously, and after throwing intentional glances at Fang Lin, he ended up choosing another young boy.
Immediately, the chosen boy looked happily surprised and promptly bowed with respect towards the young man.
The others watched him with envy. That young man obviously held a remarkable status among the formal disciples. Being chosen by him was an honor.
"I choose him."
Another young boy was selected.
"You, follow me."
"Good, you'll come with me."
···
One by one, the Pill Apprentice Disciples were selected by the official disciples. Even Lu Xiaoqing was selected by a beautiful woman.
Only Fang Lin remained, standing alone without being chosen by anyone.
Curiously, it seemed that the formal disciples were initially interested in Fang Lin, but in the end, none of them chose him.
Fang Lin felt depressed. Was he really that bad?
But Fang Lin decided the problem must lie with the official disciples; they must be blind. Yes, that must be it.
The short elder observing from a distance shook his head and laughed coldly, whispering to himself, "This Fang Lin somehow offended Kang Lu and still doesn't know what's going on."
Many of the official disciples stood there, making fun of Fang Lin.
However, Fang Lin didn't care. If they didn't want him, that was fine. He'd figure out another way.
At this moment, the leading young man suddenly asked Fang Lin, "Are you wondering why none of us chose you?"
Fang Lin nodded, looking confused, and said, "Why didn't any of you choose me? Didn't you hear that I possess the Reviving Dead Wood Body?"
All the official disciples were rendered speechless. This Fang Lin dared to shamelessly recommend himself.
The leading young man chuckled coldly, saying, "What difference does it make if we knew? Someone warned us not to choose you earlier. If you don't want to have a hard time in the future at the Purple Mist Sect, you should consider your next steps."
After hearing this, Fang Lin could guess who was behind this. It was the work of Kang Lu.
The fact that Kang Lu was able to orchestrate this left Fang Lin surprised.
"Fang Lin, in the Purple Mist Sect, especially in the Pill Sect, without connections, it's hard to get anything done. Regardless of your unique ability, you need to obey the rules. Don't act so arrogant." The leading young man added with a tone of mockery and contempt.
Fang Lin remained unfazed, amused and asked, "May I ask for your esteemed name, brother?"
The young man merely grunted but still replied, "Knowing won't do you any harm. My name is Shen Fu."
Fang Lin nodded and muttered to himself, "Shen Fu? That name doesn't sound like a good person."
Everyone was taken aback, looking at Fang Lin as if they were looking at an idiot.
Shen Fu's face darkened and he was about to slap Fang Lin.
"Ahem, this is a sacred area for refining pills. All should take care with their words and actions." At that moment, the short elder coughed and warned from a distance.
Shen Fu hesitated but in the end, he didn't make a move.
Fang Lin kept smiling as if he had anticipated that Shen Fu wouldn't actually hit him.
"Fang Lin, you're just pathetic, being unaware of your own situation. Kang Lu could defeat you without needing my help." Shen Fu snarled at Fang Lin.
Fang Lin chuckled and replied, "I'm just the kind of person who doesn't scare easily. Your threats won't work."
Shen Fu sneered and no longer wasted his time arguing with Fang Lin; he was ready to leave with the other disciples.
"Wait a minute, Elder Brother Shen." At this moment, a slightly timid voice sounded.
Shen Fu halted his footsteps, turned around, and immediately said with a smile, "So, it's Younger Brother Xu, what's up?"
The youth surnamed Xu wasn't particularly attractive. Although he was a regular disciple too, the looks other people gave him made it obvious that he held no significant status among the regular disciples.
The youth named Xu hesitated for a moment, pointed at Fang Lin, and said, "I want to choose him as my Pill Apprentice."
Upon hearing this, Fang Lin was secretly pleased, but he didn't show any reaction. The other regular disciples in the room, however, slightly furrowed their brows.
Shen Fu coldly glanced at the youth surnamed Xu and said, "Xu, what do you mean by this?"
The youth named Xu bowed his head slightly, weakly saying, "I've recently been busy with pill refining. I need a Pill Apprentice to assist me, I hope you would allow it."
Shen Fu was displeased internally and was about to object, but then thought better of it. This Xu Shangao was also an unpopular guy, even among the regular disciples he ranked at the bottom. Allowing Fang Lin to follow this guy, he wouldn't learn much of anything.
Moreover, if no one ended up choosing Fang Lin, covering up their plot to suppress Fang Lin by siding with Kang Lu would be difficult, so he might as well let Xu Shangao have his way.
