Chapter 17

After a series of initiation rituals, including paying homage to the ancestors, proclaiming the sect rules, and registering their names, Ye Zhen and his group received a white jade talisman engraved with their names and officially became outer disciples of the Qiyun Sect.

"Alright, from now on, the sixteen of you have officially joined the ranks of the Qiyun Sect as outer disciples. However, with over three thousand outer disciples in our sect, the number of disciples is vast, so outer disciples still do not have the qualifications to find a master."

Pausing for a moment, Liu Zhisshi, who had been leading Ye Zhen and the others, continued, "The next few matters are crucial to your future, so you must remember them well."

"First, the white jade talisman in your hands is proof of your identity. It has been refined by the Talisman Master of the sect, and it is extremely miraculous. It can record and adjust your contribution points to the sect, as well as other information."

"Second, although you do not have the qualifications to find a master, the sect has arranged ten instructors for the outer disciples. If you have any questions about cultivation, you can seek guidance from these instructors."

"Third, every newly promoted outer disciple can enter the first floor of the Scripture Hall to freely choose one cultivation technique, one body technique, and one martial skill manual. In the future, if you want to change or cultivate more advanced techniques, you will need to use your contribution points to exchange for them, except for those rewarded by the sect."

"Fourth, there are sect tasks. After becoming an outer disciple, your cultivation time will significantly increase, but each of you must complete one sect task every month. Sometimes, the sect will directly assign tasks to you. The Qiyun Sect never supports those who do nothing!"

Ye Zhen listened very attentively. In comparison, the treatment of outer disciples was vastly different from that of servant disciples. The main task of servant disciples was to complete their duties, while the main task of outer disciples was to cultivate.

As for completing one sect task per month, it was not a big deal. When he was a servant disciple, he had to perform five hours of hard labor every day.

"Alright, that's all I have to tell you. Now, you can enter the Scripture Hall to choose your main cultivation technique." Liu Zhisshi pointed to a towering pavilion in the distance.

Having heard about the benefits enjoyed by outer disciples countless times, especially the advantages of cultivation techniques, which were a topic of daily conversation among servant disciples, even someone as proud as Feng Haoran could not help but quicken his pace and rush towards the Qiyun Sect's Scripture Hall.

"Brother Ye, shall we go together?" Shi Tianjia, who could hardly hide his excitement, called out to Ye Zhen, but Ye Zhen shook his head and refused without showing any emotion. Today on Yulong Road, Shi Tianjia deliberately pulled Ye Zhen into the battle, forming a two-on-one situation, which made Ye Zhen suddenly wary of him.

"Ye Zhen, why aren't you going to the Scripture Hall to choose a cultivation technique? Remember, the earlier you choose, the earlier you can start cultivating, and the earlier you will gain an advantage." Seeing that Ye Zhen had no intention of going to the Scripture Hall, Liu Zhisshi suddenly asked.

By this time, Ye Zhen had already figured out that Liu Zhisshi, with his three long mustaches, was actually the peak overseer of Donglai Peak, and he was said to have been an inner disciple with meritorious service.

In other words, the three thousand outer disciples of Donglai Peak were all under Liu Zhisshi's jurisdiction.

"Hearing that the cultivation techniques in the Scripture Hall are numerous and dazzling, I want to wait until I am calm and then carefully choose one." Ye Zhen originally wanted to say that it was because of Zhao Zhisshi's instructions, but he was unsure of Zhao Zhisshi's intentions, so he said this instead.

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhisshi's face suddenly turned stern. "Your intention is good, but don't forget the sect rules I just read to you—private sharing of Qiyun Sect's cultivation techniques is strictly forbidden. If discovered, the offender will be stripped of their cultivation and expelled from the sect!"

With a heavy cold snort, Liu Zhisshi left, leaving Ye Zhen to bitterly smile. Ye Zhen did not expect that Liu Zhisshi would misunderstand him as wanting to exchange cultivation techniques with other disciples to gain an unfair advantage.

Ye Zhen did not rush to see Zhao Zhisshi, although he was very curious about Zhao Zhisshi's intentions and somewhat looked forward to the reward Zhao Zhisshi mentioned. Instead, he first went to his new residence on Donglai Peak.

Compared to servant disciples, the living conditions of outer disciples were much better. Although they did not have their own courtyard, the fact that each person had a single room was a pleasant surprise for Ye Zhen.

