The flying sword moved swiftly, and in no time, it arrived above the seventh mountain peak.

The mountain was dotted with numerous ancient buildings, all simple yet grand in design. However, as Su Shier cast his gaze across the mountain, he noticed only a few scattered figures, giving the area an air of desolation.

The flying sword landed in a spacious plaza. As soon as they touched the ground, Lu Mingshi turned toward Han Yu and said:

"Han Yu, follow me in a moment. From today onward, you will be my personal disciple! I will personally teach you the ways of cultivation."

Hearing these words, even someone as proud as Han Yu couldn’t help but beam with joy. He quickly responded, "Thank you, Peak Lord!"

"Hmm? Peak Lord?" Lu Mingshi's brow furrowed.

Han Yu immediately knelt on the ground with a thud and hastily corrected himself, "Thank you, Master!"

"Good! We'll hold the formal apprenticeship ceremony at the main hall shortly," Lu Mingshi said with satisfaction, nodding as he turned to look at the others.

At that moment, aside from Su Shier, the other three children gazed at Han Yu with envy.

Becoming the personal disciple of the Peak Lord was a tremendous honor! Unfortunately, they didn’t possess Han Yu’s natural talent and could only admire from the sidelines.

After settling Han Yu’s arrangements, Lu Mingshi turned to Xiao Yue. "Yue’er, I’ll leave the others to you. Tomorrow, take them to the instructors to learn literacy and the sect’s rules. Three months later, send them to the teaching elders to begin learning the ways of cultivation."

"Understood! I’ll first arrange their accommodations," Xiao Yue replied with a smile. She then turned her gaze toward Su Shier and the others, preparing to speak when a flurry of footsteps interrupted her.

"Peak Lord, something terrible has happened! Junior Brother Chen Xi has been bitten by a demonic beast!"

Two disciples in Cloud Song Sect robes rushed over, carrying an injured disciple on a stretcher. The injured boy appeared no older than sixteen or seventeen and was unconscious from his severe wounds, his body soaked in blood.

"Demonic beast? The sect’s formations protect the entire area—where would a demonic beast come from?" Lu Mingshi frowned as his gaze fell on the stretcher.

The lead disciple quickly explained, "Peak Lord, the Abandoned Pill Room is in a remote area, and wild beasts, including low-tier demonic beasts, frequently appear there."

"Hmph! And you call yourselves cultivators? You can’t even handle a mere wild beast? What have you been cultivating all these years—dog tricks?" Lu Mingshi’s expression darkened as he let out a cold snort.

With a wave of his hand, he pulled out a pale green talisman. Activating it with his internal energy, the talisman transformed into a green light that enveloped the boy on the stretcher.

Moments later, the green light faded, and the boy’s bleeding stopped. However, he was now missing an arm and a leg, leaving him in a pitiful state.

"That’s enough. I’ve stabilized his condition with the Green Spirit Talisman. However, with his limbs lost, his path in cultivation is over. Find a day to send him down the mountain."

The two disciples nodded hurriedly but didn’t leave. Instead, one of them asked cautiously, "Peak Lord, should we assign someone to guard the Abandoned Pill Room?"

"Hmph! The abandoned pills may be useless, but keeping track of them is essential for monitoring the sect’s resource consumption. What do you think?" Lu Mingshi snorted in dissatisfaction.

Within the Cloud Song Sect, all medicinal pills consumed by disciples during cultivation were refined by the Peak Lords or specialized alchemists.

The required herbs were supplied by the sect, and the amount of finished pills, as well as discarded pills, was recorded to monitor resource usage and prevent corruption or embezzlement.

The Abandoned Pill Room was located on the outskirts of the sect’s territory, a nearly isolated area. Normally, such trivial tasks wouldn’t concern Luofu Peak.

However, as the weakest of the seven peaks, Luofu Peak often ended up with such responsibilities.

Hearing Lu Mingshi’s words, the two disciples shivered and quickly responded, "Peak Lord, but who should we send? The peak is short-handed at the moment."

"Hmm? No one available? That’s fine—I brought back a few brats from the outside this time!" Lu Mingshi muttered to himself before scanning the group and locking eyes on Zhu Hanwei.

Feeling Lu Mingshi’s gaze, Zhu Hanwei’s legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed onto the ground.

He had overheard everything about the dangers of the Abandoned Pill Room. The injured boy on the stretcher was living proof that it wasn’t a safe place.

There was no way he wanted to go!

Terrified, Zhu Hanwei’s face turned pale. Before Lu Mingshi could say a word, he quickly pulled out a small wooden box from his pocket.

