He couldn't help but cough awkwardly and said, "Actually, this stone is quite commemorative. My master also told me I had to find it before I could be accepted as his disciple."
Li Chonglou's internal complaints eased considerably. No wonder in Iron Forest, where almost everything was custom-made, there was an ordinary stone.
So that was it.
Li Chonglou's expression softened slightly, and he then pressed further, "Alright, I've brought the item back for you. Hurry and give me the lower part of the Mai Qian technique. I need to get back to the trial area."
Yaho finally nodded. Although Li Chonglou's words were a bit blunt, their relationship had been established as fellow disciples the moment the stone was handed over. Therefore, Yaho didn't quibble with Li Chonglou and instead turned to walk back into the small room.
A few minutes later, Yaho reappeared before Li Chonglou, holding a booklet and the stone. Both items were handed to him.
"Remember, the rules of our sect are to do no evil, nor to use the Mai Qian technique for wicked deeds. Also, you must not leak the Mai Qian technique carelessly! These three points are our sect rules. Though few, if you violate any one of them, I have the right to expel you from the sect."
Yaho's face was extremely serious as he spoke. Li Chonglou naturally wouldn't joke with him at this moment and nodded earnestly.
However, after he glanced at the booklet in his hand, he suddenly frowned.
"I say, senior brother, I asked for the lower part of the cultivation technique, why did you give me the same one as before?"
Yaho immediately rolled his eyes and said, "I say, you kid are too greedy. You have plenty to practice with just this introductory part. When you're a person, grasping too much will lead to a poor digestion!"
As Yaho spoke, he was already considering how to properly educate Li Chonglou. After all, no matter how much potential a person had, if their state of mind was unstable, it was easy for accidents to happen.
However, before he could speak again, Li Chonglou opened all the acupoints within his body.
Instantly, an aura like that of ancient times surged forth. Yaho's expression changed drastically, and his eyes widened to their limits.
"Damn it, you!"
The old man felt his entire worldview collapse. As someone who had been through it, how could he not understand what this aura signified?
For a moment, Yaho's heart was filled with nothing but tempestuous waves!
Li Chonglou shrugged and said, "I say, senior brother, aren't you underestimating your junior brother a bit too much?"
As Li Chonglou spoke, he winked at Yaho. The sense of showing off was evident on his face, but the old man had still not recovered from his shock.
"You, how did you do that? Have you practiced Mai Qian before?"
"Uh, senior brother, don't just throw accusations. Besides, isn't Mai Qian always kept by you? Can anyone else steal and learn it?"
Li Chonglou retorted directly, leaving Yaho speechless.
It was only after a long while that Yaho truly came to his senses.
An irrepressible excitement instantly filled his heart, and even his shoulders trembled uncontrollably. The old man's usually spirited eyes suddenly welled up with tears.
"Heaven truly has eyes! In my lifetime, I can still encounter such a monstrous talent!"
Yaho grabbed Li Chonglou's shoulders excitedly. The tears in his eyes instantly evaporated, replaced by overwhelming elation.
Li Chonglou found his grip a bit painful and couldn't help but remind him, "I say, senior brother, get excited all you want, but at least give me the lower part of the Mai Qian cultivation technique first."
"Take it, take it! Wait for me, I'll get it for you right now." Yaho said, and quickly turned to walk back into the small room.
Meanwhile, Master Dao, who had been waiting outside, faintly heard some sounds from within. Although he couldn't make out what they were saying, he could hear his instructor's excited voice.
"Could it be that the instructor is taking this newcomer as a disciple?"
Master Dao looked at the door on the stairs, wanting to sneak a peek. However, when he recalled how his instructor had treated them back then, he quickly dismissed the thought.
Yet, this thought remained buried in his heart, as there was no other explanation for why the instructor would be so accommodating to a newcomer.
With this thought, Master Dao's impression of Li Chonglou changed once again.
It was only half an hour later that Li Chonglou emerged from inside with a look of satisfaction.
"Um, what exactly did the instructor say to you?"
Master Dao couldn't help but ask cautiously. Li Chonglou glanced at him. He naturally wouldn't leak such matters.
"What else? He just made me kneel and repent for a while."
I believe you, my foot. Who repents in the middle of the night? Moreover, the instructor isn't even asleep at this hour; he was clearly waiting all along. If it was just for repentance, would it require this much?
Master Dao complained endlessly in his heart but understood that Li Chonglou didn't want to reveal anything, so he didn't press further. Instead, he asked, "Shall we head back now?"
Li Chonglou nodded.
In the past half hour, he had already memorized the general content of the lower part of the Mai Qian technique. With the content recorded within, he couldn't train it yet. He could only finish the task for Iron Forest first.
At this moment, Master Dao, despite being the leader of a team, suddenly seemed like Li Chonglou's subordinate. After receiving his approval, he nodded slightly and then led the way back to the trial area.
This time, he dared not have any thought of testing him. To joke about it, someone whom even the instructor had taken as a disciple, could he be an ordinary rookie?
In fact, Li Chonglou didn't know that over the years Yaho had been at the stronghold, not only people from the Dark Division but also people from other strongholds had wanted to become his disciples, but all had been rejected by Yaho.
Including Master Dao, when he was being trained, he had wanted to become a disciple, but Yaho had directly rejected him, saying he wasn't qualified yet.
Therefore, he knew how high Yaho's standards were for disciples. It was estimated that not a single person in the entire Iron Forest could meet this standard!
Based on this alone, he could roughly guess Li Chonglou's strength with his eyes closed.
For a moment, he recalled the rumors he had heard about Li Chonglou ambushing Fatty Zheng. What ambush? Fatty Zheng probably wouldn't last a single move in his hands!
"It seems I need to have a good talk with Lei Feng when we get back. He seems to have some prejudice against this newcomer."
On the way back to the trial area, Master Dao had made a decision in his heart. After all, he, Lei Feng, and Yi Long had come out in the same batch, and the three of them had a life-or-death camaraderie.