Entering the Sect

As one of the three foremost sects of the age, the True Martial Sect was situated in True Martial City of Langya Prefecture, on the shores of the East Sea.

The entire city covered an immense area, stretching dozens of li in every direction. Palace complexes sprawled throughout the city, and at its very heart stood an incomparably dazzling palace. Before it stood a massive stone stele, soaring into the clouds. From afar, it looked like a small mountain. The two great characters, "True Martial," were engraved upon it in strokes like dancing dragons and flying phoenixes, sharp as iron and hooked like silver, carrying a singular artistic conception.

The city was entirely covered by a gigantic formation. A thin mist shrouded the sky above it, with only the western gate free of its cover. Below lay a plaza where people streamed back and forth, bustling with activity.

At that moment, a huge flying beast slowly descended onto the plaza. Dozens of young martial artists dressed in green disciple robes jumped down from its back, each one curiously surveying their surroundings.

This group consisted of the newcomers newly recruited from Nanyang Prefecture and other places, including Liang Bo and the others. Led by several senior members of the sect, they headed toward the palace at the center of the plaza.

Upon arriving, Ma Wen looked at Chen Feng, Lu Hua, and Jiang Xiaoman and said, "This is where inner disciples register. You three will register here. Liang Bo, you and the three little ones behind you, come with me."

"Yes, Martial Uncle," Liang Bo promptly replied, following along with Zhao Wu, Xiao Qing, and Xie Jia.

Ma Wen led the way. They soon crossed the plaza and followed a broad street to a palace. "This is where direct disciples register. Liang Bo, go in and register yourself. This old man has other important matters to attend to, so I will not wait for you. Also, this is my communication token. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you may send someone to deliver a message to me." As he spoke, he handed Liang Bo a black token.

"Thank you, Martial Uncle." Liang Bo hurriedly accepted the token.

"Mm." Ma Wen gave a slight nod before turning and leaving.

Liang Bo took Zhao Wu and the other two into the palace to register.

The moment they entered, they saw a youth registering inside the palace.

The youth was not tall, a head shorter than Liang Bo. Three martial artists resembling guards stood behind him. When he saw Liang Bo and the others enter, he turned and greeted them warmly. "Hello, I'm Du Chi from Lanling Prefecture."

Liang Bo quickly walked over with his identity token. "Hello, I'm Liang Bo, from Nanyang Prefecture."

"Nanyang Prefecture?" Du Chi blinked in surprise. "The Lanling Prefecture where I live borders Langya Prefecture, only a few thousand li away. I heard that Nanyang Prefecture is more than three hundred thousand li from True Martial City. You actually traveled all that way?"

"It was indeed far. The journey alone took a month. Fortunately, we had the sect's flying beasts to ride; otherwise, it would likely have taken even longer," Liang Bo said with a sigh.

Just then, a middle-aged man in black robes, radiating authority from head to toe, walked over and asked, "This is the registration site for direct disciples. Are you here to register?"

"Yes. This disciple joined the True Martial Sect this year. This is my identity token." Du Chi hurriedly handed over his token.

The middle-aged man took the token and examined Du Chi before walking to a formation and placing it inside. The formation activated at once, and a green light flashed, projecting lines of information into the air:

Du Chi, fifteen years old, from Xiao City of Lanling Prefecture. In this year's martial academy competition, he easily slew a fourth-grade demon beast, a Red-Headed Python. He joined the True Martial Sect after taking first place in the arena battles. His swordsmanship and movement technique have both reached basic-level perfection. His inner strength cultivation is at the third grade of martial arts.

"Third grade of martial arts?" Liang Bo secretly clicked his tongue. Du Chi did not look particularly remarkable, yet his martial cultivation had already reached the third grade of martial arts. He was only fifteen years old as well. He was even stronger than Wang Dong of their Nanyang Prefecture!

The middle-aged man nodded. "Not bad. Third grade of martial arts at fifteen. There are not many with talent like yours even in our True Martial Sect."

Liang Bo noticed that he had said "not many," rather than "none." Moreover, his expression was calm, clearly showing that he was not surprised by this.

The middle-aged man then registered the identities of Du Chi's three attendants. All three were guards from Du Chi's family, each possessing first-grade martial arts strength. Clearly, Du Chi's family was far from ordinary; otherwise, they could not have used such powerful experts as guards.

After Du Chi and his group finished registering, it was Liang Bo's turn.

Liang Bo stepped forward and handed over his identity token.

Du Chi and the others stood to one side, secretly curious. Those who become direct disciples the moment they enter the sect are generally geniuses capable of easily killing fourth-grade demon beasts in the martial academy competition. I relied on my third-grade inner strength cultivation to crush mine with ease. What does this Liang Bo rely on?

Liang Bo, sixteen years old, from Wan City of Nanyang Prefecture. In this year's martial academy competition, he easily slew a fourth-grade demon beast, a Swift Leopard. He joined the True Martial Sect after taking first place in the arena battles. His saber technique has reached the realm of unity between man and saber. His movement technique has reached basic-level perfection, and his fist and leg techniques have likewise reached basic-level perfection. His inner strength cultivation is at the fourth grade.

"His saber technique has reached unity between man and saber, while his fist and leg techniques and movement technique have all reached basic-level perfection?" When the formation displayed Liang Bo's information, Du Chi was visibly stunned.

As a genius martial artist, he naturally understood just how rare it was for someone their age to attain unity between man and saber. By comparison, although his inner strength cultivation was higher, that merely meant his innate physique was stronger. Innate physique, however, tended to matter less and less as one advanced.

The middle-aged man nodded slightly and smiled. "Not bad. To reach the realm of unity between man and saber at such a young age, while also having respectable inner strength cultivation, movement technique, and fist and leg techniques—no wonder you were granted direct disciple status immediately."

He glanced at Xiao Qing and the other two behind Liang Bo. "Are these three the attendants you selected?"

"Yes, Senior!" Liang Bo signaled for Xiao Qing and the other two to hand over their identity tokens.

The middle-aged man accepted the tokens and said casually, "Although attendants may receive the treatment of outer disciples in this sect, they are not yet counted as part of the sect. If you three wish to become official disciples, your cultivation must reach the Human Origin Realm."

After operating the formation and recording all three of their details, he continued, "All right. From today onward, you two are direct disciples of this sect. The newcomers recruited from the various regions have not all arrived yet. The disciple acceptance ceremony will only be held once everyone is here. For the next couple of days, take a look around True Martial City and familiarize yourselves with the surroundings."

With that, he waved his hand, indicating that Liang Bo and the others could leave.