Chapter 35

Chapter 35: Little Uncle Has Their Back

After Chen Feng returned to his room, he did not activate the isolation formation, so every word of the other three people’s conversation reached his ears. He gave a bitter smile, but his face quickly twisted into something vicious. Those people did not even know what had happened, so how could they understand his pain?

Tang Ru had not willingly become that Golden Core elder’s concubine. She had been forced into it. Their cultivation was low and they had no backing, so to keep their status as Outer Sect disciples, Tang Ru had no choice but to submit to that Golden Core elder.

At the age when she should have bloomed like a flower, she had to stay beside that old man whose lifespan was nearly over. Chen Feng did not want Ru Ru to suffer and suggested leaving the sect, but Tang Ru stopped him helplessly. With a bleak look on her face, Tang Ru said, “Brother Feng, where could we go if we leave Hao Ran Sect? Leaving the sect is the same as defecting. That Golden Core Master would have even more reason to go after us. It’s not worth trading both our lives and our paths to immortality for me alone. If I stay by his side, I can still fight for some cultivation resources for you. Don’t give up. Your talent is better than mine. Once your cultivation rises, you’ll be able to help me escape this misery.”

Chen Feng knew his spur-of-the-moment decision had been reckless, and everything Tang Ru said was true. They were too weak to resist right now. He could only swallow his anger and endure for the time being.

After that, he began to cultivate like a madman. Even after three months, he had only raised his cultivation to Qi Refining Level Four. When he used up all the resources he had, he prepared to take missions to earn more.

On the way to the Disciples Hall, he heard that new disciples had just entered the sect, and he set his sights on them. He had not expected them to have an Inner Sect disciple backing them up, something he could not shake right now. Still, he remembered this debt.

When the sun rose the next day, Wei Yun Xi had already finished a full circulation of cultivation. She felt someone tapping her isolation formation, so she ended her session and opened it. Wei Yun Ting stood at the doorway with a smile on her face.

“Sister Yun Ting, what is it?”

“Little Uncle came to see us. I’m calling everyone to gather in our courtyard. Come out quickly!”

“Okay, I’m coming.”

Wei Yun Xi’s heart leaped with joy. She went straight out the door. She had not left anything important in the room anyway.

When Wei Yun Xi stepped into the courtyard, she saw a young man sitting on a jade stool. He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, with a stern face, and he resembled Clan Head Wei Ling Tao of the Wei Family by about half.

He also wore the green sect robe issued by the sect, but his collar had green-gold trim that looked very noble. It was clearly different from the robes of Outer Sect disciples like them.

Wei Ling Kai smiled and beckoned at Wei Yun Xi. “Are you the Yun Xi girl from your eldest uncle’s branch?”

Wei Yun Xi immediately stepped forward, cupped her fists, and bowed. “Your niece Wei Yun Xi greets Little Uncle.”

Wei Ling Kai lifted a hand and helped her up with a smile. “No need for formalities. You look a lot like your mother.”

Wei Yun Qing, who arrived a step later, also hurried up to greet him. “Your niece Wei Yun Qing greets Little Uncle.”

After that, Wei Zong Hao and the others filed into the courtyard and greeted Wei Ling Kai one by one. They were all happy to meet Little Uncle so soon. With him here, they felt far more confident.

In front of everyone, Wei Yun Ting pulled out a storage bag and offered it to Wei Ling Kai with both hands. “Little Uncle, this is what Clan Head asked me to bring you before we set out.”

Wei Ling Kai took the storage bag. With a sweep of his spiritual sense, he knew it contained cultivation resources the clan had prepared for him. He accepted it without pretending, and only then did he ask about what they had gone through during the sect assessment.

Wei Yun Ting stepped forward to explain first, and the others added details. As for what happened after Wei Yun Xi and Wei Zong Hao fell behind, the chubby kid told that part, all the way up to how an Outer Sect disciple named Chen Feng had made things difficult for them yesterday.

Wei Ling Kai nodded as he listened. He felt that the Wei Family disciples had all done well this time. Especially those two little ones who had fallen behind, yet still ended up being the first to reach the mountain gate. As for Wei Yun Qing’s trouble-magnet nature, he did not comment. Saying too much would only hurt unity.

“You all did very well,” Wei Ling Kai said. “Among the disciples our clan sent before, only a few could pass three rounds of trials and enter the Outer Sect directly. I was one of them. Another is a grand-uncle on the Inner Sect’s Dharma Peak. He is already a Golden Core Master. As for the others who entered Menial Peak, very few ever stood out.”

After Little Uncle praised them, the eight of them visibly brightened. Wei Zong Han cupped his fists and said, “Little Uncle, don’t worry. We will work hard in cultivation from now on and never bring shame to the clan.”

The rest nodded in agreement.

Wei Ling Kai nodded in satisfaction and continued, “About the matter with Chen Feng, I’ll go to the Disciples Hall later and speak to Elder Zheng. After that, no one will come looking for trouble with you.”

He paused, then added, “But remember this as well. You must not rely on the clan’s power to act recklessly. If something truly happens, you must be ready to bear the responsibility yourselves. The Wei Family only has one Golden Core Master in the sect that we can rely on. Don’t be too high-profile. If you provoke someone you shouldn’t, the Wei Family will have no choice but to compromise.”

The eight of them answered with serious faces, “Yes. We will remember.”

Wei Ling Kai went on, “But for now, in the Outer Sect, grand-uncle can still protect you. Just like Yun Ting said, we don’t cause trouble, but we’re not afraid of it either. Focus on cultivating with all your heart.”

“Within one year, you few must raise your cultivation to Qi Refining Level Three. Yun Ting and Zong Han, who are only at the minimum threshold for Outer Sect disciples, also need to improve quickly and try to get a peak with richer spiritual qi to cultivate on. Once you break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, you will automatically become Inner Sect disciples. Or, if you can place in the top ten in the sect tournament, you can also enter the Inner Sect to cultivate.”

“And the sect’s next tournament is in ten years. You have plenty of time, so you need to start preparing early.”

Wei Yun Ting and the others listened with their ears practically standing up. They even counted on their fingers, and among them, Wei Yun Ting and Wei Zong Han seemed to have better chances of entering the Inner Sect.

Wei Ling Kai was pleased with their reaction. With a flick of his sleeve, he placed eight porcelain bottles on the jade table. “This is the welcome gift I prepared for you. Each bottle has ten top-grade Nurturing Spirit Pills. They can help you during minor breakthroughs.”

“Thank you, Little Uncle!”

The eight of them smiled as they stepped forward in turn to take the pills, then carefully stored them in their storage bags like treasure.

Wei Ling Kai continued, “Remember this: don’t show your wealth. Don’t let others in the Outer Sect swindle you. Your starting point is already higher than disciples who haven’t cultivated. You must be even stricter with yourselves. This jade slip contains spells that can be used in the Qi Refining Stage. Each of you copy a set and practice well.”

With that, he handed the jade slip to Wei Yun Ting.

“You’ve gone to so much trouble, Little Uncle,” Wei Yun Ting said.

Wei Yun Ting knew that copying a spell jade slip required spirit stones. Little Uncle had saved them another expense.

“Alright, that’s all I needed to say,” Wei Ling Kai said. “Since everyone is here, I’ll take you to the Lecture Hall and greet the Outer Sect elder while I’m at it.”

“Yes, Little Uncle!”

The eight of them were delighted. Little Uncle was clearly backing them up, and they had to follow along. After this, those who had been secretly eyeing them would definitely not dare act rashly anymore.