Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Golden Flame Cauldron
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Greetings to the Sect Leader!” Everyone paid their respects, even Meng Wuyou and Mu Yan, who harbored dissatisfaction towards the leader of the Pill Sect, presented themselves respectfully in their demeanor.
Gu Daofeng offered a slight smile, his refined appearance radiating a warm demeanor. “Today, eight young disciples have become official disciples, coupled with the manifestation of the Four Saints, this truly is a grand occasion for the Pill Sect.”
An elderly man surnamed Zhou stepped forward, “Leader, we have successfully fulfilled our duties and cultivated these eight elite disciples for the Pill Sect.
Please grant them their identity tokens.”
Gu Daofeng nodded slightly. Eight jade brand identities that were pre-prepared on the table flew out and hovered in front of Fang Lin and the other seven.
After expressing their gratitude, they solemnly received the jade brands.
Fang Lin looked at his jade brand. It was engraved with the words “Fang Lin” on one side and a pill furnace on the other, symbolizing the identity of an official disciple of the Pill Sect.
With the jade brand tucked away, everyone awaited Gu Daofeng’s words of advice. As the leader of the Pill Sect, he was expected to make some ceremonial remarks.
Gu Daofeng stood up. His upright figure, combined with his refined appearance, was a testament to his striking elegance in his younger days.
“I am very pleased today. The eight of you are the best amongst the Pill Apprentices and today have officially become disciples. Strive for further success, do not slack off. Especially Fang Lin, you ranked first in this examination, answering all three hundred questions correctly. You have made history in the Pill Sect and I see great promise in your future,” Gu Daofeng said with a smile.
Fang Lin bowed his head in gratitude, “Thank you for your praise, Leader.”
However, Fang Lin was inwardly scornful. Who wouldn’t be able to say nice words? Fang Lin knew very well that Gu Daofeng harbored intentions of suppressing him, and he wondered if Gu Daofeng would continue to do so in the future.
Gu Daofeng turned to Kang Lu and nodded, “Kang Lu, you are a talent of the Pill Sect. I have admired you for a while now. Today, as you become an official disciple, I grant you special permission to come and go from the Pill Forest Academy at will for one month.”
Kang Lu was overjoyed at these words and hurriedly expressed his profound gratitude to Gu Daofeng.
The others, however, did not look pleased. Despite Kang Lu not holding the top spot in the examination, he received such a reward – it seemed unjust no matter how one looked at it.
Fang Lin was indifferent. After all, he had the reward for ranking first, which allowed him one-year unrestricted access to the Pill Forest Academy. But what about Kang Lu? He didn’t rank first or was Gu Daofeng’s relatives, how could he have the unfounded privilege of freely attending classes in the Pill Forest Academy for a month
The remaining disciples instantly felt a sense of imbalance in their hearts. However, they could only harbor their envy and grievances inwardly, not daring to show it on their faces.
“Fang Lin, as the top scorer, you can come and go to the Pill Forest Academy at will for one year. In addition, I’m gifting you the Golden Flame Cauldron. It is forged from Volcanic Gold Stone. I hope you can make good use of this cauldron and not disappoint my expectations,” said Gu Daofeng. With a wave of his sleeve, a shining golden pill furnace appeared before everyone’s eyes and thudded to the ground in the hall.
Fang Lin’s eyes lit up. As a Pill Sovereign, he could tell at a glance that this Golden Flame Cauldron was extraordinary. The key lay in the material used for its casting – the Volcanic Gold Stone. This stone was known for its high heat resistance and natural warmth, which could quickly increase the temperature of the pill furnace.
Including Kang Lu, everyone present showed a deep-seated envy in their eyes, their hearts souring.
This was the advantage of being the top scorer. Fang Lin not only had access to the Pill Forest Academy for one year, but was also gifted the top-tier Pill Furnace by the Sect Leader. The disparity in treatment was akin to the difference between heaven and earth.
Kang Lu gritted his teeth in secret, his eyes incandescent with jealousy and resentment. He believed the Golden Flame Cauldron should have been his, only to have it snatched away by Fang Lin.
Meng Wuyou and Mu Yan breathed a sigh of relief. They had feared Gu Daofeng might refrain from giving the Golden Flame Cauldron to Fang Lin as a way to suppress him. It seemed Gu Daofeng might have thoughts of putting down Fang Lin, but he wouldn’t go too far on such matters.
Fang Lin looked at the gleaming golden pill cauldron with a hint of helplessness on his face. He looked at Gu Daofeng and said, “Leader, this cauldron is so big, I can’t carry it.”
Everyone was stunned, not expecting Fang Lin to say something like this. Even Mu Yan couldn’t help but conceal a grin.
Gu Daofeng was also slightly taken aback, but then he laughed, “That’s easy to solve. I will give you a Nine Palace Bag.”
As he finished speaking, a white silken bag flew towards Fang Lin.
Fang Lin caught the Nine Palace Bag, then looked troubled, “How do I use this?”
Gu Daofeng smiled, seemingly in a good mood, “After you bleed on it, you can use it as you wish.”
Fang Lin nodded and immediately squeezed a drop of blood from his finger onto the Nine Palace Bag.
Immediately, the Nine Palace Bag shimmered with a faint light, followed by a sense of connection that emerged in Fang Lin’s heart.
“Collect!” Fang Lin opened the Nine Palace Bag, and instantly the Golden Flame Cauldron was absorbed into the bag.
