Lin Zhiyue walked over and came to a stop three paces away from the silver-based, black-patterned armchair.
Venerable Yanchen looked down at her for a moment. Without any pleasantries or polite remarks, he got straight to the point: “A dual ice and wind Mutated Heavenly Spiritual Root—only three have appeared in the Sanglan Realm in ten thousand years. You achieved Grade A-Plus in the Heart's Inquiry, and both your skeletal structure and temperament are excellent. Tiance Palace intends to accept you into the inner sect. If you are willing, the palace's resources will tilt in your favor—cultivation techniques, pills, and slots for secret realms will all be provided according to the allocation for core disciples.”
He spoke in a flat tone, as if he were merely commenting on the nice weather. But the surrounding elders all pricked up their ears—the core disciple allocation was the highest standard of nurturing in Tiance Palace. It was something ordinary disciples might not even obtain after decades of hard work, yet he had promised it with a single sentence.
Lin Zhiyue was in no hurry to answer. Standing where she was, her gaze swept over her surroundings. The female elder of the Biluo Immortal Sect's face darkened slightly; the burly man from the Sacred Sword Pavilion snorted heavily but did not dare to say anything more; the young senior sister from the Piaoyin Sect fluttered her Peach Blossom Fan as she watched the spectacle; and the old man from Luohong Valley stroked his beard, his eyes squinted in a smile.
Everyone stared at her, waiting for her to either nod or shake her head.
After a moment of thought, she looked up at Qi Yan.
“I am deeply honored by your favor, Venerable, and feel unworthy of such grace.” Her tone was neither servile nor overbearing. Though her words were polite, her demeanor held not the slightest hint of humility. “May I ask a question? If I join Tiance Palace, which Venerable will be my master?”
As soon as she asked this, the air fell silent for a moment.
Qi Yan looked at her, a very faint, almost imperceptible trace of peculiarity appearing in his eyes, as if he found it strange that she would ask such a thing.
He paused, and though his tone was still flat, every word was exceptionally clear. “Since I was the one who personally asked for you, your master will naturally be me.”
The surrounding elders froze in unison.
The hand of the old man from Luohong Valley froze mid-air as he stroked his beard. The mouth of the female elder from the Biluo Immortal Sect fell slightly open, and she failed to close it for a long time.
The burly man from the Sacred Sword Pavilion first widened his eyes, then turned to glance at Qi Yan before quickly shifting his gaze away, as if confirming he hadn't misheard.
The reaction from Tiance Palace's side was even greater. Several black-robed disciples exchanged looks, and one of the younger disciples blurted out, “Doesn't Martial Uncle dislike taking disciples the most? The few senior brothers and sisters under him were all forced upon him by the Sect Master back then. Martial Uncle only taught them for three years before tossing them to several elders to guide, and he has never accepted any since—”
Before he could finish, his senior brother jabbed him hard in the ribs with an elbow, forcing him to swallow his remaining words.
But these words had already drifted into Lin Zhiyue's ears.
The corners of her mouth twitched slightly as she suppressed a smile.
The Tiance Palace elder frowned and looked at Qi Yan, keeping his voice very low. “Junior Brother, have you thought this through? The three disciples under your name are currently in closed-door cultivation to break through their bottlenecks. If you accept another one, your energy...”
“I do not need others to worry about my accepting disciples,” Qi Yan interrupted him. His tone hadn't changed, but the surrounding temperature seemed to suddenly drop by two degrees. The elder immediately shut his mouth, took half a step back, and spoke no more.
Standing three paces away, Lin Zhiyue took in this back-and-forth.
The Tiance Palace elder called him Junior Brother but did not dare to refute him, and the other disciples called him Martial Uncle and did not even dare to breathe too loudly. This man was probably used to keeping to himself in Tiance Palace.
For him to actively offer to take a disciple was likely a first since the founding of Tiance Palace.
She lowered her eyes, quietly contemplating for a few breaths.
Tiance Palace's resources and status went without saying, and with Venerable Yanchen personally acting as her master, she would not lack guidance in her cultivation in the future.
But as for Qi Yan himself—she quietly lifted her eyelids and stole a quick glance at him—he was cold and taciturn, not seeming like the type who had the patience to teach a disciple.
That disciple just said he had only taught his first three disciples for three years before dumping them on other elders. This man's teaching style was probably far from patient and methodical.
Yet she also didn't want people from the Biluo Immortal Sect or Luohong Valley subtly probing into her “background” every single day. If she stayed with them for long, she would eventually be questioned thoroughly about her Mist-shrouded Verdure robe.
On the other hand, the people from Tiance Palace hadn't asked about the origin of her robe from beginning to end. This was excellent. She wanted to remain unpredictable.
For someone of unknown origin who possessed an extraordinary treasure and a dual-attribute Mutated Heavenly Spiritual Root, the vaguer her background, the less anyone would dare to easily provoke her.
She wouldn't deny any speculation, nor would she confirm any rumors. Letting labels like “direct descendant of a hidden family” attach themselves to her was far more effective than her claiming it herself.
Qi Yan was waiting for her answer. His gaze remained fixed on her face; he didn't rush her, but he had no intention of looking away either.
Hundreds of eyes on the square were watching this scene. Venerable Yanchen had actively offered to take a disciple, only to be met with hesitation from a rogue cultivator. In the cultivation world, this was an extraordinary tale that could be gossiped about for a decade.
Lin Zhiyue made up her mind.
The corners of her mouth curved up slightly, and she gave a slight nod. “Since Venerable Yanchen has personally spoken, it would be ungrateful of this junior to decline further.”
Qi Yan looked at her for two breaths, the corners of his mouth twitching imperceptibly, as if he wanted to smile but held it back.
“Come to my residence this afternoon to choose your cultivation technique.”
With that, he turned and walked away, his red and black martial attire cutting a clean arc in the sunlight, his high ponytail sweeping over his shoulder. The black-robed disciples of Tiance Palace immediately followed, and the group crossed the square, heading toward the northern part of the city.
Lin Zhiyue stood where she was, watching his figure recede into the distance. In her ears, the discussions on the square suddenly erupted—
“Venerable Yanchen actively taking a disciple? Weren't the three disciples under him all forced on him by the Sect Master?”
“What is the background of this rogue cultivator? It's one thing to have a dual ice and wind Heavenly Spiritual Root, but she even got a Grade A-Plus in the Heart's Inquiry. And now, even Venerable Yanchen has made an exception... Do you think she's really a rogue cultivator? I've been staring at that dharma robe of hers for ages and still can't figure it out. What is embedded within those green hidden patterns?”
“Who cares what her background is? Either way, we'll have to call her Senior Sister when we see her in the future...”
“Tsk, personally guided by Venerable Yanchen, with Tiance Palace's resources tilted in her favor—her starting point is a whole mountain higher than ours.”
Lin Zhiyue ignored the surrounding clamor and turned to walk toward the inn. She hadn't eaten yet.
After finishing her breakfast, she retrieved the book she had bought earlier from her earring and began flipping through it.
Lin Zhiyue touched the gold-plated earring on her left ear, the green hidden patterns shimmering at her fingertips.
The people outside were busy fabricating all sorts of background stories for her. She didn't need to do anything; she only needed to maintain her silence. In the cultivation world, silence was the best answer. The more one spoke, the more mistakes they made; staying silent instead made one appear profound and mysterious.
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