Chapter 85: The Junior Disciple Who Had Already Plotted the Script of Betraying His Master and Destroying His Ancestors

"Testing my caliber?"

"That sharp-mouthed, monkey-cheeked old man?"

Feng Mu keenly caught the key information in Li Bashan's words, thoughtful in his heart.

"This script looks like it wants to take me in as a disciple, but I haven't shown any talent yet, so what exactly attracted Douqiong Martial Hall? It can't just be because that signboard cracked the moment I walked in, right?"

"Not venting anger on me would be one thing, but judging by the situation, they actually intend to take me in as a disciple. Strange, so strange."

Feng Mu now understood that Douqiong Martial Hall was different from other martial halls. Even though the dojo here had been renovated and the main area outside had various technological devices to assist cultivation, deep down it still exuded an old-fashioned vibe.

Like Canglong Wuguan, they essentially treated martial arts hall disciples as a business.

Whether you were an ordinary disciple, an advanced disciple, or an inner sect disciple, it was essentially a business of money and goods exchanged on the spot. There might be some feelings mixed in, but definitely not many.

But Douqiong Martial Hall here seemed a bit different, though not completely different, because those disciples outside were indeed just business.

But these seven inside were completely different.

Although Li Bashan did not say it explicitly, his words clearly showed he took his master's words as the ultimate standard, and the expressions of the others seemed to deeply agree.

Obviously, this was not a transactional relationship between current teachers and students, or coaches and disciples.

But rather closer to the old era of master-disciple inheritance of the mantle and bowl, a transmission relationship even closer than the blood relationship between father and son.

It was master, not teacher—a difference of one word, but worlds apart!

Feng Mu appeared simple-minded on the surface, but his mind was spinning rapidly, weighing the pros and cons in his heart: "Finding a master-apprentice relationship for this public identity of 【Feng Mu】 doesn't seem like a bad idea?"

"Although it will add some ties on the identity front, these ties might not necessarily be unable to serve as a helping hand. This 【Douqiong Martial Hall】 looks quite extraordinary, and besides, with a master-apprentice background, my growth trajectory will have a credible endorsement, and in the future it will withstand scrutiny."

"Most importantly, I've even made Noise Father attain the Dao, so having one more master on my head is no big deal."

"If 【Douqiong Martial Hall】 is beneficial to me, I can play the role of a well-behaved disciple who respects teachers and values the Dao; but if it's harmful, in the future I can switch 【masks】 and direct a play of washing the entire sect in blood, escaping with only one person lucky enough to survive."

Feng Mu's thoughts spun like lightning, and he made a decision in his heart. He was prepared to go along with the "cheap master's" arrangement and accept this "karmic tie."

The people below naturally didn't know that in these few short seconds, the future junior disciple standing on the platform had already turned over all sorts of unthinkable thoughts of betraying his master and destroying his ancestors in his mind.

"Did you pick a good one?" Li Bashan urged.

Feng Mu took a deep breath, realizing the assessment had already begun. Letting him choose someone was testing his vision and courage.

"The persona I want to shape now should be: simple-minded, taciturn, gloomy, obsessive, self-disciplined, and with a streak of ruthlessness deep in his bones."

Feng Mu grunted, and the Blood Bar Ghost Eye activated as he looked at the crowd.

Without a doubt, Li Bashan's blood bar was the highest among everyone 【2117/2117】, almost ten times his own blood volume—basically a blood tank.

Hong Ya's blood bar was the shortest 【177/188】, less than his own, and not full. Could it be that, like him, she was regularly bleeding herself?

The others had blood bars of varying lengths. Though not as exaggerated as Li Bashan's, they were basically 2 to 5 times his own.

Measuring a person's strength by blood bar length might be biased, but as an important reference, there was no problem.

Excluding the strongest and the weakest, Feng Mu extended a finger toward the man who had beaten the Iron Man Stake until he was covered in blood. The latter's blood bar was 2.5 times his own.

Li Bashan immediately said: "Old Four, go up and lend a hand. Hold back your strength."

Old Four was named Yuan Xidi. Hearing this, he rolled his neck, and a bloodthirsty light flickered in his narrow eyes. No one knew if he had heard Li Bashan's warning.

He strode onto the platform without treating the cut on his hand, letting blood drip all the way to the ground.

As soon as he stepped onto the stage and stood there, Feng Mu felt a murderous aura rush toward him.

Aura was a mysterious thing—actually the most primal instinct of life, originating from deep within the genes. It was the perception and fear of those lower on the food chain toward top predators.

Perceiving that the other was stronger, fearing that the other could easily capture, kill, and devour oneself.

This was an instinct animals were born with. Humans had degenerated in this aspect due to technology, but some martial artists would activate this instinct, and even more keenly than animals.

