Inner Court Disciple

Although the offer of seven flying swords was very attractive, Fang Han instinctively felt uncomfortable towards Devil General Ying Tian Qing in his heart. However, he didn’t know if it was due to his relation with Fang Qing Xue or because the other party was so strong, and had been born so much higher than him.

As the son of a first generation Devil Emperor, Ying Tian Qing had been born with a golden spoon in his mouth. Compared to the princes and princesses of the regular world, he was even n.o.bler. Thus, his path of cultivation was definitely just smooth sailing.

Fang Han had been born into a very low status, and what he hated most was those who had been born with a golden spoon in their mouths acting all high and mighty towards him. A taste of charity, he didn’t need any charity. Thus, even if it was a more powerful being than the Devil General, an even greater Divine Realm being, he would still refuse. Furthermore, he had a very clear understanding of Fang Qing Xue’s personality and temper.

Fang Qing Xue was a very proud person and had a very haughty att.i.tude. Since he was one of her followers, she probably wouldn’t be very happy if he went and accepted other people’s charity. The more stubborn and self-reliant a person was, the happier and more appreciative this woman would be of them.

Sure enough, Fang Han had bet correctly on this.

Fang Qing Xue stood up, and Fang Han could see the high praise for his actions and her happiness in her eyes. Her face also expressed a trace of a smile for the first time ever. Even though Fang Han had traveled with her for so long, he had never before seen her smile.

“Good, you are very good. Us people of the Fang Clan definitely do not require any charity. To even dare to refuse of the dignified Devil General, the son of the Xian’tian Devil Emperor, that is a person of my Fang Clan. Compared with my younger brothers and sisters, you are much stronger.”

“Much thanks for senior sister’s praise.” Fang Han retracted the wolf smoke and used both of his hand to offer up the ‘Seven Evil Spirits Gourd’.

This bao’qi was much too priceless, even true disciples didn’t have many.

“Originally, this gourd wasn’t going to be left for you, but since you protected me and because I am impressed by your upright character, the gourd is yours. Rely on it to advance through the most difficult times of the ‘Mortal Realm’ and to gain status within the Yu’hua School.” Fang Qing Xue waved it away, she was actually giving the ‘Seven Evil Spirits Gourd’ to Fang Han. Along the path of cultivation, the most difficult time was during the ‘Mortal Realm’.

In the ‘Mortal Realm’, everything was reliant on one’s body and flesh. One couldn’t fly, couldn’t strike and kill an enemy from above. ‘Mortal Realm’ cultivators were bound by the many chains of flesh, and many a time would face dangers while outside training and gaining experience. In order to protect themselves, they had to rely on ling’qi magic clothes, flying swords, etc., and other body-protecting magic treasures.

Now that Fang Han had received the ‘Seven Evil Spirits Gourd’, he had essentially guaranteed he would at least survive these most difficult times of the ‘Mortal Realm’.

Before, he couldn’t expose his ‘Blood Cotton Magic Clothes’ nor the ‘Silver Snake Sword’.

“Qing Xue, is your personality still like this? You even dare to make a move against the ‘Demon G.o.d’? You need to understand even my father is slightly afraid of the ‘Demon G.o.d’. If you had an unexpected accident or catastrophe,” Devil General Ying Tian Qing’s eyes were as gentle as water when looking at Fang Qing Xue. He spoke gently and pleasantly, not the slightest bit upset. Even Fang Han could feel that the Devil General’s endless, inexhaustible patience.

“You and I do not owe each other anything. Years ago, the two of us met in the emptiness of the Great Northern lands where we were besieged by ‘Water Poison Heavenly Devils’. Because of this, we hurriedly exchanged techniques. Devil and Immortal together, we were able to kill the ‘Water Poison Heavenly Devils’ and break through their maze. We both benefitted from this event. Just now, you ‘saved’ me, but you know as well that Shi Long Zi’s ‘Instant Kill Great Way’ had no way of breaking through my defensive purple lightning. Even if you hadn’t come, I would have been fine.”

