Chapter 21: Recorded Disciple

Translator: GGP

“I am willing, Senior Master!” Liu Ming naturally could not refuse a Spirit Master without reason, even if it seemed the offer was made casually.

“Good, you stand aside as well.” The Gui-surnamed scholar instructed nonchalantly.

Standing beside him, in addition to the disciple named ‘Xiao Feng’ who was identified earlier as having nine spirit meridians, was another disciple with red hair named Yu Cheng, a loose cultivator, also standing to the side.

However, their expressions were completely opposite; Xiao Feng had a look of dejection, while Yu Cheng gave Liu Ming a friendly smile.

Seeing Liu Ming was selected first by the Gui-surnamed scholar, Lin Caiyu couldn’t help but hesitate.

If it had been any other branch, they would certainly have not rejected her request for the exchange of a disciple with three spirit meridians, but the Jiuying branch’s relationship with the other branches was not on good terms. Moreover, having suffered a major loss this time, if she made a request to exchange disciples now, it could likely be seen as a provocation.

“Better not!”

“Junior Sister Lin” thought after weighing the pros and cons in her heart and finally let out a soft sigh.

After all, this “Bai Congtian” was just a three-spirit meridian disciple, and it was not worth upsetting another Spirit Master over him.

In the end, the master of the Ghost Dance Peak did not speak up and simply chose another three-spirit meridian disciple when her turn came.

In a blink of an eye, the dozens of disciples were all divvied up amongst the Barbarian Ghost Sect’s branches, and the masters of the respective peaks took their newly selected disciples and left the Ancestor Hall for their own peaks.

Liu Ming and a few others, under the scholar’s spell, were lifted by a cloud of grey and swiftly flew towards a mountain at the edge of a mountain range.

This mountain was the “Jiuying Mountain,” the location of the Jiuying branch. However, the buildings on the mountain were clearly not as numerous as on the other peaks, especially at the summit, which from afar only seemed to have around a dozen large structures.

As the grey cloud suddenly dispersed, Liu Ming, and the others landed on a small square in front of a large hall.

There, already waiting were more than a dozen disciples in green robes from the Jiuying branch.

In front of these disciples stood a disheveled thirty-something-year-old man with a vermilion gourd at his waist. Upon seeing the scholar and newcomers like Liu Ming, his eyes brightened as he came forward:

“Senior Brother, how did it go? I heard that a loose cultivator with an earth spirit meridian appeared at the spirit opening ceremony. Did you bring him back?”

“Younger Brother, do you really think the Patriarch’s branch would let us have such a disciple with that kind of potential! However, we didn’t do badly this time; we managed to bring back a disciple with nine spirit meridians. You guys come over, this is your Uncle Master Zhu. Come and pay your respects,” the scholar replied with a wry smile before signaling several new disciples to approach.

“We pay our respects to Uncle Master Zhu!” Liu Ming and the others did not dare to delay and stepped forward, greeting respectfully.

“No need for such formalities, rise. It’s normal for the disciple with the earth spirit meridian to be taken by the Patriarch’s branch. If the Patriarch let such a talent fall to our branch, that would have been the real surprise,” replied Zhu Chi, first waving his hand dismissively and then his expression grew somber.

“This is not the place to talk; let’s go inside and continue,” said the scholar, changing the subject without continuing on the previous topic.

Zhu Chi naturally did not object, and immediately accompanied the scholar into the large hall behind them, with the other disciples following closely.

The new disciples and the original Jiuying disciples unconsciously split into two lines, sizing each other up.

Curiously, Liu Ming observed the dozen or so senior disciples.

Amongst them, both men and women were about half each, mostly aged around seventeen or eighteen to about twenty, with the oldest being a determined-looking twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old man. His aura was concentrated and he gave off an exceptionally steady feeling.

This young man seemed to notice Liu Ming observing him and gave him a slight smile.

Liu Ming responded with a friendly smile of his own.

Among the other disciples, there were two female disciples who caught his attention.

One had an oval face with fair skin and a tall figure, exuding an extraordinarily gentle vibe, and the other had arching eyebrows, eyes like deep pools, with an exceptionally full figure.

Both women were very attractive and would surely draw the eyes of many young men wherever they went.

On Liu Ming’s side, apart from Xiao Feng, Yu Cheng, and Liu Ming, there were also two disciples, a male and a female, who were three spiritual pulse disciples casually chosen by the Confucian scholar.

As Liu Ming was quietly contemplating, everyone had already entered the hall. The Confucian scholar and Zhu Chi sat down in the front, while the disciples stood in two rows with their hands clasped.

“Shi Chuan, these are your new junior brothers. This is your Senior Brother Shi, who takes care of all miscellaneous matters in the mountains,” said the Confucian scholar after a slight pause. He beckoned to a man in his late twenties to stand out and introduced him.

“Junior brothers and sisters, if you need anything in the mountains, feel free to come to me,” Shi Chuan said to the new disciples with a smile, cupping his fists in greeting.

Liu Ming and the others didn’t dare to be negligent and bowed in return.

