Chapter Seven, Min Jun

Zhao Liang called out Mu Yi's name several times as he left, but received no response

This person's pulse is quite remarkable!" Mu Yi secretly admired.

This sound unexpectedly pierced through the square, instantly bringing silence to the scene

Old He immediately wiped the displeasure off his face and greeted with a beaming smile

Mu Yi felt a chill in his heart: "So he is the steward He!"

The Pinghai Sect is one of the three major mysterious sects with great renown in the Thousand Islands. If the outer disciples of the Pinghai Sect can truly acquire even a small amount of skill, it would be sufficient for them to establish a foothold among the various islands

Watching Mu Yi's figure disappear into the forest, after a while, Mu's father let out a soft sigh and left the outer mountain gate together with Blacksmith Wang

"What use is it to merely cultivate to the eighth level of a single meridian? One can only become an outer disciple! Alas, for those of us with poor celestial roots, we must cultivate all twelve meridians to a very high level in order to transform decay into the miraculous and become a profound scholar! Meanwhile, those inner disciples rely solely on their gifted celestial roots, becoming profound scholars without the need to cultivate their meridians. It is truly unfair!" At this moment, the words of a young guard doused Brother Luo with cold water. And those inner disciples, relying solely on their gifted celestial roots, can become profound scholars without the need to cultivate their meridians. It is truly unfair!" At this moment, the words of a young guard doused Brother Luo with cold water.

Zhao Liang was born on Changping Island and has a considerable understanding of the matters concerning the Pinghai Sect

Mu Yi retreated from the stone house, feeling his way through one house after another. Before long, he found House No. 22, labeled with the character 'Bing'.

Several people arrived at the square, where quite a few youths had already gathered. Among them, one person was waving to them from a distance; it was Mu Yi

The mother's relics, that pair of jade bracelets, should be in this person's possession.

On the morning of the second day, an elderly steward began to ring the morning bell, the sound echoing through the valley, lingering endlessly, and could be heard for dozens of miles.

Where is Mu Yi? At this moment, Zhao Liang and the others realized that Mu Yi was no longer in the room, and on the bed was only his bundle containing a few changes of clothes

"When your eye pulse cultivation reaches the eighth level, you will be able to do the same," Senior Brother Luo said淡淡地, though he tried hard to conceal it, a hint of pride could still be detected in his tone

Mu Yi ran and jumped along the mountain path and arrived at the halfway point. The mountain path was neither short nor easy, but for Mu Yi, who frequently climbed Lone Finger Peak, it was like a broad avenue

It is evident that this person holds a significant position; not only is he an inner disciple of the Pinghai Sect, but he is also a manager.

The guard outside the mountain gate began to discuss among themselves. One of the younger guards, puzzled, asked: "Brother Luo, why did you let that child in without even checking the roster?"

... ...

All the guards are outer disciples, and these words touched upon some of their inner thoughts, leaving them momentarily silent.

The wooden house, only about seven or eight zhang in size, surprisingly contains more than ten beds, and several youths similar to Mu Yi are already residing inside.

"Hurry up, it's not good to be late for the gathering," Sun Ming urged, and several people hurriedly ran towards the square together

It was not until around noon that a group of individuals dressed in white, referred to as "managers," arrived at this location

The older guard with the surname Luo said: "Is there any need to look further? This child has made some progress in all his meridians, especially as there is a faint purple aura in his eyes, indicating a cultivation level of the fourth layer in the eye meridian. Not to mention at his age, even many boys aged fifteen or sixteen would find it difficult to reach this level. At such a young age, he truly can endure hardship!"

Sun Ming, however, said: "I have heard that such opportunities are very rare. I only hope to cultivate for a few years at the outer gate, learn a set of skills, and then secure a good position on Changping Island, allowing me to settle down from then on"

I have long heard of the esteemed name of Lord Min, and indeed, he embodies the demeanor of a modest gentleman. I am truly impressed, old man He took the opportunity to flatter a few words.

The other boys in the room were chatting and laughing, appearing very excited, while Mu Yi remained relatively silent. He felt a twinge of shame within himself, as he had hoped to join the Pinghai Sect through hard work and effort but was unable to do so. In the end, it was only through his father's bribery that he obtained this opportunity, while most of the other children had come here based on their genuine abilities.

Regarding the status of sects, the manager is a rank higher than the steward. Moreover, the managers are trusted inner disciples of the various hall masters, while the stewards are merely higher-ranking outer disciples. There is a clear distinction between the inner and outer circles. Regardless, Old He would not dare to offend these white-clad managers

"When did you leave? We had no idea," Zhao Liang asked curiously

Zhao Liang said: "Indeed, our Pinghai Sect has thousands of outer disciples, and every three years there is an assessment to select the most outstanding outer disciples, who are then granted special admission to the inner sect to cultivate profound methods, with the opportunity to become profound masters or immortal teachers"

These individuals in charge are all relatively young, appearing to be in their twenties or thirties. Their white robes, which signify their status as inner disciples, evoke immense envy among the children in the square

I am Zhao Liang, he is Qian Ming, he is Sun Ming, what is your name? A young boy pointed at several housemates and asked Mu Yi with a smile.

The young man with the surname Min smiled and said: "Not in a hurry, let's wait a little longer. If I select all the good candidates, it would be somewhat unfair to the other branches."

