"Yes, yes, let's get down to business." The round-faced man chuckled. "Junior Brother Lu, sorry to offend you."
"It's nothing." Lu Zhengjun scoffed.
He turned to look at Chu Li. "Guangdi, these Master's Seniors want to see if you have martial arts from other sects. Just relax, don't worry."
"Yes." Chu Li nodded.
The four middle-aged men surrounded Chu Li.
"Give me your hand." The round-faced man smiled. "Give me both hands. Young fella, you're quite lucky."
Chu Li glared at him coldly and scoffed without saying a word.
"Oh, you have the demeanor of Junior Brother Lu, you have quite a temper." The round-faced man laughed.
The other three shook their heads and laughed too.
They looked like they were in their forties, but they were actually older than Lu Zhengjun. They were almost 200 years old, so they looked at Chu Li as if he was a child. They did not care about what Chu Li thought.
Chu Li extended his hands, but he was still a little nervous.
He did not know if the Life and Death Scripture would be able to deceive them. To be safe, he should really cripple his martial arts and then use the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture to recover. Actually, it would not take long, but he was still very confident in the Life and Death Scripture and felt that he could deceive them.
Even if he could not fool them, he could just run.
The two of them placed their hands on his wrists, and a clear stream of energy flowed into his body, slowly flowing along his entire body, to every part of his body, neither too fast nor too slow, and abnormally careful.
After a quarter of an hour, the two of them released their hands, and the other two placed their hands on his wrists again. Two streams of scorching Qi slowly entered his body, probing bit by bit. The cold and hot Qi were different from ordinary inner energy.
After 15 minutes, the two of them let go too.
The four of them looked at each other and nodded.
The round-faced middle-aged man smiled and said, "Junior Brother Lu, congratulations. Your aptitude is really not bad. It's a pity that you should have entered the cliff directly when you were young. I guess your achievements now are even better than Tianxing's."
The taller man nodded. "Mm, his meridians are thick and wide, and his organs are tough. His body is stronger than expected. Junior Brother Lu, which sect was he in before this?"
"Tide-listening Pavilion," Lu Zhengjun answered.
"Tide-listening Pavilion …" The four of them pondered for a moment before nodding.
Tide-listening Pavilion could be considered somewhat famous among the sects, but compared to Green Deer Cliff, the difference was like the difference between the heavens and the earth.
"This little fellow is indeed a genius to have reached such a level in the Tide-listening Pavilion." The tall middle-aged man sighed and shook his head. "Junior Brother Lu, you've delayed him. Now that things have come to this, train him well!"
"That's the only way." Lu Zhengjun nodded.
Chu Li saw that they were a little regretful and showed a look of disapproval.
Naturally, his expression could not be hidden from the crowd.
The round-faced middle-aged man smiled and said, "Little fellow, now that you are here, you can only be an outer cliff disciple. You cannot become an inner cliff disciple. You can forget about learning some truly powerful martial arts."
"It's not like Green Deer Cliff is the only one in the world." Chu Li scoffed.
"Heh heh …" The round-faced middle-aged man laughed and said, "Little guy, at your age, it's useless for you to join any sect. Even if you become a monk, you won't be able to enter the inner sect. Your achievements in life will be limited."
"That's not necessarily true." Chu Li was unconvinced. "The key isn't the martial arts, it's the people who practice it!"
"Mm, you're ambitious." The tall middle-aged man nodded. "That's right. No matter how powerful a martial art is, it's useless if the person who practices it doesn't succeed. No matter how ordinary a martial art is, it'll be powerful if it's cultivated to a high level. Work hard and don't miss this opportunity. Others won't have this opportunity, but you're already very lucky!"
"Yes." Chu Li fist saluted.
The round-faced middle-aged man smiled. "If there's anything you don't understand, you can come and ask us."
"Hurry up and thank Master's Senior Chen!" Lu Zhengjun scoffed.
Chu Li fist saluted. "Thank you, Master's Senior Chen."
The round-faced middle-aged man waved his hand. "It's a small matter. You may enter the abode now."
Lu Zhengjun scoffed. "Thank you, Senior Brothers."
"We'll follow the rules too, but you must explain the rules to the little fellow. He can't just barge in," the tall middle-aged man said.
Lu Zhengjun nodded.
He brought Chu Li out of the basilica and walked along a cobblestone path.
Soon enough, they entered a lush forest and arrived in front of a row of wooden houses.
There were a total of ten wooden houses. The empty space in front of the houses was a small martial arts field that was paved with blue sand. Three young men were practicing on the field. One was practicing with a sword while the other two were practicing with palm strikes. Their movements were vigorous and powerful.
Chu Li glanced at the three of them. They were practicing different martial arts, but their techniques were exquisite. It was not an ordinary martial art.
"This is the outer courtyard." Lu Zhengjun pointed at the ten wooden houses. "From today onward, you're not allowed to leave this forest."
"Why?" Chu Li frowned. "What happens if I leave the forest?"
"This forest is where the outer cliff disciples stay." Lu Zhengjun explained, "Once you leave the forest, you'll be an inner cliff disciple. Once an outer cliff disciple leaves, he'll be chased out of Green Deer Cliff and will never be able to return."
"How long do I have to stay?" Chu Li asked.
As they spoke, they pushed open the door to one of the wooden houses. It was clean and tidy with a bed, a table, and a bed. The bedding was neatly arranged, and there was a vase with a wildflower on the table that gave off a faint fragrance.
Lu Zhengjun explained, "You can stay as long as you want, but you'll need to exchange for martial arts secret manuals with enough merit points. With enough merit points, you'll be able to see all kinds of martial arts secret manuals and cultivate them. Once you start cultivating, you'll be able to go to the basilica to seek guidance from someone."
"Merit points?" Chu Li frowned.
Lu Zhengjun explained, "It's contribution points. There'll be some mundane matters that need to be taken care of within the cliff. Outer cliff disciples can take on these mundane matters on their own, and each matter will be marked with merit points."
"What about inner cliff disciples?" Chu Li asked.
Lu Zhengjun shook his head. "Inner cliff disciples don't have that."
"I can cultivate any secret manual?" Chu Li asked.
Lu Zhengjun nodded.
Chu Li scoffed. "The difference in status is huge."
"Inner cliff disciples have been living on the island since they were young, and the island is their home. On the other hand, outer cliff disciples joined halfway, so they might not be loyal." Lu Zhengjun shook his head. "This is Green Deer Cliff's rule. Don't think about changing it, just follow it."
Chu Li asked, "Why didn't I join Green Deer Cliff when I was young?"
Lu Zhengjun shook his head. "You're not qualified enough."
Chu Li frowned.
Lu Zhengjun explained, "You're qualified enough now, but you weren't in the past, or I would've brought you here."
Chu Li nodded helplessly.
His current body was far better than Lu Guangdi's. The Heavenly Demonic Power had improved his body a lot, and he was also modified by many spirit pills. His qualifications were naturally shocking.
"Alright, you can choose now. What martial arts do you want to cultivate?" Lu Zhengjun asked, "If you can't think of anything, you can refer to the secret manual's catalog."
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