A Person Who Meets the Eighth Rule of Disciple Recruitment

The alchemy competition had ended.

The crowd dispersed one after another.

Xiao Ling'er was the fastest to flee.

The moment she left that pocket world, she met up with Duan Qingyao and promptly vanished into the crowd.

But...

If someone truly set their mind on finding them, they certainly would not be able to escape.

Within the city.

Many great powers sprang into action at the news.

Hundred Treasures Pavilion: "Find a way to keep Xiao Ling'er here. Remember, your attitude must be good. If she is willing to join us, her treatment will definitely be ten times—no, a hundred times—better than it was in the Moon Embracing Sect!"

Hongwu Alchemist Self-Help Association: "A prodigy of the alchemy path like Xiao Ling'er ought to join our association. Who is willing to negotiate with her?"

Liu Family: "Hmph, Xiao Ling'er is indeed extraordinarily gifted and comes from the Moon Embracing Sect, so the odds of recruiting her are not low. But this old man believes that Fan Jianqiang is the more suitable choice!"

"Family Head, please reconsider. No matter how one looks at it, Fan Jianqiang does not seem like the sort to hide his abilities and play the pig to eat the tiger."

"Yes, Family Head. That boy merely got lucky and encountered those one-in-ten-thousand odds."

"What the hell do you people know? This old man believes in fate. As the saying goes: first fate, second fortune, third feng shui... Our Liu Family's strength in Hongwu Immortal City can only be considered middling at best, so why have we continued to flourish over these years and remained among the upper ranks?!"

"It is because of fate—what you people call luck! A good fate is his greatest capital. This old man intends to gather fortune!"

"Besides, he is merely a Rogue Cultivator, and there will certainly be fewer people competing for him. Wouldn't the chances of recruiting him be even higher?"

"Go, quickly!"

"Ah, this... Yes, Family Head."

"We underestimated you after all."

Inside the inn.

Duan Qingyao gave a bitter smile. Her expression was complicated, delight and worry intertwined.

"I was merely lucky enough to perform beyond my usual level."

Xiao Ling'er answered this way, yet her brows furrowed slightly. "Elder, are you worried that someone..."

"Yes."

"It is all my fault."

There were some things she found difficult to say.

Before this, she had estimated that Xiao Ling'er had only recently joined the sect and that her cultivation was not particularly high. She had never imagined Xiao Ling'er would take first place. Even achieving a slightly respectable result would have been enough to make her burn incense in thanks to heaven, right?

Thus, they had made no disguises and had registered under their real names.

Yet who could have known that Xiao Ling'er would be so heaven-defying, taking first place in one stroke!

By now, however, regret had come too late.

Duan Qingyao sighed softly. "In the end, it is my fault. I did not have enough faith in you, and I am too weak. The Moon Embracing Sect also lacks sufficient foundations now. Otherwise, though these rewards and your alchemy skills are extraordinary, few would dare act recklessly."

"Unfortunately..."

"This journey of ours may be dangerous."

"However, I have already sent word to the First Elder and the others. They will come to meet us as quickly as possible."

"For this journey, I fear we can only do all that man can and leave the rest to fate."

"If it truly comes to that..."

Duan Qingyao trailed off.

Xiao Ling'er, however, refused sternly. "Master and the sect have treated this disciple like their own child, withholding nothing. This disciple will never switch to another master!"

"Ah, foolish child."

Ruffling Xiao Ling'er's head, Duan Qingyao said solemnly, "In that case, the Moon Embracing Sect shall live and die alongside you!"

"Elder, this disciple believes there is no need to worry too much."

"Oh?"

"Ahem. During my past travels, this disciple was fortunate enough to discover an extremely profound method of disguise and concealment. If we disguise ourselves and quietly leave the city, it may not be certain that anyone will notice us."

Xiao Ling'er hesitated slightly. "However, we cannot meet up with the other elders and Master. Otherwise, that would expose us instead."

"So, I ask Fifth Elder to contact Master and the others and inform them of this matter. Also... this disciple would like Fifth Elder to tell Master one more thing."

"What is it?"

Though she heard that Xiao Ling'er possessed a profound method of disguise, Duan Qingyao did not hold out much hope.

Methods of changing one's appearance were as numerous as the hairs on an ox.

