Upon hearing his words, everyone’s expressions turned peculiar.

The customs of the South Territory are fierce, and it’s the same for women!

Just like those bandits, abducting female cultivators was commonplace.

Therefore, the Zi Wei Sect, known as the Legion of Ladies, naturally attracts the attention of many cultivators.

Some even attempted to infiltrate the Zi Wei Sect, but none succeeded. Gradually, the sect established an unwritten rule: it does not recruit male disciples!

In fact, aside from a few relatives, men are rarely seen in the entire Zi Wei Sect.

Of course, some understood Ye Luo’s choice. After all, he is a body cultivator. Joining other sects wouldn’t be meaningful!

And with a disciple like him, the strength of the Zi Wei Sect’s disciples would improve significantly.

But an unexpected occurrence unfolded.

The elder simply shook her head, "Sorry, our Zi Wei Sect never recruits male disciples!"

Immediately, a shocked uproar surrounded them; the Zi Wei Sect actually refused such a powerful disciple.

Why not make an exception for such a genius?

Many factions started to set their sights on Ye Luo.

Since the Zi Wei Sect doesn’t take him, other forces will certainly try to recruit him. Even if they can’t guide him, they can offer him cultivation resources and let him work on his own!

After all, his strength is already comparable to that of an elder. Even if it doesn’t improve further, he’s still a formidable force for any sect, isn’t he?

Ye Luo was quite taken aback by this outcome. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Can’t an exception be made just this once?"

Upon hearing Ye Luo’s words, the elder shook her head once again, but then she stood up.

It must be said that the women in Zi Wei Sect are quite attractive. Although her appearance reflected that of a middle-aged woman, she was no less tempting.

"Though we don’t recruit male disciples, we can recruit male elders. Would you be willing to join the Zi Wei Sect as an honorary elder?"

Honorary elder?

Ye Luo was dumbstruck, and the people around him were equally flabbergasted.

Letting Ye Luo become an elder was quite unexpected; no wonder the elder had earlier refused him.

The term ’honorary’ was just a formality, it hardly differed from a real elder.

Soon, Ye Luo realized he couldn’t pass up such a good opportunity.

After all, his goal was the Gold Silk Wood. Becoming an elder meant more opportunities to access it.

"Thank you, Elder, for your kindness. I agree!" he promptly responded.

"Very well, follow me to meet the Sect Master. I received her communication just now, which is why I left you. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the authority!"

Ye Luo suddenly understood, though he hadn’t expected her to explain.

After this, the matters here were no longer his concern. He accompanied the elder and two newly recruited female disciples up Mt. Sumeru.

The two disciples seemed quite interested in Ye Luo, occasionally casting their gaze upon him.

Ye Luo, however, had no other thoughts and instead observed Mt. Sumeru.

Strictly speaking, Mt. Sumeru wasn’t small, perhaps due to constant expansions. It had developed into quite a sizable mountain range.

That’s why dozens of forces could fit here.

Forces like the Wind Cloud Sect and Divine Martial Sect naturally reside at the mountain’s peak.

Though the strength of the Zi Wei Sect isn’t lacking, due to fewer members, it falls slightly behind sects like Wind Cloud Sect. Thus, its location is halfway up the mountain.

Still, Mt. Sumeru is undoubtedly a place where space is precious. Every faction’s territory isn’t large.

Thanks to the smaller size of the Zi Wei Sect, the sect remains spacious compared to the crowded Wind Cloud Sect and Divine Martial Sect with many disciples.

Since most members of Zi Wei Sect are women, the lush greenery and abundant spiritual energy inside make Ye Luo feel as though he’s in an inland sect.

This could be said to be the true sanctuary of the South Territory.

Moreover, beautiful women could often be seen cultivating under the shade, and their curious eyes followed Ye Luo as he walked by.

Men in this sect are akin to rare creatures.

Soon, Ye Luo spotted the grove of Gold Silk Wood! Its golden radiance from a distance made it resemble a mythical realm.

"That is where the Sect Master and several Supreme Elders have their cave mansions. Normally, you can’t enter casually, not even as an elder, without permission!" advised the elder upon seeing Ye Luo’s gaze.

Of course, she merely thought Ye Luo was awed by the sight, not questioning that his real interest lay in the Gold Silk Wood.

"I’ll first take you to the cave mansion the sect has assigned you. Change into your attire and await the Sect Master’s audience!" the elder said with a smile.

Ye Luo nodded slightly and followed the elder to a shaded area with many courtyards, each meticulously arranged.

Ye Luo felt quite satisfied with this environment; there was no trace of the South Territory here.

"These are the living quarters for elders. Here’s your badge to activate the formation. Without it, entering the cave mansion is impossible!"

Ye Luo understood it worked like a key. Yet, with his knowledge of formations, he could enter even without it.

But doing so would cause quite a commotion, not to mention it was unnecessary!

The elder departed after explaining everything.

With the badge in hand, Ye Luo easily accessed his cave mansion.

Inside, due to the formation, the spiritual power was even more abundant. Having lived in the South Territory for a while, Ye Luo was suddenly unaccustomed to such a peaceful life.

The courtyard had complete living essentials, and the room contained a unique outfit—or rather, armor!

The armor looked imposing, quite suitable for Ye Luo’s physique.

He was puzzled; the Zi Wei Sect should have uniforms, shouldn’t they? Wearing armor seemed odd!

Still, he liked the armor. Since the Sect Master requested it, he didn’t mind.

Wearing it felt comfortable, with no discomfort. It seemed the armor wasn’t ordinary.

After changing, he considered looking into Nuonuo’s whereabouts!

Soon though, he dismissed that thought.

Although he was now an honorary elder, he needed to respect the sect’s rules. Since Nuonuo was a disciple here, they’d meet eventually. He might as well surprise that young girl!