Time flew by, and three years passed in the blink of an eye. Before anyone knew it, the Flowing Light Sect was opening its gates to recruit new disciples.
Although the Xu family was affiliated with the Flowing Light Sect and enjoyed some preferential treatment, its members could not be admitted directly. Given Xu Ziyan’s talent, however, entry into the inner sect should pose no problem. With a little luck, he might even become the personal disciple of an elder or the sect master.
Through three years of extraordinary perseverance and talent, Xu Ziyan had reached Great Perfection of Qi Refining. At only fifteen, that was proof of his diligence even with a lightning spiritual root.
Every sect favored hardworking disciples. Someone like Xu Ziyan, who combined exceptional talent with a willingness to put in the effort, was even more desirable.
If Xu Ziyan’s progress over those three years was astonishing, Xu Zirong’s rate of advancement was simply shocking.
He was at the eighth level of Qi Refining, only two levels away from Great Perfection, despite having been introduced to cultivation just three years earlier.
Seeing how talented Zirong was, Xu Xiao felt a rare twinge of regret. If he had brought the boy home sooner, might the Xu family have had two cultivators at Great Perfection of Qi Refining competing for admission this year?
Xu Xiao had another regret. Perhaps because he had neglected Zirong in the past, the boy felt almost no affection for him. Whenever they met, Zirong merely called him ‘Father’ in a distant tone. Their relationship was scarcely warmer than that of strangers.
Xu Xiao did not like Zirong. Although the boy was his son, the sight of those deep, jet-black eyes always filled him with inexplicable discomfort. They were so dark that he sometimes imagined the child hated him.
Fortunately, the boy might be distant toward Xu Xiao and everyone else in the family, but he was extremely attached to his big brother. Anyone with eyes could see that the two were closer than many blood brothers.
Xu Xiao’s one complaint was that Xu Ziyan treated the boy too well, to the point that even his own father felt irritated.
Still, Xu Ziyan was a member of the Xu family and would never willingly harm it. And since Zirong depended so heavily on him, Xu Xiao had few concerns about sending the brothers to the Flowing Light Sect together.
That was indeed the case. Xu Ziyan disapproved of much that Xu Xiao had done, but he acknowledged that Xu Xiao had raised him. As for the Xu family as a whole, he could not feel the same closeness he had for his family before transmigration, yet he harbored no particular hatred either.
Xu Ziyan had accepted that he belonged to the Xu clan. As long as the family did not betray him, he would do what he could to protect and support its development.
With the Flowing Light Sect’s assessment approaching, Xu Xiao consulted the elders of several collateral branches and selected ten disciples from the training hall to travel to the sect.
Not all ten would enter the Flowing Light Sect. Xu Ziyan and Xu Zirong were expected to apply there, while the other disciples would sit entrance assessments at different sects.
These included Shadowmoon Valley, which accepted only female cultivators, and the Beast-Taming Sect, renowned for its skill in controlling beasts.
The Xu party numbered twelve: ten disciples and two escorts. Leading them was Xu Mo, who had successfully reached Foundation Establishment the previous year. Somehow he had caught Elder Luo’s eye, and after a few pointers from the elder, had managed to break through.
Xu Mo’s assistant was a taciturn middle-aged man whose cultivation was actually higher than his. He disliked interacting with people, however, so the leadership role had fallen to Xu Mo.
Teleportation formations were the most convenient form of travel in the Xuanyu Domain, allowing people to cross ten thousand li in an instant. Even remote Moxin City, controlled by the Xu family, had one. But using it was expensive, and low-level cultivators generally avoided it unless necessary.
The Xu family was not about to begrudge its twelve representatives a few spirit stones. The clan might not be a major cultivation family, but it would not be stingy on an occasion like this.
The Flowing Light Sect was one of the Xuanyu Domain’s great sects. Tens of thousands of hopefuls applied, and over half were rejected. Of those who remained, another forty percent could only become outer-sect disciples.
The difference between outer and inner sects was enormous. Xu Xiao did not want Xu Ziyan to be looked down on before he had even entered the sect.
After several legs of travel and multiple transfers, the party finally arrived at Fa’an City, which lay under the Flowing Light Sect’s jurisdiction.
Fa’an City was vast, dozens of times larger than Moxin City. Its bright, broad streets, streams of pedestrians and dazzling assortment of shops gave it a prosperity several times greater than Moxin City’s. The Xu disciples visiting for the first time were almost overwhelmed.
