The Blind Elder
"Hm…" An old man stood in the middle of the road and stroked his beard. He was hidden before, but appeared right after Zhang Baichi left the Core Arena of the sect.
"That kid was the Sect Master's new disciple, wasn't he?" His eyes turned from the road to the side, focusing on another man that just appeared next to him.
The second old man did not have a beard, but a head full of white hair that grew all the way torn to his knees. His face was densely packed with wrinkles, his back was hunched, and his knees slightly bend.
The most striking feature of this old man, though, was the fact that he had no eyes!
He was not only blind, but did not have eyes to begin with, only two hollow indents where the eyes were supposed to be.
"He's Wubai's new disciple, yes. What a strange child…" His voice was raspy, and he sounded tired. He only spoke a few words but was panting.
The old man with a beard looked at him in surprise. "Strange? What makes you to say that, Grand Elder?"
"Hm… You don't have to worry about that. He is strange, but that is all. He is not evil." The hunchbacked old man turned around and walked through the Core Area, leaving the bearded old man behind.
He came to a small pavilion and kicked against the door three times. "Old Lu, old Ji, I know you're there. Open up."
A few seconds passed and the pavilions door did open. Ji Tianye looked at the hunchbacked old man with a confused expression. "Grand Elder, what brings you here?"
"You don't like that Zhang child, right? Wubai's new disciple.", the Grand Elder said without any reservations.
Ji Tianye frowned, but still nodded his head. It seemed a bit weird to not answer with words since the Grand Elder was blind, but the old man seemed to have still noticed Ji Tianye's gesture.
"Hm. Leave him alone. The child will be good for the sect. I can't see what will happen if you make a move against him." After speaking his mind, the Grand Elder simply turned around and vanished from sight.
Ji Tianye's expression was extremely solemn and he lightly bowed his head before closing the door again.
"What's wrong?", a burly old man with sparse hair asked in a deep voice. He was old and his face was wrinkled, but with his height of over two meters and steeled muscles, he gave one the impression of a fierce beast instead of an elder.
"The Grand Elder told us to leave Zhang Baichi alone." Ji Tianye said with a serious expression.
"The Grand Elder?!" the burly old man's eyes widened. After his initial shock, his expression became just as serious as Ji Tianye's. "Has the Grand Elder seen something?"
"He said Zhang Baichi will be good for the sect." Both men fell silent afterwards and looked at each other with helpless expressions.
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.
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Further down the mountain, Zhang Baichi reached the Inner Sect.
He had no idea what had just transpired after he left the Core Area, nor what kind of waves the hunchbacked old man's words would kick loose among the upper echelons of the sect.
'This… this is the Inner Sect? It's like a city!' Zhang Baichi was captivated by the Inner Sect.
From the Outer Sect, the only thing the sect disciples could see of the Inner Sect was the pathway leading up the mountain.
Now, up here at the halfway mark, where the Inner Sect was located, there were hundreds of well-built wooden and stone cottages, market stalls selling all kinds of curiosities and even enormous pavilions in the distance.
Hundreds of people were going along with their days and hundreds of pairs of eyes glanced at Zhang Baichi from time to time.
Some looked surprised, some disgusted and others enraged or even pitying.
'I stick out like a sore thumb.' Zhang Baichi glanced around and then at himself. The light cyan robes he was wearing were only worn by Outer Sect disciples.
The people around him wore either deep green martial artist's attires or common clothes – they were clearly separated by status, as anyone wearing common clothes would be highly respectful of those in green robes.
'The ones in green are Inner Disciples. The ones in common clothes are… servants? Some are even regular mortals. This is so different from the Outer Sect.' Zhang Baichi observed his surroundings curiously while walking.
He went up to a man in common clothing and stopped the man to ask for directions to the Technique Pavilion.
"This…" the man looked him up and down for a short moment and hesitated. "Um, sir, are you a disciple of the Fleeting Storm Sword Sect as well?"
