Awakening of the Ancient: Rise of the Fallen 74 Chapter 72: Bright future

"I...I don't need to take it off. It's mine." Xu Ming responded.

"Can you stop lying? Only outer sect disciples are given the robe!" Dong Zhen replied to Xu Ming.

He still thought that Xu Ming found it somewhere.

"I'm not lying. I'm an Outer Sect disciple now. It's my robe." Xu Ming insisted as he took out his disciple badge and showed it to Dong Zhen.

Everyone present in the room was shocked as they saw the badge in Xu Ming's hand.

"Little brother, H-how did you get that badge? Did you steal it? You might not know it, but the names of the disciples are on their badges. Anyone can prove that you're lying. Let me see who it belongs to.." Dong Zhen still didn't believe him as he took the badge from Xu Ming's hands.

He observed the badge carefully and finally found the name.

"There it is. It belongs to someone called Xu M... H-how is that possible?" His eyes opened wide as he shifted his focus between Xu Ming and the badge.

Yao noticed the shock on Dong Zheng's face and stood up as he walked towards him.

He took off the badge from Dong Zheng and read the name.

"Xu Ming," He read the name out loud.

"How did you become an Outer Sect disciple?" Yao asked Xu Ming.

"I participated in the exams that were held today. I passed and now I'm an outer sect disciple." Xu Ming replied without any change in his expression.

"B-but don't you need cultivation to participate. How could you participate, unless you..." Yao was surprised, but he suddenly understood something.

"You had been cultivating secretly, haven't you? That's the only possible explanation." Yao gazed at Xu Ming and asked.

Xu Ming simply nodded his head.

"What is your cultivation now?" He further asked. Dong Zheng and the others were shocked as well. They waited eagerly for his answer.

"I'm at the 9th stage Body Refining Realm." Xu Ming let out.

"T-that should be impossible. Didn't Elder Jun say that you have no talent and that you can't cultivate? How is your speed so fast, then?" Dong Zhen let out with a surprised look on his face.

"I don't know. He must be mistaken." Xu Ming exclaimed.

"You weren't given a cultivation manual either. How did you begin cultivation?"  Yao further asked with a suspicious look on his face.

Xu Ming heard the question, but he didn't answer.

Yao noticed the hesitation on Xu Ming's face and didn't ask further.

"You don't need to tell me. I'm just happy that you achieved such great success in life. You did what we couldn't do." Yao placed his hand on Xu Ming's shoulders as he said with a smile.

"You must've come to take your stuff. It's going to be quite different once you leave."  Yao turned back and walked back to his bed.

"I don't have any stuff here. I just came to inform you and to say bye to you all. I'll never forget the help you gave me throughout the years."  Xu Ming said his last words before he turned back and left.

It was already night, thus Xu Ming decided to go to the lake once more, before going back to his new courtyard.

"The strange thing was that, even after his ring absorbed the Origin Energy last time, there was no difference in it. The space and the items inside were still the same. He was quite confused, unfortunately, he couldn't do anything about it.

He reached the lake and took off his robe and other clothes and he jumped inside the lake.

He swam to the center and began cultivating. He was sure that the girl wouldn't come today after her experience last time. Also, she should be in her new courtyard that has a personal bathroom.

Unfortunately, what he didn't expect, did end up happening as he once heard some more footsteps.

He saw the person who was coming and couldn't help but facepalm himself. It was the same girl as last night.

The girl stopped at the shore of the lake, but she didn't take her clothes off.

"You're inside, aren't you?" She called out as she faced the lake.

"What do you need? Why don't you leave me alone?" Xu Ming replied to her.

"Don't worry. I didn't come here for anything. I just wanted to see if you were telling the truth about daily coming here, or if that was an excuse. Good to see that it was the truth." She said with a smile on her face.

Xu Ming's face twitched as he heard her stupid explanation.

"If you don't want to come inside and take a bath with me, then leave. Stop being shameless and don't watch me bath!" Xu Ming said in an effort to make her leave.

"Hah, are you scaring me? I'm not the weak-willed. Of course, I'll come inside. You're a kid, after all, there's no need to worry." She said with a brave look on her face as she jumped inside and started swimming.

"This girl is crazy." That was the only thing that escaped his mouth.

He ignored her and kept absorbing the Origin Energy in the surrounding area.

"Hey, How old are you actually? 8 or 9?" She asked while swimming in the water.

Xu Ming heard her question, but didn't answer her.

She didn't like his attitude and decided to get an answer out of him at whatever cost.

She kept repeating the same question in his ear.

"I'm 8 now. I'll be 9 in a few months. Can you please shut up now?" Xu Ming finally replied.

"It's quite amazing that you're so strong at such a young age. You're quite lucky that you ended up in the Sect. Your field should be really bright." She said with a smile.

"I don't see any light in my future except one." Xu Ming said in a melancholic tone as he remembered his father and grandfather. All he had now was his mother.

Chapter end