"Brother Chen, for you to maintain such a state of mind so early in your cultivation journey is truly worthy of your talent." Chen An's words had greatly encouraged Li Muchen, even dispelling much of his previous confusion.
It was because of this that Li Muchen sincerely invited him, "Come to the inner sect. With your talent, staying in the outer sect as a servant is a waste. Only by becoming an inner sect disciple can the sect assist you during your Foundation Establishment tribulation. They might even let you, like Elder Meng, ascend the Heavenly Tribulation Peak and face the heavenly tribulation under the protection of the sect's grand formation!"
The mountain Elder Meng had ascended to face his tribulation was called Heavenly Tribulation Peak, the highest peak of the Lingfu Sect. It was the designated location where the sect's disciples had faced their tribulations throughout the generations.
Since Heavenly Tribulation Peak was located at the eye of the sect's grand formation, facing the tribulation there allowed for the added power of the formation, slightly reducing the intensity of the tribulation. That was why Li Muchen mentioned it.
However, upon hearing this, Chen An's thoughts were somewhat different.
"You mean, even as an outer sect servant, there's still a chance to become an inner sect disciple?"
"In theory, yes, but it's rare." Li Muchen nodded and explained, "Every time the sect recruits new disciples, a grand tournament is held. The competition is only among the new disciples. If someone with outstanding talent emerges, they can be promoted to the inner sect at the recommendation of the Grand Elder or Sect Master."
"However, in most cases, it's the outer sect disciples who are promoted. I can only recall one servant being promoted directly to the inner sect, and that was over two hundred years ago."
At this, Li Muchen seemed worried that Chen An might lose hope, and quickly added, "You didn't enter the inner sect initially due to limitations in your aptitude, but aptitude and talent are different matters entirely. You're naturally suited to become a talisman cultivator. If you can win the disciple tournament, there's a good chance you'll be promoted to the inner sect."
"However…"
"However what?" Chen An keenly picked up on Li Muchen's hesitation.
Li Muchen looked deeply at Chen An, bit his lip, and explained, "Among the disciples who joined the sect at the same time as you, there is one named Yun Xiao. He is a direct descendant of the Grand Elder, with remarkable talent and a strong family background. It's said that not long after joining the sect, he broke through to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation."
"He will participate in the upcoming disciple tournament. Defeating him… will be difficult!"
Li Muchen sighed, shaking his head with regret. There was such a great opportunity in front of Chen An, but he had to face an opponent as formidable as Yun Xiao. Even Li Muchen himself wasn't confident in defeating Yun Xiao, let alone Chen An.
On the other side, Chen An, hearing the name Yun Xiao, also recalled the handsome young man who had ranked ahead of him during the initial selection.
He hadn't expected to cross paths again with the person he once admired.
"I think you should give it a try. The disciple tournament is open for registration right now. If you want to participate, you can go to the inner sect elder's hall. The tournament is set to begin in a little over a month."
Even though he didn't think Chen An had much of a chance, Li Muchen still kindly encouraged him, believing it was worth a try.
When Chen An heard that he still had a chance to become an inner sect disciple, his heart was filled with excitement, and he considered registering immediately. However, after a moment of reflection, he hesitated.
He had an inferior spiritual root, one that shouldn't even allow him to begin cultivating. Many people knew this from the day of the selection.
If not for killing Wei Ming and the effects of his gourd, he would never have made it this far. If he participated in the disciple tournament, how would he explain how he suddenly became a cultivator?
The excuse of being guided by a reclusive expert from the mortal world wouldn't work again.
Back when he used that excuse to deceive Elder Gu, Chen An had already noticed the elder didn't believe him. For some reason, Elder Gu hadn't exposed him, but if more people started to question him during the tournament, and they investigated Wei Ming's disappearance—who had already become fertilizer for the medicine fields—Chen An could find himself in danger.
Thus, no matter how eager he was, Chen An could only grit his teeth and force a casual smile. "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Li, but I don't think I'll be participating in the tournament."
"Why not?" Li Muchen asked, surprised.
"I suppose I just don't like drawing too much attention," Chen An said nonchalantly, though only he knew how much it pained him to say that.
Seeing how decisively Chen An refused, Li Muchen sighed but refrained from pressing the matter further.
"It's getting late. I'll head back to the outer sect now. I'll return in ten days during my rest period. By then, the talismans should be ready, and I'll leave the rest to you."
After exchanging a few words, Chen An left the market district and returned to the outer sect with a complex mix of emotions.
He had left early in the morning, and by the time he returned, it was almost dusk. Time had passed unnoticed.
Looking up at the sky, Chen An sighed at how eventful the day had been. He had witnessed an elder face his tribulation, learned about the disciple tournament, and even secured a deal with Li Muchen to earn some spirit stones.
If his life continued like this, peacefully cultivating in the outer sect without causing trouble, it wouldn't be too bad. Although his progress would be slower, there was still hope.
Back at his dwelling, Chen An closed the door, took out a stack of talisman paper and cinnabar from his storage pouch, and immediately began drawing talismans.
He had previously been making Swift Talismans and had no experience with the Fire Talismans, Escape Talismans, or Lightning Talismans that Li Muchen mentioned. He didn't want to waste a moment.
In ten days, their collaboration would officially begin, and it wouldn't look good if he couldn't produce any talismans by then.
Starting with a new type of talisman, he failed a few times at first, but Chen An had gained considerable experience from making Swift Talismans, so he quickly found his rhythm.
In less than half an hour, he had successfully created his first Escape Talisman.
The Escape Talisman worked similarly to the Swift Talisman, but it was of a higher grade. When activated, it allowed the user to instantly retreat dozens of paces, making it a more effective tool for escaping danger.
Of course, it was also more difficult to create.
Looking at the first Escape Talisman he'd made, Chen An was a bit dissatisfied. Judging by the standards Li Muchen had mentioned, this talisman was of mid-grade quality at best, still far from reaching the top grade.
But that was understandable. After all, it was his first successful attempt. With a few more days of practice, he was confident it would become second nature.
Since his spiritual energy had nearly been depleted from the earlier failures, Chen An decided to stop for now. Satisfied that he had made progress, he sat on his bed, crossed his legs, and began meditating.
Tomorrow was his turn to clean the elders' hall, and he was the only servant assigned. He needed to be well-rested tonight to avoid giving Elder Gu any reason to find fault with him.