Seating himself on the floor, Lin Yan focused on calming his breath. The rapid depletion of his Spiritual Qi had left him thoroughly exhausted.
Experiencing the depletion of his Spiritual Qi for the first time, he found himself unable to maintain his footing.
Lin Yan now required a considerable amount of time to recuperate and regain the strength that had been expended.
Hmm. Low, Average, High and Top. What's next? Oh right, how can I forget? I can just ask the Master for all the cultivation-related problems...
...
Upon reaching the second floor of the Treasure Pavilion, Xia Yiying found her thoughts incessantly drawn back to the encounter with the male disciple.
The persistent preoccupation surprised her, especially considering how he lacked the charm and power, generally necessary to make a lasting impression on her, leading her to unnecessary thinking somehow.
'Weird, why am I thinking about him so much,' thought Xia Yiying while navigating her way through the second floor.
She arrived near the Pill branch and saw Elder Sun organizing the Pills for Lin Yan into a gourd-like Pill container.
Not wanting to wait any longer she greeted him from a distance, "Elder Sun."
Elder Sun was busy with his work but he had already noticed Elder Xia a while ago, however, as a shrewd man as he was, didn't greet her first.
He let her do the Junior greeting Senior thing, just to satisfy his inner mind.
"Ohh, It's Elder Xia. I assume you are also here to take pills for your disciple, am I right?" Elder Sun asked while not hiding his wide grin over his face.
He looked at Elder Xia, who nodded her head and then continued like the wannabe Elder he was assuming himself to be, "Still in her seclusion?"
Remembering how her disciple never left her abode since she entered seclusion a few months ago, Elder Xia was feeling perplexed.
Her disciple's peculiar behaviour proved increasingly disruptive; all she desired was to focus on her cultivation and enhance her strength. The situation became more bothersome as she found herself neglecting even the routine task of leaving her cave for the monthly pills.
Faltering in her attempt to provide a concrete reason, she resorted to a hesitant nod, the only response she could muster at that moment.
Elder Sun laughed inwardly and continued to converse with Xia Yiying, who didn't even want to see his face, "Hm. Just let her be. She must be feeling conflicted. That sword fellow from the Sword Reliance Sect asked her hand in marriage after all."
When Elder Xia heard him say that, she raised her eyebrow and refused to talk about anything related to the marriage, but her self-esteem as a master of her disciple wouldn't just let her stay quiet, "No need to talk about it. My disciple will decide the matter by herself."
Not feeling satisfied even after saying that, Elder Xia grabbed the Pill container of Lin Yan that Elder Sun had prepared and left before only her voice could reverberate in the senile ears of Elder Sun, "The impending inter-sect tournament looms as the decisive factor that will shape the course of events."
Looking at the empty spot where the Pill container was placed, Elder Sun chuckled out loud, "She has become stronger again."
Not minding her manners a bit, Elder Sun began to arrange the pills for Lin Yan again.
He knew what was going to happen in the tournament which was two months later from now on, as he had witnessed the strength of those sword freaks.
While their sect retains the ascetic-like customs, those sword freaks were trained to be experienced combatants.
They prohibited themselves from recruiting new disciples.
From an early age, they train their children to fight against Demon beasts as if it were the normal breathing thing for them.
Elder Sun found the master-disciple duo's confidence amusing, scoffing at the notion that they stood a chance against that sword barbarian in any conceivable way.
'It's not like I care about it, hmph!' thought Elder Sun as he huffed dismissively.
After he quickly finished organizing the pills in the pill container for Lin Yan, he proceeded to descend towards the ground floor.
...
Elder Xia departed from the window, so Lin Yan didn't see her leaving through the entrance.
He was meditating calmly, taking in the Wood Qi as much as possible without utilizing Dual Cultivation mode. Although the process was slow, his Spiritual Qi started to replenish gradually.
After a few moments passed,
Elder Sun arrived and gave him a blue robe and Pills, as it was scheduled by the sect.
As per the sect rule,
Outer-sect disciples will be provided with 2 low-level pills, and Inner-sect disciples will be given 2 average-level pills while the core and personal disciples will be allotted 1 high-level pill and 10 average-level pills.
Elder Sun remembered that the Mystic Wood Sect had only two personal disciples, and now with this new kid, there would be three personal disciples.
