Xu Qingxian exhaled slowly, then quickly finished his meal. After collecting the negligible ten attribute points, he looked up and asked calmly, "Lin Fan, would you be willing to become my disciple?"
Lin Fan was stunned. He stared at Xu Qingxian in a daze as if he had just heard something ridiculous. His reaction was not meant to be disrespectful, but he could vividly recall that Xu Qingxian's cultivation had once been crippled.
With a crippled cultivation, how could he possibly lead someone on the martial path? Lin Fan hesitated, then asked cautiously, "Young master, you… you are talking about a disciple of the cultivation path, right?"
Xu Qingxian nodded calmly. "Of course. Are you willing to be my disciple? I will impart to you everything I know."
Lin Fan froze for a moment, his expression growing strange. Xu Qingxian could tell what he was thinking and smiled faintly. Without a word, he quietly reached for a mask and placed it on his face.
The moment Lin Fan saw the mask, his entire body stiffened as if he had seen a ghost.
"Young master, you… you!" he stammered, completely speechless. Although his memory had been hazy the previous night, and he had nearly lost consciousness, he could still recall the bull-shaped mask clearly.
His eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Xu Qingxian. "How?"
Xu Qingxian smiled faintly, took the mask off, and placed it aside. Then he asked once more in a calm tone, "Are you willing to be my disciple?"
At that moment, Lin Fan no longer hesitated. He was not only amazed that Xu Qingxian was this powerful, but also shocked that someone so young already possessed cultivation comparable to his elder sister. If given more time, what heights could Xu Qingxian reach?
His eyes sparkled at the thought. With such a master, the immortal path no longer seemed so distant.
Xu Qingxian grinned slightly and glanced at the bowing Lin Fan. "Raise your head."
Their relationship had changed. No longer merely a young master and servant, they were now master and disciple. Lin Fan felt something strange stir within him as he looked up. He was filled with curiosity about so many things, but he knew that now was not the time to ask.
"Here," Xu Qingxian said, tossing him the inheritance scroll. "Go and gain experience."
Lin Fan caught the scroll, unrolling it quickly. His expression shifted slightly upon realizing it was a map. However, when he noticed the level required was Foundation Establishment realm, concern immediately filled his eyes.
He turned to Xu Qingxian with a worried look. "Young master, this…"
"There is no need to call me young master anymore," Xu Qingxian interrupted him smoothly. "From now on, just call me master."
Just as he was about to continue speaking, his expression suddenly froze. His eyes locked onto something invisible to Lin Fan, something that seemed to stun him completely.
Lin Fan blinked, confused, then turned around quickly, thinking someone had appeared behind him. Yet there was nothing there. What he did not know was that Xu Qingxian was staring at a translucent set of system notifications hovering in his vision.
[Congratulations on taking in a disciple. You may now view the disciple's stats.]
[Disciple: Lin Fan]
[Remark: A struggling youth with the Innate Sword Body. He is the illegitimate heir of the Lin family from the Central Prefecture. In order to protect him, his mother, a saintess of the Lin family, brought him here to keep him safe. His talents are currently sealed by his mother, who is unwilling to let him risk his life on the immortal path.]
[Bestow technique?]
[Yes / No]
Xu Qingxian's face displayed a mix of surprise and amusement. He stared in disbelief at the floating words in front of him. Just as he had suspected—it truly was the protagonist's template.
"Why are my guesses always correct?" he muttered, furrowing his brows before sighing deeply.
"You… Master?" Lin Fan called out, snapping Xu Qingxian out of his daze. Xu Qingxian looked at him and did not know whether to laugh or cry. To think that his disciple even possessed greater potential than he had imagined.
'Still, with the attribute allocation panel, any talent gap is easily handled,' Xu Qingxian thought with a faint smirk.
"Do not worry too much," he said calmly. "I just remembered something. Since you are heading to the inheritance ground, you will need protection. Close your eyes while I bestow some cultivation techniques onto you."
Lin Fan's eyes widened. Even though he was not yet a cultivator, he understood how difficult it was to learn a technique. Typically, it had to be demonstrated physically and studied deeply over time. Yet now, Xu Qingxian was asking him to simply close his eyes and receive one?
'Is something like that even possible?' he thought skeptically, though he obeyed and closed his eyes.
The very next moment, his entire expression shifted as he felt an intense rush of information pouring into his mind. It was not vague or symbolic. The details were sharp and comprehensive, including a movement technique, a cultivation method, and even a sword technique.
When Lin Fan opened his eyes, they nearly popped out of their sockets as he looked at Xu Qingxian, who only smiled faintly in return. Xu Qingxian had passed on all three techniques up to level five—the highest stage he had fully mastered. He decided to keep the higher-level insights to himself for now. Perhaps once he advanced further, he would consider bestowing more.
"Quickly now. Head to the inheritance ground. Along the way, try to capture Foundation Establishment realm beasts, and if possible, even one at the Golden Core realm," Xu Qingxian instructed, retrieving a mortal-grade sword from his storage and handing it over to Lin Fan.
Upon hearing this, Lin Fan's expression grew solemn, his posture becoming more respectful. "Master, please give the order."
Xu Qingxian narrowed his eyes and said with an overly serious tone, "Find the basic cooking technique."
Lin Fan's face twitched. This was the important mission that Xu Qingxian had spoken about so seriously?
He frowned slightly but nodded without protest. "Master, please leave it to this disciple," he replied respectfully.
With that, he sighed quietly, picked up the sword, and turned toward the door, following the map's detailed directions with swift, confident steps.
Xu Qingxian watched his departing figure for a long moment, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips. Everything was progressing perfectly.
Now, he only needed to wait. If Lin Fan truly succeeded in capturing a Golden Core realm beast, would that not grant him at least one thousand attribute points?
The very thought made Xu Qingxian's smile deepen. With a content heart, he closed his eyes and sank into deep meditation once more.