Subsequently, she recounted in detail to Kong Sheng what she had seen in the back mountain and what she had learned from Yu He, then spoke again, "In this Disciple's opinion, this Junior Brother is by no means as ordinary as he appears on the surface, but for a moment, I cannot pinpoint exactly what is amiss."
Upon hearing these words, Kong Sheng's expression instantly became somewhat solemn; he furrowed his brows, gazing ahead thoughtfully.
Immediately after, he lightly flicked his sleeve, a flash of light suddenly appeared, and a Magic Treasure shot out from his cuff.
This Magic Treasure was precisely the Spirit-Testing Bell used to test talent a few days prior!
As soon as the Spirit-Testing Bell was summoned, it rapidly expanded to several zhang in size, steadily suspended in mid-air, emitting a heart-palpitating aura.
Kong Sheng stared intently at the Spirit-Testing Bell, a strange gleam in his eyes. Suddenly, he exclaimed in surprise, "Goodness! This old man has Cultivated for many years, yet today I have made a misjudgment!" His voice was filled with astonishment and disbelief.
Hearing Kong Sheng's sudden words of surprise, Xiu Ying's heart tightened, and she quickly asked, "Senior Martial Uncle, what happened? What's wrong?"
As she spoke, she followed Kong Sheng's gaze. Her brows furrowed; she saw that several subtle cracks had appeared on the outer wall of the Spirit-Testing Bell at some unknown time.
These cracks were truly difficult to detect without careful observation. Xiu Ying's heart trembled, and she mused to herself, No wonder that Junior Brother only rang the bell once when testing his talent.
At this moment, both of them exchanged glances, their faces full of confusion.
After all, this Spirit-Testing Bell was not some exceedingly powerful Magic Treasure, but to shatter it with talent, such high innate aptitude was truly astonishing.
After a long while, Kong Sheng finally retrieved the Spirit-Testing Bell, revealing a slight smile, "It seems our Xuantian Sect has found a treasure."
He paused slightly, then continued, "Xiu Ying, since you have had contact with him, do you know what his Heart-Nature is like?"
Xiu Ying pondered for a moment and said, "This Disciple only spoke a few words with him, so I didn't pay too much attention. However, I heard some things from Junior Sister Yu He, so I presume it won't be bad."
Although Xiu Ying had heard some scattered remarks from Yu He, Ling Feng had only just joined the sect a day ago. Therefore, to accurately judge his character, Xiu Ying was indeed a bit helpless at the moment.
Because of this, when Kong Sheng asked this question, she truly found it difficult to give a definite answer.
"Xiu Ying, you must not reveal a single word about what happened tonight. This old man intends to observe Ling Feng's character carefully."
Kong Sheng paused slightly, then continued, "If his character has no major issues, then directly recruiting him into our inner sect would not be out of the question."
Utility Disciple's Residence!
Ling Feng locked himself inside the house, burying himself in the study of Spells. Time quietly flowed, and a night passed in an instant. It was not until dawn broke that he stepped out of the small, humble room.
At this moment, Xu Gou Zi and his group had already shouldered their bamboo baskets, clearly having received new tasks, but Zhang Da Niu was nowhere to be seen.
"Junior Brother Ling Feng, good morning!"
"Look, what did I bring you?"
Just as Ling Feng was about to follow the others, Zhang Da Niu suddenly appeared and slowly walked towards Ling Feng, holding a roasted chicken carefully wrapped in oiled paper.
The roasted chicken was still steaming, as if it had just been roasted. Waves of enticing aroma wafted over, making one's appetite stir and mouth water.
"Senior Brother Zhang, this..." Ling Feng stared at the roasted chicken, his face full of surprise.
"This was specially caught by Senior Sister Yu He deep in the mountains this morning and entrusted to me to give to you. She was worried that you, being new, might not be used to taking Grain Abstinence Pills, and besides, you have injuries, so some nourishment will help you recover sooner."
Zhang Da Niu handed the roasted chicken to Ling Feng, a simple and honest smile on his face: "Eat it while it's hot! Don't let Senior Sister Yu He's good intentions go to waste." As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help but swallow hard.
Ling Feng naturally wouldn't be overly polite with Zhang Da Niu, so he took the roasted chicken, deftly tore it in half, and then offered one half back to Zhang Da Niu.
However, Zhang Da Niu quickly pushed it away, not intending to accept the offer. Because Yu He had instructed him that this roasted chicken was specifically for Ling Feng, Zhang Da Niu dared not disobey in the slightest.
Not only that, Yu He had also specifically told Zhang Da Niu that he must personally watch Ling Feng finish the entire roasted chicken without a single piece left before he was allowed to leave.
It must be said that Zhang Da Niu was indeed a very honest and dutiful person; he was utterly obedient to Yu He's commands, not daring to show the slightest hint of defiance.
