The entire sect is obsessed with love, but I'm the only one who's truly insane.

The distance from the sect selection site to the Supreme Sect is quite far; even a spirit ship would need two hours.

Lin Du's body was in a terrible state, and he didn't even have time to take a good look at the scene inside the spirit ship before he fainted during the ascent.

He Gui glanced at the child curled up on the couch, took out a fox fur from his storage ring and covered her with it. Then he sat quietly on one side of the couch, his gentle brows furrowing slightly, and then he sighed softly.

Actually, this child shouldn't have been accepted in the first place.

But her talent was so exceptional that anyone who saw her would feel a deep appreciation for her talent.

What's even more remarkable than her perfect ice spirit root is her insightful and discerning heart.

If this child had a normal physique, his cultivation would surely progress by leaps and bounds, making him undoubtedly the number one genius in Zhongzhou, without exception.

But she just happened to be in such a dilapidated state...

The saying "Heaven is jealous of talent" is not an exaggeration.

Ni Jinxuan's eyes were full of excitement. The spirit boat at home was not as good as the spirit ship of the Supreme Sect. Although the interior was simple and natural, it still showed the grandeur of a major sect.

The beams and pillars are made of golden nanmu wood, and the set of rosewood tables, chairs, cabinets and desks are exquisitely carved. The four sides are illuminated with mermaid pearls, and the bronze incense burner with animal ears burns calming and soothing milkwood and sandalwood incense. Each item is a rare treasure in the cultivation world. There are no superfluous decorations. It is spacious, grand and natural.

"We've lost two disciples this year," Ju Yuan said slowly as he brewed tea. "The sect leader said she'd be able to recruit six this year."

The water on the small stove had already boiled, releasing wisps of steam.

The person opposite withdrew their gaze from He Gui and Lin Du, and said succinctly, "One is worth three."

It refers to Lindu.

It refers not only to talent, but also to the resources required.

Ordinary people need guidance from seniors to enter the Dao. First, they need to learn the structure and flow of the meridians in the human body, and then be guided to perceive the Qi. After they can perceive the Qi, it takes a lot of effort to guide the Qi into their bodies. Even in the Supreme Sect, where geniuses abound, there are only those who enter the Phoenix Realm overnight, and there is never anyone who enters the Phoenix Realm in a quarter of an hour.

Moreover, the spiritual energy on that mountain is not particularly abundant.

There are countless geniuses, but Lin Du is undoubtedly one of the best among them.

However... the fall of geniuses is not a rare occurrence in the cultivation world.

Lin Du felt that he must have fainted from hunger, otherwise how could he have smelled the aroma of pea flour cakes in his sleep, and even heard the sound of hamsters eating the food?

Her stomach rumbled, and she slowly woke up, opening her eyes to meet a pair of bright almond-shaped eyes, like those of a domesticated cat, simple yet with a touch of naive foolishness.

……

"You're awake? I brought some pea flour cake from home, it's freshly made by Shifangzhai, it's delicious, do you want some?"

Lin Du slowly sat up. She was grumpy when she woke up, but society had shaped her into a habit of taking a deep breath and suppressing her anger.

She lowered her eyes and saw the fox fur covered in crumbs and the pea flour cake shedding crumbs. Her eyelids twitched, she took the pea flour cake with one hand and stuffed it into her mouth, then stood up and shook the fox fur.

"It's alright, the Cleansing Dust Technique will suffice." He Gui, who had been watching the two young disciples in front of him with a smile, spoke up to stop them, then moved his fingers.

Lin Du vaguely sensed the traces of spiritual power, obediently piled the fire fox pelt aside, thanked He Gui and Ni Jinxuan, and then slowly began to chew.

She usually eats quietly, but the pea flour cake was really hard to swallow.

Lin Du thought that people in the cultivation world simply had a smooth throat; otherwise, how come Ni Jinxuan ate three pieces without drinking any water? She almost choked to death after just one swallow.

