Chapter 56

56

After he checked Xu ZiYan, he took three times as long to check on Xu ZiRong. Nothing in particular was wrong. Rather, it took so long because he had deliberately followed every meridian circuit within Xu ZiRong's body.

Weren't you reluctant to let me check your dantian? Not only did I check your dantian, I also checked your entire body. What about it? Come bite me if you dare!

After recalling his spiritual energy in an immensely pleased manner, Big Foot Luo began carefully pondering over what kind of cultivation method would fit the two brothers.

Xu ZiRong's face looked gloomy as he stared at Xu ZiYan with a note of blame in his gaze.

After being stared at by his bitter gaze, goosebumps formed on Xu ZiYan's skin. In the end, he helplessly whispered in Xu ZiRong's ear, "I'll make you wonton noodles tonight."

At last, Xu ZiRong's gloomy face finally cleared as he gave Xu ZiYan a faint smile.

"What? What wonton noodle? I want some too!" Big Foot Luo immediately shouted.

Xu ZiRong's face immediately darkened. With a gloomy gaze, he stared at Big Foot Luo. Xu ZiYan helplessly looked at him: Master, don't cause trouble!

"You two unfilial disciples! You don't even make a portion for your Master when you sneak a bite at night!" Big Foot Luo began to noisily reproach them.

Xu Ziyan was practically about to kneel. If he compared Big Foot Luo and Xu ZiRong, his Master was the actual child, right? He was harder to coax than a brat!

"Big brother......You told me before that you would only make wonton noodles for me." Xu ZiRong also began quietly clamouring. He lightly tugged onto Xu ZiYan's sleeve and spoke in a pitiful tone. Then, he bit his lower lip and continued, "If...... Master must eat it...... I...... I......"

The moment Xu ZiYan saw his younger brother's wronged appearance, his heart almost shattered.

He looked at Big Foot Luo with annoyance. My little brother already looks so pitiful. Do you still have the nerve to fight over food with a child?

Standing behind him, Xu ZiRong gently raised his head and revealed a sly provocative smile to Big Foot Luo.

Big Foot Luo looked at the two brothers. Although one stood in front of the other, each of them revealed an entirely different expression. He immediately felt as if there was a mouthful of old blood stuck in his chest.

Hating iron for not becoming steel, Big Foot Luo glanced at Xu ZiYan with exasperation. Although he always found pleasure when teasing his disciples in a battle of wits, Xu ZiYan was usually pretty clever. Why was it that the moment something involved his younger brother, he became so stupid??

He had already hinted at Xu ZiYan many times before. Your younger brother is so sly. How can someone like him be wronged by only a bowl of noodles??

When Big Foot Luo saw how Xu ZiYan did not sense that his 'cute and clever' younger brother was hiding behind him and sending a provoking smile, Big Foot Luo really wished he could walk up to Xu ZiYan and smack some sense into him.

He fiercely harped in his mind: Look, look! As expected, he's truly a little wolf cub. Not only is his heart dark and means ruthless, Xu ZiRong is also especially good at acting! Did he decide to stop pretending in front of me because I have already seen through his disguise? Foul brat, sooner or later, there will be a day when I will teach you a lesson!

The enraged Big Foot Luo swung his sleeves and walked away. Before leaving, he even angrily shouted, "Eat, eat! Go eat to death, you small white-eyed wolf!"

Xu Ziyan immediately felt unhappy. My younger brother is so cute and obedient, just which part of him is a white-eyed wolf!!!??? Master, you went too far!

After mentally complaining, he couldn't help but turn around to take a look at Xu ZiRong. However, he only saw the other boy give him a bashful smile. Xu ZiYan immediately felt that his Master was blabbering complete nonsense!

Although Big Foot Luo ran off after being too enraged by Xu ZiYan's stupidity, he did not forget to leave a message before leaving. He recommended them two cultivation manuals.

