"What are your instructions, Elder Qiu?"
Hua Guangcan asked, stepping forward and bowing with a cupped fist.
"The new disciples’ assessment period is ending soon, isn’t it?"
Qiu Qing inquired.
"Yes, it will be over in just a few days. Once the assessment period ends, I will submit the new disciples’ evaluations for all the elders to review and make their choices,"
Hua Guangcan said with a nod.
"Good. The selection of masters for the new disciples is not a matter to be taken lightly. I haven’t accepted a new disciple in some time, and I intend to take one to teach personally this year. The rest of you must not be complacent, either. You should all accept as many disciples as possible and train them well. Our Red Heart Sect came out on top in the Ghost City incident, which means our resource allocation will increase next year, and more resources will be distributed among you all. As for the distribution method, we’ll use the progress of your new disciples as the basis for our decision. I will discuss this matter with the other elders and finalize the details soon,"
Qiu Qing said calmly.
"Yes, Elder."
Hua Guangcan and the other high-level members of the sect replied in unison.
「Three days passed in a flash.」
During this time, the Ghost City incident did not recur, allowing everyone to breathe a collective sigh of relief. It seemed the matter had truly come to a temporary close.
However, this didn’t mean that things were peaceful in Heqing Dao.
First, the Ghost City incident had caused a major stir that required a joint response from all the sects, attracting significant attention. After the incident concluded, tales of the harrowing dangers everyone had faced began to spread, becoming a focal point of discussion for Martial Artists throughout the Jianghu.
"I heard the disciples sent by the sects to the Ghost City incident were nearly wiped out. It was just too dangerous."
"Yeah, and who would have thought that in a joint operation of all the sects’ disciples, the Red Heart Sect would come out on top? That mysterious expert who could overwhelm the geniuses from the other sects is no simple character."
"I guess we all underestimated the Red Heart Sect. I thought they had suffered heavy losses after that Evil Cultivation incident. Some even said they might be on their way out of the Five Sects. To think they were secretly grooming someone like that."
"They were once a major School, after all. It’s normal for them to have some hidden depths."
"..."
As details of the event spread, the name Zhao Qi of the Red Heart Sect quickly circulated throughout the Martial Realm of Heqing Dao, and his fame skyrocketed.
Furthermore, as the news continued to spread, spies from the various sects and the Celestial Net Department fanned out across Heqing Dao, investigating the root cause of the strange turn of events in the Ghost City. Meanwhile, numerous secret agents appeared within Guming County. Clearly, many factions were very interested in the Red Heart Sect’s mysterious expert.
But without a doubt, they came up empty-handed.
Throughout this time, Zhao Xuanqi’s life continued as usual, with immense discipline. He undertook missions during the day and secretly cultivated in his room at night, now beginning to work toward the Five Qi Mysterious Realm.
Several days passed without any major reaction from the sect. This convinced him that he had successfully pulled the wool over their eyes during the previous investigation, and he breathed a small sigh of relief.
At the same time, however, the new disciples’ assessment period had come to an end. Early this morning, Hua Guangcan brought the files documenting the new disciples’ performance to Qiu Qing.
"Elder Qiu, the new disciples’ assessment evaluations are all here. As is customary, I’m submitting them to you for review first,"
Hua Guangcan said, bowing with a cupped fist.
Qiu Qing nodded, picking up the files and flipping through them quickly.
"How is this year’s batch of new disciples?"
Qiu Qing asked casually as he reviewed the files.
"Their overall aptitude is quite good. Three of them are particularly outstanding: Shen Hong, Zhao Xing, and Peng Lin,"
Hua Guangcan said.
Qiu Qing nodded and quickly flipped to the evaluations for those disciples. His gaze ultimately settled on the file labeled "Zhao Xing," which he began to read carefully.
The group-wide inspection a few days prior had left him with a strong impression of this disciple, Zhao Xing. His level of internal Primordial Qi was a clear tier above the other new disciples. Now, looking at Hua Guangcan’s written evaluation, he saw that while there were minor blemishes, the disciple’s overall performance during the assessment period was quite good. He was noted as being particularly diligent when carrying out missions to eliminate threats, displaying strong adaptability and quick thinking.
