To take, or not to take? That was the question before Fang Lin.
All those present were watching Fang Lin, waiting for his reaction.
Kang Lu's countenance was kind, but inside he sneered coldly, "Even if you, Fang Lin, are a genius, the moment you take this Soothing Pill of mine, you become one of my people. No matter how brilliant you might be in the future, you'll ultimately be under my control."
Kang Lu believed that Fang Lin could not resist the temptation of the Soothing Pill.
Fang Lin glanced at the bottle in Kang Lu's hand, then shook his head and said indifferently, "I appreciate Brother Kang's kind gesture, but I cannot accept this Soothing Pill."
Upon hearing this, many thought Fang Lin was too foolish. This was a Soothing Pill, after all—what qualifications did a Pill Apprentice have to receive such pills? To refuse a pill given for free was ridiculous.
Others nodded in approval, thinking Fang Lin wasn't so naive after all. If he really accepted the Soothing Pill, he would be falling right into Kang Lu's trap.
Seeing Fang Lin's refusal, Kang Lu's face stiffened. Before he could speak, a young man standing beside him couldn't help but say, "Fang Lin, what do you mean by this? You dare to refuse Brother Kang's gift of pills? That's quite ungrateful of you."
Fang Lin smiled and was not the least bit angry as he said, "You misunderstand me, senior brother. It's not that I, Fang Lin, am ungrateful, but Brother Kang's favor is too heavy for my frail self to bear."
His words were gentle yet firm, and his refusal was unmistakably clear, which Kang Lu could certainly perceive.
The smile that had stayed on Kang Lu's face finally faded, replaced by a coldness.
"Fang Lin, think carefully, whether you will accept this Soothing Pill or not," Kang Lu said coldly, his words carrying a hint of threat.
Fang Lin was still all smiles, as if he was totally unaffected by the threatening tone in Kang Lu's words, and said, "Isn't Brother Kang putting me in a difficult position? I truly can't accept this Soothing Pill, you should keep it for yourself."
A cold smirk formed at the corner of Kang Lu's mouth as he nodded and pocketed the bottle.
"Brother Kang, this guy is unappreciative, shall we teach him a lesson?" The young man who had spoken earlier immediately suggested, wanting to show off in front of Kang Lu.
Hearing this, many quickly distanced themselves from Fang Lin, afraid of getting involved while only Lu Xiaoqing stood by Fang Lin's side. Even with worry and tension on her face, she did not leave.
"What are you trying to do, Brother Kang? This is the Pill Array, with the statues of the Four Elites of Pill Sect here, how dare you cause a disturbance?" Lu Xiaoqing protested indignantly.
Seeing this young girl daring to speak on his behalf at such a moment, Fang Lin was rather touched in his heart.
Kang Lu gave Lu Xiaoqing a glance, his gloomy gaze only adding to her fear.
However, Lu Xiaoqing's words did have an effect, as Kang Lu ultimately did not dare to do anything out of line in the Pill Array, which could easily be used against him, creating trouble for himself.
For now, Kang Lu just gave Fang Lin a cold smile and said, "Today you refuse me, I hope you don't regret it."
Then, he turned and walked away, his followers glared at Fang Lin and left following Kang Lu.
Those Pill Apprentices who had wanted to befriend Fang Lin also left quickly, ending their conversations with him, unwilling to have any further dealings with him.
It was a joke, Fang Lin had offended Kang Lu today, who knew how Kang Lu would suppress Fang Lin in the future? To befriend Fang Lin now would be to oppose Kang Lu.
Very quickly, the Pill Apprentices who had been surrounding Fang Lin were all gone in the blink of an eye, leaving only Lu Xiaoqing behind.
Lu Xiaoqing showed contempt for those who left in a hurry, but the weight returned to her heart as she thought about how Fang Lin had offended Kang Lu today.
Fang Lin's face was all smiles as he playfully flicked Lu Xiaoqing's nose and said, "Don't frown, the sky isn't falling."
Seeing Fang Lin's smile, Lu Xiaoqing felt frustrated and said, "How can you still smile? Do you have any idea what it means to offend Kang Lu?"
Fang Lin looked curious as he asked, "What does it mean?"
Giving Fang Lin a glare, Lu Xiaoqing said, "I heard from a senior sister that there were others who had offended Kang Lu before. They ended up being so oppressed by Kang Lu that they couldn't even take the exams. You've just joined, and you've already offended him; I really don't know what you're going to do."
Seeing Lu Xiaoqing's worry, Fang Lin patted her on the shoulder and laughed, "It's all right. The person who offended him is me, and if I'm not worried, you don't need to worry about me either."
Stamping her foot, Lu Xiaoqing pushed Fang Lin's hand away and said angrily, "Who's worrying about you? I couldn't care less about what happens to you!"
After that, Lu Xiaoqing walked away quickly.
Fang Lin smiled helplessly, yet his smile contained a trace of chill.
"It really is never peaceful around here," Fang Lin yawned and walked toward his residence.
...
Pill Sect main branch, Heaven Sun Hall.
The majestic Heaven Sun Hall stood tall at the summit of a mountain peak, its presence overwhelming.
At this moment, inside the Heaven Sun Hall, Elder Mu Yan in green robes stood silently, while a stern-faced middle-aged man sat in the seat of honor.
