I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

Taking a Disciple

“Young man, it’s still not too late to take back your decision. Don’t let any past grievances with Bai’s family cloud your judgment. Brother Bai is not a short-sighted person; he values talent greatly. As long as you become his disciple, the conflict with Bai’s family will be easily resolved.” He Bini spoke earnestly, “I’m not questioning Elder Liu’s strength, but compared to Brother Bai, he might not be the best fit for you.”

Elder Liu remained silent. He disliked those who wavered due to others’ words, quietly waiting for Long Tian’s reaction.

“Elder He’s kind advice, I am truly grateful for, but the path I wish to take is clear to me. Even if I regret it in the future… No, I will not regret it, because everything is my own choice, and I will see it through to the end.”

“Very good!” Elder Liu, after hearing Long Tian’s words, slammed the armrest of his chair: “A sword cultivator must have the momentum to forge ahead without looking back. This disciple, I, Liu Xuan, will take him!”

Both sides had made their decisions; all that was left for Long Tian was to perform the disciple ceremony, officially becoming Liu Xuan’s disciple.

Bai Manghuo could not have imagined that the usually aloof Liu Xuan would suddenly take action today. Bai Manghuo snorted coldly and angrily left his seat.

He Bini sighed: “Brother Liu, why go to such lengths?”

“I act solely on instinct; I choose disciples based on affinity. The more I look at this kid, the more I feel he’s a good fit. Why should I care about Bai Manghuo’s face?”

He Bini shook his head: “As I said before, letting him become Brother Bai’s disciple could ease the conflict between him and the Bai family. Now that it’s come to this, I fear…”

“What? Does the Bai family dare to harm my disciple?”

“That’s not what I mean. It’s just that he will definitely face suppression. With Brother Bai’s two disciples plus the Bai family’s people…” He Bini actually did not know Bai Manghuo’s true intentions. The two sides indeed had some connection, but it wasn’t close enough to share everything. Moreover, a dignified Transformation Realm expert wanting to harm a young Crystal Realm cultivator would be embarrassing for Bai Manghuo if it got out. Thus, He Bini thought Bai Manghuo genuinely wanted to take Long Tian as a disciple.

“Isn’t suppression even better? It provides motivation to rise.” Liu Xuan took out a wooden token and used spiritual power to send it to Long Tian: “At the hour of the rabbit, come to my cave and find me. This is your pass.”

“Yes!” Long Tian understood that this was not the right place to perform the disciple ceremony, and Liu Xuan also needed time to prepare gifts for his new disciple.

In fact, compared to Liu Xuan, Long Tian initially wanted to apprentice under Elder Chen, Chen Long. His intention in taking a master was not truly to learn anything from the other party, but rather to seek protection and buy time to grow stronger. The Fallen Immortal Old Man was his true master; taking on another as a disciple was purely a last resort. Fortunately, the Fallen Immortal Old Man didn’t mind this, and he even took the initiative to suggest that Long Tian go to the Pill Fire Hall to refine pills, drawing more attention from the elders and cutting off Bai Manghuo’s plans.

—

The reason for choosing Chen Long is simple. He is friendly, easy to get along with as a master, and has many disciples, which means his attention is divided and not solely focused on one person. Sometimes, a master’s attention can feel like a constraint for Long Tian.

Later, the change of heart to choose Liu Xuan came about because Long Tian felt that although Liu Xuan had a rather irritable temperament, he was very straightforward. If Long Tian expressed a desire to seek enlightenment on his own, Liu Xuan would most likely not interfere, which would benefit Long Tian’s future cultivation. Moreover, compared to Chen Long, who was left speechless by He Bini’s sharp remarks, Long Tian preferred a master like Liu Xuan, who would readily engage in a fight if there was a disagreement. At least he wouldn’t be timid, fearing to offend Bai Manghuo.

Whether right or wrong, there was no room for turning back now. Long Tian was, as he had just stated, someone who would see his choices through to the end.

“Following Brother Liu Xuan is quite good, but his swordsmanship is straightforward. If your cultivation isn’t up to par, it’s best not to act that way; otherwise, you could easily lose your life.” Chen Long, not having gained Long Tian, did not speak harshly but instead offered a kind reminder.

Long Tian expressed his gratitude, and soon, the news of him being accepted as a disciple by Elder Liu Xuan spread throughout the entire Tianluo Sect.

——

Not long after, Ye Yong also learned of this news from Ye Gou. The boat trip with the female leads had already ended, and now, in a bamboo grove, he was painting their portraits.

Long Tian’s choice of Liu Xuan instead of Chen Long was different from the direction of the novel, but Ye Yong was not surprised at all. He had anticipated the occurrence of a butterfly effect and had grown accustomed to it. The key point was what changes would arise after the butterfly effect took place.

Chen Long had six disciples, four males and two females, all born into prestigious families. Except for the eldest brother, the others looked down on a country bumpkin like Long Tian to some extent. Especially the second brother, who constantly mocked Long Tian. However, they were still brothers, and despite the poor attitude, no one had ever tried to seriously harm him, so there were no incidents of fratricide. Chen Long was a competent master, always considering Long Tian in good times, and over time, Long Tian developed feelings of a master-disciple bond towards him. Unfortunately, the protagonist was a lone star, and anyone who dared to associate with him would inevitably face disaster. Midway through the storyline, Chen Long met his end in a battle against demons, and Long Tian vowed to revitalize the sect and promote Chen Long’s swordsmanship, which he indeed accomplished later.

As for Liu Xuan, Ye Yong had no impression of this person. According to Ye Gou, he was eccentric and hot-tempered, and compared to Chen Long, he was lacking significantly, with only one disciple… all unfamiliar new characters.

Lost in thought, Ye Yong accidentally drew Xia Shiqi’s nose crooked. Yes, this silly wolf had come along too; after all, it was quite idle and would follow wherever there was excitement.

Ink paintings are not easy to modify, and Ye Yong was too lazy to fix it. After finishing, everyone came over to take a look, and Xia Shiqi stretched its neck, only to find that its nose had been drawn all the way to its mouth. It immediately howled in distress, almost speaking human words out of anger.

“What do you know?” Ye Yong patted Xia Shiqi’s head. “This is called the Crooked-Nose Wolf King, very impressive.”

Xia Shiqi looked at him with a doubtful expression, unsure if it didn’t understand what Ye Yong was saying or if it understood but thought he was just fooling it.

The painting Ye Yong created was not a spiritual painting, so in just a few strokes, he used a special method to make several copies, each for Qin Shimeng and the others to keep. As for Xia Shiqi, Ye Yong didn’t want to give it one, but seeing that everyone else had one and it didn’t, it howled incessantly, forcing Ye Yong to give it a copy as well.

The silly wolf immediately spread the painting on the ground, its paws constantly trying to fix its crooked nose, seemingly wanting to straighten it out. After realizing it was futile, it leaned on the easel, getting some ink on itself, attempting to repair it like Ye Yong did, only to end up smudging its entire face.

Seeing it in such a frenzy, Ye Yong found it quite amusing, but he also felt a bit worried. If it were to raise its realm and transform, would it still be this silly… hissing, a wolf girl lacking a brain and a cold