Starting from iron smelting

Lu Xiuyuan slowly opened his eyes, feeling the chattering crowd around him, and his heart was filled with doubts and uneasiness. Although the disciples had cultivation, their cultivation was relatively low, so they could not really understand what he had just experienced. In their eyes, Lu Xiuyuan seemed to have only experienced a subtle mental fluctuation, and Xuanhuanzi had only done a spiritual exploration.

However, Xuanhuanzi still felt uneasy, fearing that Lu Xiuyuan would make his secret known to the public. Although he appeared calm on the outside, he was thinking about how to deal with the next situation.

He knew that although this soul-searching did not bring any obvious results, the emptiness in Lu Xiuyuan's consciousness made him feel unprecedentedly confused.

The purple-robed Taoist Xuan Huanzi calmed down a bit, raised his head, looked at everyone firmly, and said in a serious tone: "Although I didn't find any clues this time, who can guarantee that I won't find out something in the future? If there is a secret of our sect, it will be bad. This concerns the life and death of our sect."

His words were like a stone thrown into the lake, stirring everyone's thoughts. The disciples whispered to each other, with worries and doubts on their faces.

In the world of cultivating immortals, the secrets of a sect are often of great importance. Once leaked, it may cause an irreversible disaster. This makes everyone more curious about Lu Xiuyuan's identity, and at the same time they understand Xuan Huanzi's decision.

The white-robed old man Xuan Miaozi quietly observed the whole process. He knew that Xuan Huanzi was not someone who was easily shaken. Although Lu Xiuyuan did not find any secrets in his consciousness, he still expressed his understanding of his junior brother with a smile, trying to calm the situation which was obviously a little tense: "Okay, junior brother, you can see that there is nothing in his consciousness, no secrets like you said. Your soul-searching technique is the strongest in the Juling Sect. If you said you didn't find anything, then it must be gone. He is clean and innocent."

The old man in white robe paused and continued, "This mortal is called Lu Xiuyuan. As you have seen just now, he is quite smart and has not stolen any secrets from our sect. I plan to accept him into the Juling Sect and make him one of my outsourced disciples."

When Xuanhuanzi heard this, his face changed slightly and he quickly objected: "No, no, the Juling Sect has never had a precedent of recruiting a mortal into the sect." His voice revealed worry and determination.

The white-robed old man Xuan Miaozi remained calm and spoke again: "It's okay, it's okay. When I first started practicing, I was also a mortal. Mortals can also practice." He stretched out his hand, motioning Lu Xiuyuan to walk in front of him, wanting to test Lu Xiuyuan's aptitude for practicing Taoism.

Lu Xiuyuan's heart was moved. He could feel the importance of this moment. He walked up to the old man in white robe and held his outstretched hand. A faint spiritual energy came over. The old man in white robe closed his eyes in concentration, as if he was sensing Lu Xiuyuan's potential for cultivation.

The whole scene was quiet and tense, and the disciples held their breath and watched this scene. The white-robed old man's hand flickered slightly, and his expression gradually became solemn.

Suddenly, the old man in white robe opened his eyes and showed joy: "Yes, Lu Xiuyuan, you have the qualifications to cultivate immortality. Although it is at the beginner level, it is good enough for me to accept you as an outsourced disciple." His words revealed his recognition of Lu Xiuyuan.

Xuan Huanzi was eclipsed when he saw this scene. He originally thought that Lu Xiuyuan was just an ordinary mortal, but he didn't expect that he actually had the qualifications to cultivate immortality. This unexpected discovery made the situation more complicated, and he silently thought about how to deal with it next.

At this time, Lu Xiuyuan was more surprised than Xuan Huanzi. He was identified by the old hunter as a useless spiritual root, and was born without the qualifications to cultivate immortality, but the facts before him overturned his cognition. An inexplicable excitement surged in his heart, and he couldn't help but wonder if all this was related to the efficacy of the Huanglong wood core. Did it really open up his Ren and Du meridians, activate the deemed useless spiritual roots, and enable him to cultivate? Or was the old hunter's level too poor and did not discover his potential for cultivating immortality?

Lu Xiuyuan didn't have time to delve into this mystery. What he had to face at this moment was how to quickly escape from Xuan Huanzi's control. His mind was churning, and he realized that this was a critical moment and he couldn't be bound here any longer. He quickly decided to calm down first, find a safe place, and then think carefully about this sudden change.

Lu Xiuyuan was filled with gratitude and immediately knelt on the ground, swearing loudly: "Disciple is willing to take Taoist Master Xuanmiaozi Li Yuan as his master, and will go through fire and water for him without hesitation." This oath was full of determination, as if he wanted to engrave his dedication to the path of cultivating immortals deeply between heaven and earth.

The old man in white robe nodded slightly and said concisely: "Okay, okay, I will accept you as my disciple first, get up quickly." After that, he raised his hands, and an invisible force lifted Lu Xiuyuan up, just like a light boat sailing with the wind, making Lu Xiuyuan feel like he was riding on the clouds.

However, the purple-robed Taoist Xuan Huanzi jumped out at this moment, interrupting the joyous atmosphere. He said coldly: "Brother, your quota of disciples this year is full, and you can't recruit any more disciples." There was a hint of jealousy and dissatisfaction in his tone, as if he didn't want to see his brother's pride.

After hearing this, Xuan Miaozi couldn't help but frowned and said worriedly: "That's right, let him be my outsourced disciple. He will only be a disciple in name, not in reality. From now on, let him work in the firewood room and be responsible for firewood room affairs." Although his proposal sounded like accepting a disciple, it actually put Lu Xiuyuan into an embarrassing situation. Lu Xiuyuan thought, it's okay, just save my life first, it's more important than anything else. Let him be an outsourced disciple, even if it's a dispatched labor, I will accept it.

Although Lu Xiuyuan felt a little disappointed, he was still very happy when he learned that he had the qualifications to practice. He knew that the road to becoming an immortal was full of hardships, and even if he was just a disciple in the firewood room, it was a beginning and the step for him to pursue his dream.

During this brief hesitation, Lu Xiuyuan stood up again and faced the old man in white robes. He said gratefully: "Thank you, Taoist Li Yuan, for accepting me as your disciple. I will do my best to live up to your expectations."

The old man in white robe nodded to show his satisfaction, then turned to Xuanhuanzi and said lightly: "He is my disciple, so he must abide by the rules. As for other things, we will talk about it later." There was some majesty and a hint of relaxation in his tone.

Lu Xiuyuan secretly felt lucky to be taken in by the old man in white robes. This was a wonderful turn of events in his journey of cultivating immortality. The old man in white robes quietly watched this new disciple, but an indescribable expectation surged in his heart.