The system's words sent Xuandu's heart into a shock.
Good heavens!
He was currently inside Biyou Palace!
The one seated high on the cloud bed before him was Sect Leader Tongtian, while Daoist Duobao, Saint Mother Jinling, and a host of other Jie Sect Core Disciples stood behind him.
Every one of them was a powerful cultivator with profound cultivation and keen eyes.
If his aura suddenly surged right now and his cultivation inexplicably skyrocketed, taking him from a Mortal with no foundation to an unfathomable realm in an instant...
How could he explain that?
There was no way to explain it!
Was he supposed to say that he'd stumbled upon an incredible opportunity, or that he possessed a rare treasure?
Under a Sage's watchful eye, any lie would be utterly futile.
The cultivation granted by the system would expose his greatest secret the moment it arrived.
It would be better to play it safe.
He immediately called out in his mind:
"System! System! Can you delay granting me the cultivation? Or hide my aura?"
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, the system's mechanical, icy voice promptly rang out:
[ Ding! Host's request detected. ] [ Cultivation Feedback can be stored temporarily. The Host may choose to claim it at any time. ] [ System energy is stable. Temporary storage has no time limit and incurs no loss. ] [ Continuing to calculate the Cultivation Sum of the Jie Sect Disciples... Calculating... ]
Xuandu heard this, and the huge stone weighing on his heart crashed to the ground.
He let out a long breath.
His tightly wound nerves relaxed in an instant.
A fine sheen of cold sweat had already broken out across his back.
"Good! Good! That's perfect!"
He repeated the words to himself.
Being able to choose when to claim it had solved his most pressing problem!
That would save him no end of trouble and keep him from revealing his trump card too soon.
Steady progress was the way to make it in the long run.
While his emotions churned and he communicated with the system,
Biyou Palace remained utterly silent.
After announcing that he would accept Xuandu as his disciple, Sect Leader Tongtian said nothing more. He simply watched Xuandu calmly, as if waiting for something.
The other disciples in the hall continued to focus their attention on Xuandu.
Curiosity, scrutiny, and interest.
A Mortal who had brought Grand Pure Sage in person and then been accepted by their master was simply too unusual.
Daoist Duobao's gaze was deep. With his profound cultivation, he faintly sensed that Xuandu's mind had just wavered for a moment in an extremely subtle way.
It had vanished in a flash, but it was no reaction an ordinary Mortal should have shown.
Saint Mother Jinling's beautiful eyes shifted. She had noticed something unusual too, but couldn't determine its source.
Saint Mother Wudang watched him quietly, her bearing cool and composed.
Saint Mother Guiling's eyes were lively, filled with curiosity.
Zhao Gongming raised his thick brows slightly and touched the Golden Whip at his waist, finding this new junior brother rather interesting.
The Three Goddesses of Xiao exchanged glances, their Spiritual Senses stirring as they shared their doubts.
Seated high on the cloud bed, Sect Leader Tongtian had taken in Xuandu's subtle changes in expression, the brief tension and the relaxation that followed.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled his lips.
This boy did have a secret.
But he didn't care.
In the vast Great Wilderness, who didn't have a few secrets and opportunities?
The Interception Sect taught without discrimination and welcomed all. What mattered was a heart set on the Dao and the will to fight for one's fate.
As long as Xuandu's heart was with the Interception Sect, having a few secrets was a good thing.
"Xuandu."
Sect Leader Tongtian's voice broke the silence in the hall.
Xuandu's mind snapped to attention. He immediately put aside his distracting thoughts and answered respectfully:
"Here, Master."
"Now that you've joined the Interception Sect, you should know its rules."
Tongtian's tone was calm, yet carried an inherent authority.
"Members of the same sect must never harm one another!"
"Can you abide by this?"
Xuandu bowed at once and answered solemnly:
"Your disciple Xuandu will obey your command and abide by the Sect Rules!"
Tongtian nodded slightly and continued:
"Your foundation is still shallow, and you've only just embarked on the Dao Path. For now, you'll be ranked among the Outer Disciples."
"I hope you'll cultivate diligently and comprehend the true meaning of the Great Dao soon."
Outer Disciple?
Xuandu's heart stirred, but he wasn't dissatisfied.
It was exactly what he had expected.
"Your disciple accepts! Thank you, Master!"
Xuandu bowed again.
Sect Leader Tongtian swept his gaze across the disciples below. Rather than looking at Duobao, he turned his attention to one of the Seven Attendant Immortals.
"Dingguang Xian."
At the call, a figure stepped forward. It was none other than Chang Er Ding Guang Xian.
His face wore a somewhat obsequious expression as he bowed to Sect Leader Tongtian.
"Here, Master."
"Xuandu has only just arrived and has much to learn. See to his arrangements."
"Show him around Golden Ao Island, teach him the basics of Qi Refining, and find him a cave dwelling to live in."
A faint trace of disdain flashed through Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's eyes, but his expression remained respectful.
"I will obey your command."
With everything arranged, Sect Leader Tongtian said no more. His figure slowly faded, blending into the Daoist aura of Biyou Palace.
With the Sage gone, the pressure in the hall eased considerably.
The disciples gradually dispersed as well.
As Daoist Duobao passed Xuandu, he paused and looked at him. His gaze was calm, and he said nothing before moving on.
