Chaos Body

Jiang Lu's eyes darted around. Clasping her hands behind her back, she looked up at him.

“What kind of benefits do I get for being your disciple?”

Chi Miao raised an eyebrow. The little girl was quite bold.

Hearing this, Elder Ye was overjoyed. She hadn't even become his disciple yet, and she was already making demands. He liked this kind of personality!

Then, in a cheerful and slightly proud tone, he said, “I will only have you as my disciple, so everything of mine will be yours. Besides, with your master's late-stage Mahayana strength, very few blind fools would dare to provoke you. Is that enough?”

Late-stage Mahayana!

Jiang Lu's eyes widened. In the cultivation world, Tribulation Transcendence cultivators could be counted on one hand and rarely appeared in public. Nowadays, Mahayana cultivators were revered as the supreme powerhouses.

This was a massive golden thigh to cling to!

Jiang Lu nodded. Hesitating for even a single second would be disrespectful to her own future. “This disciple is willing.”

Hehehe~

Elder Ye's youthful face almost wrinkled with laughter. He then looked at Chi Miao. “I'll be taking this little girl. If you're short on hands, just recruit a few more from outside.”

“Then many thanks, Elder Ye.”

Chi Miao had no reason to disagree. With such a good prospect coming from his branch, the resources allocated to their Xijiang City Medicine King Pavilion would double over the next ten years.

He then stood up and led Elder Ye and Jiang Lu to the main hall.

Elder Ye stood at the front of the main hall, looking at the memorial tablet above. This was the tablet of the first pavilion master of the Medicine King Pavilion, who was also their Ancestor. Since he was taking a disciple, even though there was no formal apprenticeship ceremony, it was only natural to inform the Ancestor.

He turned around to look at Jiang Lu, his tone deepening slightly. “Today, we are in a remote place, without incense, ceremonial vessels, or clan elders to witness. For now, we will skip the full apprenticeship ceremony. But remember clearly, from this moment on, we have the reality of master and disciple. The title is real, and moral duty comes first.”

“The Medicine King Pavilion in Xuwu City has strict etiquette. Once we return to the city, we will prepare the three sacrificial animals and incense offerings, kowtow, and serve tea. Only then will we hold a formal apprenticeship ceremony to announce it to the entire city, sealing our lifelong bond as master and disciple. Before that, you must conduct yourself with the propriety of a disciple. Every word and action of yours must abide by the rules of my lineage; there must not be the slightest negligence or indulgence.”

“My willingness to accept you in private is not out of a momentary whim of compassion. I see that your mind is resilient and your bone structure is rare, harboring a tenacity that others can hardly match. However, the path ahead is perilous. On the road of cultivation, inner demons, powerful enemies, and tribulations emerge endlessly. A single misstep can lead to eternal damnation. I place great hopes in you, and I hope you will not squander this opportunity.”

“In the future, I will pass down cultivation methods, teach you the Dao, and guide you to distinguish good from evil, make the right choices, and guard your original heart. You must not only seek formidable cultivation, but also shoulder the responsibility of passing down our lineage. If you achieve success in your studies one day, you must protect your own safety while also defending the righteous path, protecting the weak, and never tarnishing our lineage's reputation or dishonoring our teachings.”

“Do not look down upon this master-disciple bond just because we have not held the grand ceremony yet. The bond is in the heart, not in the ritual. Returning to the city to perform the ceremony is merely following convention; acknowledging each other here in the wilderness today is the true beginning of your cultivation path. I will carefully mold you, but the path is ultimately yours to walk step by step. Do not disappoint me.”

As his voice fell, Elder Ye quietly stared at Jiang Lu, his expression solemn, with a heavy expectation hidden deep in his eyes that could not be let down.

Hearing this, Jiang Lu bowed deeply, got down on her knees, and with a soft “thud,” she knocked her head against the ground, performing a formal kowtow.

“This disciple obeys.”