But how many could prevent scrutiny from those with higher cultivation?

As rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns!

Still, she could not dampen Xiao Ling'er's enthusiasm. She could only decide to give it a try for now, while having the other elders provide support from nearby. If they were discovered, they could risk their lives then.

Xiao Ling'er also knew that Duan Qingyao did not believe her.

If their positions were reversed, she would not have believed it either.

But she could not reveal the existence of her teacher. She could only perform the technique herself, transforming before Duan Qingyao's astonished eyes into an old crone with a hunched back and a face full of wrinkles.

"Fifth Elder, can you still recognize who I am?"

Duan Qingyao was stunned!

"Your appearance is utterly different, and even your divine sense differs enormously from before!"

"I can't recognize you!"

It actually worked?!

She found it unbelievable. "This disguise technique..."

Even someone two major realms above Duan Qingyao could not see through it. How formidable was that?

What she did not know was that this disguise technique could only ignore scrutiny across two major realms.

That alone was certainly not enough, but Xiao Ling'er also had Liang Danxia's help. She could forcibly alter the fluctuations of her divine sense, so that even someone at the Sixth Know Fate Realm would be unable to detect her.

As for the Seventh Realm...

Those in the Seventh Realm would presumably not stoop to such vile deeds merely for the rewards of an alchemy competition.

"Fifth Elder, do you believe me now?"

Xiao Ling'er smiled faintly and returned to her original appearance. "I will pass this method on to you later. For now, I ask Fifth Elder to relay a message to Master on my behalf."

"Alright!"

Duan Qingyao nodded, her gloom swept away. "What do you wish to tell the Sect Master?"

"I have discovered someone who seems to meet the recruitment requirements for a 'Personal Disciple.' I would like to ask Master to come and investigate."

"What?!" Duan Qingyao was stunned once again. "Who?!"

"Fan Jianqiang."

"Him?"

Duan Qingyao blinked.

She had been fooled as well and had not noticed anything remarkable about Fan Jianqiang. She had thought he was merely lucky.

But after Xiao Ling'er's reminder, realization suddenly struck her.

"That's right. He is timid as a mouse, and if it was not luck but that he had been concealing his abilities all along... then he does somewhat fit the Eighth Rule of Disciple Recruitment."

"Timid as a mouse, incomparably cautious, constantly shouting that he'll surely die?"

Yet Xiao Ling'er said with certainty, "He must be concealing his abilities!"

"As a fellow alchemist, I have an instinct that this man's alchemy skills are likely even greater than mine! I even believe that the reason he lost to me by a narrow margin was deliberate."

"Why do you say that?"

"It should have been to avoid danger..."

"As a Rogue Cultivator, if he had claimed first place, his circumstances would have been even more dangerous than ours."

Duan Qingyao looked deeply at Xiao Ling'er.

No matter how slow her reaction might have been, she understood now.

"Alright, I'll send word immediately!"

"This matter... is of great importance."

Like Xiao Ling'er and Liang Danxia, Duan Qingyao and the others likewise did not understand the basis of these 'Rules of Disciple Recruitment,' but Lin Fan had already proven them once!

The Xiao Ling'er before her was irrefutable proof!

Therefore, even if she did not understand or comprehend it, Duan Qingyao would not act recklessly. Instead, she would carry it out with utmost solemnity!

One Xiao Ling'er had already brought the sect countless surprises. If there were another, would that not be double happiness at the door?!

It was simply that Fan Jianqiang possessed outstanding alchemy talent as well?

She did not understand!

Yet her hands did not hesitate in the slightest. She immediately took out a Sound Transmission Jade Talisman to contact Lin Fan and informed him of Xiao Ling'er's discovery, as well as the matter of the disguise.

Within Moon Embracing Sect.

Lin Fan and the four elders were fully prepared to depart.

Suddenly, Lin Fan flipped his hand and took out a Sound Transmission Jade Talisman.

"Hm?"

His eyes lit up slightly.

"A fellow who's absurdly cautious, always going on about 'dying'?"

He was not surprised in the least that Xiao Ling'er could produce a method of disguise. After all, there was most likely an 'Old Man in the Necklace' helping her—if she had no such tricks, that would have been strange.

But this absurdly cautious fellow was an unexpected delight.