At the base of Azure Earth Sword Sect mountain, Liu Xin landed softly. His eyes scanned the surroundings and immediately found two figures waiting for him.
"You are late," Huang Rui said, sighing. "I thought you had forgotten the deal." She heaved a sigh of relief as a small smile appeared on her face.
"Oh, sorry. I broke through the mid-level of the Qi Refining Stage, so I took some time to stabilize my cultivation."
"It's okay." Huang Rui's face was bright. "Congrats on the breakthrough."
"Thanks." Liu Xin's eyes fell on the figure beside her. He was an old man who looked to be in his seventies if he was on earth. For now, he didn't know his true age as cultivators' age is more than that of mortals.
"So, he is the boy you talk about. I don't find anything special about him, though," the man said as he examined Liu Xin from head to toe.
"Yes, sect master. You may not know, but he easily fended off a mid-level Qi Refining cultivator when he was at a low Qi Refining level. Also, he has refined high-quality medical pills, and he also has a deal with us to provide Qi Refining Pills."
The so-called sect master's eyes widened. She told him about Liu Xin and requested to meet with him, saying he was special. The sect master wouldn't have cared about the outer disciple's request, and he probably didn't inquire about Liu Xin. But he came because he was a little curious, and he had nothing else to do. He gambled his time.
"Really. So you are an alchemist," the sect master only focused on that. He didn't care if he could beat those above his level as this wasn't rare. But an alchemist who can also properly fight is rare. The mere one-star alchemist is rare for any sect. If a sect even has a single alchemist, their many spiritual stones will be saved from buying pills from outside.
Also, the pills they obtained would be more genuine than the bought ones. Not to mention, if he could pass his knowledge and nurture another alchemist, the sect would benefit deeply.
The Great Alchemist Sect is the richest sect in this whole region, which earns thousands of high-quality spiritual stones every day.
"Well, I may be one now," Liu Xin replied calmly. He understood the sect master's intentions and wasn't naive.
He took out the pill bag and handed it to Huang Rui. "Here, there are six pills." He had eaten two out of the original eight, so only six were left, but Huang Rui didn't need to know that.
"Oh, great!" she exclaimed. She didn't expect to get six pills from the materials she had provided. Refining pills was not easy, especially for low-level cultivators. They would exhaust their spiritual energy quickly and might not refine the pill properly. Due to this, many materials would be burnt and lost, and only some of it could be refined into pills.
"Let me see!" The sect master was more eager to see the pills than Huang Rui and he snatched them from her. Huang Rui could only smile bitterly and couldn't retort.
He examined the pills closely. "Woah!" His eyes sparkled. "Out of six, four are high-quality while two are medium-quality pills. Just from this alone, I can tell that you are a 2nd-star alchemist!" He examined the pills deeply and summarized his thoughts.
He looked at Liu Xin with sparkling eyes. He couldn't wait to recruit this boy into his sect. He began calculating in his head and thought about what benefits he could provide to him to make him join his sect.
"Really!" Huang Rui's eyes were also lit with excitement. If Liu Xin really joined her sect, she would benefit from it as she was the one who introduced him to the sect master. Just thinking about it made her smile, and she wanted to use any means necessary to make him join her sect.
The two people began thinking about their own profit, completely ignoring Liu Xin. He looked at them and sighed in his heart. But he didn't care much; he didn't mind joining this small sect, as he could get many more benefits than joining a larger one.
If they really asked him to join their sect, he had made more than ten conditions in his mind. If they agreed, he would join the sect. If they didn't, then he would leave.
"Liu Xin, right?" The sect master asked with a gentle smile. His personality took a 360-degree turn, and he looked like a gentle grandfather looking at his grandson.
"Yes," Liu Xin replied indifferently. 'Just tell me your intentions already,' he thought. He wanted to curse at the man, but held it in, as he was not only high in age but also in cultivation.
He could ignore his age but couldn't ignore his cultivation. So he just smiled a bit, hiding his annoyance and irritation. 'Don't waste my time.' He already wanted to go to the market to see more cultivation techniques and download them.
"You are so talented, young man. Not bad."
"Thank you for the compliment, senior," Liu Xin said as he cupped his hand and bowed slightly. 'Hollow words, but he is right,' he thought. While the compliment was hollow, the words were true.
"I invite you to join my sect," the sect master said with a smile.
'Finally!' Liu Xin's eyes lit up. "I can join... but," Liu Xin's face turned serious.
"But, what? Don't worry, I will give you the benefit... You will directly be my disciple," the sect master assured him.
"But, I am expelled from my previous sect."
"What?!" The sect master was stunned, and Huang Rui was too, but she was ignored by both her master and Liu Xin. 'Who in the world is so stupid to let go of such a talented alchemist? Even if he killed all my outer sect disciples, I won't mind,' he thought. He once again looked at Liu Xin and asked, "Which sect expelled you?"
"Quanzhen Sect," Liu Xin said casually but showed a bit of sadness.
"Quanzhen, huh? That sect isn't that bad, and our sect level is equal," the sect master pondered. 'Hmm, I don't want to make the Quanzhen sect an enemy, but... They won't care if I take one of their disciples, right?' He thought for a moment before asking, "What was your position in that sect?"
"I was a mere outer sect disciple."
"What? Then how did you learn alchemy?!" The old man's eyes widened again, and his heart raced. 'This lad, he was just an outer sect disciple, did the Quanzhen sect go mad to throw away this gold.' The old man's brows relaxed. 'If he was just an outer sect disciple, then there would be no problem.'
"Self-taught," Liu Xin, who didn't know what the old man was thinking, replied indifferently. But his words were covered in politeness.
"Treasure..." The old man could barely manage his cool. 'I can't take more, I will get a heart attack!' The old man's heart thumped so much that he just imagined his sect reaching the top tier.
"Still, if seniors want me as your disciple, I have some conditions," Liu Xin said timidly.
"I will be a fool if I don't take you, my disciple. State any condition you have."
"I want..."
…
"Done!" The old man said enthusiastically.
"Then, this disciple greets the master." He knelt down and bowed respectfully. 'As long as my wishes are fulfilled, I will be here until I surpass you.' He smiled mysteriously, already planning his future. This sect was just a starting point, and he just wanted to find a safe place.
If he went to a big sect, then there would be many dangers since a large sect means large competition, more jealous and talented fellows, and more. In this small sect, there wouldn't be many talented people to challenge him. The sect would make sure to keep his identity secret not only to protect him but also to protect the sect.
Moreover, he could surpass the sect leader in a year or so and then change the sect as he wished. He hadn't taken the old man as his real master; this was just an act.
Like this, both young and old smiled by themselves as they thought of the benefits they were going to reap.