Many minutes later, Xiao Lin gave up and then opened his eyes.

"Ugh!" He uttered in an unhappy tone.

When Zhang Feng and the others saw that Xiao Lin had given up, they burst into unrestrained laughter.

Zhang Feng said to the others with a mocking tone in his voice "See, he is trash. Same with his Animal Spirit that master praises so much. I am still very sure that Master is wrong about his animal spirit. I believe that its extreme rarity is because of its extreme uselessness. Which foolish cultivator would want to summon such a gentle and adorable beast spirit that will definitely cause one's death in the middle of an heated or deadly battle?"

Immediately he asked that, everyone burst into another round of raucous laughter with some even applauding him for what he said.

"Silence!" Master Wu angrily said out loud.

He then inhaled in the next moment to calm himself.

He then turned his head to look at Xiao Lin "Xiao Lin, it's okay. Just know that with time, you will be able to merge with it. You can go back to have your seat."

Xiao Lin who still had shock in his eyes over what Zhang Feng said nodded his head and then went to have his seat.

Master Wu then turned his head to look at Zhang Feng and then at the the others.

He then said with a displeased tone in his voice "I am really disappointed in you all. Why would you laugh at him?"

He then said further with that intensely displeased tone still in his voice as he looked at Zhang Feng "Remember that when I took you all in to teach you Spiritual Beast Fusion, you were just like him. You couldn't get it at your first, second, third and up to your twentieth try, with many of you even taking much more longer than that to achieve fusion with your Animal Spirits. So, what really gives you the audacity to laugh at him when he just started his first try at it? Eh?"

Immediately Master Wu asked this question, no one could speak, since it was true.

They only looked at him with angry gazes in their eyes.

Now, Master Wu had brought their reputation so low before Xiao Lin with all that he said.

Master Wu saw their angry gazes and only ignored them.

He then stood to his feet.

"Xiao Lin, come with me" He said and then began to walk away.

Xiao Lin quickly stood from where he sat and hurried towards Master Wu as he walked to leave the hall that they were in.

After they had gone, Zhang Feng who still had an expression of anger written all over his face said to the people around him.

"Now that Master has brought us so low before Xiao Lin, the initial respect that he had for us might have dissipated away. The only way to gain back that respect is to deal with him. Or better still, strike great fear and terror in his heart so that he will cower in fear anytime he is our presence."

"Okay Brother Feng. But how are we going to do that with Master around. He will teach us a great and severe lesson or worst, excommunicate us." One who was beside Zhang Feng said with fear in his tone upon thinking what their Master might probably do to them if they did that to Xiao Lin who he had seemingly taken a strong liking to.

"Yea brother Feng. Master might really stop us from being his disciples and then expel us to never to return to his temple. We won't even be able to ask for his forgiveness. I don't think that would be a really wise thing to do" Another said, echoing loudly what the first person said.

"You guys are right. That's why we would show him love and affection in our Master's presence. We would make our Master believe that we have had a change of heart because of what he said and then show him that we would really take care of Xiao Lin as we would take care of our blood brothers." Zhang Feng said with a smile in his face.

He then said further "Then when Master eventually leaves to personally go do some things for himself, we would have all the time in the world to bully that Xiao Lin to our satisfaction before he returns."

Then still looking at the people around him, he said "We would only do that when Master has gone. But for now, let's pretend that we have had a change of heart and that we would really take care of him"

After Zhang Feng said that, everyone nodded their heads in approval.

Then they left the hall to go to the courtyard to continue practicing their moves.

***

- Master Wu's room -

"Xiao Lin, don't mind those annoying disciples of mine. I don't know what is really making them arrogant. And they weren't like this in the past." Master Wu said to Xiao Lin who sat in the cross-legged position before him.

He then said further with a thoughtful gaze in his eyes "Now that they have gained some degree of strength, their real characters are being shown."

"It's okay, Master Wu. Probably it's because of the glorifying things that you said about my Animal Spirit." Xiao Lin said.

He then spoke further by saying "Maybe from the way that you praised it, telling that mine had only appeared once in the world, had made them feel that their animal spirit is trash, and so, they couldn't help but really envy mine, and then try to attack me with harsh and scathing words"

"Well, so they won't attack you, I will have to train you personally. I am suspicious of those disciples of mine" Master Wu said while Xiao Lin nodded.

Xiao Lin then suddenly developed a curious gaze in his eyes.

He then proceeded to ask a particular question that surfaced in his mind "Master, your sect, is it like a real sect? I am sorry that I asked. It's just that I was curious since you don't have much disciples"

When Xiao Lin asked that, Master Wu laughed.

"Yes. It's a real sect. But I haven't gained much followers since it's new. It's not really long that I established it. However, with time, I will gain more disciples." Master Wu said confidently.

He then said further with a smile in his face "So for now, you and the others are my foundational disciples."

"Okay master" Xiao Lin said with comprehension in his eyes.

"Alright. Let's start your physical training." Master Wu said.

He then stood to his feet from his cross-legged position and said "Follow me."

Master Wu then led Xiao Lin to a massive yard at the back of his temple. He went to it from one of the doors in his room.

But that was the only way to get to the yard, since no other door or gate in the temple led to it, subtly meaning that it was a yard that only he could actually access for his own training. But now, he had taken Xiao Lin with him to the place, and that signified a lot.