Saint Mother Jinling, Saint Mother Wudang, and the others also nodded slightly, then vanished in streaks of light.
Zhao Gongming, however, was more outgoing. He patted Xuandu on the shoulder.
"Junior Brother, cultivate well!"
Then he laughed heartily and rode off on a cloud.
The Three Goddesses of Xiao departed gracefully.
In the blink of an eye, only Chang Er Ding Guang Xian and Xuandu remained in front of the hall.
The obsequious smile faded from Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's face.
He turned around, his long ears twitching slightly as he looked Xuandu up and down.
His gaze held undisguised scrutiny and... contempt.
"Let's go, Junior Brother Xuandu."
He deliberately paused on the words "Junior Brother," his tone carrying a faint, mocking edge.
Without waiting for Xuandu to reply, he summoned a rather dim streak of immortal light and drifted off ahead.
He wasn't flying very fast, clearly not taking Xuandu, a Mortal, seriously.
Xuandu's gaze turned cold, but he followed in silence.
He knew that face.
Chang Er Ding Guang Xian!
The greatest traitor in the Interception Sect during the future Investiture of the Gods Tribulation!
If he hadn't harbored divided loyalties at the crucial moment and wavered back and forth, he might even have directly caused the Six Souls Banner to fail to serve its intended purpose. The Interception Sect's fate might not have been so tragic.
In Xuandu's eyes, this man was one of the chief culprits behind the Interception Sect's downfall!
Now, this future traitor was looking at him with the same condescending gaze.
Xuandu sneered inwardly, but kept his expression unchanged.
Why bother quarreling over a moment's offense with a man who was as good as dead?
Once his cultivation was sufficient, the first person he'd settle accounts with would be a faithless scoundrel like this!
Chang Er Ding Guang Xian flew at an unhurried pace, pointing things out along the way with an air of complete indifference.
"That's the Training Ground over there. Stay away unless you have a reason to go. You might get caught in the crossfire."
His tone was bland, but the implication was clear: Xuandu's cultivation was too low, and he wasn't fit to go there.
They flew past a herb garden brimming with spiritual energy.
"That's the Hundred Herbs Garden. The spirit herbs inside are precious. Your cultivation isn't high enough, so don't go near them. You couldn't afford to pay for anything you damaged."
They passed the Sword Tablet Forest, where Sword Qi surged into the sky.
"That's the Sword Tablet Forest. It contains peerless Sword Intent, which only those of outstanding talent can comprehend."
He glanced at Xuandu, his meaning clear.
"You, on the other hand, can just look. Don't push yourself. You might damage your foundation and your mind."
Every word revealed his contempt for Xuandu's Human Race origins and average aptitude.
It was as if Xuandu's admission to the Interception Sect had been a stroke of incredible luck, and he ought to keep his head down and know his place.
Xuandu listened in silence without saying a word.
Watching Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's smug face, he felt killing intent begin to stir in his heart.
Traitor!
For now, go ahead and run your mouth.
When the tribulation begins, we'll see how you beg for mercy!
Xuandu had already sentenced the man to death in his heart. His patience now was only to make sure he could settle the score in the future.
As he listened to Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's barbed introduction, he quietly sensed the system panel in his mind.
[Host: Xuandu] [Realm: None] [Sect Affiliation: Interception Sect] [Real-time Cultivation Feedback (available to claim): Calculating... (Continuing to increase)]
The immense, ever-accumulating power, too vast to imagine, was his greatest source of confidence.
When Chang Er Ding Guang Xian saw that Xuandu remained silent and showed no reaction to his veiled insults, he assumed Xuandu was simply timid and self-conscious. His contempt grew stronger.
As expected of a Human Race ant: utterly spineless.
Who knew what Master saw in him?
At last, the immortal light descended upon a rather remote mountain on the outskirts of Golden Ao Island.
The spiritual energy there was clearly sparse, nowhere near as rich as in the island's central area. The cave dwellings on the mountain also looked much more modest.
"This is where the Outer Disciples live."
Chang Er Ding Guang Xian pointed to a cave halfway up the mountain. It looked as though no one had tended to it in a long time, and even its stone door was weathered.
"That one's empty. You can live there from now on."
He casually tossed Xuandu a dim, low-quality Restriction Token.
"This is the cave dwelling's token. Refine it, and it'll work."
His tone was perfunctory to the extreme.
"As for the island's rules, figure them out yourself. Don't go wandering around. If you offend a senior brother or senior sister, you'll regret it."
Having finished his instructions, Chang Er Ding Guang Xian seemed unwilling to stay another moment.
"Take care of yourself."
With that, he rode off on a streak of immortal light without looking back, soon disappearing into the distance.
Xuandu stood on the desolate mountainside, the inferior token in his hand.
He looked at the crude cave dwelling before him. There was no anger on his face. Instead, he smiled faintly.
"Chang Er Ding Guang Xian..."
He turned, pushed open the weathered stone door, and entered the cave dwelling.
The cave was simply furnished and had gathered a little dust.
Xuandu didn't mind. He sat cross-legged on the stone bed and opened the System Interface.
The panel now showed that the calculation was complete.
When he saw the result, Xuandu was overjoyed.
"Holy crap, it's that high!"
Before you continue