"Peak Lord, my father asked me to give you this!"

"Oh?" Lu Mingshi raised an eyebrow, taking the box. Upon opening it, his eyes narrowed into slits.

Inside was a small piece of century-old Cold Jade, clearly part of the same piece he had acquired earlier in Hui Long Town.

Without showing any expression, Lu Mingshi closed the box and sized up Zhu Hanwei. "Fine. Why the long face? You don’t even have a spiritual root—cultivating would be a waste of time. How about this: my alchemy room needs an assistant. From now on, you’ll be my pill boy."

"Thank you, Peak Lord!" Hearing this, Zhu Hanwei nodded fervently, his heart leaping with joy. Guarding the Abandoned Pill Room was dangerous, but becoming the Peak Lord’s pill boy was a far better fate.

Lu Mingshi ignored him and turned his gaze toward Su Shier, who froze immediately.

"Alright, it’ll be you. Starting today, you’ll guard the Abandoned Pill Room."

Su Shier’s small frame trembled, his face turning pale as snow.

If Zhu Hanwei could sense the danger of the Abandoned Pill Room, so could Su Shier.

But unlike Zhu Hanwei, Su Shier had nothing to offer in return. He didn’t know how to refuse.

Xiao Yue glanced at Su Shier and the others, then turned to Lu Mingshi. Unable to hold back, she said, "Grandfather, they’re still young and just joined the sect. Sending anyone to the Abandoned Pill Room—what if they encounter a wild beast or even a low-tier demonic beast? Isn’t that sending them to their deaths?"

Lu Mingshi’s face hardened, but he didn’t relent. "Sending them to their deaths? Yue’er, do you think cultivation is some kind of childish game?"

"This boy’s talent is already abysmal. If he can’t overcome even this small danger, then what’s the point of cultivating? He might as well leave the mountain."

Lu Mingshi didn’t hold any hope for Su Shier. With his inferior mixed spiritual roots, training him would be a waste of resources.

Given the current manpower shortage, assigning Su Shier to guard the Abandoned Pill Room was the most practical choice.

To Lu Mingshi, the danger posed by wild or demonic beasts was minimal. Chen Xi had spent years at the Abandoned Pill Room before finally encountering danger.

Xiao Yue’s face darkened, and she tried to argue further.

Before she could speak, Su Shier interrupted, "Senior Sister Xiao Yue, thank you. But the Peak Lord is right. My talent is lacking, and if I can’t overcome this challenge, how can I hope to cultivate properly in the future?"

Su Shier could see that Lu Mingshi had already made up his mind. He understood that he had no choice.

Staying meant at least a slim chance to cultivate. Leaving meant losing all hope of reentering the cultivation world.

Xiao Yue hesitated, wanting to say more, but Lu Mingshi nodded. "Good. It’s rare to see such courage. You two, take him to the Abandoned Pill Room."

Lu Mingshi gestured to the two disciples carrying the stretcher.

"Alright, follow us," the disciples said, glancing at Su Shier with pity.

To them, the Peak Lord was essentially sending this boy to his death.

Even Chen Xi had trained for years before encountering danger. What chance did a mere twelve-year-old boy have?

Zhu Hanwei and the others also looked at Su Shier with doubt. To them, Su Shier was foolish. Cultivation was important, but risking one’s life was not worth it.

Han Yu, standing by Lu Mingshi, hesitated as he watched Su Shier’s frail figure leaving. In the end, he said nothing. "With his talent, he’ll give up once he faces real danger," Han Yu thought.

Su Shier followed the two disciples out of Luofu Peak. One of them carried the injured Chen Xi, while the other led Su Shier toward the Abandoned Pill Room.

Perhaps believing that Su Shier wouldn’t last long in the sect, the disciple leading him said nothing during the entire journey.

Su Shier, sensing the mood, kept quiet as well.

They descended Luofu Peak and walked for nearly two hours before arriving at a small mountain at the edge of the sect’s territory.

Before them stood a simple wooden and stone structure. The building had a courtyard and several rooms, including a living space and a storage room specifically for discarded pills.

"This is the Abandoned Pill Room. The storage room is for discarded pills. At the end of each month, the other peaks will deliver their discarded pills here. Your job is to record the quantity of pills delivered by each peak and report it to the sect steward at the beginning of the next month."

"This book will teach you how to identify different types of discarded pills. Do you know how to read? If not, it’s fine—there are pictures."

The disciple briefly showed Su Shier around the Abandoned Pill Room, handed him a book on identifying discarded pills, and left in a hurry.

[--------------------------------------------]

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