The plateau fell silent as Shen Yu stepped forward. All eyes were on the young man as he stood before the Sect Master.

"Shen Yu," The Sect Master said. "Not only have you come first in all the trials, but when you began this trial a few days ago, you were only at the first stage of Qi Refining. Yet now you're already at the fifth stage."

A gasp rippled through the crowd. Even Kai's eyes widened slightly at this revelation.

Fifth stage already? He was only at the fourth stage two days ago. At this rate, he'll surpass me within a week. A wry smile tugged at the corners of Kai's mouth. I wonder if this is actually Shen Yu's story, and I'm just a side character.

The thought was both amusing and unsettling.

“To be able to accomplish this while coming from a simple village...,” the Sect Master continued. “Elder Feng was not wrong. Your affinity for cultivation is second to none, not only in this trial but perhaps in the entire younger generation."

"Younger generation?" Liu Wei, who was once again standing beside Kai, whispered.

Kai leaned over slightly, keeping his eyes on the Sect Master. "In the cultivation world, the 'younger generation' usually refers to cultivators under 100 years old," he explained quietly. "Age works differently for cultivators. Some can live for centuries or even millennia."

"Shh," Zhi-Zhi hissed . "Pay attention! This is important!"

Kai glanced at Elder Feng, the man was beaming with pride, no doubt already counting the rewards he'd receive for bringing in such a promising recruit.

With so many of his recruits in the top ten, Kai mused, I wouldn't be surprised if he got more than just a Core Formation pill.

The Sect Master's next words sent a ripple of excitement through the crowd. "Shen Yu, would you like to take me as your master?"

To everyone's surprise - including Kai's - Shen Yu smiled. It was a small, almost imperceptible curve of his lips, but on his usually stoic face, it was as noticeable as a shout.

Shen Yu bowed lightly. "It would be my honor, Sect Master. Thank you for this opportunity."

The elders smiled, nodding in approval. But Kai's eyes narrowed, his mind working furiously.

Wasn't Shen Yu the one warning me not to pick the Sect Master as my master? Kai thought, suspicion creeping into his mind. Yet here he is, doing exactly that. So he really was trying to sabotage me all along…

Kai shook his head slightly, pushing the thought aside. It doesn't matter. I'd already decided not to listen to him anyway.

As Shen Yu took his place beside the Sect Master, Kai couldn't help but feel a mix of admiration and wariness. The other boy's cultivation speed was truly phenomenal, even by the standards of this world. It was both exciting and terrifying to think about what Shen Yu might become in the future.

The crowd's reaction was just as exaggerated as Kai expected from a xianxia. Eyes widened, jaws dropped, and a few even stumbled back a step.

"Did you see that? The Sect Master himself chose that village boy!"

"The Sect Master said he went from first stage to fifth in just days but is that even possible?"

"My older brother said the Sect Master has only taken one disciple in over five centuries. But a village boy! This…this is huge!"

Just then, Elder Feng's laugh cut through the chatter. "I told you all, didn't I? The Misty Waterfall Village was a goldmine of talent this year!"

Some of the other Outer Elders grumbled, shooting envious glances at Feng. One of them spoke up. "Don't get too cocky, Feng. We’ll see how they perform in the Sect Tournament."

Elder Feng's grin only widened. "Oh? You think your recruits can defeat a disciple of the Sect Master, Zhang?"

Before the other elder could respond, the Sect Master raised a hand for silence. The plateau immediately fell quiet, all eyes turning back to the most powerful cultivator present.

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Kai held his breath as the Sect Master's gaze swept over the remaining participants and stopped on him.

"Kai Thorn," the Sect Master began. "Had it not been for Shen Yu's exceptional performance, you would have been our number one talent. And make no mistake, you would have deserved that title. Your talent is the kind seen only once in a hundred years."

As the Sect Master spoke, a translucent blue screen materialized before Kai's eyes:

Congratulations!

You have gained the title 'Once in a Hundred Years Talent'!

Description: Despite not gaining first place or having the fastest cultivation speed, you are still a talent rarely seen.

Effects:

* Increases XP gained from absorbing qi by 2x

* Increases your maximum Qi by 50 points

Kai blinked, forcing himself to ignore the notification for now. I'll check that out later, he thought. Right now, I need to focus on what's happening.

The Sect Master continued, his eyes never leaving Kai's face. "Kai Thorn, would you like to take me as your master?"

