Chapter 18 – Pumpkin
Wang Lin left the garden without a word. His red uniform attracted the attention of the honorary students. Their faces were filled with envy. However, when they took a closer look and realized who it was, their expressions immediately turned strange and even more envious.
“So it turns out the person who became an inner disciple was him! He became an honorary disciple by attempting suicide. What method could he use this time?”
“Is there a need to ask? I think he must have done some bad things to gain the Elder’s favor. That type of person is truly shameless.”
“Yeah, just look at that stupid face. Even if he becomes an inner disciple, he’ll still be at the bottom. How could cultivation be that easy?”
“What a scumbag. It doesn’t matter if he becomes an inner disciple, we don’t need to care. Trash is trash, and wherever they go, they will be looked down upon.”
“Damn it. I’ve been an honors student for four years and I’ve never seen someone as shameless as him. Why did the elders choose him? I’m better than him in every way!”
“You’ve only been here for four years? I’ve been here for 12 years, but I rely on my own skills. Look at how arrogant he is! Hmph, the inner disciples are constantly fighting each other, so let’s just wait and see the show.”
All those words were heard by Wang Lin. He observed everyone with a cold look in his eyes. He was not strong enough at the moment, but he swore to take revenge in the future.
After a while, he arrived at the east gate. He ran down the small path until he reached a spring. He splashed his face with cold water to refresh himself, then took a few sips before sitting down and starting to think.
Elder Sun sat on a nearby tree, cursing, “This little bastard. He said he was going to look for a gourd. I can’t believe he’s actually waiting for the gourd here.”
After Wang Lin left, Elder Sun immediately began following him to see if he could spot where Wang Lin had found the gourd. However, he didn’t expect Wang Lin to sit down and begin cultivating.
The spiritual energy here was denser than in his room, but not as dense as in the herb garden. Based on his understanding, Qi Condensation was a measure of the amount of spiritual energy present in one’s body. Although he could only absorb a little at a time, this was something that could be improved over time.
Wang Lin’s guess was correct. Qi condensation was simply spiritual energy entering the body to build a solid foundation for the future.
Wang Lin continued practicing the breathing technique until noon, then got up and stretched. He still hadn’t felt the sensation of ants crawling all over his body. He stood beside the spring, thinking that Elder Sun must not have let him out for no reason. He must have been spying nearby.
He touched his stomach and leisurely walked back toward the sect. Elder Sun exploded in anger. He had waited all morning without success. He muttered, “Bastard. This old man will play your game. If you don’t succeed in one day, then I’ll wait a month. If one month isn’t enough, I’ll wait a year. I refuse to believe you don’t have any more gourds.”
After he finished speaking, he arrived at the medicinal plant garden before Wang Lin.
After a while, Wang Lin came back in leisurely. Sun Dazhu stroked his beard and asked, “Disciple, did you find the gourd this morning?”
Wang Lin sighed and shook his head. “Teacher, this disciple waited the entire time at the spring, but didn’t find the gourd. I’ll wait until the afternoon. I might get lucky then.”
Sun Dazhu thought, “You closed your eyes and meditated all morning. Even if a gourd floated by, you wouldn’t have seen it.” However, he instead said, “Very good. Wang Lin, you eat first. Then, go take a look this afternoon.”
Wang Lin answered with a voice. He entered his room and saw a table with four plates of meat and vegetables, and even a soup that would make anyone hungry. He didn’t ask who brought the food, but immediately began to eat it, even finishing all the soup before lying down on his bed for a nap.
Sun Dazhu’s body looked like a ghost. His face darkened as he thought, “This old man follows the sect’s rules, so I won’t poison your food, but I can put in some medicine that will hinder your absorption of spiritual energy. With your mediocre abilities and my medicine, you will never be able to break through the third layer of Qi Condensation. You will forever be under my control.”
After an hour, Wang Lin woke up. He tidied his clothes and walked back to the spring, then began cultivating again. He cultivated until it was getting dark before getting up and, without a word, walking into the mountain forest.
Sun Dazhu, who was sitting on a nearby tree, quietly followed Wang Lin.
Wang Lin slowly turned left and right in the mountains, looking left and right along the way. Suddenly, his expression turned happy as he came to a vine filled with gourds. He picked a small, pretty-looking gourd and then quickly left.
After he left, Sun Dazhu was very confused. No matter how he looked at it, the gourd looked perfectly normal. He took a few gourds and disappeared.
Wang Lin followed the mountain path and returned to the sect in no time. He ignored the other disciples’ comments. Upon entering the herb garden, he saw Sun Dazhu’s sullen face glaring at him.
Wang Lin immediately handed the gourd to the elder respectfully and said, “Master, my luck this afternoon was quite good. Although I couldn’t find one in the spring, I walked around the mountain and found many gourds. This one is most similar to the one I had before. Master, how is it?”
Sun Dazhu nearly lost his temper, but he swallowed it down and managed a faint smile. He picked up the gourd and tossed it aside without looking, then said to Wang Lin word for word, “The gourd I want is the one filled with spiritual energy like before. Why would I want just any gourd?”
He couldn’t control his emotions, so he ended up shouting out his last few words. He had wasted an entire day following this kid and being tricked into picking and testing some ordinary gourds.