The Sect Leader's Bizarre Recruitment Chapter 421: What Hardship Did I Ever Endure? Lin Fan Begins His Seclusion (Part 1) - Novel Cool

Chapter 421: What Hardship Did I Ever Endure? Lin Fan Begins His Seclusion (Part 1)

Chapter 421: What Hardship Did I Ever Endure? Lin Fan Begins His Seclusion (Part 1)

2024-09-17

Sigh, what a pity!

But, there's still a chance.

Zhu Rou Rong watched the old turtle flee in panic, feeling a mix of regret and calculation. He stroked his chin, pondering, "I definitely didn't see it wrong; it was actually quite interested."

"Just not sure why it seems a bit repelled."

"More opportunities to get close and guide it, and it will eventually agree. It would be such a waste not to utilize such excellent bloodlines!"

As a 'breeding specialist,' Zhu Rou Rong had an almost obsessive pursuit of 'hybrid breeds.'

Or rather...

He wanted to research and create more effective spirit beasts.

And so far, he had seen some initial success.

For example, by crossbreeding other 'spirit chickens' and 'spirit ducks' with Eight Treasures Chickens and Eight Treasures Ducks, although the success rate was low, he had managed to produce some hybrid breeds.

They hadn't been named yet.

While their taste, flavor, and nutritional value of their eggs were not as good as those of the Eight Treasures Chickens and Ducks, these hybrids had their advantages: they grew faster, laid eggs more frequently, and had a nearly perfect hatching rate!

Moreover, their taste, flavor, and nutritional value were far superior to ordinary spirit chickens and ducks.

For the Moon Holding Sect, this wasn't particularly useful, given that their Eight Treasures Chickens and Ducks were already well-established. However, these hybrids could generate income!

With such quality, selling them would surely result in a rush of buyers.

How much money could this make?!

Thanks to these hybrid chickens and ducks, Zhu Rou Rong had already earned his first pot of gold, turning a profit and even contributing to the sect's income.

This only made him more enthusiastic about his hybrid research.

Apart from him...

There was another extremely enthusiastic entity—the Chaos Heavenly Boar!

Ever since it got used to having three thousand concubine sows, it couldn't stop. Especially after the Beast Taming Sect became the Beast Taming Lineage, it was even more unrestrained, spending most of its time in the breeding chambers, unwilling to come out.

And...

It had a spirit of adventure.

Already, three 'Dragons' were pregnant with its offspring, carefully nurturing them.

As for what they would give birth to...

Whether they would be pigs with wings or dragons with pig heads...

It was hard to say.

They would have to be born to know.

...

"This place is too evil!"

The old turtle left the Spirit Beast Garden, turned back, and glanced at the place where the breeding chambers were, shuddering before heading off.

It was afraid that staying any longer would taint its pure soul.

If that happened, its pure heart would no longer be pure!

"I won't look, I won't look. The Moon Holding Sect is truly too evil."

"But..."

"Why do I feel a lingering attachment?"

"Moreover, I didn't see any other 'turtles' just now. Sigh, do I have to turn them into turtles?"

"..."

"Ugh, why am I thinking about this?"

"I won't think about it, I won't think about it. I'll go and collect the monthly allowance first."

"Just wonder what kind of monthly allowance I can get from this Moon Holding Sect, which is even smaller than Le Wu Island?"

Curious?

The old turtle wasn't very curious.

It didn't even have much expectation.

Lin Fan was strong, but on its journey, it found that most of the disciples of the Moon Holding Sect were actually not as powerful as those on Le Wu Island. While the atmosphere was nice, it couldn't be eaten.

The monthly allowance on Le Wu Island wasn't much, not worth paying attention to. This Moon Holding Sect, which was even smaller than Le Wu Island, could offer what good things?

So, it had no expectations at all.

"Just going through the motions."

"Since I'm already in the mainland and will be staying for a hundred thousand years, I should pay some attention to human relationships. After all, my life and death are in the hands of my master."

It sighed softly.

Deciding to go through the motions and show some respect.

At least let the master know it was still obedient.

This way, there would be fewer suspicions and fewer troubles.

