The Carnation Goddess

Same day when Shen Lie had nosed around in the herbalism room.

He had just entered the outer court where all the new protégés were gathering when there were many laughs and jeers from the new protégés that were inside.

"Isn't this Shen Lie?"

"He has the worst result during our first cultivation lesson…"

"He can't even aim properly!"

Shen Lie walked to the 199 new protégés and said respectfully to them, "My fellow dao protégés, Shen Lie greets everyone good morning…"

A bulky cultivator interrupted him and he was called Fatty Xiong Ba, "In case you don't know this yet. We are going for our first experiential training in 1 week time. Are you sure that you can survive a fight against a desolate beast?"

A slender male cultivator named Chu Feng was also smirking, "Even a second rank desolate beast will be able to kill him. I don't wish to be part of his team at the end of the month."

Shen Lie gasped shockingly, "There is an experiential training? Can I be exempted?"

He was too lazy to go for any experiential trainings and he would rather meditate to keep his mind focus on his cultivation.

But when he had said that, all the proteges, males and females were all laughing at him jovially.

A short man who was a full head shorter than Shen Lie called Shortie Lai had walked angrily toward him and he was suddenly patting Shen Lie's tall shoulder with an assurancing look, "How dare you mock at my Brother Shen Lie! From today onward, I shall be his protector! If anyone has an issue with Shen Lie, you can look for me directly!"

Shen Lie started to look down at this Shortie Lai and he had a blanked look. He did not mean to look down on him but he was really short, so he had to look down and not because he was looking down with an arrogant look on Shortie Lai. "Eh?"

Shortie Lai grinned to Shen Lie, "From today onward, you are my brother and I will protect you like a close brother."

When Shortie Lai had declared his intentions, Xiong Ba, Chu Feng and many of the new protégés were all laughing nonstop; they could see Shen Lie protecting Shortie Lai instead of the other way round.

"I remember this Shortie Lai. He was the second worst protégé during the cultivation lesson." A young maiden named Mei Xuan giggled softly.

This Mei Xuan was really beautiful and she was the most beautiful maiden in the cultivation cohort. Many of the male cultivators like Chu Feng and Fatty Xiong Ba were already interested in her.

When she had mentioned this, many of the new protégés were laughing jovially now.

"It is no wonder that they are together…"

"Birds of the same flock will always fly together…"

"I remember this Shortie Lai now…"

"He too short to aim his targets…"

"But he is better than Shen Lie; he had passed eventually. But Shen Lie did not even pass…"

Shen Lie immediately looked at Shortie Lai, "Erm, I don't need your protection."

Shortie Lai immediately dragged him away, "Nonsense! Can't you see that we are being bullied by these arrogant young masters and mistresses? If we are united, no one shall rock us! Not even the 9th rank desolate beasts!"

"Do you know how powerful a 9th rank desolate beast is? There is the standard, profound, epic, immortal etc." Shen Lie pointed out with a weak smile.

Shortie Lai forced him to sit down as he said firmly, "I shall be your rock! Don't you worry brother!"

Shen Lie: …

Shen Lie: …

Shen Lie: …

I don't need a male…

At this moment Elder Li Hong had just entered the training court yard with two other assistant elders and 8 senior protégés, "You are all here already?"

As she had said that, the 8 senior protégés were going around to look at everyone for they had memorized the faces of everyone in this cohort of 200.

"Elder Li Hong, they are all here." The 8 senior protégés said one by one.

Elder Li Hong smiled, "As some of you may have already know, in 1 week time there we will have our experiential training for you in the mountains to fight the desolate beasts and we may even encounter the demonic cultivators. But this will be your first stage test to become a true cultivator of the outer court. That is, if you are able to pass. So, any questions?"

Shen Lie was the first to put his hand to ask, "How long will this experiential training last?"

"One week." Elder Li Hong answered him.

Shen Lie stumbled backward with shock; one week without seeing Saintess Sheng Feiyan, Nangong Shu or Elder Hua Zixia were too much!

When the new protégés saw him stumbling backward, they were all laughing jovially at him.

Elder Li Hong smiled, "This time I won't be allocating the groups for you. You will all choose a leader yourself and form a group of 20 protégés. This will be a test of your leadership and bonding ability."

Then she pointed at the walls of the outer court, "You have only one week to practice our Holy Pinnacle Swordplay on that wall. If you are able to learn it well then one day you will be able to defeat cultivators that are two realms higher than you."

When she had said that, all the new protégés immediately rushed to the wall to try their best to understand the Holy Pinnacle Swordplay.

All the new protégés except Shen Lie of course.

It was because this Holy Pinnacle Swordplay was a rubbish swordplay that Shen Lie had once imparted to Saintess Sheng Feiyan.

And he had told her the exact same thing that Elder Li Hong had said to everyone; one day you will be able to defeat cultivators that are two realms higher than you.

It was a blatant lie of course. It was because all the secret cultivation arts would all promise the cultivators that they would be able to defeat anyone that was one or two realms higher if they work hard for it.

If they could not then it would only mean that they either did not work hard for it or had low talent.

Now if all the cultivation arts would be so superior, then it would all cancel one another out.

The problem was, this was not true.

The only true martial cultivation profound art was always one hit kill one opponent, not any fanciful profound arts.nove(l)bi(n.)com