"Father, please take good care of yourself. Do less of the heavy and tiring work every day, and look after yourself while I'm not by your side," Han Lin said, tears streaming down his face.
After bidding farewell to his father, Han Longsheng, he headed north. In truth, once you walk a mile down the mountain and cross a river, you are already at the Zixiao Sect. The river was called Yunxi Creek, and he remembered bathing right here when he was a little boy. As they walked along, his older cousin expressed her concern: "Just look at how hard your father works. It really isn't easy for one person to tend to such a massive herb field!" Han Lin quickly replied, "Indeed, absolutely!"
As it turned out, Han Lin and Cousin Ye Hong had just gone down the mountain, yet they somehow missed Feng Qing and his group. This was truly a blessing in disguise, because Han Lin did not know Feng Qing and feared a fight would break out at first sight. Meanwhile, Feng Qing sneuck a glance, sizing up the young man in white and the girl in red before him. Those two were none other than Han Lin and Ye Hong. With a bewildered expression and burning with jealousy, Feng Qing muttered, "Where did this pretty boy come from? He's hardly worthy of being with Senior Sister Ye Hong. Next time I run into him, I'll teach this fellow a real lesson."
"Don't you know the meaning of 'first come, first served'?" Feng Qing fumed. At that moment, his face flushed red, glowing like a monkey's rear end.
Seeing their inner sect senior brother frozen in place, the disciples immediately stepped forward and said, "Senior Brother Feng, everyone is still heading up the mountain to search for the person undergoing Tribulation Transcendence. We cannot afford to delay; two days have already passed, and if we still can't find them, we'll be punished." Feng Qing immediately turned around and strode toward the Han family estate. Yet, strangely enough, Han Lin felt a nagging sense throughout the journey that something was about to happen, though he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
At that very moment, Han Lin and Cousin Ye Hong arrived outside the gates of the Zixiao Sect, surrounded by solemn, classical architecture. Raising his head, he saw three imposing and mighty characters carved into the bluestone pillar: "Zixiao Sect"! Why did he think them mighty? Because the outer disciples had begun discussing the sect master, whose strength far surpassed the Foundation Establishment stage, having recently advanced to the Deity Transformation stage 5th Layer. One had to admit: it is easy to enjoy the cool shade under a giant tree, and with a powerful sect at your back, there is nothing to fear. Han Lin understood that Cousin Ye Hong was the second disciple of the Zixiao Sect, and both the outer and inner disciples held her in deep admiration. At that moment, the gathered disciples cast gazes of envy and jealousy, sneering, "Senior Sister Ye Hong, how could you end up with such a handsome yet wretched white-clad pretty boy? Have you gone blind?" Senior Sister Ye Hong paid them no mind; these people were of no consequence—Han Lin was the only one who mattered.
Passing through the front gate plaza, they bounced along until they reached the grand hall, arriving at the most majestic and heavily watched place in the entire sect: the Law Enforcement Hall. The law enforcement elder was none other than Feng Qing's father, Feng Deji, Senior Brother Feng's father. From ten paces away, one could already feel Elder Feng's majesty and formidable aura. Word had it that Elder Feng's cultivation was already at the Nascent Soul mid-stage. Every step he took exuded authority; a pair of cold eyes burned with sharp intelligence, his long white beard flowed gracefully, and his Daoist robe gave him the air of an immortal being. From time to time, his gaze drifted toward the young man before him, revealing an expression that hinted at a fondness for raw talent. Who would ever guess that this young master Han Lin possessed a ruined spiritual root, had zero cultivation, and was essentially a complete nobody—ha!
Cousin Ye Hong immediately stepped forward to greet Elder Feng, saying, "This young man is a distant relative of mine. He has practiced cultivation techniques since childhood, and his cultivation even surpasses that of some outer disciples." To put it bluntly, the strength of those outer disciples she spoke of was only at the Qi Condensation stage 2nd or 3rd Layer. Although Han Lin's cultivation did not match theirs on the surface, as long as he came to the Zixiao Sect and applied himself through acquired effort, he could still accomplish something. It was merely a matter of time; no big deal.
Elder Feng remained skeptical on the surface, but ultimately believed her—after all, Ye Hong was the second disciple of the Zixiao Sect, and furthermore, he still counted on arranging a marriage between her and his son, Feng Qing. Putting on a kindly expression, he said, "This youth has decent aptitude; let him stay in the sect as an outer disciple." Han Lin had expected the elder to say, "Let him become an inner disciple," but instead it was just an outer disciple. Without dwelling on it any further, Han Lin immediately accepted, "Many thanks, Elder Feng. May you be blessed with longevity and good health."
In truth, Ye Hong could see the helplessness in Han Lin's heart. After all, Elder Feng was the law enforcement elder and held immense sway within the Zixiao Sect. Even if she wanted Han Lin to be admitted to the inner sect as an exception, Elder Feng would never agree. Besides, Sect Master Li Qinghe was currently in secluded meditation and had likely increased his cultivation quite a bit recently. Even if she went to beg Sect Master Li Qinghe, he might not necessarily agree, for no one was allowed to break the sect's rules.
Han Lin actually did not want to rely on his senior sister; he wanted to conquer the Zixiao Sect through his own strength. Even if he was just an outer disciple for now, it did not matter. As long as he harbored the desire to scale the peak, even the highest mountain could be climbed.
"Let's leave it at that for now, then. Han Lin, from now on within the sect, just call me Senior Sister," Ye Hong said with a comforting smile. Han Lin nodded silently, a look of gratitude on his face.