Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-447

Thanks to Xuan-Miao, plenty of newly ascended Core Forging Realm cultivators had already become mentors to their new apprentices, before they could enjoy the joy of becoming high-level cultivators.

From what Lu Ping knew, aside from himself and Yin Xuan-Chu, his other friends like Yao Yong and Zhong Jian had already become teachers to a couple of apprentices and probationary apprentices.

For some time, he had noticed a boy always following Chen Lian around. This boy was Chen Lian’s apprentice. There were also a couple of other disciples assisting him who had become probationary apprentices.

The reason why Yin Xuan-Chu did not take in any apprentices remained unknown. Lu Ping avoided Xuan-Miao for years. Back then, Xuan-Yuan and Xuan-Miao sent seven Blood Condensation Realm disciples to Huang Li Island after they witnessed Lu Ping honing his swordsmanship. However, they were ignored for nearly a decade. As a result, five out of the seven disciples left, leaving only Wang Qi and Tian Yue behind, but they were also not selected by Lu Ping in the end.

Lu Ping never considered himself a hardworking person. In fact, he hated trouble. This stopped him from spending time and effort teaching an apprentice. Things were not the same from Xuan-Miao’s perspective. To him, Lu Ping was among the best Core Forging Realm cultivators in the sect for both swordsmanship and alchemy. There was no way he would let such a talented cultivator’s knowledge and skills go to waste.

Hence, no matter how many times Lu Ping turned him down, Xuan-Miao remained persistent. Whenever it was time for the orientation, Xuan-Miao would always send Lu Ping an invitation. This time, Xuan-Miao had received some news that allowed him to pinpoint Lu Ping’s location in the Pavillion of Alchemy.

Lu Ping understood the situation. No one knew about his cultivation in the pavilion except for the Great Ancestors and the few master alchemists of the sect. The alchemists would never speak of what happened in the Land of Heritage to Xuan-Miao, which only meant one thing. Tian-Hu had allowed Xuan-Miao to precisely pinpoint Lu Ping’s location.

“It seems the situation is getting a little serious given that it drew the attention of the higher-ups in the sect.”

The second-generation disciples of the sect like Xuan-Miao had already stopped taking in apprentices. This was because they had already taken in more than a dozen apprentices or disciples.

Despite not having advanced into the late-Core Forging Realm, the third-generation disciples had become the pillars of the sect, making them the main attraction to recruit more disciples.

Lu Ping quickly arrived at the palace with Xuan-Miao. Plenty of Blood Condensation Realm cultivators were gathered, waiting for a master to take them on.

Unbeknownst to him, Lu Ping was one of the most reputed cultivators in the sect, especially after he defeated the powerful Crystal Palace’s disciple, Zhang Shi-Jie, in an unbelievable manner. The fight boosted his reputation to the point where it even overshadowed some of the veteran second-generation disciples. He was also now ranked seventh on the North Ocean Prodigies.

There were barely any cultivators in the sect that did not know Lu Xuan-Ping, the Water Sword Immortal of the Zhen Ling Sect.

As a result, his appearance in the palace was a great shock to all the disciples. Their jaws collectively dropped as they realized that the Water Sword Immortal, who had never taken in any apprentice, was here under the invitation of Xuan-Miao. “Does this mean that the Water Sword Immortal will be taking in apprentices this time?”.

With his achievements and strength, Lu Ping had made himself an ideal master in the eyes of many Blood Condensation Realm cultivators of the sect.

However, they had no means of being Lu Ping’s apprentice. There were plenty of high-level cultivators that tried to find out if their juniors could have the chance to learn under Lu Ping, but the young man showed no sign of giving in to their requests.

After discovering that the Water Sword Immortal was about to accept apprentices, turmoil ensued. Messages were sent to every disciple, and in less than half a day, all disciples who did not have a master started rushing to the palace. This even included the disciples garrisoned at the borders and those from the larger clans belonging to the sect.

When Xuan-Miao left the palace, he was met with the shocking scene of at least three hundred Blood Condensation Realm disciples gathering at the court in front of the palace. Even as a Core Forging Realm cultivator, Xuan-Miao found himself having goosebumps all over.

Xuan-Miao turned around and headed back into the palace to tell Lu Ping what had happened. Lu Ping was caught off-guard, not expecting this at all.

Xuan-Miao burst out laughing. “It seems like you can’t walk away today without an apprentice or two.”

Lu Ping smiled bitterly. “I was actually thinking of taking on an apprentice in the future, but you’re the one that dragged me here. Who do you think is to blame for what has happened, junior uncle?”

With a chuckle, Xuan-Miao replied, “That’s none of my concern. They're here because of your reputation. You may not know this, but you’re somewhat of an idol to many disciples in the sect. The Great Ancestors already know what has happened, so any wrong move will cost you your reputation.”

As Xuan-Miao’s voice faded, Guo Xuan-Shan and Xuan-Shu entered the palace. After glancing at a bitter Lu Ping, Guo Xuan-Shan asked, “What’s your plan?”

