153: Chapter 153 Deputy Pulse Master
At the thought of how he had just boasted about his wide network of connections in front of Li Qing, Jia Long felt a flush of embarrassment on his face.
What network of connections could possibly compare to a dragon snake token?!
One could join the Sect without participating in the Sect trials, and regardless of Aptitude.
Even Jia Long himself only managed to join because his Master had used the ancestor's sole recommendation opportunity, and an important factor was his 'Snake Bone' Physique.
To that end, he had even married his Master's daughter and fathered a chubby son, all so he could come here to practice martial arts six months ago.
The two gatekeeping Junior Brothers took the spirit snake token handed over by Li Qing and examined it for a moment.
"It truly is a spirit snake token. Since that's the case, this matter must naturally be decided by the Spirit Snake Lineage Master."
Li Qing nodded, and then the Disciple asked some questions about Li Qing's place of origin and family background.
Li Qing answered fluently, but when they heard that Li Qing was merely from a fishing family, the expressions of the two cooled slightly.
If it weren't for Li Qing's startling observation skills, he wouldn't have even noticed.
Sure enough, the other Disciple glanced at the token and asked coldly, "May I ask, Your Excellency, where did this spirit snake token come from?"
The Sect had the right to inquire about the source of a spirit snake token.
This was to avoid melodramatic incidents, such as someone killing an enemy, finding a spirit snake token left by an ancestor on the body, and then joining the Dragon Snake Sect.
But the Disciple's question was clearly not for that purpose.
The two Disciples exchanged a look; if he had no background, they could just dismiss this person at will.
Li Qing said without hesitation, "My Core Formation Junior Martial Uncle gave it to me."
Core Formation?!
The two were startled, and their cold expressions immediately turned warm as they smiled enthusiastically.
"I see. This Junior Brother, I'll go to the Spirit Snake Hall to inquire about this right away."
The two thought they had hidden it perfectly, but in reality, Li Qing saw everything.
'This is Core Formation. Just a piece of news, whether true or false, is enough to crush the petty thoughts of these two.'
Regardless of whether Li Qing was telling the truth, they didn't dare to gamble; they could only treat it as the truth.
They didn't dare to probe further. With a dragon snake token in hand, one could join the Sect unconditionally. If they continued to be difficult, they would be the ones getting into trouble!
Leaving one person to attend to Li Qing and the other, the other Disciple hurried inside the gates.
That Disciple arrived at the Spirit Snake Hall.
In fact, each of the Five Elements and ten lineages had their own bases within the Wolong Mountains, while within Longshan City, there were halls for each of the ten lineages.
Functional departments like the Hall of Punishment and the External Affairs Hall were headed by the various Lineage Masters or Elders, while the lineage halls were the private domains of each lineage.
At this moment, inside the Spirit Snake Hall, two people were discussing something.
A middle-aged man was calmly sipping tea, while a young woman in purple robes asked:
"Father, since Song Zhinian is in seclusion and Senior Sister Xu Lingji is not in the Sect either, why can't the opportunity to enter the Yueqing Secret Realm this time be given to Kong-lang?!"
The woman had a sharp nose and chin, giving off an impression of being difficult to get along with at first glance.
Hearing this, the middle-aged man put down his teacup.
Bang!
"Wang Honghu is skilled in Alchemy and is among the top young talents in the Alchemy Hall. This is inappropriate; you don't need to say more."
The middle-aged man was named Meng Guzhou, and the young woman was named Meng Qian.
Hearing Meng Guzhou's refusal, Meng Qian thought of Kong Wen's previous pleas to her, as well as that face that remained calm and gentle like a breeze no matter what happened.
Her expression turned distorted for a moment before smoothing out, and she stepped forward to take Meng Guzhou's arm.
"Daddy, Kong-lang is your future son-in-law. Besides, that Wang Honghu will surely compete with Senior Sister Xu Lingji for my position as Lineage Master in the future. While Song Zhinian is in seclusion, why don't we be a bit bolder?"
Hearing this, Meng Guzhou knew that Meng Qian hadn't listened to a word he said. He pointed at her helplessly.
"You, you're truly blinded by romantic feelings."
