The Old Man's a Connected Guy! The Girl Returns to the Sect!

"True Yin Body..."

Jiang Ye's gaze fell upon the girl in the ink-colored dress. A flicker of subtle surprise crossed his aged eyes, immediately followed by a look of profound, playful intrigue.

He had not expected this girl's constitution to be so unique.

What surprised him even more was that she was still a virgin, her True Yin essence intact.

After all, based on his extensive experience in "judging people," he had assumed from her bewitching charm and the seductive way she moved that she had long since...

Cough. It seems the saying "one cannot judge a book by its cover" is indeed true.

He glanced at the youth beside her, who was still laughing wildly at the sky, and the pity in his eyes deepened.

Since ancient times, treasures have always belonged to the strong.

A girl possessing a "True Yin Body" was now a conspicuous treasure, far beyond the grasp of a foolish boy with only the strength of Dark Strength.

If one failed to understand this reality, suffering would be the least of his worries; he might even lose his life.

He withdrew his gaze, looking no further.

Over there, the two Azure Sky Sect disciples responsible for the bone-testing had already shed their excitement, casting a cold glance at the youth.

One of them opened the roster and spoke expressionlessly:

"Li Jianghua, eighteen years old, medium-grade root bone, mid-stage Dark Strength."

He paused, closed the roster, and continued in a voice devoid of emotion:

"You have failed to meet the selection standards of the Azure Sky Sect. Return home."

The wild laughter on the youth's face stopped abruptly, as if a chicken had been throttled by its throat.

"What?!"

He widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief, his voice cracking: "I didn't pass? How is that possible! Did you make a mistake?"

The two disciples ignored his exclamation, not even bothering to spare him another glance.

The other disciple turned toward the girl in the ink-colored dress. His expression instantly became eager, and his voice softened, carrying a hint of solicitation:

"Xu Qinghuan, eighteen years old, upper-medium-grade root bone, early-stage Dark Strength, possessor of the True Yin Body."

He paused, emphasizing his tone: "Congratulations, you have passed the selection and may enter the outer sect of our Azure Sky Sect. Please follow me to register."

"I... I can enter the Azure Sky Sect?!"

The girl in the ink-colored dress, who had been bewildered by the mention of the "True Yin Body," suddenly erupted with wild joy and immediately stepped forward.

"Qinghuan!"

A hand suddenly grabbed her wrist.

Li Jianghua pulled her back with force, his face flushed red, his voice bordering on hysterical:

"Let's go! We're leaving! If this Azure Sky Sect won't take me, we'll go somewhere else! With my family background, do you think I can't find a sect to take me in?"

However, he tugged, but she didn't budge.

Xu Qinghuan stood in place, her slender wrist turning red from his grip, yet she remained unmoved.

She turned her head slightly, a flash of complex emotion crossing her bewitching eyes—a hint of struggle, but mostly determination.

She looked troubled, bit her red lip, and spoke in a voice that was extremely low yet exceptionally clear: "Brother Hua, I want to enter the Azure Sky Sect..."

The color drained from Li Jianghua's face in an instant.

"W-what did you say?" His voice trembled, his eyes wide: "Qinghuan! I am your fiancé! Are you trying to abandon me and go in alone?!"

"Brother Hua... listen to me..." Xu Qinghuan curled her lips, forcing a sweet, cloying smile, her voice growing even gentler:

"Don't be so anxious. I'll go in first, and once I've established a foothold, I'll find a way to get you in, okay? Wouldn't it be better if we were both in the Azure Sky Sect?"

Li Jianghua froze.

The anger and disbelief on his face were gradually replaced by a flicker of hesitation.

He looked at the familiar yet seemingly strange face before him, and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind—

As long as he married Qinghuan as soon as possible and obtained her True Yin, he could break through his realm and cleanse his body. His aptitude would surely improve by a huge margin!

Wouldn't it be easy to join the Azure Sky Sect then?

His eyes suddenly lit up.

"Alright! Qinghuan, I'll listen to you!"

