Meeting the Deputy Sect Master
"Why have you brought a mortal to these place?" The elder asked with furrowed brows.
"Good day, Elder Chen Xiang" Xiao Bilan humbly greeted.
She then said "Well, he is here because he wants to join our sect. He came to me when I was coming down here with my colleagues and begged that he wants to join our sect. He asked that we give him give him the chance to cultivate at our academy. Then after so many pleas and taking pity on him since I saw that he greatly aspired to be a cultivator, I decided to bring him to help him achieve his dream of being a cultivator of the Sword at our sect."
"So, I hope elder can please give me the chance to help this mortal who wants to become a great cultivator of the Sword at our prestigious sect."
"Hmm" The elder called Chen Xiang, uttered that and then began to look at Max with oddity in his eyes.
"Are you really sure that this person is here because he wants to join our sect to become a cultivator?" Chen Xiang asked.
"Yes, Elder Chen." Xiao Bilan answered.
"Hmm. If it was another person that brought a nobody to join our sect, especially a mortal who doesn't have any understanding about cultivation, I would have directly declined and throw the person out. We don't accept things like this at the sect, Xiao Bilan. Let this be the first and the last time that you will do such" Chen Xiang said sternly as he couldn't detect the aura that a cultivator usually emanated from their bodies exuding from Max's body.
He then said further "Take him to the Deputy Sect Master. Hear what she would say about this since she has the final authority to decide if our sect should accept him or not without him taking an entrance exam. And if you are stopped by any other elder on the way, tell them that elder Chen Xiang had given you the permission to take him to the Deputy Sect Master"
Xiao Bilan nodded her head then Chen Xiang walked away.
Max looked at Xiao Bilan with a smirk expression in his face and then said in a low voice "You are insane, Bilan. You said I came to meet to you to beg that I want to join your sect. Ugh! You just lowered my esteem in front of that elder. I wonder how he would start looking at me from now. Perhaps as the begging mortal"
Xiao Bilan laughed and then said "Well, that's your problem. You should deal with it."
She then said further with an arched brow "But Max, what did you want me to say to that elder exactly? That you came from a place called Earth for something in our world and want to stay in our sect for sometime until you have gathered information about it using the books from our library?"
Max only shook his head.
"Alright." He said, agreeing with her.
He then said in the next moment "However, from the way that elder looked at me, I have a feeling that he might think that I am a bad person here to learn your Rainsword techniques. I am sure that they won't just allow me to join your sect without carrying out some strong integrity test on me to know if truly I am here to cultivate and for nothing else."
He then spoke further by asking with a solemn expression on his face "Bilan, don't you think I might be exposed if such test is carried out on me? Since I am not truly here to cultivate but to use your sect's resources to plan for what I am here for?"
"That's true. They might do so. But how come I didn't even think of that? Ugh! Anyways, I don't think you would be exposed from the test."
"Although I don't know the kind of test that might be carried out on you, and to the degree that the test may be taken to too determine your level of sincerity, fidelity and loyalty to the sect, but I believe you should be able to conceal your true intentions from them. Right?" Xiao Bilan asked.
"I don't know." Max answered.
He then asked "Can any of them read minds?"
"No. They can't" Xiao Bilan answered.
"Okay. Since they can't read minds, I think I should still be able to keep my intentions hidden from them no matter what kind of test may be carried out on me" Max said.
Xiao Bilan nodded and said "Let me take you to the Deputy Sect Master's room"
Max nodded and then followed quietly behind Xiao Bilan to where the Deputy Sect Master's room was.
***
Many minutes later after going down a route where no one could be seen since it was the pathway that led to the Deputy Sect Master's room, they finally arrived there.
Then Xiao Bilan knocked on the door when she and Max appeared in front of it.
'Knock!'
"Come in" This sounded from within.
Then Xiao Bilan entered with Max directly following behind her with a glow of wariness emanating from his sharply gazing eyes.
The Deputy Sect Master who was Lou Yifei by name and was a woman in her prime asked when she looked from Xiao Bilan to Max who was strangely dressed.
"Good Day, Master Lou Yufei." Xiao Bilan greeted.
"Bilan, who is he?" Lou Yufei directly asked after indifferently nodding her head to Xiao Bilan's greeting.
"He is someone that I met on the way here. He came to us since he could recognize the logo of our sect on our uniforms and then begged me that he wanted to join our sect to become a cultivator of the Sword. He said that it was his only dream and begged me very hard in public to grant it to him since he knew who I was and what background I am from. He hoped that I could use my connection to help him join the sect and make him become a cultivator"
"So after all the pleas from him, I took pity on him and decided to bring him here to hear what you are going to say about it. Therefore, I hope that Deputy Sect Master can please grant him his request" Xiao Bilan answered.
"Xiao Bilan, I am highly disappointed in you. So if another mortal comes begging you that he or she wants to join our sect, you would bring that person down here, right?" Luo Yufei asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
"I am sorry. It won't happen again. I know that what I did is very wrong, but I just wanted to help this person since he was greatly determined. Who knows, he could become a powerful cultivator that will bring glory and fame to our sect" Xiao Bilan replied.
Once Xiao Bilan said this, Lou Yufei turned her head to look at Max and could see that he had a strongly determined gaze in eyes.
She then sighed.
"Alright. I will grant you your request this time. But make sure that this doesn't ever happen again." Lou Yufei said while Xiao Bilan happily nodded her head.
"However, before he joins and becomes our disciple, I want to carry out a test on him. He can't just join the sect without me knowing if he is truly here for us and not against us." Lou Yufei said.
She then produced a small, blue-colored crystal ball that emitted a brilliant blue radiance and held it in front of both Max and Xiao Bilan.
"This is an artifact called the Heavenly Contract orb. By holding it in one of your hands, it will produce a force that would penetrate into your body and your mind to scan it. If you have bad intentions or something else in mind apart from joining this sect, the bright blue light emitting from it would change to another color which is a grim, ink-black color. And I believe you should know what that means" She said, looking at Max with a really stern gaze in her eyes.