Bamboo Peak Again

Ten days later, the cultivation in He Pingsheng's wood-aspect dantian broke through to the second layer.

"Whew..." He took a deep breath, gathered his belongings, and headed out toward the Outer Sect Hall.

Today was the day the results of the Inner Sect selection would be announced.

The selection process was rather bizarre, really. There had been neither a contest nor a test; a few simple questions were enough to decide everything.

He Pingsheng did not hold out much hope for himself as he strolled into the Outer Sect Hall.

People stood shoulder to shoulder, packed into every corner.

But the Inner Disciples had yet to arrive.

Since they were not here, he would simply wait.

And wait, and wait!

An hour later, a yellow crane flew down from the Inner Sect's towering mountain and landed squarely in front of the Outer Sect Hall.

He Pingsheng saw that the yellow crane was actually a Paper Crane.

A man and a woman dismounted from it.

He Pingsheng had never seen either of them before, and he did not dare casually probe their cultivation with his divine sense.

"Everyone!"

The pair did not enter the hall. Instead, they waved from outside the Outer Sect Hall and said, "Everyone, please be quiet!"

The man in black Daoist robes surveyed the disciples pouring out through the doors with a stern expression. "The sect's top twenty disciples have been selected. Those whose names I call, please stand behind me!"

"Sima Ju!"

"Lu Congyuan!"

"Zhang Kuiyun!"

"Shi Daqiong!"

"Gui Zhiyun!"

One cultivator after another stepped out of the crowd, weeping with joy, and stood behind the man in black Daoist robes.

He Pingsheng secretly extended his divine sense, probing their cultivation thoroughly.

Most were at the seventh or eighth layer of the qi refining stage. Not a single one was at the fifth layer like him.

Forget it...

I'm probably not on the list.

Just as He Pingsheng shook his head and prepared to leave, the man said, "The last one, He Pingsheng!"

Huh?

He Pingsheng froze, then joy surged through him. I actually made it? Wonderful! Now I'll have a chance to take part in the secret realm trial.

He hurried out of the crowd and quickly stood behind the man in black.

At once, He Pingsheng felt countless strands of divine sense sweeping over him.

A moment later, someone protested.

"Why him?" someone across from them demanded. "He's only at the fifth layer of qi refining! Why choose him instead of me? I'm at the eighth layer!"

"Exactly! I'm at the seventh layer!"

"My cultivation is higher than his too!"

In an instant, countless people spoke up, voicing their dissatisfaction with the Inner Sect selection.

"Insolence!" the man in black roared. "The Inner Sect selection has its own rules! Who are you to wag your tongues about it?"

Shing...

A crisp sound rang out as the man in black drew his sword in a flash. "Anyone else unhappy? Come and ask me!"

Now, no one dared speak.

"Scram!" the man roared again, and the Outer Disciples scattered like startled birds and beasts.

The entrance to the Outer Sect Hall emptied.

The man turned to look at the twenty-odd people behind him, his expression softening again. "Junior brothers and sisters, you will soon all be Inner Disciples. From now on, we must sail in the same boat and weather the storms together. Please wait a little; the escort disciples from each peak will arrive shortly."

"Thank you, senior brother!"

Everyone cupped their hands in salute to the male disciple, excitement written on every face.

After all, joining the Inner Sect offered far too many benefits.

Not long afterward, roughly half an incense stick into He Pingsheng's wait, he saw more than a dozen figures descending one after another from the mountain behind them, each riding a yellow crane.

Of course, these so-called yellow cranes were all Paper Cranes too.

Paper Cranes were practically the unrivaled choice for low-ranking disciples traveling through the Cultivation World.

Once the dozen or so disciples landed, they immediately began calling out.

"Lu Congyuan and Sima Ju, you two come with me!"

"Gui Zhiyun, come with me!"

"He Pingsheng... He Pingsheng and Shen Shigu, you two come over here!"

A female disciple in a moon-white robe stood up front and called out.

He Pingsheng and another tall man stepped forward together and approached her.

The Great Void Sect's Daoist robes all followed a standard design, but Inner Disciples had more than one set of clothes, so this moon-white robe was also part of their standard attire.

"Greetings, senior sister!"

He Pingsheng and Shen Shigu cupped their hands toward her.

The woman nodded. "You're He Pingsheng?"

Without the slightest courtesy, she immediately swept her divine sense over him.

He Pingsheng cupped his hands. "This disciple is He Pingsheng!"

The woman asked again, "I heard you can refine first-grade pills?"

"Yes," He Pingsheng said.

She nodded. "You had better not be lying. Master only admitted you to the Inner Sect because you can refine pills. If you lied, you will certainly die!"

He Pingsheng nodded calmly.

"Come with me!"

With that, the woman leaped onto the yellow crane's back. "You two, get on as well!"

"Yes!"

He Pingsheng and Shen Shigu did not dare disobey and jumped onto the yellow crane's back.

This thing could carry a thousand jin while flying, so the weight of three people was naturally no problem.

Whoosh...

The yellow crane rose into the air and headed toward the Great Void Sect.

Previously, climbing from the foot of the mountain to Bamboo Peak had taken He Pingsheng a good half day. Now, riding the yellow crane, he arrived in a mere instant.

Under He Pingsheng's conflicted gaze, the yellow crane stopped somewhere all too familiar: Bamboo Peak.

Damn it!

He Pingsheng cursed fiercely inwardly. Seriously? Bamboo Peak again?

Although this was Bamboo Peak, they were at an elevation He Pingsheng had never visited.

The place where the three of them landed seemed like an immortal paradise.

Directly ahead stood a magnificent great hall.

Beside it stood three palaces, each a size smaller.

Around each palace were countless pavilions, towers, and tranquil courtyards.

"This is Bamboo Peak!" The woman looked at the two of them and said evenly, "My surname is Zhao, and my name is Zhao Ling'er. From now on, just call me Senior Sister Zhao."

"Yes, Senior Sister Zhao!"

Both men cupped their hands toward her.

Zhao Ling'er continued, "I'll give you two a brief explanation!"

"Look... that enormous hall opposite us is the Grand Ancestor's cultivation residence. Under ordinary circumstances, remember that you must not approach it!"

The Grand Ancestor!

He Pingsheng nodded.

He had met this Grand Ancestor once a couple of years ago.

"The three halls behind it are the cultivation residences of the Grand Ancestor's three disciples in the foundation establishment realm!" Zhao Ling'er continued, "From front to back, they belong to Uncle-Master Yuxuan and Uncle-Master Jade Virtue. The last one is the cultivation residence of my master, Yu Ning!"

"Shen Shigu, go to the Virtue-Honoring Garden in the middle now. That is Uncle-Master Jade Virtue's cultivation residence. Starting today, you are his disciple. Someone will receive you when you arrive!"

"Yes!" Shen Shigu cupped his hands and left.

"He Pingsheng, come with me..." Zhao Ling'er led He Pingsheng onward, speaking as they walked. "Starting today, you are Master's disciple, so the two of us are now fellow disciples under the same master!"