Section 25: Entering the Yun Family
2014-06-18 Author: Gu Zhenren
Vast clouds and deep, green mountains and valleys.
This is the Yun Family’s ancestral headquarters, a mountain city built by mountains and rivers. Densely packed buildings were arranged in sequence from the mountaintop down to the foot of the mountain. From a distance, it was exceptionally spectacular.
According to Yun Baishen’s introduction along the way, about 200,000 people live here. What they see now is only one part of the entire base.
In fact, the Yun Family’s territory extends throughout the surrounding mountain range, controlling an area of hundreds of thousands of miles.
“No wonder people rarely know about the Eight Great Hidden Families. It turns out you all live in the Immortal Pouch World.” Arriving here, Chu Yun suddenly understood.
The Yun Family’s ancestral headquarters was formed by several Upper grade Immortal Pouches completely opened and integrated with Danzhou, creating a blessed land.
It was like the Dragon Gate World of Xingzhou, or the Endless Forest. However, the scale here was larger and it had been transformed to suit human survival.
Accompanying Chu Yun were over ten other Alchemists. They were all talents scouted by the Yun Family in the current Hundred Families Pill Convention. These individuals were at most in their early forties, generally young with great potential for development. The youngest, of course, was Chu Yun.
Although he was entering the Yun Family’s ancestral headquarters, joining the Yun Family would not be so simple.
First, there was an investigation of one’s background.
Chu Yun was a complete undocumented person, but he had already made thorough arrangements. A very suitable identity had been prepared.
“The investigation and verification will take about a week. During this time, you will reside here.” Yun Baishen led Chu Yun to a small courtyard.
Chu Yun scanned his surroundings. Blue bricks and white walls, typical Yun Family architecture, exuding a fresh and picturesque aura along with the elegance of a hidden family.
Chu Yun nodded slightly. Where he lived was of no consequence to him. He spent most of his time cultivating and seeking enlightenment in the Immortal Pouch World.
It was clear that the security here was strict.
With just a cursory glance, Chu Yun noticed many hidden sentries.
This was understandable, after all, it was the Yun Family’s ancestral headquarters.
Seven days passed in a flash. The Yun Family’s investigation was complete, and Chu Yun passed smoothly. With the Oracle Immortal, an Abacus Master, nearby to divine heavenly secrets and offer advice, passing this hurdle was not a problem.
Next was the test.
A comprehensive assessment to examine the true qualities and abilities of Chu Yun and the others.
Although Chu Yun did his best to conceal his true strength, and even disguised his cultivation as Jun level, he still easily stood out from the crowd.
His age could not be faked. A nineteen-year-old Jun level Monster Tamer, and a seasoned Alchemy Master, Chu Yun’s displayed achievements attracted widespread attention from the Yun Family’s higher-ups.
It was said that the elders of the family had a dispute over Chu Yun. In the end, the Nineteenth Branch narrowly won, and Chu Yun’s affiliation was thus decided to be with the Nineteenth Branch.
The Yun Family was vast and prosperous, but the family’s internal forces were divided into twenty-one branches, the twenty-one Sects.
Where there are people, there is a world. The Yun Family competed with the other seven great hidden families externally, and internally, there was also fierce competition for rights and interests.
The Nineteenth Branch was among the stronger branches in terms of overall strength. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to secure Chu Yun.
“Your name is Wuming?” Yun Feng looked at Chu Yun, his expression cold and his tone harsh.
“Yes.” Chu Yun nodded. Although he had already fabricated a perfect identity during the investigation, he still explained further, “I am an orphan. My master took me in. I had no name, so I was given the surname Wuming…”
Before he could finish, Yun Feng waved his hand, interrupting Chu Yun. “I don’t care what you were called before or if you had a name. You have joined the Yun Family now, and from this day on, your surname is Yun. You are Yun Wuming!”
“Yes.” Chu Yun lowered his eyes and replied calmly.
“I don’t care how talented you are. Under me, tigers must crouch and dragons must lie low. Work hard and do your best to complete every task I assign you. I will give you corresponding rewards or punishments based on your performance. Do you understand?” Yun Feng’s gaze was sharp, sweeping across Chu Yun’s face like a blade. At the same time, his Marquis level spiritual pressure subtly pressed down.
Chu Yun immediately feigned a change in expression, putting on a strained look, a flicker of stubbornness in his eyes that vanished in an instant.
After a while, Yun Feng suddenly withdrew his spiritual pressure and tossed a Jade Pendant to Chu Yun.
As if relieved by the sudden release of pressure, Chu Yun’s body swayed slightly, and he fumbled to catch the Jade Pendant.
Seeing his reaction, Yun Feng’s lips curled into a smug arc. He was specialized in this line of work and was experienced in dealing with geniuses like Chu Yun.
Seeing that his initial show of dominance had worked well, Yun Feng ceased to make things difficult for Chu Yun. “This is your identity Jade Pendant. Don’t lose it. The tasks you need to complete are recorded on it. If you encounter any difficulties, you can also use it to contact me.”
“Oh. I almost forgot.” Before leaving, Yun Feng paused. “For an outsider like you to truly join the Yun Family, there is one last step: marriage alliance. You have one month to adapt and interact. After one month, there will be a Blind Date Gathering. Refer to the Jade Pendant for details.”
