Chapter 13: The State Guesthouse

After entrusting Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao to their family ancestor, Ye Yuhong departed from the Xuantian Sect.

After all, while the Xuantian Sect was excellent, as the head of the Ye family, he had many matters to attend to, making it inconvenient for him to stay long.

Once Ye Yuhong had left, Ye Zhaoyang led the two youths, Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao, toward the center of the Xuantian Mountain Range, toward a massive peak that pierced the clouds.

It was only then that Ye Qingxuan learned that the tallest and most majestic peak within the Xuantian Mountain Range was named Xuantian Peak!

Xuantian Peak was also the gathering place for most of the Xuantian Sect's powerhouses. Essentially, the various elders of the sect, including the Sect Master, had established their training grounds on Xuantian Peak.

The stronger one's strength and the higher one's status, the higher up the mountain their training cave would be located.

Upon reaching the foot of Xuantian Peak, Ye Zhaoyang led Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao to an elderly man with white hair and said with a smile

"Manager Mo, these are my two juniors. They wish to join the Xuantian Sect. One of them is a prospective Blessing Cultivator, so I will have to trouble you to look after them in the future."

As he spoke, Ye Zhaoyang secretly handed the Manager a small pouch.

Manager Mo took the small pouch from Ye Zhaoyang, stowed it away quite naturally, and said with a smile

"Junior Brother Ye is quite lucky to have secured a Blessing Cultivator slot. Haha, leave these two to me, and you can rest easy!"

Seeing that Manager Mo addressed him as "Junior Brother," Ye Zhaoyang knew the man was trying to close the distance between them, so he followed suit and changed his manner of address

"In that case, I shall trouble Senior Brother Mo in the future!"

Although Manager Mo's cultivation realm was not as high as his, a Manager's status in the Xuantian Sect was equivalent to that of a core disciple.

Furthermore, most Managers were former core disciples who had reached a bottleneck in their cultivation; after a certain amount of time, they were assigned by the sect to handle various trivial matters, thus becoming Managers.

Therefore, the seniority of a typical Manager was generally higher than that of an average core disciple, so it was not improper for Ye Zhaoyang to call him "Senior Brother."

Subsequently, Ye Zhaoyang looked at Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao and introduced them

"Qingxiao, Qingxuan, this is Manager Mo Tian. From now on, follow Manager Mo's instructions!"

Hearing Ye Zhaoyang's words, Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao bowed respectfully to Mo Tian

"Qingxuan and Qingxiao greet Manager Mo!"

Seeing their respectful manner, Mo Tian stroked his beard with satisfaction.

With that, after Ye Zhaoyang handed the two youths over to Mo Tian, he rushed back to his own cave dwelling to engage in secluded cultivation.

After Ye Zhaoyang left, Mo Tian looked at Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao and smiled

"You two are quite lucky. There are only a few days left until the sect's annual entrance ceremony. I will take you to the Sect Hospitality Courtyard to stay for a few days first!"

It turned out that the Xuantian Sect was a massive enterprise with countless subordinate forces. Every year, these forces would send their talented disciples into the sect.

Additionally, when sect elders went on travels, they would occasionally bring back a few exceptionally talented disciples.

However, as a hegemon-level power in the Dizuan Realm, the Xuantian Sect could not be careless or lack regulations regarding disciple entry.

Thus, for the sake of the sect's development and to handle such situations, the Xuantian Sect stipulated that a small-scale entrance ceremony be held every year, while a large-scale recruitment grand ceremony was held once every hundred years.

The Xuantian Sect did not lack people; what it lacked were peerless geniuses capable of supporting the sect in the future.

Generally, the annual entrance ceremony was merely for the convenience of certain people within the sect, and the requirements were much lower, as the sect needed people to handle mundane affairs regardless.

The centennial recruitment grand ceremony, however, was a grand event facing the twenty-one great provinces under the Xuantian Sect's command, and even the entire Dizuan Realm.

It was not just the Xuantian Sect; all hegemon-level powers in the Dizuan Realm had reached a tacit understanding to simultaneously open their recruitment grand ceremonies every hundred years.

The centennial grand ceremony was incomparable to the current annual entrance ceremony.

This centennial event was what the Xuantian Sect valued most—the true channel for recruiting the sect's elite disciples.

The difficulty of the assessment would increase significantly, and many sect elders would emerge from seclusion to recruit disciples.

Under Mo Tian's guidance, Ye Qingxuan and Ye Qingxiao arrived at the Hospitality Courtyard, which was already quite crowded.

Under Mo Tian's personal arrangement, the two were quickly settled into a small courtyard within the hospitality area.

Having finished these arrangements, Mo Tian looked at the two and said

"Stay here for a few days. Once you have officially joined the sect, I will make further arrangements for you."

After giving his instructions, Mo Tian departed.

Inside the small courtyard, Ye Qingxuan looked at the unfamiliar environment and had no intention of going out.

For these few days, he planned to wait obediently in the courtyard for the start of the entrance ceremony.

As for Ye Qingxiao, he could not stand the boredom. Before long, he slipped out of the courtyard alone to wander around the Hospitality Courtyard.

That afternoon, Ye Qingxiao made several friends who were also waiting for the entrance ceremony.

