The disciple responsible for recording just watched as the person retracted their hand, lowered their sleeves, and walked away. Before leaving, they politely waved goodbye, then quickly hopped down the steps, calling out what seemed to be a friend’s name.

There was no time to call them back; the person instantly dove into the crowd, and with just one glance, they were lost from sight. The outstretched hand froze in mid-air, suspended.

He hesitated to let the next test taker step forward. The elder behind him noticed and asked if there was a problem.

“…Nothing.”

After taking one last look in the direction of the crowd, the disciple withdrew his gaze and noted “Medium-High” in the ledger, then signaled for the next test taker to come forward.

Everything resumed as normal. The elder pulled back his gaze, looking down at the throng of people below. His eyelids drooped, and the hand stroking his beard slowed considerably.

Having sat here for half a day, the disciple beside him noticed the fatigue on his face and leaned over to ask, “With so many senior brothers and sisters here, Elder, would you like to take a break for a moment?”

Such assessments were routine for the senior brothers and sisters present, and there were usually no mistakes, so it wasn’t necessary for the elder to be here overseeing everything.

The elder, dressed in a black robe with white edges, waved his hand slowly, saying, “Let’s wait a bit longer.”

Previously, there had been unusual activity in the outer peaks, either due to a secret treasure or talented individuals advancing in rank. He had sent someone to inquire but received no results, so he came today to take a look himself.

If he could truly find a gifted seed today, this trip would not be in vain.

Determined to stay, the elder did not leave, and the disciple chose not to say more, standing up straight again.

Lin Zhusheng, who had blended into the crowd, quickly found his good companion.

Or rather, his good companion didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving. After stepping down from the high platform, they stood to the side, clearly waiting for him. When he came down, they looked a bit surprised, as if they hadn’t expected him to arrive so soon.

As he closed the distance, he heard the other person ask, “Did you pass?”

The tone didn’t sound as relaxed as usual; it seemed a bit tense.

It was strange. Before and during the assessment, this person didn’t seem nervous at all, but now they were all wound up.

Surrounded by fellow disciples who hadn’t yet taken the core test and were feeling uncertain, Lin Zhusheng took a few more steps forward and waved.

Song Ming bent slightly in response to his gesture. At just the right height, he leaned in and whispered, “You made it.”

The tension in Song Ming’s mouth relaxed, and he smiled, looking like the usual carefree young master again, saying, “Congratulations.”

Lin Zhusheng returned the sentiment, also saying congratulations.

To avoid alarming his currently fragile-hearted companions, he kept his voice low, ensuring that no one but Song Ming heard him. Afterward, he quickly pulled him away from the tense atmosphere of the crowd.

Once they were out of the crowd, free to speak without worry, he took a few steps to the shade of a tree by the roadside and asked the question he had wanted to ask while on stage, “How did your stone make that sound?”

He was referring to the buzzing noise the Gui stone made during the assessment. Based on his previous observations, no one else had experienced that.

The reason he asked wasn’t anything special; he was simply curious.

“Um…”

This question seemed a bit difficult to answer. Song Ming thought for a moment before saying, “The Gui stone is actually quite fragile.”

He continued, “The more spiritual energy you inject, the more likely the Gui stone is to break.”

Gui stones are commonly used to test the root bones of servant disciples and are limited to their use. The reason for this is that Gui stones are too fragile; if they were in the hands of outer or inner disciples, they might not return intact.

To detect root bones, spiritual energy needs to be injected. Theoretically, injecting all of one’s spiritual energy would provide the clearest reflection of the root bone condition.

But if too much spiritual energy is injected, the Gui stone can’t handle it, leading to a risk of shattering.

Lin Zhusheng clenched one fist and knocked it against the palm of his other hand, nodding in understanding.

No wonder he heard a sound at that time; injecting LV3 of spiritual energy would indeed make the stone emit a couple of sounds.

The more effort he used, the more accurate it was. No wonder during the assessment, regardless of the amount of spiritual energy, the recording disciple urged everyone to use as much as they could. It made sense why the stone shone brighter the more spiritual energy he used.

His question was resolved, and then it was Song Ming’s turn to ask, “Why did you come down so quickly?”

When he left, he had glanced back and thought this person would still be up there for a while.

“Ha,” Lin Zhusheng scratched his head, deliberately ignoring the fact that he had been having fun and ultimately didn’t get to use all his strength, and selectively said, “As long as I passed, that’s all that matters.”

With both tests completed, they had some free time, so he quickly changed the subject, saying he wanted to take a trip to a street halfway up the mountain.

Passing both tests and assessments meant he could finally have a small courtyard where he could plant flowers, grass, and vegetables.

This meant he could now buy all the various seeds he had wanted to purchase but hadn’t gotten around to.

They headed to the halfway-up-the-mountain area.

Coincidentally, due to the assessments, the commercial street halfway up the mountain was livelier than usual, bustling with people, most of whom were disciples who had finished their tests and were shopping for daily necessities. The crowd was dense, and it took some courage to dive right in.

Usually, living off the land was enough for self-sufficiency, so Lin Zhusheng skipped the necessities area and headed straight for the seed section he had already memorized.

