35: Set a small goal

"You are Lu Chen!" The young Third Elder, with sword-like eyebrows reaching his temples and eyes like an eagle's, ignored the other Elders beside him and simply looked at Lu Chen, asking calmly.

Although his voice was calm, it always gave off an invisible sense of oppression. An ordinary Spirit Transformation Realm Disciple who encountered this would likely be too scared to even speak clearly.

However, Lu Chen felt a sense of relief and quickly bowed in greeting: "Exactly."

"Solid Foundation, robust qi and blood, hmm, and you've comprehended four types of true intent, not bad." The Third Elder nodded approvingly: "I'll give you an A-grade evaluation for Doujian Peak. From today onwards, you will enter my Doujian Peak and be an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple, how about that?"

"Wait." The Grand Elder, who was thin and gaunt, frowned and interrupted: "Old Three, this is the Assessment Hall. Put away your domineering attitude."

"He's not just for your Doujian Peak, my Mingjing Peak wants him too!"

The Second Elder nodded with a nonchalant air: "My Wudao Peak might not necessarily not want him either."

The Fifth Elder said with a cold face: "I was here first."

The Third Elder looked around, and that indescribable domineering attitude suddenly dissipated, replaced by helplessness and sorrow: "Three old brothers, do you still not know my situation?"

He sighed deeply: "I don't have many years left to live! If Doujian Peak doesn't find an outstanding Disciple to take over, will Doujian Peak still be a sharp sword for the Sect against external threats in the future?"

"Will those enemies whose Sects were destroyed by this Sect, those heinous Demonic Path remnants, those Grand Demons, still fear my Doujian Peak?"

He sighed again: "If I just let go like this, will this Doujian Peak still be Doujian Peak?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Lu Chen was immediately startled, 'Someone like the Third Elder is also about to die?'

He doesn't look like it!

Among the Elders, the Third Elder looked the youngest. That tall and strong physique could probably wrestle a Flood Dragon barehanded. He didn't look like he was dying at all!

Moreover, judging by the Third Elder's tone, it didn't sound like he wanted him to be an ordinary Inner Sect Disciple on Doujian Peak. Was he aiming for him to be a successor?!

The Grand Elder fell silent, the Second Elder and Fifth Elder also fell silent, but from their twitching mouths which they couldn't suppress, it was clear that countless 'What the f*ck' were likely raging in their hearts.

But strangely, these three Elders did not refute him again.

"Old Three, take care of yourself!" The Grand Elder flicked his sleeves and left, clearly not very happy.

The Second Elder shook his head, and in silence, he was gone.

The Fifth Elder opened his mouth, lifted and lowered his finger, almost pointing it at the Third Elder's nose several times, but ultimately failed to point that finger out. He only left behind a cold snort, and he was gone.

Lu Chen was thoughtful, 'This Third Elder, he seems...'

He's got something! No, he's got quite a bit!

"Kid, take this." The Third Elder's helplessness and sorrow from facing the three Elders earlier were gone, replaced by that indescribable domineering attitude again. The shift in his expression was so practiced it was astonishing.

He took out a purple jade token and casually tossed it to Lu Chen. Before Lu Chen could even catch it, he was already gone.

Lu Chen raised his hand and caught the purple jade token, seeing only the simple words 'A-grade' on it.

"Junior Brother Lu, take this one too." Bai Li Xiong first gave Wang Shoulu a provocative glance, and then came up to Lu Chen with a smile, handing him another purple jade token.

It was also engraved with the words 'A-grade' and Lu Chen's name.

"Thank you, Senior apprentice-brother." Lu Chen took the jade token and thanked him.

"No need to be polite, from now on we'll all be Senior and Junior apprentice-brothers of Doujian Peak. Cultivate well, the Third Elder has high expectations for you." Bai Li Xiong waved his hand and then beckoned another Doujian Peak deacon: "Junior Brother Ding Rong, I'll leave this Junior Brother Lu to you. Take good care of him."

Ding Rong smiled: "Naturally."

This was a young man who looked quite gentle, and his smile made him seem even more amiable: "Junior Brother Lu, come with me."

After Lu Chen cupped his fists and thanked Bai Li Xiong, he followed Ding Rong's steps and quickly left the Assessment Hall.