Lu Ping shrugged. “I did not intend on showing up here today. I also didn’t plan on taking in any apprentices. Junior Uncle Xuan-Miao did not spread the news about me taking in any apprentices either. It is all speculation.”

Xuan-Miao couldn’t help but smile bitterly at Lu Ping’s response. He felt that he improperly handled the matter. His intentions were out of goodwill, but he had forgotten about Lu Ping’s reputation among the disciples. This resulted in the awkward situation they were in now.

“Foolish!” a voice sounded just before Guo Xuan-Shan could reprimand Lu Ping.

Lu Ping recognized the voice as belonging to Tian-Fan, one of the three mid-Core Forging Realm Great Ancestors in the sect. An emerald portal appeared in the center of the palace. A grim Tian-Fan walked out.

Lu Ping and the others immediately greeted him. Tian-Fan glanced at Lu Ping, and said, “You’re really a headache to deal with. We were just thinking about how to reward you for saving Xuan-Feng and presenting the magnificent Little Core Forging Pellet. But you immediately create such a difficult situation the moment you exit your cultivation. You’re even thinking of shunning these responsibilities! You need to live up to your reputation!”

Lu Ping could only smile bitterly without replying. After all, this was one of the strongest Great Ancestors in the sect.

Tian-Fan detected Lu Ping’s casualness, despite him acting polite and obedient on the outside. Tian-Fan said, “The sect is standing where it is today because of its unity. With our combined power, where the strong supports the weak and the weak protects those even weaker, we’re able to walk further into a brighter future. You may only be a third-generation disciple, but your achievements have earned you a place in the core of the sect. Do you have any idea about your significance? You’re far more important than ordinary Core-Forging Realm disciples in the sect, yet here you are, thinking of yourself as an ordinary disciple. You have to stop thinking that way. Besides, if these guys could handle the problem you caused, why do you think I’m here, young man?”

Since entering the palace, Tian-Fan had not bothered to look at the others. Instead, he started nagging Lu Ping non-stop. This caught everyone present off-guard, including Lu Ping.

None of them expected the Great Ancestors to hold Lu Ping in such high regard. Although Guo Xuan-Shan and the others respected Lu Ping for his accomplishments, Lu Ping was still a junior in their eyes. Tian-Fan’s words made them realize that Lu Ping was no longer just a junior. His importance to the sect had already surpassed many of the Core Forging Realm disciples, rivaling the significance of Xuan-Shu or other powerful cultivators like Liang Xuan-Feng and Qu Xuan-Cheng.

The expressions of the cultivators in the palace varied. Tian-Fan started pacing back and forth, seemingly trying to figure out a way to deal with the problem. Lu Ping had yet to recover from the impact of Tian-Fan’s words. Guo Xuan-Shan nodded in agreement while Xuan-Shu remained silent and Xuan-Miao shook his head after recovering from shock.

More and more disciples arrived at the scene. There were now at least five hundred cultivators gathered at the court. This unusual scene caught the attention of other Core-Forging Realm cultivators in the sect, leading them to constantly send their divine revelation to try and figure out what was going on.

After some time, the confusion lingering in Lu Ping’s mind dissipated. Tian-Fan instantly realized this, and asked, “Do you get it now?”

Lu Ping nodded and replied, “Yes. I do.”

“Oh?” Tian-Fan smiled, his interest piqued. “How are you going to handle this?”

With a smile, Lu Ping replied, “I did not display any intentions of taking in an apprentice this whole time. As such, I won’t take in any.”

Hearing that, Xuan-Miao’s expression twisted. Before he could say anything Lu Ping continued, “But Junior Uncle Xuan-Miao told me that many of these disciples were unsuccessful in finding a master to guide them in their cultivation path. Because of that, they are forced to answer their own questions, greatly stalling their cultivation. As a result, I’m thinking of holding a knowledge-sharing seminar after the ceremony. I will share my knowledge and experience with them. At the same time, I also want to invite the high-level cultivators of the sect to share their experiences as well. Perhaps, this can become a standard procedure in the future. With that, we can probably ease the tense situation, reducing the dissatisfaction of the disciples and increasing the unity of our sect.”

Lu Ping’s words were on point. Tian-Fan, Guo Xuan-Shan and the others showed great satisfaction and nodded in agreement. Xuan-Miao was perhaps the happiest of them all. Ever since being placed in charge of Tian Ling Palace, Xuan-Miao had been occupied with this problem. He heaved a sigh of relief after hearing Lu Ping’s suggestion, as it would lessen his burden in the long run.

Word about Lu Xuan-Ping, the Water Sword Immortal, holding a seven-day knowledge-sharing seminar spread, causing plenty of disciples to be struck with happiness. After all, most of them knew that they had no chance of becoming Lu Ping’s apprentice. As a result, being able to learn from his knowledge and experience would be a great boon.