Chapter 112: The Formal Apprenticeship

Zhang Qiang left after delivering a harsh threat, but Li Sibai paid it no mind. He glanced at the storage voucher in his hand and finally allowed himself a faint smile.

It was the other party who had come looking for trouble, and after losing the fight, they had resorted to empty threats—what kind of behavior was that? He had only made a small profit, and when he accounted for the loss of the Red Gold Bear inner core, which was worth 300 Profound Sky Jade-Clear Pills, his heart ached, so he decided not to dwell on it.

He returned directly to his quarters accompanied by Qin Feng. The place had been vacant for several months, yet it remained clean and tidy; someone must have been cleaning it daily.

Li Sibai had just acquired 1,100 Profound Sky Jade-Clear Pills. For an average inner-sect disciple, this was a significant sum. Depending on their rank and mentor, inner-sect disciples received a certain amount of cultivation resources each month, but usually, it was only around 50 pills. Someone like Li Sibai could now be considered wealthy.

However, Li Sibai was not in a hurry to cultivate. Absorbing such a vast quantity of Profound Sky Jade-Clear Pills would take a long time and require absolute peace, free from any interruptions—something his current environment could not guarantee.

Li Sibai pondered finding He Tianshu tomorrow to ask where he could exchange these for Profound Sky Tai-Clear Pills. He had heard about them while in the outer sect; they were said to be far more effective than the Jade-Clear variety and were more compact. He suspected he was likely the only person in the entire inner sect currently holding so many Profound Sky Jade-Clear Pills.

With no need to cultivate and his mind at ease, Li Sibai felt hunger stir. The meals he had brought from the outer sect were now cold. However, being in a good mood, he took out his old pots and pans, lit a fire to reheat the food, and shared a hearty meal with Cai Yao.

After eating, he had nothing to do. Realizing he would not sleep well here, a thought struck him. He communicated with the Purple Bamboo in his mind, and after a brief moment of dizziness, he found himself back in the bamboo grove. Li Sibai nodded with satisfaction. Since his last departure, nothing had changed except for the absence of the Red Gold Bear, which actually made the place feel much more tranquil.

Li Sibai sat down to meditate. He had become accustomed to using this as a substitute for sleep, while Cai Yao rested quietly beside him, bathing him in her colorful radiance to aid his cultivation. This continued until dawn.

Li Sibai opened his eyes, saw Cai Yao sleeping beside him, and smiled gently. He cradled her in his arms and, communicating with the Purple Bamboo, quickly returned to his room in the inner sect. Everything remained unchanged. Seeing that it was still early before class, he decided to stick to his plan and find He Tianshu to inquire about the exchange for the Tai-Clear pills.

Upon reaching his destination, he discovered that He Tianshu was not in the inner sect, and Yao Xueqing was also absent; it was said they had gone out on a mission together. Li Sibai felt a pang of disappointment, though he reasoned that if they were around, they would have appeared during the commotion yesterday.

With no other choice, he headed toward the Star Cloud Pavilion, intending to attend his class and see if there was any word from the mentor he had taken yesterday. He soon arrived at the Star Cloud Pavilion and located the "Shen" chamber his mentor had mentioned.

The door was unlocked and left slightly ajar. Pushing it open, he found a large room that, while similar to the previous classrooms, was entirely deserted. It lacked furnishings and seemed as if it hadn't been used in ages; there were spiderwebs in the corners and layers of dust on the tables.

Li Sibai shook his head. Had he misremembered the room number? He thought carefully and was certain he hadn't. Seeing he still had time, he stopped worrying and decided to wait. Bored, he found a rag and a broom in the corner and began to clean the place. Having grown up with Uncle Cai Da, he was accustomed to independence and had done his fair share of labor. Seeing how filthy the room was, he couldn't help but tidy it up, thinking he would be attending classes here in the future.

By the time he had made the classroom look brand new, the hour of Mao had long since passed, yet his mentor had not appeared. The empty classroom felt cold and desolate, standing in stark contrast to the lively atmosphere of the other rooms.

Li Sibai frowned, a hint of dissatisfaction rising in his heart. It was one thing for the room to be dirty because it was rarely used, but he had already cleaned it; how could a mentor be this late? Had they not agreed upon a time?

Facing the empty classroom, Li Sibai felt helpless. Why had he ended up with such an unreliable mentor? The thought was frustrating, and he even considered dropping the class. Generally, once a mentor was accepted, it was not permitted to withdraw, as doing so was a grave sign of disrespect. Other mentors, out of regard for the face of the previous one, would be unlikely to accept you as a student, unless the two were bitter rivals. It was a lose-lose situation for everyone involved.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Li Sibai dismissed it. There was no point in such self-destructive behavior. Life in the inner sect was already difficult enough, and he did not want to create more enemies. Since he had nothing else to do, and even though his mentor was absent—as he had always cultivated on his own before—Li Sibai began his practice.

He was currently cultivating the Hunyuan Technique. Since obtaining it, he had only practiced it briefly in the bamboo cave and had not had time to properly consolidate it. After his successful practice in the bamboo grove last night, he felt good and continued to refine the technique today.

He did not know how much time had passed, but Li Sibai felt the energy within him flowing more smoothly. Although he had not broken through any other meridians, the constant impact of the energy had significantly widened them.

"Cough, cough." Hearing two light coughs, Li Sibai opened his eyes. Before him stood an elderly man with a white beard and a refined, ethereal air. It was none other than his mentor, Daoist Yun Ling.

Seeing his mentor had arrived, Li Sibai quickly stood up and bowed. "Greetings, Master! Please accept your disciple's respects!"

Daoist Yun Ling looked at him and nodded with satisfaction. "Rise."

Li Sibai quickly stood up.

"Did you clean all this?" Daoist Yun Ling asked.

"Yes, Master," Li Sibai replied, feeling inexplicably nervous in his mentor's presence.

"Hmm. You arrived, cleaned the room, and even after waiting for so long, you chose to cultivate on your own. You are a teachable soul. Today, I officially accept you as my disciple."

Li Sibai was stunned. What did he mean? Officially accept him? Did yesterday not count? Had he not completed the jade plate initiation?

Seeing his confusion, Daoist Yun Ling understood his thoughts. "Yesterday, I merely saw you in distress and felt a sense of compassion. Plus, we were fated to cross paths, so I helped you once."