One was called "Hidden Thunder" while the other was called "Spiritual Wood". These two cultivation manuals were complete polar opposites. The former had astonishing destructive power, while the latter was a cultivation method devoted nearly entirely to tempering one's nature. Spiritual Wood had almost no potential for attacking.

When the two cultivation manuals were introduced to Xu ZiYan at the Hidden Scripture Pavillion, he was shocked beyond words. His Hidden Thunder cultivation method was very strong. Although cultivating it would be an arduous task, it was perfectly suited to develop the constitution of his Lightning Heavenly Spiritual Vein. However, the Spiritual Wood cultivation manual left him very puzzled.

From his point of his view, at most, Xu ZiRong simply didn't like to be too intimate with other people. It wasn't necessary to temper his nature, right? Generally speaking, wasn't this prepared for great devils to prevent them from encountering qi deviations?

Although Xu ZiYan was puzzled, Xu ZiRong understood very clearly that the murderous spiritual energy in his body had been noticed by his Master.

And it was precisely because of this that Xu ZiRong became even more suspicious of Big Foot Luo's identity. He had enough confidence in himself to believe that the average Meridian Condensation stage cultivator wouldn't be able to see the bloody, murderous spiritual energy in his body. That Lei Hu had been an exception, because he had been born on the battlefield in the far west. In other words, he had been baptized in bloody, murderous spiritual energy since he was born, so he was naturally incomparably sensitive to it. And as for that blue-robed man at the end of Li Chen Bridge, he had noticed Xu ZiRong's abnormality because he was too strong.

Although Big Foot Luo had a sloppy and unreliable appearance, Xu ZiRong suddenly felt an unexplainable sense of fear. He had a feeling that this person had hidden depths. At the very least, Big Foot Luo wasn't as simple as how he outwardly seemed.

So despite how much he disliked Big Foot Luo for taking too much of his big brother's attention, Xu ZiRong decided to let him be for now because of that 'Spiritual Root' manual. In any case, the title of their 'Master' hung over Big Foot Luo's head, and his big brother seemed to respect him very much. Xu ZiRong could reluctantly endure this man's existence for the time being.

After choosing their cultivation manuals, the two of them left for the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. There, they received their identity jade strips and sect disciple clothing. At the same time, they also obtained their portion of disciple-assigned items for the month.

The guard for the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall was an outer-sect disciple. When he saw Xu ZiYan and Xu ZiRong's identity jade strips, a bright smile immediately lit his face.

In regards to the inner-sect disciples, the outer-sect disciples mostly felt a combination of both reverence and jealousy toward them. Some were hostile, while others were flattering. It was very obvious that the one on duty today was the latter.

"These two senior-apprentice brothers are young but show great promise. Entering the inner-sect of my Liu Guang Sect is truly worthy of celebration." The thin male disciple cupped his hands to greet Xu ZiYan.

Xu Ziyan also returned a salute. With a smile, he said, "Many thanks. Junior-apprentice brother, we brothers are still newcomers. In the future, please look after us."

When the thin man saw how Xu ZiYan was being so polite, he quickly said that he did not dare. The status of outer-sect disciples and inner-sect disciples were naturally as different as can be. If he could leech off this new senior-apprentice brother, then his position in the outer-sect would rise straight up.

The thin man planned to curry favor with the Xu brothers. He told them pretty much anything they asked without holding back. After all, even if he didn't tell them these minor things, Xu ZiYan was more than capable of asking other people. At most, the only thing he would waste was time. How could the thin man give up such a good opportunity?

After calling over a junior disciple to replace himself, the thin man took the initiative to passionately lead Xu ZiYan around the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

Because the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall was where disciples obtained their monthly share of resources and received their jobs, it was located in the center of Liu Guang Sect. Scattered around it were the Training Hall, Rewards Hall, Medical Garden, Spiritual Beast Garden, and several other facilities.

It could be said that this area was the most flourishing region of the entire Liu Guang Sect.

