Another elder snorted. “Aren't you here too? What right do you have to talk about others!”
The Ninth Elder was not the least bit guilty. “I followed the Second Elder here!”
“This child just broke through. What's wrong with me coming to take a look?!”
The Second Elder coughed heavily twice. “Besides, when I saw her today, I truly felt she is exceptionally talented and suited for the sword. What if she only refused before because she looked down on Old Nine's swordplay? My swordplay is far superior to Old Nine's!”
The Ninth Elder's eyes instantly widened in anger. “Bullshit! You're just a few years older than me! Come on, let's have a duel! It's not set in stone who will win!”
“Do you all want to blow up the Elixir Pavilion like Song Yao did?!”
The Twelfth Elder pushed through the crowd and stepped forward. “You're all noisy as hell. This child has a wood spiritual root, making her prime material for a spiritual cultivator. Can you sword cultivators with simple minds and overdeveloped muscles please stay far away?”
“What did you say? You're the one with a simple mind and overdeveloped muscles! Our Nine Saints Hall is full of sword cultivators!!”
“Don't fight, don't fight.”
The Eleventh Elder chimed in gently, “Why not have her study talisman cultivation with me? Her physical constitution is extraordinary; she will surely grasp talisman arts in no time. She's a wonderful prospect.”
“Go, go, go. Talisman cultivators should stay even further away.”
The Seventh Elder arrived late. When he saw that the dried herbs under the corridor had been knocked over by this crowd, anger instantly flared in his chest, making his hair and beard stand on end.
Without another word, he ran back to the Elixir Pavilion, hoisted a bronze cauldron weighing over a thousand pounds, rushed out, and hurled it toward the group of elders. “The child already said she's not interested! If you keep trying to snatch my disciple from me, I'm going to lose my temper!”
Song Yao stood under the corridor, looking at He Yu in shock. “M-Master, he, he, he...”
“You probably don't know yet, but Master is a bit like you. He has a Sacred Body Cultivation Constitution, but he insisted on becoming a pill cultivator. This is nothing to him.”
“Wow, amazing.”
No wonder back then when the Elixir Pavilion accidentally blew up, the Seventh Elder had been pinned underneath but remained completely unharmed.
The elders hurriedly retreated to dodge, stammering, “Old Seven, what's the rush? We're just letting the child learn another skill from us. It's not like we're stopping her from acknowledging you as her master.”
“Exactly, exactly. It would be such a waste of such great talent.”
“Forget it, forget it. We'll come back next time, next time...”
After a bout of fussing, the crowd finally dispersed.
The Seventh Elder dusted off his sleeves. When he saw Song Yao and He Yu walking out from behind a stone pillar, his expression instantly softened. “Were you frightened?”
Song Yao shook her head. “No.”
The Seventh Elder looked at her and sighed deeply. “I didn't expect that you, child, would quietly survive the lightning tribulation and enter the Golden Core Stage on your own.”
The Golden Core Stage lightning tribulation was actually quite risky. A single mishap could turn someone into a cripple, or even cost them their life.
Generally, if a disciple of the Nine Saints Hall wanted to break through, they would prepare in advance and find a few reliable people to protect them, minimizing the danger as much as possible.
This child had shown no warning signs at all.
Moreover, hadn't she just reached Foundation Establishment...?
With such a terrifying breakthrough speed, it was no wonder those old fogies were going crazy over her.
Even he felt that it would be a waste if she didn't cultivate properly.
However, since the child was in poor health, a rapid breakthrough might not necessarily be a good thing.
When the body was too weak to absorb nourishment, an excess of spiritual energy could cause double pressure on both the body and the soul.
Song Yao followed behind him and said humbly, “It's not that your disciple is amazing. It's just that the spiritual spring's energy was too abundant. Plus, when Jiang Jin broke through, I accidentally followed suit.”
The Seventh Elder: “...”
He Yu: “...”
She made it sound so simple.
If it were really that easy to break through, that place would have turned into a crowded market long ago.
