Novel Full Chapter 2287: Inner Disciple
Chapter 2287: Inner Disciple
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Zhao Hai calmly watched the cultivators who were in ascetic cultivation. A large portion of these people had only recently arrived at the mine. Their strength was not weak. Zhao Hai had noticed this when they first arrived. Most of them were cultivators at the Earth Monarch stage, with very few at the Soul Fusion stage.
Although these people were quite capable, Zhao Hai didn’t think they were worth recruiting into the sect. They were all rogue cultivators, some of whom were already quite old and had almost no potential left. Recruiting such people into the sect wouldn’t be of much benefit to the sect’s development.
Zhao Hai knew the identities of these people, they were the disciples recruited by the Forbidden Path Sect this time. Most of them came from rogue cultivation backgrounds. It could be said that the Forbidden Path Sect relaxed its requirements so that they could join the sect. Otherwise, with their strength, it would have been impossible for them to join the Forbidden Path Sect.
However, Zhao Hai didn’t care about those people. He was still cultivating. Now, the iron armor he was wearing had been replaced with one weighing 50,000 jin. This iron armor did not look particularly bulky, but its weight was quite astonishing. Others might not know why, but Zhao Hai knew that there were several magic formations inside the iron armor. Those magic formations were working to change the gravity around Zhao Hai, which was why he felt like he was wearing an iron armor weighing 50,000 jin.
The 50,000-jin iron armor can only be worn after twelve months of ascetic training. In other words, Zhao Hai’s ascetic training has reached its twelfth month, and he will be leaving soon.
Actually, Zhao Hai only had a few days left before he could leave, while some of the cultivators who were working hard at the mine had only just arrived.
Zhao Hai hasn’t changed much since he entered the mine a year ago. If there’s any change, it’s in his demeanor. When he first arrived, his demeanor was ordinary and unremarkable, attracting no attention. But after a year of ascetic training, his demeanor has become more reserved, yet he possesses an undeniable quality, like a sword that’s waiting to be unsheathed. Although the blade isn’t exposed, no one can underestimate its destructive power.
Zhao Hai hardly needs to mine anymore. He’s already mined all the ore he needed to deliver. As his physical strength grows, he can mine more and more ore each day. Eventually, even if he only spends half a day mining, he’ll have a large surplus. This surplus is now enough for him to deliver the remaining ore, so he no longer needs to mine.
However, this didn’t mean that Zhao Hai could relax. In fact, he didn’t slack off at all. He still devoted a significant amount of time each day to training his physical body. To other cultivators, Zhao Hai was practically a masochist, constantly finding ways to torment himself. They had never seen anyone like him before.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. Today was Zhao Hai’s last day at the mine. Unlike before, Zhao Hai didn’t torture himself today. He truly relaxed. After practicing a set of boxing moves in the morning, he wandered around the mine to unwind himself.
The people at the mine were puzzled by Zhao Hai’s actions. They were used to him torturing himself every day, so they were surprised to see him so relaxed today. This struck them as quite odd.
The day passed quickly, and that evening Elder Xing summoned Zhao Hai to his cave. Looking at Zhao Hai, who seemed unchanged, a complex expression appeared in Elder Xing’s eyes. He said in a deep voice, “Zhao Ling, you can return to the sect tomorrow. Take off your iron armor.”
Zhao Hai nodded and took off his iron armor. Elder Xing put the armor away and looked at Zhao Hai, saying in a serious voice, “Your performance this year has been good. I have already informed the sect of your performance. This is your identity token. From today onwards, you are a formal inner disciple of the sect.”
Zhao Hai took the jade slip that Elder Xing gave him. The jade slip looked very special. It was in the shape of a trapezoid, with the words “Forbidden Path” written on the front and the word “Buddha” on the back.
Zhao Hai probed the jade token with his spiritual force, and his information immediately appeared in the jade slip, including his full-body image in great detail. It would be difficult for anyone to impersonate him.
Zhao Hai put away the jade slip and bowed to Elder Xing, and then he said, “Thank you, Elder Xing.” Elder Xing waved his hand, and Zhao Hai, knowing his temperament, cupped his fist before turning and leaving.
After resting for one last night in the mine, Zhao Hai took the transmission formation at the mine back to the sect early the next morning. As soon as he arrived at the sect, he saw Wan Feng and Zhou Feng standing there looking at him. Zhao Hai quickly bowed to the two of them and said in a deep voice, “Zhao Ling greets Elder Wan and Brother Zhou.”
Wan Feng nodded and looked at Zhao Hai with a smile, he said, “Not bad. Old Xing has already reported your performance at the mine to the sect. The sect is very satisfied with your performance. You are now a formal inner disciple of the sect. Come with me to your courtyard.” Zhao Hai complied, but Zhou Feng ran over at this moment.
Zhou Feng was still as fat as ever, seemingly even fatter than before. Zhou Feng slapped him on the shoulder and laughed heartily, “How does it feel to eat raw meat for a year? After we go to your place, let’s go have a good drink.”
