"What do you mean she didn't get picked? I clearly set a talisman under the lottery table so that my mountain peak snatches up her name before the others!"
Fuming in fury, Elder Long of the Steal Searing Heaven Peak stormed out of his cultivation chamber and sent a raging message to the biggest suspect in his book.
Elder Shen of the Golden Snow Mountain Peak was awakened by a rude messaging talisman in the middle of an important meditation session. Seeing the contents of the message, he too, became enraged.
"Long brute, how dare you accuse this Shen of cheating over such minor matters? Just because I cultivate the dao of deceit doesn't mean I'm going around rigging children's lotteries! This must be old Ding's work, that bastard!"
Elder Ding of the Endless Frostfist Mountain Peak saw his messaging talisman explode with voice messages from several Elders. He couldn't help but clench his fist and point the arrow towards crafty old Elder Ning.
Elder Ning, who had trouble sleeping at night, left his bed with energetic steps and broke down the door of Elder Meng's palace, shouting something about eradicating all shameless dogs from the mountains.
Poor Elder Meng woke up to a painful beating and ran out of his bedroom half naked.
In the end, heaven's design was determined to be the culprit behind Xuanyuan Zhou's allotment. How else could she slip past so many picks?
The dozen Elders who had been eager to nurture her could only curse at Salted Fish Peak's useless Lao Daheng.
Elder Daheng himself wasn't having the most comfortable night, judging by his face as he was greeted by his new disciples. If the senior disciple leading them hadn't threatened to set his home on fire, he might not have shown up outside his bedroom.
He had the aura (stink) of someone who hadn't left his bed in quite a while. With the unkempt long beard, hastily worn unwashed robe, and stained trousers, he kept struggling to keep his swollen eyes open throughout the brief disciple welcoming ceremony.
Noticing the senior disciple arranging teacups and pots, his voice found some strength to protest.
"Qing Hua, cut down the unnecessary stuff and get to the point!"
As the six disciples formed a line and bowed to him one by one to ask for his blessings, he waved them off like swatting a mosquito.
The advice he imparted to each disciple was also profound in its own unique way.
"Never disturb my sleep unless it's an emergency."
"Don't rely on your Elders in comprehending techniques and skills. Use your own brain to learn some self-reliance."
"Never step into my palace wearing perfume. It assaults my nostrils too aggressively."
"Stop staring at me. I don't have money."
"Cultivation is mere means to an end, and that end is comfort and freedom. I have both. So can you if you follow my footsteps."
"Who said I have no special skills? Being useless is the most special skill a cultivator of my level can have. Every Elder in this sect is secretly jealous of my lifestyle."
When it was Han Xuhan's turn to bow, he decided to test how much of this man's personality was genuine. And if it was all a pretense, he'd probably end up testing whether the Bronze Grade Survival Token in his system depository was a genuine mortal danger detector.
"Master, you're probably not aware that I am a heavenly anomaly. If I bow to you, I can't guarantee that your peaceful life won't see sudden disasters."
Senior Sister Qing Hua, who was still holding the teapot, nearly dropped it when she heard his bold claim.
For the first time, Elder Daheng opened his eyes to their full width and scanned the disciple sitting in front of him. A frown formed on his face as he processed Han Xuhan's warning.
"A heavenly anomaly? No wonder they sent you over to my mountain! Stay away from your peers, and do your best not to pay me frequent visits!
"As for bowing for blessings... Forget it. What can my blessings do against heaven's curses?"
The lackadaisical reply proved it; Elder Daheng was a true salted fish, worthy of lording over this mountain peak!
Impressed, Han Xuhan quickly got out of the way and let Xuanyuan Zhou take the stage. From a corner of his gaze, he noticed Senior Sister Qing Hua move away from him in caution.
Elder Daheng's eyes were about to close again, but one glance at Xuanyuan Zhou made him freeze.
"You, girl, what are you doing in this place? Children as talented as you don't slip through the cracks even by chance. This mountain isn't for you!"
The rest of the group couldn't help but stare at her in amazement. It wasn't because they weren't aware of her talent. They were just impressed that her talent was apparent enough to shock their salted fish master.
"Master, I prefer to cultivate independently. It is actually a blessing for me to be allotted under your peak. I must thank the heavens for the opportunity!"
Xuanyuan Zhou's sweet words confounded Elder Daheng. But the confusion only seemed to intensify his sleepiness. He blessed her without furthering the argument and mumbled,
"You can come to me for advice if you're struggling with anything. Hell, you can even consult other mountain masters; I don't care. Do what you want..."
He trailed off with his mouth hanging open, and nobody could quite believe their ears when they heard the sound of snoring getting louder in the room.
"Senior sister, does our master cultivate a technique related to sleeping?" One of their fellow disciples asked as she guided them out of his shabby house.
"How would I know?" Qing Hua responded a little angrily, scaring off the other curious hearts. Muttering something under her breath, she showed them their new housing arrangements.
They'd be living in uniform huts, it turned out. These huts had been built sporadically across the body of the mountain, as if the builders didn't want two disciples living too close to each other.
Han Xuhan's house was situated just at the mid-slope area of the mountain, whereas Xuanyuan Zhou found hers near the peak.
She didn't look pleased about the arrangement, but Han Xuhan was happy to be living this far away from her.
"The fog is going to get thicker with each hour of the night. By midnight, it's going to be pitch black around here. So don't wander outside," Senior sister Qing Hua warned in a serious tone.
Then, for the first time since meeting them, she spoke in a soft voice.
"All of you have had a long day. Retire for the night and have a great sleep. You'll need the energy tomorrow!"