After Yun Feng left, Chu Yun’s expression returned to its usual calm.
How could a Marquis level Monster Tamer pressure him? He was merely putting on an act just now.
Looking at the Jade Pendant in his hand, Chu Yun furrowed his brows slightly. Yun Feng’s parting words were unexpected. He hadn’t realized that joining the Yun Family and gaining true trust would be such a troublesome matter.
“Marriage alliance? This is essentially like taking a son-in-law! Only by becoming family can one be trusted, right? This is truly a Danzhou characteristic. Only in Danzhou, where family structures are paramount, would such customs exist.”
Others might be excited about a marriage alliance, but Chu Yun quickly dismissed the matter. His priority now was to successfully infiltrate the Yun Family and investigate the whereabouts of his mother.
However, he couldn’t be too hasty. His status was still very low, and being a newcomer, he would be under covert surveillance and close scrutiny.
“The most pressing matter is to show my loyalty and at the same time, improve my standing. The higher my status in the Yun Family, the less resistance I will face in my investigations later. But how can I improve my status?” After some thought, Chu Yun focused his gaze on the identity Jade Pendant.
More than ten days later.
“Here are three Regeneration Pills.” Chu Yun, looking exhausted, handed the pill bottle to Yun Feng.
Yun Feng took the pill bottle and after a brief inspection, knew that Chu Yun was not lying. For the past ten-odd days, his slightly controlled expression had finally cracked, revealing his deepest shock.
The day after his first meeting with Chu Yun, Chu Yun had handed him a full bag of pills.
Yun Feng had been astonished by Chu Yun’s efficiency at the time.
He had assigned Chu Yun tasks that were extremely demanding and difficult, primarily to temper the arrogance of newcomers. But he hadn’t expected Chu Yun to complete these tasks written on the Jade Pendant overnight.
“It seems he wants to show off. Some newcomers do react this way.” After his initial surprise, Yun Feng relaxed. He was even a little pleased. Chu Yun’s proactive completion of tasks indicated that his initial show of dominance had been effective, making Chu Yun adopt a proper attitude and develop a sense of awe towards the Yun Family. This was why he was so eager to perform, seeking recognition.
Since that’s the case… the more you want recognition, the less I’ll give it to you. The faster you get recognized, the less value that recognition holds.
Yun Feng, with his extensive experience, took the bag of pills Chu Yun handed over. He pursed his lips and said grudgingly, “Your pill refining technique is mediocre… I’ll barely consider it completed. Keep working hard, you’re still far from good enough.”
On the third day, Chu Yun appeared before him again, handing him two bags.
The bags, of course, were filled with pills.
Yun Feng was secretly surprised. He had deliberately assigned even more arduous pill refining tasks yesterday, intending to make things difficult for Chu Yun. But he hadn’t expected that after a day and a night, he would have completed them.
This speed was somewhat terrifying… Yun Feng thought, stroking his chin, and nonchalantly took the bags. “It’s acceptable, not outstanding. Considering you’re new, I’ll reluctantly accept it.”
The third day… the fourth day… the fifth day… Yun Feng’s astonishment had turned into shock. The speed Chu Yun displayed undoubtedly indicated that his pill refining skill had reached the peak of Alchemy Master, just one step away from Grandmaster level.
A genius, a genuine pill refining genius.
Yun Feng felt both admiration and jealousy. He himself was over a hundred years old, yet he was only a low-level Alchemy Master. Recognizing Chu Yun’s talent in pill refining, his attitude towards Chu Yun softened considerably. The tasks he assigned unconsciously became more “reasonable.”
Then, the sixth day, seventh day, eighth day… Chu Yun continued as usual. Yun Feng’s astonishment turned into bewilderment. He even tried to persuade Chu Yun not to push himself so hard.
Unexpectedly, Chu Yun smiled slightly. “It’s fine. I’m just like this. Pill refining is something I love to do, and when I have tasks, I feel uncomfortable if I don’t complete them.”
Yun Feng’s body trembled, and a hint of admiration flashed in his gaze as he looked at Chu Yun. This guy was a workaholic!
The ninth day, tenth day, eleventh day… Chu Yun began to gain renown. His extremely high efficiency and superhuman work passion made many in the Yun Family recognize his value.
Diligent and hardworking people always earn admiration.
“Having such an outstanding newcomer is truly Yun Feng’s good fortune!” People in the Yun Family, especially Yun Feng’s colleagues, showed envy and jealousy.
This made Yun Feng secretly smug. His attitude towards Chu Yun became increasingly amiable.
“Take care of your rest.”
“You can’t push yourself this hard.”
“Pill refining is an endless endeavor, but human lifespan is finite. You can’t always be working.”
Yun Feng’s attempts to persuade Chu Yun became more frequent. At the same time, the tasks he assigned also became simpler.
However, he soon received an order to increase the difficulty of the tasks assigned. The Yun Family’s higher-ups had also noticed Chu Yun and wanted to test his limits.
Yun Feng reluctantly carried out the order. Afterward, Chu Yun’s performance continued to surprise him.
(To be continued)
