Becoming an Outer Sect Disciple

The three puppets rumbled as they marched toward Ye Lin. With every step, the ground trembled faintly.

Ye Lin narrowed his eyes and channeled all the spiritual energy in his body into his right hand. Veins immediately bulged along his entire arm.

"Seven Kill Fist."

With an angry roar, Ye Lin threw a punch at the puppet's chest.

A thunderous boom rang out.

The puppet, which had looked indestructible, had its chest punched straight through by Ye Lin and froze in place without moving.

"Second layer of the Seven Kill Fist. Reaching the second layer in such a short time—Decent Comprehension."

"Destroying an Assessment Puppet with one punch—even someone at Qi Refining Level 5 might not be confident of doing that. This kid is truly strong."

In the distance, Unrivaled stood with his arms folded, watching the scene with faint surprise as he murmured.

He had heard of Ye Lin before. Killing the younger brother of Zhang Xiao, the number one figure in the Outer Sect, in broad daylight took some courage.

But seeing this now, Ye Lin possessed far more than just a bit of courage.

Two more thunderous booms sounded, and the other two puppets were also destroyed by Ye Lin. He had suppressed his cultivation to Qi Refining Level 4 before launching his full-strength attacks.

The results were unexpectedly good. If he used the power of Qi Refining Level 6 and the third layer of the Seven Kill Fist for a full-force strike, he should be able to contend with Qi Refining Level 7.

Ye Lin thought to himself.

"Senior Brother, I don't have to compensate for this, do I?"

Ye Lin cupped his hands toward Unrivaled and spoke respectfully.

"No need. Broken is broken. Come with me and collect your Identity Token."

After saying that, Unrivaled walked ahead, while Ye Lin followed behind him.

"Here. You are now an Outer Sect disciple. This is your Identity Token, and these are the rewards for passing the Outer Sect assessment: two Spirit Conversion Pills."

As he spoke, Unrivaled placed two round white pills before Ye Lin. Seeing this, Ye Lin looked up at Unrivaled.

Then he lowered his head and accepted the pills and Identity Token.

Unrivaled nodded in satisfaction. The kid knew what to do.

"Senior Brother, then I'll be going."

After Ye Lin spoke, Unrivaled nodded, and Ye Lin walked out the door.

"This kid is not bad. He knows what to do. But... he won't live long."

Watching Ye Lin's retreating back, Unrivaled sighed.

After returning to his previous residence, Ye Lin took out the two Spirit Conversion Pills and began swallowing them for cultivation.

In an instant, streams of spiritual energy flowed through Ye Lin's body, strengthening his sinews and bones.

The Qi Refining realm was a process of constantly strengthening one's body. Qi Refining Levels 1 through 5 continuously tempered the body.

From Qi Refining Level 5 to Qi Refining Level 9, one could store a small amount of spiritual energy within the dantian and cast some minor spells.

Spirit Conversion Pills were Yellow Grade Low-Tier Pills, containing an incomparably dense amount of spiritual energy.

By the time Ye Lin had fully refined the Spirit Conversion Pills, the sky outside had gradually turned to dusk.

"You are Ye Lin? The Outer Sect disciple who just passed the assessment today?"

At that moment, a young man in white robes stood before him with a folding fan in hand, his eyes fixed on Ye Lin.

"I am. And you are...?"

Ye Lin frowned as he looked at the young man before him.

"I am an Outer Sect disciple, Huang Xiong. I came here for only one purpose: to have you join us."

After Huang Xiong spoke, Ye Lin's face filled with surprise.

"Join you? What do you mean?"

"I know you live every day in constant fear. But you are smart—you became an Outer Sect disciple and gained the sect's protection."

"But do you know that Zhang Xiao will emerge from seclusion soon? When that happens, even as an Outer Sect disciple, you will not escape Zhang Xiao's assassination."

"Join us. We have Senior Brother Li, who is at Qi Refining Level 7. When the time comes, Senior Brother Li can step forward and shield you from this disaster."

Huang Xiong continued speaking on his own. The Outer Sect was divided into three factions: Dragon, Tiger, and Qilin.

Whenever a new Outer Sect disciple appeared, they would immediately receive the news and move to recruit them.

