The Sect Leader and those Core Elders had hurriedly arrived and left just as quickly, which didn't dishearten Mu Jinyu; instead, it relaxed him even further.
After all, the Cultivation of the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Sword Faction was truly unfathomable. Mu Jinyu suspected he must be a powerhouse of the Fanxu Realm.
Taking such a powerful figure as his mentor was something he was somewhat unwilling to accept for one, and for another, he was worried it might expose his own secrets.
He had many secrets on him.
Not to mention the Mystical Little Tree nourished by Spiritual Thought, hidden in his Sea of Consciousness, contained great secrets within.
Just take the Azure Dragon Bloodline, which could very easily bring disaster upon himself, let alone when they examined his Dantian, he had fervently used the Concealment Art, continuously suppressing and altering it to appear as ordinary Wood Attribute Essence Qi life force!
This type of Life Source Energy was very mysterious, allowing Jian Ruyan's shattered heart to heal and even stimulate Spiritual Medicine. Once exposed, who knew if they would control him, turning him into a tool for their Sect to provide top-grade Spiritual Medicines?
Mu Jinyu truly dared not gamble on that!
There were also his Cultivation Methods like the "True Dragon Art" and "Green Emperor's Wood Emperor Art," which he couldn't casually reveal...
Mu Jinyu now felt fortunate that the Concealment Art taught by his mentor was indeed very effective; it even hid his true strength from the scrutiny of the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Sword Faction.
It had not exposed his Life Source Energy either.
However, he also harbored some doubts because the "Green Emperor's Wood Emperor Body" he had developed through cultivating the "Green Emperor's Wood Emperor Art" didn't seem to be discernible by the Sect Leader either?
Could it be that the Five Emperors Technique and the "Green Emperor's Wood Emperor Art," having been lost for so many generations, were not recognizable even by the people of the Kunlun Ruins?
However… perhaps it was due to the "Green Emperor's Wood Emperor Body" physique that made them think he possessed a Wood Element Spiritual Root?
Mu Jinyu knew that the True Yuan he originally cultivated was attribute-less, only when he activated the Azure Dragon Bloodline using "True Dragon Art" would it contain some Life Force.
So he wasn't certain whether he truly had a Wood Element Spiritual Root or perhaps did have one, but never discovered it because he hadn't cultivated the "Green Emperor's Wood Emperor Art," the Wood Attribute Origin Source technique?
Shaking his head slightly, Mu Jinyu decided not to dwell on these issues anymore; obsessing over it was pointless.
He took Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou, following Elder Lin Feng who hesitated repeatedly, to handle the admission formalities.
Soon, they received the Sect Rules of the Heavenly Sword Faction, several sets of neat Outer Sect Disciple uniforms, a Magic Sword of magic artifact grade, and then arrived outside a row of simple stone cottages where the Outer Sect Disciples lived.
"Alright, I've finished handling your admission procedures. The rooms for Outer Sect Disciples are quite basic like this, please don't mind. I've done my best to choose three contiguous stone cottages for you; you all can decide amongst yourselves who lives where," said Elder Lin Feng, looking at Mu Jinyu with a complex expression.
"Thank you, Elder Lin, for your care," Mu Jinyu said, nodding with a smile.
He knew that choosing which room an Outer Sect Disciple could live in was not normally up to them. It was Elder Lin looking out for them that kept their rooms together.
"Don't mention it."
Elder Lin waved his hand at Mu Jinyu, then hesitated before finally speaking, "If you feel that you really can't stay in the environment of the Outer Gate and are easily bullied by others, you can tell me. I'll inform the Sect Leader and the others; perhaps you can choose once again to take the Sect Leader as your master. In any Sect, a Disciple without backing has a hard path to tread."
"Hmm, I know, I will seriously consider it. Thank you for the reminder, Elder Lin." Mu Jinyu spoke with a smile.
"Hmm, then I will take my leave." Lin Feng sensed the perfunctory tone in Mu Jinyu's voice and said no more, leaving straight away.
He actually quite couldn't understand.
Since Mu Jinyu was going to join the Heavenly Sword Faction, why not find a reliable master for support, which could save him many years, or even decades of effort!
Generally speaking, when cultivators decide to join a sect, once their extraordinary aptitude is revealed, and someone wants to take them as a disciple, they are usually very willing.
This signifies that they have backing; the master will also provide them with numerous resources, and right from the start, they wouldn't have to struggle up from being an outer sect disciple or inner sect disciples, directly becoming true disciples or core disciples!
He really couldn't find anything bad about being a disciple of the Sect Leader.
Perhaps, this is the mindset of a genius?
Watching Lin Feng leave, Mu Jinyu held the clothes of an outer sect disciple, a magic sword, and the sect rules in his hands. He turned to Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan with a smile and said, "This clothing of the Heavenly Sword Faction isn't bad. It's a magic artifact with the effect of isolating divine sense probes and also has simple defensive abilities. I'll go back to my room and change."
"Mhm." Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou each made a sound of agreement, and very tacitly chose the far right and far left stone houses among the three stone residences in front of them, leaving the middle one for Mu Jinyu.
Mu Jinyu seeing this, also took his clothes and went straight into the middle room to change.
...
"Sect Leader, I see you seem a bit unwilling to let it go. Do we need to press down on that Mu Jinyu in the outer gate, to blunt his sharpness a bit? I reckon in a few days, he will come around and want to become your disciple."
At the Elder's Grand Hall of the Heavenly Sword Faction, a core elder, seeing the Sect Leader's frustrated reluctance, spoke up to persuade him.
"No need." When the Sect Leader heard his words, he immediately shook his head solemnly and said, "I am, after all, the dignified Sect Leader of the Heavenly Sword Faction. To have my offer of discipleship declined and still eagerly hope he changes his mind, or even use some means to make him submit, then my position as Sect Leader is better left unheld!"
The elder, upon hearing this, gave a wry smile and dared not say anything more.
The Sect Leader then looked meaningfully at the elders and cautioned, "I do think highly of him. His aptitude is indeed very good, a rare jadeite, which is why I was inspired to properly carve out his potential. But make sure not to pull any tricks, lest you displease him and he leaves the Heavenly Sword Faction in a rage!"
"This kind of unruly and temperamental disciple, even if he does not acknowledge me as his master, as long as he is willing to stay in the Heavenly Sword Faction, it is merely a matter of having no guidance and wasting some time. Sooner or later, he will still be able to shoulder the great responsibilities of our Heavenly Sword Faction!"
"If because of your petty actions, you crush his spirit, I will have to hold you accountable!"
After the Sect Leader finished speaking, the elders exchanged glances and nodded unanimously, suppressing any schemes they might have entertained.
The Sect Leader withdrew his gaze, murmuring to himself, "I actually want to see how long you can rise being in the outer gate."
"And what exactly are your intentions for coming to my Heavenly Sword Faction?"
As the Sect Leader of the Heavenly Sword Faction, he naturally wasn't a fool and could discern that Mu Jinyu was harboring many secrets in joining the Heavenly Sword Faction, and it definitely wasn't as simple as he claimed.
However, the Sect Leader could see that Mu Jinyu harbored no ill will towards the Heavenly Sword Faction. So, he didn't really care what Mu Jinyu's motives were for joining the Heavenly Sword Faction, as long as it benefitted the faction. He didn't want to pry too much; mutual benefits would suffice!