Chapter 3

“At the Wenjian Sect?” Mu Chongxi looked at her incredulously, “You want to sleep at the Wenjian Sect? Before dawn, you have to meditate and then practice swordsmanship.”

“Noon is for mental cultivation classes, and in the evening, there are one-on-one combat sessions.”

“The number one sect in the world, they will be surpassed if they don’t work hard.”

Ye Qiao: This is way too intense.

With a look of disbelief, she asked, “What about Chengfeng Sect and Bishui Sect?”

Mu Chongxi counted on his fingers, “Chengfeng Sect is full of people obsessed with appearances. They believe that unattractive people aren’t worthy of joining their sect. They have very strict standards for looks.”

He looked Ye Qiao up and down, “You look pretty decent, but they only accept male disciples.”

“Isn’t that gender discrimination?”

In the world of cultivation, really?

“Not really, it’s just that their cultivation method is unique, and it’s not suitable for female disciples.”

“As for eating, Bishui Sect doesn’t eat. Most of their disciples are alchemy practitioners. Since they are always preparing for competitions, they focus on cultivation and only consume fasting pills.”

Ye Qiao: “…”

Has the cultivation world gone crazy?

Completely despairing, she asked the most crucial question, “So which sect allows you to eat and sleep?”

Mu Chongxi got excited, “That would definitely be our Changming Sect, we have the best food.”

“We get five steamed buns every meal.”

Their sect had an abundance of steamed buns. Mu Chongxi, when he first joined, got so tired of eating steamed buns that he and his second and third senior brothers plotted to leave the sect.

Ye Qiao clapped her hands, deciding, “I’ll join Changming Sect.”

It’s not just about the steamed buns; she loves the lively atmosphere of Changming Sect.

“When can I sign up for your sect?”

Mu Chongxi scratched his head, vaguely recalling the sect master sighing when he went down the mountain, saying they hoped to recruit some good talents today.

“Today.”

“Registration ends tonight.”

He looked a bit surprised, “Didn’t you know?”

Changming Sect is one of the top five sects in the cultivation world. Even the most isolated rogue cultivator should know about their recruitment.

Ye Qiao really didn’t know. She was silent for a few seconds before asking, “So what time is it now?”

Does she still have a chance?

Mu Chongxi suddenly realized the urgency and yelled, “There’s only half an hour left before registration closes. If you go any slower, you won’t make it.”

He tossed his long sword, which grew larger before their eyes. Stepping onto it, he reached out to Ye Qiao:

“Get on.”

To ride a sword, one’s cultivation must be above the Foundation Establishment stage.

But the boy before her looked about her age and had already reached that stage.

Without hesitation, she took his hand and got on the sword.

The sword hovered in the air and then shot into the sky. Ye Qiao experienced the sensation of flying, the landscape blurring at their speed.

Mu Chongxi was in a hurry to get back before the gates closed; otherwise, Elder Zhao would surely punish him. Seeing time running out, he urged the sword even faster.

Ye Qiao, afraid of heights, clung to Mu Chongxi’s hair, almost crying out, “Do you even have a license?”

She nearly got motion sickness.

Mu Chongxi yelped in pain, “Stop pulling my hair!”

Their struggle made the sword wobble just as a flying boat approached.

“Quick, dodge!”

…

Changming Sect.

“Half an hour left,” the young man sighed softly, “Where am I supposed to find a genius, Elder Zhao?”

“Any decent talents have already joined other sects.”

Changming Sect has ranked low in the big competitions for a century, so their resources are limited, and they only attract mediocre disciples.

But they have no choice. The ten-year grand selection means they need fresh blood.

Elder Zhao had little hope but wanted to try recruiting from the outer sect, hoping to find some talented individuals for the competition next year.

“Has that rascal Mu Chongxi not returned yet?”

The young man shook his head, “He’s probably off playing again.”

“Always goofing around,” Elder Zhao snorted. Depending on those lazy personal disciples to win next year’s competition was less reliable than hoping for a talented newcomer to drop from the sky.

As the sky darkened with no new recruits in sight, Elder Zhao was about to call it a day when the young man suddenly said, “Elder, something’s falling from the sky?”

Elder Zhao: “Huh?”

Confused, he saw two people falling, accompanied by screams and exclamations.

As they neared the ground, Ye Qiao flipped and landed gracefully.

Mu Chongxi adjusted his stance just before landing.

Their impact created a large crater.

