“However, this person is simply not a person from a cultivator clan and is merely a rogue cultivator. Do we still have to give him a Foundation Establishment Pill under those circumstances? As I see it, simply letting him enter the sect is enough. With that much, he would regard that as a great fortune!” The old man disputed while flushed with anger.
“Junior Martial Brother Ye, these words should not be uttered! How do you know that his ancestors were not from a cultivator clan? Perhaps his clan simply declined and then he became a rogue cultivator! Moreover, who can guarantee their own clan will not weaken with age! Perhaps one day Junior Martial Brother Ye’s Ye Clan will also decline. When the moment comes where one of the Ye Clan’s future generation brings the Writ of Immortal Ascension, will our Yellow Maple Valley not give them a Foundation Establishment Pill and only have them enter the sect? If Junior Martial Brother dares to swear this poisonous oath in front of all is us, I, Mu Rongshan, will turn around and leave alone the matter of the Foundation Establishment Pill.”
The middle-aged man’s composed and confident words turned the old man’s face white then green, leaving him speechless.
How could the old man possibly dare to swear such a troublesome oath! Even if he were to swear it, only he would would stand aside and leave the matter. Who knew whether others would step in?
“However, why must my grandnephew’s pill be given away? Are the others’ out of the question?” The old man asked, unreconciled.
“You must ask why this Junior Martial Brother’s grandnephew is far too lacking! When tested, his rank was actually near last.” The middle-aged man shook his head with the appearance of regret.
Seeing the person across from him act in this manner, the roots of the old man’s teeth ached with hatred! However, for the benefit of his grandnephew, he couldn’t do anything to him. With great resolve, he continued, “My grandnephew’s ranking is truly a bit poor, but he is not last in the ranking of those that have not yet taken the Foundation Establishment Pill! Are there not still two others?”
“Junior Martial Brother is correct, There are two others that were tested and ranked lower than your grandnephew. However those two’s circumstances are truly unusual! They simply have grievances toward Junior Martial Brother’s grandnephew!” The middle-aged man said with a voice of great pity.
“What is unusual? If you don’t give me a convincing reason, I will not swallow the tone of your voice!” The old man was nervous and let out fierce words.
“Such a willful display! What is there not to swallow? Those two people are truly unusual. Skipping over these two, Junior Martial Brother’s apprentice was chosen. I had also agreed to this. As for the grounds, Junior Martial Brother need not ask; I can give you an explanation.”
Zhong Lingdao, having seen the old man unexpectedly say such words, lowered his face and berated him.
Seeing Zhong Lingdao speak in such a way, the old man’s heart trembled with fear! He only knew that during the test, that there should have been two behind his grandnephew. As for who, he truly did not know. This left him truly indignant and dissatisfied! Could it be there was truly some sort of exception that caused even the strict and impartial Sect Master to side with them?
Zhong Lingdao waved his hand, gesturing the middle-aged scholar to return to his original seat. He then sighed and said, “Junior Martial Brother Ye, I fear that this time I truly must wrong your grandnephew! Of those two people, one is Martial Aunt Hong Fu’s sole descendant from the secular world. That is why although the young girl originally did not meet the test standards, I had chosen her to enter the list of those who will receive the Foundation Establishment Pill. Surely Junior Martial Disciple doesn’t want to take away this person’s Foundation Establishment Pill?
When the old man heard the name Hong Fu, he was startled. His complexion immediately undergone a great change and was filled with fear and trepidation.
“Since it is Martial Aunt Hong Fu’s descendant, it is only natural to take care of her. How could this Little Brother disrespect his elders in this way! This Little Brother is convinced of this person’s arrangement and concedes.” The old man spoke with his face somewhat pale.
Having seen the old man’s expression as such, Great Sect Master Zhong was not at all surprised. After all, she was the sole female descendant of the Yellow Maple Valley’s Core Formation expert, Martial Aunt Hong Fu, whose temper was known to all. If he truly deprived the young girl’s qualifications to Foundation Establishment, the old man wouldn’t just be out of luck, perhaps even this Sect Master would have no good days ahead of him!
