Chapter 7: Tang Sect, Return to the Clan
It was as if the whole meal they just had never existed—Tang Ya bounced around energetically the entire time, completely unaffected.
"We're here. This is the Tang Sect. Let's go in through the back gate." Tang Ya pointed to a somewhat faded and peeling door.
If Tang Ya hadn't pointed it out, Lin Qinghan would've thought it was just an ordinary household entrance.
For the gate of a sect, there were no guards outside, and even the paint on the door was peeling.
"Xiao Ya, are you bringing a friend over to play?" Just as they stepped in, Lin Qinghan saw a black-haired middle-aged man.
Tang Ya shared some resemblance with the man in her eyebrows and eyes. It must be the current head of the Tang Sect—Tang Ya's father.
"Yes, Dad. This is a new friend I made. His name is Lin Qinghan, and he wants to visit the Tang Sect." In front of her father, Tang Ya had none of the mischievous energy she had earlier.
"Hello, Uncle," Lin Qinghan greeted politely, but was quickly dragged away by Tang Ya.
"Hey, you…" Lin Qinghan took back what he thought earlier.
Watching the two leave, the Tang Sect leader just smiled quietly without stopping them.
Thanks to the special nature of Lin Qinghan's spirit, his level wasn't easily perceived by others. In his eyes, Lin Qinghan was just a child with a bit of spirit power.
Before long, Tang Ya and Lin Qinghan arrived at a training ground where more than 20 people were sitting cross-legged in practice.
"Look, these are our Tang Sect disciples. They're training."
Lin Qinghan silently released his brainwave spirit, expanded his mental field, and scanned one of the closest disciples. After a moment, what he discovered made his mouth twitch.
He had hoped to create a completely new meditation method based on the unique nature of the Xuantian Technique that would allow spirit power to travel throughout the entire body's meridians.
But the results showed that the disciple's cultivation technique was only slightly better than Lin Qinghan's previous meditation method and did not circulate throughout the body.
It must be a watered-down version. After all, the original Xuantian Technique could be practiced before one's spirit had awakened. If the real version existed, everyone in the Tang Sect would have full innate spirit power, and the sect wouldn't be in such decline.
"Seems like this trip was a waste," Lin Qinghan sighed.
But thinking it through, it made sense. Even if he did obtain it, he didn't yet have the spiritual strength to create a new technique.
Looking at Tang Ya chattering non-stop beside him, Lin Qinghan smiled. Though she didn't offer cultivation value, the emotional value was definitely there. No wonder Beibei in the original story was so obsessed with her.
Her quirky and pure personality was a killer combo for boys from prestigious clans, who grew up under strict rules.
After the tour, when they returned to Tang Sect leader, they saw him chatting with Lin Qinghan's guardian.
From the casual way they were sipping tea and talking, it seemed like no misunderstandings had occurred.
"Uncle Chen, why are you here?" Lin Qinghan was a bit surprised. During the past half month of his outing, his guardian had never shown up.
"Young Master, it's time to return to the clan. You've been out for over twenty days."
"Huh? Qinghan, you're leaving?" Tang Ya asked in a pitiful tone.
She had always lacked companions her age. In the heart of Heaven Dou City, there were few commoners, and kids her age usually went to local primary academies. It was rare to meet any. Now that she had found someone she got along with so well, she couldn't help but feel reluctant.
"Come on, just stay two more days." Tang Ya tugged on Lin Qinghan's sleeve and blinked her big eyes, making him decide to stay a little longer.
"Alright, Young Master, but we must leave after two days. If the clan head finds out, he'll be upset."
Tang Ya, now cheerful again, pulled Lin Qinghan away to go play more. The Tang Sect leader just watched with a faint smile, seemingly informed about something by Uncle Chen.
And so, Lin Qinghan spent another two days playing wildly in Heaven Dou City with Tang Ya.
This experience helped Lin Qinghan understand why people in his past life paid for companionship. Having someone who brought full emotional value made it worth twice the price.
Two days flew by.
As Lin Qinghan sat in the carriage, Tang Ya held his hand reluctantly.
"Can't you stay? You're my first friend. If you leave, I'll have no one to play with."
Tang Ya's little face scrunched up as if she were about to cry.
"I've been gone too long this time. I have to go back. But I promise—I'll come see you again."
Lin Qinghan was also reluctant to part. Tang Ya was, after all, his first friend. Because his clan valued him highly and he had a mature personality, he barely had any friends at home.
"Okay, promise me," Tang Ya said without throwing a tantrum and soon left with her father.
"Let's go, Uncle Chen." The carriage set off.
After another two days of travel, Lin Qinghan finally returned to his clan.
Contrary to his expectations, his parents didn't scold him. They simply told him to inform them in the future before going away for so long to prevent them from worrying.
He was touched at first, thinking how understanding his parents were. But the next day, after seeing his training schedule for the next two years, he couldn't smile anymore.
The training load had increased by nearly 50%, but luckily, most of it was physical training. Thanks to absorbing a piece of Soul Gold, it wasn't too hard for Lin Qinghan.
Besides, once he completed these two years, he would be granted more freedom, which relieved him.
"Alright then, time to head to the clan training grounds and test my current strength."
Lin Qinghan was excited. Before this, he had already been able to defeat a Spirit Elder. Now that he had absorbed Soul Gold and a portion of Tianmeng Ice Silkworm's spiritual power, he was eager to see the results.
After some time, Lin Qinghan walked out of the training grounds feeling frustrated.
There were no opponents—or rather, no one wanted to be his opponent.
Ever since he, at level 25, defeated Lin Hai at level 36, the other Lin clan disciples had silently agreed not to accept his challenges to avoid embarrassment.
This cold-shoulder treatment hit Lin Qinghan hard. He couldn't exactly bother the elders over something so trivial, so he had no choice but to train alone. No sparring partner? So be it.
"In two years, I'm definitely going to run wild out there!" Lin Qinghan angrily pounded a wooden training dummy.
(End of Chapter)
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