So, Lin Feng. The kid, you know, who was literally nobody? Just… pulled himself out of that test. A full-fledged Inner Disciple. Yeah, let that sink in. Crowd? Still staring, jaws dropping. Lin Feng, though? Hardly a reaction. For him, this was just… the next step. Like, level up. Nothing more. Nothing less.
He understood the change with Inner Disciple ranking: advantages galore. Better resources. Actual cultivation guidebooks. And, biggest of all, a place in the inner sect's real training zones. This? This was the actual liftoff. Game on.
What about Chen Wu? Well, that dude was an absolute disaster. Face distorted, this strange pale purple. Just… stood there. Mouth sort of gaping. His little crew? Equally lost. He'd been defeated. Severely. In front of everyone. His personal punching bag, the guy he used to step on, had just zoomed beyond him. Unreachable. You could almost see the cogs turning in his head, scheming. Yeah, that sort of humiliation? It doesn't simply disappear. It becomes worse. Big time.
Lin Feng, for his part? Not even looked at him. Why bother? Way bigger fish. He was going straight to the Inner Disciple quarters.
Different world, really. More beautiful. Air felt… lighter, somehow. More spiritual energy, really. Night and day from those dingy outer courtyards. Total upgrade.
His room? Nothing to marvel at. Fortunately, it was clean. It had a real bed, a cushion, even, for meditation. Luxury, right? If it were the first Lin Feng, that kid? It would've been a dream. As for Raijin? Just... enough. He scattered the little things he owned off of the bed—mostly those worn servant robes that he couldn't get rid of because of the irony—and took a deep breath. Time to pull oneself together. Like, really one.
The first place?
The Inner Disciple library. He had to check out what kind of "knowledge" this sect possessed. He passed through the halls reeking of silence. Rows and rows of old and dusty shelves. Most of the manuals? Basic. Simple, to the point, by his norms. Nevertheless at that moment, here and there, his cosmic sensations were catching murmurs. Imperceptible signs of pioneering cultivation ways. Fragments of something extremely grand that this little sect did not comprehend.
He came across a few scrolls. To look at them, they were uninteresting, and therefore, they would not have raised any suspicion. However, in there? Pure gold. Real wisdom.
Almost collided with Mei Hua on the way out. Her gaze. Expressive. Like, oh-my-god-it's-you and thank-god-it's-you both at once. "Lin Feng! I… I didn't expect it. Inner Disciple! That is unbelievable!" She actually reached out as if to take him in a hug, then withdrew. Blaming herself for shyness. It was kinda... sweet.
Lin Feng just chuckled. That cheeky, "I know something you don't" kind of smile. "Only the beginning, Senior Sister, just only the beginning." He examined her closely. "The method I presented... was it effective?"
She blossomed. Like a glowing lantern. "It was! Oh, it absolutely removed the obstruction. I advanced last night! I... I can't express my gratitude enough. You've never done this before with me. Never."
He only shrugged. Attempting to sound cryptic, right? "At times, the impossible is just a sign that you are not viewing it correctly."
He spotted the envy in her face. The purest admiration. Yeah. Good. Their link? Becoming more powerful. Precisely what he wanted.
Very suddenly, a voice was heard shouting loudly, "Lin Feng! Report to the Head Elder's private hall. Immediately!"
The messenger from the Head Elder was also present. He appeared to be very serious. Lin Feng only gave Mei Hua a glance. Here we are. Definitely, the bigwigs would not allow him to enter the Inner Sect and vanish. They wanted to know. Maybe, they wanted to get control over him as well.
He just smiled and whispered, "I guess they can't wait to learn about my 'dormant spiritual root', haha." Then he left. The tattered robes? Still, they were moving with the wind. But his pace? It was that of a master. Inner Sect? Just a stop. The real journey? He was going to start. Very strong.