Chapter 4 — Would You Like to Become My Disciple?

Snow fell across the Azure Origin Sect.

Not ordinary snow.

Each flake carried spiritual Qi.

The moment they touched the white stone plaza, delicate frost patterns spread outward like blooming flowers.

Candidates stared at the sky.

Elders rose from their seats.

The recruitment ceremony came to a complete halt.

At the center of it all sat Lin Yue.

Her eyes were closed.

Her hands trembled.

The wooden chair beneath her had already frozen solid.

She couldn't hear the voices around her anymore.

All she could feel was cold.

It started inside her dantian.

The same cold that had tormented her for three years.

Except this time—

it wasn't stopping.

Spiritual energy rushed toward her from every direction.

She tried to resist.

That only made it worse.

The thing inside her that had always stolen her spiritual Qi had awakened.

And it was hungry.

Very hungry.

"Move the candidates away!"

An elder's voice thundered across the plaza.

Inner disciples reacted immediately.

"Everyone outside the formation!"

"Back!"

"Don't approach her!"

Candidates hurried away.

Some stumbled as frost spread beneath their feet.

Zhao Tianming remained near the trial grounds.

He watched Lin Yue from a distance.

Only an hour ago, everyone had dismissed her as someone with a damaged spiritual root.

Now—

the entire sect was reacting to her.

He looked toward the viewing platform.

Peak Master Shen was gone.

Zhao Tianming didn't see him move.

Again.

Shen Yuan appeared beside Lin Yue.

The temperature around her was far lower than he expected.

For ordinary cultivators, it would have been dangerous.

For him, it was barely noticeable.

He looked at the system.

[Name: Lin Yue]

[Cultivation: Body Tempering — Seventh Stage]

[Spiritual Root: Damaged]

[Innate Physique: Nine-Yin Immortal Body]

[Physique State: Partially Awakened]

[Destiny: Crimson-Gold]

[Compatibility: 97%]

Below that was a new warning.

[Mortal foundation insufficient.]

There it was.

Shen Yuan's expression hardened.

Explain.

[Nine-Yin Immortal Body naturally absorbs and refines extreme Yin energy.]

[Candidate possesses an Immortal-grade physique within a mortal body that has not undergone sufficient foundational refinement.]

[Existing cultivation method is incompatible.]

[Existing spiritual root cannot regulate physique output.]

[Existing meridians are insufficient.]

[Continued awakening may result in irreversible foundation collapse.]

Shen Yuan stared at the final line.

So the problem was exactly what he suspected.

Lin Yue wasn't crippled because she lacked talent.

She had too much.

Her body possessed something it wasn't prepared to contain.

It was like pouring an ocean through a stream.

The stream hadn't failed.

It had been overwhelmed.

"Can it be stopped?"

[Yes.]

"How?"

[Detailed treatment requires Disciple Inspection.]

Shen Yuan's expression went blank.

"You're joking."

No response.

"System."

Nothing.

Shen Yuan nearly laughed.

Of course.

He couldn't unlock Disciple Inspection until he accepted his first disciple.

He couldn't fully understand Lin Yue's condition without Disciple Inspection.

And Lin Yue might seriously injure herself before the recruitment ceremony ended.

Apparently, the system had decided subtle encouragement wasn't enough.

"Fine."

Shen Yuan crouched beside her.

"Lin Yue."

No response.

Her breathing was becoming uneven.

Frost had spread across her sleeves.

He placed two fingers against her wrist.

The moment he touched her—

Boom.

A wave of pale blue energy exploded outward.

"Peak Master!"

Several elders shouted.

Shen Yuan didn't move.

The wave struck him.

Then disappeared.

Not blocked.

Not deflected.

It simply vanished the instant it touched his body.

Gu Tianhe noticed.

So did Qin Feng.

Their expressions changed.

Shen Yuan ignored them.

His Immortal Qi entered Lin Yue's meridians.

Carefully.

Very carefully.

He had no idea how much power his current cultivation actually contained.

Using too much could solve the problem by removing Lin Yue from existence.

A thread.

That was all he allowed through.

Even that was enough.

