Chapter 12: Becoming a Disciple

On Luoxian Shan, above the main hall of the Fallen Immortal Sect, Su Chen had already washed up and changed into a new set of clothes.

At this moment, Su Chen knelt on the ground and respectfully kowtowed three times to the elder seated at the head.

Meanwhile, the girl standing to the side, upon seeing the pure‑white, delicate‑featured Su Chen, blushed noticeably on her face.

Meanwhile, a round‑faced, small‑eyed youth nearby happened to see this scene, and a flash of anger and malice crossed his eyes.

Also standing among the crowd was a sturdy, square‑faced, large‑eyed youth with somewhat dark skin; his gaze toward Su Chen revealed a hint of curiosity and goodwill.

Besides that, in front of the girl stood a female disciple with an ordinary appearance but an excellent figure; she stood to the side, emanating a chill, and didn't even glance at Su Chen in the center.

Seeing Su Chen finish his salute, the elder immediately walked over, beaming, helped him up, and announced to everyone: "This will be my sixth disciple from now on, your sixth junior brother. His talent is extremely high—at least first‑class—and our Fallen Immortal Sect has gained another new member. As your senior brothers and sisters, you should look after him more."

Then he turned to the other three and introduced Su Chen.

"This is your eldest senior sister, Zhang Junli," he said, pointing to the cold‑aura woman, who merely nodded slightly at Su Chen without speaking.

"This is your third senior brother, You Qizhi," he said, pointing to the round‑faced youth, whose eyes grew even more malicious upon hearing that Su Chen's talent was first‑class; nevertheless he forced a smile at Su Chen.

"This is your fourth senior brother, Peng Hu," he said, pointing to the thick‑eyebrowed, large‑eyed, square‑faced youth, who added kindly: "Since you've joined our Fallen Immortal Sect, junior brother, we'll be one family from now on."

Without waiting for the elder's introduction, she hurried forward and introduced herself: "I'm Yun Xiaoxiao—we just met; I'm your fifth senior sister. Don't worry, I'll take good care of you, my junior brother."

While speaking, she mischievously winked at Su Chen.

Upon hearing that the sect was called the Fallen Immortal Sect, Su Chen felt a flicker of doubt—the sect's name was too similar to that of Luoxian Shan where he lived.

Nevertheless, he temporarily suppressed his doubt, promptly returned everyone's salutations, daring not to be the slightest bit negligent.

Meanwhile, the slightly plump round‑faced youth, seeing Yun Xiaoxiao and Su Chen's interaction, clenched his fists slightly.

"All right, everyone else may withdraw; Su Chen, stay behind so I can teach you the Immortal Arts."

Upon hearing "Immortal Arts," the remaining three all twitched at the corners of their mouths—even the icy, stern eldest senior sister shuddered slightly.

Soon, only Su Chen and his master remained in the hall.

"From today onward you are my sixth disciple, Ma Zhicheng. You also have another senior brother, but he went down the mountain today to carry out my task and won't return for several days."

Ma Zhicheng stroked his white beard, his delight never fading as he gazed at Su Chen as if beholding a treasure.

Su Chen felt a little uneasy under that stare, merely lowering his head and murmuring assent while waiting for his next words.

"

Indeed, just a moment later, Ma Zhicheng waved his hand, and a soundproof barrier instantly appeared, enveloping the two.

Ma Zhicheng then spoke solemnly: "Chen'er, I have previously examined your spiritual root and aptitude—your aptitude is first‑class, your spiritual root is Heavenly Spirit Root, a rarity even across the Wind Forest Continent."

"However, it's a pity that my cultivation is low; I truly don't want to hinder your prospects. If you wish to reconsider now, I will certainly not blame you and will do my utmost to find a more suitable sect for you."

Su Chen gave a barely perceptible nod upon hearing this, though he had already decided upon meeting the old man to become his disciple by any means.

The reason is quite simple,

mainly because his strength is far too weak; even if he had a chance to join a better sect, the risks would be enormous, whereas staying in such a small place would better protect his secrets.

Still, he felt somewhat puzzled by the old man's talk of spiritual roots and aptitude, for in his past life the heavenly‑gifted spiritual root he obtained was clearly one thing—how could it become two utterly different things here?

Thinking this through, Su Chen bowed and said: "Master, as the saying goes, one day as a teacher, a lifetime as a father. Having already taken you as my master, how could I casually change my mind and switch masters or sects?"

Su Chen's words were firm and resolute, bringing Ma Zhicheng considerable relief.

Before Ma Zhicheng could speak, Su Chen added doubtfully: "Master, however, I still don't understand what you just said about spiritual roots and aptitude; please clarify."

Upon hearing this, Ma Zhicheng's interest sparked at once. After all, his cultivation is usually only slightly higher than that of his disciples; though they initially treat him with utmost respect, once they embark on the path of immortality and learn his level, they may show him superficial courtesy while secretly looking down on him.

Therefore, as soon as Ma Zhicheng heard this, he immediately began to explain to Su Chen with animated eyebrows and expressive face.

"The so‑called spiritual root refers to the type of spiritual qi a person can accept."

"Of course, this doesn't mean that the higher the attribute of your spiritual root, the better. Assuming equal aptitude and other conditions, a cultivator with a single spiritual root will certainly progress faster than one with three mixed spiritual roots."

At this moment the elder resembled a professor lecturing, explaining in extreme detail to Su Chen, who listened attentively, daring not to miss anything.

"The reason is actually simple: the world contains the five basic elemental spiritual qi; a person with a single spiritual root automatically rejects the others during cultivation, so their speed is naturally extremely fast."

"But if someone with three spiritual roots cultivates the same technique, when they breathe in they attract three kinds of spiritual qi, yet the two extra kinds are useless for their cultivation; they can only reject them or, after drawing them in, release them back to heaven and earth."

Su Chen's eyes flickered as he asked: "Master, does this mean that those with multiple spiritual roots have more choices when selecting a cultivation method?"

Ma Zhicheng's eyes lit up with satisfaction at Su Chen's question: "Exactly; a person with water, fire, and metal attributes can naturally choose cultivation methods related to those three spiritual roots."

"However, for us cultivators, although there are countless cultivation methods to choose from, time is exceedingly scarce."

A bright gleam flashed in Su Chen's eyes as he thought inwardly, "Here it comes."

He then immediately asked: "Master, do we also have many cultivation methods to choose from? Is there a Scripture Pavilion or something similar?"

Su Chen's first thought was to see if he could copy some cultivation methods here, then bring them back to Blue Star so more people could find suitable methods.

Upon hearing this, the elder's face flushed with embarrassment; he coughed lightly twice and said solemnly: "Chen'er, it's the quality, not the quantity, of cultivation methods that matters. I have already prepared several suitable volumes for you; later you may pick one as your cultivation method."

"Now let me explain your aptitude instead!" Ma Zhicheng deflected Su Chen with a few sentences, changing the subject.