"Well, if it's just that …" Fu Min leaned back. He had prepared so many things but the king was even more impatient today than normal. "Mn, you might know already that the mortal sects follow a certain hierarchy."
"Mn, I've heard of it." There were some stories about that even in the dragon realm. He remembered … Qiu Ling stared blankly. It seemed his father had told him one or two? How come he still remembered that? It had been so long already.
"To summarize it: There are an inner and an outer sect that consist of different types of disciples. There are outer sect disciples who don't have any privileges, then there are inner sect disciples with a higher aptitude and then there are disciples of certain masters. The status a disciple has in the sect will, therefore, depend on three things: His or her personal aptitude, the relationship to other disciples and the status of his or her master."
"Mn …" Qiu Ling frowned. "I guess it's already too late to become a master of the Yun Zou sect myself?"
"Uh …" Fu Min shook his head. "Yes, that won't be possible. A master would need to start cultivating in one sect and attain a high enough cultivation base. That would take at least some hundred years, maybe even longer if you want to attain a high enough status. A master could be a normal elder in the sect or the master of a peak or … Well, there's also the Sect master and maybe even more importantly: The Yun Zou sect has a Grandmaster."
"Grandmaster?" Qiu Ling tilted his head. That seemed quite important?
Fu Min nodded, took out a paper scroll and handed it over to Qiu Ling. "Yes. Grandmaster Zhangsun Xun Yi. He isn't the Sect master so officially his position in the sect would only be second but he is actually stronger than the Sect master himself so …"
Qiu Ling unfurled the scroll, scrutinizing the face of the person drawn onto it. "Hm …" That man wasn't bad-looking if one considered he was just a mere mortal. He couldn't rival him, though. His own looks were just too outstanding to be overshadowed by some human. Qiu Ling smiled with satisfaction. If even someone with such a high status couldn't rival him, then he'd definitely be able to win back Jing He's heart. It had worked once already, so of course, it would work a second time.
Ahem … Wait. That wasn't the point. "So, that Grandmaster's position in the sect is high. You can't be suggesting I try to get him to take Jing He as a disciple, can you?" After all, even if that guy was less good-looking than himself he wouldn't want to take any chances.
Fu Min shook his head. "No, quite the contrary: I think it would be good if you became his disciple, Your Majesty. That would be the fastest way to raise your status in the sect. If he becomes your lover again, nobody would dare to go against him."
"Great!" Qiu Ling leaped to his feet and clenched his fist. This was exactly what he needed! The perfect plan to get his beloved back.
And like this, he wouldn't even interfere with the trial. He wouldn't mind Jing He being part of some strange sect for a few years. If he could still become his lover, why should he care? In fact, it was great: When Jing Yi attained immortality in the human realm wouldn't he ascend to heaven again? Then he'd wake up in his original body and they could continue where they left off.
Qiu Ling was thrilled but then, he furrowed his brow and sat back down again. "So, what do I need to do to become that grandmaster's disciple?"
Fu Min and Ai Hua exchanged a glance once again. Their king was so … normal today. "That might be a little difficult."
Ai Hua pursed her lips. "Do you think it would be possible to just go there and ask to be taken in? His Majesty is a dragon, after all. His power is way higher than that of these mortals and he looks quite young."
Well, Ai Hua had a point: Qiu Ling was without question even stronger than the Grandmaster of the Yun Zou sect himself. And compared to the cultivators and practitioners of the sects who had long lives and might even become immortal he also didn't look that old. Counting in mortal years, he could probably be described as looking to be in his late twenties.
Someone being in his late twenties and already having achieved true immortality … The Sect master of the Yun Zou sect would be laughing in his sleep if he was able to get such a talent!
"That's not it. Being accepted as a disciple of the inner sect shouldn't be a problem", Fu Min said slowly. "But I'm afraid it might not be so easy to become the disciple of the grandmaster. If that grandmaster sees His Majesty, he would certainly take him in. But how to be seen is the question. This kind of man is highly elusive, so it is equally hard to attract his attention. One would need some lucky coincidence or would have to come at an occasion where the whole sect is assembled."
"Is there any such occasion in the near future?"
Fu Min shook his head. "Not that I know of. The next one should be some sort of assembly some years from now."
"Mn. That's too late."
Fu Min and Ai Hua nodded. They hadn't expected any other response.
"In that case …" Qiu Ling narrowed his eyes. "I'll have to create an opportunity." He would make that Grandmaster accept him as his disciple if that guy wanted to or not!
Qiu Ling bid farewell to Madam Zhong and left the teahouse. Soon, the capital was left behind him and he could already see the Long mountain range and the different halls and palaces of the Yun Zou sect.
Mn, Jing He, my beloved, soon I'll be at your side again! I'll accompany you every single day and make sure you will have a good life down here in the mortal realm. Even though you'll have to suffer a bit because of that strange trial, having such an attentive lover like me at your side should console you enough. Mn, you'll see: Being in my arms will make any worries become unimportant. You'll feel secure and cared for like never before. Life with me will be absolute bliss!
Ah, my love, don't worry. I'll find that Grandmaster right now and become his disciple. Then I'll have the perfect status for us to become a couple. Just wait a bit longer!
He landed on the path leading through the forest until the gate of the Yun Zou sect. Since Qiu Ling didn't know if those cultivators in the mortal realm could levitate he walked over.
Two disciples stood there and perked up when they saw him. This … Damn, how could a man be this handsome?! Heaven was truly biased! Why did that guy get to have such gorgeous features while they had to live with common looking faces?
"Who's there?", the disciple on the left questioned indignantly.
"Qiu Ling. I came to become a disciple."
The disciple on the right lifted his brows. "Is this some kind of joke?"
The guy in front of them looked nothing like a cultivator. Well, nothing like a righteous cultivator. Who would turn up at the doorstep of the Yun Zou sect wearing an ink black robe? Wasn't that what demonic cultivators wore? This guy couldn't be a spy, could he?
The disciple narrowed his eyes. He really felt like that was the only possible explanation. "You better scram!", the disciple yelled at him and grabbed the hilt of his sword.
Qiu Ling narrowed his eyes. Trying to deter him at the gates? Hmph, not going to happen!
Qiu Ling's fingers twitched but at the final moment he hesitated and didn't unleash his magic. He … didn't know anything about human cultivators and their abilities. What if he did something they couldn't do? They might not take him in at all. He paused. If he couldn't use magic … Why not use his sword? He couldn't go wrong with that, could he?
Qiu Ling took his sword out from his spatial ring, unsheathed it and stepped forward, the blade already approaching the two disciples. They stumbled and fell onto their buttocks. Qiu Ling smiled mischievously. That'll teach you not to cross me!
Just then, an old man with gray hair and an equally gray beard hurried over, his wrinkled face lit up with a bright smile. Even his eyes seemed to sparkle, letting him appear at least some years younger. Well, Qiu Ling had to give it to him: Though he was obviously really old, he had a straight posture and wasn't the least bit plump. He looked like the kind of man that had lived long and weathered through many hardships.
The Elder hurried over and stopped right in front of Qiu Ling, sizing him up. "Who are you?", he asked with a slight trace of agitation in his voice.
Qiu Ling smiled brightly at him. "Good day, Elder! I'm Qiu Ling and I heard many good things about your great sect, so I came here to become a disciple!"
"Great! Great!" The Elder nodded and motioned further into the sect grounds. "Actually, it's been a few days since we accepted disciples but I saw just now that you really have the talent to become a practitioner so I'll make an exception for you."
"Great!" Qiu Ling reciprocated the Elder's smile. This first step … had actually been really easy?