Only Xu Ziyan, accustomed to the bustle of modern cities, was unimpressed. Xu Zirong remained expressionless. He had witnessed Fa’an City’s splendor in his previous life and felt no excitement whatsoever.
The dozen Xu family travelers emerged from the teleportation formation and paused in amazement at the city. It should have been a trivial matter, but there was always someone ready to spoil the moment…
“What a bunch of country bumpkins. Stop blocking the way.” A shrill, faintly malicious voice sounded behind them.
Xu Ziyan turned to see more than a dozen cultivators on the teleportation platform, all wearing matching robes threaded with gold.
At their head was a boy about Xu Ziyan’s age, whose expression was aloof. The way he looked toward the Xu family suggested he considered them beneath notice.
The speaker was a middle-aged man standing behind the boy. Xu Ziyan could not judge his cultivation, but the piercing voice and beardless chin gave him a pretty good idea of the man’s position…
“What are you looking at? I’m talking to you!” the man said arrogantly. “Make way for our young master! Can you afford to delay him?”
Xu Ziyan frowned. He disliked the man’s overbearing manner, but they were away from home, and there was no sense inviting unnecessary trouble. Besides, they really were blocking the way. He rubbed his nose and retreated a few steps.
The others followed suit, clearing the path. The group in gold-threaded robes swaggered past them.
Minor incidents like that happened countless times every day, and Xu Ziyan promptly forgot it. Yet coincidence had a habit of striking twice: when they went to the Flowing Light Sect’s reception office, they encountered the same group again.
Several members were missing, perhaps sent ahead to arrange accommodations, but the proud boy and the eunuch were both still there.
Xu Ziyan did not pay them any attention. Applicants had to register for the Flowing Light Sect’s assessment in person, so he had come with only Zirong and the quiet middle-aged escort.
This registration point was reserved for aspiring inner-sect disciples, so most of those present had considerable confidence in their abilities. Talents as remarkable as Xu Ziyan’s were rare, however. There were few people waiting, and his turn soon came.
Just then, the proud boy and the middle-aged eunuch entered. About seven or eight applicants were still in line behind Xu Ziyan.
The boy frowned slightly at the short queue. The eunuch immediately glanced around, spotted Xu Ziyan, and approached with an expression of delight.
“You there, country bumpkin! Yes, you. Give your place to our young master. Here, ten spirit stones, a reward from him,” the eunuch said in a shrill voice, pointing at Xu Ziyan.
Xu Ziyan cast him a cold glance without bothering to change his expression.
“Didn’t you hear me?” The eunuch’s face darkened. “Are you deaf? Ah, I see. You think ten spirit stones aren’t enough, don’t you? Here, have two more. Satisfied?” He produced two additional stones from his storage bag and held them out, sneering as though certain that Xu Ziyan would sell his place in the queue.
Anger flashed across Xu Ziyan’s face. He had yielded at the teleportation platform because the Xu party had been in the wrong. If these people mistook courtesy for weakness, however, they were sorely mistaken.
“Get lost!”
“Boy! What did you say?” The eunuch’s expression changed as he glared at Xu Ziyan.
“I said get lost. Didn’t you hear me? Or are you the deaf one?” Xu Ziyan sneered.
He had never had an especially mild temper. If he was at fault, he would make concessions. But when someone else acted unreasonably, he could be even more unreasonable.
“Well! What nerve you have, daring to insult me!” the eunuch hissed. “Do you know who I am?”
Xu Ziyan could not even be bothered to look at him. He had met plenty of yapping lackeys like this before transmigrating. Being polite to them only encouraged them to take more liberties.
After all, this was the registration point for inner-sect hopefuls. Many of those standing here were likely to become the next class of inner-sect disciples.
He had no intention of allowing them to think he was easy to bully. Otherwise, life would become difficult for both him and Zirong.
“You… you…” The eunuch was so furious he trembled as he pointed at Xu Ziyan.
Xu Ziyan calmly handed his documents to the Flowing Light Sect disciple handling registration. The disciple maintained a businesslike expression throughout, as though the eunuch were not there at all.
“Enough. Eunuch Wan, come back,” the proud boy said, glancing at Xu Ziyan and calling the man away.
Eunuch Wan’s expression changed as if by magic. In an instant he was all flattering smiles as he resumed his place behind the boy.
The applicants behind Xu Ziyan, and several others who had completed registration but not yet left, watched the scene with interest. More than a few wore knowing smiles.
Everyone here was an elite of their own clan and had received special training since childhood. Eunuch Wan’s attempt to test Xu Ziyan was not particularly sophisticated, while the young master’s handling of the situation had been quite effective.