Chapter Thirty-Two: The Personal Disciple

Putting thoughts of Li Liao aside, Liu Pan had finally fulfilled his wish and become Elder Lin's personal disciple. While his main goal was indeed to obtain Elder Lin’s method of utilizing spiritual power, what he had said earlier about using the Dao of Alchemy to assist cultivation was not a fabrication—it was grounded in fact.

In his book, Liu Luohan, the original master of the Wildblade, had cultivated the Dao of Alchemy and used it to aid his cultivation, coming within a hair’s breadth of crossing that legendary threshold. However, fate is fickle; at the final critical moment, Liu Luohan was schemed against and fell at the southern border of the Nan Prefecture.

Ultimately, Elder Lin was not the only person in the Hundred Suns Sect who possessed methods for using spiritual power—Li Liao had access to them as well. But even if the Dao of Alchemy could not assist in cultivation, Liu Pan would never have chosen to become Li Liao’s personal disciple. It was not out of any apprehension, but rather because he was certain Liu Kuang would choose Li Liao, or more precisely, the Dao of Formations.

After Li Liao departed, Elder Lin chatted briefly with Yang Jiangshui, then led Liu Pan down from the Hundred Suns Peak to Medicine Peak.

Medicine Peak was naturally Elder Lin’s abode; the hillside brimmed with medicinal fields, and the spiritual energy there was denser than elsewhere. Now that Liu Pan was Elder Lin’s personal disciple, he too would reside on Medicine Peak.

Because the medicinal fields were vast, Elder Lin could not tend to them alone, so many figures could be seen moving about the mountain—they were disciples assigned to handle the spiritual herbs as part of their sect tasks.

Elder Lin’s personal disciples were not limited to Liu Pan alone.

“Master, you’re back.”

Halfway up Medicine Peak, Liu Pan encountered one of his senior brothers—a slightly chubby man who had been bent over, tending to something among the herbs. Upon seeing Elder Lin, he immediately straightened and came forward.

“Mm.” Elder Lin nodded, then pointed at Liu Pan and said to the plump man, “This is my new disciple. He’ll be your junior brother from now on; look after him.”

The plump man paused, a flicker of something unreadable in the depths of his eyes, but quickly replied, “Yes.”

With that, Elder Lin said nothing more and continued up the mountain, Liu Pan and the plump man following.

“Welcome, little brother. If I’m not mistaken, your name is Liu Pan, isn’t it? I’m your second senior brother, Zhu Jiangyang. You can just call me Senior Brother Jiangyang,” he said amiably as they trailed after Elder Lin.

Liu Pan was not surprised that Zhu Jiangyang knew his name—he had become a rather well-known figure in the Hundred Suns Sect.

“All right, Senior Brother Jiangyang,” Liu Pan replied with a faint smile.

As for Zhu Jiangyang, Liu Pan had never written about him in his book; he was a complete stranger. Yet, meeting unfamiliar faces only excited Liu Pan. After all, though he was the author, those he truly knew in this world were but a drop in the ocean. Any random passerby was probably unfamiliar to him.

The more strangers he encountered, the further he diverged from Liu Kuang’s path—exactly what Liu Pan desired. Only by straying from “Liu Kuang’s road” could he forge his own way, experience new thrills, embrace fresh challenges, and live a life more vibrant.

Compared to the bustle near the medicinal fields, the great hall atop Medicine Peak was quiet and still, save for two disciples standing outside, waiting to run errands—no one else could be seen.

Zhu Jiangyang was the second senior brother; naturally, there was a first senior brother as well as a third. Along the way, Liu Pan learned their names: the eldest was Zhou Qin, the third Wang Dadao.

According to Zhu Jiangyang, Zhou Qin’s cultivation was unremarkable, but his knowledge of herbs was exceptional; his skills in alchemy were now advanced, and he had begun to study pill refining under the Third Elder. As for Wang Dadao, though young, his cultivation was impressive—he was already at the peak of the sixth level of the Martial Apprentice stage, a step away from advancing further. His knowledge of alchemy was limited, however, as he had not been a personal disciple for long.

Upon entering the great hall, Liu Pan was greeted by a faint scent of herbs—not pungent, but refreshing and invigorating.

