Chapter One Hundred and One: The Strongest Power

I found the side staircase and went straight up to the fifth floor.

This place was unlike the other dormitories. Though the sect was built deep in the mountains, it was strikingly modern and grand. Even the doors to each room were double doors.

When I reached the fifth floor, Room 5006 was right beside the stairwell.

I took out my room card and swiped it. With a soft beep, the door sprang open by itself.

To be honest, I really liked the atmosphere here. Besides, the inner disciples all had rooms of their own.

The room was rather nice too: a small sitting room and a small bedroom. There was no kitchen, but everything else one could need was there.

In the living room stood a white ceramic table and two rosewood stools.

In the corner there was even a smart refrigerator. I opened it and found it packed with snacks, drinks, and plenty of frozen treats.

I pushed open the bedroom door and peered inside. There was only a large bed against the wall and a bedside cabinet, nothing more.

Still, I was more than satisfied. I had expected several people crammed into one room, so this treatment was already far beyond what I had imagined.

Glancing to the side, I also saw the class schedule hanging on the wall.

The courses here were naturally different from those at school. There were only four classes a day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, and most of them were knowledge classes, with only a few practical training sessions.

To me, it made no difference. Nothing particularly special.

I took off the clothes I had been wearing and changed into the trainee uniform.

The outfit looked quite streamlined, probably designed for easier combat training.

I glanced at the huge white clock on the wall. It was already 1:40 in the afternoon, and at two o’clock there happened to be a practical training class. I could still make it.

I quickly gathered my things, locked the door, and went downstairs.

The place where we had class was at Jade Grove Pavilion, the private lecture hall for inner disciples.

Jade Grove Pavilion was not far from me. I reached it after a brisk five-minute run.

When I arrived, I saw a man standing at the entrance.

He wore frameless glasses and teacher’s robes. He looked to be in his thirties, refined and courteous.

I jogged over, and he noticed me as well.

Before I could speak, he said first, “You must be Lin Yao.”

I nodded and bowed. “This junior is Lin Yao.”

“Come in. You’re the last one.”

With that, the teacher led me inside.

The hall was not large, only about the size of two basketball courts, and in the center stood a good twenty or thirty people.

They were all dressed like me, clearly disciples, each one spirited and full of vigor.

I looked them over. The highest among them was only at the third level of the Spirit Flower stage, still one level below me; the lowest was no lower than the first level of Spirit Flower.

The teacher led me to the front of the group and raised his voice.

“This new arrival is called Lin Yao. From now on, you are all fellow disciples. Be accommodating in your dealings and help one another.”

After he finished speaking, the disciples immediately burst into discussion.

“Who is he? Lin Yao? Never heard of him.”

“Is he the son of some elder?”

“What level of cultivation is he at? I can’t even tell. Why is he joining our inner disciples?”

Because I was stronger than any of them, they could only sense the spiritual energy within me and could not see my true strength.

But I was an exception. As I had said before, I was born sensitive, so I could see the strength of those within the same broad realm.

Right now I could tell that this teacher was at the fifth level of Spirit Flower, but once one reached Spirit Lotus, I would no longer be able to see through them.

“Teacher, we do not accept this. We were all carefully selected to become inner disciples. As for him, I have never even seen him before.”

The teacher said nothing at the side, only kept smiling.

“Teacher, according to the unwritten rules of our inner disciples, a newcomer must accept our challenge. Only if he wins does he have the qualifications to stay.”

Even then, the teacher still said nothing, but he had already stepped aside. It seemed he was giving silent approval.

The man who had stirred things up clasped his hands at me and said, “My name is Zhang Zifeng. I won’t say I’m bullying you. How about we allow weapons?”

I kept smiling and nodded. This man was not the strongest; he was only at the second level of Spirit Flower.

I stood where I was and did not move. That only made him angrier. He drew his longsword and charged straight at me.

Before he could even get close, I sidestepped, then kicked him flying. He crashed to the ground, unconscious.

The main reason was that he had underestimated me too much. Otherwise, he might have been able to exchange a few blows with me.

That kick was enough to ignite the atmosphere on the spot. Not only the disciples, even the teacher standing nearby showed a hint of astonishment.

Seeing the confusion on their faces, I moved my mind, and the image of a fourth-level Spirit Flower appeared above my head.

This time, it frightened even more of those who had been shouting before. After all, my strength was already close to the teacher’s.

I clasped my hands toward everyone and said, “I am Lin Yao. I have heard that Mount Tianshan is rich in talent and spiritual energy, so I came here specially to temper myself. I ask for your kind understanding in the days ahead.”

After I finished, I looked toward the teacher beside me. He nodded, then motioned for me to return to the disciples’ formation.

I went with the flow and stood at the very front of the disciples, and they tacitly accepted me as the class leader.

As for those brats who had just looked down on me, their expressions now were simply too精彩 to describe.

After I rejoined the group, the teacher began today’s lesson.

Today’s practical training was simple: in groups of ten, begin one-on-one duels until the opponent is knocked to the ground or admits defeat.

Those who win get a day off.

Why did this rule feel so familiar? I had indeed been deeply influenced by the Ghost King.

Still, this method was excellent. It would not hurt people, and it was also very effective training.

Among everyone present, only the one about my build, that Spirit Flower third-level fellow, could truly put up a fight against me. The others posed little threat.

After a brief grouping, the duels began.

I was placed sixth. Bored out of my mind, I could only lean against the wall and watch them fight.

In the first group, both disciples were at the second level of Spirit Flower, and both seemed to specialize in speed.

Their weapons were different too: one used the traditional sword, the other a saber.

The fight ended quickly. In under five minutes, the one with the saber took the initiative to concede.

These disciples had strong practical experience, and their fixed routines were quite well learned, but they still fell short of me.

After all, anyone who had come out under the Ghost King’s hand had learned the truth that unless one fought with life on the line, one would die for sure.

Then it was the second group. That one was still nothing interesting, so I sat on the floor and closed my eyes to rest.

Amid the sounds of fighting and the cheers of the crowd, it was finally my turn.

After that earlier bout, everyone had already seen my true strength. This time there were no more doubtful murmurs, only thunderous applause.

I was a little embarrassed, but I still walked to the center of the field.

The one I faced was exactly the Spirit Flower third-level cultivator.

After clasping his hands to me, he drew out his long saber and said, “My name is Zhang Shun. Blades and swords have no eyes, so be careful.”