Chapter 178: Chapter 178: Making Another Breakthrough
Translator: 549690339
After the promotion examination, Xu Shangao and Wu Mengsheng came to visit Fang Lin to express their gratitude.
Because before the examination, Fang Lin had provided significant assistance to them, allowing them to pass the assessment smoothly.
Besides these two, others who initially followed Fang Lin on the
Medicine -Seeking Peak did not manage to advance through the promotion.
It was an inevitable circumstance as promotion examinations were extremely difficult for most disciples. Xu Shangao and Wu Mengsheng had spent several years as lower rank disciples before they reached this point.
Without adequate accumulation and strength, even if Fang Lin gave them a leg up, it would have no effect.
Plainly put, passing the examination primarily depends on oneself.
Following this promotion examination, the Pill Sect added a batch of Pill Apprentices, including a few that Fang Lin took particular notice of before.
Among the official disciples, there were also many who were promoted.
It seemed that Fang Lin’s rise had put pressure on these official disciples, allowing them to unleash unprecedented potential.
Ouyang Jing also returned to the Pill Sect before the examination and took part in the assessment.
Those of Ouyang Jing and Meng Chaoyang’s positions could choose not to participate in the assessment, but none of them did so, participating in the examination in full force.
And their purpose for taking the examination was to aim for the status of True Disciple.
Taking a step further from being top-tier disciples, they would become True Disciples, able to select a senior to serve as a master, and perhaps even serve under the Sect Master.
So far, Pill Sect has five True Disciples, three of whom serve under the guidance of Gu Daofeng, one under Yan Zhengfeng, and another under other elders.
The Martial Sect has somewhat more True Disciples, totaling eight.
Once they become True Disciples, their status and identity undergo a transformation beyond recognition. It could be said that once someone becomes a True Disciple, they can break free from the constraints of being a mere disciple and exercise the same rights as an ordinary elder.
True Disciples have the qualification to see the Sect Master directly. Generally speaking, the head of Purple Mist Sect will be selected from among the True Disciples.
The status of the Four Elites of Pill Sect falls far short of that of the True Disciples. The four Elites combined don’t hold as much weight as a single True Disciple.
Regardless of who among the Four Elites, even Ouyang Jing, who has somewhat distanced himself from the Pill Sect, aspired to become True Disciples.
After all, Ouyang Jing still hopes that changes can occur within the Pill Sect. To achieve this, becoming a True Disciple is a critical step.
However, it isn’t easy to become a True Disciple. There are two hard prerequisites, failing to meet any one of which would make it impossible to become a True Disciple.
The first prerequisite is the qualification of being a Second Cauldron Pill Refiner. The second is to reach the third realm of Earth Element.
All four of the Four Elites of Pill Sect are Second Cauldron Pill Refiners, but their Martial Arts realm is far behind, suggesting they will assuredly fail.
An Elder of the Pill Sect once stated that no True Disciples would emerge from Pill Sect within five years. This illustrates the degree of difficulty.
Besides the True Disciples, the pattern of official disciples this year has indeed changed quite a bit.
Gu Liuli, the one who successfully scaled the summit of Medicine-Seeking
Peak and took part in the alchemy competition with Ten-thousand Medicine Sect’s disciple, successfully passed the examination and was promoted to an upper-ranking disciple.
Among the lower-ranking disciples, apart from Xu Shangao and Wu Mengsheng, a dozen others also successfully promoted, resulting in a substantial increase in the number of middle-ranking disciples.
On the whole, the momentum of the Pill Sect is not bad.
After the promotion examination, Fang Lin began refining pills once more.
Having lingered on the first realm of the Earth Element for some time, Fang Lin felt it was about time he made further progress.
To his advantage, several individuals had sent him many pill furnaces. Even though only a few caught his eye, all of them could be useful for practicing the Nine Cauldron Skypassing Spell, which made them quite fitting.
As for the pills, they would naturally serve as aids for his breakthrough. Without them, relying solely on assimilating those mediocre pill furnaces to advance to the Second Earth Element would be quite strenuous.
Fang Lin could easily think of more than a dozen pills in his mind to aid in his breakthrough, eliminating the need for selection; he could directly begin refinement.
Dugu Nian naturally observed from the side, committed to learning and carefully noting down Fang Lin’s actions.
Upon completing the pill refinement, Fang Lin began his secluded breakthrough, instructing Dugu Nian not to let anyone disturb him.
Dugu Nian, aware that Fang Lin was attempting a breakthrough, guarded Fang Lin with all her might.
After all, a breakthrough was no minor matter, and if there were interruptions, it could easily result in failure.
Though Dugu Nian was often capricious, she was practical when it actually mattered.
The breakthrough process lasted for eight days. On the morning of the ninth day, Fang Lin emerged from his room while Dugu Nian was dozing off in the courtyard.
The sound of the opening door startled Dugu Nian, nearly causing her to tumble from her rocking chair.
Fang Lin exhaled, full of vigor as if he had unlimited energy throughout his entire body.
Dugu Nian looked Fang Lin up and down, feeling as if there wasn’t much change, yet also as if something was different about him.
“Stop staring.” Fang Lin casually remarked.
Dugu Nian was also tired, having not rested during the days of guarding. She yawned as she returned to her room for some sleep.
The Second Earth Element level, Fang Lin had smoothly attained it.
However, upon achieving the breakthrough, Fang Lin couldn’t help but sigh. As he progressed further in the Nine Cauldron Skypassing Spell, he found the difficulty of cultivation increasing, along with higher tier requirements for the pill furnace he needed to consume.
“If I continue to consume these ordinary pill furnaces in the future, the results will likely be negligible,” Fang Lin thought to himself.
Three days after Fang Lin’s successful breakthrough, he received a summon to go to the Great Hall of the Pill Sect.
When he arrived there, he saw many elders and numerous official disciples.
Fang Lin was among the last to arrive and garnered attention from many people upon arrival.
“Fang.”
Some official disciples greeted Fang Lin, their expressions being fairly respectful.
Gu Daofeng sat at the head of the hall without any expression, watching as
Fang Lin entered. Only then did he speak up: “Good, everyone is here.”
The more than twenty disciples were all puzzled. Why were these middle and upper-ranking disciples were inconvenienced? What was to be done?
Then they saw Yan Zhengfeng stand up, looking at these disciples within the Great Hall, his face stern as he said: “Today, you were summoned here because there is a task that requires your participation.”
A task? Fang Lin frowned slightly. What kind of task would require so many people to take action?
Yan Zhengfeng continued: “Our Pill Sect’s outpost on White Elephant Mountain was attacked by Feng Qianqiu. The casualty count was severe so we are dispatching you all to reinforce and fortify the outpost.”
Upon hearing this, the faces of the 27 official disciples present, excluding Fang Lin, showed expressions of shock.
Feng Qianqiu actually attacked one of their Purple Mist Sect outposts.. When did this happen? Why had they heard nothing about it?