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After a series of induction ceremonies such as paying respects to the ancestral master, announcing the sect rules, and recording their names, Ye Zhen and the others formally became Outer Disciples of the Qiyun Sect upon receiving a white jade talisman engraved with their names.
"Alright, from now on, you sixteen are officially listed in the walls of our Qiyun Sect, becoming Outer Disciples. However, there are more than three thousand Outer Disciples in our sect, and with many sect members, you still do not have the privilege to take a master."
After a pause, Steward Liu, who had been leading Ye Zhen and the others, continued, "The next few matters pertain to your future. Make sure to remember them."
"First, the white jade talisman in your hands is your identity proof. Refined by master talisman craftsmen of the sect, it is extremely extraordinary and can record and adjust your Sect Contribution Points, among other information."
"Second, although you do not have the privilege to take a master, our sect has still arranged ten sect instructors for the many Outer Disciples. If you have doubts about your cultivation, you can seek guidance from them."
"Third, every newly initiated Outer Disciple may enter the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion and freely choose a Cultivation Technique Manual, Body Skill Manual, and Martial Technique Secret Manual, one of each. Thereafter, if you wish to switch techniques or cultivate more advanced manuals, apart from sect rewards, you will need to exchange them with your Sect Contribution Points."
"Fourth, that would be the sect missions. After becoming an Outer Disciple, the time you have for cultivation will greatly increase. However, each month, each person must complete one sect mission, and sometimes, the sect might directly assign missions to you. Qiyun Sect never supports idlers!"
Ye Zhen listened very attentively, as the treatment of an Outer Disciple compared to a servant disciple was worlds apart. The main duty of a servant disciple was to fulfill servitude, while the main duty of an Outer Disciple was cultivation.
As for completing one sect mission a month, that wasn't anything worth considering. When he was a servant disciple, he had to endure arduous labor for five hours every day.
"All right, those are all the matters I had to inform you about. Now, you may enter the Scripture Pavilion to choose the primary Cultivation Techniques," said Steward Liu as he pointed towards a towering pavilion in the distance.
Long having heard about the benefits available to Outer Disciples, especially the advantage in cultivating Cultivation Techniques which was the after-dinner conversation of servant disciples, now that Steward Liu mentioned it, even someone as proud as Feng Haoran couldn't help but quicken his pace with the crowd towards the Qiyun Sect's Scripture Pavilion.
"Brother Ye, shall we go together?" Shi Tianjia, unable to hide his excitement, called out to Ye Zhen, who declined with an unemotional shake of his head. Today on the Fish-Dragon Path, Shi Tianjia deliberately pulled Ye Zhen into the fight, creating a two-on-one situation, which made Ye Zhen suddenly become wary of him.
"Ye Zhen, why don't you go to the Scripture Pavilion to choose a Cultivation Technique Manual? You know, the sooner you choose, the sooner you can cultivate, and the more advantage you'll have," said Steward Liu suddenly when he noticed Ye Zhen showing no intention of heading to the Scripture Pavilion.
Over the course of half a day, Ye Zhen had come to understand that the bearded Steward Liu with three strands of beard under his jaw was actually Steward Guann Feng from Donglai Peak, reputedly a former Inner Sect Disciple who made contributions.
In other words, the three thousand Outer Disciples of Donglai Peak were all under the supervision of Steward Liu.
"I heard there are numerous Cultivation Techniques in the Scripture Pavilion, so dazzling that one can easily get bewildered. I prefer to wait until my mood settles before making a careful selection," Ye Zhen intended to say it was Manager Zhao's instruction, but unsure of Manager Zhao's intentions behind such an arrangement, he instead chose this response.
Upon hearing this, Steward Liu's face suddenly darkened, "The thought is commendable, but don't forget the sect rules that were just announced to you—Qiyun Sect prohibits the private exchange of Cultivation Technique Manuals among disciples. If discovered, your cultivation will be invalidated, and you will be expelled from the sect!"
With a heavy snort, Steward Liu left, leaving Ye Zhen smiling wryly in place. Ye Zhen hadn't expected Steward Liu to misunderstand him, thinking he wanted to exchange Cultivation Technique Manuals with other disciples to seek an underhanded advantage.
Ye Zhen was in no rush to meet Manager Zhao, although he was very curious about the intentions behind his arrangement and somewhat looking forward to the so-called reward from Manager Zhao. Instead, he first went to his accommodation on Donglai Edge.
Compared to servant disciples, Outer Disciples had much better living conditions. Although not having private houses, the provision of a single room for each person still pleasantly surprised Ye Zhen.
