Signing Up for the Benefits!

...

After a few minutes, Azmodeus found himself standing before a large red-and-gray building with old Eastern-style architecture.

This building was the Sect Registry Grounds, and it was also the place where all the Sect Disciples went if they wished to exchange beast materials and apply for higher sect positions.

Although one could become an Entry Disciple by just reaching the Middle Stages of the Flesh Refining Realm, to gain the status of an Outer Disciple, one needed to compete in a competition known as the 'Outer Disciple Admittance Competition.'

It was a fairly standard set of bouts open to all the Entry Disciples, offering them a chance to participate to compete and elevate their status as an Outer Sect Disciple.

There were usually hundreds of Entry Disciples who participated every month, and of those hundreds, around five to ten would succeed in becoming Outer Sect Disciples.

And it was precisely this competition that Azmodeus had come to sign up for.

_____

Tap, Tap.

Azmodeus took slow, deliberate steps through the doors of the Sect Registry Building. He swiftly made his way around a spiraling staircase and approached a large counter.

He wasn't the tallest around, and the counter nearly trumped him in height, nonetheless, he was still able to poke his head over the top. "Can I sign up for the Outer Sect Admittance Competition?" He asked.

"???" The lady receptionist, holding a mirror in her slender hands, looked down to see the sight of a slightly adorable boy with big black eyes staring at her.

"Are you lost by chance, kiddo? You do know this is the section for the Outer Sect Disciples, don't you?" She asked, her voice mildly friendly.

The receptionist didn't like kids much. This one, however, was quite cute, so she felt it wouldn't harm her to show a little compassion.

"..."

Azmodeus gazed up at the 'kind' lady, feeling a little weird upon seeing the recipient show such kindness. If he remembered correctly, this receptionist had been anything but nice to him the last time they met…

'Has something changed with me? If not, then why would someone like her suddenly start being friendlier to someone like me…?'

Azmodeus had an inherent suspicion about the intentions of those around him.

It was something that had grown within him from all the years he spent being shunned by everyone he met. No matter if they were 'kind' people or not, every single one always gave him the same look.

It was a disdainful look that practically everyone would give him sooner or later just because he existed…

However, things were different now. If he wished to adapt and evolve, he needed to accept that change was inevitable…

He was changing…

_____

Azmodeus looked up at the friendly receptionist and said, "I know where I am, Miss, and that is why I've come here to ask you if I can sign up for the Outer Disciple Admittance Test."

"???" The lady receptionist, more confused than ever, replied, "You do realize that you need to be in the Viscera Training Large Success Realm and possess a combat strength equal to or above your realm to apply, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. So, can you sign me up? My name is Azmodeus," Azmodeus asked with a small smile on his boyish face.

"!!!" Hearing the name, the receptionist froze.

'Did this kid just say his name was Azmodeus!? As in the Azmodeus who killed four Outer Sect Disciples in cold blood!?'

The lady receptionist could hardly believe what she was hearing, but she felt that she should report this immediately, so that's exactly what she did.

Without uttering a word, she made a discreet hand signal to an old, hunchbacked man sitting on a creaky chair behind her.

"Hmm…?" The old man slightly jarred open one of his eyes upon noticing the signals that the receptionist was making behind her back.

'Ahhh, so we have that Trial Disciple in our midst, eh? It looks like I need to report this back to the head of the Black Tiger Family…'

As this thought lingered in the old man's mind, his figure vanished as he darted in the direction of an expansive black and white building adorned with tiger stripes across its sides.

"So I can sign up, right?" Azmodeus asked, impatience creeping into his voice.

By this point, it almost seemed like the receptionist was stalling for time, and then there was the fact that the hunchbacked old man behind her had left somewhere in a hurry.

Furthermore, it wasn't like he was an idiot; he understood that something fishy was going on within the Yang Sect. But in the end, he still wanted to become an Outer Sect Disciple and obtain all the greater rewards that came with it.

Everything he did was for the benefits! In fact, he couldn't give a damn about the Yang Sect. But missing out on those benefits was a big no-no!

Absolutely not!

However, his thoughts were soon interrupted by the trembling voice of the receptionist.

"…D-Don't worry, Young Sir! You have already been signed up for the Outer Sect Admittance Competition!" she stammered with an anxious tone, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

'I have no choice in this matter, little boy…As cute as you are, no one can deny the authority of the Black Tiger Family. And although I did sign you up, it's not like you will make it through the night, let alone participate in tomorrow's competition…'

The lady receptionist's hands trembled as she nervously fiddled with her long blonde hair with sweaty hands, her face growing anxious with each passing moment.

"..."

Azmodeus studied all the signs and could already deduce the truth just from the receptionist's nervous behavior.

'A set-up, huh…? Looks like I have got a long night ahead of me…'

With a soft sigh, he said, "Thank you, Miss! I will be on my way now!"

With those words, he walked out of the Sect Registry Building, leaving behind a room full of shocked onlookers.

Everyone inside had eavesdropped on the conversation the young boy had with the receptionist, and they understood the gist of the situation. Realizing what their discussion meant for them, they panicked and prepared to leave the Yang Sect.

No one wanted to be around when the Black Tiger Family arrived to get their revenge, and there was no way in hell that they were willing to become collateral damage!

...…