Geniuses? Library! Core Disciple?!

Zhou Ling glanced at him, her patience wearing thin, and felt as if she were going to have a headache just by looking at him. With a dismissive gesture, she walked past him and headed straight for the counter.

"Hahahahahaah, Elder Zhou, are you perhaps afraid of me? Or do you feel scared after seeing my five disciples who are all six star talents?" 

She still completely ignored him as if he were nothing more than a gust of wind.

The trio was greeted by a young man in his thirties waiting patiently behind the counter. 

"Elder Zhou, you're finally back. Are these two the only new disciples you brought back this time?" 

With a hint of playfulness, Zhou Ling replied, "Sigh, unfortunately I've only managed to recruit two disciples this time." 

She pointed at Tian Shen and stated, "He possesses a seven-star martial talent and the other one…" 

She cast her gaze at Long Aotian, "has an eight-star martial talent." Her sly grin crept across her face.

The hall was suddenly enveloped in a deathly silence.

dead silence. 

Lin Feng, the man behind the counter, spoke in a tone of distress, "What did you say? A seven star and an eight star martial talent. You're not joking are you?" 

Zhou Ling scoffed in response, "Since when did the sect become so degraded that we have to admit mere mid-grade martial talents. Hmph." 

Although The Divine Martial Sect primarily consisted of martial artists with high-grade martial talents, often serving as the backbone of the sect. They were groomed to attain elder positions after advancing past the body tempering realm.

Yet, the sect still had to recruit disciples with mid-grade talents, particularly those displaying high potential. This was crucial for the sect to function properly.

High-grade martial talents were always a rarity, especially with formidable competitors like the holy lands and the origin hall consistently scouting for new talents.

  As soon as they appeared, disciples with high-grade martial talents were typically claimed by those peak institutions.

So it was not that hard to tell that Zhou Ling was trying to show off and was also an attempt to dismiss the irritating elder from earlier. 

For Zhou Ling it was killing two birds without even throwing a stone. 

The elder who had previously bragged, Huang Ming, kicked his feet in frustration and led his disciples away in a fit of anger.

Zhou Ling watched him leave with evident pleasure and then turned back to the man at the counter.

Lin Feng greeted the Long Aotian and Tian Shen and handed them tokens and two sets of white clothing each. 

"These are your outer disciple tokens; simply place a drop of your blood on it, and it will store all your information. Make sure to carry it with you at all times as you'll need it to accept missions and access certain places within the sect," Lin Feng explained.

The duo thanked him with cupped fists, and without waiting, Zhou Ling strode off, prompting them to hastily follow her.

"Tsk, why does this woman always do things without any notice." Tian Shen cursed in his mind. 

As they moved through the sect, the disciples couldn't cease the rumours about the two new geniuses who had just arrived. 

It appeared that news of their talent had already spread like wildfire.

After passing through a large open training area, they reached the living quarters of the outer sect

The area was filled with numerous shabby houses, resembling a regular ancient Chinese neighborhood.

Zhou Ling spoke hurriedly, "You two can choose any unoccupied place here. My role is done; I will be taking my leave now. Hopefully, we'll meet again when you both enter the inner sect."

Tian Shen expressed his gratitude with cupped fists, and Long Aotian followed suit not long after.

"Oh, I almost forgot, outer disciples are allowed to visit the library once a day for two sticks of time. Make sure to make use of this opportunity," Zhou Ling reminded them as she vanished into thin air.

Tian Shen couldn't be bothered to deal with the 'number one prodigy' any longer so he said his goodbyes and entered the house he selected for himself. 

Although the exterior of the house might have appeared somewhat worn, it possessed a certain charm. The presence of formation which gathered Qi, albeit very less, showed that it was made specially for cultivators. 

While the house wasn't very visually appealing it did not lack any of the amenities required for daily life.

Just as Tian Shen was about to relax on a reclining chair and relax for some time he heard a knock on the door. 

To his surprise, a disciple in red clothing stood outside, waiting with a bright smile. Tian did not know what level disciples had to be to wear red clothing. 

To his knowledge all outer disciples have white clothing and inner disciples wear blue clothes, then could this fellow in red be a core disciple. How could that be possible?

Before he could voice his thoughts, the scholarly young man in red attire spoke, "Hello, junior brother. I was nearby and heard that we've received two new geniuses in the sect. I thought I'd come to take a look."

"I must say, you're very handsome, but you do seem a bit frail. How about this, let this senior brother show you around the sect, and I'll even take you to the library to learn a body tempering technique."

He concluded, "By the way, my name is Ren Shi." Without waiting for a response, Ren Shi pulled Tian Shen away.

As they swiftly passed through the outer sect all the outer disciples stood frozen in fear. The fear ingrained into their bones upon the presence of the sect's red-clad disciples.

Tian Shen on the other hand, seemed completely unbothered by their expressions, maintaining his carefree attitude along with his nonchalant expression. 

They sped past the dilapidated houses, the lively marketplace, and the training area before finally arriving at a nine-story pagoda with a prominent black signboard that read 'library.'