The raging Yin energy inside Lin Yue froze.

For the first time since the phenomenon began, her expression relaxed.

Shen Yuan followed the flow deeper.

He saw damaged meridians.

Fractures around her spiritual root.

Scars caused by years of forced circulation.

Then he reached her dantian.

And stopped.

A tiny pale-blue sphere floated within.

It wasn't a core.

Lin Yue was nowhere near Core Formation.

This was something else.

Nine streams of dark-blue energy circled it.

Each one contained an astonishing density of Yin Qi.

Shen Yuan understood immediately.

Every time Lin Yue cultivated, this sphere absorbed most of what she gathered.

When she tried to compensate by cultivating harder, the pressure damaged her spiritual root.

Then her weakened root became even less capable of regulating the energy.

A vicious cycle.

Three years of it.

And somehow she had kept cultivating.

"Stubborn girl."

Lin Yue's eyelids moved.

"...Peak Master?"

Her voice was barely audible.

"You're awake."

"Cold."

"I noticed."

"I can't..."

Her face tightened.

"I can't control it."

"You were never supposed to."

Her eyes opened slightly.

"What?"

Shen Yuan looked at her.

"Your spiritual root isn't the real problem."

Lin Yue stared.

For three years, every healer had told her the same thing.

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Damaged spiritual root.

Unstable meridians.

Declining cultivation.

No future.

Now the youngest Peak Master of the Azure Origin Sect was telling her they were wrong.

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain later."

Shen Yuan glanced around.

They had an audience.

A very large one.

"First, let's stop you from freezing the sect."

Lin Yue's eyes widened.

Only then did she notice the snow.

The frozen plaza.

The ice spreading across the nearby pond.

Her face went pale.

"I did this?"

"Mostly."

"Mostly?"

"The weather helped."

It hadn't.

But she looked frightened enough.

Shen Yuan wasn't going to make it worse.

He raised one hand.

The Yin energy pouring from Lin Yue's body suddenly stopped expanding.

Across the plaza, the spreading frost halted.

Shen Yuan closed his fingers.

Crack.

The sound echoed throughout the sect.

Every snowflake in the air stopped.

Thousands of them.

Tens of thousands.

Perhaps millions.

For one impossible moment, the entire Azure Origin Sect seemed frozen in time.

Then Shen Yuan lowered his hand.

The snow dissolved.

Not melted.

Dissolved.

The spiritual Qi contained within it returned to the world.

The clouds above the Five Great Peaks broke apart.

Sunlight fell across the plaza again.

Nobody spoke.

Shen Yuan realized everyone was staring at him.

He frowned.

"What?"

Gu Tianhe said nothing.

Qin Feng said nothing.

Mu Qinglan looked at the clear sky.

Then at Shen Yuan.

Then back at the sky.

Shen Yuan understood.

Perhaps that had been slightly excessive.

He cleared his throat.

"Formation control."

Mu Qinglan looked at him.

"There was no formation."

"Natural energy regulation."

Qin Feng's expression was unreadable.

"Using what technique?"

"A profound one."

Qin Feng closed his eyes.

He clearly regretted asking.

Lin Yue was moved to a recovery pavilion beside the plaza.

The recruitment ceremony remained suspended.

There wasn't much choice.

Half the elders had stopped caring about the remaining tests.

Everyone wanted to know what had happened.

Inside the pavilion, Lin Yue sat quietly while three people examined her.

Mu Qinglan.

An Azure Origin Sect healer.

And Elder Sun, one of the sect's senior alchemists.

Shen Yuan stood near the window.

Gu Tianhe stood beside him.

"Well?"

Gu Tianhe asked.

Elder Sun removed his fingers from Lin Yue's wrist.

His expression was deeply confused.

"Her spiritual root is damaged."

Everyone waited.

"That's all?"

Qin Feng asked from the doorway.

Elder Sun frowned.

"No."

He looked at Lin Yue again.

"The damage is strange."

"How?"

"The fractures don't resemble external injury."

He gestured toward her dantian.

"It's as though her spiritual root has been repeatedly subjected to spiritual pressure far beyond what it can withstand."

