Chapter 123 - Becoming a Direct Disciple Please Subscribe

Lai Jianlin watched from below the stage, standing alongside Mo Wen, who seemed to be enjoying the spectacle, offering occasional comments.

“Tsk tsk, Sister Ding Ling has encountered her nemesis this time!

That male competitor overpowers her in spiritual power and even has the counteracting fire spell, Lai Junior Brother, do you think Sister Ding Ling can win?”

“Didn’t you just give your commentary?

Why are you asking me?”

Lai Jianlin didn’t comment.

Sometimes one’s chance to rise up despite adversities is rare, but when it happens, it exemplifies exceptional resilience, as shown by one in ten thousand.

The strengths and weaknesses of men and women are fundamentally differentiated by constitution.

It all comes down to one’s comprehension and the strength of the spiritual root, with luck playing a significant role.

“Hehe, Sister Ding Ling is already luckier than I am, at least she made it to the finals.”

With self-deprecating laughter, Mo Wen reflected that among the three people he knew, he was the weakest and the unluckiest.

He was aware of his poor aptitude and comprehension not being higher than others, making the path to cultivation much more challenging for him.

It took him a great deal of effort to enter the Inner Sect and reach the Foundation Establishment Stage.

Everyone wished to progress further, depending on future opportunities.

With scant resources in the past, and now having received spirit stones and pills from his junior brother, advancing further may well be possible—it was just a matter of time.

Amidst the ongoing battle on the stage, Ding Ling was ultimately defeated by strength; her nemesis of this round got the better of her.

When the opponent’s flames came her way, her attempt to erect an ice wall failed to withstand the fiery assault.

With a “boom,” the ice wall collapsed and the flames flew over, forcing her to continually dodge within the blaze.

Her fan flicked some of the flames away, but the tempest only intensied the fire.

Amidst the flames, all Ding Ling could feel was intense heat, sweating profusely while deploying her ice spell, which turned the ice that met the flames into water.

Ding Ling then thought of a move, scooping up the water from the ground and dousing it over the opponent’s fire.

“Sizzle sizzle sizzle”

The massive flames, splashed by water, didn’t die down instantly; the recent gust of wind had turned the once tame fire into a towering inferno.

How could a bit of water extinguish such a fire?

Seeing some effect, Ding Ling stopped using her fan and kept casting water spells.

The opponent, seeing her unable to use her magical treasure, attacked Ding Ling with their Y-shaped treasure, which turned into streams of golden light like swords, targeting Ding Ling.

Ding Ling dodged left and right, using her fan as a defensive magical treasure, but the Y struck it.

The fan in Ding Ling’s hand was knocked aside, leaving her defenseless against her opponent’s flames.

As the flames neared enough to scorch her, she created a water wall on her body, but it only held for a moment.

Subsequent attacks from the opponent were more potent, and unable to defend herself, Ding Ling suffered defeat.

Being conscious of her appearance, how could she allow the flames to singe her hair?

She couldn’t disrobe in public, so she erected a water wall and leapt off the Martial Platform to the square below.

Ding Ling walked slowly back to Lai Jianlin, her head hung low like a child who had done something wrong, too ashamed to look up at Lai Jianlin or anyone else.

“Haha, Junior Sister, what are you doing?”

Mo Wen couldn’t help but laugh upon seeing Ding Ling’s state.

He hadn’t looked like this even after losing his first match.

Ding Ling had come out on top in her second match, doing much better and being much luckier than him, right?

“Brother Mo Wen, I lost.”

Ding Ling kept her head down.

“Junior Sister, it’s not just you who lost—I also lost.

Lift your head, be happy, we’ve done our best, and doing one’s best is all that matters.”

Mo Wen comforted her like a big brother.

Ding Ling felt a little better, lifting her head to sneak a glance at Lai Jianlin, hoping to get a word or two from him.

Lai Jianlin’s lips revealed a hint of a smile.

Seeing Ding Ling looking up at him, he smiled warmly like an amiable man and said:

“Junior Sister, you’ve already done very well.

You fought bravely; don’t lose heart.

Who knows, luck might descend upon you.”

“Senior Brother, there’s no need to comfort me.

I’ve already lost; what luck can possibly come my way?”

Though Ding Ling said this, she was, indeed, electrified by Lai Jianlin’s gentle gaze, finding encouragement in her heart.

In fact, she felt that she had performed very well in this competition.

If it had been before, she would have lost in the first round.

To have made it through a second round was already her fortune for the day.

Perhaps one should not be too greedy, as strength needs to change gradually.

Ding Ling’s lips curved into a slight smile as she stood beside her two Senior Brothers, watching the ongoing competition on the Martial Platform.

During this time, they snacked on some Bigu Pills.

With the competition continuing throughout the day, uninterrupted, they could only refuel their energy and Spiritual Power by consuming Pills.

Perhaps some people had brought food, but food requires attending to physiological needs, which isn’t convenient on the martial grounds.

After another two or three rounds of testing, today’s written tests for the Inner Sect Disciples were concluded.

The Elder announced the victors of the final round to come to the stage to receive their awards.

Amid many gazes, Lai Jianlin, along with a few other victorious disciples, ascended the stage to accept his prizes.

He received a Golden Flying Ship, capable of both defense and flight, along with Spirit Supplement Pills, Foundation Establishment Pills, and 1000 low-grade Spirit Stones.

Those who received awards alongside him were given the same amount of Pills and Spirit Stones, but the Elders distributed the prizes according to each disciple’s Spiritual Root.

All those on the stage who received prizes were taken in as Direct Disciples by the Golden Core Elders present.

Lai Jianlin, however, was taken in by the Law Enforcement Elder, who saw him as a talent that needed to be properly cultivated to become his legacy.

The individuals on stage were thrilled to become Direct Disciples, reveling in the joy of their competition victories.

As the prize recipients left the Martial Platform, the crowd in the square thought the competition had ended and was about to disperse when—

Ding Ling stared intently at Lai Jianlin, who was clutching a Storage Bag, gracefully descending from the sky, thinking how handsome and dashing he was.

At that moment, a female Elder’s voice came from the stage:

“Ding Ling, this Elder takes you as a Direct Disciple.

Come up and receive your reward from me!”

The other Elders on stage smiled.

This female Elder had not taken on any disciples until now, giving the impression she was always aloof and icy.

Continuously not taking a Direct Disciple, she was like a woman untouched by worldly affairs.

Many of the Golden Core Stage Elders were still without a Dao companion, and some had eyes for this female Elder.

Alas, the deity-like lady was indifferent, unable to be charmed by her cold exterior, leaving them powerless.

To everyone’s surprise, she had taken an interest in a female disciple, showing that she wasn’t a Human Cultivator uninterested in The Mortal Realm’s affairs after all.

Ding Ling thought she had misheard, that there might be someone else with the same name, and just stared blankly at the female Elder on stage.

“Junior Sister, she’s calling for you, go on up!”

Mo Wen was happy for Ding Ling and slapped Lai Jianlin, adding:

“Junior Brother, you really hit the mark.

Our Junior Sister really did encounter a stroke of luck.”

Ding Ling, startled by Mo Wen’s loud call by her ear, awoke from her daze and blankly ascended the stage.

Behind her back, a pair of malicious eyes stared—it was from another female cultivator, who was glaring at Ding Ling’s retreating figure.