“And the other one?” The old man was still unresigned. Although he knew this remaining person was certain to have sufficient justification, he was still asked with a mind grasping for a fluke.
“As for the remaining one, his body has a strange wind attribute spiritual root. Is this enough justification?” Zhong Lingdao unhurriedly answered as he twirled his long beard with his fingers.
When the old man heard this, he remained silent. Yellow Maple Valley’s sect rules had an article that stated: Heavenly roots and unusual spiritual roots took precedence in Foundation Establishment. There was nothing he could complain about.
However, although his grandnephew was not his grandson by blood, ever since he entered the sect, he dearly looked at his growth since the very first days. He was even more intimate toward him than his very own grandsons. How could he have the heart to tell him that his qualifications for Foundation Establishment had been revoked!
“Then my grandnephew is truly without hope? It should be known that if he were to wait another ten years, he would miss the optimal period to reach Foundation Establishment and would lose his chance to enter Foundation Establishment in this lifetime!” The old man’s words were somewhat bleak, stirring up a burst of whispers among those seated.
“Junior Martial Brother Ye, there is actually a way!” A somewhat gloomy, long-faced old man with a hawk nose stood and consoled the old man surnamed Ye.
“What? Senior Martial Brother Wu has a method?” When old man Ye heard this, his spirit shook. Within the sect, this Senior Brother Wu was well known for being resourceful. Perhaps he truly had a method!
The old man surnamed Wu slightly smiled and didn’t immediately respond. Instead he turned to Zhong Lingdao and saluted to him, asking him with a clear voice, “May I ask Sect Master, what were the properties of the spiritual roots of the person who brought the Writ of Immortal Ascension? Have you tested him yet? What was his aptitude?”
“It seemed to be not particularly good! Junior Martial Brother Wang, you personally tested him. Why don’t you tell us!” Zhong Lingdao asked someone from the left side of the row.
“Yes, Elder Martial Brother, Sect Master!” A middle-aged wearing light green clothes stood and indifferently said, “This person’s age is not old. He is eighteen or nineteen years of age. He has reached early ninth layer in a wood attribute foundation cultivation technique. His spiritual roots are the four attributes except for metal. They could be classified as false spiritual roots. From judging as a whole, this person’s aptitudes are at the bottom. However, he has come across fortuitous encounters and diligently trained, otherwise how else could he reach his current state? If he were to have no other strokes of luck, in this lifetime, he would at most train to his foundation cultivation technique until the eleventh or twelfth layer, unable to enter Foundation Establishment. Even if he were to take a Foundation Establishment Pill, his odds of entering Foundation Establishment are only one percent…”
“Good!” The old man surnamed Wu waited until Junior Brother Wang said this before loudly interrupting.
“What is good?” The old man surnamed Ye could not help but ask.
The others looked at the old man surnamed Wu with doubtful gazes. Only Zhong Lingdao wrinkled his brow, he already had a bit of a guess in his mind.
“May I ask Sect Master, if the person that came took the initiative to renounce the Foundation Es
tablishment Pill, would it be regarded as going against our promise!?” The old man surnamed Wu asked.
“Of course. However, no one is allowed to use threats or force to accomplish this matter. Otherwise, our Yellow Maple Valley’s reputation will be ruined!” Sect Master Zhong softly and solemnly said.
“Hehe! Sect Master, please feel at ease! This is only natural!” The old man surnamed Wu faintly smiled and then turned his head toward the old man surnamed Ye, saying, “Junior Martial Brother Ye, you don’t mind spending a few items to purchase his Foundation Establishment Pill, right? It should be known with such lowly aptitude, the rate of success to enter Foundation Establishment is pitifully small. This should be a great opportunity. He can to renounce the Establishment Foundation Pill to obtain something far more practical!” The old man named Wu said with a fully confident appearance.
Chapter 145: The Unexpected Guest
“That’s right! Senior Martial Brother Wu truly has a good idea!” The old man surnamed Ye’s two eyes shined with excitement.
