As he walked along the path, heading straight for the Night Patrol Division, every disciple he encountered—whether from the Night Patrol Division, the Demon Slayer Division, or even ordinary disciples of Flying Immortal Peak—would stop upon recognizing his face, clasp their fists, and greet him with respect. Before the assessment results were announced, the road had been filled with strangers. Now, it was lined with acquaintances, each addressing him as "Daoist Friend Wen." The term "Left Dao" seemed to have never existed.

The disciples of the Demon Slayer Division, in particular, after last night's events, showed even greater reverence, not only greeting him with fist-clasped salutes but also expressing their gratitude. Unknowingly, as Wen Jiu made his way through Flying Immortal Peak, his hands had already gathered a pile of name cards.

Upon re-entering the Night Patrol Division, he immediately sensed a shift in the atmosphere. Sikong Bai's face was clouded with gloom, Mu Canglong's expression was a mix of joy and concern, and the other stewards of the division remained silent. Yet, as soon as Wen Jiu stepped inside, all eyes turned to him, and smiles appeared on their faces.

"Brother Mu, Steward Sikong, fellow Daoists," Wen Jiu greeted each of them, addressing the stewards as Daoists rather than superiors.

Mu Canglong nodded and spoke, "First of all, congratulations on breaking through to the third level of Qi Refinement. It’s no exaggeration to say that among all the side peaks of Dead Man’s Peak, there is no one with Left Dao talent as formidable as yours. However, I must regretfully inform you of something."

"What happened?" Wen Jiu feigned ignorance.

Mu Canglong’s expression grew complicated. "We just received word from the Disciplinary Hall—Elder Gong perished in the dungeon last night."

In truth, Mu Canglong himself didn’t know how to feel. After Gong Chi had suppressed Wen Jiu last time and even attempted to coerce him into becoming his disciple for selfish reasons, Mu Canglong had lost much of his respect for the elder. However, he couldn’t deny that Gong Chi had taught him a great deal in his early years. Now that the man was dead, Wen Jiu was no longer his disciple and could freely participate in the Main Peak assessment, which made Mu Canglong happy. But the death of someone who had once been his mentor left him with a heavy heart.

Meanwhile, Wen Jiu put on an expression of shock, carefully concealing any trace of satisfaction. "How could Elder Gong have fallen?"

Mu Canglong shook his head and didn’t elaborate. Instead, he changed the subject. "According to the usual procedures of the Night Patrol Division, you are now qualified to become a steward. However, with the Main Peak assessment approaching and your current strength ensuring that no one can hinder your ascension, your position will remain unchanged for now. You are free from all division duties to focus solely on preparing for the assessment."

"Thank you, Brother Mu." Wen Jiu bowed.

As his gaze swept across the room, he noticed that all familiar faces were present. Clearly, the Disciplinary Hall had not assigned the Night Patrol Division to investigate Gong Chi’s death. This was expected—after all, the Disciplinary Hall and Elder Ye Chen had personally examined the body. If any clues were to be found, they would have already uncovered them. What could a group of Qi Refinement cultivators from the Night Patrol Division possibly discover?

Of course, there was another possibility. The Disciplinary Hall might have detected the traces of sinister energy within Gong Chi’s corpse and had already determined him to be a traitor. However, due to certain reasons, they could not make this public, so they refrained from ordering an investigation.

Either way, it was an outcome that Wen Jiu was more than happy to see.

Mu Canglong continued, "I recall that you have an elder sister. According to sect regulations, if a disciple attains the position of steward, Flying Immortal Peak can grant their sibling the status of an apprentice disciple, removing them from the ranks of menial laborers. From then on, she will be able to openly cultivate the techniques and spells of the Night Patrol Division."

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Wen Jiu nodded, his expression lighting up with joy.

Mu Canglong then asked, "Where would you like her to be assigned? You are the first apprentice disciple in the history of Flying Immortal Peak to have risen from a mortal background to this level, so you have the privilege of choosing freely. Whether it be the Spiritual Farming Division or the Talisman Room, it's up to you."

"Thank you, Brother Mu," Wen Jiu replied without hesitation. "Please assign my sister to the Night Patrol Division."

