"A genius rouge cultivator, you say?" An old man sat in his exquisite wooden chair, his gaze as the young man standing before him.

"That's right, Elder Jiang. He managed to slay a high-level Fiery Lizard with a single sword strike, even piercing its steel-like scales known for its impenetrable defense!" Mo Zhou shared his experience with Yuan to the old man before him.

The old man was Elder Jiang, a sect elder of the Flying Sword Sect, who is also in charge of the administration for the sect.

"If this young man is really as good as you praised him to be, then I'd like to meet him myself." Elder Jiang stood up and walked towards the door. "What are you waiting for? Let's go."

"Yes!"

Mo Zhou led Elder Jiang outside the sect where Yuan and Xiao Hua waited patiently.

"Fellow Daoist Yuan! Thank you for waiting… umm…"

"Hmm… Ninth Level Spirit Apprentice… how old are you, young man?" Elder Jiang could tell Yuan's cultivation base with a single glance.

"You seem to be around Mo Zhou's age… not bad for a rogue cultivator who cultivated without any proper guidance." He nodded with approval.

"You are…?"

"This is Elder Jiang, he is in charge of the sect's administrations for the Outer Court disciples." Mo Zhou introduced Elder Jiang to Yuan.

"I see. Nice to meet you, Elder Jiang."

Elder Jiang gently brushed his white beard and smiled, "I will get straight to the point, do you want to join my Flying Sword Sect as a disciple? The sect provides countless benefits and resources to its disciples to help them grow. If you join, then your cultivation base will definitely rise faster than before. Perhaps you may even qualify to become an Inner Court disciple one day."

"Inner Court disciple?" Yuan wondered if Inner Court disciples meant being an upperclassman.

"You…"

Elder Jiang frowned and looked at Mo Zhou.

"Elder Jiang, you see… Daoist Yuan has actually never been aware of the existence of sects until today, hence why he wanted to visit our Flying Sword Sect…" Mo Zhou explained to him with a bitter smile.

"What…? How is that even possible?" Elder Jiang doubted his words, but even an idiot could come up with a better excuse.

Elder Jiang looked at Yuan again, and he sighed. "Whatever. I do not care about your circumstances. Well? What is your answer? I will accept you as an Outer Court disciple right this moment if you so wish."

Mo Zhou saw the chance and urged Yuan. "Daoist Yuan, you are really lucky! Under normal circumstances, one would have to pass the entrance exam before they get admitted into the sect as a disciple. However, Elder Jiang here has the authority to accept you into the sect without any of that hassle! This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance that anyone would be willing to die for!" he said with excitement.

"..." Yuan turned silent for a moment.

However, despite the enticing offer, Yuan still shook his head. "Although I appreciate the gracious offer, I will have to decline…"

"Why?!" Mo Zhou exclaimed. How could anybody let such a chance go to waste? This could be his ticket to becoming an Inner Court disciple of a great sect such as the Flying Sword Sect – a chance every Outer Court disciple like Mo Zhou would die for!

"Like I have already said… I am not yet ready to join any factions. I am currently waiting for someone, and until she arrives, I will not make any big decisions," said Yuan.

Xiao Hua glanced at Yuan when he mentioned that he was waiting for someone. Who could this person be?

"..."

"..."

"...Very well…" Elder Jiang said with his eyes closed, "If that is your decision then so be it. However… do not come back one day and ask for my generosity again as you have already lost it once."

Mo Zhou sighed. All of his efforts were wasted in such a short amount of time. Perhaps the reason for Elder Jiang to not put any real effort into pursuing Yuan was that he doesn't fully trust his words – that Yuan was a prodigy that even Inner Court disciples may not be able to match.

"Umm… about the tour… am I still allowed to see your sect?" Yuan asked with a sly expression; he still wanted to see the inside even after all he's said.

Mo Zhou looked at Elder Jiang with the corner of his eyes, waiting for his answer.

Elder Jiang coldly snorted and said, "Let him see what he's missed out."

He walked away afterward.

"..."

Yuan was speechless. Refusing Elder Jiang's offer must have offended him.

Mo Zhou sighed again and said with an apologetic expression, "Don't worry about it too much, Daoist Yuan. It was my fault to begin with… If I hadn't spoken so highly of you in front of Elder Jiang with the intention of recruiting you then this would've never have happened."

Yuan shook it off and said, "I don't mind it. He's just a grumpy old man, after all."

"G-Grumpy old man… Daoist Yuan… please don't ever let him hear you say that in front of him or else he will definitely kill you…" Mo Zhou, with a terrified expression, turned to see whether or not Elder Jiang had heard Yuan. When he couldn't see Elder Jiang's figure, Mo Zhou sighed in relief.

"Forget about him and let's hurry and go inside. I have been itching to see the inside since the sight of the Thousand Sword Formations!" Yuan said in an urging tone.

Mo Zhou smiled bitterly and said, "Alright… follow me…" He turned around and led the two inside, where disciples would be seen bustling around.

"Wow… they all carry swords with them…" Yuan's eyes flickered with excitement. He couldn't be more excited at this moment. In his eyes, this place was just begging for him to explore!