With that in mind, Shen Fu gave a thin smile, patted Xu Shangao on the shoulder, and said, "Since Younger Brother Xu needs help, then, by all means, take Fang Lin with you. Make sure to temper this young man's edge and don't embarrass us, the regular disciples."
A forced smile appeared on Xu Shangao's face as he nodded repeatedly at Shen Fu.
Shen Fu glanced at Fang Lin once more, snorted coldly, then left with the other regular disciples.
As Lu Xiaoqing left with the beautiful woman, she flashed a smile at Fang Lin.
Fang Lin also smiled back at her.
"Brother Fang, come with me," Xu Shangao told Fang Lin. His words didn't carry the haughtiness usually associated with a regular disciple, and he came across as very amiable.
Fang Lin studied Xu Shangao, who looked like he was in his early twenties, made a plain impression, and had an air of melancholy about him.
"Brother Fang, what is it?" Xu Shangao asked, puzzled as he saw Fang Lin staring at him.
Fang Lin looked serious and asked, "Elder Brother Xu, why did you choose me? Aren't you afraid of angering that hypocrite, Shen Fu?"
Hearing that Fang Lin actually referred to Shen Fu as a hypocrite, Xu Shangao was startled. He looked around and saw that Shen Fu and others had already walked far away and probably couldn't hear him. Xu Shangao let out a sigh of relief.
"How dare you speak like that? Shen Fu is no easy person to deal with," Xu Shangao said, slightly reprimanding.
Fang Lin chuckled, "Don't you think he's a hypocrite?"
Xu Shangao was speechless; he decided to drop the subject.
Xu Shangao sighed, "I chose you simply because you looked so pitiful. But following me, you won't learn much. Among the regular disciples, I am the bottom rung."
Fang Lin merely shrugged off his words, patted Xu Shangao on the shoulder, and said with a grin, "The fact that you can recognize your own situation is priceless."
Xu Shangao looked at Fang Lin oddly; it was quite strange for a Pill Apprentice to pat the shoulder of a regular disciple and tell him these things.
"Alright, let's go. I have to get back to pill refining," Xu Shangao decided not to overthink the matter. He then led Fang Lin away from the Pill Array and towards the living quarters meant for regular disciples.
During their journey, Fang Lin inquired about several matters concerning the regular disciples and learned quite a bit of information.
As it turned out, even among the regular disciples, there were distinctions of upper, middle, and lower class disciples, and each category was well defined.
Regular disciples like Xu Shangao belonged to the lowest class, while people like Shen Fu were considered upper-class disciples.
Above the upper-class disciples, there were True Disciples, who had an extraordinary status. The Pill Sect had only three True Disciples in total.
Not only was Xu Shangao a lower-class disciple, but among the lower class disciples as well, he wasn't held in very high regard - not many people respected him.
Arriving at the small courtyard where Xu Shangao lived, Fang Lin couldn't help but marvel. A regular disciple was truly different - the living conditions were incomparable. There was even an independent little courtyard. Fang Lin couldn't help but envy him.
The courtyard wasn't big, but quite a few medicinal herbs were planted there. Stepping into the yard, there was a distinctive smell of herbs.
Fang Lin swept a glance and memorized all the herbs that were planted. He looked at Xu Shangao with newfound admiration.
"This guy may be a loser, but he does have some skills in growing herbs," Fang Lin thought to himself.
The herbs in the yard were all grown quite nicely, clearly showing that Xu Shangao had put a lot of effort into them.
Seeing Fang Lin observing the herbs in the yard, Xu Shangao smiled and said, "I planted all of these herbs myself. You can look, but don't damage anything."
Fang Lin chuckled, "Even if they get damaged, it's no big deal. I have the Reviving Dead Wood Body and he herbs can simply grow back."
Xu Shangao was left speechless, although what Fang Lin said was true. The Reviving Dead Wood Body indeed had a unique effect on herbs.
"I have to refine pills. Stay in the yard for a while and don't enter the house to disturb me," Xu Shangao told Fang Lin as a reminder.
"Understood," Fang Lin responded. Xu Shangao nodded then walked inside the house.
Fang Lin was left alone in the yard, looking around aimlessly. Soon, there was a loud bang from the house. When Fang Lin turned to look, he saw Xu Shangao emerge from the house, his face blackened with soot.
"Elder Brother Xu, what happened to you? Why do you look so dreadful?" Fang Lin burst into laughter, poking fun at Xu Shangao.