The next morning, at the first hint of dawn, Lixi—who had been too excited to sleep all night—was already fully dressed. Eagerly waiting for Master Li to finish his meal, she practically dragged him out the door to go apprentice at a sect.
Master Li’s round, plump frame nearly stumbled from her sudden, forceful tug. *Forget it,* he thought, enduring the indignity knowing she was bound to face a harsh reality check soon enough.
The carriage slowly rolled out of the city gates and traveled along the road. After about two hours, they finally arrived at the Yunxiao Sect.
Surrounded by rolling green mountains, the Yunxiao Sect sat at the foot of a hill amid a vast expanse of lush farmland. A gentle mountain breeze swept through. While the city remained stiflingly hot in the early autumn heat, this place was remarkably cool and pleasant.
Yet, half of Lixi’s heart went cold. Wasn't this place a bit too rundown? Many bricks on the courtyard wall were cracked, and the hanging plaque was so weathered and faded that its original color was entirely lost.
Lixi stood blankly in front of the gate. She knew it... with no fixed recruitment periods and accepting disciples whenever they showed up, this could hardly be a major sect. But she truly never expected it to be *this* pathetic!
"Dad, are you sure this place is reliable? What's their reputation like?" They weren't some sort of Jianghu con artists, were they?
"You can rest easy. The Yunxiao Sect has a quite decent reputation around these parts. Many merchant caravans love hiring them for escorts when traveling far, and they hold free clinics from time to time. They're very benevolent." What was there to be picky about? It was just a matter of letting her try so she would give up and drop the idea. Master Li wore a completely nonchalant expression.
Escorting caravans? Poor as they might be, they didn't seem like con artists—after all, being guards required a certain level of credibility. It was just that they were living an utterly miserable existence, looking nothing like proper Cultivators.
Master Li and Lixi stood respectfully outside the gate, calling out loudly toward the interior, "Li Tian brings his youngest daughter to seek apprenticeship. May the Immortal Master grant permission."
Inside the Yunxiao Sect courtyard, the disciples were practicing their sword forms. Hearing the loud shout, they forgot how to execute their moves and stared in utter astonishment. Their run-down little sect had... someone actually come to apprentice?! It was nothing short of a miracle of the year!
The group swarmed out like a disturbed beehive, terrified that the visitors might run away. Seeing a dozen young men and women in clothes washed to a pale white rushing toward her, Lixi felt a deep sense of despair.
*Ahhhhhh!! This sect is seriously so poor!*
She didn't—
She glanced sideways at her father's chubby face. *Fine, her father isn't going to give her a second chance.*
Both parties met with smiles on their faces, exchanging warm and polite greetings. Led by the enthusiastic welcome of the crowd, the father and daughter of the Li family walked inside.
Judging from the outside, the sect didn't look very large. The buildings inside weren't as dilapidated as the outer walls; at least they appeared intact, extremely clean and tidy, and the air carried a faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms. Lixi’s heart settled slightly—phew, at least it wasn't a total disaster.
The group arrived at the main hall, where a thin, dark-complexioned old man in blue robes cautiously produced an antiquated spirit-testing disc. He raised his hand slightly, signaling Lixi to place her hand upon it.
She understood the routine from reading Xianxia novels—testing for spiritual roots. Her heart fluttered anxiously; what if she truly had no spiritual roots at all? What was the name of that Daoist ancestor again? Her mind suddenly went blank, and she forgot his exalted name. She could only silently chant in her heart: *Oh Heavens, please bless this pious believer!*
Lixi took a deep breath and extended a slightly trembling hand to rest upon the spirit-testing disc. The moment her fingers touched the surface, she felt a mysterious surge of energy instantly spread from her fingertips through her entire body, circulating within her once.
Immediately, the spirit-testing disc lit up with two dazzling beams of light—blue and green.
"Water and wood dual spiritual roots!" the old man shouted in ecstasy. Their Yunxiao Sect actually managed to recruit a disciple with such fine aptitude! Heavens have eyes!
Lixi also felt that the heavens had eyes and had not treated her unfairly. She truly was the destined heroine. While letting out a sigh of relief, she glared fiercely at her father. She had told him they should go to a major sect!
At that moment, Master Li’s gaze was drifting as well... Could his Li family actually possess ties to the immortals?! He began calculating in his mind that he should take his two boys to a major sect to try their luck later. He didn't spare Lixi even half a glance.
