B2 - Chapter 13: A Written Test

B2 - Chapter 13: A Written Test

Getting back to the Outer Court didn’t take long.

Elder Yu didn’t magically rip a hole in reality to make it fast like the Grand Elder, but it was fast as could be without messing with the laws of nature... sort of.

She led them to the part of the common grounds where the administrative buildings were located and right to a building with guards stationed outside. They were all in the core formation realm.

“Elder Yu!” Their voice blended together as they stood to attention.

Elder Yu nodded at them as they entered Teleportation Hall. It came to mind that every guard might be a sentinel. They were the only ones in the sect with any real combat specialization. Everyone else put all their focus on mastering healing or alchemy, as they should.

The enormous version of a teleportation array he had seen was at the hall's center, but that wasn’t what Elder Yu intended to use. She led them to the innocuous door to the side.

He saw someone familiar as soon as he walked through.

“Elder Yu! Wei Liang!” Mei Lin exclaimed in shock when she looked up from her work. She gave him a look that made him wince.

He never did meet her for the replacement pass. It would be an excuse to say that he was too busy, but it was really just forgetfulness. After all, the pass that Elder Yu lent him worked just fine, and she never bothered to ask for it back, so he kept delaying it for no reason other than laziness.

“Look at you!” Mei Lin was suddenly near William with her hands on his cheeks, “You’ve grown up so much in just a month!”

Alright, so maybe it wasn’t just laziness that made him reluctant to visit the administrative building in the Outer Court. He hadn’t been keen on having Mei Lin pinch his cheeks like he was a toddler.

That had backfired spectacularly. Instead of letting her do this without witnesses, Elder Yu and Mei Lingxi had front-row seats.

He would have liked to escape her clutches, but that wasn’t possible, not without Force Multiplier. That would be an overreaction.

[Name: Mei Lin | Level: 171]

William was still surrounded by a bunch of overpowered monsters. But that’s fine. He, too, would be an overpowered monster in the future.

Elder Yu eventually cleared her throat when it seemed Mei Lin wouldn’t stop on her own.

Of course, it was much more comprehensive than just some questions asking what the name of someplace in the Empire was. As subhuman as he turned out to be, Zheng Tao put together a lesson plan that even Elder Yu had been impressed by.

Her main concern about William’s lack of knowledge was not about cultivation, which could be ‘fixed’ as it came along if necessary. Not that she was keen on that idea. Since he was a cultivation genius in her eyes, she didn’t want to disrupt what was already working exceptionally well. The worry was more about the society that cultivators created. She said as much at the start.

It meant most of the lesson plan had been filled with the power structure in the Empire and the dangers surrounding it. The major clans that held sway in the Emperor’s court, the treachery common among imperial subordinates, and the brutality of the internal competition of the imperial princes and princesses.

There was also a focus on the internal structures of the Jade Healing Sect itself, but compared to the Empire, that section was minuscule.

According to Elder Yu, this was all required to know if one wanted to last long as an Inner Disciple. While the sect promoted based on merit, it was rare for unknowns to accomplish much, leaving the Inner Court filled with disciples from various powers around the Empire.

Being a cultivator was inherently expensive, and unless one was truly talented, they would all be crushed by their far better-prepared competition.

A mediocre cultivator supported by a minor clan would have some form of success in their cultivation path. An equivalent from a mortal background would either be undiscovered or crushed before there was even a chance to unlock their Qi.

A representative of the Rong Clan requests you to personally protect a member. You will not have time to get the approval of the sect. What is your response?

It was the last question. And it was strange.

William couldn’t remember reading anything about a Rong Clan. With that the case, he assumed this was based purely on ethics. The sect likely wouldn’t want their disciples working for others without permission.

That was precisely what he wrote down.

“Incorrect,” Elder Yu said immediately, “If someone can invoke the command of the Rong Clan, you just nod your head and accept. They are the Imperial Family.”

William blinked at her in surprise. He hadn’t learned the family name of the imperials.

“You did well. Besides the last question, I saw no mistakes other than a few inaccuracies with the Jade Forest. Zheng Tao was intelligent in how he misled you. There was no unnecessary sabotage, just with what he was targeting.”

“That’s good,” he sighed in relief, “So, does this mean I’m a member of the Inner Court?”

Elder Yu gave him one of her rare smiles. “Indeed. Congratulations, Disciple Wei Liang.”