The next day, under Ye Qingxiao's persistent urging, Ye Qingxuan could only follow him to meet his new acquaintances.

Arriving at a courtyard, they saw three youths of varying builds sitting around a stone table in the center.

As the three looked at Ye Qingxuan, whom Ye Qingxiao had brought along, one of them asked curiously

"Brother Qingxiao, who is this?"

Hearing the question, Ye Qingxiao naturally pulled Ye Qingxuan to an empty seat at the stone table and introduced him

"Brother Li, this is my brother, Ye Qingxuan."

He then introduced the three to Ye Qingxuan

"Qingxuan, these three are friends I made yesterday: Li Xuan, Zhu Dafu, and Long Tian."

The three scrutinized Ye Qingxuan, just as Ye Qingxuan scrutinized Li Xuan, Zhu Dafu, and Long Tian.

Although making friends held little meaning for a future Blessing Cultivator, he did not want to disregard Ye Qingxiao's goodwill, so he took the initiative to speak

"Qingxuan greets the three brothers."

Hearing this, Zhu Dafu smiled slightly and nodded, while Long Tian did not even look at Ye Qingxuan, simply drinking his tea to himself.

Li Xuan, who seemed to be the leader, smiled and said

"Haha, Brother Qingxuan, there is no need for such formality. I heard that you secured a Blessing Cultivator slot and possessed the great perseverance to become one. This fills Li Xuan with great admiration."

Hearing this, Ye Qingxuan instinctively glanced at Ye Qingxiao. Seeing that his brother looked shocked and confused by Li Xuan's words, Ye Qingxuan knew that Ye Qingxiao had not leaked the information.

Thus, Ye Qingxuan chuckled softly

"Brother Li Xuan certainly has quick news. My brother and I only entered the courtyard yesterday, yet I didn't expect our backgrounds to be investigated so thoroughly by you."

After speaking, Ye Qingxuan looked at Li Xuan playfully.

Seeing Ye Qingxuan's expression, Li Xuan shook his head unhurriedly and said with a cupped fist and a smile

"Not at all, not at all! Brother Qingxuan misunderstands. I merely have a hobby for gathering small rumors, which is quite beneath notice. If I have caused any offense, I hope Brother Qingxuan will forgive me!"

Seeing this, Ye Qingxuan's expression softened slightly, but before he could speak, Long Tian, who was sitting nearby, set down his teacup and looked at Ye Qingxuan with disdainful eyes.

"Brother Xuan, he is merely a low-talent Blessing Cultivator with no future. What is there worth recruiting?"

"Heh, a Blessing Cultivator? Aren't they just a bunch of hopeless, alternative farmers? Aside from providing a few insignificant resources to those behind them and the sect, what value do they actually have?"

Long Tian could never understand why, over the past half year, Li Xuan and Zhu Dafu had been recruiting so many prospective Blessing Cultivators.

It was a waste of time!

Long Tian felt nothing but contempt in his heart, ignoring the darkening expressions of the others.

Ye Qingxiao could not contain his rage and barked

"You brat, what kind of nonsense are you spouting? Do you want to taste my fists?"

As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, preparing to teach Long Tian a lesson, but he was stopped by Ye Qingxuan beside him.

After restraining Ye Qingxiao, Ye Qingxuan let out a cold laugh and said

"What? Are you questioning the sect? To you, the Blessing Cultivators whom the sect painstakingly nurtures in the early stages—those who produce massive amounts of low-level resources for the sect—are nothing more than useless farmers? How utterly ridiculous!"

Though Ye Qingxuan had a quiet temperament, it did not mean he would allow himself to be bullied!

Hearing Ye Qingxuan's words, Li Xuan and the silent Zhu Dafu both had visible changes in their expressions. Seeing that Long Tian was still looking defiant and about to speak again, Li Xuan rebuked him

"Long Tian, this is the Xuantian Sect, not your Long Family."

Facing Li Xuan's rebuke, Long Tian's face darkened. He suppressed his words and said with dissatisfaction

"Associating with a group of Blessing Cultivators... I don't know what you two are thinking. Hmph, play by yourselves then! This young master won't stay to accompany you."

With that, he abandoned Li Xuan and Zhu Dafu and left alone.

Seeing Long Tian depart, Li Xuan could only apologize to Ye Qingxuan

"Brother Qingxuan, please forgive us! This was our fault!"

Facing Li Xuan's apology, Ye Qingxuan slowly shook his head and said

"Brother Li Xuan, there is no need. This has nothing to do with you. I have matters to attend to, so I shall take my leave!"

With that, Ye Qingxuan led Ye Qingxiao away.

After the two left, Zhu Dafu asked

"Brother Xuan, given the situation, should we continue to try and recruit this Ye Qingxuan?"

Hearing Zhu Dafu's question, Li Xuan let out a light laugh and said calmly

"He is just a first-tier Blessing Cultivator; it won't affect the big picture. In the past year, we have recruited enough prospective Blessing Cultivators."

Hearing this, Zhu Dafu looked in the direction where Ye Qingxuan had left, merely nodding without saying a word.

"Besides, as long as that Lin Fan doesn't run into trouble, the others are inconsequential!"

Hearing the name Lin Fan, a trace of envy flashed through Zhu Dafu's originally calm eyes.