“Unbelievable.” Mei Xin muttered to herself in disbelief, she was still suspicious about his cultivation base, not being able to believe someone could be so strong at such a low cultivation base.
She thought long and hard about how someone could be so strong but after not being able to come to a conclusion she decided not to think about it further for now.
She studied him for a moment as if appreciating a monster before speaking, “I was wondering if you might be interested in joining us for a sparring session sometime. It would be beneficial for us to learn from each other.”
Shen Yuan looked at her with amusement, wondering what he could learn from them but he still agreed nonetheless as he wanted to form connections in the sect, “Sure, I would like to do that as well. Sharing techniques and learning together is the core of any sect.
Mei Xin smiled, seemingly pleased with his response. “Well said, you truly are a wise one. We usually gather at the sparring grounds in the mornings if we aren’t in seclusion. You’re welcome to join us anytime.”
“I’ll be sure to stop by,” he replied with a smile.
Soon, Mei Xin and her followers left, leaving Wan Ling alone with Shen Yuan as she looked at him with excitement, “You are already forming connections with the top disciples!”
He shrugged nonchalantly with a smug grin on his face, “It’s not me who is forming the connections, but her. She knows about my potential; that’s why she took the first chance she got to introduce herself.”
He looked at her with a teasing smile, “Looks like you are underestimating me eh?”
Wan Ling got flustered as she hurriedly waved her hands, “Wha—no, no, you got me wrong. I just thought since they are the top disci-”
Shen Yuan put his palm on her head and patted her lightly, “I’m joking, no need to get so worked up,” he chuckled softly looking at her expression
Wan Ling’s cheeks puffed up as she turned her head to the other side, ‘Hehe~ I can’t have enough of teasing her.’ Shen Yuan thought inwardly looking at her cute expression.
They walked in the training ground for a bit.
“By the way,” he said, turning to face her fully. “Would you like to train with me sometime? I noticed you were watching the other disciples’ training. Perhaps we can train together.”
Wan Ling’s eyes widened in surprise. ‘Me? Train with you?’ She inwardly panicked, not knowing how to handle the situation, but Shen Yuan’s words soon calmed her down.
“Why not?” he asked casually. “Everyone starts somewhere, and I’d be happy to help you if you’re interested.”
A rosy blush spread across her cheeks. “I… I’d like that very much.”
“Great,” Shen Yuan said with a genuine smile. “Let’s meet up tomorrow morning at the training grounds. We will begin our training from tomorrow.”
She nodded eagerly. “I’ll be there!”
Shen Yuan smiled seeing her agree. They continued to walk for a bit when Shen Yuan stopped and said, “Let’s meet up tomorrow, I still need to meditate to solidify my foundation.”
Wan Ling’s expression turned a bit downcast as she heard his words, but she still nodded her head, “En, Let’s train tomorrow in the morning.”
Shen Yuan looked at her sad expression and patted her head, “Why are you turning sad already? We will meet tomorrow as well.”
Wan Ling raised her head a little, looking him in the eye, “That’s because you’re my first friend inside the sect. Ever since I joined, I haven’t been able to make any friends. Due to my nature, I couldn’t interact with other disciples very well. And they also didn’t waste their time with me when they have thousands of options to choose who they interact from.”
Shen Yuan nodded thoughtfully hearing her words, “No wonder you are already in the Foundation Establishment Realm but little to no disciple know about you.”
“Ehhh, you can see my cultivation base??” Wan Ling’s eyes widened in surprise as she heard Shen Yuan’s words.
Shen Yuan knocked on her head lightly, “Of course, I can see your cultivation base. You forgot who I am?”
Wan Ling placed her hand on her head as she looked at him, “Ah, I forgot.”
They laughed together for a bit before Shen Yuan turned around and waved his hand while walking away, “See you in the morning.”
…
Shen Yuan walked leisurely back towards his courtyard, the sound of the training ground fading into the distance as he soon reached the spatial portal.
His mind wandered to the events of the day, the main thing on his mind being his conversation with Yue Lan about his physique and the speech he gave to his disciples.
[Being called ‘Senior Disciple’ on your first day in the school eh. Nod bad Shen Yuan.]
Yue Lan’s teasing voice sounded in his mind. Shen Yuan just shook his head with a smile, “It was bound to happen when I showed my strength. And there is nothing wrong with it. The strong get respected in the world of cultivation after all.”
[True, and that’s why you need to continue cultivation so you are not in a losing position among the monsters of this world.]
Yue Lan paused as she shifted the topic,
[But why did you choose to give that speech all of a sudden?]
Shen Yuan smiled lightly, “I need to make a reputation for myself either way, and now with this, I can more easily get accepted by the disciples and elders. The elders will be happy with me motivating the disciples and the disciples will look at me in a good light after my speech.”
Yue Lan contemplated his words for a second,
[Hmm…that was indeed a wise choice, the disciples will spread your word by the recordings they made with artifacts as well. You might gain much more popularity than you initially thought hehe.]
Shen Yuan paused, not knowing that the disciples were recording him at that time. “Well well well, isn’t that quite a neat artifact, looks like I need to buy one for myself sometime.”
He smiled and changed the subject, “Anyways, let’s talk about the physique when I reach my courtyard.”
Yue Lan stopped talking and Shen Yuan also went through the portal to reach the location of the disciple’s lodging.
‘Hmm…I’m pretty close to comprehending the space intent. I should be able to master it in a few weeks to a month if I guessed correctly.’ He inwardly mused to himself.
“Hoh, I didn’t see it before but there are quite a lot of courtyards around mine, looks like I won’t be spending my time in boredom all the time.” He smiled and walked towards his courtyard.
He opened the gates with his identity token and stepped inside the serene atmosphere of the courtyard welcoming him.
“This already feels like home after only a single day.” He took a deep breath as the fragrance of the cherry blossom filled him. The courtyard was silent with only the plum blossoms dropping on the ground occasionally.
Once inside, he went towards his chair placed beneath the plum blossom tree. He sits down on it, bringing out a tea set from his storage space.