When Xu ZiYan first came here, he naturally wanted to obtain as much information as possible. Since elder disciple Lin Qing was around, he could save a lot of energy.

There were numerous people in a large sect like Liu Guang Sect. In their own halls and peaks, there would naturally be some battles out in the open and hidden in the dark. Even if the atmosphere of Liu Guang Sect's internal competition was well maintained, it was no match for the sheer amount of people in a sect and their various circumstances.

Like the saying birds of a feather flock together, situations like these were simply unavoidable. Take the allocation of resources as an example. Everyone wished to obtain a bigger share, because more resources meant their disciples would be able to cultivate faster.

Quick cultivation = powerful strength = strive for even more resources.

This was a never-ending circle. Even if everyone was doing it for the future growth of Liu Guang Sect, there was no way they could evenly allocate all the resources.

Xu ZiYan had more or less made his inquiries about the Liu Guang Sect's current factions through Lin Qing. It was just as he expected. Although the Liu Guang Sect did not have many factions within it, most of the Peak Masters and Hall Masters had their own views and ideas.

But one good thing was that even if these Peak Masters and Hall Masters frequently disagreed, quarreled, or even physically fought, no one could deny that they were all doing it for the sake of Liu Guang Sect's future.

After learning about that, Xu ZiYan quietly heaved a sigh of relief in his heart. As long as it wasn't an internal power struggle, it was fine. Since everyone was working toward Liu Guang Sect's future, no matter how at odds they were with each other, nothing too unreasonable would happen.

The entire time Xu ZiYan and Lin Qing chatted, Xu ZiRong did not say a single word.

Although Lin Qing also attempted to talk to him midway, Xu ZiRong's cold expression forced him to retreat. Lin Qing had no other choice but to turn back and continue chatting with Xu ZiYan.

After the event, Lin Qing mentally wiped away his cold sweat. They were obviously brothers, so why was the younger brother more intimidating than the older one?

After chatting with Lin Qing, the other expressed that, as an outer-sect disciple of the Miscellaneous Hall, he couldn't help with anything big, but he was capable of helping with simple tasks. If Xu ZiYan had something that needed to be done, such as taking care of the spiritual plant fields, raising spiritual birds, or even sweeping the floor⁠— he could take on those kinds of jobs. He guaranteed that everything would be done perfectly, and Xu ZiYan would not need to worry about it.

Xu ZiYan smiled and accepted his good intentions. He would never refuse any olive branches that were extended to him by someone's own accord.

The so-called expression explained it clearly— another friend meant another potential path to take. Xu ZiYan never felt that the inner-sect disciples were much grander than the outer-sect disciples. He believed that all places needed people to do menial tasks such as the things Lin Qing had listed just now. If Xu ZiYan had a nasty attitude while ordering him to do something, Lin Qing would still do it. However, who could say whether or not he would do something shady in the background?

After all, Lin Qing could allow your spiritual plant field to get infested with pests. He could have your spiritual birds suffer diarrhea. You could even tell whether he did his best to sweep the floor of your room or half assed it.

Xu ZiYan knew that no matter which sect it was, the inner-sect disciples would use an aloof and remote attitude when facing the outer-sect disciples. In addition, the chief succeeding disciples would feel like they were even grander than the inner-sect disciples.

Nowadays, he could be considered Big Foot Luo's succeeding disciple. However, Xu ZiYan definitely wouldn't use his identity to suppress others.

He wasn't the main character of the novel, so he did not have a tyrannical aura that made others pledge their allegiance the moment they met. Since that was the case, as the former CEO of a medium-sized company, being benevolent was precisely the secret to his success.

After bidding Lin Qing goodbye, Xu ZiYan took Xu ZiRong to the Training Hall.

He had counted the days. Today just so happened to be the day the Training Hall began class. The outer-sect disciples were all taught by inner-sect disciples in the Foundation Establishment realm. Meanwhile, the inner-sect disciples would receive lectures from Meridian Condensation cultivators.