"Let's go, follow me inside!" Ye Qingcheng then grabbed Wang Xiaoqiang's hand and pulled him into the South Gate Main Temple.

The temple space was vast, almost the size of a conference hall, and the furnishings inside resembled those of an ancient council hall. At the front end of the rear hall was a grandmaster chair, flanked by rows of rosewood chairs on either side, looking very solemn. On the table at the back of the hall, incense was burning, and a bright candle was lit.

Inside the temple, a disciple stood with his hands tied by his sides.

As Ye Qingcheng led Wang Xiaoqiang in, the disciple offered a salute to Ye Qingcheng who quickly returned it and said to him, "Brother Mo Xiu, I wish to see Master..."

Mo Xiu glanced at Wang Xiaoqiang beside Ye Qingcheng, then walked towards the side hall.

Soon, a middle-aged man with a square face and a long beard walked out from the side hall. His gaze swept over Wang Xiaoqiang and Ye Qingcheng, finally resting on Wang Xiaoqiang with a look of astonishment crossing his eyes, then a smile bloomed on his face, and he said, "Ah, Qingcheng, you've returned so soon..."

"Yes, Master, I have brought Wang Xiaoqiang here; he has agreed to join our Taiyi Sect..." Ye Qingcheng gestured towards Wang Xiaoqiang and then said to Wang Xiaoqiang, "Little Qiang, this is my master, the Taiyi Immortal."

Seeing the Taiyi Immortal staring intensely at him, Wang Xiaoqiang's heart pounded wildly, fearing he might notice the hundred Spiritual Springs by his side. Hearing Ye Qingcheng's introduction, he immediately bowed with clasped hands, "Taiyi Immortal, I have brought a gift..."

"Ah, haha, Wang Xiaoqiang, I had already heard about you from Qingcheng. I really didn't expect such a young man to possess such cultivation. Welcome to our Taiyi Sect…" The Taiyi Immortal quickly stepped forward, showing a face full of enthusiasm and kindness.

When he had been observing Wang Xiaoqiang earlier, his mighty Divine Sense had discovered that the young Wang Xiaoqiang truly possessed a Golden Core Cultivation, and had even reached the Middle Stage of the Golden Core. The Spiritual Power within was vast and powerful, seemingly suspended externally, which was unusual.

One should know that a cultivator's Spiritual Energy is stored in the Lower Dantian, and only mobilized when stimulated; this requires a process. But this man's Spiritual Energy was all suspended externally; if he were to launch an attack, there would be no need to mobilize, saving a step.

Moreover, although Wang Xiaoqiang's Spiritual Power Cultivation had reached the Golden Core, there was not the slightest sharpness about him, nor any hint of aura. If one did not use Divine Sense to observe him, he would seem just a common scholar.

Such a person either has no cultivation at all or has reached a certain height in his mental state, with all sharpness fully retracted, giving off an aura of deep humility, much like the True Person of Taiyi, our founding master.

The more the Taiyi Immortal looked, the more suspicious he became. Yet, he didn't show any of it on his face.

Seeing that the Taiyi Immortal hadn't detected the hundred Spiritual Springs by his side, Wang Xiaoqiang secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It is my honor to be accepted by Master,"

Seeing that one was willing to join the sect and the other was willing to accept him, Ye Qingcheng was overjoyed and immediately reminded Wang Xiaoqiang, "Aren't you going to kneel and kowtow to take him as your master..."

What? Kneel and kowtow to take him as master…?

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaoqiang felt uncomfortable. Although he came from a peasant background, he had his pride. He did not kowtow to heaven or earth, he did not worship ghosts and gods; he only kneeled to his parents, and naturally, he was unwilling to kneel to anyone else. Thus, Ye Qingcheng's reminder was futile, and he remained unmoved, standing there.

The Taiyi Immortal noticed Wang Xiaoqiang's reluctance, and although he felt displeased, he waved his hand and said, "Let it be, such tedious formalities like kneeling and kowtowing are unnecessary. However, Wang Xiaoqiang, since you are willing to join our Taiyi Sect, you must still abide by the rules of our sect in the future…"

"Thank you, Master, I shall adhere to the sect's rules," Wang Xiaoqiang, not expecting the Taiyi Immortal to be so magnanimous, felt relieved and then thanked him with a clasped fist.

The leniency of the Taiyi Immortal greatly surprised Ye Qingcheng. While there weren't many strict rules within the Taiyi Sect, rituals like kneeling and kowtowing were definitely obligatory. However, they had made an exception in Wang Xiaoqiang's case.

"Hm. It's getting late today. Little Qiang, let Qingcheng first arrange a place for you to stay. Tomorrow, let Ye Qingcheng show you around the sect and handle the formalities, then collect the items you are entitled to…" said the Taiyi Immortal.

"Yes, this disciple takes his leave." Eager to leave, Wang Xiaoqiang immediately said with a bow.

"This disciple takes his leave!" Ye Qingcheng also said.

The Taiyi Immortal nodded and watched as the two left, his gaze lingering on Wang Xiaoqiang's back. His eyes flickered with an unusual brilliance. He always felt that there was something peculiar about Wang Xiaoqiang; his cultivation level, his mental state, his refusal to kneel, all had impressed the Taiyi Immortal, yet also left him quite displeased. However, their South Gate had always lacked talented individuals, especially male disciples, whose aptitudes and cultivation bases were far inferior to those of the other three doors. It was hard to come by a demon spawn-like disciple to join, which was an eagerly desired occurrence. At the very least, in future sect competitions, they could show off a bit, otherwise, their South Gate would truly become a laughing stock as the "weakest door" to the other three doors.

