Chapter 409: Constructing a Harmonious Society
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Not long after this, An Lin followed Elder Zhu to the vow altar of the Vermilion Bird Sect and swore a vow to officially become an in-name disciple.
An Lin chose to become an in-name disciple as it presented him with a high degree of freedom, and he didn’t have to take on any responsibilities either.
To put it more harshly, the in-name disciples of the sect were all disciples that none of the masters wanted to teach.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, in-name disciples didn’t even have the right to enter the main branch of the sect. They were usually deployed to some side branches and left with some extremely basic cultivation techniques which they had to figure out on their own.
However, setting all that aside, An Lin was now a member of the Vermilion Bird Sect, as well as the most powerful in-name disciple of the Vermilion Bird Sect!
Apparently, the second most powerful in-name disciple had just reached ninth stage Dao Body and was about to be promoted to become an official disciple of the sect!
Boom!
A fiery seal suddenly stamped itself onto An Lin’s body.
An Lin could feel that he was now under the protection of an omnipresent power. That was the power of the holy flame, and it verified his ident.i.ty as a member of the Vermilion Bird Sect as he was now blessed by the Holy Vermilion Flame.
“Next, you have to enter the Vermilion Bird Trial Grounds to obtain the projection of the Vermillion Bird Flame Wing. Only then, will you have the right to come into contact with the Holy Vermilion Flame,” Elder Zhu said slowly as he munched on stuffed buns on the side.
An Lin bowed in salute. “Thank you for your help, Eder Zhu, I will try my best!”
“An Lin, the Vermilion Bird Trial Grounds are an alternate s.p.a.ce, within which are many powerful mutant beasts and dangerous forbidden areas, so make sure to prioritize your safety above all else and don’t take on more than you can handle,” Xu Xiaolan cautioned.
“Don’t worry, just wait here for my successful return. I hope you’ll be at Half-Step Soul Formation Stage when I get back!” An Lin patted Xu Xiaolan’s shoulder with a confident smile.
Xu Xiaolan nodded lightly and looked deeply into An Lin’s eyes before uttering a parting sentence in a gentle voice, “Alright, I’ll see you on the other side then!”
Elder Zhu’s eyes almost bulged out of his head as he witnessed the scenes unfolding before his eyes; there was no way his niece could be so gentle!
Xu Xiaolan left, and An Lin followed Elder Zhu to the entrance of a spatial gate.
If he wanted to access the Vermilion Bird Trial Grounds, he had to do so through this spatial gate.
There were five sect disciples a.s.sembled there already, and all of them were clearly waiting for something.
All five of them immediately bowed respectfully at the sight of Elder Zhu.
Elder Zhu said with a solemn expression, “An Lin here is going to partic.i.p.ate in this quinquennial [1. Once every five years] edition of the Vermilion Bird Trials. Remember to take care of him when you’re in the Vermilion Bird Trial Grounds, understood?!”
All five of the disciples faltered slightly before nodding respectfully. They didn’t say anything, but there was undisguised shock written on all their faces.
An Lin was also quite astonished to hear this. The Vermilion Bird Trials were a quinquennial event? Could the disciples enter the Vermilion Bird Trial Grounds at any time to partic.i.p.ate in the trials?
The five sect disciples in front of him all possessed Soul Formation Final Stage auras, which further highlighted how special these trials were. On top of that, given that there were only so few partic.i.p.ants in this quinquennial trial, it was most likely that there was very strong compet.i.tion for these few spots. When An Lin mentioned that he wanted to obtain the power of the holy flame, Xu Xiaolan told him that they would return to the sect in a month. She clearly already knew that this would be the time when the Vermilion Bird Trial Grounds reopened.
Xu Xiaolan presumably didn’t tell him all this in advance in order to avoid piling a psychological burden on him.
An Lin was extremely touched by her gesture.
“This is a teleportation badge that would take you back here to this exact spot. Activate it by injecting your vital energy within after you obtain the projection of the Vermillion Bird Flame Wing or if you encounter some insurmountable danger. There’s still an hour left before the gate opens; take this time to prime yourself into the best possible condition,” Elder Zhu instructed as he handed a red badge to An Lin.
An Lin accepted the red badge and bowed again to express his grat.i.tude.
Elder Zhu left, and An Lin was left with the five Vermilion Bird Sect disciples.
“F*ck, An Lin, did you really f*cking enter our sect? You’re even able to partic.i.p.ate in the Vermilion Bird Trials!”
