On the other side, the woman who returned from the lower realm flew towards a palace.
She walked in slowly, standing in the center of the great hall, her eyes shyly glancing towards the upper seat.
“Sect Master, Zhirou has returned,” her voice was delicate.
On the main seat, a man with a tall physique and wearing a white mask languidly rested his chin on his hand, seemingly ignoring Zhirou’s shy demeanor.
“You dare to go to the lower realm without permission? Disobeying the sect’s rules?”
His indifferent voice instantly made her feel immense pressure.
Not good! The Sect Master is angry!
“Reporting to the Sect Master, Zhirou went to the lower realm this time because she received news of the Vermilion Bird!” she said nervously, bowing deeply.
Discovered the Vermilion Bird?
The man’s interest was instantly piqued. “Oh? Where is the Vermilion Bird?”
Sensing the change in the Sect Master’s emotions, Zhirou eagerly said, “She is with a woman who has just ascended in the lower realm. She seems to have already contracted with the Vermilion Bird.”
Contracted?
The man seemed surprised that the Vermilion Bird would be contracted by someone, and moreover, by a woman from the lower realm.
“And that woman is extremely cunning. She even threatened Zhirou, saying she would definitely kill me.” Zhirou’s tear-reddened eyes seemed to hold back tears.
The Vermilion Bird would choose such a master?
The man stroked his chin in thought, not looking at her at all.
He had searched for the Vermilion Bird for many years, and finally found it. The Vermilion Bird, he was determined to have!
“If that is the case, if you can snatch the Vermilion Bird, then the punishment for going to the lower realm without permission will be waived,” the man said sternly.
Upon hearing this, Zhirou was overjoyed. She bowed and exclaimed, “Yes! Zhirou will not disappoint the Sect Master!”
Bai Ran, oh Bai Ran, wash your neck and wait for me…
Thinking of her exceptionally beautiful face, Zhirou’s expression turned extremely sinister.
After a bumpy journey, Bai Ran was brought back to the sect by Sect Master Xiong, leaving the Vermilion Bird exhausted. It could barely lift its head in Bai Ran’s embrace.
“Look! The Sect Master is back!”
“Sect Master Xiong!”
“Huh? Is there someone beside the Sect Master?”
Sect Master Xiong had an excellent reputation within the Que Tian Sect, being kind and approachable. As soon as he returned, many disciples gathered around.
Wow! What a beautiful woman!
The male disciples were stunned, while the female disciples were extremely jealous of Bai Ran’s stunning face.
“Come, come! I’ll introduce you all!” he said, patting Bai Ran’s shoulder with a hearty laugh, clearly in a very good mood.
“This little girl is called Bai Ran, she is a new disciple. You are not allowed to bully her.”
Sect Master Xiong had snatched another one…
The disciples exchanged glances, feeling a bit troubled.
Even disciples who had joined the sect not long ago knew that in previous years, whenever Sect Master Xiong heard the announcement, he would rush to snatch the new talent.
Incredibly, he almost always succeeded.
However, it was precisely because of this that many disciples with average talent had joined the Que Tian Sect.
After joining, instead of diligently cultivating, they felt superior, walking around with their noses in the air, looking down on disciples from lower-ranked sects.
Thinking this, the disciples cautiously glanced at Bai Ran. The woman in front of them didn’t seem particularly strong, only having a beautiful face.
Bai Ran swept her gaze over the surrounding disciples, raising an eyebrow.
“Alright, if you’ve seen enough, go and cultivate. I still need to take the little girl for a tour,” Sect Master Xiong waved his hand dismissively, as if shooing them away.
The onlookers dispersed, each giving Bai Ran a final glance before leaving.
“I’ll take you to your residence first,” Sect Master Xiong said with a smile.
He led the way, and Bai Ran followed behind, chatting as they walked.
“The disciples of Que Tian Sect are divided into Outer Disciples, Inner Disciples, and Core Disciples. Little girl, since you have just ascended, your strength is not yet sufficient to enter the Inner Sect.”
“The resources obtained by Core Disciples are incomparable to those of Outer and Inner Disciples.”
“Regardless of the type of disciple, they will be divided by attribute. Different attributes will have instructors of the corresponding attributes for lessons.”
…
As they spoke, they arrived in front of a row of individual courtyards.
“Little girl, choose one. However, if you enter the Inner Sect, you will move to a different courtyard.”
Even though the number of disciples who entered the Inner Sect was very few, let alone Core Disciples, Sect Master Xiong was convinced that this little girl would enter the Inner Sect.
His judgment was very accurate.
Bai Ran chose a small courtyard that was farther away.
Sect Master Xiong slapped his forehead. “Look at my memory! Little girl, new disciples undergo a potential assessment.”
Potential assessment?
“When is the assessment?” Bai Ran asked.
“It is on the second day after the new disciples are admitted, which is tomorrow.”
Bai Ran nodded and entered the courtyard. Sect Master Xiong was called away by a disciple who rushed over, appearing quite anxious.
After all, he was the Sect Master, and there were still important matters to attend to.
The Vermilion Bird quietly perched in Bai Ran’s embrace, its eyes darting around the unfamiliar surroundings.
“Master, will we be living here from now on?”
“That’s right.” She set the Vermilion Bird down and carefully examined the small courtyard.
Her ascension had been so sudden. There were still many matters in the lower realm that needed tending to.
For example, Qingfeng and the other three. After coming to the middle realm, she could no longer deliver resources to them as usual. She wondered how they were doing now.
And Jingfeng. No matter where Bai Ran was, he would always hide not far from her. Now that she was in the middle realm, she didn't know where he had gone.
While she was thinking, a man rushed over from a distance, nearly crashing into the door with a sharp turn. He leaned on his knees, panting.
“You, are you Bai Ran?” The man looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties, significantly older than Bai Ran.
She watched the man warily, placing the Vermilion Bird into her spatial ring. Could he be here to cause trouble?
“Yes.”
“Do you know Qingyue?” the man asked eagerly, his eyes shining.
Seeing Bai Ran nod, he excitedly rushed forward as if to give her a bear hug, but she subtly dodged him.
He had been extremely excited upon hearing the announcement and never expected to be in the same sect as her!
Finally, he was meeting the master of his master, the one spoken of in legends! The man’s eyes seemed to sparkle.
“Master,” he straightened his expression and knelt down seriously.
Master?
“Mm, get up. Are you one of Qingyue’s subordinates?” Bai Ran asked him.
He stood up. Only after realizing she was Qingyue’s master did he begin to feel nervous.
“Yes. Lord Qingyue knew that you would ascend soon and specifically instructed us, who had ascended before you, to…”
“If we saw you, we were to treat you with the utmost respect.”
Treat her with the utmost respect…
Bai Ran’s lips twitched. She felt a bit helpless but, on the other hand, was happy for Qingyue.
He had managed to recruit people of such strength; it showed how capable he was.
“Oh! Right! My name is Chu Hua,” he said with a smile.