Ye Hongyao

Shi Mu and Zhong Xiu were both stunned speechless by the scene before them.

At that moment, the woman turned around, casually pulling off her hood to reveal a still-handsome face that retained traces of her former beauty. She appeared to be only thirty-seven or thirty-eight, but her slightly upturned brows gave her an icy, forbidding air.

Yet when her gaze fell on Zhong Xiu, it burned with intense heat.

"I originally came out this time just to handle a favor Old Monster Sun had asked of me, but I never expected to encounter such fine jade—such a rare talent! What is your name, where do you live, and why is this fellow chasing you?" The woman murmured to herself at first, then turned to Zhong Xiu with a kind and gentle expression. As for Shi Mu behind her, she did not spare him even a single glance.

"Senior, my name is Xiu'er. Brother Shi and I originally lived in Feng City, but we offended the Jin Family and had to flee overnight." Zhong Xiu, seeing the woman's warmth toward her, relaxed slightly and answered truthfully.

"The Jin Family—just a minor local clan. Let me ask you this: would you be willing to join the Mystic Sound Sect? Our sect is one of the Three Great Sects of Great Qi, with countless disciples and a vast collection of martial arts and techniques. We even possess the sect's supreme art, the Jade Sound Myriad Wave Art. Once cultivated to great completion, one can step into the legendary Earth Realm." The woman stared at the girl, her tone growing increasingly warm as she spoke in one breath.

"Three Great Sects... Mystic Sound Sect... Allow me to think it over for a moment. Senior, could you first treat Brother Shi's injuries?" Zhong Xiu was clearly dazed by the hooded woman's rapid-fire words, but she quickly remembered something and pleaded urgently.

"This brat is thick-skinned and tough—nothing serious, just some exhaustion and a pair of broken arms... Oh, and this Blood Sha Palm injury is a bit troublesome... Well, I suppose I'll count this as your good fortune! I have a Qi Blood Pill here; taking it should settle things." The hooded woman was momentarily taken aback, then finally turned her gaze to Shi Mu. After only a brief glance, she spoke in a casual, offhand tone.

With a flick of her sleeve, a small white bottle flew out and landed steadily beside Shi Mu.

Shi Mu was overjoyed and reached for the bottle, but his face suddenly turned pale, and sweat beads the size of soybeans appeared on his forehead.

His arms were now broken; even the slightest exertion brought excruciating pain.

Seeing this, Zhong Xiu quickly walked over, picked up the bottle, poured out a fiery red, fragrant pill, and carefully brought it to Shi Mu's lips herself.

Shi Mu opened his mouth and swallowed the pill. Immediately, a warm current surged through his body, spreading rapidly to his limbs and torso. The strange numbness and itching in the arm injured by Wu Tong's Purple Sha Palm vanished in an instant.

His spirits lifted. Glancing at Wu Tong, now frozen into an ice sculpture nearby, shock filled his heart as he silently speculated about the woman's true cultivation level.

Zhong Xiu, meanwhile, still looked at Shi Mu with full concern.

The hooded woman noticed the girl's expression and furrowed her brows slightly. After scanning Shi Mu's face a few more times, a thought suddenly arose in her mind, but she spoke slowly instead:

"The Qi Blood Pill is a unique pill of our sect. Not only is it highly effective for internal and external injuries, it also greatly benefits one's cultivation."

"Thank you for your help, Senior!" Seeing that Shi Mu's complexion had indeed improved, Zhong Xiu wept with joy as she addressed the hooded woman.

"Miss Xiu'er, if you don't mind, I'd like to test your bloodline first. Your earlier display matches a certain bloodline I have in mind, but to be safe, it's better to use a true artifact for the test." The hooded woman seized the opportunity.

"Alright, Senior, please go ahead and test me." Zhong Xiu glanced at Shi Mu, then nodded in agreement.

"Excellent. I happen to have a Blood Ruyi with me. It tests bloodlines far more accurately than other artifacts. You only need to drop a drop of your essence blood onto it." The hooded woman was overjoyed and immediately took a white jade ruyi from her sleeve.

The girl bit her finger, stepped forward, and let a drop of essence blood fall onto the ruyi.

The next moment, the jade ruyi suddenly emitted a faint golden light, accompanied by a melodious sound like a phoenix's cry. Mysterious white characters, seemingly profound and unknown, appeared on the ruyi's surface.

The hooded woman lowered her head and studied the white characters carefully for a moment, then exclaimed with great joy:

"There's no mistake. You possess the third-grade Phoenix Sound Bloodline, the same as our sect's founding ancestor. Only those with this bloodline can cultivate the Jade Sound Myriad Wave Art to its highest level."

"I have a superior third-grade Phoenix Sound Bloodline?" Zhong Xiu murmured, her expression shifting between uncertainty and surprise.

"Miss Xiu'er, I am Ye Hongyao, Pavilion Master of the Ethereal Pavilion of the Mystic Sound Sect. I now formally represent my master, the Grand Elder of the Mystic Sound Sect, in accepting you as a disciple. Are you willing? If you agree, once you enter the Mystic Sound Sect, you will share the same seniority as me. Among the entire younger generation of the Mystic Sound Sect, no one will surpass you in status or position." The hooded woman did not allow Zhong Xiu to think further and asked again with a grave expression.

"If I become the Grand Elder's disciple, will I one day become as powerful as you, Senior?" The girl couldn't help but ask.

"If you truly cultivate the Jade Sound Myriad Wave Art, even a minor achievement would allow you to dominate the entire Xiantian realm. How could I compare to that?" Ye Hongyao replied without hesitation.

"I didn't really have anywhere good to go, but... Brother Shi, what do you think I should do?" The girl was tempted by the woman's words, but she still turned to Shi Mu and asked softly.

"Senior, are you a Xiantian Martial Artist?" Shi Mu pondered for a moment before finally voicing the doubt in his heart to Ye Hongyao.

"You have some discernment. This Seat is indeed an early-stage Xiantian Martial Artist!" The hooded woman was slightly surprised but replied with pride.

"But I've heard that there are only a few Xiantian Martial Artists in all of Great Qi?" Shi Mu was startled at first, then asked hesitantly.

"The secular world indeed knows few Xiantian Martial Artists—mostly those so-called Nation-Protecting Martial Artists appointed by the Great Qi court. Our Three Great Sects are not counted among them. Sect experts only emerge when Great Qi faces national ruin or situations beyond secular power's ability to handle. Even the so-called Great Qi imperial family was established by our three sects as a balancing measure. If they offended us, any one of our sects could easily depose them." Ye Hongyao seemed utterly dismissive of the court-appointed Nation-Protecting Martial Artists.

"So the true martial arts masters are all in the sects." Shi Mu was naturally horrified and blurted out.

"Of course. The other two kingdoms are the same. With Xiu'er's talent, joining the Mystic Sound Sect would make advancing to Xiantian only a matter of time." Ye Hongyao replied without hesitation.

"If that's the case, the Mystic Sound Sect is an excellent choice. Miss Zhong, you should accept Senior Ye's offer." Shi Mu let out a long breath and said solemnly to the girl.