"Brother, your house is so big! I want to live here too."
Yang Mei paced back and forth, her eyes twinkling with envy.
Zhou Shu paused for a moment, then smiled, "Your place will be even bigger than mine in the future."
Yang Mei pouted, "I don't believe it. Those tiny quarters for outer disciples are so stuffy."
Zhou Shu smiled and turned to Yan Yue, "Sister, is there anything I can do?"
He said nothing, but it was clearly impossible. Between cultivation, the Yan family shop, and the occasional missions for inner disciples, all cultivators were busy.
Yan Yue slowly sat down and gazed at Zhou Shu, "Junior Brother, there's something I'd like you to consider carefully."
"What's it?"
Seeing Yan Yue's serious tone, Zhou Shu grew serious, his expression growing more serious.
"I told you before that the Heyin Sect will be recruiting new members. Calculating the date, it's in three months. Are you planning on going?"
Yan Yue looked at Zhou Shu with anticipation, visible to anyone.
Yang Mei nodded cheerfully, "Yes, Senior Brother, come to the Heyin Sect. We can go on quests together!"
Zhou Shu was slightly startled by the words and didn't respond immediately.
He had researched before arriving. The Heyin Sect, along with the Four Xi Sect, Dingshan Sect, Luowang Valley, and Yunjian Sect, was considered one of the five major sects in the Qingyuan Mountains. It was said that the sect boasted nearly ten Jindan elders, making it a formidable sect, many times more powerful than the former Wuwang Sect.
Such a sect boasted abundant resources, allowing each disciple to receive a certain level of training. However, compared to the Wuwang Sect, the law of the jungle was even more pronounced. Without talent and strength, it would be difficult to rise to prominence.
Judging from Zhou Shu's current state, he would reach the fourth level of the Qi Refining Realm in three months. Starting as an ordinary outer disciple might be a better option for him. He would slowly accumulate spirit stones in the market, striving to regain some talent before joining a sect.
After a moment's thought, he said calmly, "I understand your good intentions, Senior Sister, but it's really not convenient for me to join the sect right now."
"How could that be! Senior Brother!"
Yang Mei's face immediately turned bitter, her expression almost pitiful, as if she were about to cry.
Yan Yue, however, nodded slightly, as if she had already prepared for Zhou Shu's response. "I understand your concerns, Junior Brother. Are you worried about your own aptitude?"
Zhou Shu nodded slightly, a hint of regret on his face. "I'm glad you understand
, Senior Sister." "I heard from Shopkeeper Hua that Junior Brother was born with broken meridians, making cultivation difficult. Anyone else would have given up. But Junior Brother, at such a young age, has persevered and cultivated to this level. I'm afraid no one can match him. Senior Sister is so impressed that she doesn't know what to say."
Looking across at Zhou Shu, Yan Yue sighed.
When she heard this from Shopkeeper Hua a few days ago, she was so shocked that she remained speechless for a long time, frozen as if struck by lightning.
No wonder Junior Brother has so little spiritual power, relying almost entirely on talismans for combat. So that's the reason. Yet, Junior Brother, with such talent, has accomplished so many incredible things. It's truly incredible.
Genius isn't enough to describe him.
"Just a little luckier and a little harder working," Zhou Shu said flatly.
"Others work hard and have luck, but not all of them are like you. You're the only one," Yan Yue said stubbornly, stroking her short hair. "Junior Brother, listen to me."
Zhou Shu raised her hand. "Well, Senior Sister, tell me,"
Yan Yue said slowly. "The Heyin Sect is known as 'Sword Bone and Dan Heart' by the other four of the Five Great Sects. Junior Brother probably doesn't know this."
"Sword Bone and Dan Heart?" Zhou Shu raised his eyebrows and glanced at Yan Yue.
"Yes."
Yan Yue looked into Zhou Shu's eyes and explained word by word, "Sword bones. Most of the cultivators in the Heyin sect are sword cultivators, with swords as their bones. Without sword cultivators, the Heyin sect cannot stand up. And the elixir heart means that the foundation of the Heyin sect lies in the alchemist, with elixir as its heart. Without the alchemist, the Heyin sect would never be able to become one of the five major sects."
"Alchemist..."
Zhou Shu couldn't help but murmur in a low voice. He seemed to understand Yan Yue's intention.
Yang Mei, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly said, "I want to be an alchemist in the future too!"
"Yes, an alchemist! Senior Sister, I can say with certainty that the alchemists of the Heyin Sect are the best and most numerous among the five major sects in the Qingyuan Mountains, and the same goes for elixirs."
Yan Yue nodded seriously and said earnestly, "Junior brother's aptitude is slightly weaker because his Qi channels are broken. The Heyin Sect has many Qi channel-related elixirs, which will be of some help to you, right? I know that Qi channel-restore elixirs are hard to come by, but they're better in the Heyin Sect than in the Qingxia Market, right?"
Zhou Shu was tempted by this.
He didn't have any hope of fully restoring Qi channels right now, but he was considering elixirs that could slightly restore his Qi sea. If the Heyin Sect was truly as Yan Yue said, then joining would certainly offer the advantage of being close to home.
Yan Yue added, "Junior brother, some elixirs are very difficult to buy outside and may only appear occasionally at auctions. Look at the Qingxia Market, there are not many second-level elixirs, and third-level ones are even rarer. But it's different in the sect. As long as you have enough contribution points, most third-level or fourth-level elixirs can be exchanged. You can even ask the elder alchemists of the Heyin School to refine special elixirs for you."
Yang Mei immediately shouted, "Elder Jin of the Heyin School is an alchemist who can refine fourth-level elixirs!"
The two sang in unison, and they had a tacit understanding.
Zhou Shu smiled, "You had planned to say this before you came, right?"
Yan Yue blushed slightly and said nothing, but Yang Mei chuckled, "Brother, just agree. I'll recommend you when the time comes, and you won't have to take the entrance test. How great is that."
Zhou Shu thought for a moment and looked at Yan Yue, "Senior Sister, if I go to the Heyin Sect and become an outer disciple, I'll definitely be very busy in the future. What will happen to the Yan family shop?"
If he goes to the sect, he may not have time to draw water therapy talismans. The Yan family shop, which has just started to pick up, may fall into decline again. He didn't think Yan Yue wanted to face this problem.
But Yan Yue didn't hesitate and quickly replied, "I've kept some inventory for the past two months. If I sell it slowly, it will be fine for a few months. Don't worry about me, brother. Your cultivation is the most important thing. Besides, I can still sell other things."
She paused for a moment, then said solemnly, "As long as Junior Brother's promise remains, I believe the Yan family will one day be revived. I can wait, and so can the Yan family."
After her last conversation with Zhou Shu, she understood this. Only when Zhou Shu became strong would the Yan family become stronger, and she was more than willing to entrust her fate, and that of the entire Yan family, to Zhou Shu.
Zhou Shu was completely worthy of this.
That's why she would temporarily put the Yan family aside, even the Yan family shop, to consider everything for Zhou Shu.
Hearing her words, Zhou Shu breathed a sigh of relief, deeply touched. "Senior Sister, I understand."
He looked at Yan Yue and Yang Mei, both of whom stared at him with immense anticipation, their bodies trembling with nervousness.
"Junior Brother, what do you think?"
"Senior Brother, are you coming?"