The youth had gray hair streaked with black and white, tied in a bun topped with a white jade hairpin.
His features were refined and gaunt, his narrow eyes radiating indifference and coldness with every glance. Earrings of dark green hexagonal crystal pillars dangled from his ears, flickering with scarlet light spots—like eyes darting back and forth.
This was none other than Hong Kui’s Shizun, the Nascent Soul Cultivator in charge of the Pill Room: Lin Yu.
The moment Xie Linlang saw Lin Yu, he immediately held his breath and focused his mind, retracting his remnant soul and divine sense as much as possible.
A Nascent Soul Stage cultivator? What a perfect opportunity delivered right to the door.
Lin Yu had heard from his disciple Hong Kui that a genius with extraordinary pill refining talent had appeared among the Pill Room helpers.
On any other day, Lin Yu wouldn’t have cared.
There were plenty of talented prodigies; to catch his eye, one needed at least Foundation Establishment.
A mere Qi Refining cultivator? He might be dead by tomorrow.
But lately, he had been truly irritated.
Pei Jiye was a lunatic. Unable to speak human words for long periods yet, he had secretly devised a technique to transmit sound remotely into Lin Yu’s ear via secret methods.
Now, for a whole week, Lin Yu’s ears had been filled with Pei Jiye’s incessant chirping.
Even the strongest protective artifact in Lin Yu’s possession couldn’t block this auditory assault.
Refining a batch of Bone Transformation Pills took nearly a week and allowed Pei Jiye to speak human words for only three minutes.
Neither Lin Yu nor Pei Jiye was satisfied with this efficiency!
But the Bone Transformation Pill was a high-grade formula only Nascent Soul cultivators could refine, and Pei Jiye’s situation was unique. Lin Yu didn’t dare tell the other three Nascent Soul pill masters.
Thus, Lin Yu had been experimenting with the cafeteria outbreak of sect disciples with upset stomachs, modifying the formula. He broke down the Bone Transformation Pill recipe and created a Low-Grade Bone Transformation Pill.
The Low-Grade Bone Transformation Pill could be refined by Foundation Establishment cultivators, but it contained many advanced pill refining techniques, severely testing low-level cultivators’ talent.
Even Hong Kui, whom he had trained for so long, failed on his first try.
But now, Shen He had appeared.
If Shen He’s talent was truly exceptional, he might as well force-feed him pills to reach Foundation Establishment quickly, then train him on the Low-Grade Bone Transformation Pill as a mature assembly-line pill refining worker.
By the time Shen He finally emerged from his state of enlightenment, he discovered a cold and solemn senior standing before him.
Shen He noticed Hong Kui standing respectfully behind the man as a disciple and hurriedly bowed politely himself.
“Disciple Shen He pays respects to Senior.”
After this enlightenment, Shen He had thoroughly stabilized his Qi Refining Layer 6 cultivation, free from the instability and restlessness of yesterday’s forced advancement.
Lin Yu’s divine sense had already scanned Shen He’s entire body. He pointed casually, and the black-red jade pendant on Shen He’s person flew directly into Lin Yu’s hand.
“What is this?”
Shen He grew nervous. He softly recounted how his father had entrusted him to his grandfather upon his death, emphasizing it was a token for recognizing kin.
As an experienced pill master, Lin Yu quickly noticed the oddity of the jade pendant.
It wasn’t a magic tool, lacking restrictions or runes; if it were mere everyday jewelry, it was too ordinary.
Lin Yu examined Shen He. “Hong Kui, give him a bottle of Qi Gathering Pills. Tomorrow, protect him as he advances his cultivation and enters Foundation Establishment as quickly as possible. Then take him to the sect’s administrative office and register him under my name.”
With that, he flicked his sleeve and left.
Shen He was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth and looked at Hong Kui in bewilderment. “Senior Brother Hong?”
Hong Kui smiled. “Junior Brother Shen, that was my Shizun, True Person Lin Yu. Shizun intends to take you as a disciple. From now on, you and I will be fellow disciples.”
Shen He was thrilled to have truly apprenticed under a Nascent Soul Cultivator, but… his jade pendant…
Hong Kui waved it off. “Don’t worry. If the jade pendant only serves to help you find kin, Shizun will return it soon. If it proves useful to him, per convention, he’ll study it and exchange it for an equivalent opportunity.”
He reminded Shen He, “Too valuable an item in the hands of low-level cultivators like us only invites disaster. Surely Junior Brother Shen understands this, right?”
Shen He hesitated, words on the tip of his tongue.
Of course he understood, but…
Was he worried that True Person Lin Yu would seize the jade pendant?
No—he was worried his Shizun would possess and take over True Person Lin Yu!
Shen He returned to his room with a worried frown.
Seeing Shen He’s troubled expression, Pang Sanxian asked what happened. After hearing the explanation, Pang Sanxian paled in shock, as expected.
“Is Martial Uncle Lin alright?”
“…Sigh.”
