Welcoming New Disciples

As Quinlan was looking toward the large building on top of the mountain, roughly three kilometers high, a few figures appeared in his view.

"...?"

At first, they looked like small dots, but soon they became bigger and bigger until he could identify them as humans. Flying humans came down while riding various objects—roughly ten of them.

Xiyadie saw this and gulped, before unconsciously going behind Quinlan and grabbing the hem of his clothes.

"Looks like your ride has arrived," Lady Moon muttered with a smile, looking at the ten beautiful goddesses that descended. "Everyone, please guide them well to the Hall of Beginnings. Xiao Mei, you take charge. I'll be going ahead."

As the ten goddesses landed, they quickly kneeled down before Lady Moon, bowing with respect, before responding with a resolute voice in a chorus.

"Yes, Goddess Moon."

After seeing their affirmation, Lady Moon turned to glance one last time at Quinlan, a faint smile on her face, before she suddenly vanished like a mist. She disappeared so suddenly that Quinlan was unable to follow her movements!

The ten women remained kneeling for a few seconds before they stood up and walked before everyone, their postures gallant and intimidating. One of them stepped forward, as if leading the group, and began to speak in a sweet voice similar to the chime of little bells.

"Welcome, new disciples, to the Unity Peak Sect. I'm Liao Xu Mei, one of the senior disciples here." She greeted everyone with a straight, serious expression.

"We will be taking you up the mountain shortly, so choose one of us to ferry you."

After saying so, the ten of them spread apart before summoning their flying armaments. One had a large gourd, another had a giant blade, one had a cloud-like object, and so on. There wasn't anyone among them who had the same artifact.

"Let's go,"

Quinlan didn't bother thinking and dragged Xiyadie toward the closest one, the Giant Sword that Xu Mei controls. As soon as his feet touched the blade, he felt shivers run across his entire body. It was as if someone were looking at him from head to toe while he was naked.

'What was that?' Quinlan mused.

It was an unfamiliar sensation to him and one that made him uncomfortable. As if noticing his jittery state, Xu Mei glanced toward the two and muttered. "This is rare. To think my Heaven-Devouring Sword would react to someone other than me... you must be..."

"I'm Meng Yinuo, Senior Sister." Quinlan bowed immediately, cupping his hand in greeting.

Xiyadie copied him, bowing down and introducing herself. "And I'm Xiyadie, Senior Sister. I'm Young Lady Yinuo's maid."

"Maid?" Liao Xu Mei raised her brows, surprised by the term. "In here, we're all sisters under the same sect. In short, you're no longer master and servant, but equals."

Xiyadie went speechless after getting corrected. She turned to Quinlan, as if asking for his input regarding the matter, but only saw him smiling while lightly nodding his head toward her.

Her face warped, as if thousands of emotions were vying for control over her expression. In the end, she looked forward with serious eyes, bowing deeper than before.

"I stand corrected! I am Xiyadie, an aspiring cultivator. I'm looking forward to learning from you, Senior!"

Liao Xu Mei nodded her head before turning around. However, Quinlan could notice her gaze, despite her looking in the other direction. It felt weird and unsettled him even further, but he decided to just act normal and ignore it.

Soon enough, everyone chose which one to ride with. After checking that everyone was aboard, the ten seniors moved simultaneously, making their armaments fly in the air at a moderate speed, in consideration for their passengers.

Despite going slower than when they went down, it didn't take them ten minutes to reach the top. The ten seniors landed just before a large, majestic hall with decorated, mahogany-red double doors as the entrance.

Just from standing before the door, Quinlan could feel a powerful aura, as if deterring him from entering. Seeing the expressions of the rest, he knew that it wasn't him alone who felt as such.

"This is Liao Xu Mei, we've brought in the new recruits!" Again, as if leading the group, Xu Mei walked before the door and shouted.

*SQUEEEAK!*

Responding to her voice, the doors slowly swung open, releasing squeaking sounds as the inside of the hall was revealed. It was a wide space as if an area where auctions would be held, with seats placed on the second floor, giving them a full view of the entire first floor.

The ten seniors went in before lining up on either side, five each, of the red carpet in the middle of the hall. Quinlan hesitated for a short instant before stepping forward and entering. As soon as he reached past the seniors, he could feel gazes coming from above, scrutinizing him.

"..."

Quinlan was used to such calculative, judging gazes. After all, he was subjected to such gazes daily. Still, as expected, it wasn't a nice experience. He tried to stand still, avoiding looking up to the second floor, and waited patiently.

Soon, the rest of the newbies entered, following Quinlan's lead. Everyone went forward, standing at a spot not too far but not too close to the others', before bowing their heads. Quinlan couldn't help but wonder why nobody went ahead of him, and they all stayed together behind him. Quinlan was standing in the exact middle of the room, after all.

Although it made him feel a lot more awkward regarding the situation, it's not like he could take a step back and join the others. Just as he was wondering what was going to happen next, a pristine voice—a familiar one—echoed loudly.

"Today, we welcome these new sprouts into our Unity Peak Sect! A total of 43 new blood, each possessing a unique trait of their own!"

The voice was coming from somewhere higher than the second floor, Quinlan estimated. It was a familiar voice—the voice of Meng Yinuo's master, Lady Moon!

"Now, I will introduce each of them. Elders, you shall nominate which one you want to join your own peaks!"

With that as the introduction, the disciple selection of the Sect Elders began.