Shen Yuan said nothing.

Accurate.

Mu Qinglan opened her eyes.

"There's something inside her."

Elder Sun looked toward her.

"You sensed it too?"

"Yes."

Lin Yue stiffened.

Mu Qinglan's expression remained calm.

"A sealed energy."

"Can you identify it?" Gu Tianhe asked.

Mu Qinglan shook her head.

"No."

Elder Sun sighed.

"Neither can I."

Qin Feng looked toward Shen Yuan.

"You can."

It wasn't a question.

Shen Yuan met his gaze.

"Partially."

Everyone looked at him.

Lin Yue most of all.

Shen Yuan considered how much to reveal.

Calling it an Immortal physique would create problems.

The mortal world had legends of Immortals.

Ancient records.

Fragments of inherited knowledge.

But announcing that a seventeen-year-old possessed an Immortal-grade physique in front of several senior cultivators would spread faster than wildfire.

Even within his own sect, information had a way of escaping.

"No one discusses what happened here today."

Gu Tianhe spoke before Shen Yuan could.

His voice carried the authority of the Sect Master.

Elder Sun immediately bowed.

"Understood."

The healer followed.

Qin Feng nodded.

Mu Qinglan said nothing, but agreement was clear.

Gu Tianhe looked toward Lin Yue.

"You as well."

Lin Yue nodded quickly.

"Yes, Sect Master."

Then Gu Tianhe looked at Shen Yuan.

"Explain."

Shen Yuan folded his arms.

"She possesses a special physique."

Elder Sun's eyes widened.

"What grade?"

"Unknown."

Technically true to everyone except the system.

"What type?"

"Yin."

Also true.

Mu Qinglan studied him.

"You know more."

Shen Yuan smiled faintly.

"I usually do."

She gave him a look that said she didn't appreciate the answer.

Gu Tianhe sighed.

"Is it dangerous?"

"To her?"

"To anyone."

"Currently, mostly to her."

Lin Yue lowered her gaze.

Shen Yuan continued.

"Her physique has been absorbing spiritual energy automatically for years. Her current cultivation method can't regulate it."

Elder Sun's face changed.

"Then the damage..."

"Is a consequence."

Understanding appeared in his eyes.

"We've been treating the wrong thing."

"Exactly."

Elder Sun looked almost offended on behalf of his profession.

"Then repairing her spiritual root without stabilizing the source would..."

"Lead to the same damage again."

"Or worse."

"Probably."

Lin Yue sat very still.

Her lips parted.

"So..."

Everyone looked toward her.

"My spiritual root can be repaired?"

The question was quiet.

There was something in her voice Shen Yuan hadn't heard before.

Hope.

Careful hope.

The kind that had learned not to trust itself.

Shen Yuan answered simply.

"Yes."

Her eyes reddened.

She immediately looked down.

Nobody commented.

Shen Yuan turned toward Elder Sun.

"Give her a recovery pill."

The elder nodded and retrieved a jade bottle.

He was about to hand it to Lin Yue when Shen Yuan stopped him.

"Wait."

Everyone looked over.

Shen Yuan stared at the bottle.

A thought had occurred to him.

If he gave Lin Yue the pill now—

No.

She wasn't his disciple yet.

No cashback.

Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed.

That seemed wasteful.

Elder Sun held the bottle awkwardly.

"Peak Master Shen?"

Shen Yuan looked at Lin Yue.

Then at the pill.

Then back at Lin Yue.

Gu Tianhe noticed.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing."

That answer convinced nobody.

Shen Yuan took the bottle from Elder Sun.

"I'll handle her recovery."

Elder Sun hesitated.

"That is a third-grade Meridian Nourishing Pill."

"I know."

"She should take it soon."

"She will."

Shen Yuan slipped the bottle into his sleeve.

Lin Yue looked confused.

Shen Yuan ignored it.

Soon.

Very soon.

Outside the pavilion, news had already spread.

Not the truth.

Nobody knew the truth.

But cultivators were extremely talented at replacing missing information with speculation.

"A hidden Ice spiritual root."

"Definitely a special bloodline."

