Heaven does not drop pies out of nowhere, and as a thoughtful person, Lin Yifan felt there might be some deceit involved; yet seeing the sincere expression on Xiaofang's face, he could find no reason for doubt.

So he asked uncertainly, "Are you sure you're not deceiving me?"

"Why would I deceive you? Is there any meat for me if I trick you? If Master wished to kill you, he would have done so long ago. Why would he have kept you until now? Isn't it because you excel others, with your talent and cleverness, that you are the unrivaled choice for his successor? That's why he has kept you," Xiaofang replied.

"Successor? You mean the Venerable intends to pass the position of Valley Master to me?" Lin Yifan was shocked.

This was something he had never imagined. He had thought that the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable only wanted to take him as his closed-door disciple, little did he know that he was intended to be the successor, which greatly exceeded his expectations.

Now, he was very excited, extremely excited. Because the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable was the founder of the world's foremost sect, the Medicinal Saint Valley! If the Peach Blossom Valley Venerable truly passed the position to him, then he would be in control of the entire Medicinal Saint Valley, who would dare to provoke him then? The mere thought of it was exhilarating.

"That's a possibility, depending on how well you perform," Xiaofang answered with profound implication.

Lin Yifan's candidacy for the next Sect Leader of Medicinal Saint Valley was a done deal, but whether he could truly become the Valley Master of Medicinal Saint Valley would depend on whether his performance could earn Bright True Master's praise and whether it could win the wholehearted approval of the other Medicinal Saint Valley disciples.

"Miss Xiaofang, thank you for letting me know. I will go and apologize to the Venerable right now," Lin Yifan said as if injected with adrenaline, excitedly hopping off the bed, quickly putting on his shoes, dashing out of the room, and heading straight to the main building's great hall.

At that moment, Bright True Master was meditating on a meditation mat, looking detached and fearless, very calm and composed.

Lin Yifan approached Bright True Master and bowed deeply to apologize, "Venerable! I'm sorry, I was rash yesterday, I offended you, it was my fault, please forgive me."

"Sit down! There's just one thing I want to ask you, have you ever harbored even the slightest thought towards this disciple of mine?" Bright True Master inquired.

In fact, this question was one Xiaofang had asked him to pose; Xiaofang was eager to know whether Lin Yifan had ever had feelings for her. After all, they had spent some time together, and every time she administered medicine to him, Lin Yifan would reveal an adoring gaze, which made her unable to stop thinking in that direction.

"Yes!" Lin Yifan answered truthfully.

Xiaofang's beauty was in no way inferior to that of Zhou Jiajia and the others, plus she was gentle, virtuous and good-natured, an ideal woman for domestic life; but if it meant abandoning Zhou Jiajia and the others to choose Xiaofang, he could not do it.

This did not just involve responsibility and personal emotions, but also his character and dignity; so he truly could not do it.

However, if Xiaofang was willing to be his..., perhaps that he could do.

Outside the door, Xiaofang, upon hearing the short word that Lin Yifan uttered, immediately burst into tears, for this answer was enough for her; it proved that she had once had a place in his heart.

"If you have feelings for her, why don't you marry her?" Bright True Master questioned.

"Venerable, if a man must marry every woman he has feelings for, then being with me would not bring happiness to Miss Xiaofang. When people come into this world, they have responsibilities to bear. I cannot love every woman I meet; since I met my current companions first, I have to be responsible for them. I do not wish to be a faithless and unrighteous scoundrel, please spare me," Lin Yifan responded.

After saying these words, he did not know how many times he had metaphorically slapped his own face. Yet, avoidance seemed the best strategy now, when possible.

Upon hearing this, Bright True Master felt it made sense; yet the idea of his disciple ending up lonely for life as he had, seemed to cause him a faint discomfort.

Struggling between the two emotions, he was extremely troubled; eventually, he decided to put everything aside and let the two concerned parties solve it themselves, "I won't concern myself with your private matters anymore. Now, I just want to ask you one thing: are you interested in becoming my disciple?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yifan's eyes widened, and he replied, "Of course I am! How could I not be? Venerable, you are outstanding in both talent and martial skill, and your alchemy is remarkable! It would be an honor for Lin to be taken as your disciple."

He had said so much just to wait for this sentence from Bright True Master; now that he had gotten it, he really couldn't be happier than if he had won the lottery.

"Since that is the case, prepare the tea and water, and pay your respects to me as your mentor!" Bright True Master responded.

To be honest, he did not want to miss out on Lin Yifan, a disciple with brilliant aptitude; therefore, he would not refuse Lin Yifan's gesture of goodwill.

"Alright!" After speaking, Lin Yifan briskly went to fetch the tea.

After pouring the tea, he hurried over, then knelt on the ground, his hands presenting the tea as he earnestly said, "Please, Venerable, accept me as your disciple!"

Bright True Master gladly accepted the tea Lin Yifan passed to him, then drank it in one gulp, followed by placing the empty cup on the ground and saying, "Rise."

"Venerable! Am I now your official disciple?" Lin Yifan asked eagerly.

"There is one more procedure to be done. After this procedure, you will be considered my disciple, Bright True Master." Bright True Master replied.

"What procedure? To mark my forehead?" Lin Yifan asked with some uncertainty.

He had heard Bright True Master mention this procedure the day before; thus, he quickly thought of this.

"Mm," Bright True Master nodded in response.

"Then, Venerable, please hurry and do it? I can hardly wait to become your disciple," Lin Yifan urged, his heart burning with impatience.

"Are you sure you have thought it through? Once you've thought it through, you cannot back out, you know?" Bright True Master asked again.

"Mm! I've thought it through," Lin Yifan replied naively, not foreseeing any adverse consequences.

He felt that since so many alchemists had undergone the process, what was there for him to worry about?

"Alright then! Please close your eyes, relax, this process will be somewhat painful, but you must not resist. Otherwise, the marking will not be completed, and you will not be able to join my sect," Bright True Master instructed.

"Mm! I understand," Lin Yifan answered.

After speaking, he closed his eyes, relaxed his body, and quietly waited for Bright True Master's marking.

Seeing Lin Yifan ready, Bright True Master did not waste words and began straight away.

He deployed a stream of Cultivation Power, focusing it onto his right index finger, and then traced back and forth over Lin Yifan's forehead, as if by magic.

As the process progressed, Lin Yifan gradually began to feel pain and wanted to resist; however, remembering Bright True Master's earlier admonition, he endured it.

Soon, the pain passed; at this moment, the marking on the forehead was almost complete.

In the end, a complex Array lit up on the forehead and then slowly faded from Lin Yifan's forehead.

Feeling the pain had completely gone, Lin Yifan curiously asked, "Venerable, is it finished?"

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