Qin Xiyan looked at them, bewildered. The Ancient Divine Phoenix Bloodline? Me?
She had just been worried that she wasn't qualified to be Hongxiu's disciple and would end up implicating Lin Yun. Now, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Hongxiu's hands were trembling with excitement. She looked at Qin Xiyan with a gentle smile, her voice soft. "Little girl, are you willing to enter my tutelage and become my personal disciple?"
In all her life, she had taken several disciples, but not a single one was as rare as Qin Xiyan. The Ancient Divine Phoenix Bloodline. Who could have a tougher fate than the inheritor of such an ancient bloodline? For Qin Xiyan, this was an opportunity with a hundred benefits and no drawbacks.
"Elder Hongxiu, this disciple is willing," she said, her voice filled with excitement. She had only been trying her luck and hadn't actually expected to succeed.
Seeing Hongxiu's ecstatic reaction, Shangguan Wan, though curious, didn't dare say much. She only looked at Lin Yun with a hint of hostility.
Lin Yun smiled proudly from the side. "Is Elder Hongxiu satisfied with this disciple?"
Hongxiu looked at Lin Yun and snorted. "You brat, you're actually reliable when it comes to getting things done. It seems there truly is some fate between us."
Lin Yun's current talent looked decent, but compared to Qin Xiyan, an inheritor of an ancient bloodline, there was no comparison.
Hongxiu entrusted Qin Xiyan to Shangguan Wan, telling her to take her to find a place to live. Only then did she turn to Lin Yun. "You brat, showing such unsolicited diligence. You must have something you need help with, right?"
Lin Yun gave a sly smile. "As expected of Elder Hongxiu. However, this disciple only came today to apologize to you. Of course, if the Elder feels bad about it, I hope you'll save my life if I run into trouble."
Hongxiu stared at Lin Yun, her gaze as sharp as a torch. "Save your life? This is the Flowing Cloud Sect. As long as you behave yourself, how could your life be in danger?"
Lin Yun gave an awkward smile. "Elder, there have been quite a few disciples who have died under mysterious circumstances within the Flowing Cloud Sect, haven't there?"
Hongxiu snorted. "The reason you were unwilling to become my personal disciple was because you were afraid of exposing your own secrets, wasn't it? You can fool others, but you can't fool me."
The relief Lin Yun had just felt vanished, and his heart leaped back into his throat. "What does Elder Hongxiu mean?" He looked at her. As expected of Ancestor Liuyun, she knew everything!
"You didn't even use your full strength when you fought Ye Qian. Although Gu Xiande couldn't see it clearly, he had his suspicions. You don't need to worry. I don't care about your little tricks. To the outside world, I will announce that both of you have entered our Qingxia Peak. As for you, you just need to come to Qingxia Peak every once in a while. Other than that, I won't meddle in your affairs. How about it?"
Hearing Hongxiu's words, Lin Yun was overjoyed. This way, he wouldn't have to worry about being forced to become a personal disciple, and he would have a great backer like Elder Hongxiu, giving him an added sense of security within the Flowing Cloud Sect.
"The Elder's proposal is naturally excellent, but Junior Sister Qin is a rare opportunity for you, Elder."
"I gave you the chance to defy the heavens and change your fate. Don't you think what you're offering is a little too little?" Lin Yun said with his head lowered and a smile on his face.
Hongxiu's pupils contracted. The temperature in the main hall dropped considerably at that moment.
Hongxiu had never told anyone about her impending demise. How did he know?
The two of them were silent for a long time. In the end, Hongxiu became certain that Lin Yun must have a great expert guiding him from behind. That was the only way to explain things.
"No wonder you, a mere kid, could defeat Ye Qian with just the 'Seven Mystic Sword Art.'"
"Fine. This is for you. It can save your life in a critical moment."
An object flew into Lin Yun's hand. It was a leaf, with rather strange patterns on it. Before Lin Yun could speak, Hongxiu continued, "We have a long future ahead of us. Don't be too greedy, you little brat. Now, get out!"
After being kicked out, Lin Yun rubbed his chin. Honestly. Kicks me out right after using me. What a heartless woman.
"Junior Brother Lin."
Just then, a person came up to him from the side. It was Duan Heng.
Seeing this senior brother again, Lin Yun smiled and greeted him. "Senior Brother Duan, thank you so much for before. Otherwise, that one move from Elder Shangguan would have probably cost me half my life."
He felt a little guilty now. If it weren't for the sake of his own life, he wouldn't have snatched this opportunity from Duan Heng. Although he always felt strange whenever he saw Duan Heng, this senior brother had, after all, helped him many times.
"It's no trouble. I was just passing by. Everyone knows about Elder Shangguan's temperament." Duan Heng laughed generously. "I also watched your match with Ye Qian before. Both of you are considered outstanding geniuses even among the inner-sect disciples."
Lin Yun smiled and shook his head. "Senior Brother is too kind."
"However, I just learned that you've only been an outer-sect disciple for a short while and haven't cultivated for long, so you've taken many wrong turns. If you don't mind, I can give you some pointers on the basics."
Lin Yun wanted to refuse Duan Heng's kind offer, but he couldn't resist his enthusiasm and could only agree.
For the next few days, Duan Heng would come to find Lin Yun for sparring almost every day. He did indeed teach him some basics. Although Lin Yun had already learned them, in order not to expose himself, he still braced himself and learned them all over again.
At night, he would learn from Deng Pengzu. He had thought Deng Pengzu would teach him some peerless sword art, but who would have thought that at the very beginning, Deng Pengzu would just take him to a waterfall and tell him to sit under it in a horse stance? He would stand there for hours at a time. Lin Yun didn't complain and obediently followed his instructions. In his spare time, he would practice the "Void-Rushing Ghostly Art."
Time flew by.
One day, Lin Yun was in his Cave Abode but didn't see Duan Heng. After asking around, he learned that they had gone to Five Yang Mountain on a mission. Lin Yun didn't think much of it at first. But that evening, a major incident occurred in the Flowing Cloud Sect.
The mine cave on Five Yang Mountain had been attacked, and many disciples had died. The inner-sect disciple Wang Shuang, who had been on a mission with Lin Yun before, was also dead!
This matter caused quite a stir in the sect. It was said that the sect directly dispatched eight elders to guard Five Yang Mountain.
Duan Heng's Cave Abode was in a relatively remote part of the sect. It was said that there was also a little-visited gorge not far away. When Lin Yun arrived, he immediately sensed a restrictive formation. As expected of a personal disciple. They're all so extravagant.
"Who's there?" A stern voice came from within the cave.
"Senior Brother Duan, it's me. I heard you were ambushed on Five Yang Mountain. I came to see if you were injured."
A moment later, the restriction dissipated. Duan Heng walked out, stared at Lin Yun for a while, then smiled and shook his head. "So it's Junior Brother. Come in, quick." With that, he pulled Lin Yun's wrist.
Duan Heng's Cave Abode was spacious, with a whole other world inside, including a spirit spring.
"Although many people died in the ambush on Five Yang Mountain this time, they were all just some outer-sect disciples and a few inner-sect disciples. Your senior brother here isn't that easy to kill." Duan Heng smiled, then took out a piece of raw jade and handed it to Lin Yun.
"Here. I know you've been trying to break through these past few days. I brought this back from Five Yang Mountain. It has the effect of nourishing spiritual energy. It's just right for you."