Fang Qing Xue faintly continued, “You and I, the two of us, one ‘Immortal Path’, one ‘Devil Path’, are like fire and water. What if the ‘Immortal Devil Great War’ started up again? It is best not to become too entangled with each other, otherwise, the consequences might be disastrous.”
“So what, I don’t care at all about the ‘Immortal Devil Great War’.” Devil General Ying Tian Qing shook his head, “I also don’t draw any lines between the Immortal and Devil Paths, after all we both cultivate between the same heavens and earth seeking longevity. What is the difference? Alright, since I have seen that you are fine, my heart is comforted, and thus I shall take my leave.”
While he spoke, the Devil General let out a long sigh. It seemed as if he was about to leave, but then he stopped again, his eyes turning to look at Fang Han. He seemingly smiled, “You are called Fang Han? I shall remember you. Although you are currently very weak, your character is not bad. However, weak power with such a character is just a disaster waiting to happen. As Devil General, no one has ever disobeyed me, as anyone who has, has been killed by me. However, seeing Fang Qing Xue’s face like this today, I will show mercy this time. Next time, don’t let this happen.”

While he spoke, he turned into a white light, rushing into the sky and disappearing.

“You,” Fang Han’s brows twitched, right when he was about to speak, Fang Qing Xue had stopped him.

“The Devil General has his dignity. Your power is truly too weak, shouting at him is not a wise choice. If he wanted to kill you, I wouldn’t be able to block him. Wait until you are stronger before you say what you want to him.”
“Yes.”

Fang Han licked his lips.

“You killed a ‘Shura’, and have already gained a place in the inner court disciple exam. The life of an inner court disciple is extremely different. I can punish outer court disciples, and even if I killed the eviler or weaker ones, I would at most gain some reproach. However, if I unreasonably killed an inner court disciple, I would be sent to the Immortal Prison for three years.”

Fang Qing Xue seemingly had developed some patience for Fang Han. Compared to before, it was completely different.

“But I lack the proof that I killed the ‘Shura’,” replied Fang Han.

“No problem, I already stripped off one of the ‘Shura’s bone horns. This bone horn contains the essence of the ‘Shura’. The two ways that it falls off is either through its evolution to a ‘Greater Shura’ or that it dies. If you take this horn to the Yu’hua inner court and give it to the examiner, then you will be able to take the test. Through taking the a.s.sessment, you will be able to become an inner court disciple. It is just around the corner.”

Fang Qing Xue took out a dark, reflective, three chi long bone horn, throwing it over to Fang Han. Fang Han caught it, but it was so heavy that he couldn’t hold it steady till he used both hands. It must have been over a hundred jin.

Originally, when Fang Han fought with the ‘Shura’, he had seen these bone horns on its back. However, its horrendous looks and scaly body had made it so that these horns weren’t so strange.

“Then, senior sister, will you also be heading back?” asked Fang Han.

“Correct. Jin Shi Tai and Shi Long Zi both had an arm cut off by the Devil General, they will definitely return to the school and appeal and beg to the profound school elders to let them use ‘Sun Moon Bone Returning Pellets’ to regrow new arms. Jin Shi Tai’s father is the elder who controls all the power, and I’m afraid this will incur some unfavorable wrath towards me. I must return and explain what happened to our venerable headmaster, and at the same time inform him of the ‘Demon G.o.d’s situation,” said Fang Qing Xue, nodding her head.

“Their arms were cut off, but they can be regrown?” Fang Han shivered.

“Correct, however, it requires a great amount of power. Furthermore, growing an arm doesn’t conform to the laws of the natural world, and thus one must go through a great amount of suffering in order to refine one. It will greatly delay their cultivation. Alright, I shall bring you back to the Yu’hua School with me,” Fang Qing Xue waved her hand, and the two ‘Purple Lightning Snakes’ appeared once again, allowing Fang Han to ride on one of them. They roared, boom like a thunderclap, and rushed into the air.

Before long, the Yu’hua Mountain Range appeared in front of them. Fang Han had once again returned to the Yu’hua School.

Upon returning to the Yu’hua School, Fang Qing Xue withdrew her ‘Divine Will’ and flew straight towards the depths of the center of the Yu’hua Sky Palace. The Yu’hua Sky Palace was a giant palace suspended among the clouds in the sky. A floating city. It was the cultivating place for the Yu’hua School’s thousand elders and school headmaster.

True disciples, if they weren’t summoned, couldn’t enter the area. If one wished to temporarily enter, they had to report themselves first.

