In the End, He Joined the Black Tortoise Hall

After waiting outside the hall for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the doors of the Affairs Hall reopened.

The manager came out with a stack of filled-out application forms in his hand. Without calling out names, he simply informed everyone of the results in order.

Zhou Heng was the first to hear the results, White Tiger Hall accepted him; Gu Qingyue was the second, Vermilion Bird Hall accepted her.

Neither of them lingered; they were immediately taken away by the disciples of the two halls.

The others gradually heard where they were going; some were delighted, while others remained silent.

The manager paused when he called Ye An's name, "Ye An, Black Tortoise Hall. Someone from the Black Tortoise Hall will come to pick you up later."

Ye An took back his watch, glanced down at it, and saw that the Vermilion Bird Hall wish column had been crossed out, and a new character had been written next to it with another pen— Black Tortoise.

The handwriting is not very neat, perhaps because the writer doesn't care much about how good the handwriting looks.

Ye An folded the paper and put it in his pocket. He felt no disappointment, only a slight sense of doubt.

Why didn't Vermilion Bird Hall choose him? Gu Qingyue Late Meridian Opening, so it's normal for them to accept her.

Tian Xiaoshan Mid-Meridian Opening, with Root Bone of Low-B Grade, not much different from himself, but the Vermilion Bird Hall did not choose him.

Ye An didn't dwell on it, nor was he disappointed. To him, it didn't matter which hall he went to, as long as he could cultivate.

Another person who was assigned to the Black Tortoise Hall along with Ye An, ranked seventh, was named Fang Heng.

He stood not far from Ye An, clutching the watch in his hand. This result was within his expectations. He had originally studied palm techniques, and his only goal was the Black Tortoise Hall.

However, he glanced at Ye An and a sense of doubt arose in his heart. It was not surprising that he, ranked seventh, wanted to go to the Black Tortoise Hall, but Ye An third, was also here?

If I remember correctly, Ye An majored in finger techniques, and I guess he chose the Vermilion Bird Hall.

Logically speaking, the Vermilion Bird Hall would not refuse someone who came in third in the Inner Sect Grand Competition.

Fang Heng didn't say much, but glanced at Ye An a few times.

Seeing that Ye An's face showed no obvious change, nor any sign of disappointment or anger, he withdrew his gaze and stood quietly to the side, waiting for the people from the Black Tortoise Hall to come and pick him up.

Not long after, the people from the Black Tortoise Hall arrived.

The man who arrived was dressed in a dark gray robe with the cuffs rolled up and no weapons hanging from his waist. He was stocky with a dark complexion and walked slowly, but each step was steady.

He walked to the entrance of the Affairs Hall, his gaze sweeping over the waiting people before finally settling on Ye An: "Ye An? I am Zhou Zhong, the Chief Disciple of the Black Tortoise Hall."

His tone was somewhat enthusiastic. In previous years, the disciples Black Tortoise Hall accepted were either the worst or leftovers from other halls. There was no other way; Black Tortoise Hall disciples were among the lowest tier of the Four Halls.

But this year is different. Ye An is the third in the Inner Sect Grand Competition. He is seventeen years old and in the Mid-Meridian Opening. On his way here, he was thinking that people with such results might refuse to enter the Black Tortoise Hall and instead go back to wait until they reach the Qi Condensation before coming to the Four Halls. After all, this has happened before.

Zhou Zhong was afraid of this happening, so his tone was warmer than usual when he spoke, carrying a hint of probing and trying to persuade him to stay.

Ye An looked at him and felt a surge of warmth. "Greetings, Senior Brother Zhou, I am Ye An."

Seeing that he answered decisively without hesitation, Zhou Zhong breathed a sigh of relief, and his face warmed up a bit. "Let's go, I'll take you to the Black Tortoise Hall to report."

After he finished speaking, he turned and walked ahead, his steps slower than when he came, as if afraid that if he walked too fast he would lose the person.

Fang Heng was picked up by another Black Tortoise Hall disciple and followed behind, a few steps away from Ye An. He walked behind, watching Ye An and Zhou Zhong's backs as they walked side by side, without saying anything.

Ye An followed Zhou Zhong's footsteps.

The two crossed the stone steps in front of the Affairs Hall, went around the edge of the Martial Practice Ground, and walked for about fifteen minutes along a bluestone path that led slightly west. The trees along the way were denser than those in the Inner Sect, and the stone path was covered with a layer of fallen leaves that had not been swept away.

