Qinghe County Magistrate’s Office.

The main hall of the County Magistrate’s Office had now become You Shengnan’s personal office.

She gazed at the recommendation lists sent by the Iron Saber Gang, Flying Eagle Castle, and Huwei Arts Hall.

There should have been a list from the Liu Family as well, but they had been wiped out for colluding with the Soul-Chasing Tower. As a result, the three spots originally belonging to the Liu Family were split evenly among the other three factions.

And so, Huwei Arts Hall received three spots.

With Chu Yuan still in a coma, the spots naturally fell to Bai Yuan, Ma Dingjun, and Cheng Li.

One could only wonder what Liu Jiuyan would think if she saw this from the Netherworld.

"Ji Minghan, Liu Ziyang... Cheng Li... Bai Yuan."

The lists contained not only names but also brief introductions, covering details like their strength, weapons, and family background.

’A little interesting.’

You Shengnan’s lips curved into a slight smile as she looked at Bai Yuan’s name.

A hunter from a small town who eventually became a Yijin Martial Master—it was quite an inspirational story.

Having come from a poor background herself, she naturally understood the hardships involved.

Bai Yuan’s performance that night had been too outstanding. Even if Old Xue had wanted to hide it, it would have been difficult. After all, the apprentices at the Martial Arts Hall came from all corners of the city; the group was too diverse.

So, he had simply reported Bai Yuan’s strength as being at the Yijin level.

’Yijin in two years. Not bad, not bad at all.’

A pace like that would be an achievement to be extremely proud of, even in the Divine Mansion Sect.

Of course, when it came to age, Bai Yuan wasn’t particularly outstanding.

After all, the direct disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect had been training in martial arts since childhood. They were far beyond what a genius from a small county town could compare to.

You Shengnan closed the lists and handed them to an official at her side. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"This will be all."

Aside from eradicating the Soul-Chasing Tower, her other purpose in coming to Qinghe was to oversee the Divine Mansion Sect’s disciple recruitment ceremony.

Of course, the one who would actually be accepting the disciples could only be her master, Dong Wanjun.

But Dong Wanjun naturally couldn’t be bothered with the trivial matters leading up to the ceremony. You Shengnan had to handle all of it.

...

Five Flavors Pavilion.

Lanterns lit up the private room on the top floor.

Seated in the room were the Chief Shopkeeper and Second Shopkeeper of the Five Flavors Pavilion, along with people from the Huwei Arts Hall. All of them, in fact, were disciples of the Martial Arts Hall.

"Junior Brother Bai, thank you for saving my life that night."

Cheng Li said with a gentle smile, raising a cup of warm wine.

If Bai Yuan hadn’t intervened, she would have likely been killed by the Soul-Chasing Tower’s assassins, and she certainly wouldn’t have the opportunity today to join the Divine Mansion Sect.

This opportunity was originally meant for Chu Yuan...

At this thought, the smile on Cheng Li’s face dimmed slightly.

Bai Yuan naturally saw what was on Cheng Li’s mind.

"Senior Sister Cheng, I’ve been researching a new formula recently. It might be able to wake Senior Brother Chu."

"Really?"

Both Cheng Li and Ma Dingjun showed expressions of pleasant surprise.

They saw Chu Yuan as both a teacher and a friend, and their bond was very deep. It was a shame that all their efforts had been in vain. They never expected that Bai Yuan would have a solution.

"I haven’t tried it yet, so I can’t say for sure."

Bai Yuan smiled faintly.

Chu Yuan had treated him well. If it was possible, he also hoped Chu Yuan would wake up.

However, even if he woke up, he would no longer have a chance to enter the Divine Mansion Sect, and it was highly likely he would lose all his martial prowess.

But that was still far better than being in a coma for the rest of his life.

Chu Yuan wasn’t old. Perhaps there was still a chance for him to return to the Yijin Pass. As for strengthening his organs... that was a lifelong impossibility.

Hearing Bai Yuan’s response, Cheng Li and Ma Dingjun exchanged a look, both seeing the joy in each other’s eyes.

They knew this junior brother of theirs too well.

If he was saying it, he was at least eighty percent certain.

The thought that their Eldest Senior Brother could wake up made them tremble with excitement.

