Chapter 78: Registration

"Who are those two people?" Fan Xianshu took a long moment before answering, "I don't know." Lingyu was taken aback, then asked, "Then how did you get involved with them?"

"I didn't," Fan Xianshu replied, his face full of helplessness. "After we parted ways, I followed after them but didn't see anyone. With no other option, I came back. Just as I walked into the alley, I ran right into those two, and they immediately attacked me."

He muttered, "Foundation Establishment cultivators... So this is what they are. They barely made a move, and I was utterly powerless..."

Lingyu's thoughts were stirred by his words. Recalling that moment, it happened in less than a breath; she hadn't even seen a shadow of them before being rendered completely defenseless.

Both lost in their own thoughts, they sat in silence for a long time until Lingyu finally returned to herself. "Xianshi, do you think those two are connected to that woman?"

Fan Xianshu hesitated for quite a while, then said uncertainly, "I don't know..." He pressed his fingers to his brow. "Those two appeared so suddenly—I never even saw what they looked like. But if they were just passing by, they shouldn't have attacked me, right? First, I didn't provoke them. Second, though there aren't many people out at night, we're cultivators. Whether night or day, it's normal for us to be out and about. Would they attack anyone they saw?"

There were quite a few cultivators living nearby; if it was just a chance encounter… they didn’t seem to have witnessed anything. But if it was targeted, aside from us tracking that woman tonight, nothing else happened. Furthermore, the one called 'Senior Brother Xu' said, "Two little shrimps, can't stir up any waves." If they were unrelated, he shouldn't have said that.

"Lingyu, your face..." Fan Xianshu noticed the wound on her cheek. The bleeding had stopped, but the cut ran from her cheekbone down to her chin, slashing across half her face—nearly disfiguring her.

"Hiss..." Only now did Lingyu feel the pain. As he touched it, she drew a sharp breath. Worse, something seemed to burn within the wound, searing her flesh.

"Wait a moment." Fan Xianshu pressed her down, rummaged through his storage pouch, and finally found a jade bottle. "I bought this at the auction house a few days ago. It’s extraordinary for restoring skin and bone. You're a girl, after all; leaving a scar on your face wouldn't be good."

Lingyu sat quietly, watching Fan Xianshu fuss over her wound, muttering and grumbling as he worked. Warmth welled up in her heart. Though Xianshi had changed, becoming unfamiliar to her, his nature remained the same.

When he finished, Fan Xianshu handed her the jade bottle. "Keep it. Apply it once a day, and it should heal quickly."

She took the bottle and tucked it away.

The two gazed at each other for a while before Lingyu finally asked, "What should we do about this?"

"Do? About what?"

Lingyu pointed across to Luo Yun’s room.

Fan Xianshu thought for a moment, then said, "Since we can't find the people involved, and Senior Brother Luo clearly doesn't want us to know, let's pretend we know nothing. We'll watch him in secret. If anything seems wrong, we'll intervene immediately."

"Alright," Lingyu agreed, having no better idea herself. She mulled the matter over again in her mind, feeling uneasy. She feared Luo Yun was already entangled in trouble, utterly unaware.

The next day, Luo Yun saw Lingyu's wound and was shocked, "Junior Sister Cheng, what happened to you?"

"Oh," Lingyu tried to touch it, but stopped halfway, "I cut myself while practicing swordplay."

Luo Yun said, "Don't try to fool me. I’m a sword cultivator too—how could I not recognize a wound caused by sword qi? And the angle, clearly slashed from the side. Your sword technique isn't that poor, is it?"

"..." Lingyu’s expression remained unchanged. "I didn't tell the whole story. While practicing, Xianshi made the cut—he just started learning sword technique, and his skills are terribly rough."

"Really?" Luo Yun was half convinced. "So precise and clean—Junior Brother Fan has impressive talent..."

Lingyu exchanged a glance with Fan Xianshu across the table; both lowered their heads and ate quietly.

For a month, they watched anxiously, but Luo Yun continued to eat and sleep well. Lingyu began to wonder if she was mistaken. Yet, if it were just an ordinary matter, why would Luo Yun hide it from them? She and Fan Xianshu weren’t busybodies—if Luo Yun had just said a word, they would never have asked further. But he was so secretive...

In the end, it was Luo Yun’s odd behavior that made Lingyu suspicious. After chasing out that night and the incident that followed, even Fan Xianshu felt it was unusual.

Finally, the day came for the sects of Lingcang to recruit disciples. Everything was peaceful, and Lingyu relaxed a little, heading out with Luo Yun to register.

Their goal was the same: the Purple Sky Sword Sect.

As they approached the Administrative Hall near Feilian City, rounding the avenue, Lingyu was stunned. "So many people?"

The usually closed main hall was wide open, and from its entrance, eight long lines stretched out, already reaching the street even before dawn!

