The Three Disciples

After two days of traveling, Tang Zhi finally arrived at Spirit City. Fortunately, they didn't encounter a single beast, ensuring a safe passage to their destination.

As Tang Zhi thanked the guards and wished them a safe trip back to the village, he walked through the gates of Spirit City but was soon stopped by two sect disciples.

"I assume you're Tang Zhi?" one of them asked as they approached him at the gates of Spirit City.

Tang Zhi nodded. "I am. Are you from the Moon Palace Sect?" he asked, noticing that they wore the same robes as the Elder he had met earlier.

Both of them nodded in confirmation. "I was informed by the Elder that a boy named Tang Zhi would be traveling with us to the sect. He mentioned that you have the face of someone crafted by the heavens, and he wasn't joking about that," one of them remarked while examining Tang Zhi. "My name is Chang An, and this is Yin Peng, my best friend!"

Tang Zhi bowed respectfully. "Nice to meet you, Senior Brother Chang and Senior Brother Yin."

"No need to be so formal; you can speak casually with us," Yin Peng said with a playful grin, putting Tang Zhi in a friendly chokehold.

As the three of them laughed and walked towards the hotel they were staying in, Tang Zhi asked, "I guess the stories I heard about cultivators were wrong. My village always said cultivators were evil and irrational."

Chang An sighed and replied, "They weren't entirely wrong... The three of us are in the same boat. We were all scouted by Elder Ren, so we understand each other's experiences."

Tang Zhi was surprised to hear that and wondered where Chang An and Yin Peng came from.

"You guys got lucky. Me and Yin Peng were the first people ever recruited by Elder Ren, so the disciples who brought us to the sect looked at us in disgust because they thought we didn't deserve to be in such a prestigious sect. We even get bullied back at the sect by our peers," Chang An explained with a bitter smile.

Yin Peng hugged Chang An tightly in response to the sad tone of his speech, which caused Chang An to playfully retaliate by attacking him.

Tang Zhi watched their close relationship and laughed. He hoped that soon he would become close with them.

After a few more minutes of walking and chatting, they arrived at the hotel.

"We are here." Chang An said.

They entered the hotel and were greeted by the owner and all the employees with the utmost respect.

Tang Zhi was shocked to see such a scene, realizing the significant influence that cultivators and the Moon Palace Sect held.

They went to the top floor and entered a room where two other people were present—a guy lying on the bed and a girl meditating. The guy had short brown hair and hazel-colored eyes.

The beautiful young girl had long, jet-black hair cascading down her back like a midnight waterfall. Her eyes, a captivating shade of deep red, adding an exotic and enchanting allure to her appearance. Her complexion is flawless, with a jade like smoothness that highlights the striking contrast of her dark hair and vibrant eyes. She possessed delicate features—high cheekbones, a slender nose, and full lips.

"Who is this handsome brother?!" the guy exclaimed as he shot up from the bed.

"This is Tang Zhi, your new fellow disciple," Chang An introduced. "Tang Zhi, these are Gu Yufeng and Li Xin."

"Now, me and Chang An will be gone for a few hours. I don't want to see anything going on between the two of you..." Yin Peng said, squinting his eyes as he pointed at Tang Zhi and Li Xin.

When they left, Tang Zhi sat there quietly, feeling nervous about starting a conversation with the others.

"Where are you from, brother?" Gu Yufeng asked.

"A humble village," Tang Zhi replied. "Where are you from?"

"Spirit City! I was fortunate not to have to travel far. What's your physique and dantian?" Gu Yufeng asked. "Mine's moderate, and I have the Ghost Demon Physique."

Tang Zhi was unfamiliar with many physiques beyond the Tiger Physique and a couple of others mentioned during Elder Ren's evaluation.

"I have a giant dantian—" Tang Zhi started to reply before Gu Yufeng interrupted with an exclamation.

"What! Everyone with a giant-sized dantian ended up as one of the most powerful cultivators in history!" Gu Yufeng exclaimed with excitement.

Li Xin, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, resisted the urge to ask questions about such a rare dantian size.

Observing Gu Yufeng's reaction, he couldn't help but feel disheartened. "Unfortunately, I have the Tiger Physique," he admitted.

Gu Yufeng's enthusiasm waned abruptly. "That's indeed unfortunate. But it's still incredibly impressive that you have a giant-sized dantian."

Tang Zhi nodded before sighing. "What about Li Xin?"

Gu Yufeng quickly covered Tang Zhi's mouth with his palm. "You can't pronounce Fairy Li's name so casually! She's from one of the five ancient families, a prodigy of the Li Family."

Tang Zhi didn't fully grasp the significance of Gu Yufeng's mention of the ancient family, but he sensed it carried considerable weight.

Observing Tang Zhi's perplexed expression, Gu Yufeng inquired, "Are you unfamiliar with the Ancient Families?"

Tang Zhi shook his head. "I'm essentially a baby when it comes to all this cultivation."

Even though Tang Zhi had only recently entered the world of cultivation, Gu Yufeng found it surprising that his parents hadn't informed him about the Ancient Families and their significance, which was crucial knowledge to avoid unintentional offense.

"Your village must have been quite secluded if you didn't know about the Ancient Families," Gu Yufeng remarked, then continued, "In essence, they are among the oldest cultivation families across the five realms, wielding influence and power surpassing even most sects. I'm curious why Fairy Li opted for the Moon Palace Sect over a more prominent one."

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" Tang Zhi suggested.

"You're indeed a baby to the cultivation world. Individuals like us couldn't befriend someone as prestigious as Fairy Li; even sharing a room with her is a rare privilege, let alone speaking with her. It's likely she sees us as peasants, which is why she's been meditating quietly this whole time," Gu Yufeng explained, offering insight into the hierarchy and dynamics of their world.

Li Xin, who had been pretending to meditate, couldn't help but sigh inwardly at Gu Yufeng's assumptions. She found it ironic that he believed she would shun their presence, yet he openly discussed it while she was present—an observation that Tang Zhi also seemed to share.