Chapter 53: Chapter 53: Alien Insect Eggs

Lu Li paid no attention to the crowd, merely gathering the ores from the ground before turning to leave.

Just then, Yan Ziming, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly spoke out, “Please, Immortal Master, save my daughter. We were framed…”

His tone was filled with sorrow as he bowed continuously to Lu Li, his forehead bleeding from the impact.

Next to him, Yan Miaowei also knelt beside her father, her clear, large eyes brimming with tears.

“Do you both wish to die? How dare you presume to seek favor from the Immortal Master?”

Before Lu Li could react, Yu Ergou, seeing the situation, immediately turned pale with fear.

Upon seeing this, Lu Li frowned slightly but did not respond, simply continuing forward.

He had little desire to meddle in the grievances of mortals; the nearby island was full of countless unresolved mortal complaints.

Seeing that Lu Li ignored them, Yu Ergou’s face lit up with delight, turning to stare hatefully at the father and daughter, his gaze as threatening as a predator’s.

Yan Ziming’s face instantly showed a look of despair, and Yan Miaowei cried pitifully.

“Immortal Master, please wait, this humble one has a curious object to offer.”

Seeing that Lu Li was about to leave, Yan Ziming bit his lip and called out loudly.

“A curious object?”

At the end of the mountain path, Lu Li, hearing this, suddenly became interested.

He turned around and slowly walked back to the two of them, emanating a trace of a cultivator’s imposing aura, his expression somewhat stern.

“Do you understand the consequences of deceiving a cultivator?”

Overwhelmed by this pressure, Yan Ziming felt a tightness in his chest, struggling to breathe.

“I dare not deceive you, Immortal Master. This object was found in the depths of a mine.”

He spoke extremely respectfully, reaching deep into his collar to pull out two black orbs from his pocket, holding them above his head and extending them forward.

These walnut-sized orbs emitted a luminescent light, quite peculiar.

“Hmm…”

Lu Li sensed faint fluctuations of Spiritual Energy from these orbs and was surprised; these items were likely related to cultivators.

However, the fluctuations were very weak. Had he not scanned them directly with his Divine Sense, he would have missed them.

He took the two orbs and examined them closely in his palm.

Their surfaces were covered with interlocking black and white patterns, rough to the touch, and he could sense a slight Life Energy inside, suggesting they might be eggs of some creature.

He carefully searched his memory for information about beast eggs but could not match any to these objects.

This piqued his interest even further.

Seeing that Lu Li was investigating, Yan Ziming felt extremely nervous, while Yan Miaowei looked on with hopeful eyes.

Only Yu Ergou on the side felt like an ant on a hot pan, anxious inside but unable to voice his distress.

“After today, I must deal properly with these two!”

He bitterly swore to himself.

At that moment, Lu Li spoke in a calm tone to the two, “This object does have some uses. I shall accept it. Speak your requests, and as long as they are not too excessive, I shall grant them.”

Upon hearing this, the faces of Yan Ziming and his daughter lit up with ecstatic joy, whereas Yu Ergou collapsed to the ground in a heap.

“Could you test my daughter’s Spirit Root first, Immortal Master?”

Yan Ziming asked cautiously.

“Didn’t the island conduct a comprehensive test a few years ago? Was your daughter not tested then?”

Lu Li was somewhat puzzled.

“Just at that time, I had an incident, so my daughter missed it.”

Saying this, Yan Ziming’s expression turned a bit pained.

Lu Li nodded, stepped forward, and approached Yan Miaowei.

He extended his hand and placed it above her head, quietly circulating a strand of Mana to seep into her body.

Feeling the warm touch on her forehead, Yan Miaowei’s face suddenly blushed.

She gazed quietly at Lu Li in front of her, feeling very nervous.

After a while, the strand of Mana circulated through her body smoothly, quite effortlessly.

“Eh… this person actually has the talent for cultivation.”

Lu Li was somewhat surprised.

He didn’t expect that the first time he tested someone’s Spirit Root, he would encounter a mortal with the potential for cultivation.

However, he could only tell that the person had talent for cultivation; as for the affinity with Spiritual Energy, that could only be tested within the clan.

Judging by the smoothness of the mana just now, it seemed likely that he was of medium-grade talent.

At this moment, Yan Ziming, who was kneeling on the ground, was also looking at Lu Li with a face full of expectation, feeling extremely anxious.

“Your daughter has the talent for cultivation, and her aptitude is quite good.”

Lu Li gave a slight smile, his expression becoming very kind.

This little girl will most likely become a Guest Elder on the island in the future, so forming a good relationship now wouldn’t be a bad idea.

Upon hearing this, Yan Miaowei and Yan Ziming instantly showed ecstatic expressions.

“This humble person thanks the Immortal Master for his compassion, and dares to request the Immortal Master to take my daughter as a disciple.”

Holding Yan Miaowei’s hand, Yan Ziming knelt on the ground and kowtowed deeply.

Lu Li was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, “Your daughter will also join the Lu Family and become a Guest Elder in the future. Our family does not have a master-disciple tradition.”

“Master, please accept Miao Wei; Miao Wei will be very obedient…”

Yan Miaowei looked hopeful. Although she was young, she knew that the master-disciple relationship was closer than that of a Guest Elder.

Yan Ziming also spoke very respectfully, “Can my daughter be both a Guest Elder and your disciple?”

He was also scheming in his heart; this Immortal Master seemed much younger than the previous one and probably had a greater future. He would feel much more at ease with his daughter under his protection.

Seeing this, Lu Li thought for a while and then nodded in agreement, “Well then, since I have taken your Spiritual Objects, let her be a nominal disciple.”

In the Cultivation World, nominal disciples were very different from Direct Disciples. Nominal disciples could even be numerous, receiving essentially no support, often dismissed with just a Cultivation Technique.

Hearing this, Yan Ziming and his daughter felt a bit disappointed but still nodded in acceptance, knowing they could not force the matter further–this was already the best outcome.

Yan Miaowei, her face beaming, kowtowed deeply on the ground, “Disciple greets Master.”

“Hmm… as your master, my name is Lu Li. You may follow me in cultivation for a while and later become a Guest Elder on Mystic Moon Island.”

Lu Li smiled and helped her up.

“But… my father…”

Yan Miaowei’s face struggled; she admired the Path of Immortality greatly but couldn’t bear to part with her father’s love.

Lu Li looked at his disciple in front of him and highly approved of her.

It seemed this disciple valued relationships highly and was a promising student.

He didn’t want to take in an ungrateful disciple.

“From now on, let Yan Ziming be the overseer.”

Lu Li spoke indifferently, his tone leaving no room for doubt.

Hearing this, Yu Ergou’s face immediately turned ashen, and he lost all hope of fortune.

The surrounding group of mine slaves all looked enviously at the father and daughter.

It seemed they were truly about to rise to great heights.

“Disciple thanks the Master; I will surely listen to Master’s words from now on…”

Yan Miaowei said firmly.

Lu Li smiled and then led Yan Miaowei towards the mountain’s summit pavilion.

“Miao’er, follow the Immortal Master in cultivation, and don’t worry about your father…”

Seeing Yan Miaowei leaving with Lu Li, Yan Ziming advised.

Tears swirled in Yan Miaowei’s eyes, “Child knows, father also take care of your health…”

“Don’t worry. Once you embark on the path of cultivation, find some Medicine Pills for common folk to nurture your father’s body, healing any fatigue will be nothing.”

Lu Li spoke reassuringly, smiling, though he didn’t have any Medicine Pills suitable for mortals.

“Understood, Disciple knows.”

Yan Miaowei nodded firmly.