Mortal: Reborn in Yellow Maple Valley, Awakening the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts

Lei Wanhe's gaze sharpened slightly, clearly recognizing the young man before him.

Although he couldn't recall the name, he had a deep impression of the young man because he remembered that this was the outer disciple who had previously guided him in his search for medicine.

The junior brother Li mentioned by Lei Wanhe was naturally Li Huayuan. Chu Zifei never expected that Li Huayuan, as a Core Formation elder, would actually have such leisure and inclination to specifically inquire about a Qi Refining disciple.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he quickly stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and spoke with utmost sincerity:

"Disciple Chu Zifei greets Grandmaster Lei! I have always admired your illustrious reputation, Grandmaster. You once promised that you might take me as your disciple, which excited me so much that I couldn't sleep all night. However, since I haven't had the chance to meet you since, I have taken the liberty of asking Grandmaster Li to inquire on my behalf. I hope you will forgive my rudeness!"

Upon hearing this, Lei Wanhe immediately threw his head back and burst into laughter, his fat face trembling slightly, his expression quite joyful:

"Back then, you pointed out the location of the spiritual herb to me. Although I ultimately failed to find that ten-thousand-year-old spiritual herb, I managed to find a thousand-year-old spiritual herb that I desperately needed. It just so happens to make up for the key medicinal material that I lacked in my alchemy. It can be considered a great achievement."

He paused, a hint of approval flashing in his eyes, and casually said, "Since we have this opportunity, I will accept you as my disciple today."

But as soon as he finished speaking, Lei Wanhe's gaze swept over Chu Zifei, his brows furrowing slightly as he exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? Something's not right!"

"Your cultivation level... is clearly at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet your spiritual energy is exceptionally weak, making you seem no different from an ordinary Qi Refining Peak cultivator."

Lei Wanhe, as expected of a Core Formation cultivator, had sharp eyes and immediately noticed the abnormality even though Chu Zifei had not concealed his physical strength.

He paced around Chu Zifei, scrutinizing him closely, and muttered to himself, "Strange, very strange! Could it be that he overindulged in elixirs, causing his foundation to become weak and his breathing to become unstable?"

After scrutinizing him for a moment without finding a solution, he gently shook his head, casting aside his doubts: "Fine! Now that you have reached the Foundation Establishment stage, your strength far surpasses that of outer disciples. The title of nominal disciple is too beneath you. From this day forward, you will be my personal disciple, Lei Wanhe's disciple!"

Chu Zifei bowed respectfully, feigning excitement and fear, his voice trembling slightly at just the right moment: "How fortunate I am to have received Master's favor! Even if I am only a disciple in name, it is already an immense opportunity for me, enough for this lifetime!"

This humble and sensible attitude made Lei Wanhe feel even more pleased, and his smile widened. With a flick of his sleeve, a storage bag flew out and landed steadily towards Chu Zifei.

"I suppose you haven't opened your cave dwelling yet. Consider the supplies in this bag as compensation for you. You'll naturally need them when you open your cave dwelling in the future. You may leave for now."

Chu Zifei caught the storage bag steadily, did not check it on the spot, and took his leave with a humble attitude, slowly leaving the cave along the original path.

After his figure completely disappeared outside the cave entrance, the middle-aged man standing by finally couldn't suppress his doubts and stepped forward to ask softly, "Master, this boy's cultivation is shallow, his foundation is ordinary, and he has no outstanding abilities. Why did you not only not punish him, but instead take him as your personal disciple?"

Lei Wanhe glanced at him sideways and sighed softly, "Yu Huo, your talent and temperament are both excellent, but you are too arrogant and haughty, and you always judge people by appearances!"

  

His gaze was distant, as if he could see through everything: "This boy's cultivation is at the bottom, yet he managed to escape unscathed from the extremely dangerous Blood Forbidden Trial, and even handed over more than a dozen spiritual herbs at once. Such ability is not as ordinary as he seems."

Having said that, he said no more and turned to continue studying the still-imperfect elixir formula on the table, leaving Yu Huo standing alone in the same spot.

