Chapter 35: The Hall of Transmitted Teachings

Wielding his long spear, Wan Yi used the tip to rummage through the dismembered remains on the arena floor before jumping down with seven storage rings in his hand.

He picked out the most aesthetically pleasing one and stuffed it into Zhou Tong’s hand. "Here, take this and play with it!"

Zhou Tong accepted it with a radiant smile, but her pretty face immediately turned cold as she began to lecture him.

Zhou Zihao, who had been planning to step forward and strike up a conversation, saw this and shrank his neck back in fear, retreating immediately!

"Little Yi, how could you be so reckless? Do you have any idea how worried I was? What if something had happened to you? You still don't understand—those guys have no humanity at all. If you had..."

Facing Zhou Tong’s scolding, Wan Yi didn't argue. He just stood there, beaming, letting her vent her frustration. He knew that this young girl truly cared about him.

Just then, three figures appeared before them.

Lin Qiaosheng looked Wan Yi up and down before asking, "You’ve reached the Foundation Establishment stage?"

Wan Yi thought to himself, *Isn't that obvious?*

Though he thought this, he quickly replied, "Reporting to the Sect Master, the Peak Master Zhou bestowed upon me some pills for Qi refining and a few Foundation Establishment pills yesterday, which is why I was lucky enough to succeed."

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiaosheng glanced at Zhou Tong beside Wan Yi, nodded as if he understood something, and said, "In the path of cultivation, there is no such thing as luck. Your success in Foundation Establishment is inseparable from your daily efforts. You are doing very well, but remember not to be arrogant. You must work even harder in the future and not let everyone's expectations of you go to waste."

Wan Yi was speechless inside: *Arrogant? Arrogant your sister! If I were truly arrogant, I would have used the 'Emperor Slashing Technique' to kill a manipulative old schemer like you long ago!*

Despite his inner complaints, he bowed respectfully. "This disciple will take the Sect Master's teachings to heart!"

At that moment, the Peak Master of Sword Peak could no longer contain himself. Chu Zhentian, known for his fiery temper, stepped forward, grabbed Wan Yi’s arm, and used his large hands to knead Wan Yi’s shoulders and back.

He nodded repeatedly while kneading, looking quite satisfied. "Hmm, not bad! Good bone structure, perfect for sword practice!"

His actions made Wan Yi’s hair stand on end and his nerves tighten.

He cursed internally: *You old pervert, what are you kneading for?! That’s enough, damn it, stop kneading!*

If the man weren't at the Tribulation Transcendence stage, just shy of the Emperor Realm, Wan Yi would have already used the "Emperor Slashing Technique" to take him down!

Seeing Wan Yi’s ugly expression, Chu Zhentian withdrew his hands, coughed awkwardly, and smiled at him. "Little guy, now that you’ve established your foundation, there’s no need to remain an outer sect disciple. Any interest in joining my Sword Peak? If you’re willing, I’ll take you on as my personal disciple."

Although Chu Zhentian’s voice wasn't loud, everyone around heard him clearly.

The disciples of the Vast Heaven Sect couldn't help but gasp. *Good grief, he’s already caught the eye of Sword Peak?*

Before the shock could fade, another voice rang out.

Liu Long, the Hall Master of the External Affairs Hall, stepped forward and pushed Chu Zhentian aside. Standing between them, he smiled at the bewildered Wan Yi. "What’s so good about Sword Peak? Everyone there is so poor they’re coughing up blood. Aside from the broken swords they carry, even their underpants have holes in them!"

Chu Zhentian was furious. "Liu Long, what the hell is your problem?!"

Liu Long replied dismissively, "Nothing, just saying your Sword Peak is poor!"

Ignoring Chu Zhentian, he put on a warm smile and continued to Wan Yi, "Little brother, come to my External Affairs Hall. With your talents, I guarantee you’ll be a manager within a year and an elder within ten. Our hall doesn't rely on cultivation level, but on business acumen. You have both courage and strategy; if you work with me, I believe we can double the sect’s external assets within fifty years. Plus, our people have the highest stipends in the entire sect, and there are performance bonuses. With your skills, it’d be hard not to make money!"

At this point, Liu Long gave Wan Yi a "you know what I mean" look, signaling that the choice should be obvious.

Wan Yi finally realized that these two old men were fighting over him. Just as he was wondering how to refuse them, Zhou Shuo, who had been watching from afar, could no longer stand it. Leaving behind the elder from the Tianyi Sect he was speaking with, he teleported right in front of them.

Furious, he scolded Liu Long and Chu Zhentian, "You two have gone too far! Poaching talent right in front of me!"

Liu Long curled his lip. "So what? That the little brother helped your Pill Peak with fertilizer is true enough, but he’s an External Affairs disciple. It has nothing to do with you. Now that he’s reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he can decide which hall he wants to join."

Chu Zhentian, who had been at odds with Liu Long moments ago, chimed in, "Exactly. Old Liu is right. Old Zhou, you can't be so overbearing!"

Zhou Shuo was so angry he could have exploded. He pointed at them and cursed, "You two shameless old things, don't think I don't know what you’re plotting! Let me tell you, I already took Wan Yi as my personal disciple this morning. The kid has already performed the apprenticeship ceremony for me! If you don't believe me, ask him yourself."

Wan Yi was stunned and instinctively said, "Peak Master, didn't you say I was an outer sect disciple? How did I become a personal disciple?"

Zhou Shuo snapped, "I said it, so it is! And stop calling me Peak Master—call me Master!"

The crowd couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

Zhou Shuo turned to his beloved daughter. "Tongtong, hurry and take Wan Yi to the Instruction Hall."

Zhou Tong understood immediately, grabbed Wan Yi’s sleeve, and ran off.

Meanwhile, Lin Qiaosheng shook his head helplessly and summoned the other leaders back to the council hall, leaving the disciples to socialize.

At the Instruction Hall, Zhou Tong expertly updated Wan Yi’s records before taking his disciple token into the library.

Under her guidance, Wan Yi learned the rules: only those who reached the Foundation Establishment stage were considered official disciples of the Vast Heaven Sect. Every official disciple was eligible to choose cultivation techniques here.

As a newly promoted official disciple, Wan Yi could only choose one internal cultivation method and one martial skill for now. Future techniques would have to be exchanged with sect merit points.

For a disciple of the Vast Heaven Sect, the first choice for internal cultivation is usually the *Vast Heaven Manual*, the sect's core heritage. As for martial skills, one could choose based on personal preference.

Possessing the *Five Elements Qi Sea Technique* and the *Emperor Slashing Technique*, Wan Yi had no need for these. However, to avoid suspicion, he symbolically selected the *Vast Heaven Manual* and picked a random martial skill.

Just as they were about to leave, Zhou Tong remembered something. She dragged Wan Yi to the top of the bookshelf and pointed at a manual.

"This is the *Vast Heaven Sword Sea*, a top-tier sword manual created by our founding patriarch, Qiu Daoming. Every disciple of the Vast Heaven Sect can attempt to comprehend it."

Her expression turned strange as she continued, "However, this manual is incredibly obscure and difficult. In recent times, no one has been able to comprehend it! Do you want to try?"

Hearing it was a sword manual left by Qiu Daoming, Wan Yi was instantly interested.

After picking it up and browsing through it, he was shocked: *What an overbearing sword manual! Others can't practice it, but I can. It’s like it was prepared specifically for me!*

To be continued...