"I heard she awakened an ancient constitution."

"My senior brother said she nearly froze three elders."

"Three?"

"I heard ten."

"Someone said Peak Master Shen fought an ice dragon."

"Where would an ice dragon come from?"

"Her body."

"...That doesn't make sense."

"Neither does anything that happened."

By the time the story reached the outer plaza, Lin Yue had apparently summoned an ancient divine beast, challenged five elders, and caused Shen Yuan to personally descend from Cloudveil Peak to suppress it.

Shen Yuan heard several versions while walking back toward the viewing platform.

He decided cultivators needed more hobbies.

The recruitment ceremony resumed.

But everything had changed.

Candidates who had ignored Lin Yue before now watched the recovery pavilion.

Peak representatives whispered among themselves.

Several elders clearly wanted to approach Gu Tianhe.

The Sect Master prevented it with one look.

Then the personal disciple selection began.

This was the moment everyone had been waiting for.

Candidates who performed exceptionally during the trials could receive invitations from elders and Peak Masters.

Accepting wasn't mandatory.

Neither was extending an invitation.

The first several selections proceeded normally.

A high-grade fire-root candidate joined Vermilion Flame Peak.

A talented defensive cultivator entered Black Tortoise Peak.

Two sisters with wood and water affinities were accepted by Jade Lotus Peak.

Then Zhao Tianming stepped forward.

The plaza quieted.

Everyone knew he would receive multiple invitations.

They were correct.

"Zhao Tianming."

An elder from the central peak stood.

"Would you enter my lineage?"

Before Zhao Tianming could answer, another elder spoke.

"My cultivation art is more suitable for your spiritual root."

Then Qin Feng stood.

That ended most of the competition.

"Zhao Tianming."

The young man immediately straightened.

"Heavenly Sword Peak is willing to accept you as a personal disciple."

Whispers erupted.

A Peak Master personally extending an invitation was different from an elder doing so.

Zhao Tianming bowed.

"Junior is honored."

But he didn't accept immediately.

Instead—

He looked toward Shen Yuan.

The plaza followed his gaze.

Shen Yuan was drinking tea.

He felt thousands of eyes turn toward him.

He slowly lowered the cup.

Why was everyone looking at him?

Then he saw Zhao Tianming.

Ah.

Right.

The young man's intentions were obvious.

Zhao Tianming wanted Cloudveil Peak.

Shen Yuan had known that from the beginning.

The system panel appeared.

[Name: Zhao Tianming]

[Spiritual Root: Heavenly-grade Metal]

[Talent: Exceptional]

[Destiny: Purple]

[Compatibility: 82%]

An excellent disciple.

Under normal circumstances, Shen Yuan might have accepted him.

But—

He looked toward the recovery pavilion.

Ninety-seven.

Shen Yuan wasn't choosing solely based on numbers.

At least, that's what he told himself.

Still, Lin Yue interested him more.

And something told Shen Yuan that Zhao Tianming's path didn't need him.

The young man already had talent.

A powerful clan.

Resources.

Multiple masters willing to teach him.

Lin Yue had arrived with almost nothing.

More importantly, Shen Yuan suspected Qin Feng was genuinely a better teacher for Zhao Tianming.

Heavenly-grade Metal spiritual root.

Sword affinity.

Competitive temperament.

The boy practically had Heavenly Sword Peak written across his forehead.

Shen Yuan met Zhao Tianming's gaze.

Then he smiled.

"You should consider Peak Master Qin's offer."

A trace of disappointment crossed Zhao Tianming's face.

But to his credit, it lasted only a moment.

He bowed toward Shen Yuan.

"Junior understands."

Then he turned toward Qin Feng.

"This junior is willing to enter Heavenly Sword Peak."

Qin Feng nodded.

"Good."

There was no gloating.

No smug glance toward Shen Yuan.

That was another reason Shen Yuan respected him.

Qin Feng could be competitive without being childish.

The selection continued.

Eventually—

"Lin Yue."

Her name echoed across the plaza.

The whispers returned.

Lin Yue emerged from the recovery pavilion.

She looked better now.

Still pale.

Still exhausted.