It seemed to be strolling leisurely with its 'hands' behind its back, but in reality, it was moving at incredible speed, covering ground as if the earth were shrinking. Soon, it arrived at the Alchemy Pavilion.

"Who are you?"

The elder in charge of distributing the monthly allowance blinked, staring at the old turtle in front of him. Fortunately, the token hanging around its neck was quite noticeable.

"A new offering?"

"Um, yes, a new offering, here to collect the monthly allowance." The old turtle maintained the most basic politeness and courtesy.

"Oh, sure, sure."

The elder smiled, then took out a jade slip for recording and said, "Offerings receive the highest level of treatment. For monthly basic pills, you get ten high-quality same-level pills."

"May I ask the name and current realm of this offering?"

The old turtle was about to say 'Le Wu' but remembered the master's warning to avoid revealing its identity, so it changed its answer, "Just call me Old Turtle."

"As for the realm, Ninth Stage."

"Old Turtle, Ninth Stage?"

The elder calmly wrote down the information and then asked, "Specifically, which stage of the Ninth Stage? I need to arrange the pills accordingly."

The old turtle: "..."

How should it describe its realm as an apex cultivator?

Sigh, never mind, it was just going through the motions.

"Late stage."

It answered casually.

"Oh!?"

The elder was surprised.

Holding an offering token, given the current strength of the Moon Holding Sect, having Ninth Stage cultivation was reasonable, but Ninth Stage late stage?!

Sigh!!!

This cultivation is impressive!

"Ninth Stage late stage, Old Turtle. According to our internal regulations, you can receive ten Ninth Stage Immortal Ascension Pills monthly. If that's not enough, you can request more."

He immediately took out a jade bottle and handed it to the old turtle, adding, "Additionally, we can only provide pills here. For offerings, there are other benefits.

"Ah..."

"If you require resources for your cultivation, you can go to the Fire Virtue Peak lineage. They can forge a Lifebound Artifact for you."

"Nowadays, the Fire Virtue Peak lineage has grown significantly. If the conditions are right and the timing is perfect, they might even be able to forge an Imperial Armament."

"Perhaps you don't lack Imperial Armaments, but having an extra one by your side is always beneficial."

"But the prerequisite is that you provide the materials yourself."

"The Fire Virtue Peak will forge it for you for free."

"What?!"

Old Turtle was stunned.

"Damn it!!!"

"They're offering to forge an Imperial Armament for me for free, and all I need to do is provide the materials myself?!"

"Wait..."

"What did he just say?"

"Ten Immortal Ascension Pills? And all of them are Ninth-grade?"

"Eat ten of them and then ask for more?!"

"No... Am I dreaming?"

Old Turtle's head buzzed, and the seemingly weightless jade bottle in his 'hand' now felt like a million pounds, causing his entire body to tremble slightly.

"Damn!"

"What kind of heavenly sect is this? What kind of heavenly treatment is this?!"

"This monthly allowance..."

"It's heaven-defying, right?"

"But, he couldn't quite believe it."

"This Moon Holding Sect doesn't seem that impressive. The territory isn't that big, and there aren't that many people. It's just that the spiritual herbs have grown larger, and there are more disciples from the Fire Virtue Peak lineage and the Pill Tower lineage... Why is the treatment so heaven-defying?"

"This can't be true!"

Old Turtle shivered as he opened the jade bottle, his eyes fixed on its contents.

Ten Immortal Ascension Pills shone with nine rings of light, each ring stable and bright, clearly layered...

The rich fragrance of the pills accompanied the opening of the jade bottle, filling the air.

"Gulp!"

Old Turtle swallowed, barely able to hold back his saliva.

The amount of saliva he swallowed caused a noticeable lump to form in his throat.

"It really is ten ninth-grade Immortal Ascension Pills, and at this level, they are of the highest quality. Even if a human cultivator's grandmaster of pill concocting were to forge them, the success rate would still be low."

"This..."

"Ten pills every month as a baseline?"

"What kind of heavenly place is this?"

"What was that place, Lai Wu Island, compared to this?"