Wearing the black martial attire unique to outer disciples, a different kind of heroic aura could not be suppressed from emanating from Ye Zhen. Compared to the gray clothes of servant disciples, the black martial attire was much better.

After tidying up, Ye Zhen headed straight for Baisong Peak.

"Salute to Senior Brother!"

"Senior Brother, greetings!"

On Donglai Peak, most of the people he encountered were outer disciples, with no distinction in rank. However, after leaving Donglai Peak and heading to Baisong Peak, Ye Zhen encountered servant disciples wearing gray clothes. When they saw Ye Zhen in black, their expressions turned serious, and they immediately moved to the side of the path, bowing to greet him.

At one point, Ye Zhen encountered eleven servant disciples standing side by side, greeting him, which made him feel quite elated.

Suddenly, a white-robed inner disciple appeared from a mountain path. Ye Zhen, who was still basking in his elation, only realized he had encountered a white-robed inner disciple when he was close.

When he looked up, Ye Zhen saw the cold and stern face of the white-robed inner disciple, who exuded a mysterious and intimidating aura that made Ye Zhen shudder.

"Salute to Senior Brother!" Realizing the situation, Ye Zhen quickly moved to the side of the path to greet him.

Seeing this, the white-robed inner disciple's expression eased slightly, and he left with a cold snort that almost burst Ye Zhen's eardrums. The chilling sensation that had made Ye Zhen's hair stand on end finally disappeared, and he was drenched in cold sweat.

This was a minor incident, but it caused a great upheaval in Ye Zhen's heart.

He must not become complacent just because he had become an outer disciple. There were too many strong people above the outer disciples.

Outer disciples were merely slightly stronger ants compared to servant disciples, but they were still ants.

He must become stronger!

He must possess great strength!

He must be like the colorfully dressed fairy he saw that day, who, upon her appearance, made thousands of sect members, even senior sect overseers, show respect.

A seed of determination had quietly taken root in Ye Zhen's heart!

"Salute to Senior Brother Ye!"

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Ye, on becoming an outer disciple!"

Returning to Baisong Peak, the servant disciples treated Ye Zhen with even more respect, making him feel like he had returned home in glory.

At this moment, Ye Zhen secretly decided that once he stabilized and made some progress in cultivation, he would return home as soon as possible.

Not for any other reason, but to bring glory to his parents and give them peace of mind.

"Ye Zhen, how does it feel to become an outer disciple?" Seeing Ye Zhen being flattered by the servant disciples on Baisong Peak, the waiting Zhao Zhisshi asked with a smile.

Ye Zhen pointed to a terrifying figure flying across the sky and replied with a bitter smile, "Still an ant, just a slightly stronger one than before."

Zhao Zhisshi, who had been smiling, suddenly showed a surprised expression. "Not bad! Ye Zhen, you are indeed not bad. I thought you would be so excited about becoming an outer disciple that you would lose your way."

Ye Zhen responded with a bitter smile. Compared to those who were directly admitted as outer disciples due to their outstanding bloodline and talent, they were just the worst batch of outer disciples.

Not to mention Ren Xihua, who, with his exceptional talent in the six meridians, was directly admitted as an inner disciple when he joined the Qiyun Sect. Ye Zhen and the others, who had just squeezed their way from servant disciples to outer disciples, were nothing.

It was said that Ren Xihua reached the fourth level of Blood Cultivation within a month of joining the sect and successfully condensed essence and gathered energy within half a year. If not for the sect elders fearing that his foundation was unstable, they would have delayed him for a few months; otherwise, Ren Xihua could have condensed essence and gathered energy even earlier.

"Ye Zhen, you don't need to belittle yourself. The path of martial arts is valuable in being fearless. How far you can go depends entirely on your destiny."

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Zhisshi continued, "Since you didn't enter the Scripture Hall, did Liu Zhisshi scold you? Do you know why I instructed you not to enter the Scripture Hall to choose a cultivation technique?"

"How did you know?" Ye Zhen was surprised at first, then shook his head, "I don't know."

"Ha, before you challenged Yulong Road, I promised that if you successfully passed it, I would give you a good gift. This is actually related to the gift I am about to give you!" Zhao Zhisshi said.

A good gift?

Ye Zhen's heart raced. Could Zhao Zhisshi be giving him a cultivation technique?