Chapter 434: Chapter 398: This Disciple Is Willing to Accept the Challenge

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was December.

In another month, the third-year disciples of the Spirit Dao Institute would go their separate ways.

Most would choose a path to specialize in based on their practiced arts: Alchemy, talisman crafting, Spirit Plant cultivation, beast taming... and so on.

They would earn Spirit Stones and merit points to support their cultivation.

Some disciples from the local province had an additional option: to return and rely on their families.

Zhao Lin was also contemplating his own future.

He had reached Minor Achievement in the art of Arrays, but if he were to make a career of it, he’d have to start as an apprentice. The meager salary would never be enough to support his goal of reaching Foundation Establishment before the age of forty.

And that didn’t even account for his Spirit Cultivation Map, which required vast quantities of Spirit Stones to advance his proficiency in Magic.

Another option was to make a living by taking on missions.

The pay was good, but the risks were extremely high. Moreover, with the Li family of Three Mountains County lurking in the shadows, Zhao Lin didn’t dare to casually accept missions outside the institute.

If he were to be attacked by a Foundation Establishment cultivator, the consequences would be unthinkable.

After all, missions restricted to Qi Refining Realm cultivators that also offered substantial merit points were exceedingly rare. At minimum, they were white-ranked missions.

’What if I just stay at the Spirit Dao Institute?’

’With my proficiency in Magic, I’m more than qualified to be a teaching disciple. The only drawback is that accumulating merit points would be too slow. I can’t afford to wait.’

After weighing his options, Zhao Lin decided to wait and observe for a while longer.

DING...

CLANG...

The Moon-Cutting Saber whirled and weaved, dancing up and down in the air.

Like a boomerang, it repeatedly struck a small metal ball.

The small ball ricocheted through the air, emitting a series of DINGs and CLANGs, yet it never fell...

This continued for a quarter of an hour until the Moon-Cutting Saber suddenly froze in place, the small ball landing securely on its flat.

Guided by an invisible force, the Moon-Cutting Saber flew back, ball in tow, and was caught in a large hand.

"I’ve finally glimpsed the threshold of the Perfection stage for this Magic!"

Zhao Lin muttered to himself as he put away the Moon-Cutting Saber.

To bring his Magic to the Perfection stage as quickly as possible, he spent at least half an hour every day practicing the Ice Blade Skill and Flame Stream Arrow. Both arts had shown significant progress.

The Water Manipulation Skill, however, could only be practiced underwater. And now that it was nearing the Perfection stage, the few rivers and lakes in the county could barely meet its requirements, which was a source of great frustration for Zhao Lin.

Just then, a soft CLICK came from outside his gate.

Zhao Lin sensed it and opened the courtyard gate. On the ground sat a messenger paper crane.

He unfolded the crane and saw four words written on it: Come to Feihong Pavilion.

The signature was a single character: Zhou.

’Feihong Pavilion is where the Dean, Zhou Hongfang, rests and conducts his business. Why would he summon me specifically?’

Zhao Lin fell into thought.

’Is he going to assign me a sect mission?’

’Or is it about the Dharma Assembly in a few days?’

A summons from the Dean was not to be delayed. Zhao Lin closed his courtyard gate and strode quickly up the mountain.

As he arrived at the main area of the Spirit Dao Institute, he came face-to-face with Li Sancai.

"Senior Brother Zhao."

Li Sancai respectfully stepped to the side of the path and bowed.

"Brother Sancai."

A smile touched Zhao Lin’s lips as he walked over and clapped him on the shoulder.

Three years of cultivation had changed Li Sancai greatly. He was much taller and sturdier, and his features had grown quite handsome. He was no longer the skinny beggar he once was.

However, his personality remained somewhat timid, and he was overly deferential in his interactions with others.

Li Sancai was the slowest cultivator among the third-year disciples. He had only entered the Qi Refining Third Layer midway through the year.

Many disciples privately called him "Li Third Layer."

Logically, even someone with an inferior-grade Spiritual Root shouldn’t progress so slowly, unless they weren’t diligent in their cultivation.

But Li Sancai was an extremely diligent cultivator, so everyone could only attribute his slow progress to a lack of innate talent.

It wasn’t until a garrison cultivator returned to the county a few days ago that everyone learned the truth of the matter.

It turned out that Li Sancai had been saving his entire stipend from the Spirit Dao Institute, not spending a single cent. He gave it all to the garrison cultivator who had first brought him to the path of cultivation. He even exchanged his merit points for alchemical pills to give to the man.

The garrison cultivator initially refused to accept it, but he couldn’t dissuade the resolute Li Sancai, who knelt before the cultivator’s residence for a long time, refusing to rise.

Left with no other choice, the garrison cultivator had to accept.

The other disciples were stunned when they heard this. Li Sancai, a man with an inferior-grade Spiritual Root, was actually giving his cultivation resources to someone else. No wonder his progress was so slow.

Some disciples, not understanding, asked Li Sancai why he would do such a thing. Discovering mortals with Spiritual Roots was part of a garrison cultivator’s duty; there was no need to repay him at such great personal expense.

Li Sancai replied, "He saved my life. My conscience wouldn’t be clear if I didn’t repay that kindness."

Some called him stupid; others called him a fool.

Zhao Lin, however, disagreed. ’To know a kindness and repay it is the foundation of a person’s character. People like that are worth befriending.’

’His method of repayment is a bit shortsighted, though,’ Zhao Lin thought. ’He should focus on improving his own cultivation first, then repay the kindness once he’s actually capable.’

After exchanging greetings with Li Sancai, Zhao Lin quickly made his way to Feihong Pavilion.

Stepping into the pavilion, he saw Zhou Hongfang sipping tea under a banyan tree in the courtyard. An old man was seated beside him.

The old man looked familiar. Zhao Lin thought for a moment and recalled that this was the Shopkeeper from the Shangyuan Immortal Market in Han Chi County.

Zhao Lin had traveled with the old man on a Spiritual Vessel before and knew his surname was Gu.

"Disciple pays his respects to the Dean. Greetings, Elder Gu."

Zhao Lin stepped forward with a respectful expression, bowed, and then stood to the side, awaiting instructions.

"Oh? The two of you know each other?"

Hearing Zhao Lin address the old man by his surname, Zhou Hongfang turned to the elder in surprise.

The old man, Gu, gave a slight bow. "In response to the Dean, this junior had the pleasure of meeting this young friend a few times last year."

He then stood and clasped his hands toward Zhao Lin. "I am Gu Dezhao. Young friend Zhao, we meet again."

"It’s a pleasure!"

Zhao Lin clasped his hands in return, though he was inwardly puzzled. ’Why would the Dean summon me, only to have a shopkeeper present?’

’From the looks of it, today’s business must have something to do with this Shopkeeper Gu.’

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