Mu Yi's initial thoughts were not dissimilar; however, if Zhao Liang's assertion is correct, it is evident that becoming a transcendent being is his higher aspiration

Zhao Liang felt a sense of shame and thought to himself: "I believed I had been diligent enough. I did not expect that there are many who work harder than I do. It seems that standing out among the outer disciples is not an easy task."

Hmph! Another white-clad steward sneered and said, "Since Mr. Min is being modest, I shall not stand on ceremony and will proceed to select the outer disciples first"

Tomorrow, I must perform well and strive to remain in the Pinghai Sect. What if I am an outer disciple? Diligence can make up for shortcomings; as long as I persevere, there will surely be opportunities to enter the inner sect! The setbacks of these past few days have instead ignited a tenacity within Mu Yi

"This is Deacon He," Zhao Liang said softly. "I heard he has been in this sect for several decades and is a veteran deacon"

At this moment, Mu Yi found himself at a loss; he could not even locate the steward with the surname He. Moreover, the matter of bribery was not honorable, and there was no place to seek justification.

An elderly butler, with a withered appearance and a face full of wrinkles, cleared his throat and then said loudly: "Silence!"

As usual, Mu Yi went to the mountain peak to cultivate before dawn. Moreover, he discovered that the aura at this peak was significantly better than that of Guzhi Peak. The results of a morning's cultivation were remarkably evident, equivalent to the achievements of three to four days at Guzhi Peak

"Go to Room 22 of Building B and find a place to rest. Tomorrow morning, you will gather to be selected by the managers of the various outer sects, who will determine whether you can become outer disciples of our sect," the middle-aged man said blandly, then waved his hand, signaling Mu Yi to leave

Mu Yi

The middle-aged man snorted coldly and said with some impatience: "Of course not, becoming an outer disciple of this sect is not that easy! If one is not favored by the person in charge, they will be given a sum of travel expenses and sent away!"

Upon hearing the bell, the children in each house immediately rose to gather in the square, awaiting the selection by the various external managers of the Pinghai Sect.

At the halfway up the mountain, under the cover of lush bamboo groves, there are unexpectedly several rows of densely packed houses. From a glance, Mu Yi roughly estimated that there could be hundreds of them.

"What? Do we still need to select? Haven't we already become outer disciples?" Mu Yi asked anxiously.

"Are you really going to the peak to cultivate all by yourself? It's not even dawn yet, aren't you afraid?" Sun Ming said with some surprise

Mu Yi timidly walked into a rather tall stone house at the forefront, where he saw a lean middle-aged man in his forties lazily sitting inside, dressed like a bookkeeper. He held a teacup in his hand, and two thin black whiskers twitched at the corners of his mouth, as if he were savoring tea with great pleasure

Mu Yi smiled and said: "I left at the fourth watch of the night, when you were all sound asleep, so of course you wouldn't notice. The early morning is a great time for cultivating energy, as the pure essence of the universe rises. At the peak of this mountain, the atmosphere is particularly good, making it especially suitable for training."

Ah! Mu Yi let out a soft exclamation as he noticed that one of the exceptionally handsome and graceful young men in white was indeed the "Master Min" he had encountered in the Red Tide Sea

Mu Yi had also heard that in different places, the celestial and earthly energies vary in strength and nature. This is merely an outer peak of the Pinghai Sect, yet it is so remarkable. One wonders what the peaks of the inner sect of the Pinghai Sect must be like.

Qian Ming nodded slightly; his thoughts were in alignment with Sun Ming's.

I refuse to believe that diligent individuals will never receive their rewards

Mu Yi felt a surge of anger within. The steward of the He family had accepted a bribe from his father, clearly stating that Mu Yi could become a disciple of the outer sect and the *Tu* *Shu* sect. It turned out there was an additional layer of selection, which was nothing short of fraud.

What is your name? Before Mu Yishang could respond, a middle-aged man interjected with a remark.

Mu Yi. The wood of wood. Mu Yi found an unclaimed bed, placed his bundle on it, and let out a heavy sigh

Upon hearing this, the children immediately lined up obediently, no longer daring to make loud noises

Old man He said loudly: "Everyone stand in line, divided into twelve columns, the external affairs manager is about to arrive! Those who do not follow the rules will be expelled from our sect"

Mu Yi secretly committed the appearance of Old He to memory, for one day, he would rely on his own abilities to redeem those jade bracelets

"A real man has nothing to fear!" Mu Yi said, patting his chest. "Moreover, I am not the only one here; there are many others who went to the mountain peak to cultivate in the morning and returned here after sunrise to continue their training in martial arts."

After waiting for a long time like this, the figure of the "manager" was still not seen. Not to mention the children, even Old He was becoming somewhat impatient, occasionally looking up at the sky to check the time.

"What? Outstanding outer disciples also have the opportunity to join the inner sect and become Xuan Masters?" Upon hearing Zhao Liang's statement, Mu Yi felt somewhat excited

Children arrived one after another at the square, numbering at least two to three thousand, all of them kids, chattering incessantly, which made the square suddenly very noisy

Is it true? It is said that Brother Luo's eyesight is astonishing, and indeed it lives up to its reputation; just a glance is enough to discern the cultivation of the meridians

After all, he is a child; Mu Yi was quickly drawn in by the discussions of the other youths, temporarily forgetting the displeasure in his heart

There are still some branch managers who have not arrived; those who arrive first will have the first choice. Manager Min, please begin.