“Thank you, Leader!” Fang Lin carefully put away the Nine Palace Bag and thanked Gu Daofeng with a bow.
Gu Daofeng nodded.
Fang Lin chuckled inwardly. How could he possibly not know how to use a mere Nine Palace Bag? He only pretended not to know how to avoid arousing suspicion. When it comes to Fang Lin’s past life, what kind of storage treasure hadn’t he seen? The Nine Palace Bag was of the lowest level and something he would have disdained to use in the past.
After Gu Daofeng gave a few words of encouragement, everyone left the great hall and followed an old man named Zhou to their respective residences.
As a formal disciDle. Fang Lin had a seDarate courtvard and Dill chamber, and even had a chance to attend a class at Pill Forest Academy once a month. His situation had improved greatly compared to when he was a pill apprentice.
Fang Lin was very pleased with his courtyard. It was the largest among all, and was quiet and serene, located far from the rest of the formal disciples.
Fang Lin stayed in his courtyard to familiarize himself with the environment. After a short while, he had his first visitor – Xu Shangao, a familiar face.
As soon as Xu Shangao entered the courtyard, he looked around in admiration, practically sighing with envy.
“Fang, how come your courtyard is so big? I’m so jealous”, Xu Shangao said with a smile.
Fang Lin chuckled, “There’s nothing I can do about it. I came in first, so naturally, I should have the biggest place.”
Xu Shangao only shook his head and laughed. Suddenly, he took out a blue-green dagger from his chest pocket.
“Fang, I’d like to congratulate you on becoming an official disciple. Consider this dagger a gift from your elder brother. I hope you don’t mind,” Xu Shangao said.
Having noticed the green dagger, Fang Lin knew it to be crafted from Aquatic Gold. It was Hao Rulong’s reward for Xu Shangao’s pill refining service. A pretty nice gift indeed.
Fang Lin gratefully accepted the dagger without any objections.
“Thank you, elder brother Xu, ” Fang Lin said with a bow.
Xu Shangao waved away his thanks and said, “The dagger should have been yours in the first place. I initially planned to give it to you before you leave, but I felt it was more appropriate to give it to you now.”
They chatted for a while and soon, other official disciples arrived one after another, all of them there to visit Fang Lin.
Such social interactions are expected, and Fang Lin couldn’t exactly close his doors on them. He could only exchange pleasantries with these disciples.
But Fang Lin noticed that all the visitors were lower ranking disciples, with no middle or high-ranking disciples showing up.
Xu Shangao knew these disciples as well, so he simply introduced them to Fang Lin, helping him to build connections with them.
While competition among official disciples was fierce, building a network was still critical.
These visitors didn’t come empty-handed. Most of them brought gifts of medicinal herbs and pills and spoke to Fang Lin with reverence.
They couldn’t help but respect him. The noise Fang Lin made during the Pill Apprentice’s assessment was too great, especially when the four saints showed favoritism – that bit of news would leave anyone dumbfounded.
As these official disciples see it, Fang Lin has an unlimited potential, the earlier they befriend him, the better for them.
But when all these people had left, Fang Lin and Xu Shangao heaved a sigh of relief – Fang Lin’s face was practically stiff from all the smiling.
Xu Shangao and Fang Lin sat in the courtyard where Xu Shangao spoke earnestly, “Fang, I couldn’t say this in front of others, but as a friend, I have to warn you that now that you’ve just become an official disciple, you may face trouble from some of the other disciples. It’s an unwritten rule. New disciples will always be tested by their seniors, especially since you have offended Kang Lu. You might face even the high-ranking disciples.”
Fang Lin asked, “You’re referring to that Yu Qiufan?”
Xu Shangao shook his head, “It’s unlikely to be Yu Qiufan. He’s one of the Four Elites of the Pill Sect and holds himself in high regard, too proud to do such things. But other disciples may not share the same sentiment, especially since Kang Lu has a wide network within the official disciples. Even Yu Qiufan’s followers could potentially cause problems.”
Fang Lin only hummed in response, sligh tly furrowing his brows. It seems like he won’t have an easy time even after becoming an official disciple. After all, he’s just a lower ranking disciple, there are still middle and high-ranking disciples above him, as well as formidable potential enemies like the Four
Elites of the Pill Sect.
“Elder brother Xu, how strong is this Yu Qiufan, exactly?” Fang Lin asked out of curiosity. After all, Yu Qiufan could possibly be his enemy. It was not wise to know nothing about him.
Xu Shangao replied seriously, “Each of the Four Elites of Pill Sect is extremely powerful. Among all the high-level disciples, these four are the strongest and most likely to become true disciples in the recent years. Yu Qiufan is the youngest amongst them and has already become a One Cauldron Pill Refiner.”
Upon hearing this, Fang Lin only responded with an ‘Oh’, not showing the slightest bit of surprise.
Xu Shangao couldn’t help but say, “Are you not shocked that Yu Qiufan is a One
Cauldron Pill Refiner?”
Fang Lin looked at Xu Shangao oddly and said, “What’s so special about a One
Cauldron Pill Refiner?”
Xu Shangao was speechless. What’s so special about a One Cauldron Pill Refiner? They were genuine pill refiners! In the Pill Alliance, if you had the status of a One Cauldron Pill Refiner, you could get by wherever you went.
In the entire Pill Sect, there weren’t many who held the title of true pill refiner. Many elders were just Two-Cauldron Pill Refiners..