Fang Lin lazily leaned against a tree, half-closing his eyes as he took in the scenic view. He nibbled casually on a piece of fruit in his hand, looking quite relaxed.
At this time, Fang Lin had been an apprentice at the Purple Mist Sect for a month and had become quite familiar with its workings.
The Purple Mist Sect was divided into two divisions: the Pill Sect and the Martial Sect. One specialized in pill refining and the other in martial arts.
Naturally, Fang Lin belonged to the Pill Sect and was an apprentice, but not a formal disciple. He was a Pill Apprentice.
What is a Pill Apprentice?
In fact, every disciple that just entered the Pill Pulsar had to start as a Pill Apprentice. Only after passing the promotion examination could they become true disciples of Pill Pulsar.
A five-year Pill Apprentice, each year there is a promotion exam. If they fail to pass for five consecutive years, they would be expelled from the Purple Mist Sect and transferred to various industries under Purple Mist Sect.
So, every Pill Apprentice had five chances for promotion.
If they passed the exam, they would become formal disciples and could participate in the Pill Refiner ranking examination, gaining access to more resources and guidance from the sect.
Since joining the sect a month ago, Fang Lin had basically done nothing other than sunbathing every day.
Those who became Pill Apprentices on the same day as Fang Lin, all immersed themselves in the Herb Garden to learn medicinal knowledge, tirelessly. Fang Lin, on the other hand, hadn't returned to the Herb Garden since his initial visit on the first day.
Fang Lin's unique approach had made him somewhat famous among the Three Thousand Pill Refining Apprentices, although he was largely subjected to ridicule and disdain. They all thought Fang Lin was lazy and had no ambition, destined to be expelled from the sect.
Fang Lin, however, was totally unconcerned. He strolled leisurely every day, often sleeping past noon.
It wasn't that Fang Lin was lazy, but rather that he had no need to study.
Given his pill refining skills attained in his previous life, the recognition as a mere Pill Apprentice was not worth mentioning.
As for the Herb Garden, after a single visit, Fang Lin had already recognized all the medicinal herbs, and there was no need for him to go a second time.
As far as Fang Lin was concerned, he simply had to wait for the promotion examination.
"Fang Lin, why are you being so lazy here again?" a clear feminine voice sounded. A girl dressed in the plain clothes of a Pill Apprentice came over from behind.
This girl, named Lu Xiaoqing, was also one of those who became a Pill Apprentice the same day as Fang Lin. She was one of the few people who had a good relationship with Fang Lin.
Lu Xiaoqing arrived at Fang Lin's side and stared at his lazy demeanor. She was so exasperated that she couldn't help turning red in the face.
"Fang Lin, if you keep on like this, you will never pass the final exam. Are you really planning to waste all your five years as a Pill Apprentice?" Lu Xiaoqing warned earnestly, looking dissatisfied with Fang Lin's current state.
Watching Lu Xiaoqing's anxious face, Fang Lin found it quite amusing. He chuckled and said, "Why are you in such a hurry? It's only been a month since we joined, isn't it? We've got plenty of time."
On hearing this, Lu Xiaoqing felt as if she could strangle Fang Lin.
"Do you have any idea how difficult the promotion examination is? Many of us seniors have already failed two or three times. If you continue like this, you won't pass even if you had ten chances!" Lu Xiaoqing said, frustrated.
Fang Lin stood up and dusted off his robe. He smiled and said, "If you don't believe me, you'll find out during the first exam. I think it's you, little apprentice Qing, who needs to work hard. Otherwise, I might become a formal disciple while you're still an apprentice."
Lu Xiaoqing looked at Fang Lin in disbelief, not understanding where his confidence came from.
Lu Xiaoqing felt helpless and somewhat disappointed with Fang Lin. Even though he had some talent, he was so lackadaisical that he didn't even bother to learn about medicinal herbs, and she found it hard to believe that he could pass the exam.
"Do whatever you want; I won't bother about you anymore." Lu Xiaoqing stomped her foot and left angrily.
Fang Lin laughed then decided to take a nap again when he noticed Elder Meng Wuyou approaching from a distance.
"Fang Lin, your casual attitude really doesn't do justice to your Reviving Dead Wood Body!" The voice of Elder Meng Wuyou was filled with sighs, even though he hadn't reached Fang Lin yet.
Fang Lin was surprised. Where exactly had he let himself go? He was so sunny and cheerful, with no signs of being listless at all.
As Elder Meng approached, he looked at Fang Lin and felt a twinge of guilt and helplessness.
It seemed to Elder Meng that Fang Lin was depressed. After all, Elder Meng had once thought Fang Lin was a prodigy and he had treated him in such a way. It's not surprising that Fang Lin felt cold and aloof.
Indeed, Elder Meng thought that Fang Lin doing whatever he pleased every day showed a kind of depressed and aloof behavior.
Initially, Meng Wuyou wanted to directly take Fang Lin to meet the Pill Sect's head elder, hoping the elder could make an exception. He hoped Fang Lin could directly become an official disciple.
But the head elder didn't agree, saying that even if someone is exceptionally talented, exceptions shouldn't be made. Since Fang Lin is talented, starting as a Pill Apprentice would give him more opportunities to be refined.