The Seventh Elder thought for a moment and added, “In any case, they do have a point. With your talent, you can learn anything quickly. If you want to study something else in the future, just go ahead. You don't have to worry about my feelings.”
Song Yao: “Then I want to be a medical cultivator.”
She heard that medical cultivation was also very profitable.
Since pill and medicine cultivation didn't work out, she would try this path instead.
The Seventh Elder: “...”
This child.
Why did she only pick subjects that were easy to fall asleep in?
Seeing Song Yao's expectant expression, he relented. “I'll speak to the Sixteenth Elder later. While he is still in the sect, you can go and learn from him.”
“Thank you, Master!”
...
The Sixteenth Elder was very pleased after receiving the request.
A wood spiritual root embraced all things and governed vitality, making it perfect for the study of medicine.
Additionally, with the child breaking through to the Golden Core Stage at such a young age, she had high comprehension. If nurtured well, she would surely achieve extraordinary things in the future.
He already had students all over the world. To teach another highly talented one as his closed-door disciple would make his life complete.
He specifically cleared his schedule and had someone tidy up the study hall of the Ward-Off-Illness Pavilion, preparing to teach his new disciple properly so he could show off to the other elders later.
His dream shattered the moment he spent a great deal of effort explaining a medical book, only to turn around and see Song Yao sound asleep.
Hiss—
Since this child was missing part of her soul, he had specifically cast a Heart-Clearing Spell on her before the lecture.
How was it completely useless?
This wouldn't do.
His reputation as the Saintly Hand of Salvation was renowned; he couldn't let it be ruined by a young disciple.
He struggled to shake Song Yao awake.
The young girl opened her misty eyes to look at him, praising, “Sixteenth Elder, your lectures are even easier to fall asleep to than my master's.”
The Sixteenth Elder: “...Thank you. Stand up and listen then. You surely can't fall asleep while standing.”
Half an incense burner's time later.
Thud!
The sound of her hitting the ground shattered the Sixteenth Elder's last shred of hope.
Song Yao climbed up while clutching the back of her head, showing great resilience. “It doesn't hurt, not even a bit. Where did you leave off?”
The Sixteenth Elder: “...First, let's treat your injury. If you go back like this, Old Seven might kill me later.”
Song Yao: “Are you going to kick me out?”
The Sixteenth Elder fell into a rare silence for a moment, then said earnestly, “Good child, don't you actually think sword cultivation and spiritual cultivation have a bright future? If those don't work, how about body cultivation?”
“No, I have to be a medical cultivator.”
Song Yao looked at him with pleading eyes. “I want to save people and help the world, just like you and Eldest Senior Brother.”
At the mention of her Eldest Senior Brother, the Sixteenth Elder clutched at the name like a saving straw. “It's really not that I don't want to teach you. In two days, I have to go on a long journey to treat someone's illness. How about we wait until your Eldest Senior Brother returns, and let him teach you? He is the Deputy Pavilion Master of the Ward-Off-Illness Pavilion, and his skills are no less than mine.”
Song Yao pursed her lips and asked as if casually, “Then... when is Eldest Senior Brother coming back?”
“Tsk, that I don't know.”
The Sixteenth Elder frowned, a hint of solemnity appearing on his face. “Ever since six months ago... that child has seemed like a completely different person. He was originally supposed to travel with me, but he didn't go. Instead, he ran off to the Earth Realm like crazy.”
Song Yao was startled. “The Earth Realm?”
“Yes, and there has been no news from him to this day. I don't know how he is doing, but his soul lamp is still lit, so he should be fine. After all, he has been to many places in the past. Once the Sect Master comes out of seclusion, he will probably send someone to look for him...”
As the Sixteenth Elder was speaking, he suddenly noticed blood slowly trickling down her neck. His eyes instantly widened. “Wait, wait, wait! You're bleeding! Let's put everything else aside! Healing! Heal first!!”
Rate on N.U.
