Chapter 278 - 12: Entering the Inner Sect

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The pavilion was three and a half stories tall. The half-story was a small observation deck on the very top.

After briefly looking around the rooms, Zhang Deming finally stopped on the top floor.

When Ji Ming returned, he happened to see Zhang Deming sitting on the third floor, staring blankly outside, lost in thought.

Ji Ming paused for a moment. In that instant, he suddenly felt that Senior Brother Zhang and his Senior Sister were actually quite a match.

At least they both enjoyed this—suddenly staring off into the distance, inexplicably zoning out.

Ji Ming lightly gathered his energy and floated directly up to the pavilion.

"Did you figure it out?" Zhang Deming asked without turning his head.

Ji Ming paused slightly. "What?"

Only then did Zhang Deming turn to look at him. With a wave of his hand, he set out a tea set.

"A storage pouch?" Ji Ming asked in surprise.

Zhang Deming glanced at the other’s waist and said, "Don’t you have one too?"

Ji Ming was taken aback again by Zhang Deming’s matter-of-fact tone.

’It seems Senior Brother Zhang has always seen me as an equal. Right, I have one too, so what’s there to be surprised about?’

Zhang Deming waved his hand, and the Spirit Water Technique surged. He began to brew tea as he spoke. "I was asking if you got a clear answer."

"What’s going on with all this? I’ll admit I haven’t looked much into the Inner Sect, since I never thought I’d be joining it."

"But don’t tell me this is how your Spirit Nurturing Peak gives people ’a hard time.’"

"If this is really the case, I imagine the disciples from the other peaks would be crying and begging for this kind of treatment!"

Ji Ming paused, then said, "I asked, but the more I asked, the more confused I got."

Zhang Deming’s movements faltered, and he raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What do you mean?"

Ji Ming said, "Senior Brother Song said this was the decision of our Master and the other two Peak Masters."

Zhang Deming’s expression flickered. ’So this Jade Pendant in my pocket is the real deal, with actual authority? Not just for show?’

Ji Ming didn’t notice Zhang Deming’s expression and continued,

"That would explain everything. After all, without the Master’s permission, Senior Brother Song would never dare to arrange for you to live in one of these seven pavilions."

"But it also makes no sense at all. Why would the Master suddenly stop disliking you? And even show you such favoritism."

After speaking, Ji Ming stared intently at Zhang Deming.

Zhang Deming, as if not catching the implied meaning, replied, "Perhaps it’s because your Senior Brother here is just too handsome."

Ji Ming: "..."

Ji Ming was speechless for a moment, staring reproachfully at Zhang Deming for a long time. Seeing that Zhang Deming still seemed completely oblivious to his meaning,

he finally gave up and asked directly, "What on earth did you do? What happened in the Celestial Spirit Hall?"

Zhang Deming paused. He looked up and studied Ji Ming seriously. Based on their few interactions, he had a rough grasp of Ji Ming’s personality, so he said very directly, "Junior Brother Ji, I’m not someone who trusts people easily."

"If it weren’t for your close relationship with that damn girl, Juan’er, I doubt we could even maintain our current relationship."

"Even with her as a connection, and even though I can consider you a friend, what you’re asking, Junior Brother, goes beyond that."

"Besides, regarding today’s events, I’m not much more informed than you are. I don’t really understand it either; I’m completely in the dark."

"If I told you that I also don’t know why I’m here, and that my situation before entering the Celestial Spirit Hall was even worse than you imagined, would you believe me?"

Hearing this, Ji Ming was stunned for a long moment before nodding. "I believe you!"

Zhang Deming paused, then said faintly, "I think I know why you’re able to hang around that girl."

’This Ji Ming has a pure heart. That’s a rare thing to see in the Sect.’

Hearing this, Ji Ming glanced at Zhang Deming but didn’t reply.

Zhang Deming continued, "Since we’re both in the dark, let’s talk about being a Core Disciple for now."

"What do I need to do? What benefits do I receive? What are my obligations? And what are the rules here on Spirit Nurturing Peak?"

Ji Ming replied, "Senior Brother Song didn’t tell me about your duties. Since you’ve been assigned here, you probably don’t have any."

"Never mind that. Let me first tell you about the general situation on Spirit Nurturing Peak."

"By the way, do you know about how the Inner Sect works?"

Zhang Deming nodded. "I know a little, but I wasn’t planning on entering the Inner Sect for the next few years, so I never looked into it specifically."

Hearing this, Ji Ming said, "Then I’ll start from the basics."