But stable.

She walked to the center of the plaza.

Normally, candidates stood proudly during this moment.

Lin Yue didn't know what to expect.

Her results weren't impressive.

Damaged spiritual root.

Ninth level of the pressure trial, but only because Shen Yuan had stopped it.

She hadn't completed the remaining tests.

Technically, she hadn't even qualified for inner sect placement.

Then—

"Lin Yue."

A voice came from Jade Lotus Peak's delegation.

An elder stood.

"You possess an unusual Yin affinity. Jade Lotus Peak is willing to accept you as an inner disciple while we investigate your condition."

Murmurs spread.

Lin Yue looked surprised.

Before she could respond—

Another elder stood.

"Black Tortoise Peak can also provide resources for repairing damaged foundations."

Then another.

"I would be willing to accept you as a personal disciple."

The plaza became louder.

Lin Yue stared.

This morning, nobody wanted her.

Now three lineages had extended invitations.

She knew why.

The snow.

The phenomenon.

Whatever was inside her.

Her hands tightened.

Then—

Silence fell.

Shen Yuan stood.

That was all it took.

The other elders stopped speaking.

For six years, Cloudveil Peak had accepted nobody.

Every recruitment ceremony ended the same way.

Talented candidates hoped.

Shen Yuan refused.

Today was different.

Everyone knew it.

Shen Yuan descended the steps.

He didn't fly.

He simply walked.

One step.

Another.

The crowd parted naturally.

Lin Yue watched him approach.

Her heartbeat quickened.

Shen Yuan stopped several paces away.

He looked at her.

She looked back.

No system screen.

No Immortal physique.

No destiny rating.

For a moment, Shen Yuan deliberately ignored all of it.

"Lin Yue."

"Peak Master Shen."

"You said earlier that you cultivate because you don't want other people deciding where your path ends."

She nodded.

"I remember."

Shen Yuan clasped his hands behind his back.

"If you enter Cloudveil Peak, I can't promise your path will be easy."

Lin Yue listened.

"I can't promise you won't fail."

Her expression remained steady.

"I can't promise you won't be injured."

Still steady.

"And I certainly can't promise I'll solve every problem for you."

A few elders looked confused.

This was not how most people recruited talented disciples.

Shen Yuan continued.

"But I can promise you one thing."

Lin Yue's eyes met his.

"I won't decide where your path ends either."

Something inside her chest tightened.

Shen Yuan extended one hand.

The same Peak Master who had ignored every recruitment ceremony for six years.

The same person considered one of the greatest talents of the Azure Origin Sect.

The same cultivator who had looked at her damaged spiritual root and somehow seen something nobody else had.

"Lin Yue."

His voice was calm.

"Would you like to become my disciple?"

The plaza became so quiet that Lin Yue could hear the wind moving through the banners.

For three years, she had heard variations of the same words.

Stop cultivating.

Accept reality.

Choose another path.

Your spiritual root cannot recover.

You won't go any farther.

And now—

Someone was offering her a path forward.

Not because he pitied her.

At least, it didn't feel like pity.

Lin Yue looked at Shen Yuan's hand.

Then at him.

She bowed.

Deeply.

"This disciple greets Master."

The instant the words left her mouth—

[Ding!]

Shen Yuan's system erupted.

Golden light filled his vision.

[First disciple successfully accepted.]

[Disciple registered: Lin Yue.]

[Compatibility: 97%.]

[Primary Mission completed.]

[Reward obtained: Disciple Inspection.]

Shen Yuan's eyes brightened.

Finally.

Then another notification appeared.

[First Disciple Bonus activated.]

Shen Yuan paused.

There was a bonus?

[All first investments made within twenty-four hours receive increased probability of high-multiplier cashback.]

His gaze slowly moved toward Lin Yue.

Then toward the jade bottle inside his sleeve.

Third-grade Meridian Nourishing Pill.

Shen Yuan suddenly remembered something.

He still hadn't given it to her.

Excellent.

Lin Yue straightened.

"Master?"

Shen Yuan smiled.

For some reason, that smile made Gu Tianhe suspicious.

Very suspicious.

