The general idea was that Elder Grant had already made a preliminary assessment: although Jason Reed’s innate talent and foundation were rather average at present, he had many redeeming qualities. Not to mention Emily Grant’s opinion—just on his own, Elder Grant was also willing to form a master-disciple bond with Jason Reed.

However, bringing Jason Reed under his tutelage was merely the intention of Emily Grant and himself. What about Jason Reed’s own wishes?

It wasn’t that Emily Grant was unwilling to introduce Jason Reed to her master, Heavenly Master, but compared to Elder Grant, Heavenly Master was even more of a reclusive cultivator. It had already been ten years since his last seclusion.

No one could be sure when Heavenly Master would emerge—let alone for next year’s ordination ceremony, even whether he would come out before the following one was unknown.

Therefore, Emily Grant instead introduced Jason Reed to Elder Grant.

However, as the saying goes, water flows downward, but people strive upward. No matter who it is, once they enter the Heavenly Master's Residence, as long as there’s even a sliver of hope to become a direct disciple of Heavenly Master, who would be content to be merely a disciple of Heavenly Master’s junior?

Since Emily Grant, who led Jason Reed onto the path, wasn’t taking disciples herself, the choice of whom to apprentice under should be left to Jason Reed.

Perhaps Jason Reed would be willing to wait for Heavenly Master to come out of seclusion...

After reading the letter, Jason Reed’s first thought was:

According to normal social conventions, after you’ve said all this, could anyone still insist on wanting to apprentice under Heavenly Master? Even if just for show, one should immediately kneel and beg the elder to accept them as a disciple.

However...

Jason Reed looked at the handwriting on the letter, pondering for a moment, and did not answer immediately.

Reading the words on the page, it was as if a pair of gentle eyes were meeting his, full of encouragement.

Having been in this world for quite some time, Jason Reed could confidently say this was no illusion.

The writing of a high-level cultivator carried emotion and encompassed all things.

Jason Reed put down the letter and looked up at William Thompson in front of him.

William Thompson smiled: “Before Master left, he also spoke with me about you, Junior Brother Reed.

The elder said, how difficult is the path of cultivation? Only by facing your true heart can you walk it with resolve.”

Jason Reed: “You’re making fun of me, Senior Brother. Right now, I’m actually at a complete loss, with no idea what to do.”

William Thompson glanced at Jason Reed.

No matter how he looked at it, the tall young man before him seemed like someone with his own ideas.

But William Thompson said no more, only smiled and shook his head:

“Junior Brother Reed, you jest. Master once said, you don’t need to rush your decision. Who knows, before you attend the ordination, Heavenly Master might come out of seclusion? You can decide then.

Usually, as long as he’s on the mountain and not in seclusion, if you have any questions during your cultivation, besides consulting the instructors at the Daoist Child Institute, you can also ask him.

Now that Master isn’t on the mountain, you can come to me. My cultivation and knowledge are far inferior to Master’s, but I’ll do my best to help you.”

Jason Reed: “Thank you, Elder and Senior Brother.”

The orb of light in his mind was currently quiet, and no lot foretelling his fate had appeared.

This seemed to indicate that Elder Grant and William Thompson were sincere in their words, and wouldn’t treat him poorly just because Jason Reed aspired to reach for Heavenly Master’s lofty branch.

Perhaps, Elder Grant actually didn’t intend to take him as a disciple either, but was only doing so out of regard for Emily Grant.

Or maybe, the time wasn’t right yet, and he’d have to wait until the ordination drew near?

In the days that followed, whenever Jason Reed had questions, he consulted William Thompson, who indeed gave him careful guidance.

Compared to the instructors who had to divide their attention among many Daoist children, William Thompson was essentially giving him one-on-one tutoring.

With an excellent teacher and a steady supply of purple-gold lingzhi essence to replenish his energy, Jason Reed’s cultivation continued to advance rapidly. He opened his eighth qi sea and successfully broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refinement.

As time went on, after nearly a year since joining, Jason Reed gradually moved past the stage where everything seemed novel.

The daily repetition of lessons and cultivation began to feel a bit monotonous.

But after getting through this period of mental fatigue, Jason Reed started to truly grasp and experience a bit of the Dao’s essence—peaceful and serene.

Until one day, this tranquility was suddenly shattered.

“The Daoist Child Institute has been robbed!”

The news arrived just as Jason Reed and the others finished their evening class.

The institute was soon in chaos.

“What’s going on? What happened? Who was it?”

“I heard someone from the Second Branch stole something from the First Branch. They’ve already identified who it is and are now trying to catch them.”

“Have they caught the person?”

“Not yet. They say the thief ran into the mountains and forests.”

Soon, an instructor came to gather everyone and officially announced: “Tonight, there’s an extra training exercise for everyone—cooperate to search the mountain. Prepare quickly and set out as soon as possible!”

Although the incident also alarmed the main Heavenly Master's Residence on the mountain, in the end, it was the Daoist Child Institute that took primary responsibility for handling it.

The many Daoist children from the various branches sprang into action, splitting into teams to enter the mountains, setting up checkpoints and casting nets, conducting a manhunt as if on a hunt.

Jason Reed’s team was led by two direct disciples of the Heavenly Master's Residence, along with twenty Daoist children, guarding key positions in the northern mountains, keeping watch on all sides and searching from afar.

One of the young Daoists looked only about fourteen or fifteen, similar in age to most of the Daoist children.

But as a nineteen-year-old newcomer who had only joined a year ago, Jason Reed and the other younger Daoist children all had to follow his orders and be directed by him.

It wasn’t so bad when nothing happened, but in situations like this, the gap between Daoists and Daoist children became especially obvious. He really needed to improve his cultivation quickly and participate in the ordination... Jason Reed thought to himself.

The search and interception yielded no results.