Yu Huo pondered his master's words and recalled Chu Zifei's behavior earlier. His doubts gradually dissipated, and he seemed to be deep in thought.

At the foot of Dongfu Mountain, Chu Zifei walked with ease, but his mind was racing. He wasn't pondering the reason why Lei Wanhe had accepted him as a disciple, but rather the deeper meaning behind the other party's words, "to make amends to you."

After a moment's thought, he suddenly understood.

After the Blood Forbidden Trial concluded, he handed over a large quantity of spiritual herbs, for which he should have received a reward. According to sect rules, a disciple could exchange ten main medicinal herbs for one Foundation Establishment Pill.

In addition, there is an unspoken rule in the valley: once the master-disciple relationship is established, the master can take half of the spiritual medicines handed over by the disciple as a gift of gratitude.

However, after all this time, Chu Zifei had not received any reward. Lei Wanhe had been in seclusion refining pills, and it was likely that half of his spiritual herbs had already been reserved by Li Huayuan. Even if Lei Wanhe didn't intend to take on any disciples, this reward would probably be wasted, serving as a lesson for him.

After seeing him today, Lei Wanhe changed his mind and accepted him as his personal disciple. The promise of making amends came from this!

Having thoroughly weighed the pros and cons, Chu Zifei's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he immediately probed his storage bag with his divine sense, full of anticipation.

If the value of the supplies in the bag is not as high as the Foundation Establishment Pill he should have received, then he will really suffer a loss.

The storage bag contained only three items, which were easily visible.

First, there is an identity token exclusively for personal disciples; second, there are two bottles of commonly used pills, namely the Essence Nourishing Pill and the Vitality Restoration Pill, which can be used for daily cultivation needs.

However, the token and two bottles of pills alone are far less valuable than a Foundation Establishment Pill, and cannot be considered compensation at all.

Chu Zifei's gaze sharpened and immediately fell on the last item.

It was a complete array set, containing twenty-four array plates and thirty-six array flags, with a jade slip containing the method of setting up the array lying quietly beside it.

As his divine sense swept across the jade slip, the array information instantly entered his mind: this array was the Thunder Radiance Array!

This formation requires the arrangement of array flags and array plates in a fixed orientation, with lightning-type magic artifacts as the array eyes and mid-grade spirit stones as the energy source, in order to be successfully activated.

It combines offense and defense, making it extremely powerful!

When used for defense, it can unleash a sky full of lightning to confuse and confuse enemies. The lower the cultivation level, the longer the enemy will be trapped and the more difficult it will be to break free.

Attack mode can switch to killing mode, condense extremely bright heavenly lightning to bombard enemies in the formation. Even a great cultivator who has reached the Foundation Establishment stage must avoid its sharp edge and dare not directly meet the power of the lightning if trapped in the formation!

After seeing the true power of this formation, Chu Zifei's disappointment vanished, replaced by undisguised joy.

For him, who was pursuing the path of body tempering, the Foundation Establishment Pill was of little use; at most, it could be exchanged for some cultivation materials, which was better than nothing.

But this Thunderous Radiance Array is a true treasure! It's enough to support his cave dwelling through the entire Foundation Establishment cultivation stage, and its value far exceeds that of Foundation Establishment Pills by several times!

Chu Zifei quickly composed himself, carefully put away all his belongings, and looked up to find that he had unknowingly arrived outside the council hall.

A knowing glint flashed in his eyes, and he made up his mind.

"Perfect timing. I'll go report to my senior brother, the sect leader, and have him designate an area for me to use in opening up my cave dwelling."

Now that he is the direct disciple of the Core Formation Elder, his strength and status are on par with the Sect Leader, so it is perfectly reasonable and appropriate for him to address him as Senior Brother.

Chu Zifei straightened his robes, which had become slightly disheveled from his journey, and walked calmly into the council hall.

When the two Qi Refining disciples on duty outside the hall saw him approaching, they felt that the person in front of them had a strange aura and that they could not see through the depth of his cultivation. They dared not be negligent in the slightest, so they quickly bowed and waited quietly for instructions, not daring to ask any questions rashly.