White-Robed Chief

"Yes, yes, let's get to business." The round-faced middle-aged man laughed. "Junior Brother Lu, please excuse us then."

"It's nothing." Lu Zhengjun scoffed.

He turned to say to Chu Li, "Guangdi, the master's seniors are going to check if you possess martial arts from other sects. Just relax, you don't have to be too bothered."

"Yes." Chu Li nodded.

The four middle-aged men surrounded Chu Li.

"Put your hand out." The round-faced middle-aged man squinted his eyes and smiled. "Put both hands out. Young fella, you have a good life."

Chu Li stared at him coldly without saying a word.

"Wow, you're really similar to Junior Brother Lu, you're quite hot-tempered." The round-faced middle-aged man giggled.

The other three men shook their heads and laughed too.

While they looked like they were in their forties, they were actually almost 200 years old and older than Lu Zhengjun. Therefore, they only regarded Chu Li as a child, and could not care less about Chu Li's thoughts.

Chu Li put his hands out but was secretly nervous.

'I wonder if the Life and Death Scripture can hide it from them. To be safe, I should've really negated my martial arts, then recover them through the Earth Matrix and Reincarnation Scripture since it won't take too long. But I'm quite confident that the Life and Death Scripture will be enough, it should do the work.

'Even if it doesn't, I'll just run away.'

Two of them placed their hands on Chu Li's wrist separately, whereby a stream of energy flowed through every part of Chu Li's body. The flow of energy was unhurried as it made a thorough scan.

Fifteen minutes later, the two middle-aged men let their hands go, then the other two men repeated the same move. This time, two streams of burning hot energy examined Chu Li's body. The cold and hot energies were different from ordinary inner energies.

Again, the two middle-aged men let go of their hands fifteen minutes later.

The four of them looked at each other and nodded at the same time.

The round-faced middle-aged man said with a smile, "Junior Brother Lu, congratulations, your son has remarkable qualities. It's such a pity though, he should've come to the cliff when he was much younger, and he'll probably be more powerful than Tianxing."

Another tall middle-aged man nodded. "Mm, his meridian is extensive, and his organs are solid. His body is much stronger than I imagined. Junior Brother Lu, which sect was he in before this?"

"Tide-listening Pavilion," Lu Zhengjun answered.

"Tide-listening Pavilion…" The four men pondered for a while before they finally recalled.

Among the reclusive sects, Tide-listening Pavilion was one of the more reputable ones but was Earth and Heaven when compared with Green Deer Cliff. The two sects were entirely different.

"This young fella is indeed a genius to possess such martial arts skills from Tide-listening Pavilion." The tall middle-aged man then sighed. "Junior Brother Lu, you hindered him. Having reached this stage, you should groom him well from now!"

"I can only do so." Lu Zhengjun nodded his head slowly.

Seeing as they were regretful, Chu Li put on a disapproving look.

Of course, they noticed Chu Li's expression.

The round-faced middle-aged man said, "Young fella, since you're new here, you can only be an outer cliff disciple instead of an inner cliff disciple. You won't get to learn some of the really powerful martial arts."

"It's not like Green Deer Cliff is the only sect in the world." Chu Li scoffed.

"Hehe…" The round-faced middle-aged man laughed. "Young fella, with your current age, it doesn't matter which sect you go to. Even if you become a monk, you won't get to be a part of the inner sect. Your achievements are limited."

"That's not necessarily true." Chu Li was discontented. "The key lies within the one who cultivates, not what one cultivates!"

"Mm, you're ambitious." The tall middle-aged man nodded. "Not bad. A powerful martial art skill is useless if the one who cultivates it lacks the ability to, whereas an ordinary martial art skill becomes extraordinary if one achieves a certain level of attainment. Work hard, don't waste this opportunity, it doesn't happen to anyone. You're quite lucky!"

"Yes." Chu Li gave him a fist salute.

The round-faced middle-aged man smiled. "Come look for us if you have any questions."

"Quickly thank Master's Senior Chen!" Lu Zhengjun ordered.

With a fist salute, Chu Li said, "Thank you, Master's Senior Chen."

The round-faced middle-aged man waved his hand. "It's just a small matter, you may enter your abode now."

Lu Zhengjun humphed. "Thank you, Senior Brothers."

"We're just following the rules, but you must make things clear for your son, he mustn't violate any rules," The tall middle-aged man told.

Lu Zhengjun nodded.

He led Chu Li out of the main hall, then went along a cobblestone path.

Soon enough, they entered a green forest and then arrived at a row of wooden houses.

There were a total of ten wooden houses, where the empty area in front was a small martial arts field covered with blue sand. At the moment, three young men were practicing on the field, where one of them practiced sword techniques, while the other two men practiced palm techniques. Their skills were astounding.

At one glance, Chu Li noticed that all three of them practiced different martial arts, but their techniques were exquisite. They were cultivating unusual martial arts skills.

"This is the outer courtyard." Lu Zhengjun pointed at the ten wooden houses, then mentioned, "From toward onwards, you mustn't leave this forest."

"Why?" Chu Li frowned. "What happens if I leave?"

"This forest is where the outer cliff disciples are located," Lu Zhengjun explained. "On the outside of this forest is where the inner cliff disciples are located. Once an outer cliff disciple leaves this forest, he or she will be banished from Green Deer Cliff forever."

"How long do I have to stay here?" Chu Li asked.

While they conversed, they entered one of the wooden houses. The interior was clean and tidy as there was only a bed, a side table, and a desk. The blanket on the bed was neatly placed, and a stalk of wildflower in a vase was placed on the side table.

Lu Zhengjun replied, "You can stay here as long as you want, but martial art secret manuals can only be exchanged with sufficient credits. As long as you have enough credits, you'll be able to read secret manuals of rare and remarkable martial arts. Once you begin to cultivate, you may go to the main hall earlier to seek help."

"Credits?" Chu Li furrowed his brows.

Lu Zhengjun explained, "It's your contributions. There are worldly matters associated with the cliff that we need to take care of, and outer cliff disciples can volunteer to complete these tasks. You gain credits for every task that you complete."

"What about inner cliff disciples?" Chu Li asked.

Lu Zhengjun shook his head. "Inner cliff disciples don't have to do this."

"They can just cultivate from any secret manuals?" Chu Li questioned.

Lu Zhengjun nodded.

Chu Li was dissatisfied. "That's quite a difference between both ranks."

"Inner cliff disciples have been living on the island since young, and the island is their home. On the other hand, outer cliff disciples are those who join halfway through, so their loyalty can't be guaranteed." Lu Zhengjun shook his head. "This is the rule of Green Deer Cliff, don't try to change it, just obey it."

Chu Li asked again, "Why didn't I enter Green Deer Cliff when I was younger?"

Lu Zhengjun answered, "You lack the quality."

Chu Li frowned.

Lu Zhengjun continued, "You have enough qualities now which you didn't have before, or I would've brought you here long ago."

Chu Li nodded helplessly.

Of course, Chu Li's body was more superior than Lu Guangdi's. Apart from the Heavenly Demonic Power that improved his body quality, he was also transformed through consuming many spirit pills. Naturally, he gained amazing qualities.

"Alright, make a choice. Which martial art do you want to cultivate? If you haven't decided on one, you can refer to the secret manual content," Lu Zhengjun said.

"I'd like to cultivate Spirit Crane Technique," Chu Li answered.