He had considered the Alchemy Hall, where Wang Nian’s second uncle held influence, ensuring she would receive support if placed there. However, after careful deliberation, he realized that no matter how favorable the Alchemy Hall seemed, it could not compare to the Night Patrol Division—where Mu Canglong held the highest authority and Liu Xiao was a steward.

Once he left Flying Immortal Peak to cultivate at the Main Peak, these two could personally look after his sister, Wen Ya.

Mu Canglong nodded, unsurprised by his decision. Then he added, "By the way, early this morning, Madam Xu delivered something to me—your sister Wen Ya’s indenture contract. I have already purchased her freedom for one hundred low-grade spirit stones... I trust that once Steward Xu returns, he will have no objections."

"Thank you, Brother Mu!" Wen Jiu was overjoyed.

He had not expected last night's display of strength to trigger such a powerful chain reaction, bringing about the resolution of yet another concern. Originally, he had planned to visit the Xu family and negotiate her release on equal footing. But to his surprise, Madam Xu had proactively delivered the contract to him.

A truly shrewd old woman.

That said, Wen Jiu did not hold any ill feelings toward her. Since his sister had entered the Xu household, Madam Xu had never mistreated her. In fact, during Wen Jiu’s most vulnerable period, she had given Wen Ya a place of shelter.

In a way, the Xu family had actually done him a favor.

One hundred lower-grade spirit stones—not only was it enough to repay the debt, but it was repaid generously. Clearly, Mu Canglong didn’t want the Xu family to bother his sister, Wen Ya, anymore.

After giving a few more instructions, Mu Canglong didn’t keep Wen Jiu any longer. After all, there was still much to handle and clean up after the battle at the Night Patrol Division.

Before leaving, Wen Jiu returned the hundred lower-grade spirit stones to Mu Canglong. A debt was a debt, and since he could repay it now, he should. Mu Canglong didn’t refuse, as a hundred lower-grade spirit stones were not a small amount, even for him.

After bidding farewell to Mu Canglong and the others, Wen Jiu took the indenture contract, the Night Patrol Division disciple robes, and his identification token before heading home.

When he handed these three items to his sister, Wen Ya, she was overjoyed and moved to tears. The weight on her heart was finally lifted.

"I'm really a cultivator now?" Wen Ya held the Night Patrol Division robes in her hands, carefully examining them as if she couldn't bear to let go.

Even though she was only an apprentice disciple of the Night Patrol Division, she was still part of it, which was a status far beyond that of an ordinary Feixian Peak disciple.

For common folk, even a regular disciple was like a towering mountain they could only look up to in awe.

A disciple of the Night Patrol Division was even more so.

Wen Jiu nodded and continued, "You can also pick any spot around Feixian Peak to settle down, and laborers will immediately come to build a house for you. Sister, unless something unexpected happens, that house will be your home for a very long time."

"Really?!" Wen Ya looked at Wen Jiu in disbelief, her excitement barely contained.

Wen Jiu wasn’t surprised. Anyone who had spent their life living under someone else's roof would dream of having their own home—

A private study, a courtyard, a bedroom, and a kitchen that belonged only to them.

"Sister, how's your cultivation going?" Wen Jiu asked, knowing that compared to everything else, progress in cultivation was the most important.

Wen Ya answered truthfully, "I can already sense spiritual energy, and I've just started absorbing it, but I haven’t stored even a wisp of it in my dantian yet. My progress is a bit slow."

Wen Jiu wasn’t surprised by this result. Inferior spiritual roots made cultivation extremely difficult—reaching the first level of Qi Refinement usually took two to three years. The only way to speed up this process was through spirit stones and elixirs.

It was clear that Wen Ya hadn’t been using spirit stones for cultivation; otherwise, she wouldn’t still have an empty dantian.

Wen Jiu took out a hundred lower-grade spirit stones. For someone at the early stages of Qi Refinement, this amount could last a long time. "Sister, from now on, cultivate using spirit stones. Don’t try to save them."

"A hundred?!" Wen Ya’s expression tensed. "Where did you get so many spirit stones?"

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