Lixi: "..."
One look told her exactly what her father was plotting. Before she could say a word, she was enthusiastically surrounded by a crowd.
"Junior Sister, welcome to the Yunxiao Sect!"
"Junior Sister, I am your Senior Sister Lin Ror."
"I am your Second Senior Brother Taowen."
"Me, me, me, and me..."
A bunch of people crowded around her, eagerly introducing themselves.
A little tot of five or six finally squeezed through and shouted loudly, "I am your Fourth Senior Brother Lin Zewu. Junior Sister, I will take care of you."
Lixi: "..." Are you serious?
"Stop crowding around your Junior Sister, all of you. Scatter." A middle-aged man dressed like a carefree swordsman parted the crowd and strode forward. He looked at Lixi with paternal affection and said, "I am Lin Shanlai, the master of the Yunxiao Sect. From now on, I am your master."
With that, he turned around and swiftly instructed the disciples to prepare for the apprenticeship ceremony.
Lixi watched as he sat steadily in the seat of honor at the head of the hall, a straw kneeling mat placed on the floor before him. Lin Ror, claiming to be her Senior Sister, led her forward to kneel and kowtow in apprenticeship. Given the circumstances, she had no choice but to do it.
"This disciple pays respects to Master." Lixi knelt on the cushion, weeping tears of joy in her heart. *Why do I feel like I've just jumped into a fire pit?*
She automatically reached out to take a cup of tea, raised it high, and presented it to her newly appointed master. Lin Shanlai took the teacup and took a light sip, only to be scalded so badly he nearly jumped. He narrowly escaped being "sent away" by the boiling-hot tea.
Taowen, who had served the tea, shrank his neck with a guilty conscience. He had just remembered that this was Spirit Spring water fetched from the spring behind the mountain; although the spiritual energy wasn't exceptionally dense, it still wasn't ordinary water, and when boiled, it was exceptionally hot...
With a flushed red face, Lin Shanlai forced the tea down his throat, barely maintaining his composure before speaking: "Since you have entered our Yunxiao Sect, you must henceforth cultivate diligently."
He actually wanted to say a few more words to draw closer to his new disciple, but his mouth burned with pain, so he had to cut it short.
The tea was drunk, the speech was given, and the disciple was officially admitted. Then Lin Shanlai suddenly remembered he had to give an apprenticeship gift...
He awkwardly fumbled around in his empty, flattened storage pouch for quite a while before finally pulling out an aged tortoise shell and handing it to her. It was the only thing he had on him that was fit to give...
Yet his expression remained entirely solemn and serious, putting on the full airs of a master: "Divination and cartomancy are also very important parts of cultivation. You must study all aspects of it in the future."
Lixi stared with shining eyes at the grayish little pouch in her master's hand. *Oh wow, so this is the legendary storage pouch!* At that moment, she finally confirmed that she had indeed joined a true cultivation sect. *Phew~ what a relief.* Even the ancient, weathered-looking tortoise shell in her hand instantly appeared high-end and mystical.
"Your spiritual roots are very well suited for studying medicine and alchemy. Take this set of silver needles." Elder Gao, the thin, dark-complexioned old man who had tested her spiritual roots, handed Lixi a small box containing silver needles.
Both her Senior Sister and Second Senior Brother gifted her talisman papers they had drawn themselves.
"Junior Sister, my great general is for you." Fourth Senior Brother Lin Zewu produced a small cage woven from straw, his little face filled with reluctance. His cricket truly was an undefeated great general, and he hated to part with it, but the Junior Sister was important too.
Lixi: "...That really wasn't necessary."
And just like that, Lixi became the youngest Junior Sister of the Yunxiao Sect.
Escorting Master Li to the main gate and seeing that he was still lost in thought, Lixi anxiously urged, "Dad, remember to send me my food, clothes, and daily necessities. And send Xiaocui to me as well, you got that?"
She couldn't manage without her almighty head maid, Xiaocui. The hairstyles in this ancient world were far too complicated; she had no idea how to style them herself.
After being tugged by the sleeve several times, Master Li finally snapped back to reality and replied perfunctorily, "Alright, alright, I remember." Which sect would be suitable to send the two boys to? He needed to ask around as soon as he got back.
"Hmph." Lixi sneered. If she didn't see her maid and her belongings by tomorrow, her father would experience her wrath. She'd pluck out every single hair of his beard!