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"What! The Fire Separation Pearl ran into your body by itself? Nonsense, how is that possible! You better come clean, or I won't be polite!" Spirit Stone shouted angrily.
Li Hong knelt on the ground, feeling extremely wronged as he explained, "I really don't know what happened. The pearl suddenly rolled away, and in my panic, I just clamped it between my legs and fainted for no reason. When I woke up, I was like this... even the pearl ended up here." He pointed to his forehead.
"Nonsense! Do you know what the Fire Separation Pearl is? You just barely cultivated Innate True Qi; how did you not die from it! It's over! Our sect's treasure has been swallowed by you, you little brat!" Spirit Stone cried out in despair, his loud voice echoing throughout the hall.
The sect leader, Ling Xuzi, lowered his head in thought, his expression unreadable.
"How could a kid who just cultivated Innate True Qi possibly transmute the Fire Separation Pearl? Elder Brother Zhangmen, he must be lying. I have countless ways to make him reveal the truth; please allow me to proceed," Ling Xiangzi said sharply, casting a disdainful glance at Li Hong.
Li Hong's heart sank; he truly feared what was coming.
He was completely clean after just escaping the Li Fire Formation when he ran into Spirit Stone and several Elder Brothers standing side by side. Others might have merely looked strange and gazed at the sky. Only Ling Xiangzi shouted on the spot: "Shameless scoundrel!" with a flushed face as she turned to leave.
Now Li Hong could only curse his bad luck and mutter, "Either you give me some medicine or find a way to get it out."
"The Fire Separation Pearl has entered your Upper Dantian; how could it be so easily removed?" Nine Mystic Peak Elder Brother Ling Jizi said with a chuckle. He had been staring at Li Hong's forehead as if something were blooming there.
With his round face and chubby appearance resembling a wealthy landlord from down the mountain, he looked kind-hearted, but his words implied... he wouldn't actually want to cut open his own head to retrieve the pearl, would he? That would surely cost him his life!
The hall fell silent as the sect leader and six Elder Brothers remained speechless. Li Hong felt his heart racing; at that moment, it was like being judged for a death sentence. His fists unconsciously clenched tightly, almost squeezing out water.
After a long while, Ling Xuzi finally made a decision and said thoughtfully, "The Fire Separation Pearl is of great importance to our sect. Although we cannot retrieve it from Li Hong's Dantian right now, we will need to take it out eventually. But first, only those within our sect are qualified to carry the Fire Separation Pearl." He turned to Spirit Stone and continued, "Prepare yourself; in three days we will hold a disciple-accepting ceremony. This Li Hong will be personally taught by you."
Li Hong finally exhaled at that moment, relaxing his clenched fists.
Accepting disciples! Did this mean he wouldn't die and could finally officially join the Nine Li Sect as an apprentice? He was both surprised and delighted; it was truly unexpected.
However, Spirit Stone did not seem surprised. He looked at Li Hong with slightly furrowed brows, lost in thought about something.
All the new disciples gathered in the main hall, standing in five neat rows. The Black Jade Chair was fully occupied, with Ling Xuzi, the leader of the Nine Li Sect, sitting in the center.
Li Hong wore a brand new white silk robe, adorned with a white jade hairpin and cloud silk shoes, standing among the disciples. Even now, he still felt an inexplicable sense of unreality.
Across from him, Spirit Stone remained expressionless. Li Hong quickly glanced at him. He always felt a barrier between himself and the person who was about to become his master; no matter how friendly he tried to be, it just didn’t feel right.
His cousin, Li Xiong, would also be apprenticed to Spirit Stone alongside him, which was Li Hong's greatest comfort at that moment. He turned his head and saw Bear Kid's honest smile, warming his heart. However, when he looked further down the line, he froze—Zhao Xuan! This rich kid was still alive and stood among the new disciples dressed in the same attire as them. He would also be accepted as a disciple by the Nine Li Sect!
Li Hong had a very bad premonition.
The sound of a bell rang lightly nine times as someone sang: "The initiation ceremony begins."
