Becoming an Apprentice?

Many thoughts flashed through my mind, but I couldn't figure out the reason at all.

So, with a question in his mind, he got up and left the cave.

Seeing the middle-aged man standing outside his cave, Li Yunfan's doubts deepened. Although he did not recognize the man, he could clearly sense that the man was at the Foundation Establishment stage.

"Disciple Li Yunfan greets... Martial Uncle!" Li Yunfan cupped his hands and bowed to the other party.

Upon seeing Li Yunfan appear, the middle-aged man smiled and spoke kindly.

"It's normal that my junior disciple doesn't recognize me since I'm new to the sect. My surname is Murong, so you can just call me Uncle Murong."

"Yes, Uncle-Master Murong."

The man from Murong smiled and nodded: "Junior nephew was probably cultivating just now, and it seems he has reached a critical stage. I shouldn't have disturbed you, but the sect leader has ordered me to take you to the main hall immediately. Please don't hold it against me..."

A strange look flashed in Li Yunfan's eyes. The other party was clearly a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so why was he speaking to him so politely and courteously?

"Uncle-Master Murong, you flatter me. My cultivation is too low; how could I possibly be disturbing you?" Li Yunfan said with a cupped hand and a smile.

Upon seeing this, the Murong man's smile widened, and he stopped dwelling on it, directly addressing Li Yunfan.

"The sect leader is already waiting in the main hall. Let's hurry over and not keep him waiting any longer."

After saying that, he waved his hand and released a flying boat several meters in size. In a flash, he stood on the flying boat.

Although Li Yunfan had doubts, he did not ask them immediately. With a step, he leaped onto the flying boat.

Inside the main hall of Huangfeng Valley, Sect Leader Zhong Lingdao stood respectfully looking at a square-faced old man sitting in a chair.

The old man was dressed in a blue robe and looked to be in his fifties. His hair was somewhat gray, but his complexion was very ruddy, and he was full of energy.

After leading Li Yunfan into the main hall, the Murong man bowed to Zhong Lingdao and the old man.

"Greetings, Sect Leader! Greetings, Martial Uncle Li!"

Upon hearing the way the Murong man addressed the two of them, Li Yunfan's heart skipped a beat, and his expression turned somewhat abnormal.

"Uncle-Master Murong is already a Foundation Establishment cultivator, so someone he has to address as 'Uncle-Master' must be... a Core Formation cultivator!?"

This was the first time he had ever seen a Core Formation cultivator in person, and he couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.

"Disciple Li Yunfan greets the Sect Leader and Grandmaster!" Li Yunfan suppressed his trepidation and respectfully bowed.

Upon hearing this, Grandmaster Li glanced at Li Yunfan and, seeing that he showed no fear in front of him, nodded inwardly.

Zhong Lingdao smiled and said, "Junior Brother Murong, you've had a hard time on this trip!"

The man from Murong replied respectfully, "Sect Leader, you flatter me. This is what I should do!"

After speaking, he bowed to Grandmaster Li and said, "Uncle-Master, if there's nothing else, then I'll take my leave!"

Seeing that Master Li waved his hand slightly, the Murong man respectfully agreed and then turned and left the main hall.

Only after the Murong man left did Master Li finally speak for the first time.

"I heard from the sect leader that you have the Fire Spirit Body?"

Li Yunfan respectfully replied, "Reporting to Grandmaster, this disciple does indeed possess the Fire Spirit Body!"

Upon hearing Li Yunfan's affirmative answer, Master Li couldn't help but smile, and then said domineeringly.

"Stretch out your hand and let me examine it."

Li Yunfan dared not say no and obediently extended his right hand.

Master Li raised his hand and placed it on Li Yunfan's wrist, his eyes lowered.

A moment later, he released Li Yunfan's wrist, a smile he couldn't hide on his face, and his eyes were full of joy as he looked at Li Yunfan.

"It really is a Fire Spirit Body!"

Li Yunfan then guessed the other party's intentions; they were probably after his spirit body.

"Would you be willing to become my disciple and take me as your master?" Grandmaster Li asked Li Yunfan with a smile.

Li Yunfan was taken aback upon hearing this, and looked at Zhong Ling with a somewhat surprised expression.

Zhong Lingdao smiled and explained, "Yun Fan, this is a great opportunity for you. The person in front of you is Li Huayuan, the Core Formation Grandmaster of my Huangfeng Valley. His supernatural powers are unfathomable, and he is famous throughout the entire Yue Kingdom."

Li Yunfan was even more astonished and looked at his Grandmaster Li in disbelief.

"Li Huayuan? Isn't that Han Li's cheapskate mentor?"

Unexpectedly, Han Li hadn't even become an apprentice yet, but he had already become one himself.

Seeing Li Yunfan looking at him with a surprised expression, Li Huayuan assumed that he was intimidated by his reputation, so he smiled and said...

"I dare not claim such a great reputation, but I have indeed left a name among the Core Formation cultivators of Yue Kingdom."

He paused for a moment after speaking, and then continued.

"Your Fire Spirit Body is extremely suitable for cultivating fire-attribute techniques. Although the True Yang Technique that I mainly cultivate is not fire-attribute, it is not far off. If you become my disciple, I will pass on this technique to you after you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage. In that case, you will be my personal disciple."

Li Yunfan was somewhat confused, not understanding what was going on. Shouldn't Han Li have been taken in by him? Why was he being taken in by him?

Seeing that Li Yunfan lowered his head and remained silent, Li Huayuan was not in a hurry. Instead, he picked up the spiritual tea on the table next to him and drank it.

"This Li Huayuan also seems to possess a special spiritual body, and his strength is not weak. In the end, he should have died in the great battle with the Mulan people..." Li Yunfan recalled the situation of Li Huayuan in his mind, and hesitated for a moment.

In his mind, there was no such thing as taking on a master, since he would eventually leave Huangfeng Valley.

But once he becomes an apprentice, given his talent for cultivating the Fire Spirit Body, he will definitely be placed in the core by that old guy Linghu. How will he escape under the noses of all the Core Formation cultivators then?

However, there are advantages to becoming an apprentice. At the very least, it elevates one's status and greatly increases the cultivation resources one can obtain in the valley.

Moreover, he was not apprenticing to anyone else, but to Han Li's future master. Wouldn't that make him and Han Li fellow disciples?

After weighing the pros and cons of becoming an apprentice, he finally took a deep breath and made his decision.

Half an incense stick later, Li Yunfan calmly walked out of the main hall, took out a willow leaf-shaped magic artifact from his storage bag, and flew towards his cave.

Inside the main hall, Zhong Lingdao smiled and said to Li Huayuan, "Congratulations, Uncle-Master, on gaining a personal disciple! From now on, your supernatural powers will have a successor!"

Li Huayuan was clearly even happier, and upon hearing Zhong Lingdao's words, he burst into laughter.

"This is all thanks to Junior Nephew Zhong for taking Yun Fan into the valley; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to find such a suitable disciple."

Zhong Lingdao replied with a smile, "I wouldn't dare! It is my responsibility as your junior disciple to recruit disciples for the valley."

Li Huayuan smiled and shook his head, then took out a bottle of pills and tossed it over.

"My junior nephew also contributed a lot to my acceptance of Yun Fan, so I'll give this bottle of 'Golden Essence Pill' to him."

Zhong Lingdao's eyes lit up with surprise. This Golden Essence Pill was a precious pill for improving cultivation in the late Foundation Establishment stage.

"Thank you so much for the medicine, Uncle-Master!"