"Junior Sister Cheng, hurry!" Luo Yun grabbed her, rushing to the Purple Sky Sword Sect registration point. As soon as they found their spot, two more squeezed in behind. Soon after, the queue filled the entire street!

"At this rate, there must be ten thousand applicants," Luo Yun mused, worried. "I heard each sect only accepts a hundred disciples. Will we make it?"

After Luo Yun spoke, a cultivator in the nearby Jiyi Sect queue glanced at him. "First time, huh?"

"??" Luo Yun was puzzled.

The cultivator said, "Don’t you know? This so-called Dharma Assembly offers prizes."

Luo Yun thought for a moment and nodded. "Yes, I heard those ranked high in the Assembly are rewarded."

"Exactly. With rewards, of course more people come."

Luo Yun pondered for a while, then suddenly understood. "So, fellow cultivator, you’re saying many are here for the prizes, not to join the sect?"

"Of course!" The cultivator waved dismissively. "Who wants to bother joining a sect? I live freely in Xingluo! In Lingcang, if you join a sect, you can’t leave at will or you’re a traitor. Whatever the master says, you must obey; refuse and you’re punished. Besides cultivation, you have chores—why join a sect and become someone’s lackey? In Xingluo, I get paid for work, buy whatever I want, go wherever I please—why would I become someone’s lackey for no reason?"

Hearing this, Luo Yun and Lingyu were dumbfounded. They hadn't known joining a sect had so many drawbacks! Many nearby cultivators echoed, "Exactly, Xingluo is so much better—freedom! If you want backing, just join a faction, no one orders you around. How do Lingcang cultivators even survive..."

"But, but..." Luo Yun wanted to argue, yet didn't know where to begin. It did sound quite reasonable...

"Don't listen to their nonsense, young man," someone else objected. "It’s easy to enjoy the shade under a big tree. Join a faction, sure, but when trouble comes, will they stand up for you? Don’t be foolish! And if you don’t do chores, you must pay five spirit stones a month. Even then, you have to be cautious—and if you make a mistake, you’re kicked out instantly."

"Humph!" the first cultivator retorted, "Being cautious is your own problem. If you’re dissatisfied, just leave; factions won’t force you to stay for life."

"With ability? If you have ability, you’ll do well in a sect too!" the other shot back.

"Why would I bother pretending to be a lackey in a sect if I have ability? Blah blah blah..."

"And you don’t have to play lackey in a faction? Blah blah blah..."

Thus the two began to quarrel.

Lingyu and Luo Yun were astonished, listening for a long while. When the dispute seemed about to turn physical, the city guards stepped in, ordering silence and restoring peace.

After listening to so much, Lingyu and Luo Yun realized most people in line were there for the prizes; those truly wanting to join a sect were fewer than half. According to custom, about three or four thousand would actually apply—one in five would be chosen.

"One in five, that’s still hard..." Luo Yun murmured.

...

"Registration form." At the entrance to the main hall, a Qi Refining cultivator in the Purple Sky Sword Sect robes reached out to Luo Yun.

Luo Yun quickly handed over the form he had filled out earlier.

The man glanced it over, performed a spell to check Luo Yun's bone age, and nodded to a nearby cultivator. That person said, "Follow me!" Luo Yun hurried after him.

Lingyu, without needing instruction, handed over her registration form.

The cultivator looked it over, checked her bone age, and was about to wave her on when he suddenly paused, staring at Lingyu.

Lingyu was puzzled and nearly touched her face but held back. Her wound had healed long ago; the ointment from Fan Xianshu had worked well. Only a faint scar remained—visible but not disfiguring. Why did he need to look so long?

Finally, the cultivator hesitantly asked, "Are you... male?"

Lingyu shook her head. "No, I am a woman."

The cultivator raised his brows and tossed the form back. "If you're a woman, what are you doing here?"

Lingyu was taken aback. "Fellow cultivator, what do you mean by that? I didn't know the cultivation world discriminated against women."

He snorted, "Of course the cultivation world doesn't discriminate against women, but our Purple Sky Sword Sect does not accept female disciples!"

Lingyu was dumbstruck. The Purple Sky Sword Sect doesn’t accept female disciples? She had spent half a year preparing for this, and no one had told her?

Lingyu looked around, then pointed to a female cultivator not far behind, also wearing the Purple Sky Sword Sect robes. "If you don’t accept female disciples, what about that fellow cultivator?"

The man glanced lazily. "If you become the Dao companion of a Purple Sky Sword Sect disciple, you can be like her." He added, "But judging from your appearance, that’s unlikely."

As he finished, the surrounding cultivators snickered. Indeed, this female cultivator looked rather masculine; though her features were handsome, what man would want such a Dao companion? With that flat figure, she must feel just like a man—well, perhaps someone with unusual tastes...