The Sect Master

Li Yao looked up and turned toward Zhang Baichi. His outburst surprised her and she looked at him with an astonished expression. "You know my cultivation level?"

Trying to laugh it off, Zhang Baichi nodded briefly. He had an embarrassed expression on his face, but still smiled. "Sorry about that. I was just a bit surprised that you're so strong. You look even younger than me."

"Ah, I see…", the little girl nodded, not showing any reaction to Zhang Baichi's words as her face had already returned to a neutral look.

'Great, you made yourself look like an idiot, Zhang Baichi. Well done.', Zhang Baichi continued to look at her, unable to get a read on what she was thinking about and scolded himself, then shook his head and turned to Jian Fu.

The old man just glanced at Zhang Baichi once, then turned back to the little girl and sent her off with a smile. "Little Yao, you go and continue to train. I'm just here to visit my brother with this kid here."

"It is for the same thing as last time, Uncle Fu?", the little girl questioned with an innocent expression, to which Jian Fu seemed to be embarrassed, but quickly hid it with a cough and nodded. "Yes, it is… We'll see you later, then."

"Alright. I'll go train a bit more and warm up, then.", the little girl nodded and turned around without another word, returning to the training field.

Zhang Baichi looked at the old man, confused as he didn't know what the two of them were talking about.

Jian Fu noticed his look, but only shook his head while walking towards the wooden cottage in the distance. "Don't worry about it for now. You'll understand once we meet the Sect Master."

His voice was a bit more somber than before, causing Zhang Baichi to frown again. 'He was so chill before, but why does he sound so different now? And he said 'Sect Master' again instead of referring to him as his brother…'

Though doubtful, he didn't raise his voice but silently followed Jian Fu to the wooden cottage. The old man knocked on the door twice and an indifferent voice sounded out from within. "Come in."

Zhang Baichi frowned again; This voice gave him a strange feeling of pressure, even though he couldn't explain why.

The two of them entered the cottage and Zhang Baichi closed the door behind them. They walked through a small room into the main hall where a middle-aged man sat on a cushion on the ground opposite of the entrance.

He had an ordinary appearance, though the uncanny resemblance to Jian Fu made it clear to Zhang Baichi that this must be the Sect Master. Jian Fu walked closer and nodded at the man, closely followed by Zhang Baichi who stepped closer as well, clasped his hands in front of himself and gave a slight bow.

'System, tell me who this guy is, and how strong he is.', Zhang Baichi commanded in his mind.

The middle-aged man was glaring at him with piercing, eyes as if trying to see through Zhang Baichi, making him feel uncomfortable.

The pressure of this gaze was especially heavy, just like the voice from before.

[Ding! Jian Wubai, 122 years old, 10th Layer of the Core Condensation Realm.]

'10th? The peak of Core Condensation? D*mn, no wonder he's the Sect Master. His cultivation is impressive.', Zhang Baichi mused, shooting a glance at Jian Wubai.

The middle-aged man glanced back at him and their eyes met, causing Zhang Baichi to quickly lower his gaze.

With a silent sneer, the middle-aged man turned away from Zhang Baichi and looked at the old man. "Elder brother, you've come again. And you brought another brat."

The old man nodded, his posture and expression solemn, while respectfully addressing the middle-aged man. "Sect Master, this little kid is a genius I picked out from the disciples of the Outer Sect."

"Outer Sect?", the Sect master frowned and looked Zhang Baichi over once more. "You think an Outer Sect disciple is sufficient? Elder brother, I gave you three chances and you've already used two. Have you given up on the third chance?"

"Sect Master, we both know the situation. You don't have an heir, but the position of Sect master must be given up to the next generation soon. We-", the old man explained his reasoning, earning him a stern glare form the Sect Master.

He coughed and adjusted his speech. "This kid's name is Zhang Baichi. He's an extraordinary genius who could fight people at the peak of the 5th Layer when he was at the 3rd. And people at the 8th Layer when he was at the 5th."

