"Let's go. I'll take you to handle the entry procedures."
After Elder Lu finished speaking, he rolled up his sleeves and disappeared from the reception desk, taking Zhang Yuhe with him.
Zhao Qingqing, who was present, still wore an envious expression on her face.
"Hey, I wonder when I'll be able to become an inner disciple."
"It seems I need to work harder. Once I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I can apply to join the inner sect."
Zhao Qingqing silently encouraged herself, then sat cross-legged at the reception desk.
Elder Lu took Zhang Yuhe away from the reception desk, and soon they arrived at the door of a hall.
A cultivator dressed in green hurriedly walked out of the hall and greeted them respectfully.
"Disciple Cheng Xujing, meet Elder Lu."
The white-robed old man nodded, then pointed at Zhang Yuhe and said, "Handle his inner sect status."
"Inner sect?" Cheng Xujing asked, confirming the information in a low voice.
Had it not been for the elder speaking, Cheng Xujing would have been tempted to question this absurdity.
Judging from Zhang Yuhe's aura, he was clearly only in the Qi training stage. How could a Daosheng Sect inner disciple be in the Qi training stage?
Moreover, Zhang Yuhe wasn't even an outer disciple yet—how could he join the inner sect immediately?
Wasn't this a joke?
Even if he were a descendant of some ancient ancestor, using the back door to this extent seemed unlikely.
Cheng Xujing had heard no rumors of any such descendants wanting to join the sect recently.
"Yes, from now on, he is an inner disciple of Daosheng Sect. I'll report this to the sect master. You just follow my instructions."
The old man in white seemed unwilling to explain further.
Cheng Xujing couldn't help but feel embarrassed.
Seeing this, Zhang Yuhe quickly eased the tension and bowed to Cheng Xujing.
"Brother Cheng."
"I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it... Just call me Cheng Xujing or Brother Cheng," Cheng Xujing quickly waved his hands. He was merely an outer disciple of the Daosheng Sect.
As a sect steward, he worked in the steward's hall.
Outer disciples in the Daosheng Sect often performed all sorts of chores.
For example, he worked in the steward's hall, and Zhao Qingqing worked at the reception desk outside the mountain gate.
But inner disciples didn't need to worry about such tasks. They either stayed in the sect to cultivate or went out to guard certain areas. It could be said that they had a much freer lifestyle.
Since Zhang Yuhe would soon be a formal inner disciple, Cheng Xujing didn't dare act arrogantly.
Although he was in the Jindan realm and much stronger than Zhang Yuhe, in the world of cultivation, status and identity often carried more weight than pure strength.
Even if Zhang Yuhe were just an outer Qi training cultivator, his status as an inner disciple of Daosheng Sect meant no one would dare look down on him.
Cheng Xujing was curious about how Zhang Yuhe, a cultivator in the Qi training stage, could advance to the inner sect so suddenly.
But since Elder Lu seemed uninterested in explaining, Cheng Xujing could only suppress his curiosity for the moment and get to business.
He asked Zhang Yuhe respectfully, "What's your name, Senior Brother?"
Cheng Xujing took out a book-shaped magic weapon to record the information.
"Zhang Yuhe."
"Age?"
...
Once the identity record was completed, Cheng Xujing took out a jade slip and handed it over.
"Senior Brother Zhang, as an inner disciple, you can choose an independent mountain as your cultivation cave. Please select a mountain from this map."
Zhang Yuhe couldn't help but feel delighted.
Such a privilege?
An independent mountain as a cultivation cave sounded very prestigious.
He took the jade slip, and a vast map unfolded before him.
It was a map of Daosheng Sect's mountain gate, depicting not just the mountains, but also rivers and lakes.
The size of the Daosheng Sect's grounds was beyond his imagination.
However, there were many colors on the map, and some areas were blank. What did this mean?
Zhang Yuhe scratched his head in confusion.
"Junior Brother Cheng, how do I read this map?"
If you don't understand something, it's best to ask. There's no shame in seeking advice.
"The green areas are the outer sect's territory, the purple areas are for the inner sect, and the red areas are where the elders cultivate."
"Then what are these black areas?"
The map had four colors in total, but Cheng Xujing had only mentioned three.
Zhang Yuhe was curious, not wanting to end up in forbidden areas.
"I don't know either, but the sect has a rule that all disciples are prohibited from entering the black areas."
Zhang Yuhe didn't press further. Perhaps these areas were secret places, but as long as he avoided them, he would be fine.
He continued, "Junior Brother Cheng, can you guide me in selecting my mountain cave?"
The map didn't have instructions, so Zhang Yuhe wasn't sure where to begin.
"The blank areas in the purple region indicate unoccupied spaces. Senior Brother Zhang, you can choose any mountain from there."
Zhang Yuhe nodded in understanding.
He took the map back out and started inspecting it again. There were many blank spaces in the red region, and after a quick count, he found hundreds of them.
"Which one should I choose? Let's go with this one."
Zhang Yuhe quickly made his choice. He found a relatively remote mountain with a small lake below it.
The combination of mountains and water felt very peaceful.
Cheng Xujing took the map back, marked the location Zhang Yuhe chose, and asked, "What name do you plan to give your mountain?"
"Galaxy Peak."
Zhang Yuhe answered without hesitation.
As a Blue Star player, exploring the sea of stars was a dream. The name felt fitting.
"Okay."
Cheng Xujing put away the map and walked into the hall. After a short while, he returned with a ring.
He handed the ring to Zhang Yuhe and said, "Brother Zhang, this is your belonging. Please keep it."
Zhang Yuhe took the ring and examined it. Inside, he found a jade slip, a few sets of clothes, and a jade token.
Once the procedures were finished, Elder Lu spoke.
"I'll be leaving now. Practice well. Staying in the inner sect of Daosheng Sect isn't easy. It's a responsibility."
With that, he disappeared into the distance in a streak of light.
After Elder Lu left, Cheng Xujing let out a sigh of relief. The elder's aura had been overwhelming, making him nervous.
He turned to Zhang Yuhe with a smile.
"Brother Zhang, Yinhe Peak is a bit far from here. How about I take you there?"
"Then I'll trouble you, Brother."
Hearing this, Zhang Yuhe hurriedly bowed in gratitude.
To be honest, the Daosheng Sect's grounds were enormous. With his Qi training stage cultivation, it would take him half a day to reach his designated area.
Weakness felt embarrassing. He needed to cultivate faster.
Otherwise, he might have to rely on others for transport in the future, which would feel shameful.
"You're too polite, Brother."
Cheng Xujing waved his hand, and an exquisite flying boat appeared before them.
The two stepped onto the boat, and it sped off quickly.
"Can I ask, how did you join the sect?"
As they flew on the boat, Cheng Xujing couldn't contain his curiosity any longer.
"I was lucky. I found a token by accident. With it, I was fortunate enough to join Daosheng Sect." Zhang Yuhe didn't hide the truth. It wasn't a secret, and he knew the story would likely spread quickly.
"Brother, what a stroke of good fortune."
After a long pause, Cheng Xujing couldn't help but sigh.
He knew about Daosheng Sect's tokens, but he never imagined that, after nearly 100,000 years, one would still circulate and end up in Zhang Yuhe's hands.
Such luck was truly enviable.
Zhang Yuhe, unaware of Cheng Xujing's thoughts, only smiled.
If he knew what Cheng Xujing was thinking, he might just say, "It was just a matter of killing a tiger monster. You wouldn't understand... Heh."