Promoted to the Inner Sect!

Zhang Su and Chu Dachuan and the others left the Inner Sect main hall.

Chu Dachuan and the other two were very excited.

However, thinking that Zhang Su was going to the Inner Sect while they remained in the Outer Sect, they felt a bit dejected.

"Senior Brother, we can't go to the Inner Sect with you... If you have any instructions in the future, just let us know."

"That's right, we are at your beck and call in the Outer Sect at any time."

Chu Dachuan and the other two quickly expressed their loyalty.

Zhang Su nodded.

These three had the ability to get things done, but as for loyalty, that went without saying.

However, while in the Outer Sect, the three of them had been quite diligent.

Thus, Zhang Su took out some more Blood Replenishing Pills and distributed them to the three.

"Take these Blood Replenishing Pills and go."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

The three bowed respectfully to Zhang Su, and in the end, they could only take the Blood Replenishing Pills and leave.

Since Zhang Su was now an Inner Sect disciple, he naturally had to live in the Inner Sect.

Therefore, Zhang Su headed toward the Inner Sect.

Just as Zhang Su stepped into the Inner Sect.

Suddenly, he saw a familiar figure ahead.

"Senior Brother Lu, why are you here?"

This figure was none other than Lu Tianqing.

"Junior Brother Zhang, you aren't very familiar with the Inner Sect, so let me take you to your Inner Sect residence."

Lu Tianqing spoke up.

"Then I will have to trouble you, Senior Brother Lu."

The two then walked side by side.

Both were men of few words, so the journey was very quiet.

Compared to the Outer Sect, the biggest characteristic of the Inner Sect was that there were far fewer people.

Precisely because there were fewer people, every Inner Sect disciple was allocated their own individual courtyard.

"Junior Brother Zhang, we're here."

Lu Tianqing stopped outside a courtyard.

Zhang Su took a look.

Outside the courtyard was a number, "266."

There were also courtyards nearby, numbered "265" and "267" respectively.

Zhang Su had already received the key from the Inner Sect elder.

He immediately opened the gate to courtyard "266."

"Senior Brother Lu, please come in for a chat. I still have some questions I would like to ask you."

Zhang Su stepped aside to let him in.

"Alright."

Lu Tianqing did not decline and walked straight into the courtyard.

This courtyard seemed to have been cleaned by someone; although it wasn't spotless, it didn't feel dirty or messy either.

The two sat down in the living room, and Zhang Su immediately asked, "Senior Brother Lu, do you know about One-Star Disciples?"

"I do."

A complex look flashed in Lu Tianqing's eyes: "Actually, I was watching the battle from the Inner Sect main hall."

"Then please, Senior Brother Lu, tell me in detail what exactly this 'One-Star Disciple' is all about."

"Alright, then I will explain it in detail."

Under Lu Tianqing's explanation, Zhang Su gradually understood the situation in the Inner Sect.

It turned out that Inner Sect disciples were also divided into two types.

One type consisted of those who were promoted to the Inner Sect before the age of sixteen; these disciples were classified into the "Inheritance Sequence."

The other type consisted of over-aged disciples like Zhang Su, who had passed the Combat Assessment and were classified into the "Protector Sequence."

The Inheritance Sequence focused on the potential of the disciples.

The higher the potential, the higher the disciple's rating.

The rating was divided into five levels.

Ordinary disciples, one-star disciples, two-star disciples, three-star disciples, and Sect Prodigies.

The Protector Sequence focuses on a disciple's combat power.

The stronger the combat power, the higher the assessed grade.

"Therefore, Inheritance Sequence disciples only need to focus on cultivation, with the hope of becoming powerful elders or even inheriting the position of Sect Master in the future! As for Protector Sequence disciples, they are essentially the 'enforcers' of the sect. When the sect needs to expand its territory or compete for resources, it is the Protector Sequence disciples who must step up..."

Zhang Su saw the essential difference between the two types of disciples at a glance.

"You could put it that way..."

Lu Tianqing also fell silent.

This was the truth.

This was why he had rushed to cultivate Internal Force before the age of sixteen, so that he could be promoted to the Inner Sect.

Because he did not want to become a Protector Sequence disciple.

The core of the sect was clearly the Inheritance Sequence disciples.

Zhang Su understood.

Lu Tianqing was an Inheritance Sequence disciple.

Wei Yunzhou was likely an Inheritance Sequence disciple as well.

"Senior Brother Lu, if I may ask, what is your current rating? And what about Wei Yunzhou? What star disciple is he?"

Zhang Su asked.

"I have just been rated as a 'two-star disciple,' while Wei Yunzhou... he has been rated as a 'three-star disciple,' which is why he was taken in as a disciple by an elder of the Houtian Realm."

"A three-star disciple? Even Wei Yunzhou isn't a Sect Prodigy?"

Zhang Su was somewhat surprised.

It wasn't that the rating was too high, but rather... too low.

In Zhang Su's view, since Wei Yunzhou could be taken in by a Houtian Realm elder, he should at least be a "Sect Prodigy."

Yet, Wei Yunzhou was not a "Sect Prodigy," but merely a "three-star disciple."

Lu Tianqing smiled bitterly and said, "A three-star disciple is basically the highest rating an Inner Sect disciple can achieve... As for 'Sect Prodigy,' it is said that there is a specialized set of evaluation criteria that requires the consensus of the Sect Master and many elders."

