On the morning of the second day, as the first light touched the mountain slopes, the Bai sisters arrived together at Tianyue Peak. Lu Se went out to receive them personally. Naturally, the three junior disciples waited obediently by the entrance, all of them curious about what kind of people these two cultivators, whom their master held in such high regard, actually were in person.
"Bai Shuang and Bai Xia greet Tian Lu Zhēnzūn."
Bai Shuang's head of white hair remained cold and elegant, cascading down her back like a frozen waterfall. In contrast, Bai Xia's red hair blazed with warmth and vitality, resembling a flickering flame. The two of them were clearly doing well in the Law Enforcement Hall. The faint worry that had once lingered on their faces had completely vanished, and their cultivation had reached the peak of mid Divine Soul, and they were already capable of charging toward the late stage of that realm.
"Good. Sit and talk."
Jian Dan waved her hand to let them take their seats in the pavilion, then pointed at her three disciples and said with a smile, "These are my three disciples, Jian Feng, Jian Chong, and Jian Miao."
The three stepped forward together and bowed respectfully toward the guests.
"Greetings, the two Bai Zūnzhě."
"Zhēnzūn's three disciples truly are outstanding among their peers."
A trace of a smile appeared on Bai Shuang's cool face as she continued, "Since this is our first meeting, this is a small token my sister and I prepared for you."
As she finished speaking, Bai Xia handed each of the three a piece of White Stone. All three stones had been carefully polished, carved, and even nurtured until they glowed with a soft, inner light. They looked even more exquisite than the ones they had given Jian Dan and her group back in that secluded corner of the Immortal Realm.
The three disciples looked toward their master for guidance. After receiving her approving nod, they accepted the gifts with both hands.
"They're good things. Your two Martial Uncles Bai brought them from their homeland. Every piece given away means one less remains. These stones can sense poisonous substances. Wearing one on you can help prevent someone from poisoning you."
Jian Dan said with a smile, her eyes resting on the smooth stones.
Hearing this, the three immediately thanked the Bai sisters respectfully for such useful items. They carefully put away the White Stones, planning to refine them once they returned to their own quarters.
"Have you two adapted well to the Operations Hall? Jian Li mentioned that you worked with Jin Dai to adjust the poison formulas used to exterminate the insect race, and the results have been quite effective."
Since she was the one who had brought them here, Jian Dan first asked about their recent situation within the sect.
"Zhēnzūn is too kind. We only offered a few small suggestions based on Jin Daoyou's research. We really don't deserve such praise."
Bai Xia smiled brightly. Her words were humble, but being able to apply their strengths and gain recognition from the Law Enforcement Hall left both sisters very satisfied with their new lives.
"Thanks to Zhēnzūn, we were able to join Heavenly Sword Sect and put our abilities to use. We're far luckier than the other members of the Bai clan."
Bai Shuang's voice remained cool, but the gratitude in her eyes was clear to Jian Dan.
"When I invited you here back then, I promised certain things, and I will naturally fulfill them. If things go smoothly for you in the Law Enforcement Hall, you can consider taking in a few disciples of your own.
However, Heavenly Sword Sect values a disciple's character above all else. You're poison cultivators. If you accept disciples with impure intentions, it won't be good for you or for the sect. You must be cautious."
The Bai sisters' faces lit up at these words. Although Fairy Lu had promised them this before, they had only been here a short time and wanted to achieve some results first before bringing up the matter of taking disciples. They hadn't expected Zhēnzūn to raise it directly, and of course they were delighted.
"Thank you, Zhēnzūn. We have thought about this as well. We will likely be even stricter when taking disciples. Ordinary spirit testing stones can't detect poison spirit roots, so we will have to search slowly."
Bai Shuang cupped her fists as she spoke.
"Then do you have spirit testing stones that can detect poison spirit roots?"
"For this matter, my sister and I must act together. We both have poison spirit roots, so within a certain range, we can sense others with the same type. This isn't something that can be rushed."
Bai Xia explained with a smile.
"In that case, plan it yourselves. When the sect recruits disciples, you can go take a look. If you need to leave the sect to recruit disciples, just report it to the Law Enforcement Hall before departing."
The Bai sisters had already planned to stay within Heavenly Sword Sect for a hundred years. After all, without producing results, why would anyone support them? Fortunately, as soon as they entered the Operations Hall, they upgraded the poison Jin Dai had previously developed by an entire level, which earned them immediate acceptance.
Recently, the two had been researching a colorless, odorless poison that could affect the insect race while being harmless to human cultivators. They had just made some progress, so they hadn't planned to leave the sect anytime soon. It was only after receiving Wei Zhengrong's message that they hurried over to pay their respects to Fairy Lu.
"Thank you, Zhēnzūn. Hall Chief Wei said you invited my sister and me here to give the three disciples a lesson. May I ask…"
Bai Xia asked with a curious smile.
"Yes. When it comes to poison, you're experts. On their way back to the sect, my three disciples were all attacked one after another. The enemy used a kind of poison pellet. Once its contents stick to someone, it goes straight to the spirit root and rapidly dissolves it. It's extremely vicious.
They were lucky to escape disaster. That involved some arrangements I made beforehand, as well as their own vigilance, and a bit of luck too. So I would like you two to explain how poison is deployed, what kinds of poisons exist in the cultivation world, and how to guard against them."
"So that's the case. Fairy Lu truly cherishes her disciples. We will certainly explain things thoroughly."
This wasn't difficult for them, so they readily agreed to the task.
"Good. I will leave the three of them to you."
Turning to her disciples, Jian Dan said, "Go to the eastern peak and properly learn how to identify poison from your Martial Uncles Bai."
"Yes, Master."
Over the next five days, the Bai sisters came every afternoon to teach the three. It truly broadened their horizons as they learned of hidden dangers. Who would have thought there were so many poisons in the cultivation world, with countless methods of administering them? The three listened in amazement to the descriptions and gained immense benefit from the knowledge.
All three were exceptionally sharp. After receiving the Bai sisters' approval, they recorded the lesson content into jade slips and prepared copies for Yu Jiajia and Zhao Yunhai. These second and third generation cultivators benefited greatly as well and developed even more admiration for the three disciples and Tian Lu Zhēnzūn. This was something Jian Dan hadn't anticipated.
Meanwhile, Shou Chan, who was temporarily resting on the eastern peak, received the Jia family's thank-you gifts on the second day. They included a mid-grade spirit vein, a life-saving talisman crafted by the Jia Ancestor, and two spirit artifacts. It was a generous offering, and all of it was practical for their needs.
They had also specially prepared ten bottles of Beast Spirit Pills for Bai Chan. The creature loved them so much that it clung tightly to the pill bottles and refused to let go for even a moment. After negotiating with Shou Chan for quite some time, it managed to secure the privilege of eating one pill a day. Only then did it allow its master to put the pills away.
Two days before the Mahayana ceremony was finally held, Lang Yu came to the heights of Tianyue Peak to pay a visit to Jian Dan.