“These are your new identity token and several books: the Basics of Medicinal Arts, the Compendium of Spiritual Herbs and Grasses, and the like,” Elder Lin said, handing Liu Pan a token and several thick tomes. “The Dao of Pills is distinct from the Dao of Medicine, but it evolved from it. Before you embark on the Dao of Pills, you must first understand the Dao of Medicine. Take these books and study them well—memorize them if you can. I will test you at any time. Once I am satisfied, I will teach you the Dao of Pills.”

Liu Pan paused, then accepted the items and replied, “Yes, Master.”

While Liu Pan’s main objective was to obtain the method for using spiritual power, he was genuinely interested in learning the Dao of Pills. He knew that only once he began that study would he have a chance to obtain what he needed, so there was no rush.

As for memorizing the books, Liu Pan saw no problem—he possessed spiritual power. He knew well the characteristics of spiritual power: once a cultivator awakened it, not only would their perception and control of the world sharpen, but their memory would become nearly photographic. Thus, he was unconcerned about Elder Lin’s tests.

Elder Lin, observing Liu Pan’s calm acceptance of the heavy tomes, felt a trace of admiration. Most would have shown some sign of dismay at the prospect of memorizing such volumes, but Liu Pan had only paused for a moment before accepting the challenge with composure. Such maturity and steadiness were exactly what Elder Lin sought; he felt he had chosen well.

“Jiangyang, take Liu Pan to find a courtyard for himself, then explain the affairs of Medicine Peak in detail,” Elder Lin instructed, signaling that they could leave.

After bowing respectfully, Zhu Jiangyang and Liu Pan withdrew from the hall. With his senior brother’s guidance, Liu Pan soon settled into a pleasant courtyard.

The living conditions on Medicine Peak were truly excellent: houses with blue-tiled roofs, lush greenery, and even a medicinal field within the courtyard, enriching the spiritual energy and benefiting cultivation.

In truth, Liu Pan hadn’t expected that, having just broken through to the Martial Apprentice realm and not even having considered whom he might challenge among the inner disciples—or spent a single night on Peak Eight—he would be directly chosen as a personal disciple by an elder.

In his own book, Liu Kuang was only made a personal disciple after challenging for an inner disciple position. By comparison, Liu Pan seemed even more favored than the protagonist—so he mused.

While Liu Pan enjoyed these privileges, the rest of the sect—both outer and inner disciples—was in an uproar. They had never expected to receive two such startling announcements in a single day, nor that a newcomer who had been in the sect less than ten days would break through to Martial Apprentice and immediately become an elder’s personal disciple.

On Peak Nine, Liu Kuang and his companions were utterly dumbfounded.

They stared at the left-hand roster, then the right-hand notice, unable to believe that someone who had, just last night, been living alongside them, had now soared above them all in status.

“What sort of person is he, really?” Liu Kuang muttered to himself. He seemed to have forgotten that Liu Pan was from his own clan; now, Liu Pan was entirely inscrutable to him.

After a long silence, Liu Kuang glanced at Hu Lang, then at Ye Ming, and asked, “What do you both think of this?”

“What is there to think?” Ye Ming replied indifferently. “Isn’t this only natural? Brother Pan was already recognized by the Sect Master and elders as the most knowledgeable among us in the martial path. So once he broke through, of course an elder would be eager to take him as a personal disciple. There’s nothing especially surprising about it.”

Hu Lang nodded. Though he now understood why he had lost to Liu Pan, the memory of those two kicks remained fresh—the first time he had ever been bested by a peer. He still could not fathom how Liu Pan had struck without warning, nor how he had discerned Hu Lang’s habitual battle patterns without ever having met him before.

After Ye Ming’s words, Liu Kuang fell silent again, because Ye Ming had used the phrase “only natural.”

Only natural? Remembering Yan’s comment about Liu Pan being “all-knowing,” Liu Kuang felt a vague unease.

Was it possible that Liu Pan’s rise to become a personal disciple had been foreseen in his “all-knowing” calculations?

If so, wasn’t that terrifying?

How could one rival such a person? Who in the world could possibly contend with him?