Meng Wuyou was also there, standing aside, his expression calm.
Elder Mu Yan bowed to the middle-aged man and said, "Lead Elder, today I noticed Fang Lin in the Pill Array during my lecture. He certainly is a prodigy. His status as a Pill Apprentice is too wasteful. I hope the Lead Elder can make an exception and promote Fang Lin to an official disciple."
Hearing these words, Meng Wuyou's eyes lit up, looking at Mu Yan with surprise.
Mu Yan gave Meng Wuyou a slight nod in response.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man remained expressionless and said indifferently, "Pill Sect rules are absolute, with no exceptions."
Mu Yan frowned and said, "Fang Lin's talent is of great use, and his achievements will surely surpass ours. Promoting him sooner would benefit our Pill Sect, making it possible to have a Pill Refiner capable of standing on his own early on."
The middle-aged man looked at Mu Yan, his voice still cold, as he said, "Mu Yan, aren't you exaggerating a bit too much?"
Mu Yan replied with utmost seriousness, "I haven't spoken a half-truth. Fang Lin's value is no weaker than that of the Four Elites of Pill Sect."
The middle-aged man revealed a faint smile and said, "Even among the Four Elites of Pill Sect, none were promoted through exception."
Mu Yan's expression stiffened, and Meng Wuyou also sighed inwardly.
The middle-aged man continued, "Fang Lin might possess extraordinary talent, but all geniuses need tempering. Moreover, the rules of the Pill Sect cannot be broken. Let him continue to refine himself among the Pill Apprentices."
Mu Yan opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
...
Leaving the Heaven Sun Hall, Meng Wuyou and Mu Yan walked together, both looking quite displeased.
"With the head seat acting like this, when can our Pill Sect hope to flourish?" Meng Wuyou said with an angry tone.
Mu Yan also had a gloomy face, very dissatisfied with the head seat's attitude.
"There's nothing we can do about this issue. We can only depend on Fang Lin himself. If he shows potential surpassing the Four Elites of the Pill Sect, I presume even the head seat would not be able to suppress him any longer," Mu Yan said.
Meng Wuyou furrowed his brows and asked, "What if the head seat still wants to suppress him?"
Upon hearing this, determination flashed in Mu Yan's eyes as he said, "Then we can only earnestly request that the Sect Master make a decision."
Meng Wuyou nodded and said, "That seems to be the only way. Alas, it's such a pity for Fang Lin."
...
A month had passed since the Pill Array class. During this time, Kang Lu had indeed taken action.
He ordered several people to wait on the only path leading to the Herb Garden, with instructions to stop Fang Lin from entering the Herb Garden.
Kang Lu's plan seemed sound: by preventing Fang Lin from entering the Herb Garden, he would be unable to learn more about herbs, thus failing the assessment when the time came.
But, to Kang Lu's surprise, despite waiting a full month, not once did they catch sight of Fang Lin.
It turned out that Fang Lin never intended to go to the Herb Garden. Apart from attending the Pill Array classes at mid-month and month's end, Fang Lin scarcely left his residence at all. Kang Lu's plan may have been well thought out, but it was in vain and accomplished nothing.
Inside the wooden cabin, Fang Lin sat cross-legged, his eyes shut tightly, sweat beading on his forehead.
After a long time, Fang Lin opened his eyes, which were filled with fatigue and helplessness.
"It's still no use. My 'Root Bone' is too poor, half of the seventy-two meridians are blocked, and without Pills to aid, there's no way to clear them," Fang Lin said with a bitter smile.
In the two months since he joined the sect, others perceived Fang Lin as lazy and complacent, but in truth, he had been persistently trying to clear the seventy-two meridians in his body to improve his 'Root Bone' quality.
However, Fang Lin's current realm was too low, only at the second level of Human Origin, and his Inner Strength was insufficient to clear the blocked meridians.
There were solutions, of course, but they would require the help of Pills, and currently, as a Pill Apprentice, Fang Lin did not have the privilege to refine Pills.
Without Pills and relying solely on himself, it would take a decade or more to clear these meridians, but how could Fang Lin possibly spend ten or eight years on such a task?
"It seems I must find a way to refine a batch of Pills," Fang Lin thought to himself, now determined to take up Pill Refining.
But the rules of Pill Sect were strict, and as a Pill Apprentice primarily tasked with learning about plants, he had no right to refine Pills and no access to a Pill Furnace, a privilege reserved for official disciples.
Fang Lin had the skill for Pill Refining but no opportunity to demonstrate his abilities, and this was a source of frustration.
Then one day, Fang Lin, Lu Xiaoqing, and several other newly inducted disciples were summoned together.
A total of nine, including Fang Lin, stood orderly within the Pill Array.
Before them, a short-statured elder with his hands behind his back showed an impatient expression.
"Listen, all nine of you," the diminutive elder said loudly, "An official disciple will come soon to choose a Pill Apprentice. You will follow them for six months, and this is a rare opportunity for you. Pay close attention and learn well; do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, all but Fang Lin showed excitement.
Fang Lin appeared calm but inwardly harbored some anticipation.
"If I can get in touch with an official disciple, I may also have a chance to refine Pills," Fang Lin mused to himself.