"There is one more thing: 'Sect Prodigies' basically only appear among Inheritance Sequence disciples. As for Protector Sequence disciples, in the history of the Guiyuan Sect, a 'Sect Prodigy' has never been born..."

Zhang Su thought about it carefully, and he roughly understood.

Inheritance Sequence disciples are valued for their potential; the younger they are when they promote to the Inner Sect, the greater their advantage.

If Lu Tianqing hadn't wasted several years in the Outer Sect and had promoted to the Inner Sect earlier, he would likely have been a three-star disciple as well.

Unfortunately, Lu Tianqing only promoted to the Inner Sect when he was nearly sixteen, so he naturally became a two-star disciple.

This already spoke to the high level of Lu Tianqing's talent.

To become a two-star disciple at nearly sixteen was truly rare.

"Junior Brother Zhang, the competition in the Inner Sect is extremely fierce. Even for a three-star disciple, if your cultivation speed slows down even a little, your rating will drop. If a Protector Sequence disciple's combat power stops improving, their rating will also drop."

"No matter who you are, you cannot 'coast' once and for all; you must continuously improve to maintain your assessed grade..."

Zhang Su nodded.

The competition in the Inner Sect was indeed intense.

The fact that Wei Yunzhou could consistently maintain a "three-star disciple" rating was enough to show that his talent was indeed far superior to other disciples.

"Thank you for the detailed introduction to the Inner Sect situation, Senior Brother Lu."

Lu Tianqing had no personal ties to him, and Zhang Su was truly grateful that he had provided such a detailed explanation.

"Junior Brother Zhang, you don't need to worry too much. Your talent is the greatest I have ever seen in my life. Others do not know that you have broken your limits twice, condensed a thousand strands of blood energy, and forged a supreme foundation."

"Even if you are a Protector Sequence disciple, your potential far exceeds many Inheritance Sequence disciples. Besides, the Protector Sequence has also produced some earth-shattering figures who became famous throughout the land!"

Lu Tianqing was still comforting Zhang Su.

However, Zhang Su was actually quite calm inside.

Protector Sequence, Inheritance Sequence—it didn't matter.

Regardless of the type of disciple, he would be able to reach the pinnacle of martial arts!

After finishing his words, Lu Tianqing stood up to take his leave.

"I will see you out, Senior Brother Lu."

Zhang Su stood up and walked Lu Tianqing to the door.

Just as they reached the outside, Zhang Su noticed that the owners of the neighboring courtyards "265" and "267" had just returned.

Both of them looked somewhat surprised when they saw Zhang Su and Lu Tianqing.

"Junior Brother Zhang, please stay."

Zhang Su came to a halt.

Following that, Lu Tianqing strode away.

"Is this junior brother a newcomer?"

The owner of the 265 courtyard was a tall, thin young man.

He asked Zhang Su with curiosity.

"Yes, I just promoted to the Inner Sect."

Zhang Su replied.

"What should I call you, junior brother?"

The owner of the 267 courtyard spoke up.

This was a young woman with a curvaceous figure; although her skin wasn't particularly fair, it was a healthy wheat color, giving her a very vibrant and energetic appearance.

"Zhang Su."

"So it is Junior Brother Zhang..."

The woman looked thoughtful, then smiled and said, "My name is Tang Ying."

The owner of the 265 courtyard also said, "My name is Hu Buyu. We are all neighbors, so we can get closer in the future."

It was evident that both of them wanted to take the initiative to befriend Zhang Su.

Just then, an Inner Sect deacon walked over from the distance.

The man was holding several sets of clothing in his hands.

"Who is Zhang Su?"

The Inner Sect deacon asked in a loud voice.

"I am Zhang Su."

"These are your Inner Sect uniforms, four sets in total. Keep them safe; if they are damaged or lost, you will need contribution points to exchange for new ones."

"Thank you for your trouble, Deacon."

Zhang Su took the Inner Sect disciple uniforms.

When Tang Ying and Hu Buyu saw the Inner Sect uniforms the deacon handed to Zhang Su, they exchanged a glance, a flicker of disappointment flashing in their eyes.

They had both been in the Inner Sect for several years.

Naturally, they could recognize that these were the uniforms for Inner Sect "Protector Disciples."

Although the uniforms for Protector Disciples and Legacy Disciples were similar, there were subtle differences that they could identify at a glance.

They had originally assumed Zhang Su was a genius with boundless potential.

They hadn't expected him to be an over-age Protector Disciple.

Although Protector Disciples were also Inner Sect disciples, they were far inferior compared to Legacy Disciples.

"Uh... I have some things to attend to, excuse me."

Tang Ying turned around and went back into her house.

"I have things to do as well, let's talk later."

Hu Buyu was the same; he didn't even want to say another word.

Zhang Su glanced at the backs of Tang Ying and Hu Buyu, seemingly understanding something.

These two didn't even bother to pretend anymore, unwilling to keep up even the slightest facade.

This also went to show that the status of a Protector Disciple within the Inner Sect was likely not very high.

However, they were just two Inner Sect disciples.

Zhang Su didn't care.

Now that he had just entered the Inner Sect, the most important thing was to choose a martial art at the Internal Force level.

Thus, Zhang Su changed into his Inner Sect uniform, left the courtyard, and headed straight for the Scripture Pavilion.