Chapter 544: Apprenticeship

Watching the Institute Principal's stunned and bewildered expression, Grand Elder Chan Yu nodded in all seriousness, "It is so, Principal, that Huang Xiaolong is merely thirty-something years old!"

When he found out the result of the investigation, his reaction was no less dramatic! This simply made the terms like 'monstrous genius' or 'peerless talent' insufficient to describe Huang Xiaolong.

Gudu Leng was hailed as Gudu Family's strongest genius in history, but Gudu Leng had spent more than one hundred and fifty years in cultivation.

Whereas that Huang Xiaolong merely cultivated for approximately thirty years or so! Given the same amount of time, to what extent could Huang Xiaolong's power grow?!

At the time Chan Yu received this information, even he, someone who never uttered an uncouth word couldn't help spitting out, "I'll be damned, what kind of freak is he?!"

This freak monster's mother also had to be a horrifying lady to actually give birth to such a super freaky unrivaled monster!

The Black Warrior Institute Principal took a deep breath to calm himself, recovering from his shock. Even so, the glimmering light in his eyes belied the excitement in his heart.

At first, he still had some nagging doubt, but now, he absolutely had to receive Huang Xiaolong as his disciple! A personal disciple! Whatever the price!

Afterwards, the Black Warrior Institute Principal Feng Yang asked a few more questions related to Huang Xiaolong, but… the more he asked, the more stunned he became.

Grand Elder Chan Yu conducted a detailed investigation on Huang Xiaolong, ranging from the time Huang Xiaolong started cultivating to how much time he took to step into Saint realm, how long Huang Xiaolong spent to advance from Saint realm to high-level Saint realm, etc.

The more Institute Principal Feng Yang heard, the more engrossed he became, it was at this time that a disciple came knocking to report that Grand Elder Bao Xinrui had brought Huang Xiaolong over and were both waiting in the outer hall.

Only then did Feng Yang curb his questions, hurrying the disciple to bring Grand Elder Bao Xinrui and Huang Xiaolong in.

Huang Xiaolong respectfully walked behind Bao Xinrui into the main hall. Inside, sitting in the head seat was a middle-aged man in a golden brocade robe, with fair skin and eyes profound like the galaxy, a deep vast aura could be felt from his person. This man was likely the Black Warrior Institute's Principal. And beside the Institute Principal stood a black-haired elder, perhaps a certain Grand Elder of the institute.

But Huang Xiaolong keenly sensed the moment he stepped into the main hall that the way the Institute Principal and the Grand Elder looked at him seemed a little… strange. Similar to how Elder Zhang Tianchuan stared at him in the Hall of Heroes square, it truly made him uncomfortable.

"Greetings, Principal." Entering the main hall, Bao Xinrui saluted to the middle-aged man.

Huang Xiaolong also hurried to perform a respectful salute.

The Black Warrior Institute Principal Feng Yang excused both people's greetings. He rose from his seat and approached Huang Xiaolong with a radiant smile, "You're Huang Xiaolong?"

The smile sent Huang Xiaolong into a momentary daze before he replied, "Yes, Institute Principal."

"Are you willing to worship me as your Master?" Next came Institute Principal Feng Yang's thunderclap question.

The spacious main hall went strangely quiet of all a sudden.

Grand Elder Bao Xinrui was dumbfounded on the spot, Huang Xiaolong fared no better: This… this was too direct!

Only Grand Elder Chan Yu standing at the side did not feel surprised.

"You, are unwilling?" Failing to hear Huang Xiaolong's answer after waiting for some time, Institute Principal Feng Yang became slightly anxious, half probing for an answer.

"No, Institute Principal, this, I…" This was so unexpected that Huang Xiaolong didn't know how to answer.

In fact, on the way here, Huang Xiaolong had thought of this possibility, but when the Black Warrior Institute Principal Feng Yang broached the subject of receiving him as a disciple in such direct manner, it still felt too sudden.

Then, Institute Principal broke out in laughter, "There are a lot of benefits being my disciple, for example; you get one hundred saint grade spirit stones as allowance, one hundred Black Warrior Greater Strength Pellets, and moreover, you can look at all the rare and precious techniques inside the Black Warrior Treasury at any time. If you have any cultivation problems, you can come ask me any time."

Institute Principal Feng Yang listed a number of benefits that made the Grand Elder dumbstruck at the side as he listened. Why did it feel like the Principal was afraid that Huang Xiaolong might refuse him?! That he was using these benefits to bait Huang Xiaolong?!