Song Ming had never been to a place like this, and his gaze wandered around, scanning the makeshift stalls before settling on the people walking ahead.

Navigating through the crowded throng, the person in front squatted down at a stall, and he followed suit, half-squatting down.

Having already planned what to buy on the way, Lin Zhusheng began selecting seeds as soon as he squatted down, not needing to think too much. He filled a bag with all the seeds he could buy, noticeably increasing the items in his hands.

One stall had an astonishing variety, not only seeds but even saplings. However, considering that his courtyard wasn’t big enough to plant trees, his hand hovered over the saplings, moving back and forth before he finally steeled himself to pull away and let the disciple at the stall tally up the cost of the seeds.

He looked like he was buying in bulk, with a pile of items, and the disciple had to take a long time to count. Each count brought in a new tally, and with each count, the disciple’s smile grew wider.

The disciple was happy to have sold what he wanted, and Lin Zhusheng was also pleased. While waiting, his gaze swept over the stall again and noticed something small.

A little blue item, inconspicuous in the corner, but carefully packed in a small box. Curious, he looked at it a couple more times, and the disciple noticed, introducing it, “This is a seed of the Lan Jun flower.”

Lin Zhusheng’s eyes lifted slightly, “Lan Jun flower?”

He knew this flower well. After all, it was the only gift that the notoriously hard-to-please senior brother liked.

Previously, no matter what he sent, the other person wouldn’t accept it, and his favorability plummeted. Later, with no options left, and his favorability already at rock bottom, he happened to have a bloom of this flower and casually gifted it, only to his surprise when the other person actually accepted it.

What followed was a painful history of spending money. The Lan Jun flower was rare, from seeds to blooms, and very expensive. He didn’t have seeds, so he always bought ready-made flowers, pouring money out to boost his senior brother’s favorability.

Seeing that he seemed interested, the disciple held up a finger, asking, “Do you want to buy it?”

Lin Zhusheng was shocked, “Five hundred gold?”

The disciple was also startled by the number he shouted and quickly corrected, “Fifty silver!”

“!”

No joke, Lin Zhusheng experienced for the first time how friendly the prices were in the novice village and realized how much of a fool he had been in the past.

With a decisive “smack,” he bought the seeds along with the box without any hesitation.

Song Ming, who was half-squatting beside him, glanced at the seeds and turned to ask, “Do you like flowers?”

“Not really,” Lin Zhusheng, who lived a rather rough life with no particular interests, waved his hand and said, “I’m planting them to give away.”

Ready-made flowers were too expensive to buy, so he could only grow them himself.

Song Ming seemed a bit surprised, looking at him a little longer, as if he wanted to say something, but when he spoke, it was just a simple acknowledgment.

The disciple had already packed everything up, smiling as he handed it over while rubbing his hands together, saying, “That’ll be 156 silver.”

A big bag of seeds for just over a hundred silver? Lin Zhusheng quickly paid, tucking the seeds he had been dreaming of into his pocket.

His backpack was already stuffed with all sorts of odd items, but thankfully, his sleeves could still hold a lot.

In two days, they would be notified to move to their new residence after the assessments were over. He needed to tidy up his room and the chaotic wooden boxes before then, making sure to store the seeds properly. He waved goodbye to his fellow disciples.

He always seemed to have endless things to do every day. Song Ming had gotten used to it, standing in place and waving back, saying, “Goodbye.”

With his new purchases in tow, the busy Lin Shifu made his way down the mountain.

The distant mountains were lonely and soaring, the mist rising, and after a busy afternoon, he returned home just as the sun was slanting into the mountains.

As darkness fell, making it hard to see, he lit a lamp and began to tidy up his chaotic wooden boxes, making room for the seeds that had just joined this big family.

The sunset illuminated the silhouette of the hardworking figure, and outside the window, several streaks of light flashed by as the elder and disciples, who had returned empty-handed after a day of assessments, made their way back to the inner door.

A little cat sat on the table, looking up at the streaks of light leaving, then turned its gaze back to the still-busy person, reminding, “Remember to leave a spot for the new school uniform.”

Hearing the voice, Lin Zhusheng looked up from the pile of things, “Hmm?”

His eyes were filled with confusion. Aside from when he was making money or studying, this person really seemed to have a blank mind and forgetful nature. The little cat said, “There’s a difference between servant disciples and outer disciples; new uniforms will be delivered tomorrow.”

Finally remembering that this was indeed the case, Lin Zhusheng, still holding a handful of grass, looked down at the wooden box that was nearly bursting, pausing for a moment.

The little cat was quite looking forward to the arrival of the new school uniform, its gaze falling on his dusty clothes and the messy hair tied up. Objectively, it said, “You should look more like a person after you change.”

At least he wouldn’t look like a beggar returning home after running around the mountains. It even wanted to slip him a couple of silver coins to buy something nice to eat.

“Rude.”

Admiring his own face and the mismatched clothes he wore with a sense of bewilderment, Lin Zhusheng turned left and right, doing a full display, saying, “Isn’t this quite good-looking?”