Since she had already acknowledged him as her master, she had to shoulder the corresponding responsibilities. There was no reason to receive resources without giving anything back.

Chi Miao then took a piece of gold foil from the altar table and held it up to Elder Ye with both hands.

Several colorful flows of magical spells danced upon the gold foil, which suddenly flashed with brilliant golden light. Then, a rumble of thunder echoed in the sky, and the gold foil floated into the air.

Along with a distant bell chiming in Jiang Lu's ears, the gold foil flashed a few times and transformed into a golden thread that merged into the space between her and Elder Ye's eyebrows.

From then on, the two became master and disciple recognized by the Heavenly Dao.

This was a ceremony that only cultivators of the Soul Formation realm or above would perform when taking a disciple. It was an orthodox method of the cultivation world. The bond of master and disciple was recognized by the Heavenly Dao; if Jiang Lu ever betrayed her master in the future, she would be punished.

Similarly, if the master harbored impure intentions and harmed the disciple's foundation, they would also receive corresponding punishment.

A true apprenticeship was not something that could be done casually on a whim.

“These are your apprenticeship gifts. If there's anything you want in the future, just ask me. I only have you as my disciple, so whatever I have is yours.”

With a wave of his hand, a silver storage bag appeared in his palm, and he handed it to Jiang Lu.

Jiang Lu nodded vigorously and accepted it with both hands.

“Let's go.”

Having said that, Elder Ye walked outside.

Jiang Lu immediately jogged to catch up.

Returning to the courtyard, Elder Ye set up a barrier to isolate the entire place.

“Disciple, now that we are master and disciple, tell me honestly. Is there something unusual about your spiritual root?”

Elder Ye sat on a chair, his voice steady and carrying a hint of certainty.

Jiang Lu nodded.

“To be honest, Master, I don't know what is unusual about my spiritual root. I have never tested its attributes. I simply started cultivating after obtaining a cultivation method by chance. When I found that I could absorb all kinds of spiritual energy, I assumed it was a mixed spiritual root.”

“Later on, I noticed that my cultivation speed seemed excessively fast, which made me suspicious, but I still didn't know the real reason.”

After speaking, Jiang Lu looked calmly at Elder Ye, wondering if her master would be able to see through the anomaly of her spiritual root.

Her master didn't say anything more. Instead, he took out a spiritual testing stone. “Place your hand on it. Let me see.”

Jiang Lu nodded, raising her hand to place it on the spiritual testing stone.

The originally white spiritual testing stone instantly emitted a dazzling, multicolored light, wrapping Jiang Lu within its glow.

Elder Ye seemed to see endless vitality within this light. Only when Jiang Lu withdrew her hand did the spiritual testing stone slowly return to its peaceful state.

“Master, this...”

Jiang Lu looked at the light, which matched the colors she absorbed into her dantian. Looking up, she saw her master staring blankly, as if he had encountered something completely unbelievable.

“My little disciple, tell me the truth. How long did it take you to cultivate to your current fourth layer of Qi Condensation?”

How long?

Jiang Lu thought for a moment and said, “Master, about eleven months.” If she hadn't suppressed her strength over the past two months, she probably would have reached the fifth or sixth layer of Qi Condensation by now.

After she finished speaking, she saw her master throw his head back and laugh. “Hahaha!”

He never expected that he, Ye Qingfeng, would be able to recruit such an exceptionally talented disciple at this stage of his life. Compared to the disciples of those old fogeys, his single disciple could beat them all to a pulp!

“If my guess is correct, you possess a Chaos Body, which gives you a Chaos Spiritual Root, allowing you to cultivate with twice the result for half the effort. The Chaos Body is an innate physique, and only the Hongmeng Body can rival it. However, possessing this spiritual root means you have a massive demand for spiritual energy. It is often several or even dozens of times that of a normal spiritual root, so you will need to put in even more effort during your cultivation.”