Chapter 1826 - 1827: Outer Sect Disciple
Looking at the vast mountain range stretching out of sight before them, everyone widened their eyes in amazement.
To take the entire mountain range as the sect? What an extravagant display!
Seeing Lin Chen and the others' expressions, Sword Bone was clearly quite pleased but didn't offer much explanation, instead continuing to lead the group flying ahead, until they stopped in front of an unassuming small mountain.
Just as Lin Chen was wondering why they had suddenly stopped, Sword Bone suddenly formed seals with his hands, strands of white light quickly spiraling around his fingertips as he uttered in a low voice:
"Sword Array, activate!"
With his words, an invisible ripple spread out like a water wave.
"Hehe, you don't know, this is the Sect Protection Array of our Heaven Sword Pavilion, a powerful Heaven Rank formation. If outsiders attempt to breach it, martial artists below Divine King are doomed with no chance of life; even Divine Kings would die from Thousand Arrows Piercing Heart!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, gaining a foggy understanding of the Heaven Sword Pavilion's strength. Mo Wan'er and Li Ping sighed with relief at having Sword Bone, the great elder, leading the way; otherwise, they might not have even been able to enter the sect!
After passing through the array, they were greeted by the true Heaven Sword Pavilion. Returning to the Pavilion obviously lifted Sword Bone's mood, making his flight faster as they soon arrived in front of a grand complex.
The buildings perched atop the peak, shrouded in mist, resembling palaces in the Immortal Realm.
"Let's go, I'll take you down to collect your identity tokens, and then other elders will greet you!"
Sword Bone spoke quickly, bringing them before a massive palace, then said to Lin Chen and the other two:
"Go on in, someone is waiting for you. I need to meet the Pavilion Master first; your affairs will be arranged. From now on, you are members of the Heaven Sword Pavilion. There's a sect competition in a month, so train diligently. I have high hopes for you!"
After saying that, Sword Bone stepped onto his Broad Sword, transforming into a beam of light disappearing beyond the horizon, leaving the three stunned.
Lin Chen took a deep breath, thinking to himself:
"It seems the Heaven Sword Pavilion's strength is extraordinary, and its cultivation resources are abundant. To find Wan Er and Zhao Xiaohua, I must intensify my cultivation. Otherwise, changes might occur, which would be disastrous."
Recalling Sword Bone's words, Mo Wan'er turned to the palace behind her, raising her eyes to see three gigantic words:
Affairs Pavilion!
The three exchanged glances and stepped inside.
Upon entering the gate, they felt a powerful aura locking onto them, causing them to instinctively look over.
They saw an elderly man in a gray robe, calmly seated behind a desk, his cloudy eyes subtly assessing the trio. Behind him was a large object resembling a bookshelf, from which hung numerous small wooden plaques of various colors.
Though the elder appeared old and frail, they did not dare take him lightly.
After a long inspection, the elder slowly spoke:
"I am Qin Fang, the Pavilion Master of the Affairs Pavilion! You three must be the new disciples recruited by Elder Sword Bone. Come over here!"
Lin Chen, Li Ping, and Mo Wan'er exchanged a glance and took a few steps forward.
Qin Fang fumbled behind him, eventually producing three tokens and three storage rings, distributing them to the trio before continuing:
"These are your identity tokens, serving as your credentials as outer disciples of the Heaven Sword Pavilion. They have many functions you can explore on your own. The storage rings contain your outer disciple robes, mandatory daily attire starting tomorrow, along with numerous items including the pavilion's map and various rules. Be sure to study them carefully to avoid unintended errors."
"Additionally, the weapons promised by Elder Sword Bone will be allocated tomorrow when he leads you personally. As outer disciples, you are entitled to a low-level Yellow Rank divine skill and divine art, included in your storage rings, don't forget them! Your cave dwelling is marked on the token and will update automatically if relocated."
At this point, Qin Fang seemed somewhat fatigued and impatient, waving his hand saying:
"Alright, you know everything you need to do. If there's nothing else, hurry back and cultivate. A month from now is the sect competition, though you're just cannon fodder, it's better to lose gracefully. So, return and train!"
Seeing Qin Fang's dismissive demeanor, Lin Chen and the others helplessly retreated.
Mo Wan'er glanced at Lin Chen and Li Ping, smiling as she said:
"Brothers, since we are now fellow disciples, it is a destined connection. Do take good care of me in the future!"
Lin Chen nodded slightly, perceiving Mo Wan'er as genuine and enthusiastic rather than calculating, thus not distancing himself.
Li Ping, on the other hand, was quite warm, calling her 'junior sister' with an air of camaraderie.
"Brother Lin Chen, Brother Li Ping, I shall return to my cave dwelling first. I'm quite interested in the so-called divine skills and divine arts!"
"Hmm, goodbye, junior sister!"
After Mo Wan'er left, Li Ping looked at Lin Chen, smiling faintly as he said:
"Brother Lin Chen, I shall also head back now. If granted the chance later, I should invite you for a drink!"
Taking a kind approach is always wise, and Li Ping made a good impression on Lin Chen, who thus smiled back:
"Oh? Then I'll hold you to that, you owe me a drink!"
"Haha, no problem, Brother Lin Chen, I'll head out first!"
"Hmm, take care!"
With that, Li Ping leapt away, vanishing among the mountains. Watching the others leave, Lin Chen shook his head, taking out his token, and focusing his Divine Sense, a map vividly materialized in his mind.
"Hmm? My cave dwelling is located here, haha, the spot seems decent, so let me head there first!"
Then he soared up, soon disappearing into the misty mountains.
After about an hour, Lin Chen arrived at a valley, where halfway up the mountain lay a cave dwelling inscribed with:
"Yellow Level 121."
"Hmm, it must be the cave dwelling's number. Yellow level? I wonder if there are Earth or Heaven Level dwellings above, though it's still a bit early for me!"
Lin Chen's guess was correct; cave dwellings were divided into Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow levels, with higher rankings better, though he did not yet understand these fully.
