Chapter 609: Chapter 602: Accepting a Disciple

There was cursing everywhere, complaints all around.

It wasn’t whispered gossip either; the voices were loud. Chen Hai didn’t want to listen, but those voices still rushed into his ears relentlessly.

“Miaozhen Cave Mansion has already become mine; all the various items within are now my private property.”

“Intruding onto my territory, coveting my possessions, do you really have any justification?”

“To merely expel you and not kill you outright is already an act of my mercy!”

…

With a stern face, Chen Hai felt discontented and muttered secretly to himself.

He had assimilated the Spirit of Cave Mansion and obtained Miaozhen Cave Mansion, which had previously put him in a very good mood.

But now, because of these fellows nearby, his entire demeanor was starting to sour.

It was only because of his honest and compassionate nature. If another person, one who was cruel and ruthless, had possessed his strength and encountered a similar situation, it wouldn’t have been impossible to kill everyone in this area.

“Forget it, why bother with these weaklings?”

“No matter how harsh their insults, they can’t harm a single hair on me!” He consoled himself and then leapt down from the small hilltop.

Since he had already taken Miaozhen Cave Mansion, staying here no longer had any purpose.

Out of sight, out of mind, he too wanted to leave this place early and avoid the bad mood caused by those still lingering in the territory.

“Senior Chen…” Landing in the jungle below, he had only walked a few miles when Zhang Tianci appeared before Chen Hai’s eyes.

At the sight of Chen Hai, Zhang Tianci’s face brightened, and he quickly stepped forward, bowing respectfully.

The man seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something, but he was apprehensive and did not speak immediately.

From within Miaozhen Cave Mansion, the number of people Chen Hai had forcefully expelled was not small.

Several hundred, perhaps a thousand people, scattered throughout the nearby territory; even though the location was several miles from the original entrance to Miaozhen Cave Mansion, many people still lingered in the jungle where Chen Hai and Zhang Tianci were.

Perhaps, due to the presence of these people, after he called out to Chen Hai, he stuttered and didn’t continue speaking.

“I know what you want to say, it’s nothing more than asking about becoming my disciple!”

“I have already gotten the benefits; I naturally won’t go back on my word!”

“I have always acted in a low-profile manner; the matter of accepting a disciple doesn’t need to cause a stir. From today on, you will be my, Chen’s, chief senior disciple.”

“Whether you continue to stay with your Five Thunders Sect or follow me in Cultivation, I won’t force you; make your own choice!”

Chen Hai nodded, smiling as he spoke.

Though it was true that Zhang Tianci had only provided him with some information, even he, Chen Hai, had to admit that without his information, the chance of successfully assimilating the Spirit of Cave Mansion and taking control of it would probably have been very slim.

In the era of Blue Star, the number of people who wanted to become his disciples, to be accepted into his sect, was countless.

However, at that time, Chen Hai had no intention of taking any disciples.

All those who wished to become his disciples were briskly turned away at the door.

But then was then, and now is now. The one before him, Zhang Tianci, had average strength, but he possessed great fortune. Having such a person as his disciple didn’t seem to be beneath him.

Although the Basic Method he practiced couldn’t be taught to others, in terms of experiences in Cultivation or techniques, he could still give Zhang Tianci some guidance.

“Things have worked out…” Zhang Tianci was overjoyed.

Even though Chen Hai had promised to take him as a disciple once he successfully controlled Miaozhen Cave Mansion, whether it was truly in Chen Hai’s hands was something he was unclear about.

Becoming Chen Hai’s disciple was the biggest opportunity of his life, a hint he had received in a dream.

He had let Elder Sun and the others leave first and stayed behind alone, all to find an opportunity to meet with Chen Hai and truly become his disciple.

It seemed that Miao Zhen Cave Mansion had really fallen into the hands of Chen Hai, who was willing to honor his promise and take me as his disciple…

“Zhang Tianci pays respects to Master!”

“Congratulations, Master, and felicitations, Master, for acquiring such an opportunity, you are surely on track to become an Earth Immortal!”

Happiness blossomed in his heart, and as he flattered Chen Hai with his words, he truly performed three kneels and nine bows, paying his respects in the disciple’s traditional greeting to his master.

It is only right and proper for a disciple to kneel before his master, and Chen Hai accepted this with pleasure.

“I have already encountered the Nine Realms’ Heavenly Tribulation, and after returning to the Five Thunders Sect, I am at least eighty percent certain that I can smoothly take over as the Sect Master.”

“Since I have said that I would offer the entire Five Thunders Sect as a gift to you, my teacher, I will certainly keep my promise.”

“As for following you in Cultivation, that can only be discussed later!”

After paying respects to Chen Hai, Zhang Tianci stood up from the ground.

He thought for a moment, then began to explain to Chen Hai.

“Whether you return to the Five Thunders Sect is your choice, and I, as your master, respect your decision!” Chen Hai nodded in response.

Perhaps because he felt that, as a disciple, Zhang Tianci kept presenting benefits to him, while he, the master, had yet to show any appreciation, which was somewhat embarrassing.

After some thought, he plucked one of his hairs and handed it to Zhang Tianci as a gift: “Within this strand of hair lies a sliver of your teacher’s will.”

“This sliver of will is currently dormant, but if you call out for your master’s help, it will instantly come alive.”

“I bestow this upon you; at a critical moment, it may well save your life!”

Ordinary items seemed like too little for Chen Hai to bestow upon Zhang Tianci, his new, opportune disciple.

And he found it difficult to part with treasures that were very powerful or of high rank.

As for not bestowing even a single hair upon his own disciple, it seemed rather inappropriate.

After much deliberation, he decided to gift Zhang Tianci a strand of hair, or rather, a hair!

“Thank you, Master, thank you, Master!” Zhang Tianci said excitedly, evidently extremely satisfied with Chen Hai’s gift, and bowed deeply to him several times.

Items of a True Immortal’s or True Demon’s caliber are normally beyond the reach of ordinary cultivators.

However, Zhang Tianci was about to become the Sect Master of the Five Thunders Sect, and compared to an average cultivator, he undoubtedly knew much more.

A True Demon strong enough to possess a Blood and Flesh Avatar would have battle prowess that increased as the original body’s strength did.

When Chen Hai had just broken through, he was able to defeat Elder Ming with an avatar created from a single strand of hair.

Today, although it was just a strand of hair, if it transformed into an avatar, it would still be powerful enough to match an ordinary True Immortal or True Demon even if it could only exert about ten percent of his own combat strength.

It was precisely because Tianci understood the concept of Blood and Flesh Avatars that he was so thrilled upon receiving a single hair from Chen Hai.

“Master, the fellow sect members who came here with me are in Yellow Sand Valley, dozens of miles away, waiting for me to join them.”

“I will certainly need a foundation of support when I take over as Sect Master of the Five Thunders Sect, and they are still of considerable value to me.”

“Take care, I will take my leave now!”

After carefully storing the hair, Zhang Tianci looked around and turned back to bid farewell to Chen Hai.

“Hmm!” Chen Hai nodded lightly and added, “I am temporarily staying with the Bloodthirsty Sect. If there is a real need, you can come to find me there.”

“The general members of the Bloodthirsty Sect probably do not know of my existence. If you want to know my whereabouts, you can directly inquire with Sect Master Ye.”

Zhang Tianci should have known that he came from the Bloodthirsty Sect.

After all, back in that valley, he called him ‘Senior Sea King’ with every reference.

But after some consideration, Chen Hai felt it would be better to directly inform him of this matter.

“Understood, Master!” After bowing to Chen Hai once more, Zhang Tianci turned and left, quickly disappearing from sight.