Chapter 54: Storage Pouch

Chapter 54: Storage Pouch

The Duty Hall was located at the foot of Old Lord Peak. Li Wuyi brought Li Yan down from the skies, put away his flying magic tool, and motioned for Li Yan to follow him toward the grand entrance of the hall.

At this moment, many people were coming and going in front of the Duty Hall. When some of them noticed Li Wuyi, they either greeted him with a respectful bow or nodded with a smile. Some addressed him as "Martial Uncle" or "Senior Martial Uncle," while others called out "Senior Brother" or "Junior Brother."

A few people curiously examined Li Yan, who at present looked rather pitiful. Though his face had been cleaned and his leg injury was gone, the black robe he wore, once considered fine even in the mortal world, was now tattered and stained with blood and grime. He appeared more like someone rescued from death than a newly initiated disciple.

Li Yan, however, remained calm and unbothered, following closely behind Li Wuyi step by step.

After ascending more than a hundred stone steps, they reached the entrance, where two disciples dressed in dark green robes stood guard. Li Yan could sense that both possessed spiritual power far beyond his own, though he had no way of discerning their exact cultivation level.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle Li. May I ask if there's anything you need our assistance with today?"

One of the two, around thirty years old, stepped forward and bowed respectfully, though his gaze drifted toward Li Yan.

"Oh? Who's on duty in the hall today?" Li Wuyi asked with a faint smile after coming to a stop.

In the Duty Hall, it was common for Foundation Establishment cultivators from the Five Peaks to take turns on duty. These were mostly cultivators nearing the end of their lifespans, with no hope of forming a Dan. Their cultivation had already plateaued, and they took on these duties either to pass the time, enjoy a sliver of authority, or earn some contribution rewards from the sect.

That being said, such people were often eccentric and completely disregarded courtesy or social niceties.

"Reporting to Martial Uncle Li, it is Martial Uncle Lin from Four Symbols Peak who is on duty today," the middle-aged cultivator replied respectfully.

"Oh, so it's Senior Brother Lin. Is he in the hall at the moment?" Li Wuyi asked with a soft chuckle.

There were many Foundation Establishment cultivators in the sect, but only a few rotated duty in the Duty Hall. Li Wuyi could recognize most of them from their surnames alone.

"He is, he is. I'll go inform Martial Uncle Lin immediately," the disciple replied, once again sneaking a glance at Li Yan, already suspecting the youth's identity. After all, this wasn't the usual time for the sect to accept new disciples.

"No need," Li Wuyi waved him off. "I'll go find him myself."

With that, he stepped inside. Li Yan said nothing and followed closely behind. The two guards, of course, dared not stop him, he had come with Martial Uncle Li, and even if he said nothing, they had enough sense to understand the situation.

Inside the Duty Hall, the main chamber was spacious and bright, easily over a hundred zhang wide. The center was empty, while rooms lined the walls, with various people entering and exiting them.

Li Wuyi, familiar with the layout, walked straight to a room tucked in the far left corner.

Inside, a middle-aged man, lean and gaunt, with a thin goatee, sat behind a table. He appeared to be in his forties, his eyes half-shut as he leaned back in his chair, an air of indifference about him. When he heard someone enter, his eyes snapped open and immediately fell upon Li Wuyi.

"Oh! So it's Junior Brother Li. What brings you here today?" he asked, his tone courteous but distant.

Li Wuyi didn't mind his attitude. He arched his hands. "Greetings, Senior Brother Lin. I've brought this junior here to receive his entry items."

As he spoke, he gestured to Li Yan behind him.

Of course, the gaunt man had already seen Li Yan standing there. However, judging by the youth's filthy appearance, he couldn't quite figure out his purpose.

"Junior? Has Martial Uncle Wei accepted a new disciple? Hm? He's only at the Qi Condensation stage?"

Startled, the man blurted out several questions in succession, clearly taken aback.

Li Yan's circumstances were not widely known in such a large sect. Only a small handful had any idea. This Senior Brother Lin was entirely unaware, and what surprised him even more was Li Yan's cultivation level. For someone still in the early Qi Condensation stage to be personally accepted by a Core Formation elder, it could only mean one thing: the youth must possess an extraordinary spiritual root.

Otherwise, why would Martial Uncle Wei take him on, bypassing two entire realms of difference?

In recent years, during the annual entrance selections across the various peaks, many had cultivation levels far higher than Li Yan's.

Within the sect, disciples were only taken outside the normal recruitment period if they possessed exceptionally rare spiritual roots, like the Profound Spiritual Root or Sacred Spiritual Root. Otherwise, all new disciples were selected from elite cultivators groomed by affiliated sects and brought to the main sect. These disciples were usually already at the fifth or sixth level of Qi Condensation.

Moreover, this wasn't even the time of year when disciples were sent from subordinate sects. So, Senior Brother Lin naturally assumed Li Yan must possess outstanding talent.

Li Wuyi, of course, understood his thoughts but didn't explain. He simply smiled lightly.