"Huh? Yes, I am. I'm an Outer Disciple.", Zhang Baichi replied, confused.
The man carefully looked around and lowered his voice. "Sir, you should leave as soon as you can. If the Law Enforcement Division finds you, you will be heavily punished."
Understanding dawned on Zhang Baichi and he smiled at the man. "Oh, thank you for worrying about me. But there's no problem with me being here. I already obtained permission to enter the Technique Pavilion, it just so happens that I don't know where to find it."
"I, I see… Just follow that path on the right. Follow it and turn left after you pass a limestone building. That's the fastest way to the Technique Pavilion." The man explained and then excused himself, distancing himself from Zhang Baichi.
Zhang Baichi did as he was told and followed the route. There was indeed a dilapidated limestone house at a crossroad and the following path lead Zhang Baichi to a wide, open plaza.
There were a lot of eyes on Zhang Baichi again, mustering him for his cyan coloured robes. Though he ignored the stares and simply smiled back at the people.
"Hey you. Stop for a moment." A voice came from behind him.
Three young men in black robes stood opposite of Zhang Baichi and frowned. "What brings an Outer Sect disciple to the Inner Sect? Are you running errands for someone?"
'They're strong…' Zhang Baichi thought, commanding the system to check their strength.
[Ding! Ling Fang, 18 years old, 8th Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm.]
[Ding! Qin Weiyan, 18 years old, 7th Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm.]
[Ding! Qin Weiyun, 18 years old, 7th Layer of the Qi Gathering Realm.
'Twins?' Zhang Baichi looked surprised. Qin Weiyun was the only girl among the three people, while the one that talked to Zhang Baichi was Qin Weiyan. The two of them looking confusingly similar, if not for their gender.
The third, Ling Feng, seemed to be the leader as he stood in the middle. He looked at Zhang Baichi with surprise, then smiled. "Brother Qin, no need to make a fuss. This kid is Zhang Baichi."
"Who?", Qin Weiyan frowned, but he seemed much calmer than before. Ling Feng ignored him and turned to Zhang Baichi. "Brother Zhang, what brings you to the Inner Sect?"
Qin Weiyan and Qin Weiyun looked surprised. Since when was Ling Feng, that wolf like bastard, so courteous to others? Usually, he would be the first to beat someone up for breaking the rules, but he was so tame in front of that kid?
"Greeting, Senior-Apprentice Brother." Zhang Baichi bowed his head lightly. "Master sent me to the Technique Pavilion to pick a Technique that suits me."
"I see. Did the Sect Master give you some sort of token? The rules in the Technique Pavilion are strict and you might face some trouble if you can't prove what you said." Ling Feng spoke with a flattering tone.
Master? Freely pick a Technique? The Sect Master's token? The Qin siblings were dumbfounded for a moment, but their expressions quickly changed.
They remembered that the Sect Master supposedly picked a personal disciple half a year ago. He had only announced that the day before, but this Zhang Baichi was already allowed to freely pick from the Technique Pavilion?
Both of them grew jealous but did as Ling Feng did and hid it beneath flattering smiles. The Sect Master's disciple? Not to mention him, they couldn't afford to offend the disciples of Elder, not to mention the Sect Master!
Ling Feng and Zhang Baichi exchanged a few more words before the latter set off to the Technique Pavilion. Ling Feng sighed and turned to the other two. "Let's go."
"What a lucky fellow. I really can't see what's so special about him.", Qin Weiyan muttered, only to be hit in the sides by his sister.
Ling Feng looked at them quarrel and pulled them aside. "Enough. And watch out what you say. He's the Sect Master's personal disciple for a reason. I've gone with Elder Jian Fu and I've seen him fight."
"What, you're saying we have to be careful of his strength now? He's in the Body Forging Realm.", Qin Weiyan frowned. Ling Feng glanced at Zhang Baichi's back and then back to the Qin siblings. "He's only in the Body Forging Realm, but I'm sure no one below the 4th Layer QI Gathering can defeat him. His strength is the real deal."