Old Turtle's body shook as he suppressed the urge to swallow the bottle and pills together, thinking, "Since these pills are real, then what he said about other resources and the offer to forge an Imperial Armament for free is probably also true."

"In other words..."

"I, Old Turtle, can also have my own Imperial Armament?!"

Beast...

They are strong, but there are many restrictions, or rather, there are many things they are not good at.

After all, when a beast's strength is insufficient, they lack wisdom and only have their instincts for eating, drinking, and sleeping, along with an extreme propensity for killing. If their strength is weak, death is the only outcome.

Even if they become the sole survivor among a large number of beasts and gain spiritual intelligence as their strength increases, they still miss out on too much.

This means they can't touch upon the realms of pill concocting, armament forging, and formation arrays.

Moreover, the harsh environment forces them to constantly become stronger; otherwise, it's death. So, not only do they lack access to related legacies, even if they did, they don't have the energy to study them. It's better to focus on improving their combat power.

This results in even a beast like Old Turtle, with his strength and experience, not having his own Artifact.

Or rather...

Beasts don't have a history of using Artifacts.

At most, they might enhance a particular body part and use it as a killer move.

But if he could have an Imperial Armament and refine it into his own Lifebound Artifact...

"Hiss!"

His own strength would instantly soar!

But what Imperial Armament should he refine?

His eyes spun.

"I've got it!"

"Turtle Shell!!!"

Beasts often enhance their most prominent and powerful body parts, turning them into killer moves.

But if he could further refine his turtle shell, already an extremely important part with incredible defense, into an Imperial Armament...

"Who in the Immortal Martial Continent could break through my defense then? Even if a celestial descended, I could withstand a few waves!"

"Yes, I'll refine an Imperial Armament-level 'Turtle Shell'!"

Old Turtle understood.

What could be more important than survival?

If his turtle shell, already formidable, were enhanced with the power of an Imperial Armament, he wouldn't have been instantly subdued by his master back then.

Moreover, he is now the guardian beast of Moon Holding Sect. If trouble arises, he might have to stand up and fight. Fighting is dangerous, but with an enhanced turtle shell, he would be tougher and more resilient.

"Makes sense, let's take the pills first."

...

Old Turtle found a secluded mountain stream, his mouth watering, unable to hold back any longer.

"Roar!"

He swallowed the bottle and pills in one go.

The next moment, his entire body erupted in a seven-colored radiance, and his cultivation, which had been stagnant for countless years, began to slowly grow...

A day and a night passed, and Old Turtle suddenly opened his eyes.

Feeling his noticeably increased cultivation and aura, he trembled with joy, almost crying out in delight.

"Ahhhhhh!"

He exclaimed, "So refreshing!"

But then, his expression changed.

"This..."

"What kind of heavenly life is this?!"

"My past life was so bitter!"

"That bastard Zhou Chengxian lied to me, saying my life was a thousand or ten thousand times better than other beasts. I actually believed him, but it was all bullshit!"

"What kind of bitter life was that?

At this moment, the old turtle's heart was filled with complicated emotions.

It had assumed that being forced into servitude would lead to a miserable existence, and even if it tried to look on the bright side, it would still be far worse than its life on Lai Wu Island.

So, it had mentally prepared itself for a difficult life ahead.

But now...

What the hell is this?

This is what you call a hard life?

Pfft! My previous life was the real struggle!

I wouldn't even want to ascend immediately if it meant living like this. No way, I'll stay here for as long as I can, until I can't take it anymore!

Move?

Move my ass!

At this moment, the old turtle had made up its mind. Even if ten thousand years pass, it would never leave.

Even if it had to beg and cry to stay, it would do so.

Previously, it had secretly planned to advance its cultivation quickly, hoping for an early ascension to free itself from Lin Fan's control. After all, it had an effortless ascension, and who could stop that?

But now, it seemed like ascension was out of the question.

Even if it had to sacrifice part of its cultivation, it would stay!

"Right, I'll go to Fire Virtue Peak to observe and study the art of forging Imperial Armaments..."

The old turtle was filled with enthusiasm and excitement.

