Chapter 3: Mo Dafu

A moment later, Han Li felt his waist tighten and his body lighten as he suddenly began to ascend automatically. He turned his head and saw that it was the senior disciple who had been following closely behind him. The disciple was holding Han Li with one arm while agilely climbing upwards with the other arm and his legs. Han Li also noticed the sun was high in the sky, directly overhead.

So, he hadn't managed to complete the journey after all. Han Li felt a pang of sadness, wondering why, despite all his efforts, he still couldn't measure up to others.

In a flash, they reached the top of the cliff. Only six young children were seated nearby, resting. Wu Yan was speaking with a corpulent elder in his fifties, who wore a dark blue official's robe and had his hands clasped behind his back. Hall Master Yue and Protector Wang stood beside him, along with several other individuals. They were all waiting for the young senior disciples to bring the remaining slower children up the mountain.

After a short wait, all the children had been brought up. At that moment, Hall Master Yue stepped forward and solemnly addressed the assembled children.

"This time, a total of seven have qualified," he announced slowly. "Six of them will enter our sect's Hundred Forging Hall and formally become inner disciples."

"The seventh person, Wu Yan, was the first to reach the cliff and displayed exceptional performance," Hall Master Yue continued. "He will be directly admitted to the Seven Wonders Hall to study our sect's unique techniques." Hall Master Yue glanced back at the elder in the official's robe, who stroked his beard and nodded contentedly in return.

"As for the others..." Hall Master Yue surveyed the remaining children. He gently stroked his chin with his right hand and, after a brief moment of contemplation, spoke again:

"Zhang Tie, Han Li," he announced, "though you two did not reach the cliff top on time, your performance was notable, indicating an ability to withstand the rigors of martial arts training. You will first establish your foundational skills with several instructors here. After six months, you will undergo another assessment. If you pass, you will officially become inner disciples. If not, you will be sent to the outer sect to serve as outer disciples."

Han Li glanced at Zhang Tie, the other child who had stepped forward. He was the one who had been closely behind Han Li, also hanging from the rope and nearly reaching the top of the cliff.

"Protector Wang," Hall Master Yue said, looking coldly at the remaining children, "give each of the others some silver and send them all home."

"As you command!"

Protector Wang stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and led the unsuccessful children down the cliff.

"Zhang Jun, Wu Mingrui, you two will take these qualified individuals to our hall and deliver them to Deputy Hall Master Gu and Instructor Li, respectively."

Two more young men stepped forward, accepted the order, and divided Han Li and the others into two groups before heading down the cliff. One of them was the cold-faced senior disciple. As they began their descent, Han Li couldn't resist glancing at Wu Yan and noticed he was still conversing with the blue-robed elder, showing no sign of departure.

"He's different from you," the lean-faced senior disciple remarked, seemingly discerning Han Li's unspoken question and offering an explanation. "He's a core disciple sent to the Seven Wonders Hall. Once he finishes his studies, he'll be at least a Protector." Yet, his words carried an unmistakable hint of envy and jealousy.

"It's only because he has a brother-in-law who's a Deputy Sect Master," the cold-faced senior disciple scoffed. "If his cousin hadn't married Deputy Sect Master Ma as his second wife, there's no way he could have gotten in! His age alone exceeds the entrance requirements; how could he possibly enter the Seven Wonders Hall?" A chill ran down everyone's spines at the cold disciple's words.

"Zhang Jun, are you insane?" the lean-faced senior disciple exclaimed, startled by the cold disciple's remark. "Is the Deputy Sect Master someone we can casually gossip about? If other fellow disciples overheard us, both you and I would face the punishment of self-reflection and repentance!" He quickly scanned their surroundings and, upon confirming there were no outsiders apart from the few children, breathed a sigh of relief.

The cold senior disciple snorted, seemingly harboring some reservations himself, and ceased speaking. It was then that Han Li learned this cold senior disciple's name was Zhang Jun. Han Li only half-understood their conversation, but he vaguely grasped that Wu Yan had not entered the Seven Wonders Hall based on his genuine talent. Rather, it was due to having a Deputy Sect Master as a relative and benefactor within the sect, allowing him to gain effortless entry.

As they walked along the mountain path, both senior disciples were lost in thought, recalling some disheartening matters within the sect. They had no desire to speak and simply led the way in silence. Han Li and the others likewise dared not speak privately, perhaps vaguely realizing some fundamental differences between the Seven Mysteries Sect and their previous homes.

As they passed through a dense forest, an old man slowly emerged from the woods. He was over sixty, tall and thin, with a sallow complexion and long, shoulder-length white hair. As he walked, he constantly bent over, coughing incessantly. His labored coughs made it seem as though he could collapse at any moment, causing those who watched to feel deep concern.

Upon seeing him, Zhang Jun and his companion showed no hint of worry. Instead, they quickly stepped forward and bowed deeply and respectfully to the old man.

"Physician Mo, greetings, elder," Zhang Jun said, his usual cold expression replaced with one of profound respect. "Is there anything you wish to instruct your disciples to do?" For him, this old man was more worthy of respect than the Hall Master, or even the Deputy Sect Master.

"Oh, are these the new disciples who just arrived on the mountain?" the old man finally asked in a slow, hoarse voice, having ceased his coughing.

"Yes," Zhang Jun answered carefully. "Among them are six official disciples and two probationary disciples."

"I'm short-handed right now," Physician Mo stated, pointing casually to Han Li and the other probationary disciple, "and I still need a medicine-refining boy and a herb-gathering disciple. These two will come with me." His words were filled with an undeniable authority.

"As you command!" the two senior disciples responded without a hint of objection. "These two are probationary disciples; it is their great fortune to be chosen by you, Physician Mo! Hurry and pay your respects to Elder Mo! If you can learn even one or two medical skills from him, it will be the greatest blessing of your lives!" The lean-faced Wu Mingrui, in particular, heaped effusive praise upon the elder.

Seeing that the two senior disciples had no objections, Han Li and Zhang Tie, naturally having no right to protest, followed the old man into the forest.

The old man led the two slowly along a winding path through the forest. Suddenly, their eyes were greeted by a lush, vibrant, emerald green valley appearing before them.

To the left of the valley lay a large field emitting a strong medicinal fragrance, where numerous herbs unfamiliar to Han Li were cultivated. To the right stood over a dozen interconnected houses of various sizes. A glance around revealed no other exits leading outside, apart from the entrance they had just used.

"This is Divine Hand Valley," the old man said, standing before a cluster of connected houses and pointing to one of the smaller ones. "Apart from the disciples living here, outsiders generally don't come unless they are sick or injured. You two will live here from now on. Go rest for a while, then come to the main hall to see me tonight. I have something to tell you."

"From now on, you can call me Elder Mo," the old man said, pausing briefly before adding, "Or Physician Mo is fine too."

Having finished speaking, Physician Mo disregarded the two boys and, coughing with every step, walked into another, more stately house.

Utterly exhausted, Han Li paid no mind to Zhang Tie. He simply collapsed onto a wooden bed in the room and quickly drifted into a deep, hazy sleep. To him, no matter the circumstances, he could now consider himself at least half a Seven Mysteries Sect disciple.