Isn't This a Game? Why Are You All Cultivating for Real!

Chapter 102: Chapter 102: The Old Scoundrel Startled Me

Senior Brother Jiang.

A new figure in the Sea View Sect.

The Steward was at Late-stage Foundation Establishment. For him to call someone Senior Brother, the person not only had to have a higher cultivation, but at such a young age, they were surely the disciple of one of the Sea View Sect’s elders.

His aura was so terrifying, Shuitan guessed the man was probably in the Golden Core Stage.

That Senior Brother Jiang, with his gloomy expression, circled among the hundred or so Qi Refining Disciples, and his gaze quickly locked onto Shuitan.

"He is...?"

"He’s a Qi Refinement Realm disciple with an orange Spirit Root. He came from a remote Sect a few days ago."

The Steward said with a smile, "I saw his Spirit Root was decent, so I took him in."

To call it ’decent’ was an understatement.

With Shuitan’s level of talent, if he had been born and raised in the Sea View Sect, he would have been a shoo-in as an elder’s disciple.

It was only because he was too old now, having missed the golden window for developing his comprehension, that he was so looked down upon.

Sure enough, Senior Brother Jiang’s gaze fell upon Shuitan. He gave him a deep look and said, "He’ll do."

After speaking, he randomly pointed out a few more Qi Refinement Realm disciples, paying no mind to whether they were in the early or Late Stage, as if he were just picking at will. "All of you, come with me."

Although none of them knew why, those who were chosen all had looks of secret delight on their faces.

Only Shuitan’s expression remained calm and untroubled.

Pan Qingyi, on the other hand, hadn’t been chosen.

He looked at Shuitan with some envy. Even though he didn’t know what they were being chosen for, he felt that just being picked was a good thing.

’This was Senior Brother Jiang himself, come to pick people!’

’Senior Brother Jiang! The head disciple of the Sea View Sect’s Fifth Peak elder!’

Before leaving, Shuitan patted Pan Qingyi on the head, signaling for him not to worry.

He just didn’t know what they were going to do. Even the System’s attention had been drawn over.

"Huh?"

’Is the luck of the players who’ve entered now really that good?’

’Shuitan was chosen as soon as he arrived at the Sea View Sect?’

Shuitan also asked the System, "System, what are we going to do?"

The System only said, "You’ll know if you follow."

The Senior Brother Jiang who led them out of Ming Hall glanced back at the disciples. The pressure from his Golden Core Stage Realm was enough to make it impossible for people to even lift their heads.

Only Shuitan, though his head was bowed, still had a calm expression.

Senior Brother Jiang’s gaze seemed to linger on him for an extra second before he said, "Once we reach the Fifth Peak, do not look around and do not speak unnecessarily!"

The meaning was clear: don’t look at what you shouldn’t, and don’t ask what you shouldn’t.

The few Outer Disciples were scared into silence.

As Outer Sect members, they didn’t even dare to dream of when they might become Inner Sect Disciples, yet now they were actually going to the Fifth Peak.

’What kind of good fortune could possibly be waiting for them?’

After Senior Brother Jiang finished speaking, he simply raised a hand.

The world blurred before everyone’s eyes, and their surroundings changed.

Before them was an indescribably strange bronze gate.

It was embedded directly into the face of the mountain peak.

The bronze rivets on the door panels gleamed with an ancient luster. Upon closer inspection, each rivet was engraved with intricate patterns.

When a light breeze blew past, the bronze rings on the gate swayed gently, emitting a deep DING-DONG sound.

This scene made the disciples feel the crushing pressure of the aura even more intensely.

"Disciple Jiang Qi has brought the men."

As soon as his voice fell, the bronze gate let out a piercing and resounding CREAK.

It was like a call from ancient times.

The gate opened to reveal a vast, empty hall.

The hall was frighteningly large, almost big enough to be used for sacrificial rites.

There was nothing inside.

Except, in the very center, stood a spinning, inverted triangular Magic Treasure covered in dense, complex runes.

The runes were also rotating, emitting a dazzling, blinding light.

Beneath the Magic Treasure, a person was sitting.

But the disciples dared not look directly. The powerful aura alone was almost enough to make them want to kneel in agony.

Fortunately, the person inside the gate didn’t seem to intend to make things difficult for them. Soon, an ancient yet resonant voice called out, "Walk in..."

Jiang Qi stepped aside.

The disciples walked through the gate, trembling with trepidation.

They hardly dared to breathe.

As they stepped into the hall, Shuitan sensed that the floor was paved with some unknown kind of stone slate—it was black, solid, and its texture was impossible to discern.

Stepping on it felt a bit like treading on water. It even made the sound of ripples, yet there was no trace of wetness.

When they had walked about halfway, they were told to stop.

"Alright, the rest of you may leave."

The old voice finished speaking, followed by a slight cough.

Shuitan frowned slightly, thinking they were being told to leave. But then a light breeze swept past, and all the presences around him suddenly vanished.

Then, the bronze gate let out another long, drawn-out groan and slowly closed.

"THUD—"

With that one heavy sound, the door was completely shut.

The hall was plunged into darkness.

Shuitan subconsciously raised his head, and a faint light began to glow again within the hall.

He saw a person before him.

It was a person, but even though his vision was excellent, he couldn’t make out their appearance.

They seemed to be shrouded in a fog, hazy and indistinct.

"Good, good, good..."

The old man’s laugh carried a gravelly edge. "You... you are very good. COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH... What is your name?"

Realizing he was the only one left, Shuitan’s expression tensed. "This disciple’s name is Shuitan."

The System’s prompt suddenly sounded: "Don’t call me, don’t let your mind wander. Quickly, recall everything about your time in the Sea View Sect..."

The next second, Shuitan suddenly felt a chill that made his hair stand on end.

It was an indescribable, sinister cold. For a moment, his own brain felt a chilling sensation.

He reacted quickly, immediately recalling everything that had happened during his time at the Sea View Sect.

From Yun Chenyu’s harsh and cutting remarks to everything that happened while he was guarding the Spirit Field.

But he deliberately avoided thinking about anyone, not even Pan Qingyi.

He had received similar mental training in his real life, which at least allowed him to quickly calm himself in a short period of time.

Three seconds later, the sinister cold feeling vanished.

He heard the old man’s irrepressible excitement. "Good, good, good! Perfect! Absolutely perfect!!"

That voice, even though it represented joy...

...Shuitan could detect a hair-raising undercurrent behind it.

’Perfect? He was perfect?’

"COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH COUGH... I am the elder of the Fifth Peak. You may call me Fifth Elder. Are you... willing to become my ninth disciple?"

With such a huge stroke of luck falling into his lap, Shuitan was stunned on the spot.

’What’s the normal way to react to this?’

The System suddenly prompted again: "You should be overjoyed. This is a good thing."

Shuitan snapped back to reality, his eyes widening. "Me, Elder? Are you talking about me?"

"Of course. Or are you unwilling?" The voice suddenly grew a shade colder.

"No, no, no—" Shuitan put on a terrified look. "I’m just... too surprised. I am but a lowly Outer Disciple."

He humbled himself completely.

"From this day forward, you are not!"

The Fifth Elder’s voice was filled with unrestrained, extreme excitement. "You will be my... good disciple!"

And at that very moment, the System told Song Jiulai:

"Some old bastard scared the crap out of me. Luckily, I found a loophole and patched it up."