Mu Chongxi emerged from the pit, excited, “That was exhilarating! Did you see my landing pose? I call it ‘Golden Rooster Stands Alone.'”

Ye Qiao: “Brilliant!”

As they climbed out, they faced Elder Zhao’s stern gaze.

Elder Zhao looked at the human-shaped pit and his heart raced. Pointing at them with a trembling finger, he roared, “Who told you to create a crater in the back mountain? Do you know how expensive it is to repair this?”

Ye Qiao hesitated, “Shall I fill it in for you?”

Mu Chongxi put his arm around Ye Qiao, “It’s just a pit. Elder Zhao isn’t that petty.”

Elder Zhao took a deep breath, ignoring Mu Chongxi’s antics, and asked Ye Qiao,

 “What are you here for?”

Ye Qiao sincerely said, “I want to join Changming Sect.”

Elder Zhao: “…” I think you’re deliberately trying to annoy me.

The newly registered outer sect disciples all looked at Ye Qiao in awe.

Impressive.

Among the top five sects, just the outer sects alone have thousands of new disciples.

How difficult is it to get remembered by an inner sect elder among over a thousand people?

But Ye Qiao managed it.

On the first day of registration, she quickly became famous in such an outstanding way, ensuring that Elder Zhao would remember her name deeply.

The silent young man beside them couldn’t help but smile. Where did this amusing person come from?

Worried that Elder Zhao might get overly upset, he concealed his amusement and offered a gentle smile, glancing at Ye Qiao, “Your name.”

“Ye Qiao.”

The young man nodded and engraved her name onto a white jade token, “Keep this. In a month, there will be a talent assessment.”

Ye Qiao thanked him and, after observing her surroundings, exclaimed, “This place is really beautiful.”

No matter how you looked at it, from any angle or from a human developmental perspective, there was nothing to criticize.

“I’m Xue Yu,” Xue Yu introduced himself with a slight smile, “one of Changming Sect’s personal disciples.”

Ye Qiao was taken aback.

… Xue Yu?

Isn’t he the warm-hearted second male lead in the novel?

She didn’t respond immediately, but Xue Yu didn’t mind. He stopped smiling and glanced at his junior brother, “Where did you pick up this disciple?”

Mu Chongxi didn’t catch the teasing tone and scratched his head, “I met her at the black market. She said she wanted to come to our Changming Sect, so I brought her.”

The young man was silent for a few seconds, glanced at Ye Qiao, then sent a mental message, “Are you sure you’re not being used?”

Mu Chongxi’s personal disciple robe was quite noticeable.

Though Xue Yu didn’t want to think ill of a young girl, how could he be sure she wasn’t targeting Mu Chongxi’s status as a personal disciple and using his naive junior brother?

Mu Chongxi, displeased, replied, “You’re just projecting your own dark thoughts onto others.”

Xue Yu: “…” This idiot.

Their conversation was in private, so Ye Qiao couldn’t hear it.

Coming back to her senses, Ye Qiao looked at Mu Chongxi to express her gratitude, “Thanks for giving me a ride and bringing me to Changming Sect.”

Her words confirmed Xue Yu’s suspicion, and he looked at Mu Chongxi with an “I knew it” expression.

—Isn’t this just trying to form connections?

Ye Qiao genuinely wanted to thank Mu Chongxi, but since she was penniless, she thickened her skin and said, “Great kindness speaks for itself, so I won’t thank you.”

“See you later, Senior Brother Mu.”

With that, she turned to leave, leaving a bewildered Mu Chongxi in the dust.

When he realized it, he grabbed Ye Qiao, “Didn’t you earn some money at the black market? Since you’re so poor, let’s split it three-seven.”

Ye Qiao’s eyes widened, not expecting him to covet even a bit of spirit stones. She shook her head, “You two, me eight.”

Mu Chongxi was equally incredulous, “You’re greedy over just a bit of spirit stones?”

Ye Qiao replied seriously, “It’s not about the spirit stones.”

His expression softened until Ye Qiao continued, “It’s my lifeline.”

Mu Chongxi’s mouth twitched, “Forget it, I don’t want it.” He didn’t want to be so petty over a few spirit stones.

Any other cultivator would feel ashamed, but Ye Qiao shamelessly said, “Oh, then I won’t give it to you.”

“After all, talisman paper is expensive.”

Mu Chongxi: “…”

Xue Yu: “…”

This turn of events was beyond his expectations.