Then he turned his head to Zhong Lingdao and expectantly requested, “Sect Master, could I see the owner of the Writ of Immortal Ascension? I wish to do business with him and exchange something for his voluntary renouncement of the Foundation Establishment Pill!”
When Zhong Lingdao heard this, he muttered to himself hesitantly before nodding. However, he reminded the old man that he mustn’t overstep his boundaries and force the transaction before letting Junior Martial Brother Wang see the uninvited guest.
The old man and Junior Martial Brother Wang exited the main hall. After stepping on a leaf-shaped magic tool, they immediately soared into the sky toward Yellow Maple Valley’s guest-welcoming building.
In a room of the Yellow Maple Valley’s guest-welcoming building, a youth was lying on a bed, looking at the roof while lost in thought. He was precisely Han Li who followed them to Yellow Maple Valley after the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly’s conclusion.
After Han Li had killed the two cultivators who ambushed him, with no further external encounters, he hurried to some hidden mountain peak in the Lan Province to participate in the Great Immortal Ascension Assembly that was soon to convene and compare what he saw with the desperately fought tournaments described by Hu Pinggu.
After the life-and-death contests, with each stage having a final victor, the Seven Great Sects’ representatives finally emerged. Yellow Maple Valley’s representative was that Junior Martial Brother Wang.
After having seen Yellow Maple Valley’s representative and taking a moment of careful deliberation, he still resolved himself to take the risk and hand over the Writ of Immortal Ascension for this man to see, causing the representative to be startled.
The representative immediately stated that he could bring Han Li back to the sect. As for the specifics towards him and the Writ of Immortal Ascension, it would be the decision of their Sect Master. After all, regaining the Writ of Immortal Ascension was a matter four to five hundred years overdue!
Han Li was naturally unopposed, otherwise he would have to find Yellow Maple Valley’s mountain entrance by himself. It would be far too exhausting for him.
Like that, the other cultivators looked at Han Li with gazes of amazement. He sat on an immense boat-shaped magic tool with ten victors from the tournament and the representative Junior Martial Brother Wang. When he returned to Yellow Maple Valley, he was brought here to wait for a reply. As for the other ten, they had parted. It was unknown where they had gone.
Han Li waited here for three to four days and did not leave his room. Aside from an eleven to twelve year-old male servant delivering him food every day on schedule, he did not see anyone else.
It wasn’t that Han Li was actually obedient and sincere, but after that representative surnamed Wang arranged his living conditions and tested his spiritual root attributes, he immediately told him that because he still wasn’t a disciple of Yellow Maple Valley, the room would have a few restrictive techniques. For the time being, he would be unable to leave the room, otherwise he would trigger the restrictive techniques, causing him to be restrained.
Having heard the representative surnamed Wang, Han Li naturally did not bring embarrassment upon himself. In addition, after having become aware that he possessed four attribute false spiritual roots, Han Li mood took a turn for the worse.
Although Han Li already knew that his own cultivation aptitude was rather poor, after hearing it with his own ears, he became sad and dispirited for an entire day. It seemed that if he wished to remain on his path of cultivation, he would have to rely on the external power of medicine pills and such.
However, after he ascended to the ninth layer of the Eternal Spring Arts, he felt the effectiveness of “Yellow Dragon Pellet” and “Golden Essence Pill” greatly lessening. They did not aid him as greatly as before. It seemed he must find several other spiritual medicine recipes and concoct some medicine pills truly fit for a cultivator, else the pace of his cultivation would be delayed.
Just as Han Li was immersed in thought, the sound of footsteps came from outside the door. In addition, it was the sound of not just one person. Han Li roused his spirit. It seemed that after suffering through several days, the information he was waiting for had come.
“Young Friend, have you become accustomed to living here?”
The room’s door softly opened, and the voice of the representative named Wang spoke. This man soon entered the room, followed by a blushing old man.
“Greetings, Immortal Wang!” Han Li immediately jumped from the bed and respectfully greeted him. He was fully aware that nobody would find fault with extra courtesy. Were he to humble his attitude a bit, he would only receive benefit and no detriments.
