“Why is all the grass gone already?
“Did someone come here to mow the lawn or something?
“Boy, some work they did!”
After taking his time to make sense of the directions, he went deeper into the Inner Yard instead of going out into the Outer Yard.
He’d very reluctantly chosen to make the trip to the library, but due to the rules between him and that old man, choosing not to make said trip would’ve brought about dire consequences.
However, none of the trouble he’d anticipated had come to be. Elder Sang had actually become a lot more easygoing, so much so that he hadn’t minded the blood he’d spilled. Xu Xiaoshou never would’ve dared to imagine that possible.
“I guess that’s the difference between outsiders and those you consider your own…”
He was feeling rather puzzled, but he was sure of one thing—Elder Sang had definitely become a lot nicer after they became master and disciple.
“Well, I should say that he treats me entirely different now,” he thought.
“People are really weird creatures…”
Xu Xiaoshou mulled this over for a bit before he stopped thinking about it altogether.
It was a good thing that the elder would never go about torturing him. As such, he could do away with the thought of escaping the spirit palace for the time being.
As for what would happen in the future…
“Well, I’ll think about it when the time comes,” he thought.
“At least from the looks of things now, that old fart sure has a brilliant personality. And, if I’m being honest about it, he really goes to the extreme.
“Whether he’s being uncaring toward others or protecting his own, he really seems to go all in.
“He almost ended up getting me killed when we hardly knew each other, but now that we’ve become master and disciple…”
He touched the ring for a bit.
36 seventh-grade Origin Court Pills, a complete version of the 10 Sections of the Finger Sword, a slot to enter the Tianxuan Gate, and a ring full of herbs.
He’d never dreamed he would get so much just from risking his neck to see that old man.
It was the complete opposite of what he’d expected.
“Hmm, there’s also that eighth-grade smaller tub.” He went about listing what he’d gotten.
While the tub he’d gotten was only about half the size of the massive three-legged one, it was nonetheless large enough to fit four to five people bathing in it. That smaller tub was still several times larger than the other normal-sized cauldrons.
“Eighth-grade eh…”
He then drew his Hiding Pain, noting that the sword was only at Ninth-grade.
“Can’t do, man. You gotta keep up with my progress, dude.”
He rubbed the black sword for a bit, and it actually shook slightly, seemingly weeping.
“What’s going on?” he thought.
“Are you really gonna develop intelligence now?”
He was astonished. This was the first time he’d seen Hiding Pain exhibit such an emotional side other than when it tended to act against its owner.
Yet, when he thought about the Epitaph of City Snow, he sighed right away. Comparisons did indeed come with demerits, after all.
“Ninth-grade shouldn’t be able to develop intelligence of any kind, I guess…”
He simply stuffed the sword back into his ring, his face deadpan, then took out the token that he’d gotten from the elder. This token was currently the most important thing in his possession.
With this thing in his hands, he could finally pick his own place like the rest of the Inner Yard disciples.
The concentration of spiritual energy in the Inner Yard was far higher than that in the Outer Yard. He deemed that prolonged exposure to such ambient spiritual energy would enable him to get used to Breathing Technique at Innate Level. Then he could relax and let his body train on his own.
He still had to keep all of his pores shut tight while walking inside the Inner Yard.
If he were to relax his body, he would end up spasming all over despite doing little else other than walking.
“This token couldn’t have come at a better time…”
He recalled that dilapidated place of his at the Outer Yard with only a guest room left. With the token pass in his hand, he could finally leave that behind.
And he wouldn’t even need to pay for repairs. What a bargain indeed.
“Which place should I pick, eh?” Xu Xiaoshou was feeling rather troubled.
The Inner Yard was just as huge as the Outer Yard. However, there were few people around. The number of disciples inside was less than 10 percent the number of those in the Outer Yard.
As such, theoretically, everyone could get themselves a huge place.
With the exception of those designated training places that were protected by barriers, all the other places were by and large off-limits for training purposes. That much was different from the Outer Yard.
One’s comprehension of the celestial ways became clearer after reaching Innate Level. This was because one could no longer train outside someone else’s door, as others might come to enlightenment at the same time as oneself. Being in such close proximity meant it was entirely possible for both individuals to interfere with each other, thus nullifying each other’s effort.
That was a big deal, as it meant killing each other’s chances.
He picked a quiet path and walked as far as it could take him. He would still prefer a compound of his own to be somewhere more secluded.
The guest room back at the Outer Yard was quite a good place, as few ever came to bother him there.
…
Xu Xiaoshou saw that, despite having walked quite a distance, there was still no one around and couldn’t help but be in awe that the Inner Yard really had such few people around.