Zhao Linyuan nodded and turned to walk toward Yang Qingfeng.
He walked up to Yang Qingfeng, adjusted his clothes, and knelt respectfully, kowtowing three times.
"Master, your disciple must leave now."
Yang Qingfeng bent down to help him up, smiling. "Go on. From now on, a vast world of Martial Arts opens up to you. Your master believes that even in the Profound Celestial Sect, a place teeming with geniuses, you will be able to achieve great things."
"Thank you, Master." Zhao Linyuan nodded emphatically, his eyes slightly red.
In his year and more at the Martial Arts Hall, his master had not only supported him with Martial Arts Resources but also held nothing back in sharing his cultivation insights.
He remembered every piece of guidance and encouragement before each breakthrough attempt.
When his gaze shifted to Lin Yan and Zhuang Zheng, Zhao Linyuan’s expression turned serious.
"Senior Brother Lin, Junior Brother Zhuang, I must admit, I feel some guilt." His voice grew deeper. "Master poured all the Martial Arts Resources into me, which was unfair to the two of you. In terms of aptitude, you’re not much different from me, and in terms of diligence, you even surpass me."
Lin Yan opened his mouth to say something, but Zhao Linyuan raised a hand to stop him.
"Senior Brother Lin, don’t be humble. You developed Fist Momentum in less than two years of training. You won’t find another person like that in all of Guangping County. When it comes to inheriting Master’s mantle, you are even more suitable than I am."
Hearing this, Zhuang Zheng, who was standing to the side, scratched his head shyly. "Senior Brother Zhao, what you say about Senior Brother Lin is certainly true, but compared to you two, I’m nothing. I just got lucky breaking through to the Second-Time of Skin Smoothing."
"Junior Brother Zhuang, don’t sell yourself short. I’d wager you’ll be at the Third-Time of Skin Smoothing after the new year. You call it luck, but there’s no such thing as luck in Martial Arts. I know the effort you put in behind the scenes—on duty during the day and practicing at night. If you could dedicate all your time to Cultivation like me, your strength would be no less than mine."
Hearing this, a subtle expression flickered across Lin Yan’s face.
’Junior Brother Zhuang does indeed practice at night,’ he thought, ’but his method of practice is probably not what Junior Brother Zhao imagines.’
Zhao Linyuan took a deep breath and cupped his fists. "I’ll be taking my leave first today. I believe it won’t be long before I can see Senior Brother Lin and Junior Brother Zhuang in the Prefecture City. When that time comes, we three brothers can share a drink and catch up."
After speaking, he gave them a deep bow.
Lin Yan and Zhuang Zheng quickly returned the gesture.
"Junior Brother Zhao, have a safe journey," Lin Yan said.
"Senior Brother Zhao, take care," Zhuang Zheng said in a low voice.
Zhao Linyuan straightened up, bowed to his master once more, and then turned to step onto the deck of the boat.
The boatman untied the mooring rope, pushed off with his bamboo pole, and the boat slowly moved away from the shore.
Only after the boat had disappeared from view did Yang Qingfeng look at his two remaining disciples. "I had a little plan in mind when I asked you two to come see Linyuan off."
Confusion appeared in the eyes of both Lin Yan and Zhuang Zheng, but neither spoke, waiting for their master to continue.
"The Profound Celestial Sect’s requirement for Inner Sect Disciples is to have reached the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing before the age of eighteen. However, besides Inner Sect Disciples, the Profound Celestial Sect also recruits Outer Disciples. Compared to the strict requirements for Inner Sect Disciples, the criteria for Outer Disciples are much more relaxed. As long as you have a recommendation from a Sect disciple and can reach the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing before you turn twenty-five, you can become an Outer Disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect. In my opinion, both of you have a chance to become Outer Disciples."
Lin Yan understood his master’s meaning. His master wanted Junior Brother Zhao to recommend him and Junior Brother Zhuang to become Outer Disciples after he joined the Profound Celestial Sect.
No wonder Junior Brother Zhao had said before leaving that he would be waiting for him and Junior Brother Zhuang in the Prefecture City.
’I’m afraid Master had already discussed this with Junior Brother Zhao long ago.’
"Master, what’s the difference between the Outer Disciples and Inner Sect Disciples of the Profound Celestial Sect?" Zhuang Zheng asked curiously.
"The Outer Disciple positions are reserved by the Profound Celestial Sect for the relatives of its disciples or for others with whom the Sect shares a bond. These people aren’t qualified to be Inner Sect Disciples, so they become Outer Disciples, which is still a way to form a connection to the Profound Celestial Sect and gain an additional status."
Yang Qingfeng looked at Lin Yan and Zhuang Zheng. "However, I don’t want you to become Outer Disciples of the Profound Celestial Sect just for the status. I’m considering the Martial Arts Techniques you will need for your subsequent Cultivation."
Seeing the confused looks on their faces, Yang Qingfeng knew that due to their backgrounds, these two disciples didn’t know much about the path of Martial Arts that lay ahead.
Zhuang Zheng had Martial Artists among his ancestors, though they weren’t particularly powerful, while Lin Yan’s family had been commoners for five generations.
"After the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing is the Blood Exchange Realm. The reason why there are no Blood Exchange Realm Powerhouses in our Guangping County Town is not just due to a lack of Martial Arts Resources and talent. The most important reason is the lack of Blood Exchange Realm Techniques."
"Blood Exchange Realm Techniques are extremely precious. Any faction that possesses one would never easily pass it on to outsiders. If you want to learn one, you’d have to be willing to sell yourself into servitude to them. However, by becoming an Outer Disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect, although you won’t receive Martial Arts Resources from the Sect, you can complete tasks issued by the Sect to accumulate enough Contribution Points to exchange for a Blood Exchange Realm Technique. You’ll still be bound by the Sect’s rules, but it’s far better than selling yourself to one of those families."
In Yang Qingfeng’s view, if Lin Yan and Zhuang Zheng could reach the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, going to the Profound Celestial Sect to become Outer Disciples was the most suitable path for them.
Seeing his two disciples contemplating his words, Yang Qingfeng smiled. "There’s no rush to decide. It will likely take Linyuan two or three years to establish a firm footing in the Profound Celestial Sect. For now, you two should focus on your Cultivation. It won’t be too late to decide once you’ve broken through to the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing. I’m telling you all this now just to give you time to prepare yourselves mentally."
Hearing his master’s words, Lin Yan’s brow furrowed slightly. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to become an Outer Disciple of the Profound Celestial Sect, but that the timeline was too long.
At his current rate of progress in Martial Arts, he could reach the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing in about half a year. Waiting another two years after that would be too long a delay.
If he hadn’t experienced the recent unrest in the county town, he could have waited half a year. But now, he couldn’t afford to wait.
The recent turmoil in the county town had instilled in him a sense of crisis.
Even at the Fourth-Time of Skin Smoothing, it would be difficult to control his own destiny.
Only by growing stronger as quickly as possible could he control his own destiny and protect his family.

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