Chapter 18: The Gourd

Wang Lin walked out of the garden without a word. Along the way, his red Inner Sect Disciple robes attracted the attention of all the Named Disciples. Each of them showed envy, but when they clearly saw it was him, their expressions immediately turned strange, quickly transforming into deep jealousy.

“So he’s the new Inner Sect Disciple the Sect Leader announced yesterday! He became a Named Disciple by committing suicide, and this time, who knows what method he used to enter the Inner Sect? He’s truly lucky as hell.”

“Do you even need to ask? I’d say he probably licked the Elder's toes and did all sorts of despicable things to gain the Elder's favor and be taken as a Disciple. This kind of person is truly too lowly.”

“Isn’t that right? Look at how foolish he looks. I estimate that even if he becomes an Inner Sect Disciple, he’ll be at the very bottom. Cultivating Immortality isn't that easy.”

“This kind of trash, even if he uses some tricks to become an Inner Sect Disciple, everyone doesn’t need to care. Trash is trash wherever it goes, always looked down upon.”

“Damn it, I’ve been a Named Disciple for four years, and I’ve never seen such a shameless guy. What kind of world is this? How could an Elder possibly fancy him? What about me isn't stronger than him? This is truly infuriating.”

“You’ve only been here for four years; I’ve been here for twelve! But we all climbed up little by little with true skill. Hmph, Inner Sect Disciples often spar with each other. Let’s wait and watch the show.”

The discussions entered his ears one after another. Wang Lin swept a cold glance over them, and all sorts of faces fell into his sight. His current strength was insufficient, but once he reached a certain level of strength, he would retaliate against each of these people.

In a short while, he arrived at the East Gate, following the small path directly to the mountain spring. He scooped up spring water with his hands and splashed it on his face; a cool sensation immediately surged forth. His spirits lifted, and he drank several large gulps before sitting down unhurriedly to Cultivate.

On a large tree not far away, Elder Sun squatted with a frown, muttering, “You little rascal, you said you were going out to find a Gourd, and you’re actually waiting here for a Gourd to float down from upstream.”

After Wang Lin left, he immediately followed secretly, wanting to see where this Disciple would go to find a Gourd. He didn't expect Wang Lin to just sit by the spring, stiffly meditating and Cultivating.

The Spiritual Qi here was slightly more abundant than in the room. Although Wang Lin hadn't experienced that feeling he had in the Medicinal Garden, he thought it over and over, concluding that the Qi Condensation stage, to put it plainly, was about the amount of Spiritual Qi in one's body. Although his Aptitude was insufficient, and the amount of Spiritual Qi he absorbed each time was small, he could compensate with time.

In fact, Wang Lin's guess was very accurate. The so-called Qi Condensation stage was exactly this: Spiritual Qi entering the body to change one's constitution, laying a good foundation for future Foundation Establishment.

He continued to Cultivate until noon. Wang Lin relaxed his limbs, but the sensation of ants crawling still hadn't appeared. He stood by the spring, looked around, and thought to himself that Sun Dazhu would definitely not let him come out for no reason; he must be following him, probably monitoring him nearby.

He rubbed his stomach and swayed unhurriedly towards the School. Sun Dazhu was furious. He had foolishly stayed in the tree with the other party all morning, muttering to himself, “You little rascal, this old man is going to outlast you! If not a day, then a month; if not a month, then a year! I refuse to believe you only have that one Gourd!”

After speaking, he leaped up and returned to the Medicinal Garden ahead of Wang Lin.

Soon after, Wang Lin returned unhurriedly. Sun Dazhu stroked his chin beard and forced a smile, saying, “My Disciple, did you find a Gourd this morning?”

Wang Lin sighed, shaking his head and saying, “Master, I waited by the spring all morning, but I didn’t see any Gourds. I’ll go look again this afternoon; maybe I’ll be lucky enough to find one.”

Sun Dazhu thought to himself, “You were meditating with your eyes closed all morning. It would be a miracle if you saw a Gourd even if it floated right past you.” But he said kindly, “Very good, Wang Lin. Go eat first, then go look again this afternoon.”

Wang Lin said “Oh,” and walked into his room. He saw an extra table with four dishes and one soup, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, which made his mouth water. He didn't ask when the food was delivered, quickly took a few bites, and even drank all the soup. Then he patted his stomach and lay on the bed for a short afternoon nap.

Sun Dazhu's figure appeared like a ghost. His face was gloomy, and his eyes showed a vicious glint. He thought to himself, “Although I am bound by the School rules and fear being discovered, so I cannot put poison in your food, I can put some drugs that hinder your absorption of Spiritual Qi. Hmph, your Aptitude is already mediocre, and with these drugs from me, you can forget about cultivating above the third layer of Qi Condensation in this life. This way, I can firmly control you for the rest of my life.”

An hour later, Wang Lin woke up, smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes, walked out of the garden gate, and returned to the mountain spring to continue Cultivating. Time gradually passed until the sun was about to set. Wang Lin stood up, lingered by the spring for a while, and then walked into the dense mountain forest without a word.

Squatting on the big tree, Sun Dazhu immediately perked up and silently followed.

Wang Lin slowly meandered left and right in the mountains, looking around along the way. Suddenly, his face lit up with joy. He came to a climbing vine covered with wild Gourds, picked a good-looking small Gourd, pulled it off, held it in his hand, and left in a hurry.

After he left, Sun Dazhu came to the spot with a look of doubt. No matter how he looked at them, these Gourds seemed very ordinary. After thinking for a long time, he picked a few, utterly confused, remembered the location, and then his figure disappeared.

Wang Lin followed the mountain path and soon returned to the Medicinal Garden. He filtered out the idle chatter of the Named Disciples on the way. When he entered the Medicinal Garden, Sun Dazhu was glaring at him with a gloomy expression.

Wang Lin immediately stood respectfully to the side, handed over the Gourd in his hand, and said, “Master, I was lucky this afternoon. Although I didn’t find a Gourd by the spring, I just wandered around the mountain and saw quite a few. What do you think of this one? I looked at it for a long time, and this one resembles my previous Gourd the most.”

Sun Dazhu almost lost control of his temper. He forcibly suppressed his anger, squeezed out a stiff smile, took the Gourd, threw it aside without even a glance, and said to Wang Lin word by word, “The Gourd I want is like your previous one, full of Spiritual Qi! What good is this wild Gourd you brought me?!”

In the last few sentences, he truly couldn't control his temper and roared in anger. The frustration in his heart was immense; he realized he had been played by this kid all day, wasted a day monitoring him, and in the end, foolishly picked a few Gourds himself.