Fang Han didn’t go with Fang Qing Xue to the Yu’hua Sky Palace, instead going straight to inner court disciple examination site, the ‘Inner Immortal Courtyard’ within Yu’hua City.

‘Inner Immortal Courtyard’ was the place where outer court disciples had to go in order to become an inner court disciple.

The Yu’hua School had a hundred thousand outer court disciples, but only three to five thousand inner court disciples. This demonstrated just how hard it was to become an inner court disciple. Upon become an inner court disciple, their wealth would become much higher. Food, clothes, weapons, etc., would all undergo a qualitative change. Especially in regard with cultivation techniques, inner court disciples would receive all kinds of spirit cultivating techniques.

Techniques which would help refine one’s flesh and blood into spiritual power.

This was something which couldn’t be learned in the ordinary world. In the ordinary world, there were only ‘Mortal Realm’ cultivation methods.

Moreover, in the ordinary world, even if someone cultivated to the ‘G.o.dly Transformation’ level, they would only have the strength of five horses. Meanwhile, at ‘Immortal Path’ schools, because the quality of the food, pellets, and cultivation methods was extremely high, cultivators were able to train their flesh to have the strength of six or seven horses. Even the strength of ten horses was possible.

This ‘Inner Immortal Courtyard’ emanates some sort of mysterious feeling.

When Fang Han entered the ‘Inner Immortal Courtyard’, he saw the profoundness and tranquility of it. An aroma rippled through the entire courtyard, which felt mysterious and distant, yet peaceful. Immortal Qi flowed slowly here, and there was not a person to be seen. Compared with the other Immortal Courtyards which had people coming and going and had hundreds of thousands of outer court disciples chatting in groups of three to five, it was vastly different.

“Stand still, what are you doing here? Don’t you know that outer court disciples cannot casually enter the ‘Inner Immortal Courtyard’?”

Right when Fang Han was looking around, a voice suddenly came out.

He hurriedly looked in the direction of the voice, and saw that the speaker was a female wearing pastel yellow clothes. She was rather tall and had delicate features. She wasn’t wearing the clothing of a Yu’hua School disciple, which showed that her status was definitely not ordinary.

“Ah, I finished one of the school’s bounties, and have come to the ‘Inner Immortal Courtyard’ to obtain the right to take the inner court disciple exam.”

Fang Han hurriedly replied as he knew that within the Yu’hua School, there were many places where people couldn’t recklessly enter without incurring severe consequences.

“Eh? You completed the school’s bounty? You can actually obtain the qualification for the exam? Do you have any proof?” arbitrarily asked the yellowed clothed female, eyeing Fang Han from top to bottom.

When she spoke, she gave off a faint feeling of high status. Fang Han felt as if this woman was definitely not ordinary, and hurriedly took out the ‘Shura’s bone horn.

The ‘Shura’s horn reached around a hundred jin, and was three chi long, kind of like a sword. Fang Han had originally put it in a sword sheathe and carried it on his back. Now, he took it out, white light shining off of it, immediately attracting the attention of the woman in yellow.

“A ‘Shura’s bone horn! You actually killed a ‘Shura’!”

When the woman in yellow saw the ‘Shura’s bone horn, she was shocked and immediately waved Fang Han over, “Bring it over and let me see it!”

Fang Han hurriedly brought the ‘Shura’ bone horn over. The woman in yellow reached out with two of her fingers and gently pinched it, picking it up. Her fingers were like chopsticks or some other sort of similar thing. Watching this, Fang Han shivered.

One needed to understand, this horn was around a hundred jin. Even ‘G.o.dly Transformation’ level cultivators would find it hard to hold it with just one hand. They wouldn’t be able to use two fingers like chopsticks and easily pick it up like the woman in yellow.

Her strength is definitely at least twice mine, calculated Fang Han in his heart,Such a strong cultivation. I wonder which tyrannical inner court disciple she is. Even Mo senior sister wasn’t as powerful as she is.

“It actually is a ‘Shura’ bone horn. I wouldn’t be able to tell by looking that you actually managed to kill a ‘Shura’.” The woman in yellow once again eyed Fang Han, seemingly trying to gauge his true strength as she still didn’t believe that he was able to kill a ‘Shura’.

