Bai Yu took a deep breath, the lingering pressure making his lungs burn. With shaky legs, he followed the other successful candidates towards a designated area. A hundred outer disciples – a mere 10% of those who dared to dream. It was a sobering reminder of the arduous path that awaited him.
Bai Yu stood in line, waiting to receive his status plate and outer disciple garments. Behind him, a girl with pink hair and bright blue eyes stared intently at his face. "Did I do something wrong?" Bai Yu inquired."N-No," stammered the pink-haired girl. "My name is Liu Ning. Greetings, Senior Brother," she said, bowing respectfully."Senior Brother? We joined the sect at the same time," Bai Yu pointed out, surprised.Liu Ning blushed. "W-well, you're much stronger than I am," she admitted.Bai Yu simply nodded.
He glanced ahead and was taken aback to see the girl who had treated the commoners so poorly back then."That's Wei Yu," Liu Ning informed him, noticing his gaze. "She's the daughter of the Water Rites City Lord"."I see," Bai Yu replied as his turn approached. "Here is your status plate and clothes," said the man behind the desk."Thank you," said Bai Yu, taking the items.
He examined his status plate and saw "Countryyard No. 120.""The Countryyards are numbered from 1 to 150," Liu Ning explained. "Outer disciples are assigned yards from 50 to 125."Realization dawned on Bai Yu. "So, I'm practically ranked last among the outer disciples," he noted as he made his way to his assigned Countryyard.