’And his surname is also Zhao?’
A flicker of interest crossed Qiu Qing’s face. He looked at Hua Guangcan and asked, "Tell me more about this Zhao Xing."
"This Zhao Xing has a clean background. He’s a local from Guming County. His family was originally wealthy, with numerous businesses. But during the last disaster in Guming County, his parents and relatives all died in the chaos caused by the Evil Spirits. He was the only one fortunate enough to survive. Afterward, he pulled some strings to join the sect."
"According to my investigation, he was something of a good-for-nothing playboy before, always idle. After his family’s tragedy, he was unable to manage their large estate on his own. Outsiders coveted his family’s fortune, and most of their assets were seized. After he entered the sect, he continued to be bullied by the same people, who even went so far as to steal his daily-allotted Blood Strengthening Pill."
"I originally thought him to be a coward by nature, not worth training. But then, one day, he suddenly snapped under the pressure and began to fight back..."
Hua Guangcan said with a solemn expression, holding nothing back and revealing all the intelligence he had on Zhao Xing.
’Interesting. He hit rock bottom, then bounced back and revealed a remarkable talent for cultivation?’
A flicker of interest appeared in Qiu Qing’s eyes. He tapped his fingers lightly on the desk, lost in thought.
’His history and background are relatively clear. The complete reversal of his behavior after joining the sect is a bit extreme, but it’s not entirely unreasonable.’
’There don’t seem to be too many red flags.’
"I’ll choose this one from among the new disciples. You can take the other files and let the others make their selections,"
Qiu Qing said after a moment of thought, having made his decision.
"Yes, Elder."
Hua Guangcan nodded. ’That Zhao Xing is really lucky,’ he thought. ’To receive such a heaven-sent opportunity and be taken as a disciple by Elder Qiu.’
After all, among the elders under the Sect Leader in the current Red Heart Sect, Elder Qiu’s strength was ranked among the very top. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been put in charge of all affairs in Guming County.
Aside from accepting He Xijun, the child of an old friend, as his disciple several years ago, this Elder Qiu hadn’t taken on a disciple at the Blood Strengthening realm in a very long time.
For that kid Zhao Xing to win his favor was like ascending to the heavens in a single step. From now on, his status and position within the sect would be completely different.
"By the way, what are the backgrounds of the disciples who were bullying Zhao Xing?"
Qiu Qing asked casually.
"They’re the children of local gentry here in Guming County. Their family businesses were in competition with the Zhao Family. After the Zhao Family’s tragedy, it was their families that led the charge in seizing the Zhao assets. They’re also quite close to two of our Stewards, Wan Haijun and Wang Fuhua."
Hua Guangcan’s heart leaped into his throat when he heard Qiu Qing’s question. Despite Elder Qiu’s currently warm and gentle demeanor, the fearsome reputation he had built in his youth was no small thing. The terror an angered Innate Martial Artist could unleash was beyond his imagination.
"Mm, I understand. That will be all for now. You may go."
Qiu Qing nodded and waved his hand, seemingly unconcerned.
Hua Guangcan gave a slight bow with a cupped fist, picked up the remaining files, and slowly backed out of the room. He let out a soft breath.
He knew that despite Elder Qiu’s apparent indifference, disaster was about to befall those families.
’What a lucky kid.’
Hua Guangcan marveled to himself once more, then hurried away with the files.
The next day, all the new disciples gathered in the open area of their residence, waiting for Steward Hua to announce their master assignments now that the assessment period was over.
Zhao Xuanqi had no great expectations for this. A teaching master wasn’t particularly useful to him; after all, even without one, he could still exchange for the necessary Cultivation Techniques through the Rebirth Jade.
’Being assigned a mediocre master who wouldn’t interfere with him too much would be the best possible outcome.’
"Zhao Xing! Teaching Master: Elder Qiu Qing!"
However, when he heard Hua Guangcan announce the name of his new master, the corner of Zhao Xuanqi’s mouth twitched.