Zhang Deming nodded. ’Well, brewing tea was for the purpose of a long talk, after all.’

"For an Outer Disciple to enter the Inner Sect, there are roughly three ordinary paths."

"The first is for those with outstanding Talent. They are directly reviewed and promoted. Disciples like this can usually enter the Inner Sect directly."

"The second is for those with poor Talent, but who, through their own efforts, get Promoted to Tai Chi while in the Outer Sect. They can also skip the test and, after a review, enter the Inner Sect and become Inner Sect Disciples."

"The third is for those whose Talent isn’t particularly good, but not too terrible either."

"After spending a period of time in the Outer Sect, once their Three Techniques are sufficient, they can apply for a review. If they pass the trial, they can also enter the Inner Sect."

"However, in this situation, they are only considered Quasi-Inner Sect Disciples."

"They only become official when they get Promoted to Tai Chi."

"Because this type of Disciple is the most numerous, they are responsible for the menial tasks in the Inner Sect before they get Promoted to Tai Chi."

"The work they do is pretty much the same as in the Outer Sect, just with a much better environment and benefits."

"This..."

And so, the two of them chatted while drinking tea, going over the rules of the Inner Sect in detail.

As Ji Ming explained, Zhang Deming’s understanding of the Inner Sect and Spirit Nurturing Peak gradually grew more detailed.

A few hours later, Ji Ming had more or less finished his explanation. He glanced at the sky and said, "It’s getting late. You should just stay here for tonight."

"I took a look earlier. Senior Brother Song has already prepared everything downstairs; nothing is lacking."

"As for the Gate Guard Disciples at the cliff entrance, you don’t need to worry about that. People are fighting for a position like this, so Senior Brother Song should arrange for someone in the next few days."

"If you want to go out, say back to the Qingyou Jade Pavilion, your current status as a Core Disciple is high enough to register and apply for an Immortal Crane."

"There’s a special place for it over at the small plaza where we landed today. As for what your duties will be, just wait for the arrangements."

"I’ll come again tomorrow to help you sort out all the paperwork and procedures."

Zhang Deming nodded. "Then I won’t see you out."

Ji Ming stood up, gave a bow, and then floated up and leaped off the pavilion.

Zhang Deming watched him leave, his gaze turning to the various peaks outside.

The view was excellent, allowing him to take in more than half of the entire Sect’s landscape.

As the sky darkened, a thick fog began to rise, making the Celestial Spirit Sect appear somewhat hazy. Spirit mists drifted about, and an occasional Immortal Crane would fly past, painting the scene of an Immortal Family’s domain.

Zhang Deming gazed at it all, thinking back on the day’s events, and fell into a daze.

He thought for a long time but couldn’t figure out the reason for such a dramatic turn of events.

He also understood that he was likely missing a crucial piece of information, a key point that was causing these powerful figures to act so strangely.

’Could it be that my identity as a Spirit Nurturing Master has been discovered?’

’No, that can’t be right. I’ve been extremely careful. Under normal circumstances, they shouldn’t have been able to trace it back to me.’

’And even if they did find out, this shouldn’t be their attitude.’

’Shouldn’t they at least want to study me? Or at the very least, ask me some questions?’

’After all, I have a twenty-one-point Spirit Root and I learned the Spirit Nurturing Technique while still in the Apprentice Stage. For something so shocking, shouldn’t an Upper Sect like this inquire about the reasons? Shouldn’t they see if there’s some kind of opportunity here?’

’What if—even if it’s a one-in-a-million chance—they could find a way to quickly create Spirit Nurturing Masters?’

’A single profession, that of the Spirit Nurturing Master, was enough to create a Spirit Nurturing Holy Land.’

’If they could discover the secret to that, wouldn’t the rise of the Celestial Spirit Sect be just around the corner?’

The more Zhang Deming thought, the more conflicted and confused he became. In the end, he could only decide to take things one step at a time.

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Several days passed in a blur. Although many matters were taken care of for him, his promotion to the Inner Sect still required Zhang Deming to handle quite a few things himself.

Thus, Zhang Deming was rather busy for a few days.

During this period, he kept an eye out for news of Qu Qizhong, bracing himself for someone from the Celestial Spirit Sect to show up and demand a meeting with Zhang Wu.

But it was as if the events in the great hall that day had never happened.

Even after Zhang Deming had finished dealing with all his affairs, no one from the Celestial Spirit Sect had contacted him at his shop in Celestial Spirit City.

This left Zhang Deming completely bewildered. ’Could it be that something changed after I left?’

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