Zhou Zhong walked ahead, turning back every now and then. Ye An saw the Chief Disciple of the Black Tortoise Hall, a Qi Condensation expert. In order to retain a talented disciple, he had gone to great lengths.

Ye An could tell that his senior brother seemed to be somewhat poor at communicating with others, and his speech was a little disjointed.

Ye An didn't say anything, just walked beside Zhou Zhong, occasionally responding with a word.

"Black Tortoise Hall doesn't have that many rules. Your accommodation has already been arranged, and Cultivation Resources will be provided monthly. If you need more, you can apply, but you'll have to fill out a form explaining the purpose."

After he finished speaking, he added, "In previous years, Black Tortoise Hall mostly accepted disciples from the lower ranks, so I didn't expect to receive you this year. Once you're here, just focus on your cultivation. If you need anything, just let me know."

Ye An nodded in agreement and followed him for the last stretch of the road until they saw the gate of the Black Tortoise Hall.

There are no plaques or stone beasts, and the facade is smaller than that of the White Tiger Hall and the Vermilion Bird Hall, but the stone slabs in front of the door are very smooth from being walked on.

Zhou Zhong paused at the doorway, stepping aside to make way. "Go to the main hall to report first. The hall master is waiting for you there. After you report, he will take you to your lodgings."

Ye An walked past him.

Ye An walked through the front yard and pushed open the door to the main hall.

The room was simply furnished. A wooden table stood directly opposite the door, and a person sat behind it.

The man was thin, with slightly hunched shoulders, a sallow complexion, and sunken eyes, resembling an old tree whose roots were beginning to loosen, looking as if he could be blown down by the wind at any moment.

His palm rested on the table, his fingers long and slender with distinct knuckles, but his skin was loose, like a thin sheet of paper wrapped around his bones.

He looked so old he could barely walk, but when he spoke, his voice was strong, with the slow, clear quality characteristic of an old man. "You are Ye An?"

"Yes."

Shi Jian, the Black Tortoise Hall, has already cultivated to the Origin Core Gathered Origin Realm.

In terms of combat strength, the Four Halls should be ranked first.

Of course, he's also the oldest.

Shi Jian nodded. "The Black Tortoise Hall doesn't have many rules, I'll just repeat them once. The master leads you in, but your cultivation depends on yourself. Resources are distributed monthly, and you need to write an application if you need more. There's an internal assessment every quarter, and if you don't meet the standards, you'll be sent back to the inner disciple. The Four Halls Grand Competition is held every three years, and the Black Tortoise Hall's performance hasn't been very good in recent years. After you arrive, help if you can, but we won't force you if you can't." His speech was neither fast nor slow.

"Your disciple will remember this."

Shi Jian glanced at him, as if he had said everything he could, or as if he had used up all his energy there, and pointed towards the door. "Someone will take you to your lodgings. Go find Zhou Zhong."

Ye An responded and turned to leave the main hall.

Zhou Zhong was still waiting outside the door. When he saw him come out, he didn't ask any questions, but simply gestured in a direction and then led the way.

The two walked along the path on the left side of the front courtyard of the Black Tortoise Hall for a while and stopped in front of a dark gray wooden door.

Zhou Zhong pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Ye An in. "This is the room."

Ye An entered the room.

The room wasn't big, but it was cleaner than he had imagined. There was a bed, a table, a chair, and a row of wooden shelves nailed to the wall. Sunlight slanted in through the window, falling on the table and forming a long, bright band of light.

Zhou Zhong waited at the door until Ye An finished looking at the accommodations. "If there's anything you don't understand, we can talk about it tomorrow. Let's settle in today."

"If you have any questions in the future, you can come to me. I'll answer them for you. If that doesn't work, I'll ask the church director for help."

The words were soft, but the promise carried weight. Ye An smiled and cupped his hands in a respectful gesture:

"Then thank you very much, Chief Disciple Brother."

Seeing that Ye An still needed to tidy up his lodgings, Zhou Chong bid farewell and walked away along the path he had come from, satisfied.

Ye An stood in the room, then placed his luggage on the table, untied the old cloth, and hung the Shuanghong Sword on the wooden frame on the wall.

If I remember correctly, the third-place winner of the Inner Sect Grand Competition can choose a Martial Arts from the second floor of the Inner Sect Scripture Repository. I can go check it out tomorrow.