A man with ruby red irises made his way toward An Lin with an expression of amazement.
An Lin’s lips twitched slightly. “Mr. Mo Hai, please don’t say things like that. Otherwise, this is going to become the top news headline in your sect again tomorrow.”
The man was none other than Mo Hai, the most powerful cultivator among the younger generation of the Vermilion Bird Sect.
An Lin had quite a vivid recollection of him.
After all, Mo Hai was the freak that had once basked in Xiao Chou’s flames as if he was taking a warm bath.
“That headline doesn’t sound too bad, it’s just a matter of time anyway. Where’s Brother Monkey, by the way, why haven’t I seen him?” Mo Hai looked around with antic.i.p.ation in his eyes.
An Lin replied, “Xiao Chou and Da Bai are both resting in the courtyard outside. They’re not members of the Vermilion Bird Sect, so they can’t enter the Vermilion Bird Trial Grounds.”
“Hmph, so you’re saying you’re a member of the Vermilion Bird Sect? You’re just a backdoor entrant with a delusional dream of obtaining the power of the holy flame. Trash like you have no chance of receiving the approval of the Holy Vermillion Flame; you won’t even be able to come into contact with the projection of the Vermillion Bird Flame Wing!” a cold, scornful voice suddenly sounded.
An Lin looked toward the direction the voice had sounded from and was greeted by the sight of a handsome man glaring at him with enmity written on his face.
He was at a bit of a loss for what to do. What was going on here? Why was he suddenly being attacked?
He was so nervous… Should he retaliate?
Before he had a chance to make up his mind, Mo Hai retaliated in his stead, “Ignore him, An Lin. He’s just a petty man who’s jealous of everyone! I’m gonna be honest with you, he’s one of Xu Xiaolan’s pursuers, but Xu Xiaolan probably doesn’t even know his name. He’s just jealous that you’re good friends with Xu Xiaolan and wants to bite you like a mad dog.”
“Mo Hai, watch what you say!” The man roared in rage.
“Brother Ji Yongfang, you should be the one who watches your words. Don’t be a disgrace to the Vermilion Bird Sect!” Mo Hai retaliated.
All the while, An Lin stood off on the sidelines with a confused and innocent expression. What the h.e.l.l was this about?
Why was Ji Yongfang pinning the blame on him just because he couldn’t court Xu Xiaolan?
Why was he being attacked by this r.e.t.a.r.d? He was just a friend of Xu Xiaolan…
Seeing as everyone was promoting the construction of a harmonious society nowadays, he decided to be diplomatic with Ji Yongfang by casting a friendly gaze toward him.
“Go f*ck yourself! Even trash like you dare to l.u.s.t for my Dao partner? How about you take a p.i.s.s and look at your own reflection in the puddle of p.i.s.s so you know your place! Don’t try to punch above your own weight!
“Do you know why Xu Xiaolan wants me and not you?
“It’s because… No one wants to talk to a pile of sh*t! She likes beautiful divine jade like me! Not a piece of sh*t like you!”
An Lin delivered an absolutely savage tirade, and his words seemed to still be reverberating through the air long after he had finished talking.
Mo Hai’s mouth fell open in shock.
Ji Yongfang had been blasted into paralysis by An Lin’s scathing tirade. He didn’t know what the h.e.l.l was going on anymore!
The other three sect disciples all stared blankly at An Lin, then at Ji Yongfang, and one of them finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and burst out laughing.
“You… How dare you!”
Ji Yongfang’s voice trembled with rage as his blood boiled.
He had never been scolded like this by anyone in his whole life.
“It does take a daring man to step on sh*t.” An Lin nodded in agreement.
Everyone was shocked into silence yet again.
“Pffft, hahaha…” Mo Hai burst into laughter as well, and he slapped An Lin’s shoulder heavily to express his respect and reverence. “Awesome, Brother An Lin! In the art of bas.h.i.+ng people, I concede only to you!”
The other two disciples also came to their senses and covered their mouths as they tried to suppress their laughter.
Ji Yongfang gritted his teeth in rage but didn’t know how to retaliate.
An Lin’s mouth was a filth cannon; he was no match in a war of words. But if he attacked An Lin, he would be punished by the sect… After a moment of hesitation, Ji Yongfang could only leave with a thunderous expression.
He still couldn’t understand how his one insult had drawn such a scathing tirade?
An Lin clasped his hands behind his back as he watched Ji Yongfang’s departing figure with a nonchalant expression. “Sigh, it pains me to see trash like him in the sect…”