Chapter Four: The Unusual Disciple

"Se-senior, what did you just say?" The disciple in charge of registration and testing could hardly believe his own ears. This senior actually wanted to join the Azure Cloud Sect as well!

"No need to call me senior; I'm just an ordinary person," replied Shen Qingyun.

"But Elder Bai just now—"

"Perhaps it's because I was born into a family of cultivators," Shen Qingyun casually fabricated an explanation.

"A family of cultivators?" The disciple was taken aback and scrutinized Shen Qingyun from head to toe. With such poise and bearing, he truly did not resemble someone from a common background.

Seeing the disciple still doubtful, Shen Qingyun extended his hand and said, "If you don't believe me, just examine my condition directly."

The disciple hesitated, then shook his head. "No need, I believe you."

Physical probing was something no cultivator with even a little cultivation would permit. Such an examination required sending a wisp of spiritual energy into the other's body, revealing not only cultivation level but also the very techniques and paths one practiced. That was a taboo for everyone. The fact that Shen Qingyun dared offer it meant he truly had not stepped onto the path of cultivation yet.

After a moment's thought, the disciple decided to caution him. "You tricked Elder Bai just now. If you run into her later in the sect wearing a disciple's robe, she might immediately realize she's been deceived. The consequences then would be more than you could bear."

Seeing the disciple still kindly warning him, Shen Qingyun's lips curled in a faint smile. "Brother, don't worry. Elder Bai wouldn't stoop so low as to trouble herself over a mere outer disciple like me."

Realizing his persuasion was pointless, the disciple could only sigh. "Very well. Place your hand on the crystal orb."

Yet Shen Qingyun shook his head. "No need. I'm well aware of my own talent."

"Brother, are you here to make a fool of me?"

"Certainly not," Shen Qingyun replied, then reconsidered. "Still, perhaps I should prove it."

With that, he placed his hand on the crystal orb. It felt cool and smooth, not chilling to the bone, but rather comfortable.

At the same time, he said to the disciple, "I possess dual Earth spiritual roots: Thunder and Wood."

No sooner had he spoken than a green beam and a violet beam shot forth from within the crystal. Compared to the earlier beams from the Qiao sisters' Heavenly Roots, these two were only half as long and did not stir much commotion.

The disciple stared at the beams and muttered, "What a pity. Even if it were just a single Thunder Earth Root, it would be something."

Hearing this, Shen Qingyun merely smiled and asked, "May I proceed now?"

"You may," the disciple replied.

As he watched Shen Qingyun's departing figure, the disciple murmured again, "Such a shame. Thunder spiritual roots alone are even rarer than Water Heavenly Roots..."

...

"Have you heard? Elder Bai has just accepted two disciples with Heavenly Roots!"

"Of course! Heavenly Roots, imagine that! There are only a handful in the entire Azure Cloud Sect. Those two disciples are in luck, joining the inner sect right away, unlike us, still struggling in the outer sect."

As they spoke, another disciple in a blue-and-white robe walked over. "Your news is outdated. I heard she took in another one—a disciple with dual Earth spiritual roots!"

The two turned at once, cupping their hands. "Greetings, senior brother!"

In the Azure Cloud Sect, new disciples wore blue robes; after a year, they donned blue-gray. Only after three years did one earn the blue-and-white robe. Thus, the color of one's robe was a direct indicator of how long they'd been in the sect.

"Senior brother, what's so special about dual Earth spiritual roots?" the two asked, puzzled.

"You don't know?" The blue-and-white robed disciple wore a mysterious smile. "I have a friend who holds a minor post in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall."

"He just told me that this dual root disciple possesses Thunder and Wood Earth Roots!"

The two disciples were stunned. "Thunder?"

"Yes, but alas, it's dual. If it were a single Thunder root, he'd be promoted directly to the inner sect. That would be instant ascension," the blue-and-white robed disciple nodded.

"Senior brother, do you know where this disciple is assigned?"

Disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect, aside from cultivating or completing tasks for resources, found their sole amusement in discussing sect gossip. Now, with such a disciple present, they were naturally eager to investigate.

"That disciple was sent to Bamboo Peak," the blue-and-white robed disciple replied. "And I heard he pretended to be a senior in front of Elder Bai!"

"What? If Elder Bai sees him at the annual competition, won't he be in trouble?"

"Who can say otherwise?" The blue-and-white robed disciple shrugged. "Should he wander about the sect and happen to run into Elder Bai, there will surely be a good show to watch!"

"Now, in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, he's already called the 'Eccentric Disciple.' Everyone is just waiting for the day Elder Bai catches him!"

...

The nickname 'Eccentric Disciple' seemed to spread throughout the outer sect in just one day, making Shen Qingyun a minor celebrity before he even showed his face.

Meanwhile, the subject of all this amusement, Shen Qingyun, was busy cleaning his small room. In the Azure Cloud Sect's outer sect, each disciple was assigned a single room and given two low-grade spirit stones per month as cultivation resources. If one wanted more, one had to take on tasks from the Task Hall in exchange.

Inner sect disciples, on the other hand, needed only to complete one task per month. They never lacked resources, as they were the main focus of the sect's cultivation efforts.

Thus, outer disciples would do anything to squeeze their way into the inner sect.

The room itself was furnished very simply: a bed, a table, and an oil lamp. Meals had a designated hall, as did washing. One could furnish the room further, but that required spirit stones. Here, mundane money was useless; only spirit stones mattered.

After finishing his cleaning, Shen Qingyun flopped onto the bed with a thud. The bed was merely a wooden plank—if one wanted a mattress, one would have to buy it with spirit stones.

Shen Qingyun, however, wasn't bothered in the least. He glanced at the blue robe on the table, and the clothes on his body began to shift. In moments, they turned blue, identical to the issued robe.

He then rose, took a stitched-bound book from the table, and read the three characters on the cover: "Qi Refinement Technique."

"These basic Qi Refinement Techniques are truly unworthy," Shen Qingyun remarked disdainfully as he flipped through it. "Never mind. For now, I should break through to the Qi Refinement stage. Once I reach the third level, I'll retrieve what I left behind. Why worry about resources or techniques then?"

Before his long slumber, Shen Qingyun had hidden some of his belongings in a mountain, precisely so he could quickly grow stronger once he reached the Qi Refinement stage.