The Steward, seeing how the situation was unfolding, quietly took two steps forward and whispered to the young woman before him,

"Senior Sister Yan, Senior Brother Zong is no longer an Inner Sect Disciple. He’s an Outer Disciple now. Even if these guys are sent to the Law Enforcement Hall, nothing much will really happen to them, so..."

The young woman sneered. The shadow of her whip flashed out once more, sending the kowtowing Outer Disciples flying again as they coughed up blood.

"I’ll let it slide this time. Don’t let me see you again!"

With that, the young woman turned, left the hall, and vanished from Jiang Xu’s sight.

"Thank you, Senior Sister!"

"Thank you, Senior Sister, for sparing our lives!"

Seeing that the matter was finally over, the disciples who remained all wore looks of gratitude. Paired with their blood-soaked appearances, Jiang Xu found the scene bizarrely comical.

’I wonder who this Senior Sister Yan is. How can she be so...’

Jiang Xu mumbled to himself for a long time but couldn’t come up with the right word.

At that moment, someone next to him spoke up,

"Were you going to say ’domineering,’ or ’tyrannical’?"

Jiang Xu glanced to the side. The speaker, another Outer Disciple in a green robe, was strikingly handsome.

"I wouldn’t dare comment, I wouldn’t dare!"

The fate of the other loose-lipped Outer Disciples flashed through Jiang Xu’s mind, and his heart leaped into his throat. He quickly waved his hands in dismissal.

"Hey, Senior Sister Yan is gone, isn’t she? Besides, as long as you’re not maliciously spreading rumors or talking nonsense, it’s not a big deal."

An idea sparked in Jiang Xu’s mind, and he asked,

"I’m not familiar with this Senior Sister Yan’s identity. Could you tell me a little about her, fellow disciple?"

Jiang Xu hadn’t wanted to ask, but he was afraid of crossing her path again. He figured it was best to gather some information now to avoid overstepping his bounds later.

"That’s Senior Sister Yan Chunyu. She’s an Inner Sect Disciple from Celestial Sword Peak, and now, she might be considered one of the Profound Origin Sect’s Top Ten Inner Disciples."

"The Top Ten Inner Disciples?" Jiang Xu repeated, confused.

"It’s a ranking for the Inner Sect Disciples. The top ten all have a chance of becoming one of the Profound Origin Sect’s True Disciples. Every True Disciple has an extremely high chance of reaching Foundation Establishment, so they’re also known as ’Foundation Establishment seeds.’"

After a short pause, the man continued,

"Zong Ziqi of Celestial Sword Peak—the fallen genius—used to be one of the Top Ten Inner Disciples, ranked tenth. A pity he’s gone now. His spot will probably go to Yan Chunyu."

"’A Foundation Establishment seed...’ What a shame."

For Jiang Xu, who felt that even the Qi Cultivation Middle Stage was a distant dream, Foundation Establishment was utterly beyond imagination.

"It truly is a shame. Back then, Zong Ziqi had to fight Yan Chunyu to snatch away that spot among the Top Ten Inner Disciples. Who would’ve thought that after all that, the position would just fall back into her lap. She really has good luck!"

"Yeah," Jiang Xu agreed with a sigh. "Senior Sister Yan’s luck is certainly something else."

...

’Luck? I, Yan Chunyu, don’t need luck!’

Yan Chunyu’s eyes were like ice, and the rage boiling in her chest was unstoppable.

’One day, I’ll make everyone understand that I, Yan Chunyu, rely on strength alone!’

’And as for you, Zong Ziqi, I will never forget the humiliation you dealt me. Even now that you’ve lost all your Cultivation and been reduced to a mere mortal... you are no longer worthy of my personal attention, but you won’t escape. Just you wait!’

...

Once the Outer Sect Steward of the General Affairs Hall saw Yan Chunyu’s figure vanish, confirming she was truly gone, he finally pulled out a handkerchief, slowly wiped the sweat from his brow, and straightened his slightly stooped posture.

With a menacing look in his eyes, he walked over to the injured Outer Disciples and gave each of them another kick.

"You blind idiots! Of all the people to provoke, you had to go and anger that she-devil, making me clean up your mess! Maybe now you’ll learn your lesson!"

The disciples lying on the ground didn’t dare to object. They just kept agreeing and thanking the Steward.

"You’re all still young and inexperienced," he said. "Alright, seeing as you’re so badly hurt... here. Rejuvenating Pills. Take them."

After saying that, the Steward tossed a small bottle in front of the Outer Disciples.

With tears welling in their eyes, the Outer Disciples tremblously picked up the small bottle, their hearts surging with overwhelming gratitude for the Steward:

’I can’t believe the Steward would actually give us something so precious...’

’Not only did the Steward save us, but he’s also showing so much concern.’

’The Steward is such a good person!’

But just as he was leaving, the Steward casually added,

"One Rejuvenating Pill costs three Spirit Stones. I’ll deduct it from your stipends next month."

At this, the disciples’ tears flowed even more freely.

Only this time, they were tears of financial pain.

After all, the market price for a Rejuvenating Pill was only two Spirit Stones...

...

After that minor interruption, the Outer Sect Steward restored order, and things proceeded smoothly.

Jiang Xu got back in line.

Before long, it was his turn.

"Greetings, Steward. This is my Identity Token, for your inspection."

After speaking, Jiang Xu handed the Identity Token he had received upon joining the Sect to the Steward before him.

"Correct." The Steward looked him up and down. "Junior Brother Jiang, as a servant coming to the Outer Sect area of the General Affairs Hall, you must have advanced to the Qi Cultivation Third Layer and wish to join the Outer Sect, correct?"

"Your insight is keen, Steward. That is indeed the case. This junior brother is of dull aptitude but was fortunate enough to advance to the Qi Cultivation Third Layer just before the five-year deadline."

The Steward nodded.

"Not bad. Luck is a type of talent in itself. Just like Senior Brother Zong who... COUGH, COUGH. I didn’t say anything. Ahem, let me measure your Cultivation."

The Steward then took a crystal ball out of his Storage Bag. It was a special tool used to test one’s Cultivation and prevent any attempts at deception.

A Foundation Establishment Elder had permanently imbued it with a special Magic, making it impossible for anyone at the Qi Cultivation Level or even an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator to hide their true Cultivation level.

Jiang Xu placed his hand on the crystal ball and channeled a sliver of Magical Power into it.

The crystal ball instantly emitted a soft white glow, and three ripples appeared inside.

"That’s right, Qi Cultivation Third Layer indeed."

The Steward then tapped Jiang Xu’s Token against the crystal ball before handing it back to him.

Along with it, the Steward handed Jiang Xu a small pouch, two green robes signifying his new status as an Outer Disciple of the Profound Origin Sect, and a copy of the Outer Disciple Manual.

Jiang Xu accepted everything. He opened the pouch and, sure enough, found twenty Spirit Stones inside.

"Thank you, Steward!"

"Don’t be in a hurry to thank me, we’re not done yet."

"Outer Disciples must also select a cave abode. Our Sect’s abodes are divided into four grades: A, B, C, and D. Grade A is the best, and Grade D is the worst."

"Outer Disciples can only choose from the Grade D area, but even there, you’ll be on the periphery of a Spirit Vein, which will greatly increase your Cultivation speed."

The Steward then took out a map that showed the locations of the remaining cave abodes in the Grade D area.

"Come on, choose one."