A long, purple-haired beauty lowered her head in depression as she picked up the notice. It was a white paper scroll. She read it yet again.
[ To Bai Ruo,
Master of Myriad Dao Sect,
To register as a Level 1 sect, you need to have four disciples within six months. You currently lack one. If you fail to get one within ten days, your sect will be removed and disqualified. You cannot establish another sect in your name!
By Raging Yang Sect
Supervisor of Sects! ]
Bai Ruo rubbed her forehead as the letter fell from her hands. "Now, where can I get a disciple?" She scanned her room. She was in a plain wooden house. Except for essentials like a reading table, stool, and bed, there wasn’t anything.
"Anyone will run away if they see my sect." She ran a hand down her hair as she spotted the cracks in the wood. She stood up and walked out, then took a deep breath of fresh air. She was standing in front of her wooden dwelling, and next to it were the same four small houses and one block on the opposite side. Zzz! The sounds of snoring echoed.
Thud! A young woman of around twenty with a slender body, clad in plain cotton robes, stepped out from the second small dwelling and yawned. "Master, still thinking of it?"
"Yes, Jia Xin," Bai Ruo nodded. "Our sect will be removed." She clenched her fists, with her back falling a bit forward.
"Why don’t you bring one?" Jia Xin patted her master’s back. "Then our sect can be saved!"
Bai Ruo pointed her finger at the blocks they were living in and the rusted entrance. "We are so poor."
"Master... Oh! Master!" Jia Xin sighed, shaking her head. Tap! Bai Ruo flicked her forehead as Jia Xin winced. "What’s that for?"
"Now, tell me." Bai Ruo licked her lips. "You have a plan, don’t you?"
"Reading more novels, Master!" Jia Xin yelled. "So this is the plan..." She whispered in Bai Ruo’s ear.
’I’ll get one at any cost.’ Bai Ruo cheered herself up as she folded her hands behind her back with a calm face and took slow steps to the sect recruitment street.
Thud!
She paused as Su Yang scrutinised her, rubbing his chin.
’Yup! Let’s scam him!’ She decided with an expressionless face.
She activated a silver-coloured talisman hidden in her sleeves as it glowed brightly.
Caw!
"Crap!" Su Yang’s eyes widened in fear as a large black crow, with a wingspan of two metres, suddenly rushed at him. Its body was covered with a black aura, and it emitted pressure so great that Su Yang felt his legs go weak.
"What the heck!" He didn’t waste any time as he broke into a run. Caw! The bird’s beak missed him by an inch. It pivoted back, and its crimson eyes locked onto him. ’It looks pissed.’ Su Yang thought as he lunged and rolled, dodging another attack.
Bai Ruo held her laughter back, trying to maintain her image.
’She’s a powerful cultivator! She’s my only hope.’ Su Yang mused and yelled, "Save me!"
In his panic, he didn’t notice that the people in the street glared at him with wide eyes. "What’s he doing?"
"Did he lose his mind?"
In their vision, a noble kid was panicking and running, rolling on the ground, and doing unpredictable actions.
They shook their heads, grinned, and walked away.
Su Yang hugged Bai Ruo’s waist from behind and shouted, "Save me..."
Bai Ruo pushed him away and said plainly, "Since we met, consider it fate." She pointed her index finger at the bird and hummed, "Chaos Fire Dragon." A bright purple flame surged out from her finger and turned into the shape of an Eastern dragon, with five claws. The sky itself cracked open and filled with purple flames.
"A dragon!" Su Yang’s mouth hung open. "I didn’t expect I would get to see one." Dragons were a symbol of power, and not many could see one.
’Good.’ Bai Ruo nodded to herself internally, checking Su Yang’s expression. The crow turned into dust as the dragon burned it. The sky slowly started to heal from its cracks. Su Yang scanned his surroundings, as he was no longer in any danger. "Why aren’t they reacting?" He asked, as Bai Ruo froze for a moment.
She coughed. "Kid, not many can see this seat’s power." She sighed. "It’s too troublesome if anyone notices my strength."
She was yelling internally, ’Now come on... It should work.’