Thus, under Zhang Da Niu's expectant gaze, Ling Feng unhurriedly finished the entire roasted chicken. And Zhang Da Niu stood quietly by his side, waiting, never leaving his spot.
When Ling Feng finally finished the last piece of chicken, Zhang Da Niu let out a sigh of relief, then quickly turned and left to catch up with the other Utility Disciples who had already set off to gather Spiritual Plants.
Before leaving, Zhang Da Niu did not forget to turn back and inform Ling Feng that Yu He wanted him to stay at his residence and focus on Cultivation for now, and that he did not need to do the task of gathering Spiritual Plants.
Ling Feng originally wanted to go with them, but no matter how much he pleaded, Zhang Da Niu firmly refused, saying it was something Yu He had personally instructed, so Ling Feng eventually had no choice but to give up.
During this rare period of leisure, Ling Feng returned to the humble, small house. He gently sat cross-legged on the couch, closed his eyes, and began to practice the method of meditation and Qi Circulation.
As time passed, Ling Feng gradually entered a selfless Realm, his Qi circulating naturally within his body, as if he had merged with heaven and earth.
Unconsciously, he had completed three full grand cycles of Qi Circulation.
When Ling Feng opened his eyes again, he secretly estimated the time and found that it was already well past noon. So, he slowly stopped the Qi Circulation and shifted his focus to the study of Spells.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Ling Feng was immersed in the exploration and comprehension of various Spells.
After repeated practice and continuous attempts, he finally successfully mastered this set of Spells.
What was even more astonishing was that Ling Feng could now cast these Spells at will, without even needing to form hand seals or chant incantations.
If Zhang Da Niu were here, he would surely be greatly astonished, for it took those Utility Disciples a full month to thoroughly comprehend the mysteries of this set of Spells when they first Cultivated it.
Ling Feng, on the other hand, had grasped this set of Spells in just half a day. His Comprehension Ability was truly astounding.
And Ling Feng also began to wonder if his talent was truly poor, or if this set of Spells was genuinely too simple.
However, since Zhang Da Niu and the others had already gone to gather Spiritual Plants, there was naturally no one who could provide him with an answer.
Or perhaps the Spells were too simple!
Ling Feng thought so.
They were nothing more than basic skills such as Fireball Spell, Water Control Spell, and Earth Control Spell.
Although Ling Feng had mastered them, long hours of practice still made him feel a bit tired and bored.
He then walked out of the small house to breathe some fresh air.
At this moment, the sun was setting; it was dusk, and by his reckoning, Zhang Da Niu and the others should be returning soon.
Suddenly, his eyelids twitched violently, and a feeling of unease inexplicably welled up in his heart, as if something was about to happen.
Ling Feng furrowed his brows. Although his Cultivation time was short, his basic Mind-Cultivation Technique had reached the Realm of Minor Achievement, and a Cultivator's sixth sense was more sensitive than a Mortal's.
At this moment, he distinctly felt an unusual aura gradually approaching.
He looked around but found nothing unusual, yet the uneasiness in his heart grew stronger, as if something bad was about to happen.
Just then, nine figures in the distance gradually entered his line of sight. Zhang Da Niu and the others were supporting each other, limping back.
Ling Feng, agile as a leopard, quickly helped the injured Zhang Da Niu back to the open space in front of the small house to sit down.
After everyone had sat down to adjust their Qi, Ling Feng suddenly remembered a mysterious jade bottle placed on the table in his small house.
Ling Feng did not know what was inside the bottle, but he clearly remembered that it should have been left by Yu He when she left yesterday.
Ling Feng unhesitatingly got up and returned to the small house, and in the blink of an eye, he reappeared before everyone, now holding an exquisite bottle.
Ling Feng carefully examined the bottle, secretly wondering what precious item it contained.
Driven by curiosity, he opened the lid to investigate, and as expected, the bottle contained Medicinal Pills for treating injuries. This must have been Spirit Medicine specially left by Yu He for his use; it had truly come at the perfect time!
Ling Feng immediately poured out the Spirit Pills from the bottle and carefully fed one to Zhang Da Niu and each of the others.
Everyone's injuries were not originally severe. After a period of Qi Circulation and recuperation, combined with the miraculous Spirit Pills bestowed by Yu He, their injuries had significantly improved.
An hour quietly passed, and the pain in everyone's bodies was no longer a major issue. After expressing their gratitude to Ling Feng, they each returned to their houses to rest.
As for Zhang Da Niu, he shouldered the Spiritual Plants gathered that day and rushed non-stop to the Pill Pavilion.
When he returned, he brought a small bag of Rangu San and gave it to Ling Feng, saying that a Senior Brother from the Pill Pavilion had specially refined it, and just a tiny bit was enough to knock out a True Spirit Realm Cultivator.
However, the effect of Rangu San was only to temporarily incapacitate a Cultivator, with no effect on their life.