Chapter 11: Gifts From Senior Brothers
When a mysterious elder appears in a mysterious space and asks if you are willing to acknowledge him as your master,
what do you choose?
Of course, you agree.
Han Zhen wasn't stupid. Lin Jingxuan was the Second District commander, so the elder who could appear here must be at least one rank above him.
Without a word, Han Zhen knelt on the ground and performed a master acknowledgment bow.
"Teacher," Han Zhen said respectfully.
His straightforwardness left the two in front of him momentarily stunned. Then, Lin Jingxuan revealed a rather sentimental smile.
"Han Zhen—no, I should call you Junior Brother now—you're a clever person."
"Your teacher's surname is Li, first name Shutong, meaning 'different paths leading to the same destination.'"
With Lin Jingxuan's introduction, Han Zhen looked at the elder before him again. In his limited memory of this world, he indeed had some recollection of this name.
Li Shutong, from the Li family.
The most powerful family in all of Daxia.
One hundred years ago, when the three great Insect Emperors joined forces to overthrow Daxia, breaking through twelve defensive lines and pushing the insect army forward like an unstoppable force, Daxia was on the brink of destruction.
It was the Li family that stood up.
A man named Li Shutong saved Daxia from collapse, charged alone into enemy territory, and single-handedly slew the three Insect Emperors, causing the insect horde to retreat.
It was hard to reconcile the divine figure from that legend with the kindly-faced elder standing before him now.
In Han Zhen's memory, after becoming Daxia's leading family, the Li family established the Li Academy, selecting and cultivating talented individuals from across the world,
laying the foundation for Daxia's next century.
If Han Zhen's earlier words had felt like mere slogans to himself,
to Li Shutong, they were truths he fully embodied and honors he unquestionably deserved.
While Han Zhen was lost in his thoughts, Li Shutong had already laughed and helped him to his feet.
"You're quite good."
"Much more to my liking than the others."
Lin Jingxuan, watching this scene, inexplicably thought of the term "skipping a generation."
The age gap between Han Zhen and Li Shutong, spanning over a hundred years, did indeed feel like they were from different generations.
As he spoke, Li Shutong took something out of his pocket and handed it to Han Zhen.
Han Zhen looked down to see a jet-black ring, polished to a smooth, jade-like finish, with a cool texture.
On the inner band of the ring, a single character was engraved: "Nine."
"This ring was forged from the core of the Ninth-Rank Insect Emperor I killed back then. I made nine in total. It contains a miniature storage space, consider it a small trinket."
As Li Shutong spoke, Lin Jingxuan, who normally remained unflappable, couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.
"A teacher's gift."
Han Zhen, gazing at the seemingly ordinary black ring, was surprised to learn it was crafted from the core of a Ninth-Rank Insect Emperor.
Such generosity could only come from someone like Li Shutong.
Li Shutong continued, "This ring carries the aura of a Ninth-Rank Insect Emperor. When you face lower-ranked insect creatures, it can have a significant deterrent effect."
"However, against stronger insect creatures, they might exhibit even greater aggression toward you."
"If you're worried, you can avoid wearing it during normal times."
Hearing this, Han Zhen put it on without hesitation.
Classic rebellion confirmed.
"Hahaha, good, very good," Li Shutong said, patting Han Zhen's shoulder with a laugh.
"That's the way. Look at those cowards—they didn't dare wear the rings I gave them. Bunch of pathetic wimps!"
The old man cast a glare at Lin Jingxuan as he spoke.
Lin Jingxuan felt bitter, but he remained silent.
"All right, enough idle chatter. You and that girl just finished your assessments, so you must be exhausted."
"Let's go. I'm in a good mood today. I'll treat you to hotpot and introduce you to your senior brothers."
In Deep Blue City, hotpot was primarily known for its spicy and numbing flavors.
Don't ask why hotpot still exists in a world ravaged by an insect apocalypse.
Even in the face of the insect threat, life must go on.
The main difference was the inclusion of many strange, previously unheard-of meats in the hotpot ingredients.
Li Shutong took them to a nine-grid hotpot restaurant.
Inside a large private room, a group of people sat in a circle, filling the space.
Han Zhen and Xia Youwei felt a bit restrained, like a newlywed couple, as they were guided to sit beside Li Shutong.
Xia Youwei's cheeks were red, as if she had been drinking, giving her a slightly flushed and tipsy appearance.
The nine-grid hotpot bubbled and steamed, the red oil broth releasing a fragrant aroma.
The commanders from several zones looked at Han Zhen and Xia Youwei with approval in their eyes.
"Junior Brother, I'm Wei Qing, commander of the First District. When you have free time, feel free to visit our zone."
'First District, for fun?'
Hearing Wei Qing's casual tone, Han Zhen raised an internal eyebrow.
Still, he stood up with the dazed Xia Youwei and raised his teacup.
"Senior Brother."
"Haha, good, you've got the right attitude." Wei Qing said with a smile, handing over a pair of deep red gloves.
"These are my gift to you."
"In the future, when you learn under the teacher, you'll inevitably study martial arts. These gloves, which I've used for many years, are stained with the blood of insects."
"I won't say more—you'll understand their value once you use them."
Wei Qing tossed the gloves over, and Han Zhen caught them.
As soon as they touched his hands, Han Zhen felt an overwhelming, spine-chilling aura of death.
It was as if he could see mountains of insect corpses piled into a sea of blood.
'How many insects have Wei Qing killed with these gloves?'
Han Zhen quickly stored the gloves in his ring, lessening the oppressive aura.
Next, Lin Jingxuan stood up.
"Lin Jingxuan, commander of the Second District. We've already met."
Lin Jingxuan, serious and unsmiling, presented his gift.
"This is a compilation of my research on insect species since I became a spiritualist. It includes their types, structures, weaknesses, group characteristics, and material values."
"It covers 90% of all insect species. Read it during your downtime."
"Thank you, Second Senior Brother." Han Zhen accepted the gift.
Then came the Third District's commander, Third Senior Brother Ye Qiu, who gifted a set of deep red battle robes with astonishing defensive power.
Fourth Senior Brother Shen Zheqi from the Fourth District presented matching jade pendants from ancient ruins to Han Zhen and Xia Youwei.
Fifth Senior Brother Liu Jingchun from the Fifth Battle Zone offered a package of medicinal materials to boost spiritual energy absorption and cultivation.
"Sixth Senior Brother is stationed at the border and couldn't leave. You'll meet him someday."
"Seventh Senior Brother is overseas and unavailable for now."
"As for the Eighth... Eighth Brother, come out."
At Li Shutong's call, a humanoid figure emerged, gradually materializing from transparency but still shrouded in mist.
The commander of the Eighth Battle Zone, the most mysterious one, had no name, only a code name: "Wu"[T/N: Nothing]
Eighth Senior Brother "Wu" handed Han Zhen a piece of paper with a phone number written on it.
"In case of danger, dial this number."
"Remember, you can only use it once."
Hearing the indistinguishable voice, Han Zhen solemnly nodded and carefully stored the paper.
At this point, Han Zhen had met Li Shutong and all the present senior brothers, officially becoming the ninth disciple.
Just as they were about to start eating hotpot, an unpleasantly sharp and mocking voice sounded from outside:
"Well, sneaking off to have hotpot without us? Aren't you afraid of karma?"
Hearing this voice, Xia Youwei's expression changed.
═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═
patreon.com/ZenonTL
🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.