Were his eyes deceiving him?

Hearing the things coming out from the Institute Principal's mouth, Huang Xiaolong felt a tad speechless, but he took a deep breath, and performed a respectful bow toward Feng Yang, saying: "Disciple Huang Xiaolong greets Master!"

Huang Xiaolong had given the matter a great deal of thought before arriving, there were only benefits to worshipping the Black Warrior Institute Principal as his Master.

First of all, it was the cultivation resources. Just like what the Institute Principal said, every month he would receive one hundred saint grade spirit stones, one hundred Black Warrior Greater Strength Pellets, and the most tempting of all were the techniques inside the institute's treasury that were open to his perusal!

This was a resource that no other Black Warrior Institute disciple could enjoy, not even if one climbed all the way to the status of an elite disciple.

Huang Xiaolong was aware that only the Grand Elders, Vice-Principal, and the Institute Principal had the authority to enter the institute's treasury as they wished. All these benefits were good, but the most important of all was the identity of the Black Warrior Institute Principal's personal disciple. An identity that would conveniently make things easier for Huang Xiaolong when moving around in the Black Tortoise Galaxy.

Previously in the Hall of Heroes square, he gravely wounded Wang Biaoyuan, and Wang Biaoyuan was a top talent that the Wang Family cultivated. In the coming days, the Wang Family would definitely find ways to settle this score, but with the identity of the Black Warrior Institute Principal's personal disciple, the Wang Family could only swallow this loss.

In this assessment, Huang Xiaolong had shown great promising talent, he believed there would definitely be big families or super forces that would like to kill him in the cradle. Thus, he had to borrow the Institute Principal's reputation to shield him.

Not to mention, the Star Sword Sect and the Ying Family that he was worried about in the past were no longer an issue.

When Institute Principal Feng Yang saw that Huang Xiaolong was willing to worship him as Master, he laughed heartily in happiness. He stepped forward, pulling Huang Xiaolong up, "Excellent, excellent!" His laughter shook the hall.

Both Grand Elder Chan Yu and Bao Xinrui cupped their hands, congratulating Principal Feng Yang: "Congratulations Principal for receiving an outstanding disciple!" Both elderly were sincerely happy that the Principal was able to receive Huang Xiaolong as his personal disciple.

With Huang Xiaolong's talent, it wasn't hard to imagine that in a few thousand years' time there would be an additional Highgod Realm master to Black Warrior Institute's name. What made Huang Xiaolong even rarer was the fact that he did not belong to any super forces in the Black Tortoise Galaxy. Such talent, such clean background was undeniably many times more ideal than Gudu Leng.

Feng Yang couldn't stop smiling looking at Huang Xiaolong, "You're the fourth disciple Master has received. Master doesn't have many good things, so Master will give you this Mulberry Sword[1] as an apprenticeship present." With that said, he took out a wooden sword and gave it to Huang Xiaolong.

The wooden sword was neither long nor short, it was no different from an ordinary wooden sword appearance-wise but Huang Xiaolong knew that this wooden sword was anything but.

Watching this on the side, both Grand Elder Chan Yu and Bao Xinrui were stunned by the fact that the Principal was willing to part with the wooden sword, gifting it to Huang Xiaolong. This was the Principal's most treasured sword, he kept it by his side at all times for the last ten thousand years, maybe even longer. He was reluctant to give it to his eldest disciple, so neither of them expected the Principal to give it to his newly received fourth disciple, Huang Xiaolong.

This was proof of how much the Principal cherished his youngest disciple.

Huang Xiaolong received the Mulberry Sword, giving his thanks, "Thank you, Master."

After Huang Xiaolong took the Mulberry Sword, Feng Yang joyfully went on, "This Mulberry Sword is imprinted with a set of sword skills I created from enlightenment. After you refine this Mulberry Sword, practice the Mulberry Sword Technique!" Then, his head looked over at Grand Elder Chan Yu, "Make an announcement to the galaxy, I've taken Huang Xiaolong as my disciple, the ceremony will be held one month later. All families' Patriarchs and Sovereigns are invited to bear witness!"

As the Black Warrior Institute's Principal, him receiving a disciple was a big event. The entire Black Tortoise Galaxy's big event, of course it couldn't be considered done with the slapdash just now. The worship ceremony had to be conducted on a grand scale.

1. Mulberry Sword (sāngmù jiàn) - The 'sang' refers to the same Fusang tree (aka mulberry tree) of another legend/novel where the three-legged crow perched on, growing in a land where there are ten suns.