The Probing Begins

Haoran Sect's Identity Jade Tokens were bean-paste green jade plaques. The front bore the sect's emblem—a cluster of Auspicious Clouds rimmed in purple—with the words "Haoran" beneath it. The back displayed the holder's name and the peak they belonged to.

Identity Jade Tokens were made with divine sense, so the process was quick. Steward Zheng was clearly well practiced. After crafting all twenty-two jade tokens, he distributed the Outer Sect Disciple Robes, Sect Rules Jade Slips, and the "Qi Refining Art," along with five low-grade spirit stones, a bottle of Bigu pills, and a bottle of Qi Nourishing Pills—everything they would need for introductory cultivation.

After receiving their things, everyone carefully placed them into their Storage pouches, then followed Steward Zheng on foot to the neighboring mountain peak, where the Outer Sect Disciples lived.

"All the houses in this area are vacant. As long as you insert your Identity Jade Token, you can move in. Each courtyard can house four people. You may choose freely, but once you choose, you cannot change unless your cultivation improves."

After saying that, Steward Zheng waved his hand again and tossed each of them a jade slip, then continued:

"The jade slips contain the layout of the Outer Sect. There is the Cultivation Hall for cultivation, the Dining Hall, and the Lecture Hall for classes. What you wish to learn is entirely up to your own arrangements.

"You have only one year to adapt to this place. If you cannot reach the Qi Refining third layer after one year, you will automatically be demoted to Miscellaneous Servant Disciples.

"Of course, during this year, you need not undertake any missions and need only cultivate. After one year, however, you must accept Sect Missions. After all, the sect cannot provide you with cultivation resources for nothing.

"This year is very important. Besides adapting to the cultivation environment, you must also choose what you are good at. You must not squander your time."

"Yes, Steward Zheng!"

Steward Zheng waved a hand.

"Alright, that is all I have to tell you. You have only just arrived, so there is no need to know too much. If you want to learn anything, you can ask at the Disciple Hall. Now, go choose your residences."

Once Steward Zheng left, everyone went to look for empty courtyards.

Wei Yunxi stayed close behind Wei Yunting. The Wei Family disciples would certainly live together—first, so they could supervise one another, and second, so they could stick together and avoid being bullied by older disciples.

Wei Zonghao took the lead and chose two neighboring courtyards.

"There are two empty courtyards here. Let's split up by men and women!"

Wei Yunting nodded, and the four girls chose the courtyard on the left. There were exactly four slots in the wall by the entrance. The four of them inserted their Identity Jade Tokens one after another. Once all the slots at the entrance turned green, the courtyard gate opened automatically, and only then did they retrieve their Identity Jade Tokens.

Wei Zonghao and the others did the same, then the two groups entered their respective courtyards.

The small courtyard was square-shaped. Directly opposite the gate stood two adjoining rooms, with one room on each side. The courtyard was not large, only about a hundred square meters. A pear tree grew in the middle, beneath which stood a jade table and four jade stools.

After looking around, Wei Yunting said, "You choose your rooms first."

As the eldest sister, she was still very considerate toward her younger sisters.

Wei Yunqing looked around, then made the first choice, taking one of the front rooms.

Wei Yunxi immediately chose the room on the left. She had no desire to be next door to Wei Yunqing.

Wei Yunying did not want to be next door to Wei Yunqing either, so she chose the room on the right, directly across from Wei Yunxi.

Seeing this, Wei Yunting's eye twitched, and she entered the room right beside Wei Yunqing.

"Everyone is tired after taking the assessments these past two days. Fortunately, we all passed smoothly and did not disgrace the family. Rest first. Tomorrow morning, we'll go to the Dining Hall together."

"Alright, Sister Yunting."

The other three had no objections. They had been tense the entire way here and still had to deal with the assessments. Their small bodies were already nearing their limit and desperately needed rest. After exchanging a few idle remarks, they each shut their doors and went inside.

The good thing about these houses was that they came with an Isolation Formation. As long as they inserted their Identity Jade Tokens into the slots inside their rooms, the Isolation Formation would activate. It could protect their privacy well and ensure they would not be disturbed during cultivation.

The room layout was also simple. Upon entering was a main hall, with the bedroom on the left and the cultivation room on the right. Tables, chairs, and benches were all provided, while anything else could be added at their own expense.

After sweeping her gaze over the furnishings, Wei Yunxi lay down on the bed. She was too tired to tidy up. Closing her eyes, she reviewed the entire assessment process to see whether she had overlooked anything. It was instinctive for her as a working person.

Fortunately, she found no obvious mistakes after reviewing it all, so she went to sleep in peace.

On the other side, Wei Yunqing did not rest. Instead, she recalled what she had experienced in the illusion within the Heart-Peeking Mirror. Those events had felt far too real, giving her an oddly familiar feeling.

Yet some details in the illusion differed from reality. First was Wei Yunxi's Spiritual Root, and then there was this assessment. Wei Yunxi had not acted with them at all in the illusion, and her performance in this assessment had been exceptionally outstanding.

Wei Yunqing's brows gradually furrowed. Then her eyes suddenly lit up. She knew what she should do next.

The night passed without incident. The next day, the eight Wei Family members gathered at the entrance once more. The disciples who had entered the sect alongside them also came out of their residences and chose to travel with the Wei Family disciples.

In their eyes, all eight newly admitted Wei Family disciples had cultivation, and in this unfamiliar environment, they instinctively chose to stick together.

The group of twenty-two made their way in grand procession to the Outer Sect Dining Hall. Two ordinary meals were provided free of charge here. Those who wanted spiritual meals had to spend spirit stones themselves.

But among the newly admitted disciples, apart from the Wei, Feng, Liu, and Sun families, who had some family wealth, the others had only five low-grade spirit stones to their names. They could not bear to spend them on food.

Wei Yunxi had little appetite for fine food. As long as she was full, that was enough. So she chose ordinary Spirit Rice Porridge and Spirit Rice Buns, along with a dish of free pickled vegetables. After filling her stomach, she planned to wander around the Outer Sect and inspect all the places she would need to visit in the future, so she would not get lost.

Wei Yunting had the same plan. She led everyone on a circuit around the entire Outer Sect, especially the places they would frequent in the future: the Cultivation Hall, Lecture Hall, Dining Hall, Martial Arts Hall, Library, and so on.

That one circuit took an entire day. Do not underestimate the Outer Sect. Though it consisted of only two words, it contained nine peaks. As new arrivals, they lived on the outermost peak of the Outer Sect.

The Spiritual Qi across the Nine Peaks grew denser from the outside in, going from thin to rich. The peak closest to the Inner Sect had the richest Spiritual Qi in the Outer Sect, and it was home to Outer Sect Disciples in the late Qi Refining stage.

Wei Yunting encouraged them, "Don't lose heart, everyone. Once your cultivation improves, you can choose a peak with richer Spiritual Qi to cultivate on. This is a gradual process, so you must set clear goals for yourselves."

Everyone nodded in agreement. No one wanted to cultivate on the very outskirts of the Outer Sect for the rest of their lives.

At that moment, an unfamiliar Outer Sect Disciple said in a strange, mocking tone, "Tsk, tsk. I didn't expect this batch of new disciples to be so ambitious. I just wonder whether they have the ability to back it up?"

The little radish heads all turned to look at the speaker. That Outer Sect Disciple provocatively raised his chin.