Just like Feng Mu now. Because Yuan Xidi didn't hide it at all, he once again smelled the strong scent of blood in the other's aura.

It was a scent that would only cling to someone after killing who knew how many of their own kind.

According to some superstitious beliefs, this person was wrapped in the wronged souls of those of his own kind who had died and the lingering resentment that wouldn't dissipate.

Yuan Xidi sickeningly licked the blood on the back of his hand and squeezed out a smile at the junior disciple who might enter the sect before him: "Come, don't be afraid. I'll let you attack first. When you're tired, I'll take over."

Below the stage, Hong Ya frowned and said worriedly: "Why did he have to pick Fourth Senior Brother? Besides Eldest Senior Brother, Fourth Senior Brother may not be the strongest."

Someone interjected: "But Old Four must be the craziest. Every time he likes to get covered in blood."

The one speaking was Second Senior Sister Liu Xie, short-haired with purple lips, her arms crossed over her chest. As she spoke, she seemed to recall something, sticking out her tongue to lick her lips.

"Master has taken a liking to this person called..." Liu Xie paused, looking toward Hong Ya.

Hong Ya subconsciously shrank her neck, seeming a bit afraid of this Second Senior Sister. She replied: "His name is Feng Mu. Master didn't say anything, only told me that we have fate."

Liu Xie smiled noncommittally: "Then you'd better keep a close eye on him, lest Old Four accidentally beat him to death on the platform. Then this fate would be gone."

Old Five Gong Qi, with broken eyebrows and a black mole on his brow, also came over and said indifferently: "If he's beaten to death, bury him under a tree. Isn't that also a kind of fate?"

Bang!

Old Three Zhao Zhixin closed the door, completely shutting out the gazes from outside.

He comforted Hong Ya: "If he really gets beaten to death, we'll help you bury the corpse. Then Master can't just blame you alone."

Only Old Six Wang Yu remained silent from beginning to end, merely nodding along.

Hong Ya's face darkened. She knew her senior brothers and sisters were teasing her, but she couldn't tell if they were serious.

She could only look up at Eldest Senior Brother as if seeking help.

Li Bashan paid no attention to the junior brothers and sisters bickering. It seemed that besides eating, nothing else could move him.

His gaze burned as he stared at the platform. Master Li Guishe often scolded him for being dull-witted, but perhaps it was precisely because of this dullness that he had an unreasonable intuition.

Intuition told him that this junior disciple who had not yet entered the sect was definitely not as weak and simple-minded as he appeared on the surface. There seemed to be something very deep hidden in the other's body.

Li Bashan could not peer into that thing, but he was very certain: "Junior Disciple" was definitely not ordinary. At the very least, he had also killed people.

Although "Junior Disciple" hid it extremely deeply, when he was locked onto by Fourth Senior Brother's killing intent at close range, his body still instinctively showed a trace of a stress reaction.

It also responded with a faint, fleeting killing intent.

Even if it only leaked for an instant and was very faint, Fourth Senior Brother standing opposite did not notice it. But Li Bashan smelled it. It was... killing intent that could only be nurtured by someone who had also killed people, and not just one person.

On the stage, Feng Mu did not know that he had revealed a bit of his background; he still wore a wooden expression, only his heartbeat quickened two beats.

The E Iron inside his stomach responded, digesting rapidly.

Feng Mu swallowed his saliva, he took a deep breath, staring dead at Yuan Xidi; that gaze, to outsiders, seemed to be locking onto an enemy, exuding a fierce air.

"Yo, nice look, at least you can still stand on the stage, guts qualified." Zhao Zhixin laughed and teased.

But, only Feng Mu knew, where was he locking onto an enemy? He was clearly looking at a box of... digestive tablets delivered right to his door!

 Dedicated a great god's book "Pro Luo Zhi Zhu"

 He is called Li Banfeng, Feng as in mountain peak, not Feng as in going mad; the doctor said he is not mad.

 To save a friend's life, he went to Platform 96, boarded Train 1160, and arrived at Pro Zhou, halted in the steam era.

 He met the confidante from the old phonograph, the peerless beauty from the calendar poster, the swaying courtesan from the old pendulum clock, the transcendent expert from the wine gourd.

 Here there are Food Cultivators who grow fiercer the more they eat, Smoke Cultivators who grow stronger the more they smoke, Martial Cultivators who grow more ruthless the more they kill, Alcohol Cultivators who grow more crazed the more they drink.

 Here there are Travel Cultivators who want to go everywhere, and Homebody Cultivators who want to go nowhere.

 Hundred Gates of Tianxia, who can contend for the front.

 Ten Thousand Cultivators of Pro Luo, who is the leader.

 Banfeng puts on a Suit, dons a bowler hat, picks up a feather duster, and seriously asks: Tell me, who is the Pro Luo Zhi Zhu?





(End of Chapter)