"Hmph, a small person getting ahead." Wang Shoulu watched Lu Chen gradually walk away, then looked at Bai Li Xiong, who was full of smugness, snorted coldly, and turned his face away, not bothering to look at Bai Li Xiong again.

"Haha..." Only Bai Li Xiong's rough laughter echoed in the hall, sounding extremely pleased.

............

On the mountain path leading to the Inner Sect's Doujian Peak, Lu Chen couldn't help but ask: "Senior Brother Ding, just now in the Assessment Hall, our Third Elder... well, I mean the other Elders... well..."

He tried his best to find suitable words, but he couldn't get around the Third Elder saying he didn't have many years left to live, nor could he get around the Elders fighting over someone, who was actually Lu Chen himself. So his question seemed to lack a clear subject.

Ding Rong smiled, waved his hand and said: "I heard that over three hundred years ago, the Third Elder was already saying he was about to die!"

Lu Chen: "..."

Alright then! He knew this Third Elder wasn't simple!

Others might think this Third Elder was full of lies, even deceiving his own Elders, but Lu Chen knew that the truth of the matter was far from that simple.

Who were these Elders? They were big shots who presided over the Inner Sect Disciples of a peak. Could they not tell if the Third Elder was about to die? Of course they could!

Moreover, Lu Chen discovered that although this Third Elder looked the youngest among the Elders, there was also a sense of decay on him, like someone who was about to die.

In other words, the Third Elder should have died over three hundred years ago, but he had somehow dragged it out until today, over three hundred years later. It seemed he could continue to drag it out.

Perhaps, this was also the reason why the Grand Elder and the other Elders were both annoyed and yet had to give Lu Chen to Doujian Peak.

Because no one could say for sure how much longer this Third Elder could hold on!

Perhaps he could outlive the other Elders, or perhaps he truly didn't have many years left to live. Because it was uncertain, the other Elders couldn't refute him and could only grudgingly accept it in the end.

"I heard that over three hundred years ago, the Third Elder suffered a Dao injury, which has not healed to this day." Ding Rong added.

Lu Chen nodded and didn't ask any more questions. It's better to inquire less about the Elders' affairs.

Then this Senior Brother Ding Rong meticulously explained many things about Doujian Peak, covering everything in detail, which allowed Lu Chen to gradually understand Doujian Peak.

Doujian Peak has the Third Elder, the Sword Fighting Peak Lord, and eight other Elders, but they are usually rarely at Doujian Peak. They are either out subduing demons, or out hunting down Demonic Path remnants, or perhaps they are dealing with powerful rogue cultivators who cause trouble for Dongming Sect, or even certain Sects!

In short, they are either fighting or on their way to fight, very busy.

And fighting is basically the main business of Doujian Peak, there is nothing else.

In addition, the Third Elder, the Sword Fighting Peak Lord, has two direct Disciples and five registered Disciples, all of whom fought their way up from Doujian Peak step by step.

As long as you kill enough demons and have enough merit, you can become a Peak Lord's Disciple. Those whose Aptitude is not top-notch can also become Disciples of the other eight Doujian Peak Elders.

Therefore, what Ding Rong meant, both explicitly and implicitly, was that although the Third Elder, the Sword Fighting Peak Lord, valued Lu Chen, and might even genuinely train Lu Chen as the successor of Doujian Peak, Lu Chen still had to prove himself.

Otherwise, even if the Third Elder agreed, it wouldn't work. Doujian Peak has this rule; there is no rule for the Peak Lord to directly take Disciples.

Lu Chen was not dissatisfied with this; instead, he strongly agreed.

He was just afraid of directly becoming a direct Disciple of the Third Elder, the Peak Lord, and then inexplicably being ordered to cultivate diligently in the mountains, with a rule that he couldn't leave until he reached a certain Realm.

In that case, his companion treasure, the Nurturing Soldier Immortal Coffin, would truly have no use.

For him, a rule like this, which relies entirely on one's own efforts, was just right.

Furthermore, he had no intention of staying at Doujian Peak to inherit it. With the Nurturing Soldier Immortal Coffin, his path would not be limited to just this Dongming Sect, nor even this Southern Chu Kingdom, but in the universe starry sky, or even the so-called 'Immortal Path'!

That is what he is pursuing.

"Hmm, now that I've entered the Inner Sect, let's set a small goal first."

Surpass the Third Elder and become the strongest and most awesome person on Doujian Peak!