The elder merely glanced at the Jade Pendant hanging from Bai Yuan’s waist.

"The token is a fake. It’s invalid."

He didn’t even bother to check it himself to keep up appearances.

How could You Shengnan not see that the man was deliberately looking for trouble? "You..."

The elder said, "Junior Sister You, I’m just following the rules. If the token is wrong, we can only wait for Peak Master Dong to return."

Clearly, the elder was adamant that Bai Yuan’s Jade Pendant was a fake, and no matter how You Shengnan argued, it was useless.

They were obviously taking advantage of Dong Wanjun’s absence while quelling a rebellion to bully Wan Jun Peak, knowing it was defenseless.

Although Bai Yuan could still become an Inner Sect Disciple when Dong Wanjun returned, it was enough for them just to be able to spite him.

Bai Yuan saw right through the elder’s intentions.

’These people from the Divine Mansion Sect truly spare no effort when it comes to dealing with Dong Wanjun.’

"Senior Sister, forget it."

Bai Yuan tugged on the corner of You Shengnan’s sleeve.

Unless they had the power to flip the table and cause a scene big enough to force the Sect Leader to intervene, they would only be the ones to suffer today.

You Shengnan was just one Strong Internal Martial Artist. Even with Bai Yuan, they couldn’t possibly make any waves.

In the end, the Divine Mansion Sect wasn’t Qinghe. The waters here ran far too deep.

The Martial Hall alone had more than ten Strong Internal Martial Artists, and the strength of the elder before them was unfathomable. They couldn’t afford to provoke him.

You Shengnan’s eyes spat fire, and she was on the verge of exploding, but she ultimately took a deep breath.

She knew all too well the filthy intentions of these people. They were hoping she would make a move, giving them a reason to retaliate.

Ultimately, only the truly powerful can ignore the rules.

"Junior Brother Bai, let’s go."

You Shengnan’s expression was grim as she led Bai Yuan away from the Martial Hall and down the main peak.

The Divine Mansion Sect had claimed the mountains as its domain. Its territory spanned dozens of miles in every direction, which was why it could be divided into the Thirteen Peaks.

Wan Jun Peak was the most recently established, and thus the farthest from the main peak.

Fortunately, both of them were Martial Artists with excellent stamina. In just about an hour, they had crossed three mountains and arrived at the foot of Wan Jun Peak.

A guilty look appeared on You Shengnan’s face. If not for her lack of strength, Wan Jun Peak and Bai Yuan wouldn’t have been so needlessly humiliated today.

"Junior Brother Bai, don’t worry. I’ll definitely get you the provisions you’re owed as an Inner Sect Disciple."

"It’s fine."

Bai Yuan waved his hand dismissively.

’He had come to the Divine Mansion Sect for one main reason, and it wasn’t the demon beast meat or the Spirit Pills. The most important thing was grinding mobs.’

...

The rules of the Divine Mansion Sect were even stricter than Bai Yuan had imagined.

Though the names "Outer Disciple" and "Inner Sect Disciple" were similar, their statuses were worlds apart, and there was almost no interaction between them.

Outer Disciples could only live at the foot of the mountain and were forbidden from setting foot on the mountainside. Only Inner Sect Disciples were allowed up there.

Wan Jun Peak currently had no True Disciples, so only Dong Wanjun resided at the summit, with the exception of the servant disciples, of course.

However, Dong Wanjun was away all year round and rarely returned to the mountain, so the summit was exceptionally deserted.

"Junior Brother Bai, my senior brother and I prepared a room for you long ago."

Back on Wan Jun Peak, You Shengnan’s mood had clearly improved a lot.

Although Wan Jun Peak was the newest peak and Dong Wanjun wasn’t very interested in taking on disciples, it still had over fifty Outer Disciples, most of whom lived in the small courtyards near the mountain’s foot.

You Shengnan led Bai Yuan to a platform on the mountainside.

It was much more desolate here than at the foot of the mountain. Only a few small courtyards stood on the platform, and most of them looked deserted.

This was the residential area for the Inner Sect Disciples of Wan Jun Peak.

