Three days later, the number of young sect disciples Lin Chu encountered after leaving the Liuguang Grassland increased.
Lin Chu noticed that these young sect disciples seemed to be heading in the same direction. Many of them, upon seeing Lin Chu, would instinctively dodge and take a detour, as if he were a demon king.
"Strange, I only fought one fight, how does it seem like everyone in the world knows?" Looking at two elite disciples who quickly departed after merely glancing at him, Lin Chu touched his nose and chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"Eh, isn't this Lin Chu?" Just as Lin Chu was about to continue forward, a surprised voice came from behind him. Upon hearing this, Lin Chu immediately stopped and turned around.
He saw a man dressed in a grey robe with a refined appearance, his bright eyes seeming to emanate wisdom. Lin Chu glanced at the corner of the grey-robed man's sleeve and realized that, like himself, he was a regular disciple of the young sect.
However, the way this grey-robed man looked at him was different from others; there was clearly no fear in his eyes, unlike the others.
"I am Lin Chu." Meeting a fellow disciple who was different from the norm for the first time, Lin Chu appeared somewhat enthusiastic. He nodded to the grey-robed man and said with a slight smile.
"I've heard your great name for a long time. Hmm, let me introduce myself, my name is Chen Lingang. Just like you, I'm also a regular disciple of the young sect." The grey-robed man said, walking towards Lin Chu with a hint of excitement.
"Hello, Senior Brother Chen." Lin Chu nodded upon hearing this.
Chen Lingang quickly waved his hand and said, "Please don't tease me, Lin Chu. Just call me Junior Brother Chen. Senior Brother Lin Chu challenged the elite disciple Qiu Shaoming upon entering the sect, and not long ago, you disciplined Gong Ziming, another elite disciple. Such might makes me very respectful."
Lin Chu looked at Chen Lingang with some surprise and asked, "I'm not surprised that everyone knows about the challenge to Qiu Shaoming, but how did you all find out about my fight with Gong Ziming which only happened three days ago?"
A hint of a smile flashed across Chen Lingang's face. "It seems Senior Brother Lin Chu doesn't know yet. Gong Ziming has now withdrawn from this disciple trial. I heard he was seriously injured. And the news of your fight with Gong Ziming came from Wu Wenlin and the others."
"According to them, all seven of them were no match for you. That's why everyone sees you as if you're a ferocious beast."
Lin Chu gave a wry smile. "So, they also told you about me taking their Glazed Spirit Stones, right?"
"Naturally. Otherwise, why would everyone be so afraid of Senior Brother Lin Chu?" Chen Lingang said with a smile and a nod.
"If that's the case, and everyone is afraid of me taking their Glazed Spirit Stones, why aren't you afraid?" Lin Chu asked, looking intently at Chen Lingang.
Chen Lingang's smile faltered slightly. He then spread his hands and said, "I feel that the rumors are a bit exaggerated. It's possible that Senior Brother Lin Chu is not as terrible as the rumors say. Besides, I only have seven Glazed Spirit Stones on me. If Senior Brother Lin Chu wants them, feel free to take them."
"Alright, I was just asking. Besides, I'm not as unreasonable as you've heard. Junior Brother Chen, since you know all this, do you know why they are all heading in the same direction?"
Seeing Chen Lingang take out his Glazed Spirit Stones, Lin Chu smiled, shook his head, and then asked.
"Senior Brother Lin Chu is referring to the direction of the Glazed Lands, right? I heard there are many Glazed Spirit Stones there. With only four days left until the disciple trial ends, everyone is heading there to find Glazed Spirit Stones."
Seeing that Lin Chu didn't take his Glazed Spirit Stones, Chen Lingang visibly relaxed. He then looked in the direction Lin Chu was pointing and began to explain.
"Glazed Lands, I see. Junior Brother Chen, would you dare to travel with me?" After listening to Chen Lingang, Lin Chu asked with a slight smile.
"This... Since Senior Brother Lin Chu invites me, how could I refuse?" Chen Lingang pondered for a moment, then raised his head and replied.
Lin Chu nodded and said, "Excellent."
Along the way, Lin Chu inquired about Chen Lingang from the side. Chen Lingang also seemed to understand the implied meaning behind Lin Chu's questions and very directly revealed his background.
Like Lin Chu, he came from a remote mountain village.
Fortunately, he was able to cultivate and join the young sect as a regular disciple.
Although he was just a regular disciple, Chen Lingang felt extremely satisfied. Since joining the young sect, he had encountered things far beyond what he had seen in his village.
"Senior Brother Lin Chu, look, the Glazed Lands are ahead. It's said there are many Glazed Spirit Stones, but the danger is also great. Firstly, there are many ferocious beasts and venomous snakes in the Glazed Lands. Secondly, one must guard against fellow disciples who might stab you in the back."
Three hours later, after crossing a mountain ridge, Chen Lingang pointed to the flat terrain below.
"Mmm, let's rest for a while first."
Lin Chu glanced around, observing that the surroundings were densely wooded and the area was quite vast. Occasionally, he could see figures of young sect disciples moving through the trees. Thinking about the final competition ahead, he stopped to speak.
"As Senior Brother Lin Chu wishes." Chen Lingang nodded and sat down cross-legged to rest. Lin Chu followed suit, closing his eyes slightly.
A quarter of an hour later, Lin Chu opened his eyes slightly, a sharp glint flashing within them. He glanced at Chen Lingang, who was still with his eyes closed, and a thoughtful look crossed his eyes.
