"Excellent!"

Xue Gui, who was sitting to the side, shot to his feet.

’There’s hope for the Black Evil lineage!’

Bai Yuan had already cultivated Evil Qi, which meant he had truly inherited the legacy of the Black Evil Elder.

The worry that had plagued Xue Gui for decades was finally cured.

Ma Dingjun stared blankly at the gleaming blade pressed against his neck.

’I lost... just like that?’

He never imagined he would actually lose to a junior brother who had joined the hall four years after him.

The last person to defeat him so thoroughly was Senior Brother Chu Yuan, a once-in-a-decade genius.

"I’ve lost."

Ma Dingjun conceded his defeat readily. He wasn’t one for dramatics; what Martial Artist could claim to be undefeated? As long as you didn’t die, it was fine.

"Junior Brother, have you really only been practicing the Blood Tiger Saber for a year?"

He stared at Bai Yuan in astonishment.

As a True Disciple of Xue Gui, he had naturally studied the Blood Tiger Saber as well, though he had failed to master it. This failure, however, made him understand the true caliber of the strike Bai Yuan had just delivered.

The Blood Tiger Saber, imbued with Evil Qi.

Besides the grandmaster, the Black Evil Elder, no one else in the world had ever accomplished this!

Xue Gui took a deep breath, as if having made a decision.

"Dingjun, go get your Senior Brother Chu and Junior Sister Cheng."

Ma Dingjun acknowledged the order and trotted off.

A moment later, Chu Yuan and the beautiful, white-clad woman from before appeared in Old Xue’s small courtyard.

The other True Disciple, Liu Jiuyan, was away and had not yet returned, so she was not present.

Chu Yuan and Cheng Li had no idea what had just transpired and were completely baffled.

"Master, has something major happened?"

Thinking of the recent events in the neighboring counties, Chu Yuan couldn’t help but ask anxiously.

Old Xue just threw his head back and laughed.

"AHEM... From this day forward, Bai Yuan is your junior brother, and he is also my Closed-door Disciple."

At these words, Chu Yuan, Cheng Li, and even Ma Dingjun, who had been there the whole time, all stared with wide eyes.

What was a Closed-door Disciple?

It meant that after Bai Yuan, the Huwei Arts Hall would accept no more True Disciples!

The weight of this title was immense. A master would only take a Closed-door Disciple when he believed no future student could ever surpass them.

Every Closed-door Disciple shouldered the great responsibility of carrying on the master’s legacy and was the student in whom the highest hopes were placed.

"Congratulations, Master."

Chu Yuan was the first to snap out of it, quickly bowing to offer his congratulations. Although he didn’t know why Old Xue had made this decision, he had always trusted him completely.

The other two followed Chu Yuan’s lead and bowed.

"Congratulations, Master. Congratulations, Junior Brother Bai."

After bowing, Cheng Li looked at her new junior brother with a curious expression.

Although Bai Yuan had been an Inner Courtyard Disciple and could also be called a junior brother then, the relationship was far more intimate now that he was a True Disciple.

Bai Yuan rarely came to the Martial Arts Hall, so Cheng Li only remembered that this junior brother had mastered the Blood Tiger Saber and was held in high regard by their master.

"This token is yours now."

Xue Gui took a black-and-gold-patterned wooden Token from his robes and tossed it to Bai Yuan. This was the unique Token of a True Disciple.

He was in high spirits now that the Blood Tiger Saber had found an heir.

He had originally planned to wait for Bai Yuan to mature a while longer before making him a True Disciple, but Bai Yuan’s performance today had far exceeded his expectations, prompting him to move up the timeline.

With his current strength, capable of defeating Ma Dingjun, Bai Yuan was more than able to protect himself in Qinghe County.

"This disciple thanks you, Master."

Bai Yuan accepted the Token and bowed respectfully.

The benefits of being a True Disciple were far greater than those of an Inner Courtyard Disciple.

For example, they could freely browse the Cultivation Techniques in the Celestial One Pavilion, their monthly allowance from the herb shop was triple that of an Inner Courtyard Disciple, and most importantly, they received personal, hands-on instruction from Old Xue himself.

