Chapter Ten: Becoming an Apprentice

  The morning sunlight shines through the window and onto my face, warm and cozy.

  "Apprentice..." Mu Shan's mind involuntarily recalled Qing Long wielding a large sword in the mountains, his figure like that of a god descending to earth.

  If I could also worship under his door and learn that extraordinary martial art, then I wouldn't have to suffer from being bullied and trampled by others anymore.

  As soon as he thought of this, Mu Shan's heart began to burn with anxiety, and he asked hastily: "Chang Sheng, where are the two seniors?"

  "We've been nearby all along. You're awake, how's your body?" Qing Long appeared in the room like a ghost, walked to the bedside, grasped Mu Shan's wrist and listened intently: "Hmm, not bad, your body is no longer seriously ill, just need to rest for a day or two and you'll recover."

  Isn't it too abrupt to ask him to be my master like this? Will he accept me as his apprentice? What if he refuses, what should I do then?

  Mu Shan's face was tense with anticipation as he looked at Qing Long, his palms and forehead sweating profusely. He stuttered out a question: "Senior, c-can you... take me on as your disciple?"

  Everyone in the room fell silent, they had thought that Mu Shan would be grateful and thank Qing Long for saving his life, they had thought that Mu Shan would wail and cry to vent his previous fear, but unexpectedly Mu Shan had the idea of acknowledging a master.

  The Azure Dragon's eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed deeply at Mu Shan and asked, "Oh, why do you want to learn martial arts?"

  "I want to have the power, so I can protect my mother and Feng Xian, so they won't be treated like before..." Mu Shan's voice started to tremble slightly as he recalled his past experiences, like a bird in a storm, but he calmed down after a moment: "I won't let anyone harm them, absolutely not!"

  "Hmm!" The Azure Dragon nodded in satisfaction, a hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth: "His heart is praiseworthy!"

  The Azure Dragon flipped his right hand, and the purple-colored, elegant and refined demon-slaying sword instantly appeared in his palm: "Take it."

  Mu Shan didn't understand why, but still did as he was told.

  When Mu Shan's right hand touched the sword, a purple light suddenly flowed on the sword, as if something inside the sword was shouting: "Uncle, how could this be?"

  "Indeed!" Qing Long looked at Mu Shan with an unsurprised expression, but with a hint of envy in his eyes: "Since ancient times, divine weapons have always had spiritual awareness and can choose their own masters. This Demon-Slaying Divine Sword was the famous divine weapon of the first master of Fuxi Temple, which had brought about a terrifying storm of blood and gore a thousand years ago. Now it has chosen you, which means that your talent in swordsmanship must be astonishing! Although I would very much like to take you in as my disciple, doing so would be too selfish and would greatly limit your future achievements. You should wait for another opportunity and join another sect instead."

  Feng Xian stood by the bed and winked at Mu Shan, saying: "Brother, don't worry, I've also found a master to learn from. Once I've practiced my martial arts well, I'll be able to protect you!"

  Changsheng and Fengxian have both found their masters, am I the only one left? Waiting for another opportunity, what kind of opportunity can I have?

  "Is that so, Feng Xian has also been taken under the wing of that fairy-like senior?" Mu Shan gently rubbed Feng Xian's hair, with a smile on his face, but the sour tone in his words did not escape the ears of Qing Long and Ren Yue.

  Ren Yue stood beside him and gave a signal with his eyes towards Qing Long, saying: "Qing Long, take out the Holy Spirit Stone."

  Qing Long nodded slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then took out a warm, smooth white jade from his bosom, slowly placing it beside Mu Shan.

  Mushan recognized the origin of this jade stone at a glance and said indignantly: "This is... that thing that bullied us, that beast!"

  The green dragon stared at the jade stone with wide eyes, looking at it incredulously and muttered: "How can this be?"

  "It's indeed the case!" Ren Yue looked at the jade stone that still maintained its pure white color, without any changes, and said with a complex tone, her voice filled with a hint of regret, but more so, a kind of inexplicable joy!

  Qing Long said with a hint of shock, "It seems that the person who gave it to him was indeed the Qianlong Dan! But this Qianlong Dan has been lost for many years, how did he get his hands on it?"

  Mushan heard it vaguely, and his curiosity was all hung up by Qinglong and Renyue. He said, "Senior, what are you talking about?"

  "The jade stone is not an ordinary stone, but the treasure of Huoyun Hall, the Holy Spirit Stone. It can naturally sense the existence of various divine and demonic bloodlines! If encountered, the Holy Spirit Stone will change color accordingly, and some rare and powerful bloodlines, such as Fuxi and Nüwa's descendants, can even make the Holy Spirit Stone emit light."

  "Then I..." Mu Shan's eyes widened, staring fixedly at the Spirit Stone which showed no change, and asked in puzzlement: "Why isn't it glowing now? Is it broken?"

  "No, it's not the Sacred Spirit Stone that's broken, but rather the blood veins within you have fallen into eternal slumber. The Submerged Dragon Pill is said to be a medicinal pill concocted by the Golden Crow Tribe of the Southern Border during their heyday. Its purpose is to momentarily stimulate the power of one's internal blood veins, granting temporary and immense strength. Of course, the price paid for this is that the power of one's internal blood veins begins to wither and fall into slumber, never to awaken again! But since the Golden Crow Tribe has long been exterminated, why does the Submerged Dragon Pill still exist in the world?"

  What Ren Yue said was as flat as usual, but in Mu Shan's ears, it sounded like thunder rolling and rumbling!

  Eternal slumber......! It's gone, I can no longer control that heaven-destroying and earth-shattering power!

  Why, why is it like this!

  Mu Shan held his breath, dazed and distracted, as if he had lost three souls and seven spirits. A strong sense of disappointment and sorrow suddenly surged up in his heart.

  "You don't have to be so sad. The power of bloodlines is indeed rare and precious, but in this world, there are also those who reach the pinnacle of power without relying on the power of bloodlines. Your current situation is just that you lack a shortcut, but as long as you're willing to work hard and cultivate, your future achievements will still be boundless."

  Qing Long's consolation, Mu Shan couldn't get a word in edgewise, his heart was just self-reproaching, he had lost that strength, and no one was willing to take him on as an apprentice, what would he do from now on?

  Is this how I'm going to spend my life, in such a mediocre and unfulfilling way?

  No, this is not the life I wanted. But what can I do?!

  Ren Yue saw Mu Shan's loss and confusion, and said softly: "Alright, he's also tired, let's not nag here anymore, let him rest well!"

  At the time of Ren Yue's departure, he turned to Qin Mei, who was looking at Mu Shan on one side, and said: "Sister Qin, I don't know if it's possible to talk alone, there's something I'd like to ask for your advice."

  Qin Mei looked at Ren Yue and Qing Long's luxurious attire and already knew they were big shots. Adding that Ren Yue had also accepted Feng Xian as a disciple, she hastily smiled and replied: "What are you talking about? I'm just an ignorant mountain village woman, how could I possibly instruct you? What do you want to ask, just say it, whatever I know, I'll tell you!"

  Qin Mei said as she was about to leave: "Jixiang, don't think too much, get some rest, and we'll make other plans when you're feeling better."

  Changsheng whispered in Mujin's ear: "Jixiang, don't worry, after I learn martial arts from Master, I will secretly teach you."

  Mu Shan felt a warmth in his heart and smiled slightly at Chang Sheng, feeling that the gloom in his heart had dissipated a lot.

  As a few people left, the small thatched hut seemed to become empty and desolate, just like Mu Shan's current state of mind, filled with confusion and uncertainty about which way to go in the future.