In front of Grandmaster Jilianzi's statue, an incense altar had already been prepared. Ling Xuzi walked to the altar, picked up three long incense sticks as thick as a child's arm, bowed his head in prayer: "Today, the Nine Li Sect opens its Mountain Gate once again to accept disciples. I hope Ancestor blesses our sect with talented individuals for generations to come and that we may soon have disciples ascend to the immortal realm." After placing the incense in the burner, Ling Xuzi lifted his robe and knelt down.
Everyone followed suit and knelt down; the vast hall echoed with synchronized sounds of bowing.
After performing three kneels and nine bows, Ling Xuzi returned to his seat while a plump old man stepped forward to begin reading the lengthy Rules of the Sect.
Most of the Rules of the Sect were quite perplexing to Li Hong; he had no idea what they meant. However, some clauses were clear, such as prohibiting betrayal of the sect, indiscriminate killing, and harming fellow disciples. The last clause particularly caught his attention; it meant that no one could casually kill him, which assured him that his life was safe for now. He touched his forehead and felt somewhat relieved.
Finally finishing reading the long Rules of the Sect, the plump old man unfolded a list and began announcing: "Li Hong, Li Xiong, Zhao Xuan, Yu Ziliang—step forward and pay your respects to Elder Brother Spirit Stone of Nine Vermilion Peaks."
Spirit Stone sat upright with his knees supported. The four of them walked up to him and knelt down to bow three times.
The old man announced loudly: "Your Dao names are Chu Hong, Chuxiong, Chuxuan, and Chu Liang. You are now the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth disciples under Elder Brother Spirit Stone of Nine Vermilion Peaks. From now on, respect your master and honor your elders; devote yourselves to your sect for life."
The four of them bowed their heads in acknowledgment and stood aside.
The apprenticeship ceremony continued in an orderly manner. Besides Li Hong and his three companions, other new disciples were assigned under Ling Panzai, Ling Shizi, and seven other Master Uncles.
By the end of it all, only about ten female disciples remained standing in place in the main hall. Earlier Li Hong hadn’t noticed them; now these female disciples stood out prominently in the empty hall. Li Hong was astonished when he caught sight of one in particular—the missing little girl! She was actually among the new disciples.
She, like all the female disciples, wore a long white robe tied with a pink belt. Others might be considered merely pretty, but this young girl was exceptionally outstanding. After not seeing her for a long time, she appeared even more beautiful, surrounded by a faint silver glow. Unconsciously, everyone's gaze gathered on her.
As the announcement was read, the female disciples approached a Female Cultivator to bow and pay their respects.
It was Ling Xiangzi. She had long, delicate features that exuded a chilling aura, making her seem intimidating. A long hairpin resembling a ruler was inserted into her hair bun. This pin was unlike ordinary ones; it looked like white jade yet resembled silver metal, with a flickering red light subtly flowing within it. This was Ling Xiangzi's famous treasure—White Reed.
Ling Xiangzi appeared to be in her twenties, but in reality, she had been cultivating for a hundred years and was over a hundred years old. She had reached the Mid-Stage of Transformation, two levels higher than the late stage of Spirit Stone's Golden Core—levels that were not easily crossed. She was one of the few top female experts of the current Immortal Sect.
Ling Xiangzi glanced slightly at her newly accepted female disciples, her gaze stopping on the young girl. She nodded at the girl, and her thin red lips curved upward, surprisingly revealing a hint of a smile on her cold face.
Li Hong was greatly surprised. Ling Xiangzi clearly recognized Chu Xi. This meant that after entering that room that day, Spirit Stone had activated the Heaven and Earth Platform to send Chu Xi to Nine Li Cave Heaven. Chu Xi had long been predetermined as Ling Xiangzi's disciple.
Chu Xi must have some connection with Nine Li Sect or Ling Xiangzi. Li Hong cast a thoughtful glance at her. Just then, Chu Xi also looked over at him. Their eyes met, and Chu Xi smiled slightly, revealing two small dimples on her cheeks, making her look incredibly sweet.
She still remembered him.
Li Hong felt his face heat up slightly and hurriedly nodded at her before turning away. He then faced Chuxuan's stern expression and noticed a flash of fierce intensity in his eyes that quickly vanished.
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