A moment later, a young maiden in fine robes entered the side hall, causing a stir among the many male cultivators waiting.
Clearly, the stunning young woman had a significant impact on them.
Upon seeing so many people in the side hall, the young maiden in fine robes was taken aback and asked with a pretty voice, "Who is Wu Tao?"
Hearing this, Wu Tao immediately stood up and replied, "I am Wu Tao!"
The young maiden in fine robes chuckled and said again, "Then you'll come with me first!"
With that, the maiden in fine robes turned and walked away, leaving behind only a cascade of bell-like laughter.
Wu Tao stood in place, pondered for a moment, then shook his head helplessly and followed her.
...
Wu Tao followed the maiden in fine robes out of the side hall, and the two then headed towards the mountaintop.
As they neared the summit, the maiden in fine robes made a sharp turn and led Wu Tao towards a forest on the side.
After bringing Wu Tao into the woods, the maiden in fine robes turned her head and said with a smile, "To become my teacher's disciple, you must first undergo a test. Don't think you can skip the test just because Teacher favors you, junior brother."
Wu Tao was stunned for a moment, then cautiously asked, "May I ask, senior sister, what kind of test is it?"
The maiden in fine robes' eyes glinted slyly as she feigned confusion and replied, "Oh, you don't know? Since we're about to be fellow disciples, if you just give me a little... a little something, I'll tell you!"
Seeing the maiden in fine robes extend her right hand and continuously rub her fingers together, Wu Tao's brow furrowed tightly.
This so-called senior sister was shamelessly asking for a gift of introduction halfway there.
"What kind of gift does senior sister want?" When you're under someone else's roof, you have to bow your head. Wu Tao, feeling helpless, decided to first hear her request. As long as it wasn't too unreasonable, he could grudgingly comply.
"Hmm, any particularly beautiful top-tier female magical artifacts, or interesting treasures would do. I'm not very picky! If not, five or six thousand spirit stones would be passable, and that would count as you passing!" the maiden in fine robes said, blinking her dark eyes with innocent charm.
"Five or six thousand spirit stones? That much?" Wu Tao nearly stumbled to the ground upon hearing this.
"This person is truly asking for the moon, and doesn't seem shy at all!"
"No way. While I could afford that many spirit stones, if I truly gave them to her today, this little girl would surely take me for a sucker from now on."
"As for the previous conditions, like top-tier female magical artifacts or fun and interesting treasures, where would I, a man, find such things?"
Wu Tao thought this to himself. Although his expression remained unchanged, his gaze towards the maiden in fine robes carried a hint of this sentiment.
The maiden in fine robes, being exceptionally sharp, immediately saw through Wu Tao's hidden thoughts.
...
She pouted her lips and deliberately exclaimed in a loud voice, "Junior brother, you're not going to be so stingy as to not give any gift to your cute senior sister whom you've just met, are you!"
Hearing this, Wu Tao was furious! Why should I give you a gift? What relationship do we have!
In his anger, Wu Tao decided to calmly look up at the sky, remaining motionless. He wanted to see how this spoiled girl could possibly take advantage of his feigned foolishness!
...
Seeing Wu Tao pretend to be silly and unresponsive, ignoring her completely, the maiden in fine robes grew impatient!
As time slowly passed, the cute young maiden's face turned somewhat green.
She glared at Wu Tao with hatred, gnashing her teeth in her heart at this thick-skinned junior brother who had appeared out of nowhere.
The two of them had been standing there on the small path, cold and silent, for a full hour, without taking a single step forward.
...
It turned out that seeing Wu Tao stubbornly ignore her, the maiden in fine robes, in a fit of pique, had stopped leading the way, intending to use this tactic to coerce Wu Tao.
Furthermore, she was unwilling to give up, constantly gazing at Wu Tao with pitiful eyes, hoping to make him yield.
In truth, the maiden in fine robes was already regretting her actions. If her master were to find out about the current situation, she might not only fail to get any benefits but also face confinement.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but glare at Wu Tao again. This ordinary-looking boy was really something, couldn't he just give her something small?
Didn't he know that girls needed to be coaxed? Male cultivators who couldn't coax girls wouldn't find a dao companion!
In fact, Wu Tao was also quite awkward at the moment...
He couldn't afford to completely offend this maiden in fine robes at the moment.
So, when Wu Tao felt he had sufficiently knocked down her arrogance, he slowly reached into his robe, to see if he could find anything suitable to dismiss this mischievous maiden in fine robes.
