"Wanjian Sect?" Lin Ximo looked at her in disbelief. "You want to sleep at Wanjian Sect? They start meditating before dawn, then practice swordsmanship."
"Midday is cultivation theory, and evenings are one-on-one combat training."
"As the number one sect in the world, they work hard to stay at the top."
Wang Xiaoxiao: This is way too intense.
She wore the expression of an old man on the subway watching bizarre videos. "What about Chiyan Sect and Danxia Sect?"
Lin Ximo started counting on his fingers. "Chiyan Sect is full of... beautiful men. They believe anything ugly is unworthy of joining. They're extremely picky about appearances."
He gave Wang Xiaoxiao a once-over. "You're not bad looking, but they only accept male disciples."
"Gender discrimination? Seriously?"
It's the cultivation world already, come on!
"It's not that. Their cultivation method is unique, and it's not suitable for women."
"As for food—Danxia Sect doesn't eat. Most of their disciples are alchemists preparing for the big tournament. So they just take fasting pills to save time."
Wang Xiaoxiao: "…"
Has the cultivation world gone mad with competition?
She gave up entirely and asked the most crucial question:
"So which sect lets you eat well and sleep plenty?"
At that, Lin Ximo brightened up. "That would be our Guiyuan Sect. We've got the best food."
"Five steamed buns every meal!"
Their sect didn't have much, but they had an abundance of steamed buns. When Lin Ximo first joined, he got so sick of buns that he eventually persuaded his second and third senior brothers to defect.
Wang Xiaoxiao clapped her hands. "Then I'll join Guiyuan Sect."
It wasn't just about the buns. She simply loved lively sects like Guiyuan—chaotic and fun... ahem, vibrant.
"When can I sign up?"
Lin Ximo scratched his head. He vaguely remembered the sect leader sighing when he left the mountain, saying they hoped to find a few good seedlings today.
"Today."
"Registration ends tonight."
He looked at her in surprise. "You didn't know?"
Guiyuan Sect was still one of the top five sects. Even a hermit would've heard about their outer disciple recruitment.
Wang Xiaoxiao really didn't know. She paused. "So what time is it now?"
Did she still have a chance?
Lin Ximo suddenly realized what time it was. He shouted,
"Half an hour left! If you wait any longer, you'll miss it!"
He tossed his longsword into the air. It expanded instantly, and he stepped onto it, holding out his hand:
"Get on."
To ride a sword, one had to be at least in the Foundation Establishment stage.
But the boy in front of her looked about the same age—and he was already Foundation Stage?
Wang Xiaoxiao didn't hesitate. She took his hand and got on.
The sword hovered for a second before shooting into the clouds. Wang Xiaoxiao had her first taste of flying: the scenery blurred past, and the speed made her dizzy.
Lin Ximo had to make it back before the gates closed—otherwise, Elder Zhao would beat him up. Seeing time run out, he activated a speed boost.
Wang Xiaoxiao was afraid of heights. Terrified she'd fall, she clung to his hair and screamed:
"AHHH, do you even have a flying license?!"
She almost threw up.
Lin Ximo yelped in pain. "Don't pull my hair!"
Their struggle made the sword unstable. Just then, a flying boat passed by.
"Sh*t, dodge!!"
At Guiyuan Sect.
"Only half an hour left." The young man sighed. "Where are we supposed to find a prodigy, Elder Zhao?"
"All the talented ones got snatched by other sects."
For the past hundred years, Guiyuan had consistently ranked last in the grand tournament. Without resources, they naturally attracted only mediocre disciples.
But they had no choice—every ten years there was a new selection. Fresh blood had to be brought in.
Elder Zhao hadn't expected much. With the tournament just under a year away, he hoped a miracle might show up.
"That brat Lin Ximo still isn't back?"
The youth shook his head. "Probably at the black market again."
"Always slacking off." Elder Zhao huffed. "Relying on that good-for-nothing to win the sect tournament? I'd sooner hope a prodigy falls from the sky."
Just then, the sky darkened, and no new disciples were in sight. Elder Zhao was about to call it a day when the youth suddenly pointed up:
"Elder, something's falling from the sky!"
"What?"
He blinked in confusion—then saw two people plummeting from above, screaming all the way.
