Shi Yulian felt a pang of regret, regretting that she hadn’t insisted on persuading her father.
Yet she also felt a sense of relief, thankful that she hadn’t challenged Ling Xiao like Li Xinghui had.
Ling Xiao received a fine treasure weapon from Governor Wan Ben—a battle axe—along with ten Heavenly Crystals and a carefully chosen quasi-transcendent martial art.
Amid the cheers of the Hidden Dragon Camp disciples, he left Baiyun Temple and returned to the camp to pack his belongings.
Behind him were the furious glares of the geniuses from the Heavenly Ninja Academy.
Back at the Hidden Dragon Camp, Lin Ze personally hosted a farewell celebration for Ling Xiao, Ling Yixue, and the others.
That day, Ling Xiao’s name became a legend in the Hidden Dragon Camp, a tale relished by those who came after.
Though Ling Yixue and Dai Yuling became true disciples of Master Baiyun, Ling Xiao’s feat of killing Li Xinghui in four moves on Life-and-Death Cliff was far more thrilling. Compared to those two enigmatic girls, Ling Xiao was better suited to be a legendary hero of the common people.
That same day, in front of the entire Hidden Dragon Camp, Lin Ze took Ling Xiao as his true disciple.
Lin Ze had no children, so Ling Xiao, as his sole true disciple, was effectively his heir, inheriting everything he had.
This was an unparalleled honour.
However, after the celebratory feast ended, Lin Ze told Ling Xiao that while becoming his true disciple brought rewards, it also came with greater dangers.
He asked Ling Xiao if he was still willing to become his disciple, giving him a chance to refuse.
In response to Lin Ze’s question, Ling Xiao merely smiled and said, “Commander Lin, I’ve admired you since I was a child, and I still do today. Becoming your disciple is the greatest honour of my life!”
“Good! Good lad! With those words, I, Lin Ze, can die on the battlefield with no regrets!”
Lin Ze was a tough man who had never cried, but this time, tears streamed down his face, his body trembled, and his voice choked with emotion.
In the past, he had taken disciples, but two were killed, and one, unable to endure the constant assassination attempts, betrayed him.
From then on, he had been reluctant to take disciples again.
Even the Twelve Tiger Guards, despite their excellence, had never been considered for discipleship.
But Ling Xiao’s appearance changed his mind.
He believed Ling Xiao was the one to carry on his legacy. Even if he died, Ling Xiao could ensure the Border General’s Manor remained standing in Baiyun Province.
The Twelve Tiger Guards couldn’t stand against Wan Ben, but Ling Xiao could!
It was an irrational trust, but he was willing to bet everything on Ling Xiao.
That day, Ling Xiao, Ling Yixue, Dai Yuling, and others moved from the Hidden Dragon Camp to Baiyun Temple.
There were no private courtyards, no servants, simple meals, and a frugal lifestyle, but no one complained.
Because the twelve geniuses, including Ling Xiao, knew that enduring this hardship was nothing. If they could become as powerful as Master Baiyun, what couldn’t they achieve?
Though the food and lodging were modest, the resources were abundant.
At Baiyun Temple, all entry-level disciples received a monthly stipend of fifty thousand taels of silver, one hundred low-grade spirit stones, and ten True Essence Pills.
There were also numerous natural treasures, spiritual herbs, and more.
This was the advantage.
Even disregarding everything else, this alone was enough to make countless martial artists envious. Add to that the guidance of Master Baiyun, and what did a bit of hardship matter?
Upon arriving at Baiyun Temple, Ling Xiao didn’t rush to cultivate. Instead, he immersed himself in the Mountain and River World, watching the Seven Star Flower being gradually restored.
The beautiful, crystal-like flower was fully repaired in a quarter of an hour, though it came at the cost of a large amount of materials.
Once the Seven Star Flower was restored, Ling Xiao eagerly tested his potential.
Seven flowers, all displaying three colours!
Soul Potential: Seven Stars. Inner Strength Potential: Seven Stars. Physical Potential: Seven Stars!
And he clearly hadn’t fully unleashed his potential.
This meant his potential was no less than that of any of Master Baiyun’s four true disciples—in fact, it surpassed theirs.
After all, whether it was Zuo Leng, Ming Tian, or Ling Yixue, they only had one potential exceeding Seven Stars.
Dai Yuling didn’t even reach Five Stars.
But he—his three potentials all exceeded Seven Stars.
He had never fully understood why he cultivated so quickly or comprehended martial arts so swiftly, but now he had a clearer answer.
Confirming his potential, Ling Xiao grew even more confident about his future. Potential was, after all, truly important.
Afterwards, he turned his focus to cultivation.
He had just acquired a quasi-transcendent martial art from Wan Ben, the Divine Prison King Fist.
Ling Xiao had chosen this fist technique himself, as according to the analysis of his Mountain and River Martial Soul, if the Divine Prison King Fist was mastered to perfection and paired with the appropriate martial soul, it could evolve into a transcendent martial art, gaining new techniques and greater power.
Judging by Wan Ben’s expression, it was clear how valuable this technique was—he probably wanted to slap Ling Xiao dead on the spot.
But Ling Xiao didn’t care. He had already offended Wan Ben, so what was one more offence? The key was that the martial art had to be good.
His Meteor Fist, despite numerous enhancements, was gradually falling behind as his cultivation advanced. Though it was a pity, there came a time when things had to be let go.
Of course, the Meteor Fist was still useful against weaker opponents or miscellaneous foes.
The Divine Prison King Fist had only four forms: Ox Head Split, Horse Face Crush, Impermanence Twist, and Ghost King Annihilation.
But as a quasi-transcendent martial art, it was not easy to cultivate.
Ling Xiao summoned three clones. His main body began studying the Divine Prison King Fist, while one clone continued practicing the Heavenly Dragon Golden Body, and another focused on the Snow Lotus True Manual.
The Snow Lotus True Manual was an inner strength technique, essential for advancing his realm.
The Heavenly Dragon Golden Body tempered his physique, another necessity. Moreover, it was currently Ling Xiao’s only transcendent martial art, so it naturally deserved extra attention.
Once the Heavenly Dragon Golden Body reached the fifth layer, it could propel him to the Transcendent Realm, eliminating any concerns about breaking through to the Transcendent Saint Realm.
Other matters could be set aside for now.
Baiyun Temple was truly an excellent place.
It was said that Master Baiyun had chosen this location and set up special formations, making cultivation here twice as effective.
In just one hour, Ling Xiao fully mastered the first form of the Divine Prison King Fist, Ox Head Split.
However, during the cultivation process, Ling Xiao noticed a problem.
His Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique hadn’t reached the ninth revolution, which was an issue.
The first form of the Divine Prison King Fist was so powerful that executing it could cause joint dislocations, or even fractures and muscle strains.
If he could cultivate the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique to the ninth revolution, this wouldn’t be a concern. The ninth revolution allowed limb regeneration, let alone issues like dislocations or fractures.
But cultivating the Nine Revolutions Golden Body Technique required gold.
