"I dare not, disciple..."
Chen Yan immediately began to appear fearful.
"All I can say is that the old master misjudged!"
Lin Qifeng laughed heartily.
Come to think of it, Lin Qifeng never seemed dissatisfied about being called "trash"—in fact, he always took pride in it.
What exactly happened back then that made the sect leader expel Lin Qifeng from Kongyuan Mountain?
Chen Yan couldn't guess, nor did he dare touch upon this topic.
"Speaking of which, the reason I called you here today is to discuss serious matters."
Lin Qifeng said.
Then Lin Qifeng paused briefly:
"One of those two duty disciples was your friend, correct?"
"Yes."
Chen Yan replied.
He felt somewhat nervous inside, afraid that Lin Qifeng would continue questioning him about the two duty disciples and ask him to cooperate with the investigation.
Because Chen Yan didn't actually know them at all.
"Don't take it too much to heart. The path of immortal cultivation is long, and partings through life and death are very common. If people from Qingchan Peak come looking for you, no matter what they ask, just say you don't know anything and let them figure it out themselves."
Lin Qifeng said.
It seemed Lin Qifeng intended to adopt a hands-off attitude toward this matter.
"I obey, disciple."
Chen Yan said.
This was also the attitude Chen Yan currently hoped to see from Lin Qifeng.
However, Chen Yan himself absolutely could not afford to ignore this matter, as it likely related to the calamity that would befall the outer court three years from now.
"The news about you being my disciple has already spread. Most of the outer court stewards know that I, the outer court elder, have taken a disciple named Chen Yan. If you ever need any help in the future, don't hesitate to ask them."
Lin Qifeng said.
Chen Yan knew that Lin Qifeng had chosen to take him as a disciple simply because he needed a messenger between himself and Kongyuan Mountain.
Additionally, because Chen Yan had become involved with Song Mingde and Qingchan Peak, Lin Qifeng felt more urgently compelled to monitor his movements.
"The final matter is the outer court competition two months from now."
Lin Qifeng said.
The outer court competition was held annually, while the inner sect competition occurred every three years.
The outer court competition served as a selection mechanism for the sect and provided an excellent pathway for outer court disciples to advance to the inner sect.
At that time, the Three Mountains and Four Peaks of Kongshan Sect would all send representatives to observe the participating outer court disciples and select suitable candidates.
However, the number of disciples chosen from the outer court to enter the inner sect each year remained extremely small.
"You must participate, and before the outer court competition concludes, you absolutely must not break through to the Qi Circulation Realm."
Lin Qifeng said:
"After undergoing three cycles of Body Forging Liquid to temper your bones and cleanse your marrow, your strength won't fall behind against the vast majority of outer court disciples in the Body Forging Realm. After all, I am still the outer court elder, and I need to maintain at least some dignity."
"I understand, disciple."
In Lin Qifeng's eyes, if opponents were Body Forging Realm cultivators, Chen Yan wouldn't be at a disadvantage.
After all, high-grade Body Forging Liquid was a resource that ordinary outer court disciples could hardly access, and it greatly impacted the combat power of Body Forging Realm cultivators.
But if Chen Yan broke through to the Qi Circulation Realm, things would be different.
However, Chen Yan's actual cultivation level was at the peak of the Qi Circulation Realm.
It was only because he possessed the Hidden Immortal Art that his cultivation appeared to be at the late stage of the Body Forging Realm.
In past cycles of reincarnation, even during his first life, Chen Yan had never participated in the outer court competition.
Because he knew exactly what he was capable of.
Even when Chen Yan later returned to age fifteen with a century of cultivation, he had to conceal his cultivation level and keep as low a profile as possible due to being labeled as the "Cause of Calamity."
But now, circumstances had changed.
His current identity was that of the sect leader's personal disciple and the personal disciple of outer court elder Lin Qifeng. As Zhao Bin had said that day, he was now essentially considered half a disciple of Kongyuan Mountain.
With access to various inner sect resources, rapid advancement in cultivation could be reasonably expected.
At the very least, he wouldn't be easily branded with the "Cause of Calamity" label.
Even if Lin Qifeng only saw him as a messenger rather than a true disciple.
To others, anyone thinking of targeting him would still have to consider Lin Qifeng's influence.
After all, even when beating a dog, one must consider its master's status, right?
Lin Qifeng's only requirement for Chen Yan was not to embarrass him during the outer court competition, and gaining some modest prestige would be ideal.
Chen Yan felt quite confident about this.
With his cultivation at the peak of the Qi Circulation Realm, even while suppressing his power to the late stage of the Body Forging Realm, he could effortlessly overpower those Body Forging Realm cultivators.
After bidding farewell to Lin Qifeng, Chen Yan left the Fate Inquiry Hall.
He noticed that the number of gazes directed at him from the streets today far exceeded what he normally experienced.
This was quite normal.
Because the news of Chen Yan being taken as Lin Qifeng's disciple had completely spread throughout the outer court.
After all, at this moment, Chen Yan was the only personal disciple of an elder in the entire outer court, and many outer court disciples wanted to catch a glimpse of his remarkable presence.
"Senior Brother Chen!"
Just as Chen Yan was walking along the outer court streets, trying to adapt to the changes in his status, a clear voice called out from behind and to his side.
A young man wearing outer court daoist robes strode quickly toward Chen Yan:
"I am Sun Lu, greeting Senior Brother Chen!"
After stopping before Chen Yan, the young man bowed with clasped hands.
The young man before him appeared to be several years older than Chen Yan.
His self-deprecating address as "junior brother" and calling Chen Yan "senior brother" was entirely out of respect for Chen Yan's master, Lin Qifeng.
"Hello."
For fellow disciples who likely approached him with some ulterior motive to curry favor, Chen Yan responded with a rather indifferent tone.
"My master is Zheng Fuyue, steward of the outer court Spirit Plant Workshop, who specifically sent me to congratulate you, Senior Brother Chen, on becoming the only elder's personal disciple in the outer court!"
The young man who called himself Sun Lu declared loudly:
"Having heard that you're still in the Body Forging Realm, my master specially sought out five stalks of Frost Soul Grass to help you advance to the Qi Circulation Realm soon."
As he spoke, Sun Lu retrieved an exquisite wooden box from behind him and offered it to Chen Yan.
Frost Soul Grass was a high-quality spirit plant with excellent medicinal effects, helping cultivators protect their meridians and soothe abundant true qi.
According to outer court rules, disciples who reached the Qi Circulation Realm or above could collect three Frost Soul Grass leaves monthly from the Spirit Plant Workshop.
On average, a single stalk of Frost Soul Grass grew over twenty leaves.
It was said that inner sect disciples in the Qi Circulation Realm could receive one entire stalk of Frost Soul Grass each month.
It had to be said that this steward named Zheng Fuyue from the Spirit Plant Workshop had truly invested heavily to build connections with Elder Lin and please his only disciple.
"Then I'll trouble you to convey my thanks to Steward Zheng on my behalf."
Chen Yan smiled as he accepted the wooden box containing the Frost Soul Grass from the young man.
Lin Qifeng had just told him that if he needed any help, he should feel free to ask the outer court stewards.
So accepting these five stalks of Frost Soul Grass didn't burden Chen Yan's conscience in the slightest.