'Elder Cheng's work has increased again,' Elder Sun mocked the only grade-two alchemist master in the sect.
Cheng Rui's exclusive skill in concocting Grade 2 low-level pills bestowed significant importance upon him within the sect. Moreover, his monthly earnings surpassed those of other Elders, amplifying his standing.
This disparity in wealth and expertise contributed to Elder Sun's unfavourable opinion of him.
Elder Sun observed Lin Yan moving awkwardly towards the entrance, a noticeable limp in his step as he advanced.
Elder Sun pondered, 'The Sect Master accepted a peculiar individual, after all.' Dismissing the situation, he reclined on the couch, embracing idleness once more.
...
Lin Yan refrained from wandering around the sect after observing its emptiness for several hours. As he strolled, he ventured to the boundary of the inner sect.
There, he noticed a procession of male disciples clad in pristine white robes, diligently transporting Spiritual plants harvested from the deeper mountainside forest.
Hm. So black robes for outer sect disciples, white robes for Inner sect disciples, and blue robes for core and personal disciples...
Growing weary of the repetitive process of familiarizing himself with the sect, Lin Yan decided not to squander any more time and instead retreated to the highest peak of the Luan mountain range.
Arriving at his previous location where the Sect Master was still standing, as he saw him there, Lin Yan without hesitation greeted his master respectfully, "Master."
Wang Tian had already noticed him from afar, so he nodded and told him to sit beside him.
In dutiful obedience, Lin Yan followed his command and took a seat on the rugged crag of the high mountain.
Wang Tian's gaze was at the front towards the endless horizon. Seemingly as if he was in a trance.
"Do you know what lies beyond the horizon?" Wang Tian pondered, his voice filled with curiosity.
"Even with all my strength, I couldn't penetrate beyond the confines of this massive forest," he continued, expressing the formidable challenge posed by the dense woodland that surrounded them.
"The entire woodland is teeming with Grade 3 demon beasts... It's nothing short of a miracle that Fang River is holding them at bay," Wang Tian murmured to himself, his gaze steadfast on the horizon, immersed in contemplation.
Lin Yan listened attentively, absorbing every detail, especially given that it was the Sect Master himself narrating the experience.
Not waiting for his disciple to say something unnecessary at the moment, Wang Tian continued to speak to himself.
"Do you know the place we are in isn't even a cultivation world? My grandfather, who was a disciple of our Ancestors, told me that there is a world behind the horizon, way beyond our imagination... That's the real cultivation world," Said Wang Tian, as he turned his head and looked at Lin Yan, then inquired, "Understood?"
In a gesture of respect, Lin Yan nodded and responded to his Master's inquiry.
"So, how do you like the sect?" asked Wang Tian, his gaze back to the front again.
Listening to his master's question, Lin Yan found himself unsure of how to respond.
However, recalling the enchanting swaying butt of the fairy, he responded with a smile on his face, "It was beautiful... No! I mean the sect was good."
Wang Tian smiled and bring out the pills he had snatched from Cheng Rui in the meantime, "Take these pills while you are cultivating, the absorption rate of Wood Qi will increase for some time."
Accepting the pills from his Master, Lin Yan probed, "Master, what are these pills called?"
"Qi Amplification Pill. It's a high-level Grade 9 pill. Only Senior Cheng can make these pills in the entire desolate region." Wang Tian responded with measured calmness while gently stroking his goatee.
With a nod, Lin Yan expressed his understanding. Then, he further asked, "Master, Will you tell me more about cultivation realms? I'm not sure I have enough insight."
Wang Tian understood, and nodded. He turned his head back to Lin Yan and said, "As of my knowledge of the realms, It first begins with the Mortal Body Realm, followed by the Qi Refining Realm, then the Dantian Forging Realm and after that, the Soul Foundation Realm."
Wang Tian then stopped talking and stood up, "These are the only realms we know currently since our Ancestor was at the peak of the Soul Foundation Realm," said Wang Tian while he walked near one of the huge trees near them and punched him with all his strength, causing the entire tree to turn into small smithereens.
He turned to look at Lin Yan's shocked face and spoke out loud in a hopeless tone, "But It's futile. This is the outcome when a mid-tier grade 3 beast hits a peak stage of Dantian Forging Realm expert."
After listening to what his master had just said Lin Yan's reaction was not very seeing-like;
Say What?