The moment Xiao Nanchu officially stepped into the Immortal Sect, the scene before his eyes shifted.
What had been a desolate mountain peak at the entrance was instantly replaced by a cluster of incredibly magnificent palaces.
He and Li Xunxian were standing on a translucent Golden Bridge. The bridge led directly to a beautiful palace not far away, while many small figures dressed in long robes moved about below.
“Follow me, you two. You are the only two disciples qualified to study under the elders this year.”
Before he could even process his surroundings, a small book attendant appeared in front of them. Holding a scroll in his hand, he looked at them with a beaming smile.
“Is that so? Then I must ask this Senior Brother to lead the way.”
Li Xunxian looked at the boy and offered a respectful bow. Xiao Nanchu followed suit, mimicking her movements as best as he could.
His actions were significantly improved compared to the last time, but in the attendant’s eyes, he appeared much more relaxed than Li Xunxian.
“It is quite alright, you two do not need to be so formal. I cannot be considered your Senior Brother, nor am I a living being. Just relax.” As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred and vanished.
He left behind only two tokens and two scrolls, along with a voice that echoed in their ears.
“These are your tokens and the Sect Rules. Once you have taken them, please make haste along the Golden Bridge. The elders are waiting.”
The tokens and scrolls split into two sets, drifting through the air until they landed in Xiao Nanchu’s and Li Xunxian’s hands.
After stowing the items away, the two quickened their pace along the Golden Bridge.
After all, that… book boy? Whatever it was, it had already urged them on behalf of the elders. It would be tactless of them to move any slower.
The Golden Bridge was not long. By picking up their pace, they soon arrived inside the palace the bridge led to.
As they reached the entrance, the doors swung open automatically.
Seven towering figures, their faces obscured, surrounded the two as they entered.
Their gazes swept over them constantly. Even Li Xunxian, who was accustomed to grand occasions, found herself silenced under the overwhelming pressure radiating from the seven elders.
On the other hand, Xiao Nanchu, who treated everything as if it were a game, felt very little pressure. He was the first to speak.
“Xiao Nanchu greets the seven elders.”
As Xiao Nanchu spoke, Li Xunxian immediately felt the pressure on her diminish significantly. She quickly followed his lead and greeted the seven elders.
“Li Xunxian of the Longyuan Empire greets the seven elders.”
Once they both finished speaking, a female elder was the first to speak up.
“Hey, hey, hey! No one better try to take this one from me this time! I’m claiming this little girl. If anyone tries to steal her, I’ll lose my temper!”
The female elder’s voice was charming and her words were lively. Her sudden outburst instantly shattered the stifling atmosphere in the room.
“Fourth Elder, those words are hardly appropriate. I clearly took an interest in this girl first.”
A male elder with a slightly aged voice spoke up.
“Pah! Do you think I need to remind everyone what your reputation is like in the Immortal Sect, you old ghost?! You like… mmph, Cuijue — why are you covering my mouth!”
The woman known as the Fourth Elder was speaking quite boldly. Though another elder managed to silence her before she could finish, both Xiao Nanchu and Li Xunxian understood exactly what she was implying.
Li Xunxian could not help but feel a wave of disgust. She lowered her head slightly, hiding the revulsion in her eyes.
“Be quiet. You’re ruining your image. What will the girl think of you, her future master?”
The female elder addressed as Cuijue spoke with a serious tone, but her words already placed Li Xunxian into the Fourth Elder’s camp.
“You…!”
“Enough! Fourth Elder, stop spreading baseless rumors about the Second Elder. There are people present! And you! As the Third Elder, you shouldn’t always take the Fourth Elder’s side!”
An exasperated male elder finally spoke. Once he intervened, the Second Elder, who had been about to argue back, shut his mouth.
“Yes, First Elder.”
“Alright, I get it, First Elder.”
The Second Elder and the Fourth Elder both complied obediently. Only the one called the Third Elder, Zhu Cuijue, ignored the First Elder’s words.
“Oh? What’s this? Calling me ‘Third Elder’ directly now, are we? I see how it is. I’m old and faded like yellowed bamboo, I can’t compete with the young ones, and now you’re shouting at me for the sake of that old man, the Second Elder!!”
“No, Cuijue, I wasn’t shouting at you. How would I ever dare? It’s just that there are new disciples here, so please, give me a little face…”
“Pah! I don’t care about you! Today, this little girl must be Mingmei’s disciple!”
“Wait now, we should still consider the new disciple’s own wishes…”
Upon hearing the First Elder say this, the Third Elder, Zhu Cuijue, realized she hadn’t actually asked for the girl’s opinion yet.
“My apologies for the spectacle just now —” The Third Elder, Zhu Cuijue, and the Fourth Elder, Luo Mingmei, descended from the air.
A woman with the sophisticated charm of a mature lady and another who looked no taller than 1.6 meters appeared before Li Xunxian. The shorter one had a seductive face, yet her eyes shone with a clear, innocent light.
“I am the Third Elder of the Immortal Sect, Zhu Cuijue. This person beside me is…”
Before Zhu Cuijue could finish, the woman who was less than 1.6 meters tall jumped in and cut her off.
“I’ll do it myself — I’ll do it myself!” The woman was extremely energetic. She flew in front of Li Xunxian and thumped her flat chest with pride as she introduced herself. “This lady is currently the Fourth Elder of the Immortal Sect, Luo Mingmei! Well? Become my disciple! Let me tell you, that old thing, the Second Elder, he…”
“Ahem!” Seeing Luo Mingmei’s words veering off-topic again, the Third Elder, Zhu Cuijue, helplessly interrupted her.
This girl was incredibly strong and didn’t care about the Second Elder, that much was true.
However, Zhu Cuijue still had to maintain her own man’s dignity. She couldn’t let this girl continue talking nonsense.
“Your name is Li Xunxian, correct? The Fourth Elder has a personality that is… ahem, a bit eccentric, but in terms of pure strength, the Fourth Elder is absolutely the strongest in our Immortal Sect!”
Looking at the two elders before her, Li Xunxian snapped out of her daze.
She hadn’t expected to be so popular that the elders would fight over her. For a moment, she had been stunned.
As soon as the Third Elder finished speaking, she immediately nodded in agreement.
“Yes, I am willing to become the Fourth Elder’s disciple!”
She wasn’t stupid. Regardless of whether the Third Elder was telling the whole truth, her life would certainly not be easy if she refused.
Besides, this Fourth Elder truly did seem to be the most compatible with her preferences. She liked the woman’s lively nature.
“Yay! Great! What about you? Do you want to join me as well and become my—”
“Ahem, that’s enough. There are only two disciples in total. It’s already more than enough that we broke the rules to let you take one. Don’t go too far.”
“Hmph, how many disciples do I even have in total? Even if I tripled the number, I still wouldn’t have as many as you lot, would I?”
“This…” The Second Elder found himself speechless.
It was true that since joining the Immortal Sect, the Fourth Elder rarely took on any students. The few she did have were only accepted because she had reluctantly given in to the Sect Master’s requests.
For some reason, this time, she was actually the one scrambling to take a disciple.