“Besides me and your Uncle Master Zhu, our line also has an Aunt Master Zhong. However, she is currently in seclusion and you won’t be able to meet her. Additionally, Zhu Chi and I have limited energy and can’t take all of you as personal disciples. We can only personally instruct Xiao Feng and Yu Cheng; the rest of you will be nominal disciples for now,” the Confucian scholar’s gaze swept over Liu Ming and the others before he continued slowly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Ming felt somewhat gloomy in his heart, but his expression did not show any abnormality.

The two three spiritual pulse youngsters, both male and female, clearly showed disappointed faces but naturally did not dare say much.

“Do not worry. Both nominal and personal disciples initially learn the same basic techniques of our sect, so whether we teach you personally doesn’t make a big difference. It mainly depends on your own understanding. Although you few have slightly inferior aptitudes, if you display exceptional talents in cultivation, Zhu Chi and I may still take you as personal disciples. If you have any doubts in your cultivation, you can first ask your senior brothers and sisters. If they also cannot answer, then you can come to us. However, there are not many Spirit Masters in our line, and the three of us also need time to seclude ourselves for cultivation, and we often have to go out to complete some missions assigned by the sect. If you encounter a situation where all three of us are not in the mountains, our sect has specifically established the Wisdom Heaven Hall, where every half a month, a Spirit Master will go there to teach various specialized secret techniques and answer some questions from the disciple attendees. You can also go there; I believe you will gain a lot,” Zhu Chi added from the side.

“Alright, you will gradually understand the related matters of the sect. Shi Chuan, first take these three junior brothers and sisters down to the Deacon Hall to collect some things, then arrange their accommodation, and inform them of the sect rules and taboos,” the Confucian scholar nodded and commanded.

“Three junior brothers and sisters, please come with me!” Shi Chuan nodded in acknowledgment and politely addressed Liu Ming and the other two.

Following him, they made their way outside the hall.

As he stepped through the grand door, Liu Ming faintly heard the Confucian scholar’s instructions from behind:

“Apart from Xiao Feng and Yu Cheng, all the rest of you may also leave. In two months, it will be the day of the Minor Competition; you must practice diligently to bring honor to our line!”

Beneath, naturally, was the sound of many disciples answering in unison.

“Three junior brothers and sisters, follow me. I will first arrange accommodation for you, then we will go to the Deacon Hall. Oh right, I still don’t know the honored names of you three junior brothers and sisters!” Shi Chuan, having led the three out of the hall, then asked with a smiling face.

“Senior Brother Shi is too courteous. I am Bai Congtian!”

“Xue Shan”

“Wan Xiaoqian”

Liu Ming and the other two young disciples hurriedly replied without any delay.

Xue Shan appeared quite sturdy and had a dark complexion, while Wan Xiaoqian, though not particularly beautiful, had a rare spirited look between her brows for a woman.

“So it’s Junior Brother Bai, Younger Brother Xue, and Junior Sister Wan. Our branch in total has no more than a few dozen people, rather few compared to the several hundred in other branches. Additionally, according to sect rules, any brother or sister over the age of thirty must not stay in the mountain but must find their own cave dwelling outside, so there are not many disciples living on the mountain, leaving many residences vacant. Junior Brother Bai, you are free to choose any place that suits you. This is one of the few benefits of our Jiuying line,” Shi Chuan said with a light laugh.

“From what Senior Brother says, could it be there are particular considerations when choosing a residence?” At that, Liu Ming’s heart stirred, and he promptly asked.

Xue Shan and Wan Xiaoqian also exchanged glances upon hearing this.

“Junior Brother Bai is truly clever. Normally, for cultivation, the thicker the natural energy in one’s place of residence, the more beneficial it is. Although most of these residences are built in such spots, there are still some subtle differences among them. Moreover, depending on the cultivation techniques disciples choose, they have their own preferences for where to live. For instance, some practitioners of yang-based methods naturally want their residences in places where sunlight can shine during all twelve hours of the day, while those who practice more yin-oriented methods prefer the opposite. They would rather have their residences built underground, avoiding sunlight all twenty-four hours of the day, as such an environment can double their cultivation efficiency,” explained Shi Chuan offhandedly.

“I see!” Liu Ming and the others showed a sudden understanding.

“However, you three junior brothers and sisters are just beginning your cultivation, so you don’t need to consider too much. As long as the residence has dense natural energy and can slightly quicken your cultivation speed, that’s enough,” Shi Chuan added.

“Thank you for the guidance, Senior Brother Shi!” Xue Shan replied with some gratitude.

“Hehe, from now on we are fellow disciples, so you three junior brothers and sisters do not need to be so formal. Although our line may be weaker compared to others, it is precisely because the disciples are quite united that we do not have many of the annoying issues found in other branches. Now that you have joined our line, just focus on your cultivation with ease. Alright, next, I will take you directly to some vacant places to live. If you see somewhere you like, just let me know,” said Shi Chuan as he arrived back at the plaza and immediately began to form a hand seal, muttering an incantation.