Chu Huaixu surveyed his surroundings and took a deep breath.
"The air in the Dao Gate is so fresh!" he marveled internally.
This was not an illusion. Although they were currently in the outer sect area, under the influence of a Spirit-Gathering Formation, the spiritual energy was much denser than in the outside world. If an ordinary person were to stay here, even without cultivating, their body would become healthier, and their lifespan would be extended.
Li Chunsong looked at the two of them and said, "The place where the Dao Gate is located is called [The Mountain Beyond the Mountains]. I believe you both already know this."
"The Mountain Beyond the Mountains is divided into several areas. The place you are in now is called [Medicine Mountain], one of the three peaks of the outer sect."
"From now on, you two are in-name disciples of our Dao Gate."
When Chu Huaixu played the game, his main account was at least a disciple of Spring and Autumn Mountain, so he had a clear understanding of the hierarchical system of these major sects.
Upon first entering a sect, one's status usually began as a disciple-in-name. The status of a disciple-in-name was only slightly higher than that of an outer sect handyman, and they also had to work. The difference was that handymen did miscellaneous chores, while a disciple-in-name on [Medicine Mountain] would probably be tasked with taking care of spiritual herbs.
Furthermore, handymen would not be taught any cultivation techniques, whereas disciples-in-name would be taught techniques for the [Aperture-Opening and Body-Tempering realms]
. Once they broke through the aperture-opening stage, they could be promoted to outer sect disciples. Further up were inner sect disciples and true disciples.
Chu Huaixu never would have imagined that by entering the sect with Han Shuangjiang, he would actually start as a disciple-in-name.
"Well, I don't really care. After all, my original mission was to sneak in as a handyman, so this is already a promotion..." he thought.
"But Han Shuangjiang is a World Protagonist. Does she not get any special treatment either?"
In his memory, when "Borrowing a Sword" began its open beta in Xuan Calendar Year 1991, Han Shuangjiang was already an inner sect disciple of the Dao Gate.
"In other words, she actually got promoted directly to the inner sect within a year?" A guess formed in his mind.
Sixth Elder Li Chunsong looked at the two of them, the smile on his face gradually fading. In its place, a powerful pressure emanated from his body, enveloping them.
"You both came to Wumeng Mountain at the midnight tonight, so you must have both met a storyteller."
"I want you to take this matter to your graves and not mention it to anyone. Do you understand?" he said in a deep voice.
After speaking, he first turned his gaze to Han Shuangjiang.
Han Shuangjiang immediately said, "Yes, this disciple accepts the order."
Next, he turned his gaze to Chu Huaixu.
Chu Huaixu thought for a moment, then deliberately replied, "This disciple has never met any storyteller."
The moment he said this, Han Shuangjiang couldn't help but shoot him a sideways glance.
Hearing this, Li Chunsong smiled faintly and said, "Good! Very good. You have a silver tongue!"
The Sixth Elder expressed his satisfaction.
"Remember, neither of you has ever met any storyteller!" he emphasized again, raising his hand to end the conversation, signaling that the matter was not to be discussed further.
...
...
After giving his instructions, the Sixth Elder who lost every bet waved his hand, dispelling the restrictive barrier around them. The conversation the three had just had could not be heard by outsiders, unless their cultivation was a level higher than Li Chunsong's.
"You two, each give me a drop of blood from your fingertip," he spoke again. "I will personally craft
[Life Tokens] for you. When the person dies, the token shatters!"
A Life Token was not a rare item. Its function was simply to tell others whether you were dead or not, and where you died. Even that useless Xue Hu, who was killed by Chu Huaixu in one blow, had his own Life Token, which was what had triggered the constabulary's encirclement.
Of course, even among Life Tokens, there were certainly differences in quality. The difference was mainly reflected in the second function—where you died. The higher the quality of the Life Token, the wider its [Locating] range. For someone like Xue Hu, if he had died a little farther away, he couldn't have been located at all.
"For Li Chunsong to personally craft our Life Tokens, it seems the Dao Gate takes us quite seriously," Chu Huaixu thought.
"But why are we still starting as disciples-in-name?" He was slightly puzzled.
Chu Huaixu had essentially stolen Xu Ziqing's "script." He had thought he could reap some of the special treatment reserved for a [World Protagonist], but he didn't expect to still have to start from the grassroots.
With a wave of his hand, Li Chunsong conjured two blue ice spikes out of thin air. They were very sharp, like two needles.
Han Shuangjiang was the first to raise her index finger and lightly touch the tip of an ice spike, creating a wound. A drop of blood fell, floating towards the Sixth Elder.
Li Chunsong raised his hand to let it float in his palm, and then his expression changed slightly.