He nodded vigorously, releasing her wrist only to grasp her hand tightly, his gaze burning with intensity:

"You go first, I'll wait for you! In a few days, I... I will come to find you!"

He placed heavy emphasis on the words "find you."

A faint trace of disgust, perhaps even unnoticed by herself, flashed in Xu Qinghuan's eyes, but she kept that sweet, cloying smile on her face and nodded at him:

"Mm! Brother Hua, you can rest assured and wait for me!"

She pulled her hand back, turned, and followed the Azure Sky Sect disciple toward the mountain gate without looking back.

The ink-black hem of her skirt dragged across the bluestone, tracing a bewitching arc as she gradually drifted away.

Li Jianghua stood rooted to the spot, watching that retreating figure with a face full of anticipation and wild ecstasy, completely oblivious to the countless gazes behind him that swept over him with amusement, mockery, or pity.

"Next for the bone-testing, come up..."

The Azure Sky Sect disciple had barely finished speaking when he saw a tall, thin old man with half-white hair walk up.

A flash of astonishment crossed his eyes, and he shook his head helplessly, saying, "Old man, our Azure Sky Sect does not recruit..."

Before he could finish, Jiang Ye took the token from his robes and held it out to him. "Young man, I have come here for another matter."

"A True Disciple Token?!"

He stood up abruptly, his chair sliding back half a foot with a screech. The numbness and fatigue on his face were swept away, replaced by undisguised shock.

Although he didn't cry out in surprise as he had when discovering the True Yin Body, the commotion was enough to make many people nearby cast glances his way.

He held the token, his hands trembling slightly as he inspected it carefully once more. After confirming its authenticity, the expression on his face changed instantly.

The impatience from moments ago had vanished without a trace, replaced by respect and extreme caution: "This is Senior Sister Wen's True Disciple Token. I did not realize you were an honored guest; please forgive my previous offense!"

Jiang Ye looked at the disciple whose attitude had done a complete one-eighty, a hint of surprise flashing in his aged eyes.

The aura on this disciple was thick and steady; he was clearly a practitioner of Transformation Strength.

Yet, faced with a single token, he was this respectful...

It seemed the weight of Wen Yueyao's status as a "True Disciple" was far greater than he had imagined.

"No need for such formalities, young man." Jiang Ye waved his hand slightly, his voice raspy and calm. "Miss Wen asked me to come here and settle in while I wait for her to finish her business and return."

"I see! Please wait a moment, sir, I will take you to the guest quarters immediately!"

The disciple dared not delay. He immediately turned to call over another fellow disciple on duty, whispered a few instructions, and then personally led the way, guiding Jiang Ye into the mountain gate.

Behind them, the crowd waiting in line exchanged glances, suddenly realizing the situation.

"So that old man had connections!"

"Tsk, no wonder he dared to get in line. I thought he was just senile."

"A True Disciple Token—that's the token of an inner sect True Disciple. What kind of background does this old man have?"

"Whatever his background is, it's not someone we can afford to provoke."

The buzzing of their discussion soon dissipated with the wind.

Within the crowd, only Li Jianghua's expression was hideously ugly.

He stared fixedly at Jiang Ye's receding back, his teeth grinding together, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness:

"Damn it, this old thing is a connected man!"

He recalled his own arrogant threats from moments ago, and how he had publicly called the old man an "old thing." He felt as if his face were burning, as if he had been slapped a dozen times in front of everyone.

But then he thought, his fiancée Xu Qinghuan had also entered the Azure Sky Sect, and she possessed the legendary True Yin Body!

As long as he married her quickly and obtained that virgin True Yin to break through his realm and cleanse his body, what would he have to fear then?

At this thought, a twisted sense of pleasure surfaced on his face once more.

Three days later.

Jiang Ye was in the Azure Sky Sect guest quarters, studying the Poison Control Scripture he had obtained earlier.

Suddenly, a crisp, melodious voice came from outside the door: "Old Man Jiang, are you in?"

It was none other than Wen Yueyao.