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, “It’s not bad, a sip of wine and a bite of meat, the taste is quite good.”
Zhou Feng chuckled and said, “I’ve heard about what happened at the mine. Well done, Brother Zhao. I’ve never admired anyone before, but to be honest, I’m starting to admire you. No wonder you, as a rogue cultivator, have reached such a level of cultivation at such a young age. You’re truly remarkable.” Ṟâ₦ο฿Ê𝙨
Zhao Hai smiled faintly and said, “What else do I have to do? What can I do if I don’t cultivate? How could I join the Forbidden Path Sect if I didn’t cultivate? Never mind, let’s not talk about this anymore. Brother Zhou, you seem to have gotten even fatter. What happened? Has your cultivation improved?”
Zhou Feng laughed heartily and said, “Of course! I haven’t missed a single moment of my cultivation. But I’ve heard that the Blood Demon Realm will open soon. You have a Bloodless Token, and I also asked my family to get me one. Then we can enter the Blood Demon Realm together.”
Upon hearing Zhou Feng’s words, Zhao Hai was stunned for a moment, then he burst into laughter, “Good! That’s wonderful! Then we can fight side by side.” As they chatted, they didn’t stop walking, following Wan Feng as they leaped into the inner section of the Forbidden Path Sect.
The inner sect of the Forbidden Path Sect is similar to the Tyrant Blade Sect. They both have courtyards built on some mountains with abundant spiritual energy, and these courtyards are allocated to the inner sect disciples of the Forbidden Path Sect. However, unlike the Tyrant Blade Sect, all the inner sect disciples of the Forbidden Path Sect have independent courtyards. Although they may not be very big, each courtyard is independent, which is very important.
Every cultivator has their own secrets, things they don’t want others to know. Therefore, every cultivator desires their own independent space. However, there aren’t many sects that can truly achieve this. There are only so many places in the world with abundant spiritual energy. How big would it take to provide every inner disciple with a place rich in spiritual energy and a large, independent courtyard? So, even sects with many disciples, like the Tyrant Blade Sect, can only house their inner disciples in a large courtyard. Although it’s better than the living conditions for outer disciples, the environment isn’t very good.
The Forbidden Path Sect is different. It has many outer disciples but not many inner disciples. The Forbidden Path Sect is very strict in selecting inner disciples. If you do not meet their requirements, no matter what your status is, you cannot become an inner disciple. Because of this, the number of inner disciples in the Forbidden Path Sect is not large. And since there are not many inner disciples, the treatment of inner disciples in the Forbidden Path Sect is very high. Each person has an independent courtyard, which is one of its enviable benefits.
The courtyard that Zhao Hai was assigned was quite good. It was located on the edge of a cliff on a mountain, with a stream behind him. The stream formed a waterfall on the cliff no more than a few meters from his house, and he could see the waterfall from the back window of his house.
Wan Feng led Zhao Hai around the courtyard. The courtyard wasn’t very big, only a few hundred square meters. There was a small training ground in the courtyard with two large banyan trees. These two banyan trees were no ordinary ones, they were a type of banyan called the Tranquility Banyan. The tree had a large canopy, and as long as one cultivated under the tree, it could calm the mind and spirit, which was very helpful for cultivators.
After looking around the courtyard, Wan Feng turned to Zhao Hai and said, “This courtyard is yours from now on. Tomorrow, go to the miscellaneous hall to collect your sect’s allowance for the year, and then take a good rest. A month from now is the opening day of the Blood Demon Realm. You will enter the Blood Demon Realm for a three-month trial. As long as you can come back alive from the Blood Demon Realm, you will be a core disciple of the sect. Remember that.”
Zhao Hai was stunned. He really hadn’t expected this. He quickly asked, “I can really become a core disciple of the Forbidden Path Sect?”
Wan Feng nodded and said, “That’s right, this is the sect’s decision, so perform well. The Blood Demon Realm is not easy to enter. Although those who enter the Blood Demon Realm will have their strength greatly improved after they come out, the proportion of cultivators who return from the Blood Demon Realm is very low. If you don’t make thorough preparations, many of you may die inside, and then everything will be over. Do you understand?”
Zhao Hai nodded and said, “Yes, please rest assured, Elder Wan, I understand.”
Wan Feng nodded, then he glanced at Zhou Feng and said, “Then I won’t bother you any longer. You should take a good rest for the next month. Don’t take on any sect missions. Familiarize yourself with the inner sect environment. You’ll be going to the Blood Demon Realm in a month. Zhou Feng is going too. You two can go together then. I’m leaving.” After saying that, Wan Feng left Zhao Hai’s courtyard and walked out.
As soon as Wan Feng left, Zhou Feng didn’t care about anything else as he grabbed Zhao Hai and laughed loudly, “Come on, we used to go to that restaurant, but it’s really not very interesting. Let’s go to the restaurant in the inner sect for a couple of drinks today. The environment there is much better than that other one.” Without waiting for a reply, he led Zhao Hai away.
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