"Profound Yin Physique?"
"I never expected you to actually possess a Profound Yin Physique."
He clicked his tongue in wonder and continued, "The founding ancestor of our Dao Gate possessed a Pure Yang Physique, which is on par with the Profound Yin Physique."
Li Chunsong looked at Han Shuangjiang, wanting to give her a few pointers on the mysteries of this physique, but ultimately held back due to the propriety between men and women.
"There are some things you need to pay attention to with this physique. I'll have the Ninth Elder come and speak with you about it later," was all he said.
Hearing this, Chu Huaixu had some guesses of his own. He didn't know what was special about the Profound Yin Physique or what needed attention, but specific information about the Dao Gate's founding ancestor's Pure Yang Physique had been dug up by players.
"The Dao Ancestor of the Dao Gate, nicknamed by players on the forums as—the Eastern Continent's Strongest Virgin. An old virgin."
A person with a Pure Yang Physique only needed to preserve their primal yang to advance their cultivation by leaps and bounds. The stronger the Dao Ancestor became, the more it proved he had not lost his primal yang, and the higher his "chastity archway" was built. It was said that during the era when the Dao Ancestor roamed the Xuanhuang Realm, some of his old rivals loved to tease him about this.
There were even some unofficial
ecords stating that some of his defeated opponents and sworn enemies who hated him to the bone had even considered trying to use some underhanded schemes to send people to force themselves on him...
The unofficial histories also recorded that the female mountain master of Spring and Autumn Mountain of that generation had mentioned this many times in her diary and had wanted to personally take the field, but unfortunately, she couldn't defeat him.
Chu Huaixu could just imagine how many honey traps the Dao Ancestor must have had to endure in his lifetime. An expert like that would surely be admired by countless people. How many times would he have had to remain unmoved with a beauty in his lap?
"As for the mysteries of the Profound Yin Physique, I'll see if I have a chance to find out later." His gossipy heart started beating again.
At this moment, Li Chunsong turned his gaze to Chu Huaixu. From his eyes, one could see he was full of expectation.
"I want to see just how many surprises you two can bring me," Li Chunsong's heart burned with excitement.
The veiled Han Shuangjiang also turned her gaze to the fox-faced man, a hint of curiosity in her heart. Although she didn't understand what a Profound Yin Physique was yet, since it could startle the dignified Sixth Elder, it must be rare in the world. Moreover, this physique had never been detected when she was in the Joyful Sect!
A third-rate sect is a third-rate sect. So lame!
The ice-cold woman looked straight ahead, thinking, "What about him, then?"
With a nonchalant expression, Chu Huaixu raised his index finger and, copying her, lightly poked the blue ice spike. A sharp pain came from his fingertip, and blood flowed out.
Li Chunsong probed it with his Spiritual Sense and let out a sound: "Hm?"
He glanced at Chu Huaixu, and, refusing to believe it, probed again, letting out another: "Hm?"
In the end, all he could squeeze out was, "Well, let's leave it at that for now. For now."
Chu Huaixu understood what he meant and didn't care at all. Every player's account did not come with any earth-shattering physiques or talents. It was all dependent on leveling up, opportunities, or completing hidden quests later on. So, he had already guessed the result.
After finishing all the necessary tasks, Li Chunsong glanced at the courtyard not far away and, circulating his spiritual energy, transmitted his voice: "Niu Yuanshan, come out and see me!"
The moment his voice fell, a person immediately came out of the courtyard and bowed respectfully, "Niu Yuanshan pays his respects to the Sixth Elder."
This man appeared to be middle-aged, with a square, national-character face that looked full of righteousness, very suitable for playing an upright official in a historical drama. It was just that for some reason, he had a somewhat long-suffering look.
Speaking of which, he really did feel bitter. He had a mission for [The Organization] tonight, had gone out for a trip, and had only just returned. Now, great, he was being called out by the Sixth Elder again.
It was already midnight. Both sides were working him like an ox, weren't they? (T/N: His surname, Niu, means "ox.")
"This is Outer Sect Deacon, Niu Yuanshan," Li Chunsong introduced him to Chu Huaixu and Han Shuangjiang.
Then, he instructed Niu Yuanshan, "They are disciples-in-name whom I personally brought back. You'll handle their arrangements."
"As you command." Only then did Niu Yuanshan raise his head and look at them, feeling curious. Mere disciples-in-name actually required the Sixth Elder's personal attention?
And when his gaze fell upon Chu Huaixu, Chu Huaixu was also looking at him.
Endless waves surged in both of their hearts, and the same thought instantly popped into their minds:
"How is it him!?"
...