Once he donned the unique black combat garb of an Outer Disciple, an uncontainable heroic aura emanated from Ye Zhen, a stark contrast to the grey clothes of a servant disciple, which represented a significant improvement.
After organizing his things, Ye Zhen headed straight for Hundred Pine Peak.
"Senior Brother, greetings!"
"Senior Brother, hello!"
It was fine in Donglai Peak where most were Outer Disciples, with no distinction in rank, but once he left Donglai Peak and was on his way to Hundred Pine Peak, Ye Zhen encountered disciple after disciple dressed in grey clothes, the servant disciples.
These grey-clad servant disciples, upon seeing Ye Zhen in black garb, immediately adopted a solemn expression, stepped aside, and greeted him with a bow.
Once, Ye Zhen encountered eleven servant disciples standing in a row by the road to greet him, which instantly made him feel somewhat elated.
Suddenly, a white-clad Inner Sect Disciple appeared from a side path. Ye Zhen, basking in his newfound status, didn't realize he was approaching a white-clad Inner Sect Disciple until the figure was close at hand.
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When he lifted his head, Ye Zhen saw the frost-covered face of a white-robed Inner Sect Disciple, exuding an inexplicable aura of might that chilled him to the bone.
"Greetings, Senior Brother!" Ye Zhen, who had just come to his senses, hastily stepped aside to pay his respects.
Seeing this, the white-robed Inner Sect Disciple's expression softened a bit, and he left a cold snort that nearly shattered Ye Zhen's eardrums before striding away. Only then did the chilling sensation making Ye Zhen's hair stand on end disappear, as he silently broke into a cold sweat.
This insignificant incident triggered a tempest in Ye Zhen's heart.
He absolutely could not afford to be complacent about his small accomplishment of becoming an Outer Disciple. Above the Outer Disciples, far too many strong figures loomed.
Outer Disciples were nothing but ants with slightly higher status and better treatment compared to servant disciples, but a slightly stronger ant was still just an ant.
To become strong!
To possess formidable strength!
To be like Fairy Caiyi, who he had seen that day, commanding the respect of thousands of Sect Members—even the most senior Sect Stewards had to meet her with reverence.
A seedling had quietly taken root in Ye Zhen's heart!
"Greetings, Senior Brother Ye!"
"Congratulations to Senior Brother Ye for successfully becoming an Outer Disciple!"
Upon returning to Hundred Pine Peak, many of the servant disciples treated Ye Zhen with greater respect, giving him the feeling of a triumphant return.
At that moment, Ye Zhen secretly decided that once things settled down and he had made some progress in his cultivation, he would certainly make a trip home.
Not for anything else, but to bring honor to his parents and put their hearts at ease.
"Ye Zhen, how does it feel to be an Outer Disciple?" Manager Zhao, who had been waiting for Ye Zhen amongst the compliments of many servant disciples from Hundred Pine Peak, asked with a smile.
Ye Zhen pointed to a formidable figure flying across the sky and answered with a wry smile, "I'm still an ant, just an ant that's slightly stronger than before."
The originally smiling Manager Zhao suddenly showed a look of surprise. "Not bad! Ye Zhen, you really are something. I thought you'd be so excited about becoming an Outer Disciple that you'd lose your bearings."
Ye Zhen responded with a wry smile. Compared to those with outstanding Bloodline Talents who were directly accepted as Outer Disciples, they were just the lowest of the Outer Disciples.
Not to mention Ren Xihua, who had been taken in as an Inner Sect Disciple directly by the Qiyun Sect due to his exceptional Top-Grade Six Veins talent the year Ye Zhen joined. What were they, who had just squeezed their way up from servant disciples to become Outer Disciples, compared to him?
Rumor had it that Ren Xihua reached the Fourth Stage of Blood Training within a month of joining and successfully completed Essence Condensation and Qi Gathering within half a year. If it were not for the Sect elders holding him back for fear of an unstable foundation, Ren could have condensed his essence and gathered his qi even earlier.
"Ye Zhen, you don't need to belittle yourself. The Martial Arts path values fearlessness, and how far you can go depends entirely on your destiny," Manager Zhao said.
After a pause, Manager Zhao continued, "You didn't enter the Scripture Pavilion, did Steward Liu scold you? Do you know why I advised you against entering the Scripture Pavilion to choose a Cultivation Technique Manual?"
"How did you know?" Ye Zhen was surprised at first, then shook his head, "I don't understand."
"Heh, before you challenged the Fish-Dragon Path, I had promised that if you succeeded, I would have a nice gift for you. This actually relates to the nice gift I am about to present to you!" Manager Zhao explained.
A gift?
Ye Zhen's heart raced at these words. Could it be that Manager Zhao intended to present him with a Cultivation Technique Manual?