*Whoosh.*
"Senior Brother Lin Chu, are you recovered?" Chen Lingang exhaled, saw Lin Chu open his eyes, and immediately got up to ask.
Lin Chu nodded slightly. "Yes, let's go. We'll split the Glazed Spirit Stones we get equally."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Lin Chu." A look of joy instantly flashed in Chen Lingang's eyes.
Descending the mountain ridge, Lin Chu found the light had dimmed considerably. The dense trees had long since blocked out the sunlight, making it somewhat dim.
However, neither Lin Chu nor Chen Lingang felt uncomfortable. After a slight adjustment, they both accelerated their pace.
"Halt! The area ahead has been occupied by our Jinlong Team. Retreat quickly, or face the consequences."
As Lin Chu and Chen Lingang entered a dense forest, they suddenly heard a voice. Following the sound, they saw two elite disciples of the young sect guarding the area.
"Senior Brother Lin Chu, let's go around. I've heard the leader of the Jinlong Team is among the top three elite disciples." Chen Lingang gently tugged at Lin Chu and whispered after hearing the voice.
"Oh? Jinlong Team, top three?" Lin Chu's eyes showed a look of interest.
Chen Lingang, seeing the two elite disciples approaching, hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Lin Chu, let's leave here first, and I'll explain it to you."
"It's fine." Lin Chu saw the two guarding elite disciples approaching and waved his hand slightly, then looked at the two approaching elite disciples.
"Are you deaf? Leave quickly, or face the consequences!" The two guarding elite disciples saw the ordinary disciple robes on Lin Chu and Chen Lingang from afar, and there was a clear hint of disdain in their eyes. When they reached them, they directly yelled.
Lin Chu sneered at their gaze. "I'd like to know what kind of consequences."
"Senior Brother Lin Chu..." Chen Lingang inwardly thought it was bad and quickly tugged at Lin Chu.
"How dare you! A mere ordinary disciple, to speak to us like this. It seems we must uphold the majesty of our Jinlong Team today!" Liu Chao's eyes flashed with a fierce glint.
Lin Chu sneered again. "What, ordinary disciples aren't allowed to speak? From the looks of it, you intend to make a move on me?"
"Kid, being temperamental is sometimes a good thing. But now, your temper will bring you a bitter lesson!" As soon as Liu Chao finished speaking, he struck at Lin Chu with a palm.
*Bang!*
Seeing Liu Chao's palm strike, Lin Chu moved and met it with his own palm. In just one exchange, Liu Chao was sent flying by Lin Chu's palm.
"Sometimes your innate status doesn't represent everything. You must know that diligence can compensate for lack of talent. Junior Brother Chen, let's go." Lin Chu said after sending Liu Chao flying, he patted his hands, glanced at Chen Lingang, and turned to leave.
Chen Lingang helplessly stamped his foot and quickly followed Lin Chu. Liu Hong, still standing there, looked at Liu Chao, who had been sent flying by Lin Chu's palm, as if he hadn't recovered yet.
"Senior Brother Lin Chu, our situation might be precarious from now on." Under a towering tree, Lin Chu stopped. Chen Lingang said with a wry smile.
Lin Chu smiled freely. "Now, tell me about the Jinlong Team and the top three."
"Fine. Since I'm on your boat now, I'll just follow you."
Seeing Lin Chu's nonchalant expression, Chen Lingang shook his head with a slight wry smile, then his expression became a bit serious. "The Jinlong Team is a group formed by newly promoted elite disciples. It was initially created to prevent bullying by the older disciples."
"However, after the first month, the Jinlong Team's scale gradually increased. Preliminary estimates suggest there are already nearly thirty new elite disciples and fifty regular disciples."
"Thirty elite disciples?" Lin Chu's eyes gradually showed a hint of surprise.
Although he didn't reside in the new disciple's quarters, he had learned from Bai Yuwei that there were only a little over a hundred elite disciples among the new recruits this time. To think that the Jinlong Team had nearly thirty of them.
Thinking of this, Lin Chu finally understood why Chen Lingang had shown some fear when he heard the name Jinlong Team. However, even so, Lin Chu didn't take it to heart.
"Senior Brother Lin Chu, now you understand why I wanted you to leave, right?" Chen Lingang said with a wry smile, seeing the rare trace of surprise on Lin Chu's face.
Lin Chu smiled and continued to ask, "What about the top three?"
When the top three were mentioned, Chen Lingang's face showed a rare look of admiration. He cleared his throat slightly. "The top three are the combat power rankings for the new disciples of this batch. This ranking does not distinguish between disciple levels."
"It's said that there's always such a ranking for each batch of new disciples. And for our batch, the second-ranked, Su Jinlong, is the captain of the Jinlong Team."
"Ranked second... Su Jinlong..." Lin Chu lightly tapped his forehead with his fingers, lost in thought.
Seeing Lin Chu deep in thought, Chen Lingang also fell silent.
"I didn't expect the Jinlong Team to have such a background. Alright, let's continue searching for Glazed Spirit Stones. As for today's matter, I believe Su Jinlong won't care too much." A moment later, Lin Chu looked up at Chen Lingang and said.
"Let's hope so." Chen Lingang nodded slightly and then stood up.
Half an hour later, Lin Chu and Chen Lingang arrived at a more secluded area and began searching for Glazed Spirit Stones.
...