“This is…?” Han Li glanced at the old man and asked, puzzled.
“This is my Senior Martial Brother, surnamed Ye.” Junior Martial Brother Wang smiled and then explained.
Surnamed Ye? Han Li was startled. Could it be that the matter of having taken the writ after killing Monk Golden Light was revealed? Was it the Ye Clan member who sought him? However, although this old man’s complexion wasn’t too good, he did not have the appearance of great anger. It seemed he had some other mysterious reason. Han Li felt apprehensive, though this was not expressed in the slightest on his face. With the same respectful tone, he said, “So it was Immortal Ye!”
The old man sized up Han Li once through. How could Han Li look and feel so terribly ordinary? There wasn’t anything the slightest bit out of the ordinary. He couldn’t help but feel uncertain toward his purpose coming here.
As a result, after he heard Han Li’s greeting, he put on a gracious face and smiled, saying, “Hehe! Young Friend Han need not be overly courteous. Since Young Friend Han arrived to our Yellow Maple Valley holding the Writ of Immortal Ascension, Young Friend is already a sect disciple. Calling me Martial Uncle Ye will suffice; you need not regard yourself as an outsider!”
After Han Li heard the old man’s words, his heart greatly lightened. However, his mind was still somewhat unconvinced.
Since the other party had spoken so politely, it seems he did not have a vendetta against him. Though, wasn’t this level of politely a bit too excessive? How could he be said to not be an outsider! Han Li was at a loss.
“Young Friend Han, Senior Martial Brother Ye did not speak wrongly! The current Sect Master had already agreed to allow Young Friend to become a sect disciple. In addition, a Foundation Establishment Pill has been prepared for Young Friend!” Junior Martial Brother Wang said with a light smile.
“Truly?” When the always steady and calm Han Li heard those words, he could not help but grow excited. He wished he could dance for joy and vent his feelings.
Seeing Han Li act in such a manner, Junior Martial Brother Wang smiled. He did not feel very surprised; it seemed he had already predicted Han Li’s reaction!
“Junior Martial Brother Wang, I wish to speak with Martial Nephew Han alone. Could you withdraw for a
moment?” The old man had grown somewhat impatient and finally spoke what he wanted to ever since he entered the room.
“Of course, this Junior Martial Brother will return to sect master first. After Senior Martial Brother and Martial Nephew Han finish speaking, come back together!” Junior Martial Brother Wang inwardly sighed. After giving Han Li a faint glance, he left the room.
At this moment, the only two remaining in the room were old man Ye and Han Li.
Han Li was stunned at what had happened before him. How could this one surnamed Wang just walk away after being told? The one left along with him, the fellow calling himself Martial Uncle, what matter does he have to speak with him! Although he didn’t know what this Senior Martial Brother Ye was up to, Han Li had a faintly bad premonition.
The old man saw that Han Li was uneasy, but he didn’t care in the slightest. He was convinced the things he could put forward were certain to cause this youth inexperienced with the world to widely open his eyes and smoothly complete the transaction.
“Martial Nephew Han, Martial Uncle is a straightforward person, therefore I will not beat around the bush and openly say it! My business is related to your given Foundation Establishment Pill. I wish to purchase it from Martial Nephew. What does Martial Nephew think about it?” The old man got right to the point.
‘He actually wants to purchase my Foundation Establishment Pill! Did he not mishear? How could he sell it to someone else!’ When Han Li heard this, he was shocked. However soon after, his complexion greatly changed and became unsightly.
“Martial Nephew Han, do not hesitate to be at ease. I will not offer nothing in exchange for Martial Nephew’s Foundation Establishment Pill. Seven or Eight mid-grade spirit stones, a few elementary mid to high grade spiritual talismans, and several kinds of first-rate magic tools. Martial Uncle still can bring out more things. If these truly won’t do, Martial Uncle still has a few magic power progressing medicine pills. Although they are incapable of being compared to a Foundation Establishment Pill, they are spiritual medicines hard to come by even in the sect.” The old man hastily explained after clearly seeing Han Li’s complexion change.
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