Translator: Cinder Translations
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Outside the wing rooms in the open space.
Dozens of young people were surrounding Zhang Cheng and Er Niu, incessantly asking for the secrets of how they managed to gather qi into their bodies.
With only three days left until the deadline, these people were becoming anxious. They truly didn't want to miss the opportunity to become cultivators and soar to new heights.
However, despite Er Niu and Zhang Cheng generously sharing their experiences, it seemed they couldn't really help these people.
Watching the discussions and debates outside the wing rooms, two guards near the wall not far away were mocking the group.
"These fools, they're nearing their end and still don't realize it," one guard said mockingly.
"Sigh! They are a pitiful bunch, only fourteen or fifteen years old, inexperienced and ignorant of the world's treachery. There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."
Their voices were not loud, but Song Wen, hidden behind a large tree that blocked their view, heard every word clearly.
His hairs stood on end. From their conversation, it was clear that regardless of whether these young people succeeded in gathering qi into their bodies or not, their ultimate fate seemed to be a dead end.
Originally, Song Wen was only worried that Ji Yin might have ulterior motives towards those with cultivation potential. Now, it appeared that those without such potential were not safe either.
Upon careful consideration, this reasoning made sense.
All these young people had practiced the 'Longevity Technique'. Although they hadn't succeeded, they knew the principles and techniques of cultivation. Releasing these young people would inevitably lead to the leakage of the 'Longevity Technique'.
Then, there would eventually be someone successful in cultivating qi and becoming an immortal.
Naturally, Ji Yin would not want to see such a situation arise. This wasn't just about creating unnecessary competitors for himself; an influx of cultivators in Yancheng could threaten Ji Yin and Tian Sha Gang's position and power in this area.
Carefully hidden behind the tree, after listening for a while without gaining more information, Song Wen quietly retreated, not wanting to disturb the two guards who were still idly chatting away.
Back in his room, Song Wen had to make a decision. Tomorrow, he would have to inform Ji Yin about his success in gathering qi into his body.
The next day, in the morning.
Song Wen stood with a group of young people outside the wing rooms, waiting for Ji Yin's arrival.
Unexpectedly, Ji Yin was late by half an hour, a rare occurrence. Alongside him were Er Niu and Zhang Cheng.
Er Niu's condition that day was somewhat strange. He walked with a floating step, his spirit was languid, and even his skin seemed a bit loose, as if he had aged thirty years overnight. The energetic youth had turned into a middle-aged man showing signs of decline.
His face also exhibited an abnormal flush, resembling a patient who had just recovered from a serious illness and had taken excessive tonic medicine, leading to ineffective replenishment.
"Why would this problem suddenly appear? Could it be that there was a mistake in cultivation, an injury causing depletion of blood and energy?" Song Wen couldn't understand the sudden changes happening to him. He could only follow the planned strategy and reveal his success in gathering qi to Ji Yin.
With only three days left until the deadline, if he couldn't successfully gather qi into his body, his life might be in danger.
However, judging from the current situation, those who successfully gathered qi into their bodies didn't seem to face immediate danger.
Song Wen took a deep breath and walked towards Ji Yin, bowing respectfully.
"Master Ji Yin, I successfully gathered qi into my body last night."
A gleam of light burst from Ji Yin's eyes as he grasped Song Wen's wrist.
Song Wen immediately felt a rush of heat flowing through his wrist into his body. This heat flow was connected to the spiritual power he had refined within his body, but it was much more powerful and majestic.
Feeling somewhat uneasy, he had been cultivating secretly for over twenty days, so his internal spiritual power was definitely much stronger than those who had just successfully gathered qi into their bodies.
He was worried that Ji Yin might sense something amiss and investigate his concealment.
However, fortunately, Ji Yin didn't probe too deeply into Song Wen's internal spiritual strength. He merely sensed the presence of spiritual energy within him and promptly withdrew.
Song Wen had just successfully gathered qi into his body, so the spiritual energy within him was extremely weak. Ji Yin was also concerned that if he poured in too much spiritual power, it might crush that weak spiritual energy, causing irreparable damage.
Ji Yin showed appreciation, "You're quite good. What's your name?"
"Song Wen!"
"Starting from today, you are my third disciple. Come, sit beside your eldest martial brother and second martial brother."
"Thank you, Master."
Song Wen sat down next to Zhang Cheng.
At this moment, both Zhang Cheng and Er Niu cast friendly glances towards him.
Both of them were born in small places, still quite young, and their minds hadn't been tainted by the darker thoughts of society. They displayed great kindness towards the new junior disciple.
Half an hour later, Ji Yin briefly finished explaining the day's teachings.
With the deadline approaching, Ji Yin became increasingly perfunctory in his daily teachings. It was a rarity that today, with Song Wen successfully achieving qi condensation, he spoke for half an hour. In previous days, he had only spoken for about fifteen minutes. He had gradually lost hope for the remaining disciples.
"Song Wen, come with me."
Ji Yin turned and walked towards a small building at the foot of the mountain, with Song Wen, Zhang Cheng, and Er Niu quickly following. Behind them, a group of young people cast admiring glances.
"Eldest martial brother, second martial brother, please take care of me in the future."
Following Ji Yin, Song Wen greeted Zhang Cheng and Er Niu quietly.
A moment later, the four of them arrived outside the small building.
"Song Wen, you will live in the vacant room on the first floor. Cultivate diligently, and if you have any questions, you can ask me at any time."
"Er Niu, come upstairs with me."
The first floor was where disciples resided, while the second floor was Ji Yin's cultivation place. Without his permission, disciples were forbidden from going upstairs.
"Yes, Master."
The three disciples bowed and replied.
Er Niu followed Ji Yin upstairs.
"Junior brother, let me show you to your room," Zhang Cheng said.
"Thank you, Second martial brother."
There were only three rooms on the first floor. After Er Niu and Zhang Cheng occupied two of them, only the vacant room near the stairs was left.
After entering the room, Song Wen had many questions. If he wanted to survive and escape successfully, he needed to understand Ji Yin's habits, daily routines, and more. However, now was not the right time to inquire. The wooden structure of this small building had poor soundproofing. Speaking even slightly louder could be heard by Ji Yin upstairs.
Moreover, Ji Yin was a cultivator, his senses far more sensitive than ordinary people.
Furthermore, if he directly asked Zhang Cheng, it might raise suspicion. If Zhang Cheng reported this, Song Wen's attempt would be futile.
To learn about Ji Yin's situation, he would have to approach it indirectly.
Zhang Cheng wasn't the best person to ask. Er Niu was reticent by nature and had followed Ji Yin the longest. Considering his abnormal condition the previous day, these factors combined made Er Niu the best candidate to inquire from.
(End of the Chapter)