The elder led Jin to get her identity verified. Along the way, people around them began gossiping about Jin's reputation within the inner sect, which was, to put it bluntly, terrible.
"How could the Great Elder take her as a disciple?"
"Did BiHuajin somehow deceive the Great Elder?"
"What charm does she have? Could it be that the Elder is attracted to her looks?"
"Impossible! The Great Elder is a man of integrity. There's no way he'd fall for her tricks."
One elder nearby warned, "Brother, are you sure about accepting Bi Huajin as your direct disciple? Her reputation in the sect isn't great."
The elder in charge of the registration, though his rank seemed equal to the old man, held deep respect for him. "We all know that Bi Huajin frequently goes to the mountain peaks to clean for you. As long as it pleases you, Great Elder, but I just don't want to see you deceived."
The whispers made everyone worry that the elder might be tricked by Bi Huajin, but despite the doubts, the Great Elder remained steadfast and officially accepted her as his direct disciple.
Bi Huajin gazed at her new identity token, a symbol of being the direct disciple of an inner sect elder. She felt a surge of excitement, and her submission points rose accordingly.
"That little brat is strange, just from a worthless token, she gains submission points?"The elder dismissed it with a wave, then turned to Elder Li Chenglou, "In three days, I plan to take Huajin to that small family to annul the engagement. Just in case any trouble arises, can you arrange for a few higher-ranked disciples to come with us and handle any unexpected situations?"
Li Chenglou nodded, "Rest assured, Brother. I'll make all the necessary arrangements. I'll meet you at the sect's entrance in the morning in three days."
As Li Chenglou walked away, Jin whispered, "Master, you're becoming more impressive every day~"
The elder chuckled, teasing, "With that sharp tongue of yours, come help me back to my little mountain peak."
"Back to my little mountain peak," he repeated, a playful smirk on his face.
As they walked, whispers began to spread through the crowd. "What kind of charm does Bi Huajin have that even Master Dawn accepted her as his personal disciple?" one person murmured.
"Who knows?" another replied. "But it's good that Master Dawn finally has someone to help him. I'll go gather the others."
Lee, one of the inner sect elders, thought to himself. Then, with a quick gesture, he activated the sect's internal communication system. "Master Dawn is going to take his personal disciple to a small family in three days to annul a marriage. He needs a few high-level cultivators to stand guard. If you're available, sign up quickly. Don't miss your chance."
From the crowd, a voice called out, "You're only at the Yuan Ying stage. What are you doing here? Are you here to help the master, or just to embarrass Elder Xian? You don't usually bother with cultivation, now you're looking for trouble?"
The square soon filled with eager faces. Those who had previously considered volunteering to back Master Dawn had gathered, ready to join him on the mission. The air was thick with anticipation, and a sense of purpose hung in the atmosphere.
"What's going on today?" Flora opened her eyes, puzzled. "Why is the sect so lively?" She noticed that the old man, of all people, had actually taken Bi Huajin as his personal disciple.
"He's really taking his woman as a disciple?" Flora muttered to herself. "This is unbelievable. How could he do something so ridiculous?"
She paused for a moment, considering. "Maybe the old fool doesn't mean anything by it. Perhaps he just wanted to give her a title, something to help him intervene more easily."
Flora sighed, her thoughts drifting. "As for the annulment... I don't care. It's less than ten years away, anyway. Let her enjoy herself as much as she can."
With that, Flora closed her eyes again, sinking back into her meditative state.
Three days quickly passed by.
During these three days, Bi Huajin couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. She had encountered several inner sect elders, and every one of them greeted her with a warm smile. What confused her even more was that some of the usually stern and intimidating elders were now smiling at her as well.
Bi Huajin couldn't help but wonder: What's going on with these elders? Is it because I've become Master Dawn's personal disciple? But Master Dawn was only at the Golden Core stage—how could his status alone cause so many elders to treat her so kindly?
She quietly asked, "Master, is there something on my face? Why is it that all these inner sect elders are suddenly smiling when they see me?"
Master Dawn chuckled softly and explained, "Those elders are just my little disciples. Don't mind them; they mean no harm. Are you ready? We're about to gather at the gate and head out."
Bi Huajin nodded. "Okay, I'll follow your lead, Master."
She realized that, after living with this old man for two and a half years, she had never noticed just how much charm he seemed to have.
Meanwhile, in the sect's square, a large crowd had already gathered. About a fifth of the sect's high-level combat forces were there, preparing to follow Master Dawn.
One elder, surveying the crowd, frowned. "What's going on here? So many people—are we about to go destroy another sect?"
Master Dawn responded indifferently, "I'm just here to help my disciple annul a marriage. No need for this many people."
Another elder clarified, "This annulment requires a lot of resources, so these people are just here to help with the logistics. The higher cultivation levels aren't really necessary."
Jin walked up, confused. "Aren't you Elder Huang?"
The young man laughed and replied, "Sister, you must be mistaken. I'm Huang Elder's grandson, Huang Yibo."
"But you're definitely Elder Huang! He was talking to me just yesterday!" the elder argued.
"I really am Huang Yibo!" Huang Yibo smiled awkwardly.
Master Dawn, growing impatient, waved his hand. "Alright, enough of this. Do you think I'm blind? Fine, you can come along, but make sure you hide your aura. We're going to annul a marriage, not destroy a clan. Don't scare anyone."
"Thank you, Senior Brother," Huang Yibo said, "Time's running short, let's head out quickly."
Bi Huajin nodded and followed her master as they made their way out.
"Master Dawn really does bring a sense of security," she thought to herself, feeling more confident with every step.