"I don't think I'm fit for that either," Wei Zian said more loudly. "You just said I'm an embarrassment to the family. We wouldn't want to corrupt little Qin Ling with my attitude, would we?"
"I didn't—"
"No!" Wei Zian shouted.
"Fine, have it your way," she huffed. "But really, I wasn't suggesting—"
"What are you talking about?" Qin Ling called out from behind him.
"We were discussing what a rotten brat you are," Wei Zian shot back immediately.
"No you weren't!"
Wei Zian rolled his eyes and stood up, intending to finally go wash up, only to find his angry little sister blocking his path. There was a knock at the main gate.
"I'll get it!" said Wei Zian quickly, knowing that Mother would want one of them to answer and that Qin Ling wouldn't move anytime soon, she could be incredibly stubborn when she wanted.
That was how Wei Zian found himself staring at a woman dressed in azure sect robes with cloud patterns, her hair pinned up with a jade hairpin, and a jade token hanging at her waist. She carried a scroll in her hand.
The woman gave him an appraising look. "Wei Zian?"
"Uh, yeah?" he replied, unsure how to react.
"I am Senior Sister Yun Xia, Inner Disciple of Celestial Peak Sect. I'm here to discuss your breakthrough to the ninth level of Qi Condensation."
Wei Zian's face turned pale. They sent an actual Inner Disciple to talk to him!? What had he done wrong!? Mother was going to skin him alive!
"You're not in trouble, Junior Brother Wei," she said, smiling slightly. "The sect has a tradition of sending a representative to third-tier disciples to discuss important matters. I should have visited you earlier, but I've been busy with sect affairs. My apologies."
Wei Zian just stared at her.
"May I come in?"
"Oh! Forgive my rudeness, Senior Sister Yun," said Wei Zian. "Please, come in."
"Thank you," she replied politely, stepping into the courtyard.
After quickly introducing her to his mother and sister, Yun Xia asked if there was somewhere they could discuss sect matters privately. Mother immediately announced she needed to go to the market and took Qin Ling with her, leaving Wei Zian alone with the Inner Disciple, who promptly laid out various jade slips and scrolls on the tea table.
"So, Wei Zian," she began, "you already know you've successfully reached the ninth level of Qi Condensation."
"Yes, I received the message token," Wei Zian replied. "Our city doesn't have a proper cultivation tower, so I was planning to get my identity jade when I returned to the sect."
Yun Xia simply handed him a sealed scroll. Wei Zian examined it for a few moments, then tried to break the seal to read it. Strangely, the seal was extremely tough to break.
He frowned. Yun Xia wouldn't have given him the scroll like this if she didn't think he could open it. Some kind of test? He wasn't anyone special, so this had to be something simple. What could every newly-advanced disciple do that would...
Oh. He almost rolled his eyes when he realized what this was about.
He channeled a stream of spiritual qi into the seal, and it immediately snapped in half, allowing him to unroll the scroll. It contained beautifully written calligraphy confirming his status as a ninth level Qi Condensation disciple. He glanced back at Yun Xia, who nodded approvingly.
"You don't really need to get your identity jade until you finish your studies," she said. "The jade is quite expensive, and nobody will question you unless you plan to open a shop or sell your cultivation skills. If anyone does give you trouble, just tell them to check with the sect."
Wei Zian shrugged. While he did plan to break away from his family eventually, he'd prefer to wait until he reached Foundation Establishment, which was still two years away. He gestured for her to continue.
"Records show you've been staying in the outer disciple quarters for the past two years. I assume you plan to continue?"
Wei Zian nodded, and she reached into her sleeve and handed him an unusual jade token. Wei Zian knew how formation locks worked and could even pick simpler ones given enough time, but he couldn't figure out how this token was supposed to work, it had no activation patterns. Following his instinct, he channeled some qi into it, and faint golden lines immediately lit up across the jade's surface. He looked at Yun Xia questioningly.
"Housing for third-tier disciples works differently," she explained. "Now that you're a ninth level Qi Condensation disciple, the sect can teach you techniques of the first rank and higher. Since you'll be handling valuable cultivation methods, more security is needed, so you'll be moving to a different courtyard. The formation lock on your door is keyed to your spiritual signature, so you'll need to channel your qi into the token just like you did now to unlock it."
"Ah," said Wei Zian. He turned the token in his hand, wondering how they'd gotten his spiritual signature. Something to look into later.
"Normally I'd explain in detail what being a third-tier disciple means, but I hear you have a caravan leaving soon, so let's get to the main point: your guiding elder and cultivation path selection. You can ask me anything else afterwards."
Wei Zian perked up at this, especially at the mention of 'guiding elder.' Each third-tier disciple was assigned a guiding elder they met with once a week, who would teach them techniques not covered in regular classes and help them develop their potential. Choosing the right guiding elder could make or break a disciple's future, and Wei Zian knew he needed to choose carefully. Fortunately, he'd asked around among senior disciples to find out which elders were good and which were terrible, so he thought he could at least get a decent one.
"So which guiding elders can I choose from?" Wei Zian asked.
"Well, actually, you can't," Yun Xia said apologetically. "Like I said, I was supposed to reach you earlier. Unfortunately, all the guiding elders except one have filled their student quotas."