Faced with the woman’s stare, Fang Han was calm and confident, after all since he had Fang Qing Xue backing him, he didn’t have to worry about much. Furthermore, the ‘Shura’ was indeed killed by him, albeit with the borrowing of Yan’s power.

“Come with me.”
The woman in yellow gauged him for a while, then retracted her gaze, giving the ‘Shura’ bone horn back to Fang Han and then following a path straight into the depths of the courtyard. Fang Han hurriedly followed behind her.

After nine turns and eighteen bends, fake mountains, lakes, pavilions, and winding corridors, they suddenly reached a clearing. In front of them appeared a towering temple. Amidst the temple were rather many standing disciples. At the same time, in the direct center of the temple, there was a white jade table, about ten zhang long and three to five zhang wide. Behind the table sat a few Yu’hua School elders.

Inner court disciples and outer court disciples were completely different. Their importance within the school was at least ten times that of outer court disciples. Whereas outer court disciples were given a few basic tricks for cultivation and then left to learn by themselves, to rely on their own skills to learn what they could, inner court disciples had Yu’hua elders teaching them cultivation.

These few Yu’hua elders were currently inquiring one disciple after another within the temple. Those disciples took out the things they had brought, offering them up one by one. It was all evidence that they were qualified for a part in the inner court examination.

Fang Han saw that a few disciples even offered up a few giant ‘Flying Yasha’ corpses up, eliciting nods from the elders.

“Able to kill ‘Flying Yasha’, indeed a rare genius. This medallion is given to you, go back and rest for three days, then go to the ‘Sky Courtyard’ and enter the ‘Heavenly Devil Arena’ to take the examination!”

Those few elders continuously bestowed medallions upon those who had completed the tasks. This was the proof that one was eligible to partic.i.p.ate in the exam.

“They were actually able to kill ‘Flying Yasha’? So vicious. In the Han’hai desert I only killed thirty six ‘Yasha’, and just barely completed the school’s task. Such fierce and evil creatures such as the ‘Flying Yasha’, I’m not even brave enough to touch.”

“Indeed, this time around about a hundred outer court disciples died at the hands of the ‘Flying Yasha’. I, with my own eyes, saw my fellow junior brothers bitten by those ‘Flying Yasha’. Those who had their arms bitten off are truly unfortunate.”
“Those disciples are the children of a few important ministers of the Xu’w.a.n.g Dynasty, and have some top quality fa’qi. They also have good relationships with some inner court disciples and received their help. For them, killing ‘Flying Yasha’ isn’t much.”

“That may not be. I heard that a few disciples from the Da’de Empire were able to latch on with Mo senior sister and her group, who then received help from rank ten on the ‘Shan’he Rankings’, Yuan senior brother who uses the ‘Silver Snake Sword’, and tried to make a big catch, but were then ambushed by the ‘Pink Prince’. They were all annihilated, giving the elders in the Yu’hua Sky Palace a great shock.”

“What? Yuan senior brother, the tenth rank of the Shan’he Rankings, Yuan Jian Kong suffered a major loss? How could that be?”
“Whether you believe or not is up to you, I also just received this info.”

Fang Han listened in to the conversations going on between these disciples, his heart beating. He knew Mo senior sister and the Da’de Empire’s Prince Bao and the rest of them didn’t die and that Yuan Jian Kong had run away to call for reinforcements. These things, whether the elders knew or not, wouldn’t bring any implications onto him.

[TL: This was a really iffy part]

If it did bring any attention to him, then the seven flying swords on his body along with the ‘Blood Cotton Devil Clothes’ would be hard to explain.

“Ah! Long senior sister!”

“Long senior sister.”

“h.e.l.lo, Long senior sister.”

At this time, a large number of disciples saw the yellow clothed woman in front of Fang Han and hurriedly greeted her. Everyone tried to ingratiate themselves and curry favor. It was exactly the same as if an emperor or chancellor toured various areas and were fawned upon by the officials of those places.

“Just who is she?” Fang Han also felt it, the status of this lady was definitely very high.

The woman in yellow didn’t heed any of the words of those disciples, slowly picking her way over to in front of the elders, where she spoke a few sentences.

“What, there was actually a disciples who was able to kill a ‘Shura’?” shouted an elder, astonished and almost jumping out of his seat. He looked at Fang Han, “You, Fang Han, bring your ‘Shura’ bone horn over and let me a.n.a.lyze it.”