The outer sect disciples waiting outside the Sutra Pavilion also heard Qingluan's cry.
Unlike the inner sect disciples, the outer sect didn't warrant a personal audience with Jiang Yan.
Nor would every detail about Mount Shu be explained to them one by one.
That privilege belonged to the inner sect alone.
It wasn't favoritism on Jiang Yan's part. If these outer sect disciples couldn't one day ascend to the inner sect, then aside from major sect gatherings, they would likely never see the Sect Master again.
As Mount Shu grew and flourished, with its numbers swelling, how could Jiang Yan have the time to oversee each disciple personally?
In the future, he might not even have the time to look after the inner sect.
This was the way of immortal sects.
The ones who truly managed the outer disciples were the outer sect elders.
Jiang Yan hadn't passed down the Seven Peaks Scripture to them either. That profound scripture was reserved for the inner disciples. For now, the Zhou tian Circulation was more than enough for outer disciples.
Such was tradition. Without displaying true talent, how could one earn a sect's attention? A sect invested in disciples with potential, not ordinary folk whose limits were obvious at first glance.
That said, all outer disciples started at the same point. In the days ahead, it would depend on who could take the first step forward.
After running through their calculations, Elders Yunqing and the others found nothing more worth reminding the outer sect disciples of, and so turned their focus away—quickly hurrying to where Qingluan had landed.
"Elder Yunqing, are all the outer disciples settled?"
Ganyu patted Qingluan, who shimmered with light and transformed back into the form of a small girl. She obediently clung to Ganyu's hand, appearing every bit the innocent little loli.
To those unaware of her nature, she looked perfectly harmless.
But Yunqing and the others knew better—this was a top-tier little troublemaker.
Paired with Klee, she became an airborne bombardment unit capable of devastating entire areas. One outing was often enough to leave the elders battered and half-dead.
Fortunately, perhaps out of courtesy to the sheer number of new outer disciples today, Qingluan had shown some restraint.
Yunqing felt rather grateful—until Ganyu's gaze reminded him to focus. Quickly straightening, he replied:
"Reporting: all nine hundred and seventy-nine outer sect disciples have been settled. The servant disciples have also been arranged at the foot of the mountain.
As for those chosen from among martial artists, they have been sent to Mount Shu Village and should stabilize within a week."
His tone was formal, almost like a report—but no one found it strange.
Though "outer sect elder" carried the word elder, their standing was far from the same as someone like Alice, an elder of the inner sect's Hall of Discipline.
In fact, their rank was roughly on par with the inner sect disciples.
But Ganyu's position was far more unique. Those who had been in Mount Shu a while all knew her relationship with Jiang Yan.
To Yunqing, she was essentially the Sect Master's wife.
Making a report to her was nothing shameful.
Ganyu pondered a moment, then gave a slight nod.
"The Sect Master has ordered: once the outer sect elders finish settling the disciples, they are to report to Tongtian Peak with the details."
Yunqing's expression grew solemn, and he nodded heavily.
"Understood."
Ganyu then turned toward the group of new inner disciples trailing behind her, pointing to the grand building in the distance.
"That is your destination today—the Sutra Pavilion of Mount Shu.
Enter, choose one cultivation method that suits you, then return to your respective peaks to claim a cave-dwelling and begin your cultivation."
At those words, excitement rippled through the crowd.
All day they had been led in circles—from the morning's Heart-Testing Array, to receiving Jiang Yan's teachings, to touring Mount Shu and making connections.
And finally, they had arrived at the moment everyone anticipated most.
The choosing of their cultivation art.
Perhaps it would be something like Keqing's Azure Frost Sword, walking the extreme path of the sword.
Or like Shenhe and Ningguang, walking the path of talismanic arts, with seals that could terrify gods and spirits.
Or perhaps something stranger and more mysterious—spirit-invocation, corpse-driving, demonic cultivation, beast cultivation…
Each a unique path under the broad sky of Mount Shu Sword Sect.
Whatever they found, as Ganyu had told them earlier—it all came down to fate.
Cultivators always spoke in such lofty, mystical terms.
But to Furina's ears, it was simple and crude:
luck!
Realizing this, many suddenly felt nervous.
Ganyu and the other senior disciples didn't need to enter the Sutra Pavilion—they had already made their choices a week earlier.
Still, they didn't leave. They would wait for the new inner disciples to choose, then escort them back to their peaks.
Each peak had its own rules. Dragonhead Peak's were the strictest, but none were without restrictions.
To prevent their juniors from breaking sect law later, they needed to teach them properly.
As for the outer disciples?
That wasn't their responsibility.
Standing before the Sutra Pavilion, staring at its towering form and feeling the weighty aura it exuded—even Hu Tao, usually so mischievous, grew solemn.
The Sutra Pavilion…
Aside from the Sect Hall itself, it was the most important place in all of Mount Shu.