Like to sleep?

Sleep your ass off, hey! When I was on Lai Wu Island, I slept out of boredom and lack of hope. But now, I'm not sleeping for a single moment!

...

"So, Turtle, you mean..."

Fire Virtue Peak, in the meeting hall.

Fire Kunlun and the elders blinked in surprise: "You want to forge an Imperial Armament?"

"Yes," the old turtle nodded. "I heard you can do it for free?"

"As a tribute, you do have this benefit," Fire Kunlun nodded. "However, forging an Imperial Armament is no small feat. Although we can make it happen, it requires the right timing, location, and people."

"Explain further."

"The right timing refers to finding suitable materials. As for location, it depends on the materials chosen. And for people... we'll likely need to borrow someone from the Pill Tower lineage."

"Also, you'll need to prepare the main material yourself."

"Of course, I'll prepare it myself!" The old turtle nodded, then suddenly shrank back.

'Jiu~'

It actually slid out of its shell, completely naked. It patted the shell standing on the ground and said, "My shell is pretty good. Can you use it to forge an Imperial Armament?"

Everyone: "..."

It's a good thing only old men are here, or else...

Even if they were all old men, their eyes would still burn!

Fire Kunlun coughed and said, "Why don't you put on some clothes first?"

Old Turtle: "Wear that thing? When have you ever seen a ferocious... oh, a Spirit Beast! I haven't transformed into a human form!"

"Ahem, it's just following local customs."

Fire Kunlun casually flipped through and produced a set of ordinary Artifact-level clothes for the old turtle to wear.

"It feels strange."

The old turtle was unaccustomed to wearing clothes, but now it was in a position of needing help from others. It couldn't argue, so it could only nod in agreement.

"Then, what do you think of the turtle shell?"

Fire Kunlun and the others immediately examined the shell, and after a while, they were all surprised, their faces filled with astonishment.

"This turtle shell?"

"An incredible turtle shell!"

"It's covered in the aura of time, and there are countless battle scars. This defense, it's probably no weaker than an Imperial Armament, right?"

"These patterns actually resonate with the Heavenly Dao, and the laws are operating on their own?"

"This..."

"It's the ultimate material for forging!"

"Using this shell as the main material to forge an Imperial Armament is simply..."

"No, it's practically a semi-finished product. When we forge other Imperial Armaments, we only have a fifty percent success rate, but this shell, it's at least ninety percent, or even... a hundred percent!"

This turtle shell was the real deal!

It was already no weaker than an Imperial Armament, and it was naturally formed, almost like a 'dead object,' yet it could autonomously operate those special laws, giving it unique effects.

It was undeniably impressive!

"So, there's no problem?" The old turtle's eyes lit up.

"Naturally!" Fire Kunlun nodded confidently.

The others were also excited.

As the saying goes, seeing a rare treasure, these old men who had spent half their lives in the world of forging were genuinely passionate. Now, seeing such an exceptional material, they knew that a powerful Imperial Armament would soon be in their hands. Who could not be thrilled?

"Turtle, your shell..."

"We will definitely forge a powerful Imperial Armament for you!"

"If we fail, we'll offer our heads!"

"That won't be necessary," the old turtle thought. I'm just a slave; how dare I let you 'offer your heads'? Unless I don't want to live anymore!

"I'm quite curious about the strength of the Imperial Armament after you forge it."

"It's hard to say, but the enhancement will be no less than a conventional Imperial Armament!"

"We'll take good care of it and forge it as quickly as possible!"

The group surrounded the turtle shell, their eyes fixed on it, and no one paid attention to the old turtle anymore.

The old turtle was quite satisfied with this.

After they left, Fire Kunlun immediately contacted Huo Yun'er and asked her to call Xiao Ling'er for help.

Xiao Ling'er was a righteous person.

Although it had been less than half a day since his return from overseas, at the mention of helping with the Imperial Armament's refinement, he immediately rushed over to offer his assistance.

"Nephew."

Hu Kunlun smiled, "You've worked hard. To be honest, I feel ashamed. You've just returned, and we're already troubling you again.

(End of Chapter)

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