"Indeed, many would try to become..." Su Yang grinned and knelt down. "Please accept me as your disciple."
’It worked out!’ Bai Ruo tried to maintain her demeanour as she almost smiled in joy. Jia Xin had informed her of the plan that she should fool someone with an illusion talisman and make them believe she was a powerhouse. If she did, then she didn’t have to do anything herself. Her soon-to-be disciple would do his best to attract her attention.
The talisman in her sleeve had turned into dust. She didn’t reply and just walked away. ’Come on, follow me.’ She sneakily scanned around. ’No one should recognise me.’ Her act would be blown away if anyone familiar spotted her. Her super cultivator persona would tear open.
’Did she recognise my weak talent...’ Su Yang knitted his brows. ’I shouldn’t let go of this opportunity.’ He followed her. "Master, please accept me as your disciple!" he shouted.
Su Yang just maintained a distance of a few metres as they reached the city gate on the north side. ’My guards are on the south gate.’ He wiped his sweat as he didn’t want to get caught by them and be pulled back to his clan.
They stood on the side of the official road as Bai Ruo and Su Yang glared at each other. "Master, take me as your disciple." Su Yang knelt down and kowtowed.
Thud! Bang!
"Since it’s fate that we meet and you’ve seen my power..." Bai Ruo held her chin as Su Yang’s shining eyes locked onto her. She added, "I’ll take you as my nominal disciple for now."
’At last, I got one master.’ Su Yang patted his chest. "Master." He kowtowed again.
’Jia Xin, I’ll get you a cake next time.’ Bai Ruo laughed crazily in her mind. ’My sect is saved!’
Su Yang stood up and asked, "By the way, Master, why did you come to the sect recruitment area?"
Bai Ruo paused, her brows twitching. ’What now? How should I answer?’ Her reply could break this act instantly. After all, what would a powerhouse like her be doing in the sect recruitment area?
She coughed. "Kid, how powerful do you think I’m?"
Su Yang opened his mouth to guess, but Bai Ruo continued, "What is fate in your words is not fate in mine."
"Don’t tell me?" Su Yang’s voice rose. "Master knows I’ll be here?" His eyes widened in astonishment. "You came after calculating my fate!"
Bai Ruo didn’t explain but gave a look of ’You guessed it.’ She smiled. "Let’s go to our sect!"
’Damn!’ Su Yang cursed internally. ’I need to hug this thick thigh in this dog-eat-dog cultivation world.’
Bai Ruo pulled out a red carpet from her storage ring. It was a few metres wide. Under her control, it opened and floated up little by little.
"Can’t you fly, Master?" Su Yang asked, leaping onto it. A moment later, Bai Ruo followed and waved her hand calmly. "I’m fed up with flying. You should understand that Master is back to the basics. I experience life like a mortal to cultivate my mind."
Su Yang praised her. "As expected of you, Master." He thought, ’I didn’t know anyone would give up flying and use tools just to feel handicapped like a normal person.’
Bai Ruo’s lips curved up, while she fumed internally, ’Don’t ask another question, kid.’ She was struggling to come up with answers to his sudden questions.
The carpet rose into the sky as they sat on it. The city got smaller and smaller in Su Yang’s vision. He reached the clouds and tried to touch them. ’I never touched clouds in both my lives.’ They were like fog, cool and wet. With no real object to touch, his fingers passed right through them.
His actions relieved Bai Ruo. ’No more problems.’ She wiped her nonexistent sweat. Su Yang watched as they travelled through cities and forests. The carpet had sped up little by little. Once it hit its highest speed, Su Yang almost rolled forward, so he held onto his master’s waist.
Bai Ruo just removed his hands and held them, comforting him. "Don’t worry. I’m here!"
Su Yang sat tight, holding his master’s hand.
After hours of journey, they landed on top of a mountain peak. The rusty iron entrance had the name ’Myriad Dao Sect’ written in crooked letters. Su Yang peeked in. Except for five blocks of wooden dwellings and a small box, seemingly for personal use, the sect had nothing!
"Master!" Su Yang pointed his finger. "Why are we so poor?" He rubbed his eyes. "Is it even a sect?"