"'Zhang'?", the Sect Master's expression softened a tiny bit, but he was still put off by Zhang Baichi's current appearance. Sunken eyes, big black circles around them, messy hair and an unhealthy complexion. This wasn't a good impression at all.

He remained quiet for a moment, the sighed and looked at Jian Fu. "Fine, but the test won't change from the last two times."

"That's fine. We've already met Little Yao, and I told her to get ready.", the old man said in a passive tone, though his eyes looking happy.

The Sect Master looked at him, speechless, and sighed once more. "Fine, since you're already prepared, let's just get it over with."

Zhang Baichi looked at the two men with a strange expression and couldn't help but speak up. "Eh, Sect Master… what kind of test will it be, exactly? Elder Jian Fu hasn't told me anything yet…"

Both men halted. Jian Wubai looked at Zhang Baichi, then at his own brother with an incredulous expression. "You haven't told the kid anything?"

The old man only shrugged, causing the Sect Master to touch his forehead in annoyance. "You're really…"

"Whatever. I told the kid it's a chance to become your disciple. If I told him the details, he would've run away.", the old man, Jian Fu, reasoned in his defence.

It was Zhang Baichi's turn to look at him speechlessly next. "Wait, so you lied? You said there would be a test and if I passed, I'd become the Sect Master's personal disciple."

"It wasn't a lie. What he said is the truth.", the Sect Master said while massaging his temples. "But he didn't tell you the whole story."

"Come on, let's not waste time with useless details. We'll have more than enough time to tell him after he succeeds. If he fails, it won't have anything to do with him, anyways.", the old man waved a hand, his expression indifferent.

Both Zhang Baichi and the Sect Master looked at him and frowned. The Sect Master said nothing and glanced at Zhang Baichi instead.

The latter shrugged, his expression returning to one of calmness and confidence. "Fine. I don't plan to fail anyways, so just tell me later."

"See?", the old man smiled at the Sect Master, while the latter just shook his head. "Let's go to Li Yao then."

All three of them left the cottage, the Sect Master and Jian Fu next to each other with Zhang Baichi following a step behind them.

They met up with Li Yao at the training field, who had warmed up, just like she said before, and hurriedly bowed to the Sect Master with great reverence in her eyes. "Master!"

The Sect Master acknowledged her with a nod and told her to raise her head. He then walked in front of Li Yao and turned to Zhang Baichi and Jian Fu, addressing the old man. "The test is the same as always. The kids' fight, and if Zhang Baichi can defeat Li Yao, I'll accept him as my personal disciple."

Li Yao immediately walked into the middle of the field and looked at Zhang Baichi with a serious expression.

The latter looked at the little girl and the Sect Master behind her with an incredulous expression, then turned to Jian Fu. "You want me to fight a little girl in the Qi Gathering Realm?"

The old man nodded with an encouraging expression, though didn't speak. Zhang Baichi stared at him, dumbfounded.

A few seconds passed and Li Yao looked confused. "Uhm, do we fight or not?"

Jian Fu nudged Zhang Baichi in the side and the latter stepped forward with a wry smile. "Yes, yes, we'll fight."

He picked a wooden sword from the side and stood opposite of Li Yao, his expression a bit strange. Li Yao watched him with a frown. "Uh… how strong are you?"

"Zhang Baichi, 13 years old, 7th Layer of the Body Forging Realm.", he monotonously replied while clasping his hands.

"Ah, uh. Li Yao, 12 years old, 3rd Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm.", the little girl hurriedly followed suit and introduced herself with a bow.

Zhang Baichi nodded and looked at the Sect Master. "Please give us the signal, Sect Master."

Jian Wubai nodded and raised a hand, but Li Yao also raised her hand, causing Zhang Baichi and the two older men to look at her. "I have a condition."

All three of them listened to her, as she spoke with a serious expression on her face. "If you win and become my husband, you- uhm, have to wash up and dress more nicely."