"This is my Master's newly accepted registered disciple, Li Yan. I'll trouble you with this, Senior Brother Lin. Junior Brother Li, come greet Senior Brother Lin, chances are, we'll need his help from time to time."

Li Yan had been silently observing the exchange. From their conversation, he could sense that his Master seemed to be someone rather extraordinary. When his senior brother called him, he quickly stepped forward and offered a respectful bow.

"Greetings, Senior Brother Lin!"

Senior Brother Lin glanced at the somewhat nervous Li Yan, his expression returning to normal. He understood there were matters better left unasked, this youth was likely blessed with superior spiritual roots.

As far as he could recall, the last time Little Bamboo Peak accepted disciples was six years ago, and this wasn't the season when affiliated sects sent new recruits. It was no wonder Li Wuyi didn't offer an explanation; this newcomer clearly carried secrets.

Without further comment, he raised a hand and made a casual gesture in the air. In the next moment, several items appeared out of thin air upon the table before him.

Li Yan stared, utterly stunned. He had never witnessed such mystical arts, retrieving objects from thin air with but a wave! With just a simple motion, items had materialized on the table before him.

There were clothes, a small, dark plaque that seemed neither metal nor stone, several stones, bottles, pouches, and talisman papers.

"These are your sect robes, and a pair of Wind-Stepping Boots. That there is your sect waist token, very important. In a moment, you'll need to drip blood onto it to bind it. From now on, you'll need this to enter and exit the sect. The protective formation won't attack you if it senses the token.

"However, if any of the peaks have their own formations, you'll need to acquire a separate mark from them."

Senior Brother Lin patiently pointed at the various items on the table, explaining each one in turn.

Among the neatly folded robes, two sets of dark green long garments stood out prominently.

Then he pointed to a three-inch miniature sword and a shuttle-shaped artifact and continued:

"This flying sword is standard issue for the sect, and of decent quality. If you want something more powerful, you'll need to purchase it yourself. Next to it is a flying spirit artifact, it's suitable for travel before reaching Foundation Establishment stage. There are also three lower-grade spirit stones, a bottle of Qi Restoration Powder, and three Flaming Ironwall Talismans. These are all the standard items given to new disciples, once only. After this, you'll be on your own."

When he gestured toward the last two items, he paused, glancing at Li Wuyi.

"Junior Brother Li, this new disciple is different from most. Usually, those who come to claim entry items have at least reached the fifth level of Qi Condensation, and can already project their divine sense, making the storage pouch and jade slip useful to them. But now…"

He looked toward Li Wuyi again.

Li Wuyi smiled faintly, clearly having anticipated this issue.

"Hehe, it's not a problem. I'll store everything in the pouch for him and retrieve them later. With his potential, he'll be able to use it soon enough.

As for the contents of the jade slip, I'll explain it to him myself. It's nothing more than sect rules and important notes, my explanation will likely be even more thorough."

Li Yan stood off to the side, listening to their exchange, utterly lost. Jade slip? A bag of some kind? The jade slip he was somewhat familiar with, it looked like the kind Strategist Ji often carried.

He knew it required divine sense to read, Dong Fuyi had briefly explained it to him. But the bag? What could such a small pouch hold? At most, perhaps the little bottle and the three stones on the table.

At present, the only items he could identify were the robes and the flying sword and waist token that Senior Brother Lin had introduced. Everything else left him bewildered.

While he stood there dumbfounded, unsure whether to scoop the items up with his arms or gather them in his robe, a slender hand reached out beside him and grabbed the pouch. He turned in surprise, it was his senior brother.

He didn't know what his senior brother intended, but when he turned back toward the table, he froze.

The table was completely empty.

Only the pouch remained in his senior brother's hand, which was now extended toward him with a genial smile.

"This…"

Li Yan didn't know what to say. He had turned away for only a moment, how had everything disappeared?

He wasn't a fool. A possibility had already formed in his mind.

"All those things… were put into that pouch."

Still, even though he guessed it, he found the notion unbelievable.

"Take it, Junior Brother. I'll explain everything once we return. Hehe…"

As he heard this, Li Yan murmured inwardly, "Incredible… A storage pouch, a storage pouch… So small, yet it has such a vast capacity…"

He reached out to receive it, but as the pouch landed in his hand, his arm jerked upward uncontrollably. He was startled, he had used too much strength.

In his mind, even though the items had been magically packed into the pouch, the total weight should still remain the same.

So he had instinctively prepared to lift something heavy. But to his shock, the pouch was feather-light, and his upward heave met no resistance at all.

Realizing his blunder, Li Yan's face flushed with embarrassment. He truly knew too little about the cultivation world, there was so much to learn.

Senior Brother Lin watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but gape. Then, with a shake of his head, he muttered, "Where did they dig this guy up from? He doesn't even know what a storage pouch is. Never eaten pork, hasn't even seen a pig run? Must be from some backwater sect no one's ever heard of."

Li Yan saw the head shake and felt even more ashamed.

Li Wuyi chuckled softly and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder.

"Come, Junior Brother. Let's head back. I'm sure Master is getting impatient by now."

(Chapter End)