Xiao Qiaoniang and Li Ting, who were standing nearby, looked at each other and smiled. They were both Cheng Li’s disciples, so they were also happy from the bottom of their hearts that their Eldest Martial Uncle might recover.

Tonight’s gathering had been organized by Liu Qingshan.

Besides the three True Disciples, Xiao Qiaoniang, Li Ting, Zhang Yang, and several other disciples from the Martial Arts Hall who were on good terms with the trio had also been invited.

The official reason was to hold a farewell celebration for the three of them.

After all, the Divine Mansion Sect’s disciple recruitment ceremony was only a few days away.

Bai Yuan, Ma Dingjun, and Cheng Li had all secured their qualifications. It was possible they could become disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect in one fell swoop.

The Divine Mansion Sect was very strict in its recruitment, accepting only geniuses.

And yet, it was also very arbitrary. There were never any set standards, and the number of recruits was always decided by the visiting Upper Envoy.

It was said that a neighboring county once had ten people accepted at once, more than the total from the previous forty years combined. Therefore, it wasn’t impossible for all three of them to enter the Divine Mansion Sect together.

If Bai Yuan and the other two truly all became disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect, tonight’s gathering would surely become a celebrated story.

When that time came, business at the Five Flavors Pavilion would boom. Martial Artists hoping to join the Divine Mansion Sect would flock here to soak up some of the good fortune, guaranteeing at least fifty years of prosperity for the Pavilion.

Liu Qingshan raised his cup with a dashing smile.

Although he had already left Huwei Arts Hall, he had trained there for many years and still had deep feelings for the place.

"Everyone, let’s drink to this!"

Everyone present was a disciple of Huwei Arts Hall, and most of them knew Liu Qingshan, so they all cheerfully drank the wine in their cups.

Bai Yuan tilted his head back and drained the fine wine.

He clicked his tongue.

’This world is pretty great, but the alcohol sucks.’

’If the Brewer profession existed, I’d have to get it, no matter what, and let this world feel the shock of a proper fifty-three-percent spirit.’

With Liu Qingshan, the Chief Shopkeeper, present, the atmosphere was naturally lively.

Liu Qingshan had a whole repertoire of clever verses for encouraging drinks. Before long, the people in the room were sprawling about, their eyes hazy with drink.

Although the alcohol content wasn’t high, it was very easy to get drunk on.

Of course, Bai Yuan was not among them.

It wasn’t that he had a particularly high tolerance, but that his Tiger-Crane Form burned off all the alcohol’s effects. He couldn’t get drunk even if he wanted to.

Soon, he was the only one left in the room, drinking alone.

’How lonely!’

Xiao Qiaoniang wasn’t much of a drinker to begin with, and after five cups, she was drunk enough to fall fast asleep in Bai Yuan’s arms.

Their relationship was already an open secret in the Martial Arts Hall, so there was no need to hide it.

Bai Yuan held Xiao Qiaoniang and leaned against the railing, gazing at the Qinghe River shimmering under the moonlight.

’Damn it, this is all too real!’

Before he knew it, he had been in this world for two years.

He was certain he wasn’t dreaming, because no dream should last this long.

Just as Bai Yuan’s mind was wandering—

A waiter pushed open the door to the private room, tiptoeing inside.

Before he got drunk, Liu Qingshan had instructed that the people here were honored guests of the Five Flavors Pavilion and must be tended to carefully.

He carefully looked for a path through the drunken people lying on the floor and finally reached Bai Yuan’s side.

The waiter leaned in close to Bai Yuan’s ear and whispered carefully, "Second Shopkeeper, someone is downstairs looking for you."

"For me?"

Bai Yuan’s brow twitched.

It was already late at night. He really couldn’t think of anyone who would be looking for him at this hour, especially at the Five Flavors Pavilion.

"All right, I understand."

Bai Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

The waiter nodded and cautiously made his way out.

Bai Yuan gently laid down the sleeping Xiao Qiaoniang from his arms before getting to his feet.

Compared to the waiter just now, his exit was much simpler. He took a single, light leap to the doorway, landing without a sound.

He walked downstairs.

There, he saw a dashing man dressed all in white, sitting in the main hall of the Five Flavors Pavilion.