Wang Xiaoqiang and Ye Qingcheng left the hall, and Wang Xiaoqiang heaved a long sigh of relief. Ye Qingcheng turned her beautiful eyes towards Wang Xiaoqiang and said, "Wang Xiaoqiang, you really are something, to enter the sect without kneeling and kowtowing... I truly admire you..."

"Qingcheng, let's not spread this around. Let's save some face for Master!" Wang Xiaoqiang earnestly said. He could feel the Taiyi Immortal's displeasure and thought it reasonable, considering that even secular sects followed the ritual of kneeling and kowtowing, not to mention a formal Immortal Cultivation sect like the Taiyi Sect!

Rules are not to be broken.

"Hmm, Little Qiang, you really thought this through," Ye Qingcheng stared at Wang Xiaoqiang, gaining a new respect for him. His consideration proved he was a thoughtful person.

"It's quite straightforward reasoning, anyone could think of it," Wang Xiaoqiang said. "By the way, where will I be staying tonight?"

"Where else? You'll be staying at my place, of course!" Ye Qingcheng grabbed Wang Xiaoqiang's hand and headed toward her own residence.

"Stay, stay at your place?" Wang Xiaoqiang hesitated, "Do you have room there?"

"Of course, let's go. You'll see once we get there," Ye Qingcheng, pulling on Wang Xiaoqiang, quickened her pace, and soon they arrived in front of an elegant house with blue bricks and green tiles, ancient-looking, and composed of three rooms—it was quite nice.

"Here, this is my house…"

"Wait, aren't you supposed to live with the female disciples? How come such a big house for just you…" Wang Xiaoqiang asked curiously.

"Little Qiang, Taiyi Sect disciples arrange their own accommodations; the sect provides the houses, but we need to pay rent. There are good and bad houses; if you want a better one, naturally, you need to spend more. I pay two thousand a month for this one, and it's not even the best one; there are houses that rent for over ten thousand a month…"

"Ah, I see, I thought it was more like communal dorms…" Wang Xiaoqiang realized.

"What, you wanted to stay in the communal dormitory?" Ye Qingcheng asked, "There are communal dorms available, but almost no one stays there. You know, Taiyi Sect disciples are either rich or noble; who would want to stay in those dirty and chaotic dorms…"

"Of course, I wouldn't want to either," Wang Xiaoqiang said, "but communal dorms have their perks, at the very least it's lively…"

While they talked, the two had already walked up to the house. Ye Qingcheng stood in front of the door, pointed her index finger at a jade slip nestled in the door crack, and then, the door opened.

"That's incredible!" Wang Xiaoqiang glanced at the jade slip on the door and marveled silently.

As they entered the house and turned on the lights, everything inside came into view. The pear wood furniture, intricately carved, was stunning. The walls inside were decorated with landscape paintings, brimming with an ancient charm. Two screens shielded the rooms on the left and right, made of a transparent luminescent material, which also looked very attractive.

"Little Qiang, I usually stay in the east wing room, you can stay in the west wing room," Ye Qingcheng said. "Sister Qiyan used to live in that room, but she has moved out. So, it's available now."

"Okay," Wang Xiaoqiang said and headed to the west wing room.

Unexpectedly, Ye Qingcheng said, "Hey, it's still early. How about a cup of tea?"

Wang Xiaoqiang, feeling that a man and a woman alone together could easily lead to misunderstandings, was reluctant to prolong the conversation and replied, "Um, I'm not thirsty, but I am a bit sleepy…"

"Alright then, you go to sleep," Ye Qingcheng said.

Without looking back, Wang Xiaoqiang walked into the west wing room, which while sparsely furnished with only a table, a chair, and a bed, had beautifully carved solid wood furniture. The bed was neatly made, and as the room was dust-proofed with a canopy, there was no dust. Lying down, Wang Xiaoqiang sniffed, smelling a faint elegant fragrance, but he didn't use the bedding and instead circulated the Fire Element Spiritual Energy throughout his body for warmth.

The nights in the Tibetan Region were cold, but Wang Xiaoqiang's Fire Element Spiritual Energy was sufficient to ward off the chill.

After Wang Xiaoqiang retired to sleep in the west wing room, Ye Qingcheng also went to sleep in the eastern wing room. From Wang Xiaoqiang's earlier behavior, it was clear he wasn't a frivolous rake, but rather a rule-abiding person, though his refusal to have tea had left her feeling a bit disappointed.

The night passed without incident.

The next morning, Ye Qingcheng took Wang Xiaoqiang to handle the entrance formalities, receiving the basic Taiyi Sect Cultivation Technique "Five Spirit Techniques" and a spell for Golden Core Disciples, the "Fire Qilin Technique." Then, they went with Ye Qingcheng to get an amulet from their master.

The amulet was really what Wang Xiaoqiang wanted, but when he heard they were going to meet the old guy in the Divinity Transformation Stage, his heart couldn't help but leap—a Divinity Transformation Stage, no doubt someone who had perfected his Eyes of Golden Flame, could he really not detect my Five Elements Spirit Spring.

"Come on, hurry up, why are you dawdling? After getting the amulet, we still need to rent a house for you…" Ye Qingcheng saw Wang Xiaoqiang dragging his feet and couldn't help but urge him on. She grabbed his arm again, perhaps out of habit. She was used to pulling, but others weren't used to seeing the beautiful Ye Qingcheng holding a stranger's hand as they walked. The other Taiyi Sect disciples' eyes immediately showed traces of envy, jealousy, and resentment. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit qidian.com to vote and support me. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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