Suddenly a gust of wind swept by, and she instinctively reached out to grab it, only to find that it was a cup of tea.

Water splashed slightly onto her tiger's mouth because of her grip; the temperature was just right. She looked up in surprise, gazing in the direction the wind was coming from.

Two elders, who had never spoken to the new disciple, were sipping tea at a small table. Neither of them looked in Lin Du's direction, but one of them smiled slightly, lowered his eyes, and sighed softly, "Such agile skills."

Lin Du heard this and bowed his head slightly, saying, "Thank you for the tea, Elder."

He Gui chuckled. "Don't blame them. The reason they can't talk to you is because they agreed that those who are going to take on apprentices this year cannot contact new disciples beforehand, otherwise it would be considered unfair competition."

Lin Du gulped down the tea in one go, and heard someone on the other end of the line say in a low voice, "You're just wasting your breath on a peony, why don't you just give her a pot of water?"

She chuckled, not taking it to heart. "For you, it's about life; for me, it's about survival. Like rain after a long drought, anything that quenches thirst is good tea. As for other things, that's another story."

Lin Du doesn't have high demands for quality of life; he's content as long as he can survive.

She can pretend to appreciate the art of tea tasting, but it's unnecessary.

He Gui didn't plan to take on any apprentices this year, but he found Lin Du really adorable.

Acting like an adult at such a young age.

Seeing that Lin Du seemed to be in better spirits, Ni Jinxuan approached and said, "Fellow Daoist, my name is Ni Jinxuan."

"A name that embodies virtue and wisdom, like a beautiful iris." Lin Du chuckled. "My name is Lin Du."

In retrospect, she truly deserves that name.

"Are you still dizzy? I still have hawthorn cake and pickled plums here."

She stared at the boy's face; his skin was so white and translucent, his eyes so dark, his eyelashes so long, and his nose so straight and upturned...

There are such good-looking people in the world.

Lin Du wasn't unaware of her gaze. After hesitating for a moment, he finally asked, "May I ask, Fellow Daoist Jin Xuan, why do you keep looking at me like that?"

Ni Jinxuan replied instinctively, "Because you're pretty."

Lin Du: ...

She now seemed to understand why this child was so love-struck; he was probably a hardcore looks-obsessed person. In that script, the Demon Lord's appearance was unparalleled; just standing there, he could make all the beauties fall in love.

Elder Ju Yuan, who was constantly watching the disciples here, chuckled and blew bubbles into the tea in his teacup.

Elder Cang Li, who was opposite him, held back for a moment, but couldn't help it. He curled his lips and said with disdain, "You were just blaming others for wasting good tea, and now you're wasting it yourself."

Ju Yuan focused his divine sense on the somewhat sloppy child and nodded in agreement.

In the cultivation world, there are actually very few people who are not good-looking. Impurities in the body will be expelled from the body by spiritual energy, and slowly become an immaculate body. As long as the eyes are eyes and the nose is a nose, it is unlikely to be too ugly.

But despite his unkempt appearance, Lin Du's face somehow exuded a dashing and unrestrained air.

Ni Jinxuan noticed that Lin Du was looking at her. The young man was on the couch, slightly higher than her, so he looked at her with his eyes half-lowered. He had thick eyelashes and a playful smile that he tried hard to suppress on his lips. He had black hair and snow-white skin, and his features were like a fine brushstroke of steel. Under the moonlight, he cast a sparse shadow and was a dashing young man.

Lin Du then noticed that, under his watchful gaze, the little girl's face gradually turned red from her neck to her entire face at a visible speed, and gradually changed from a light pink to a ripe little tomato.

"I...I know you said you'd charge for this, but I already gave you food, so that counts as payment in advance."

She had heard Lin Du say that she would be charged money when she was climbing the mountain.

Lin Du wanted to laugh even more when he heard that.

A suppressed chuckle echoed from the couch, followed by a tender reply from Ni Jinxuan.

"Fellow Daoist Jinxuan, you flatter me. Of course, I would charge other unrelated people, but I won't charge you."