However, under Meng Qian's persistent pestering, Meng Guzhou's resolve wavered slightly.
Finally, he still shook his head: "Let this matter drop. Song Zhinian is at the Gang Strength Middle Stage and has even mastered Sword Essence. I am far from being his match, let alone a freak like Senior Sister Xu Lingji."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel a bit discouraged.
When would their Meng Family finally be able to claim the Spirit Snake Lineage for themselves?
Just then, a Disciple arrived with the gatekeeping Disciple from before.
Meng Guzhou said indifferently, "What is it?"
"..."
"You're saying that a Huajin Martial Artist named Li Qing has come to the mountain gate with a spirit snake token?" Meng Guzhou asked.
The Disciple nodded respectfully: "Yes, Sir."
He took out the spirit snake token and presented it to Meng Guzhou.
Meng Guzhou glanced at it twice and nodded: "It is indeed this item. Since that's the case, there happens to be a small tournament later. Let this person participate and see what he's made of."
Meng Qian suddenly asked: "Is this spirit snake token from his ancestors?"
The Disciple shook his head: "He said his Core Formation Junior Martial Uncle gave it to him."
Meng Qian curled her lip and said bluntly: "Born of a fishing family yet having a Core Formation Junior Martial Uncle? That is the height of absurdity."
Moreover, such a humble background touched upon a certain sore spot of hers, filling her heart with disgust.
With an outsider present, Meng Guzhou maintained a peaceful appearance: "Now, Qian'er, you're mistaken. If this person's bone structure is excellent, such a possibility does exist."
"Bring this person here."
"Yes!" The Disciple left.
Watching the Disciple's back, Meng Qian thought with jealousy and hatred: 'In this small tournament, I'm going to severely crush the prestige of those people!'
...
"Junior Brother Li, the Vice Lineage Master wants you to come over." The gatekeeping Disciple returned and informed Li Qing.
Hearing the address 'Junior Brother Li', Li Qing knew that his entry into the Sect was more or less settled.
However, the one calling for him wasn't the Lineage Master, but the Vice Lineage Master...
Originally, he had planned to hand over the xuanyou flower directly to the Lineage Master, but the Lineage Master was not present.
As for the Vice Lineage Master, Li Qing hadn't considered him.
Whether it was the previous instructions from the Black and White Twin Blades or what he had just seen of these Disciples' reactions, it was clear that the Dragon Snake Sect was also a place of mixed characters and unpredictable hearts.
As a spiritual item of the Core Formation level, the xuanyou flower was of great importance, and he didn't dare to take it out.
Fortunately, he had packed it in a jade box beforehand, so its aura wouldn't leak, and he didn't have to worry about it being discovered.
Li Qing checked several times with [Micro-Perception] and saw no flaws, so he planned to follow the Disciple.
The group entered the gates, and what met their eyes were pavilions, terraces, small bridges, and flowing water, as if it were not a Sect but the residence of nobility.
However, the difference was that Disciples in standard Dragon Snake Sect uniforms frequently walked along the paths. Some robes were even embroidered with dragon and snake patterns in deep red, light red, deep blue, light blue... indicating that these Disciples came from different lineages.
As they walked, Jia Long introduced, "Most people here are Named Disciples like me, also called Utility Disciples. Of course, there are differences even among Named Disciples."
"For instance, on my robes, a yellow dragon pattern is embroidered, representing that I have already joined the 'Yellow Dragon' lineage in advance. As for those Disciples without it, most represent that their talent is mediocre; they need to reach a Breakthrough to Core Formation before they can truly join various lineages and become Outer Sect Disciples."
Li Qing understood. Those with connections were Named Disciples, while those without were Utility Disciples. Utility Disciples, as the name implied, needed to frequently complete assigned tasks.
Jia Long smiled, "You don't need to worry. You can directly join the Spirit Snake Lineage and focus on practicing martial arts."
Jia Long and Li Qing were not of the same lineage. Just as they were about to part ways, Jia Long pulled Li Qing aside for a moment and whispered:
"Brother Li, this Vice Lineage Master is not easy to deal with. You must be careful!"
Li Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "Tell me more."