As they neared the ground, Wang Xiaoxiao twisted mid-air and made a stylish landing.
Lin Ximo managed to adjust himself last second too.
They hit the ground with a thunderous boom, creating a massive crater.
Lin Ximo climbed out, still excited. "Damn! That was thrilling. Did you see my pose when I landed? I call it... Golden Rooster Stands Alone!"
Wang Xiaoxiao cheered, "Brilliant~"
The two of them clambered out of the pit, only to meet the death glare of an immortal-looking elder.
Elder Zhao's heartbeat spiked as he pointed at them, hand trembling with rage.
"Who told you to punch a hole in the back mountain?! Do you know how expensive ground repairs are?!"
Wang Xiaoxiao hesitated. "...Should I fill it back in?"
Lin Ximo slung an arm around her. "No big deal. It's just a hole. Elder Zhao isn't that petty."
Elder Zhao inhaled deeply, refusing to look at this troublemaker. He turned to Wang Xiaoxiao.
"What are you here for?"
Wang Xiaoxiao said sincerely, "To join Guiyuan Sect."
Elder Zhao: "…" Are you trying to piss me off on purpose?
The crowd of outer disciples watched in awe.
Legendary.
Out of over a thousand new recruits in the top five sects, it was nearly impossible to stand out to a core elder.
But Wang Xiaoxiao did it.
On her very first day, in such a high-profile, chaotic manner, she instantly made a name for herself—and engraved it into Elder Zhao's memory.
The quiet youth beside the elder smiled slightly. Where did this amusing girl come from?
Worried the elder might pass out from rage, he smoothed his expression and turned to her with a gentle smile.
"Your name?"
"Wang Xiaoxiao."
The youth nodded and inscribed her name on a white jade token. "Take this. The aptitude test is in one month."
Wang Xiaoxiao thanked him. She hadn't had a chance to admire the architecture before, but now the designer in her noticed the aesthetics and said admiringly:
"Your sect is beautiful."
"I'm Xi Lan." the young man smiled. "One of Guiyuan's core disciples."
Wang Xiaoxiao froze.
...Xi Lan?
Wasn't that the gentle, tragic second male lead in the novel?
She stayed silent a moment too long, but Xi Lan didn't mind. He turned to his junior brother with a slight smirk.
"Where did you pick up this disciple?"
Lin Ximo missed the teasing and scratched his head. "Met her at the black market. She wanted to join our sect, so I brought her."
Xi Lan went quiet for a second. He glanced at Wang Xiaoxiao, then sent Lin Ximo a sound transmission:
"Are you sure she's not using you?"
Lin Ximo's robes clearly marked him as a core disciple.
Though Xi Lan disliked being suspicious of a girl, what if she was using their gullible junior brother to get into the sect?
Lin Ximo protested, "You're just dark-minded and think everyone's like you!"
Xi Lan: "…" Idiot.
Their conversation was telepathic—Wang Xiaoxiao couldn't hear a thing.
She turned to Lin Ximo to thank him. "Thanks for carrying me all the way to Guiyuan Sect."
To Xi Lan, it confirmed his suspicions. He watched her with a told-you-so look.
—See? She's already trying to get close to him.
But Wang Xiaoxiao was sincere. Since she had no money or gifts, she shamelessly said:
"A great favor goes without saying. So I won't say thank you."
"See you around, Senior Brother Lin."
Then she turned to leave, leaving a windblown Lin Ximo behind.
He snapped out of it and grabbed her. "Didn't you earn some spirit stones at the black market? Since you're broke, I'll take 30%, you keep 70."
Wang Xiaoxiao blinked. She hadn't expected him to be stingy. "I'm poor—how about 80/20, I keep 80?"
Lin Ximo looked equally offended. "You're greedy over a few spirit stones?!"
Wang Xiaoxiao answered seriously, "It's not about the stones."
His expression softened.
Then she added, "They're my lifeblood."
Lin Ximo's mouth twitched. "Forget it, I don't want them." He wasn't that petty.
But Wang Xiaoxiao, unashamed, grinned: "Oh, then I'm keeping them."
"Talisman paper isn't cheap, you know."
Lin Ximo: "…"
Xi Lan: "…"
This was not how he expected things to go.