Although Bai Yuan’s status as an Inner Sect Disciple wasn’t recognized by the Martial Hall, that wasn’t the case back on Wan Jun Peak. He wouldn’t be denied any of the treatment he was entitled to.

"This is my residence, and that one is Senior Brother Xiong’s."

"Senior Brother Xiong is out on a mission and hasn’t returned yet."

You Shengnan said, pointing to the two courtyards ahead.

After she explained a bit, Bai Yuan got a general idea of You Shengnan and Xiongshan’s situations.

Like him, You Shengnan also came from a small county, though her family’s background was slightly better than his, roughly on par with Zhuang Zhao’s—well-off for a minor family, but not quite a major one. She had worked her way up from a servant disciple to an Inner Sect Disciple, step by step.

Xiongshan, on the other hand, had been adopted by Dong Wanjun as a child. But since Dong Wanjun was constantly away, Xiongshan hadn’t actually received many benefits.

In fact, his connection to Dong Wanjun often led to him being ostracized by the other disciples.

After some thought, Bai Yuan chose the most remote courtyard.

"I’ll take this one. It’s peaceful."

You Shengnan nodded with a meaningful smile.

Only later did Bai Yuan understand the meaning behind that smile.

...

「The next day.」

When Bai Yuan knocked on the gate of You Shengnan’s courtyard, he discovered that his senior sister had already left the mountain for a mission.

In the Divine Mansion Sect, life wasn’t easy for anyone, be they Elders or disciples.

Ultimately, practicing martial arts was an arduous affair.

Not to mention, being a Martial Artist was a bottomless money pit; they could burn through any amount of silver.

You Shengnan and Xiongshan both came from ordinary families. With no backers, they could only rely on themselves to earn what they needed. Even though the benefits of being an Inner Sect Disciple were excellent, it still wasn’t enough for a Strong Internal Martial Artist.

And so, Bai Yuan was the only one left on the mountainside of Wan Jun Peak.

But Bai Yuan didn’t feel lonely, because he was also very busy.

He wasn’t familiar with the Divine Mansion Sect itself, but he knew its mob grinding spots like the back of his hand.

’He had grinded this instance for a long, long time in his past life.’

"Excuse me, Senior Sister, could you tell me how to get to Wooden Man Alley?"

Bai Yuan had run into a female disciple from Wan Jun Peak on his way down the mountain.

The female disciple was tall and slender, and her strikingly long legs were especially eye-catching.

"Wooden Man Alley?"

"Junior Brother, I don’t recognize you. Are you new here?"

Bai Yuan nodded. "My name is Bai Yuan. I just registered at the Martial Hall yesterday, so I’m indeed not very familiar with the sect."

"I see. I happen to be heading to Wooden Man Alley myself. By the way, my name is Fang Ya. I’m an Outer Disciple."

Fang Ya was very friendly.

The skill gap among the Outer Disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect was enormous, with cultivation levels ranging from Bone Forging to the Strong Internal realm.

Some Outer Disciples with more seniority were, in terms of strength alone, no weaker than Inner Sect Disciples. They just lacked a bit of luck.

Bai Yuan said, "Thank you, Senior Sister."

He didn’t intend to reveal that he was an Inner Sect Disciple. It would draw too much attention for no benefit.

Fang Ya was very familiar with the Divine Mansion Sect, and she was also quite talkative.

"Junior Brother Bai, are you from an outer county?"

"How could you tell, Senior Sister Fang?"

"The sect’s entrance examination hasn’t started yet. The only people who arrive at this time are disciples chosen by a Peak Master from an outer county. Junior Brother Bai, you’re really lucky. I was a servant disciple for ten years before I finally made it into the Outer Sect."

Fang Ya looked at him with envy.

Being a servant disciple at the Divine Mansion Sect was much more grueling than being an apprentice at the Huwei Arts Hall. But for that slim sliver of opportunity, countless Martial Artists would still fight tooth and nail just for a chance to become one.

The recruitment spots from the outer counties were extremely valuable and almost exclusively controlled by the powerful local families, leaving no opportunities for others.

Fang Ya looked Bai Yuan up and down.

’This junior brother looks so ordinary. To think he’s actually a rich kid?’