"Come."

Shen Yuan turned.

"Let's return to Cloudveil Peak."

Lin Yue blinked.

"Now?"

"Now."

"But the ceremony—"

"Your part is finished."

Shen Yuan took two steps.

Then stopped.

He looked back toward Gu Tianhe.

"Sect Master."

Gu Tianhe narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"Thank you for forcing me to attend."

The Sect Master stared at him.

Yesterday, Shen Yuan had been willing to fake secluded cultivation just to avoid this ceremony.

Today he was thanking him.

Something was definitely wrong.

Shen Yuan didn't wait for a response.

He raised one hand.

A gentle force lifted Lin Yue.

Her eyes widened.

The two disappeared into the clouds.

The plaza remained silent for several seconds.

Then Qin Feng looked toward Gu Tianhe.

"He's enjoying this."

Gu Tianhe frowned.

"That's what worries me."

Mu Qinglan watched the distant Cloudveil Peak.

Her gaze was thoughtful.

"No."

The two men looked toward her.

She smiled faintly.

"I think Cloudveil Peak is about to become interesting."

Lin Yue had imagined entering a great Peak Master's residence many times.

She had expected solemn halls.

Strict rules.

Senior disciples.

Perhaps an intimidating initiation ceremony.

She had not expected her new master to bring her directly into his palace, sit her at a table, and place a jade bottle in front of her.

Lin Yue looked at it.

Then at Shen Yuan.

"Master?"

"Take it."

She opened the bottle.

A rich medicinal fragrance filled the room.

Her expression changed.

"Third-grade Meridian Nourishing Pill?"

"Correct."

"Master, this is too valuable."

Shen Yuan almost smiled.

Too valuable?

That was precisely what he wanted to hear.

"You're my disciple."

Lin Yue hesitated.

"But—"

"Take it."

She looked at him for several seconds.

Then carefully accepted the pill.

"Thank you, Master."

[Ding!]

Shen Yuan became completely still.

There it was.

The sound he had been waiting for.

[Disciple Lin Yue has received: Third-grade Meridian Nourishing Pill.]

[Evaluating investment...]

[Resource suitability: High.]

[Disciple need: High.]

[Compatibility bonus detected.]

[First Disciple Bonus detected.]

Shen Yuan waited.

Lin Yue noticed his silence.

"Master?"

"One moment."

The system chimed.

[Cashback multiplier determined.]

[100× Cashback activated.]

Shen Yuan's eyes narrowed.

One hundred.

Not ten thousand.

But for the first attempt—

he would take it.

[Congratulations, Host.]

[Obtained: Sixth-grade Heavenly Meridian Restoration Pill.]

A new jade bottle appeared inside Shen Yuan's system storage.

His expression changed.

Sixth-grade.

The Azure Origin Sect's best alchemists could reliably refine fourth-grade pills.

Fifth-grade pills were rare treasures.

Sixth-grade?

Shen Yuan wasn't sure the sect possessed more than a handful.

And he had just received one...

for giving away a third-grade pill.

Lin Yue swallowed the Meridian Nourishing Pill.

She had no idea what had happened.

Shen Yuan stared at her.

Then at his system.

Then toward the shelves inside his palace.

Pills.

Weapons.

Spirit stones.

Cultivation manuals.

Treasures.

His eyes slowly brightened.

The system displayed another notification.

[First investment completed.]

[Remaining First Disciple Bonus duration: 23 hours, 59 minutes.]

Shen Yuan stood.

Lin Yue blinked.

"Master?"

"Stay here."

"Where are you going?"

Shen Yuan was already walking toward the treasury.

"To find you some gifts."

Lin Yue stared after him.

A strange feeling appeared in her chest.

She had known this man for less than a day.

Yet somehow—

she suddenly felt that becoming his disciple might be considerably more overwhelming than she had expected.

Inside the treasury, Shen Yuan looked at rows of cultivation resources.

Then at the countdown.

Twenty-three hours.

Fifty-nine minutes.

His lips curved upward.

"Ten thousand times."

He hadn't forgotten.

And now—

he intended to find out exactly what it took to trigger it.