176: Paying respects to a wise teacher

Before Chu Shengfan could figure out what this was, he suddenly noticed the scenery around him shifting. By the time it stabilized, his surroundings had undergone a massive transformation.

This place resembled a palace built atop a mountain peak. Towering pillars reached upward, and everything around was empty, giving rise to an involuntary sense of loneliness.

A faint look of confusion appeared in Chu Shengfan's eyes. Was this also part of the assessment? He immediately summoned both of his Source Beasts.

The space inside the palace was large enough that even with the Spirit Origin Cloud Mother's massive size floating within, there was still plenty of room to move.

A soft female voice rang out,

"There is no need to be so guarded. This is a Domain I created."

Chu Shengfan looked toward the source of the voice. A woman wearing a white, vintage-style long dress slowly descended from the Void Realm outside the hall. Around her, pure white feathers seemed to drift eternally.

Chu Shengfan's gaze lingered on the feathers for a moment; they were identical to the one he had just plucked with his hand.

The woman walking slowly into the hall was extremely beautiful, with a gentle expression and a faint smile on her lips.

He could not sense any Aura related to her Realm from her. This meant either the woman used some secret technique to conceal her presence, or the gap between their Realms was so vast that even if her Aura leaked out, he wouldn't be able to detect it.

Seeing as this woman could bring him here without a sound, it was certainly the latter.

It would be a lie to say he wasn't flustered, but Chu Shengfan still bowed politely. "Greetings, Senior. May I ask why you have called this junior here?"

The woman stopped a short distance from Chu Shengfan. She didn't answer his question, but instead looked up at the highly alert Spirit Origin Cloud Mother in the air, then at the Myriad Flower Butterfly Spirit by Chu Shengfan's side.

"These two Source Beasts have good talent, but it seems you, their Master, have held them back. You haven't provided suitable resources to nurture them."

Hearing this, a look of shame appeared on Chu Shengfan's face. Although he usually provided many resources to both Source Beasts, it was still insufficient for their true needs.

For instance, the Spirit Origin Cloud Mother required resources of various attributes to produce different elemental clusters, and the Myriad Flower Butterfly Spirit needed various spiritual flowers to gain other abilities.

He had been in such a rush along the way that he hadn't had time to search; everything was happening too quickly.

Seeing Chu Shengfan lower his head, the woman changed the subject.

"My name is Yang Qingxue, a Sage Master of Qianling Academy. Seeing that your Aptitude is acceptable, I wish to take you as my Disciple. Are you willing?"

Chu Shengfan's eyes suddenly lit up. Having researched Qianling Academy beforehand, he was naturally aware of what a Sage Master was.

Within the academy, not only were students ranked, but teachers were also divided into grades.

From lowest to highest, teachers were categorized as Lecturers, Famous Masters, Sage Masters, and Great Sage Masters.

There were no strict Realm requirements for Lecturers; as long as they had a specialized skill, the academy was willing to recruit them to teach.

To be a Famous Master, one had to be at least at the Domain Rank and have made significant achievements in a certain field.

The Realm requirements for a Sage Master were the same as for a Famous Master, but in addition to those criteria, one also had to make outstanding contributions to Qianling Academy to earn the title.

As for the conditions to become a Great Sage Master, other than knowing one must reach at least the Evolution Rank, the other requirements were not known to outsiders.

He hadn't expected the person before him to be a Sage Master of the academy, much less that she would want to take him as a Disciple. This sudden surprise made Chu Shengfan feel a bit uneasy.

"This Disciple is willing to take the Sage Master as my Master. However, I am somewhat apprehensive, as I do not know what merit I possess to be so highly regarded by you."

"I see you aren't that old, yet your thoughts are so heavy.

"Firstly, I am interested in your two Source Beasts, and you happen to be pleasing to my eye. Furthermore, in all my years as a Sage Master, I have never taken any Disciples.

"The academy has been constantly urging me, and the Great Sage Master said that taking you as my Disciple would bring me good fortune. All these factors combined are why I want to take you as my apprentice. Is this explanation sufficient?"

Hearing this, Chu Shengfan felt slightly relieved, but his heart was filled with even more doubt. How had he caught the attention of a Great Sage Master? That was a figure at the Evolution Rank, a great personage who could destroy towns with a wave of their hand and decide the fate of entire cities.

Could the two seeds inside his body have been exposed? Thinking of this, Chu Shengfan felt a wave of anxiety.

Seeing Chu Shengfan's expression remain calm while his eyes shifted constantly, Yang Qingxue sighed inwardly. This Disciple of hers was good in every way, except that he seemed to overthink things far too much.

After waiting a moment, Chu Shengfan seemed to remember something; he bent down to bow, addressing Yang Qingxue as Master.

Yang Qingxue raised her hand to stop him. "I do have some status in the academy, after all. Such a hasty apprenticeship ceremony won't do. At the very least, I should get back some of the 'gift' I sent out."

Chu Shengfan couldn't quite grasp his Master's personality yet, so he had to stop and nod, saying, "Yes."

"As for the rest of the assessment, you don't need to take it. Go back and pack your things, and report directly to the academy tomorrow. Remember, just come straight to Qinghan Mountain."

As she spoke, she handed a jade plaque shaped like a snow lotus to Chu Shengfan. "This jade plaque will guide your way when the time comes."

With a wave of her hand, Chu Shengfan felt the scenery around him shift once more. When he regained his senses, he was already back at the original assessment plaza.

Candidates were bustling about, entering various assessment portals.

Chu Shengfan glanced at the assessment portal behind him and then at the snow-lotus-shaped jade plaque in his palm, which emitted a faint coolness. He finally accepted the fact: he had truly been taken as a Disciple by a Sage Master of the academy.

He carefully put away the lotus jade plaque, took a deep breath to calm his emotions, and hurried back toward the shop Grandpa Sun had bought.

Only Ye Chunheng, who was still in the assessment Secret Realm, watched as Chu Shengfan vanished like a bubble before his eyes. He was utterly baffled—where did his huge sidekick go?

He was enjoying the show, so how did the sidekick he'd worked so hard to recruit disappear? They hadn't even exchanged contact information yet.

Back at the residence, Sun Chunchen listened carefully to Chu Shengfan's experience during the assessment.

Hearing that Chu Shengfan had been taken as a Disciple by a Sage Master named Yang Qingxue, Sun Chunchen didn't show much shock; instead, he nodded with satisfaction.

"Little Fan has exceptional talent. It is only natural that someone would value him and take him as a Disciple."

Chu Shengfan was a bit speechless; Grandpa Sun's bias was inevitably a bit strong.

"Grandpa Sun, I'm worried... did that Great Sage Master see the two seeds inside my body?"