The insight of a Martial Artist who had once broken through to the Strong Organ Pass was extremely valuable.

"Relay this news to those old dogs in the city."

Old Xue instructed Chu Yuan. Accepting a True Disciple was a major event and could not be handled casually, or it would bring dishonor upon their school.

The apprenticeship ceremonies for Chu Yuan and the other three had also been extremely grand, with half the experts in the city in attendance.

Chu Yuan’s ceremony had even drawn the personal attendance of the Iron Saber Gang’s Leader.

"This disciple will see to it at once."

Chu Yuan smiled warmly. The fact that Old Xue had entrusted this matter to him showed how highly he regarded his new junior brother.

With an Yijin Martial Master personally delivering the invitations, even more people would come to offer their congratulations.

...

「Three days later.」

Bai Yuan’s apprenticeship ceremony was held as scheduled.

Just as expected, with Chu Yuan handling the arrangements, the guests who came to offer congratulations were all influential figures from the city.

"Nephew Bai, I always knew you were no fish for a small pond! You have the look of a dragon soaring through the heavens."

Li Ting’s father, Li Wanqian, Patriarch of the Qinghe County’s Li Family, was the first to arrive with congratulations.

Bai Yuan, dressed in a short black-and-gold shirt, stood at the entrance with the other four True Disciples. Old Xue, naturally, was seated in the main hall.

"Thank you for your consideration, Uncle Li."

He exchanged pleasantries with Li Wanqian, a faint smile on his face.

The more Li Wanqian looked at Bai Yuan, the more pleased he became, wishing he could betroth his daughter to him on the spot.

’What kind of alliance could be stronger than one forged by marriage?’

A True Disciple was a perfect match for his daughter, Li Ting. Unfortunately, he could see that while their relationship was good, it was nowhere near the point of marriage.

As a former master of romance, he knew all too well that this kind of neither-close-nor-distant relationship was the most troublesome. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

’Daughter, you absolutely cannot let your old man’s hopes down.’

Standing to the side, Li Ting was naturally oblivious to her father’s thoughts.

"Bai Yuan, you’ve really made something of yourself. But I’ll become an Inner Courtyard Disciple soon, too."

Li Ting’s thoughts were much simpler than Li Wanqian’s. To her, Bai Yuan was more of a goal to strive for.

Bai Yuan smiled faintly. "I’ll be waiting."

After the father and daughter from the Li Family came the heads of the city’s other three major Martial Arts Halls.

The fact that these three had come in person showed that this apprenticeship ceremony was of no small significance.

These three hall heads were all senior Yijin Martial Masters with great prestige and extremely high status in Qinghe County. Their joint appearance today truly gave Old Xue a great deal of face.

With the three hall heads present, the other great clans and wealthy merchants of the city also flocked to the door to present their congratulatory gifts.

For a time, the Huwei Arts Hall was bustling with excitement.

The disciples of the Martial Arts Hall watched this scene with a sense of shared glory, fantasizing that they too could one day be this grand.

What Bai Yuan hadn’t expected was that the Qinghe County Magistrate would send an Official to offer congratulations.

As the nominal head of the county, the County Magistrate’s power was not to be underestimated, even though he was suppressed on all sides by the three major powers. After all, standing behind the County Magistrate’s Office was the Xuan Yang Dynasty itself. Even the Divine Mansion Sect wouldn’t go too far.

"Many thanks for Magistrate Zhang’s concern. This way, please, Lord Official."

Showing impeccable hospitality, Bai Yuan welcomed the Official who had delivered the gift into the main hall.

Just when everyone thought all the guests for the apprenticeship ceremony had arrived—

Dozens of people suddenly approached the entrance of the Huwei Arts Hall from both the left and the right.

The group on the left wore black robes with golden sabers embroidered on their cuffs; the group on the right wore white robes with an eagle’s head pattern on their chests.

It was the Iron Saber Gang and the Flying Eagle Sect.

Recognizing the newcomers, the crowd of well-wishers at the entrance cried out in alarm.

An apprenticeship ceremony for a single True Disciple had actually alarmed the two great powers of the city!