A collective gasp rose from the crowd. Kai could feel the weight of hundreds of eyes upon him, a mixture of shock, envy, and disbelief radiating from the other disciples.

Sun Jun looked as if he'd been slapped. His face turned an interesting shade of purple as he sputtered incoherently. Kai was surprised no blood was coughed up in the process.

Lu Chen maintained his usual calm demeanor, but Kai noticed a tightness around his eyes that betrayed his surprise and perhaps a hint of jealousy.

From the corner of his eye, Kai spotted Liu Wei. His former student was beaming with pride, clearly thrilled that his master had actually done it.

Zhi-Zhi puffed out his tiny chest. "Of course!" he declared loudly. "It's all thanks to my guidance. I knew my disciple would be recognized for his greatness!"

You didn't do anything, you little shell-dweller. But I suppose I should be grateful for small mercies. At least you're not causing trouble right now.

But what truly surprised Kai was the reaction of the Inner Elders. They were looking at each other with wide eyes and raised eyebrows, clearly caught off guard by this turn of events.

Even Shen Yu, standing beside the Sect Master, showed a flicker of surprise. His eyes widened slightly before his face returned to its usual impassive mask.

"It would be my honor, Sect Master,” Kai fought to keep the smile off his face as he bowed. “Thank you for this opportunity."

As Kai straightened from his bow, another system notification appeared:

Congratulations!

You have become a disciple of the Sect Master and gained the title 'Legacy Disciple'!

Effects:

* Allows you to level up sect techniques twice as fast

* Grants 5 stat points that can be added to any physical attribute

Kai filed away this information for later as he moved to stand on the other side of the Sect Master, opposite Shen Yu. As he took his place, he saw disciples nudging each other, pointing at Kai and Shen Yu.

"Two disciples in one day?"

"Who is that Kai guy anyway? I've never heard of him before. He’s not from any of the great clans."

"Did you see how fast he cultivated? He must have some kind of secret technique!"

Kai kept his expression neutral, but inwardly, he was grinning. If they only knew, he thought. My 'secret technique' is being an isekai protagonist with a system. But I think I'll keep that to myself.

He glanced at Shen Yu, trying to gauge the other boy's reaction. Shen Yu's face was as impassive as ever, but there was a glint in his eyes that Kai couldn't quite decipher. Was it approval? Challenge? Or something else entirely?

I'll have to keep an eye on him, Kai decided. Being fellow disciples might make us allies, but it could just as easily make us rivals. And in this world, rivals tend to end up killing each other…

The Inner Elders were still muttering among themselves, clearly caught off guard by this unexpected turn of events. Whilst it seems they expected Shen Yu to be picked by the Sect Master, Kai's selection was a surprise even to them.

Kai caught snippets of their conversation:

"Two Legacy Disciples at once... I wonder how young master Wang Lin will feel about this."

"The other sects will be in an uproar when they hear about this."

"We'll need to increase security. These two will be prime targets for rival sects now."

I’ve read all about how Legacy Disciples are targeted, I think I’d rather stay in the safety of the sect until I’m OP. Going out for some excitement just isn’t worth the risk, Kai nodded to himself.

Kai's gaze fell on Elder Feng, who looked as if he might burst with pride. He was practically bouncing on his toes, a wide grin splitting his face. The other Outer Elders were shooting him looks that ranged from grudging respect to outright envy.

"Well done, Feng," one of them grumbled. "You've certainly outdone yourself this time."

Elder Feng's grin, if possible, grew even wider. "What can I say? I have an eye for talent!"

More like you got lucky, Kai thought. But I suppose luck is a talent in its own right in this world.

As the commotion began to die down, Kai noticed the Sect Master's gaze shifting once more. This time, it landed on Zhi-Zhi, who was still perched on top of Liu Wei's head.

"Now," the Sect Master said, his voice carrying a hint of curiosity, "what are we going to do with you?"

"Ah, I see you've finally recognized my greatness as well!" Zhi-Zhi declared. "I suppose you'll be wanting to make me a disciple too, eh? Well, I'll have to think about it. After all, I can't just accept anyone as my master, you know!"

Shocked gasps ran through the crowd at the tiny tortoise’s words. Even Kai had to fight to keep his expression neutral.

Zhi-Zhi, you idiot. This is the Sect Master you're talking to!