Chapter 35: Rear Mountain

Inside the Main Hall stood over forty Inner Sect Disciples. They wore black, white, and red robes, but none wore Purple Robes.

These Disciples were all extremely respectful and wore serious expressions. Among them were many faces Wang Lin recognized: Wang Zhuo, the Maiden Xu, the Woman Zhou, Senior Brother Zhang, and others.

Directly in front of them, seated on either side, were over a dozen old men, all wearing indifferent expressions.

In the very center sat one man, about forty years old, wearing a blue long gown. He possessed the air of an immortal, his gaze like lightning. He said indifferently, "Junior Brother Sun, is this your Disciple?"

Sun Dazhu quickly put on a smile and said, "Sect Leader Senior Brother, this young fellow is indeed my apprentice, Wang Lin. He joined late and didn't know the meaning of ringing the bell five times."

"Truly, like Master, like Disciple. Junior Brother Sun, this apprentice of yours is quite foolish, just like you back in the day." A red-faced old man sitting on the right side sneered.

"Senior Brother, that's unfair. Junior Brother Sun was at least qualified in terms of aptitude back then; he's much stronger than this Disciple of his!" Another old man laughed from the side.

Sun Dazhu's face flushed and paled alternately. He glared fiercely at Wang Lin, snorted, and was too lazy to argue back, so he walked to the empty seat on the left and sat down.

The Blue Robed Man frowned, gave Wang Lin a cold glance, and then ignored him. He said in a deep voice, "As I just said, this training session must yield results. Four years from now, we absolutely cannot lose the exchange with the Xuandao Sect! Starting today, you will enter the Rear Mountain. Each of you will have your own Cultivation Place. Go into seclusion, Cultivate, and raise your cultivation. The School has provided 10,000 Spirit Seizing Pills for your use this time. You must not leave the Rear Mountain during this period. Do you understand?"

All the Inner Sect Disciples responded in unison.

The Blue Robed Man nodded slightly and continued, "I hope that four years from now, some of you will be wearing Purple Robes. The Purple Robe represents a Core Disciple of my Hengyue School, a status far above that of an Inner Sect Disciple. Enough said. You will experience the benefits and drawbacks yourselves. Now I will send you to the Rear Mountain, where someone will arrange your Cultivation Places."

After speaking, the Blue Robed Man flicked his large sleeve, and a beam of white light shot out from his cuff.

After circling the Main Hall once, the man shouted, "Open!"

The white light immediately expanded infinitely, instantly turning into a screen of light that enveloped all the Inner Sect Disciples.

"Go!" Following the Blue Robed Man's low shout, the screen of light shimmered and vanished inside the Main Hall.

A warm feeling spread through Wang Lin's body. His vision blurred, and when it cleared, he was surprised to find himself standing inside a Mountain Valley.

The Spiritual Qi here was much denser than outside, and the sound of flowing water drifted from afar. He glanced around and saw that all the Inner Sect Disciples looked astonished, continuously sizing up their surroundings.

There were no plants inside the valley, only a massive, bare cliff face. The cliff face was densely covered with countless honeycomb-like cave entrances, some of which were sealed by large boulders.

Suddenly, Wang Lin noticed someone staring at him. He turned his head and saw Wang Zhuo looking at him with a cold sneer, his eyes filled with disdain.

Just then, a young man flew out from a cave in the cliff face. The youth, wearing a Purple Robe, gave everyone a stern glance and said in a deep voice, "Junior Brothers, this is the location of my Hengyue School's Rear Mountain. Although it is called the Rear Mountain, it is not actually behind Mount Hengyue.

This place was actually established 500 years ago by several Nascent Soul Stage Ancestors within the School, specifically created as a Cultivation Place for Inner Sect Disciples. The Spiritual Qi here far exceeds that outside.

Since you have arrived, you must seize every moment to Cultivate and not slack off, or don't blame this Senior Brother for throwing you out of the Rear Mountain!"

Wang Lin recognized this Purple Robed youth; it was Second Senior Brother Zhang Kuang, the one who had exchanged his Spiritual Qi spring water. It was rumored that he had already Cultivated to the Qi Condensation Sixth Layer, making him unfathomable.

Wang Lin lowered his head slightly. He had deeply experienced Zhang Kuang's scheming nature, which had plunged him into crisis that day with just a few words.

"I have all the Cultivation Chants for the Qi Condensation Seventh Layer and below. If you reach the corresponding level and lack the chant, you may request it from me. I will verify your level and then give it to you.

As for your Cultivation Places, you may choose any cave on this cliff that has not been sealed by a large boulder. Here are the Spirit Seizing Pills; each bottle contains 50 pills and will be replenished annually!" After Zhang Kuang finished speaking, he waved his right hand, and fifty milky-white small bottles appeared on the ground.

At this moment, Inner Sect Disciples walked out one after another, silently picked up a small bottle, and found a Cultivation Place to enter.

Wang Lin took a deep breath, thinking that since he had used the Form and Voice Changing Pill that day, the other party wouldn't be able to recognize him. He then walked out and picked up a small bottle.

Zhang Kuang stood aside, watching the Inner Sect Disciples pass. When he saw Wang Lin, his expression suddenly became strange, and he asked, "What is your name? How have you not even reached the Qi Condensation First Layer? Who is your Master?"

Wang Lin stopped, turned around, and respectfully said, "Senior Brother, my name is Wang Lin, and my Master is Sun Dazhu. Perhaps my aptitude is insufficient, as I still haven't reached the first layer."

Zhang Kuang was surprised, then laughed, "You are Wang Lin? I've heard of you. Although aptitude is important, perseverance is also key to Cultivating the Dao. Since your aptitude is lacking, you must work even harder!"

Wang Lin quickly agreed.

"Never mind. This cliff face is too high, and since you haven't even reached the first layer, you probably can't climb it. I'll give you a ride!" Zhang Kuang flicked his sleeve, and immediately a pushing force appeared beneath Wang Lin's feet, carrying him to a cave entrance before dissipating.

Wang Lin respectfully thanked Zhang Kuang, turned, and walked into the cave. His expression immediately darkened. He thought to himself that if it weren't for that previous incident, he definitely would have thought this Second Senior Brother was amiable.

Unfortunately, he already knew the other party's true colors and naturally wouldn't take this small favor to heart.

The cave was not large, containing only a stone bed. On the nearby wall was a handle.

Wang Lin focused his mind and looked for a moment, then reached out and pulled it. Amidst a rumbling sound, a massive stone wall slowly descended from the top of the cave entrance, finally sealing the opening completely with a loud bang.

After carefully checking the cave once more and confirming that nothing was amiss, Wang Lin was very satisfied with the place.

When he had sought out Sun Dazhu originally, he had intended to use an excuse to leave the School and search for a Cultivation Place. Although he was refused, looking at the current situation, it was not much different from his original idea.

There was only one downside: there was no water source inside the cave. Wang Lin's cultivation primarily relied on the Spiritual Qi Liquid.

However, he had accumulated quite a bit of snow water in his Storage Pouch, which should last him for some time.

Furthermore, he had heard the sound of flowing water in the valley earlier. The issue of a water source should not be difficult to solve, provided he was careful.