That was because Outer Sect disciples did not receive the sect's full support, and every month, they also had to undergo an Outer Sect assessment. The sole standard of assessment was points.

Points were rewards earned by completing various tasks. Once one lacked enough points, one would be kicked out of the Outer Sect.

Outer Sect resources were scarce, so they could only fight for them themselves. Either they entered the mountains together to kill Demon Beasts, or they completed tasks together to earn points.

It could be said that once one entered the Outer Sect, if one did not join one of these three factions, the chances of passing the monthly assessment were nearly zero.

Small tasks gave few points, while large tasks were simply too difficult to complete alone.

Unless one gave up cultivation entirely and accepted small tasks every day to scrape together points, but that was unrealistic.

Thus, over time, the Outer Sect disciples tacitly chose three Qi Refining Level 7 disciples as their leaders. Each leader commanded a considerable force.

Today, when he heard that Ye Lin had suddenly passed the assessment and become an Outer Sect disciple—and that his strength was reportedly comparable to Qi Refining Level 5—he had rushed over without stopping.

"What value do I have that makes you willing to offend Zhang Xiao, the number one figure in the Outer Sect, just to recruit me?"

Ye Lin did not answer immediately. Instead, he asked a question.

"First, Senior Brother Li and Zhang Xiao are mortal enemies. Senior Brother Li wants to take this chance to disgust Zhang Xiao."

"Second, because of your strength, you have earned Senior Brother Li's favor. Nothing more."

After Huang Xiong spoke, Ye Lin immediately replied.

"My apologies, but I'm not interested."

After Ye Lin spoke, Huang Xiong gave him a strange look.

"Fine. Since that is the case, farewell. I hope that after Zhang Xiao emerges from seclusion, I will receive good news from you."

Huang Xiong's face was full of mockery. You were given an opportunity, yet you could not make use of it. Then just wait for death.

With that, Huang Xiong turned and left.

Name: Huang Xiong

Cultivation: Qi Refining Level 6

Fate Rank: White (Not Bad)

Fate Traits: [Exceptionally Intelligent]

Destiny: Five years later, he challenged an Inner Sect disciple. He ultimately failed and was brutally tortured to death by that Inner Sect disciple.

Recent Opportunity: Half a month later, a Qi Refining Level 5 Demon Beast Python would appear in Wang Family Village. Huang Xiong would be ordered to descend the mountain and slay the Python. Afterwards, he would obtain a Mysterious Grade Low Tier Spatial Ring from the Python's belly.

[Exceptionally Intelligent]: From childhood to adulthood, your intelligence has surpassed that of ordinary people. When facing crises about to befall you, you can always respond calmly and find a solution, turning danger into safety.

Looking at Huang Xiong's panel, Ye Lin was slightly shocked. A Mysterious Grade Low Tier Spatial Ring? That was an incredibly precious treasure.

A Spatial Ring contained an independent space and could store items. Even a Yellow Grade Low Tier one did not exist within the Azure Cloud Sect, much less a Mysterious Grade Low Tier one.

If a Mysterious Grade Low Tier Spatial Ring were to fall into the mortal world, there was a great chance that even Nascent Soul Realm experts would make a move to seize it. Its value was plain to see.

"Excellent. Your opportunity is mine now."

Ye Lin then headed down the mountain. He had not forgotten Unrivaled's opportunity either—a treasure that strengthened the divine soul, something that could only be encountered by chance.

The Dark Gold Beast Cave lay deep within the mountains. If one was unlucky, one could very easily encounter Demon Beasts at Qi Refining Level 7 or even Level 8.

Thus, Ye Lin traveled with extreme caution, usually taking two steps before surveying his surroundings. He had no desire to lose his life for the sake of an opportunity.

"This should be the Dark Gold Beast Cave, right? According to the panel, three Qi Refining Level 5 Demon Beasts dwell inside. I should observe first."

Ye Lin held a Long Sword as he slowly approached.

To ensure absolute certainty, he had specifically brought the Long Sword. With its assistance, his combat strength would increase by at least thirty percent.

Arriving outside the cave, Ye Lin raised his head and peered inside. Sure enough, two imposing tiger-shaped Demon Beasts were crouched within.

"Two? Where is the third one?"

Just as Ye Lin was puzzled, his entire body suddenly stiffened. Then he slowly turned his head and looked behind him.