After rummaging for a long time, Wu Tao finally found a fiery red top-tier magical artifact jade pendant carved with a phoenix.
This jade pendant was called "Phoenix Feather Dance," a defensive top-tier magical artifact, sealed with several layers of fire-attribute protective spells.
This was a magical artifact Wu Tao had found in the storage bag of a defeated enemy.
Wu Tao tossed the fiery red jade pendant towards the maiden opposite him. Caught off guard, she fumbled as she caught it.
"What is this?" The maiden in fine robes, with a cold expression, finally smiled. She had finally received a gift from this extremely stingy fellow.
"This is a fire-attribute top-tier defensive protective magical artifact called 'Phoenix Feather Dance,' equipped with several excellent defensive spells. I bought it at an auction for several thousand spirit stones," Wu Tao said with a straight face, concocting a story.
"Thank you, junior brother. If you ever need anything in the future, feel free to come to me for help. I'll only ask for a small reward, and I'll definitely help you solve it perfectly," the maiden in fine robes said with a giggle, tossing the fiery red jade pendant in her hand a few times.
"Alright, senior sister! Junior brother will definitely seek your help if anything comes up in the future." Wu Tao replied with a fake smile, inwardly scoffing, "With your personality, I won't ask you for help even if something truly happens!"
The maiden in fine robes, of course, couldn't hear Wu Tao's inner thoughts. At this moment, she was overjoyed that the fellow had finally become compliant.
She suddenly felt this junior brother was quite interesting, and even looked a bit more pleasing to the eye.
"Let's go, junior brother! I'll tell you the key points for meeting Master carefully, and I guarantee you'll pass!" the maiden in fine robes said with a radiant smile, resuming their journey.
She walked ahead of Wu Tao with her head held high, while Wu Tao sighed softly behind her and followed slowly.
"The place for the test will be in Master's Sword Questioning Hall. Junior brother, you'll have to enter the Sword Questioning Hall alone. I can't go with you!"
"You must answer Master's questions seriously. If you answer incorrectly, Master might become furious and even revoke your qualification to become a disciple. You must answer with all your heart, understand?"
Having received her reward, the maiden in fine robes was somewhat serious and responsible, conveying the most crucial points.
"Junior brother! You must do your best! I believe you will succeed!" the maiden in fine robes cheered him on, clenching her fists.
Although he knew these words of encouragement were useless, a warmth still involuntarily rose in Wu Tao's heart upon hearing them.
After waving goodbye to the maiden in fine robes, Wu Tao stepped into the Sword Questioning Hall.
Upon entering the Sword Questioning Hall, he was met with the sight of a disheveled woman in a simple blue robe, slightly unkempt!
The scene before him caused Wu Tao to frown slightly. Although he only saw her back, Wu Tao was almost certain that this woman was his master, "Shangguan Yujie"!
At this moment, Shangguan Yujie was quietly sitting before a candle holder, holding a jade slip and engrossed in it with delight. She occasionally took a sip of wine from the wine gourd beside her, seemingly unaware of Wu Tao's arrival.
Ten years ago, Wu Tao might have already impatiently called out to her.
However, after enduring so many years of trials and tribulations, Wu Tao's sharp edges had gradually been smoothed down. Thus, he simply stood quietly by, waiting for Shangguan Yujie's response.
It was at this moment that Wu Tao finally had the time to carefully examine the Sword Questioning Hall.
Unlike the other grand halls of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, the Sword Questioning Hall was less opulent and more tranquil, exuding an ancient aura and a transcendent feeling of being detached from the mundane world.
"If the heart is still, the sword heart is pure. Your heart seems to be unquiet..."
Shangguan Yujie, who had been looking at the jade slip, suddenly sighed softly.
Hearing this, Wu Tao looked towards Shangguan Yujie in surprise, only to find that she was still with her back to him and had not turned to look at him.
But how did she know his heart was unquiet?
"The moment you stepped into the Sword Questioning Hall, I sensed your sword heart. Although it has just taken shape, it is very pure..."
"Alas, your mind was disturbed just now, and your originally calm state of mind rippled with a trace of disturbance..."
Wu Tao looked stunned, gazing strangely at Shangguan Yujie's back, while his heart churned like a stormy sea.
After finishing the last sip of wine from the gourd, Shangguan Yujie seemed to have lost interest in the jade slip and casually tossed it onto the ground.
Standing up, Shangguan Yujie glanced back at Wu Tao and turned to leave, swaying.
(New book updating, please collect, please vote for recommendation, please share, give more, thank you friends, your support is my motivation!)