Elder Sun, jolted awake by the gasp of the crowd, finally lowered his flask. He stared at the servant standing over the defeated disciple. Lin Wei immediately bowed, meekly helping Mo off the platform.
"I apologize, Elder," Lin Wei murmured, feigning concern. "I must have pushed him too hard while trying to block."
Elder Sun's eyes, however, were keen with sudden, greedy interest. He saw past the dirty clothes and the low status. He saw the raw talent in the boy's movement. A commoner who could perfectly dodge a Qi strike and destabilize a Third Level cultivator with a single, precise elbow hit was a genius of combat, regardless of his spiritual roots.
"Boy. What is your name?" Elder Sun barked.
"Lin Wei, Elder. I clean the kitchens."
Jian Lei, pale with a mixture of terror and jealousy, tried to interject. "He cheated, Elder! He has Mortal Roots! He's just a lucky pest!"
Elder Sun silenced him with a terrifying glare. "Talent is never luck, Jian Lei. It is merely raw potential. And this boy has it."
He looked at Lin Wei with a hungry glint. "Lin Wei. You showed combat instinct and physical mastery rare even among Core Disciples. Your spiritual roots are weak, but your body is a weapon. You can skip the tedious outer court and become my personal apprentice."
A collective gasp went through the crowd. Elder Sun was a notoriously poor teacher, but his personal apprentices were guaranteed a life free of manual labor and a steady supply of basic cultivation resources. It was a lifeline Lin Wei had never dared to dream of.
Lin Wei bowed low, hiding his genuine surprise. "This one is unworthy, but if the Elder wills it, I accept."
Elder Sun smirked, tossing Lin Wei a tattered grey outer court robe—an official uniform. "The first task of my personal apprentice is to be available. Follow me. You will clean my study tonight, and we will begin your 'training' tomorrow."
Lin Wei understood the price. Elder Sun wasn't interested in teaching; he was interested in a convenient, talented servant who could run errands and take on grunt work too troublesome for an Outer Disciple. He was trading one servitude for a slightly elevated, more dangerous one.
But the new robe was a key. It meant access. It meant resources.
As Lin Wei followed Elder Sun, he passed Jian Lei, who was trembling with impotent rage. Lin Wei gave him a brief, almost imperceptible glance, one of cold, silent power. This is not over. The payment is just beginning.