From the perspective of inheritance, it was even more vital than the Sect Hall.
It was the very foundation of Mount Shu.
"Mm… feeling a little nervous."
Hu Tao clenched her fists quietly, her heart thudding fast.
Specializing in immortal cultivation was one thing—the foundation of longevity.
But possessing techniques…
That was what granted a cultivator their authority, their dominion, their overwhelming power.
"Corpse-driving! Corpse-driving! Sect Master, please bless me—your Hall Master asks for nothing else, only the art of corpse-driving!"
She whispered her prayer devoutly.
Furina, puzzled, asked,
"With so many cultivation arts to choose from, why insist on corpse-driving?"
Hu Tao gave her a look of profound wisdom.
"You wouldn't understand! This is about the contingency plan for Wangsheng Funeral Parlor—if negotiations with Qiqi fall through!"
"…"
Furina fell silent.
In that instant, she realized she might be out of her depth.
No matter how bright cultivation's future, Hu Tao's mind never strayed from the funeral parlor's business prospects.
Truly… hard to understand people in the funeral trade.
Forcing a smile, Furina said gently,
"There's no need to rush. We can enter once a week, after all."
"That's true."
Hu Tao blinked, then pressed her hands together once more, praying earnestly.
"Please, Sect Master, grant me a zombie-controlling technique!"
Some distance away, Qiqi suddenly felt a chill crawl up her spine.
The outer sect disciples, watching Furina and the others laughing together, couldn't help but envy them.
Though inner and outer sect were but a single step apart, in practice, the divide seemed like an unbridgeable chasm.
In the eyes of outsiders—the servant disciples, the martial artists who had stayed behind, even those who had failed the trials—
the outer sect disciples were already enviable.
They were true Mount Shu disciples, unlike the servant disciples who received little regard.
Even as outer sect disciples, they were under Mount Shu's protection.
Yet they knew as well as anyone: only inner sect disciples truly mattered to the sect.
The gaps between people—and the envy—never ceased.
Servant disciples envied the outer sect.
Outer disciples envied the inner sect.
Inner disciples envied the true inheritors.
Cultivation sects were vast walled cities. Such had always been the way.
Still, the outer disciples didn't feel too dejected.
They had passed the entrance trials fair and square.
And the elders had told them—if they broke through in strength and passed the Heart-Testing Array's third level, they could still ascend to the inner sect.
There was hope.
As one Liyue cultivation novel put it:
Even those geniuses casually slapped aside by a protagonist—were still peerless talents in their own right.
It might look pitiful, but… they were geniuses nonetheless.
That was how the outer disciples saw themselves.
Ordinary within Mount Shu, perhaps, with no standout gifts.
But across Teyvat, each one of them would be considered a once-in-a-generation prodigy.
Their only regret was that, unlike the inner disciples, they could not choose a Sutra once a week.
They had to wait six months between selections.
If they wanted extra chances, they would have to spend contribution points.
And, as the elders had warned, this was only because Mount Shu was still young and growing fast.
Once the sect stabilized, the interval between visits would only grow longer.
Even so, it was far better than the servant disciples, who—without breakthroughs—might only ever enter the Sutra Pavilion once in their lifetime.
Looking downward, one could always find comfort.
Each with their own thoughts, the crowd waited as Furina and the others made ready.
At last, they stepped forward together into the Sutra Pavilion.
The massive building loomed like a monster that devoured people whole, swallowing thousands at once without the slightest ripple of disturbance.
Its vermilion gates yawned like a bottomless maw.
When the last of them entered, silence fell outside.
For a long moment, all was still—until Yae Miko's playful laugh broke the air. She glanced at Ganyu, eyes full of intrigue.
"Tell me, Sister Ganyu—do you think we'll get a few more unusual cultivators this time?"
"Unusual? How so?"
Puzzled, Ganyu followed her gaze—toward Diluc, then Lisa.
Understanding dawned, and her face turned faintly awkward.
"Surely… not? Everyone seems… fairly ordinary…"
Miko shook her head with a knowing smile.
"Not necessarily. After all, Mister Diluc hardly seemed like the sort to study Buddhism either."
Diluc coughed lightly, averting his eyes.
What of it?
Cultivation was all about fate!
And besides, there was no real conflict between Buddhism and Daoism. Studying Buddhist methods wasn't a crime!
"I only hope things go smoothly this time," Ganyu sighed, gazing at the Sutra Pavilion with weary helplessness.
"Otherwise, the Sect Master will have even more to worry about."
For the first time, she realized—having too many cultivation methods might not be entirely a blessing.
Within the Sect Hall, Jiang Yan watched as all the disciples entered the Sutra Pavilion.
Then, taking a step forward, he vanished—into the world of the sect's treasure vault.
To make use of it, the very first step…
Was to understand exactly what the sect's foundation contained.
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