The Iron Sword Sect of Cuihu Mountain is undoubtedly famous in the land of Qiongzhou, within the Great Chu Kingdom.
Because of their Sect Master, Bai Qinghe's strength, the sect faces very few enemies in Qiongzhou city.
Of course, the Iron Sword Sect is not the only martial arts sect in Qiongzhou; there are several others that are equally well regarded.
Furthermore, Qiongzhou was a poor place in the Great Chu Dynasty, so the big shot sects would not be stationed there.
As for the head of the Iron Sword Sect, Bai Qinghe, he was merely a second-rate expert. His performance was non-existent in comparison to those of the actual top masters.
Nevertheless, Bai Qinghe is recognized as a powerful force in Qiongzhou, so nobody will dare to provoke him.
Of course, except for Ningchuan's adoptive father!
Among martial artists, there are six levels: Third-rate, Second-rate, First-rate, Master, Grand Master, and Profound.
The heads of those martial arts sects were all Grandmaster-level masters.
Grand Masters are almost invincible. Although there is no way to verify it, it is rumoured that the Ruler of the Great Chu Dynasty has reached the realm of Grand Master.
As for the realm above Grandmaster, the profound realm, The Great Chu Dynasty hasn't seen a profound-realm martial artist for 100 years. They have long since become legends.
It is believed that Profound martial artists have the means to become immortal, and their existence is not comparable to that of ordinary mortals. Rumour has it that the founding emperor of the Great Chu Dynasty was at the profound realm. Whether or not this rumour is true is unknown.
...
Iron Sword Sect, Cuihu Mountain.
On the martial arts arena, a dozen teenagers stood. Ning Chuan appeared to be at least eighteen years old. His presence stood out among the teenagers.
A white-dressed girl and two disciples examined those wanting to pay homage to the Iron Sword Sect.
In the end, the Iron Sword Sect was nothing more than a second-rate martial arts sect. As such, the Iron Sword Sect would occasionally recruit teenagers as disciples in order to increase their strength.
"Ning Chuan? You're from Qiongzhou, right?"
A frown came over Bai Zhirou's pretty face as she looked at Ning Chuan.
It was obvious that Ning Chuan was slightly over the age limit and didn't qualify according to the Sect's recruitment rules.
"That's right, Senior Sister Bai," with a hint of humility and awe on his face, Ning Chuan clasped his hands together and smiled.
While Bai Zhirou was five years younger than him, Ning Chuan still called her "Senior Sister Bai", his face devoid of shyness.
As Ning Chuan shamelessly called her "Senior Sister", the two disciples of the Iron Sword Sect looked at him with contempt.
Shameless people have always existed, but none of them has ever seen anyone as shameless as him.
He didn't care what they thought of him, however.
As a matter of fact, he had already conducted a thorough investigation before approaching the Examination Gate.
The little girl in front of him was the only daughter of Bai Qinghe, the Sect Master of Iron Sword Sect. To join this sect, he'd naturally need to curry favour from this girl.
An instant smile appeared on her small, pink, and jade-like lips. You have to know that she's the youngest member in the Sect.
The excitement Bai Zhirou felt when someone called her "Senior Sister" was palpable!
As an old saying goes: A horse's ass does not wear out, even after thousands and millions of miles.
Despite her best efforts, Bai Zhirou could not hide her happy smile from Ning Chuan, who had clearly noticed it.
However, she quickly hid it and said, "Despite being older, your age is past the best time to practice martial arts. So, it would be unreasonable to accept you as a disciple..."
She said this, paused for a moment, and then changed her mind.
"Since your heart is sincere, it's not impossible to be included under my discipleship. It just so happens that this Senior Sister of yours need a miscellaneous disciple to take care of the medicinal garden."
Due to Ning Chuan's modest attitude, Bai Zhirou also referred to herself as "Senior Sister".
As a Senior Sister, she exhibited an old-fashioned look and quickly adjusted to the role.
"Thanks, senior sister. I appreciate it."
Ning Chuan bowed in haste, his posture humble and respectful.
However, she was stopped hurriedly by the two young disciples on the side.
"Younger sister, no. This person is over eighteen, and his family's origins haven't been investigated. He doesn't meet the requirements of our Sect. If Master knows, won't he blame us?"
"I think you should report this matter to Elder Ming, junior sister."
As Ning Chuan groaned, his heart ached. At a critical moment, these two guys did something terrible that he hadn't expected.
Despite this, he did not open his mouth but looked at Bai Zhirou with aggrieved eyes.
Sure enough,
After seeing Ning Chuan's aggrieved eyes, Bai Zhirou's hint of hesitation instantly disappeared.
Furthermore, the two senior disciples offended the majestic image that she had established before Ning Chuan.
"I've already accepted this person. My father will be informed of this matter. My two senior brothers don't need to persuade me."
The two panicked immediately when Bai Zhirou's small face turned angry, knowing they had enraged this little ancestor. As an unimportant passerby, the two wanted to avoid offending their admiring little sister, so they comforted her quickly.
After that, everything went smoothly.
Several teenagers had been accepted into the Iron Sword Sect that day. They all became outer disciples.
Also, Ning Chuan joined the Iron Sword Sect without any problems, but he became a miscellaneous disciple. The one in charge of the medicine garden, to be precise.
His age was already past the best time to practice martial arts, and he couldn't be accepted as an outer disciple.
He was already an exception due to his age, so Bai Zhirou would not dare break any more rules her father set and let him be a miscellaneous disciple.
Ning Chuan was, however, very pleased with the outcome.
Neither the outer disciples nor the inner disciples mattered to Ning Chuan.
His only goal was to stay quiet to improve his strength. The herb garden was undoubtedly the best choice for him.
***