Meng Wuyou tried to persuade him several times, but it didn't change the result. After all, Meng Wuyou is just an ordinary elder of the Pill Sect, his status is limited, and he couldn't change the decisions made by the head elder.
So, Meng Wuyou felt apologetic towards Fang Lin and assumed that Fang Lin felt resentment and unrest due to this situation, leading to his dispirited state.
In all honesty, Fang Lin really didn't bother about this at all. Poor Meng Wuyou, the kind-hearted man, felt guilty towards Fang Lin and was uneasy for a whole month.
Fang Lin cheerfully asked, "Why does Elder Meng look so burdened and worried?"
Seeing Fang Lin's smile, Meng Wuyou felt even more guilty. He thought the boy must be in great suffering, yet he still forced a smile. How difficult it must have been for him.
"Fang Lin, I know you're not satisfied, but the decisions made by the head elder... I'm powerless to influence. You still need to train hard to pass the examination soon and become an official disciple. Don't continue to slack off anymore," said Meng Wuyou earnestly, out of fear seeing a genius like Fang Lin continue sinking this way.
Fang Lin chuckled and replied, "Elder Meng, I appreciate your concern. I don't hold any dissatisfaction in my heart for any matter, nor have I slacked off. As for the examination, I have a plan," Fang Lin replied with a smile.
Meng Wuyou sighed, seemingly a little irate, saying, "The head elder is so envious of others' talents. How will the Pill Sect ever recover with this attitude?"
Fang Lin stayed silent. He was not a fool and could hear the deep dissatisfaction towards the head elder in Meng Wuyou's words.
"Elder Meng, you should be careful with your words," Fang Lin said with a smile.
Meng Wuyou glanced at Fang Lin but did not hold back, he continued, "The head elder is narrow-minded. He cannot tolerate the emergence of any other talents in the Pill Sect, afraid it will threaten his position. With such shallow vision, it's no wonder that our Pill Sect's status in the Purple Mist Sect has been declining!"
Fang Lin chuckled, "Elder Meng, bearing such resentment could harm your health."
Meng Wuyou frowned at this, wondering why Fang Lin, who should be the angriest, seemed so carefree instead.
"Fang Lin, you are the rare Reviving Dead Wood Body. Being a mere Pill Apprentice is beneath you. However, the rules of the Pill Sect are strict. If you're unable to pass the promotion examination within five years, even being a Reviving Dead Wood Body won't spare you from being demoted. You must grasp this opportunity and never continue this way," Meng Wuyou patiently advised, having high hopes for Fang Lin's future and thereby not wanting him to continue on a downward spiral.
Seeing the sincere expression on Meng Wuyou's face, Fang Lin stopped smiling.
"Elder Meng, rest assured, I will definitely pass the first examination," Fang Lin said, his tone full of absolute confidence.
Like Lu Xiaoqing's impression earlier, Meng Wuyou looked at Fang Lin surprisingly, wondering where the boy's confidence came from. This wasn't mere confidence anymore - it was arrogance.
Promoting from Pill Apprentice to official disciple wasn't as simple as eating or drinking. The difficulty was quite substantial. Of the current three thousand Pill Apprentices, most had to attempt the examination more than once. A good portion even had to take it three times.
There were even those who failed after four attempts. The records of the Purple Mist Sect showed the fastest promotion by a genius took two attempts.
Yet Fang Lin said he would be promoted after one attempt. Such a statement sounded preposterously arrogant and laughable to anyone who heard it.
Just when Meng Wuyou was about to sternly criticize Fang Lin for his arrogance, he heard a dull bell ringing across the entire Pill Sect.
Upon hearing the bell, Fang Lin's face showed a hint of frustration, while Meng Wuyou said, "The Pill Array class has started. You need to hurry!"
The Pill Sect holds two Pill Array classes every month, one in the middle of the month and one at the end, specifically for the three thousand Pill Apprentices.
All Pill Apprentices must attend each class. Anyone who dared to skip would face severe punishment. If they missed three consecutive lessons, they would be expelled from the Purple Mist Sect.
Fang Lin had attended one session during mid-month and ended up falling asleep, providing a good laugh for many.
To Fang Lin, such a course was utterly pointless.
However, as the Pill Sect had strict rules, if he did not attend, the consequences would be severe.
Fang Lin wore a bitter expression, looking pitifully at Meng Wuyou, begging, "Elder, do I really have to go?"
Meng Wuyou glared at him and gruffly said, "Absolutely, attendance is compulsory for the Pill Array lecture. If you dare to skip, I'll personally drag you there!"
With a turn of his lips, all Fang Lin could do was head unwillingly in the direction of the teaching site.
Looking at Fang Lin's swaying silhouette as he walked away, Meng Wuyou wanted to give him a slap, but upon thinking of the unfair treatment Fang Lin had undergone, he could only sigh.
Many Pill Apprentices were heading towards the Pill Array, Fang Lin arrived late, when most of them were already there. The grand Pill Array seated many people, almost all the Pill Apprentices had arrived- Fang Lin was definitely among the last to arrive.