"Chapter 10" Joining the Sky Heaven Sect

After cultivating for nearly an hour, Xuan stood up and began heading towards the cave abode on his right.

A disciple guiding the new ones spoke as Xuan approached, "For outer court disciples of the sect, you only need to meditate in the first chamber, while for inner court disciples, you must proceed to the second chamber."

Xuan nodded and entered the cave, where he saw many disciples meditating on the floor. Skipping past them, he entered another chamber with fewer disciples, found an empty spot, and closed his eyes.

"This is the Test of Virtue," a voice resonated in his mind. "If you can endure until the end of the incense burning in front of you, you will pass this test."

As the voice faded, a flying incense stick landed in front of Xuan, and it began to burn. Xuan remained still, eyes closed, ready to face the test.

Xuan could feel his concentration waning, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to focus.

Negative thoughts began to creep into his mind, and visions of his past life flashed before his eyes, threatening to consume his thoughts and control his mind.

One minute ticked by, then two, and before he knew it, almost thirty minutes had passed, and half of the incense had burned down. Xuan felt a growing heaviness and pain inside his head.

"I would have felt so trapped if, even after coming to this world, my situation remained the same," he thought, a pained laugh escaping his lips.

He knew that these thoughts and pain were just fleeting moments, and they would soon pass.

As time went on, Xuan felt blood rushing from his nose, but he continued to focus.

Finally, he heard a voice, "You have passed the test." This time, the voice didn't echo in his mind; instead, it came from ahead.

Xuan opened his eyes to find an Elder standing before him, smiling. "You have passed the test, and you have officially become an Inner Sect disciple of the Sky Heaven Sect."

Xuan bowed respectfully. "This disciple greets the Elder."

The Elder nodded, his expression warm. "You are Ye Xuan, indeed polite and respectful." He retrieved a token from his sleeve and handed it to Xuan.

"Take this to the disciple standing at the front of the cave. He will assist you further."

Xuan thanked the Elder and departed. The Elder then turned his attention to a female disciple who had also completed the trial.

The Elder had already been informed about Xuan by the First Elder and, as a result, had been paying extra attention to him. However, despite his scrutiny, the Elder found nothing that would arouse suspicion about Xuan's intentions.

If Xuan had joined the sect with the motive of harming it, he would not have been able to pass this test and would have failed. But now, he was cleared of any suspicion.

Inside the Inner Sect, the elders were discussing Xuan. "This disciple has unique talent, and his future is limitless," one of them said. "I wish to take him as my disciple."

The Second Elder looked at the other five elders. "Does anyone have any objections to this?"

The Third Elder shook his head, while the Fourth Elder expressed his dissent. "Senior brother, you already have two core disciples as your personal disciples. Why not let me take this disciple instead?"

Ning Binglan, the Fifth Elder, remained silent, content with her own disciples. She had only two female personal disciples, and the rest of her disciples were also female, so no one bothered to ask for her opinion.

The First Elder, who was personally overseeing the recruitment ceremony, wasn't present. As he rarely took an interest in acquiring personal disciples, he was not included in the conversation.

Just as the elders' quarrel was escalating, Ning Binglan spoke up, "We should wait for now." She intervened, seeking to end the dispute.

"We are gathered here to discuss another matter. When the time is right, you can ask the disciple directly which elder he wishes to join."

The others nodded in agreement, and the Second Elder, the most senior among them, asked, "Junior sister, is the news correct? Have you truly discovered the Curse of Death?" His expression turned serious.

Meanwhile, Xuan emerged from the cave and showed the token given by the Elder to the disciple, who looked slightly shocked. The disciple bowed and said, "Congratulations, senior brother."

He continued, "This token allows you to pass through the barriers of the Outer court and Inner court, but you cannot enter the Core Sect area without permission."

He pointed uphill and said, "The Outer court area is that way, and beyond it lies the Inner Sect, where you'll be residing. You can visit the Disciple Hall to collect your disciple token, sect uniform, and reward for joining the sect."

The disciple concluded with a brief introduction, "I'm Kim Joon, an Outer court disciple, rank 6. If you need any assistance around the Outer court, feel free to look for me."

Xuan nodded and was about to leave when Kim Joon seemed to want to say something more, but he hesitated and fell silent as another disciple approached.

"You must be the new disciple, Ye Xuan, right?" the man asked, his voice smooth. His clothing was a distinctive red, setting him apart from Kim Joon, who wore a white outfit.

Xuan nodded, but he felt a surge of surprise at how quickly the news of his joining had spread. He was even more wary of the man, sensing that he had an ulterior motive for approaching him.

He wondered who could be circulating his information and what their motives were.

"Brother Xuan, congratulations on joining the sect," Lui Xing said with a smile. "I'm Lui Xing, an Inner court disciple like you. Come, I'll take you to the Disciple Hall to collect your things."

Xuan nodded and turned to Kim Joon. "Thanks, junior brother, for your help."

Kim Joon greeted him back as he watched Xuan leave with Lui Xing. He had wanted to warn Xuan, but it was too late. Now, he could only hope that Xuan would pick up on any suspicious behaviour from Lui Xing.

[A/N] Dear readers, I need your feedback regarding the novel. Should I increase the number of chapters released per day from one to two or possibly three? If you're in favor of this, please let me know in the comments. Your support through Power Stones will also help me gauge the novel's readership. Thank you!