Yue Liang finally opened her bright, dark eyes. She stretched with her front paws on the ground and lazily yawned, then flicked her tail, leaping down from the cushion to land in front of Jian Dan.
"Thank you, Zhēnjūn, for guarding me."
"Mm. You've advanced to fourth rank this time. Your strength has grown."
Overjoyed, Yue Liang spun in a circle on the floor, then stretched out her body eagerly, transforming into a giant raccoon beast as tall as a person.
"Now I can serve as Zhēnjūn's mount!"
Jian Dan reached out and patted Yue Liang's ear, smiling as she said, "Our Yue Liang is so adorable, I could never bear to make you a mount."
With their goals in closed cultivation achieved, it was time to go out and move around again. Jian Dan waved her hand, pouring the refined black beetle liquid into a sword mold, then stored it in her space. It would be processed again after cooling. Yue Liang transformed back into her original form and leapt onto Jian Dan's shoulder, curling up obediently.
Retrieving her access token, Jian Dan used a cleansing spell to erase all traces of her presence. With Yue Liang on her shoulder, she exited the cave-dwelling and walked toward the reception area of the Advancement Hall to return her entry token.
The guardian of the Advancement Hall took back the token and said, "You've gone over time. That will be five mid-grade spirit stones."
"Mm?" Jian Dan was caught off guard. No one had mentioned this before she went in.
"This…"
The Divine Soul level elder who guarded the hall sent her a single look.
"Any objections?"
Jian Dan instantly backed down. "None!"
She winced internally but obediently handed over the spirit stones, then turned and swiftly left. Back at Jian Dan's administrative hall on Jianyue Peak, Lü Mingyi spotted her from afar and came out to greet her with a beaming smile.
"Congratulations, Zhēnjūn. Your cultivation has advanced once more!"
"Steward Lü, I hope you've been well. I just advanced. Do I need to complete any formalities?"
"As a Nascent Soul cultivator, Shan Zhēnjūn will automatically be promoted to the inner sect. Our Jianyue Peak's corresponding inner peak is Tianyue Peak."
"You may proceed directly to the Tianyue Peak administrative hall. As for your current residence, you may return it."
"Understood. How has young Lü been lately?"
"Thank you for your concern, Zhēnjūn. Lü Se is about to complete Foundation Establishment, most likely in the next few days. May I ask if you have a request?"
"I find him quite clever. Since I'll be moving to a new cave-dwelling in the inner sect, I'll need someone to help manage things. Could he come find me after stabilizing his cultivation?"
"Certainly! I am deeply grateful that Shan Zhēnjūn values my son. Once he consolidates his realm, he will go to your residence and pay his respects."
Lü Mingyi was overjoyed. To have such a promising Nascent Soul cultivator recognize his son's potential was a tremendous honor, and there was no reason to refuse. Jian Dan returned the jade token for her Jianyue Peak residence and, following the steward's instructions, made her way to Tianyue Peak.
Upon entering the inner peak from the outer peak, she immediately noticed the difference in spiritual energy density. Along the path up the mountain, clusters of Yunrong flowers and other low-grade spiritual herbs had been planted, and various spirit beasts could occasionally be seen wandering about.
The Tianyue Peak administrative hall was built entirely from white jade. Towering sixty meters high, it was grand yet elegant and unpretentious, leaving one with a sense of calm. The steward here was also a Nascent Soul cultivator, who was currently reviewing records of the inner sect disciples.
Ten years ago, the various peaks had cooperated with the Law Enforcement Hall to conduct a thorough inspection, which did reveal some issues. Since then, personnel movement had been tightly regulated to avoid unnecessary trouble.
At this moment, Jian Dan stepped forward and presented her white jade sword token.
"I ask this Zhēnjūn for assistance. I was an outer sect disciple of Jianyue Peak. I have recently advanced to the Nascent Soul stage and come to complete the necessary procedures."
Lang Yu Zhēnjūn looked up at the newly advanced cultivator. She still wore an outer sect robe, her figure tall and graceful, her eyes like autumn water, with a high nose bridge and slightly upturned lips. A pair of dimples framed her smile. On her shoulder rested a raccoon beast, which, judging by its aura, was also fourth rank. It blinked its black eyes at Lang Yu Zhēnjūn, then even raised a paw to offer a proper salute.
Lang Yu nodded and quickly took the token to check her records. The moment the information appeared, his eyes flashed. This woman was already somewhat renowned. Without delay, he completed the inner sect procedures for Jian Dan and handed her a mid-grade storage pouch.
"Inside are two sets of inner sect robes, issued by the sect, along with recent announcements and information. You may choose your new residence from this map of the inner peak. The red dots indicate already occupied residences. You are free to choose from the remaining areas."
"Each year, one orange-level sect task must be completed. If you are advancing in cultivation or undergoing other major transitions, you may pay a certain number of spirit stones to offset this requirement."
"How is it calculated?"
"Based on mid-grade spirit stones."
The sect certainly knew how to maximize returns. Jian Dan nodded to show she understood and accepted the pouch. Then she asked,
"May I have an outer sect disciple I know help manage the cave-dwelling?"
"You can post a request through the Outer Peak Steward Hall."
"Thank you for the information. One last thing, can my spirit beast also receive an identity token?"
"This..."
This was the first time Lang Yu had ever heard someone request an identity token for a spirit beast.
"Yue Liang was born on Medicine Peak and is a spirit beast of our Heavenly Sword Sect. She has fought at my side and is considered part of this sect. I hope Zhēnjūn can help make her identity official, so she can walk the peak freely."
In the end, Yue Liang received a smaller white jade sword token of her own, engraved with her origins and basic information. It now hung proudly from her neck, and she looked very pleased with it.
Man and beast headed toward the newly selected cave-dwelling. As they approached a halfway point up the mountain, they saw a boy sitting by the side of the road. When the boy spotted Jian Dan and Yue Liang, his eyes lit up. He ran over, pointed at Yue Liang, and exclaimed excitedly,
"Give her to me!"