Yu Ming's Room, Azure Cloud Inn
Excited to share his breakthrough, Yu Ming tries to find Qian Hai and Li Wei, only to find that they are nowhere to be found.
However, it only takes a moment for Yu Ming to forget about the boys and decide to go to Zhang Xin's room to share his big news.
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Zhang Xin's Room, Azure Cloud Inn
Zhang Yue and Zhang Xin have just finished getting refreshed as Zhang Yue helps Zhang Xin do her hair.
Looking at Zhang Yue, who seems to be humming a tune, Zhang Xin eventually asks with a hesitant expression,
"Cousin Yue..... Will you go to Clan tomorrow?"
"Cousin Xin. Are you worried about my father? He cannot do anything now that I am a Palace member."
Zhang Xin stops Zhang Yue and turns back to look her in the eye, saying, "I am concerned that your Uncle will stop you. Wasn't he the one who decided that you should be married into the City Lord's Residence? I am afraid that Eternal Blossom Palace would choose to give him face and not interfere. "
Patting her head, Zhang Yue replies in an amused tone, "Cousin Xin, you are overthinking too much. No Clan amounts to much in a Sect's eyes. While they are of the same cultivation base, their status is worlds apart."
Zhang Xin wants to argue more, but she closes her mouth as they find their door being knocked on.
Whoever Zhang Yue was expecting to be at the door, it was not Yu Ming. After a momentary freeze, she smoothly allows Yu Ming to enter while quickly closing the door.
"Yu Ming? What- "
"I became a cultivator! I reached the first layer!! " Yu Ming announces the news proudly as the Zhang sisters blink to process the news.
"In a day?" Zhang Yue completely forgets everything she wanted to talk about, as she demands.
"Yes! I had a manual I got in the village, and I was able to open my Lower Dantian."
Yu Ming happily brags about his achievement, oblivious to the sisters, until Zhang Yue smacks him squarely on the head.
"It took me nearly four days!" Looking at Yu Ming, still grinning ear to ear, Zhang Yue controls the strong urge to punch him as she replies like an older sister, "Yu Ming, this is only the first layer. I am in the 4th Layer of [Qi Gathering], and I am only 13 years old this year. The journey of [Qi Gathering] is long, and you have to cultivate every day to keep up with others."
After an hour of Zhang Yue trying to caution him in the ways of cultivation, Yu Ming finally leaves.
"Cousin Yue, let's shelve the discussion for tomorrow morning. I feel like you must be tired mentally."
Agreeing with Zhang Xin, both sleep in her bed.
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Main Hall, Zhang Clan Compound
Zhang Xin and Zhang Yue are sitting elegantly as servants tend to their every need and wait upon them.
A young man, looking to be in his 30s, along with a mature man, enters the hall, sits on the main seats, and appraises the sisters intently.
As neither breaks eye contact, the mature man on the side sighs, asking, " Yue, are you here to annul your marriage?"
Zhang Yue frowns harshly, not expecting her father to have gone and formalized the marriage.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Yue relaxes her frown and sneers, "Annul the contract. I am a member of Eternal Blossom Palace now." The young man snorts frigidly, "Young girl, you better watch your mouth!"
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To everyone's, including Zhang Xin's, utter surprise, Zhang Yue looks at the young man and responds coldly, "The Zhang Clan dares to interfere with the Palace members?"
The young man waves his hand angrily, making the sisters appear outside unharmed, before replying, "Our Zhang Clan does not welcome you!"
Once the two are sufficiently far from the Zhang Clan, Zhang Xin turns around and shouts angrily at Zhang Yue, "Cousin Yue! Have you gone insane? To talk to a [Core Formation] senior like that is... is utterly insane! He could have turned us to ashes there!"
Zhang Yue comforts Zhang Xin with a pale face," Don't worry, I informed our Palace elder before deciding this. In her words, I don't need to care about some weak [Core Formation] senior like him. "
Zhang Xin looks at Zhang Yue's pale face and grumbles while she hugs her, " Cousin Yue. Next time... please inform me in advance. I felt like my heart would leap out of my chest. "
As the two separate, embarrassed, Zhang Yue and Zhang Xin gorge themselves on some great food to forget the incident.
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Third Floor, Heavenly Fragrance Garden
A young teen enjoying the company of some girls asks as a City guard enters, "Have you checked their backgrounds? Captain Situ likes them particularly. "
"Reporting to the Young Master, the older youth has no background to speak of, while the younger is from the Dragon Ascension Sect."
"Leave the younger one out of this, then. Take care of the other one only after his friend has left. And make sure to do it outside the city."
".... Yes sir!"
Young Master Chen looked on as the two stumbled on the roads outside until they disappeared from his sight.
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Yu Ming's Group
As three days pass, Yu Ming cultivates diligently, going to Jin Ya and Zhang Yue for any problems he encounters during cultivation.
Jin Ya also takes Yu Ming out to the city to buy a few sets of decent clothing for both of them, while Qian Hai and Li Wei always seem to disappear during the night.
Yu Ming also learns that Jin Ya is in the 12th Layer of [Qi Gathering], and the only reason she has stopped there is to enter the Sect and get better manuals before the next step.
And the day of departure arrives as the group bids farewell to Qian Hai as Li Wei hugs him and assures him that he will follow his advice even when he reaches his Sect. Yu Ming has no idea what they are talking about.
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City Lord's Residence
Yu Ming and others arrive to see nine uneven groups of people gathering, with Dragon Ascension Sect, Free Spirit Pavillion, and Crane Mountain Dao Sect being the large ones and Sword Burial Mountain and Vajra Heart Temple being the smaller ones.
Yu Ming hugs Li Wei, bidding him farewell as Li Wei laughs it off, "Ming, we will be cultivators. You and I both have a long life ahead, so there is no need for such farewells."
Yu Ming doesn't know how to bid farewell to Zhang Yue and tries to awkwardly cup his hands toward her as she suddenly laughs and drags him into a hug. Yu Ming feels uncomfortable and stays quiet, as he has never hugged a girl before.
"Yu Ming, I will miss you too. Don't forget the letters!" Zhang Yue quickly moves on to hug Zhang Xin and Jin Ya as they finish bidding Li Wei goodbye.
As the three move toward their group, Yu Ming turns around to remind Li Wei, "Oh, I forgot to mention it, but I am already a cultivator." and enjoys the dumb look on Li Wei's face until they can't see him anymore.
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Crane Mountain Dao Sect Group
The senior cultivator suppresses the group with his gaze before introducing himself, "Disciples! I am Peak Master Yun. You are all Crane Mountain Dao Sect disciples from now on! I expect you to behave like one!"
Turning around, the group follows him outside into the open area as an enormous white crane appears out of nowhere with Peak Master Yun on its back. "Climb on."
Once the entire group is on the back of the White Crane, it flaps its wing and soars into the sky, leaving behind a sea of people in awe as some mortals even kneel to pray as it passes.
Soon after the crane has left, a huge sword with a terrorizing aura flies through the sky, carrying the Sword Burial Mountain group into the horizon.
Looking at the impressive means the Sects use for transport, Li Wei stares at his master with an expectant expression.
Daoist Wu shakes his head before waving his sleeves as a long serpentine gold dragon rises from the ground with Daoist Wu on its head, carrying everyone from the group before flying through the sky and disappearing.
Another dragon rises after it, as if in competition, and goes in the same direction, carrying Soaring Dragon Peak disciples.
A huge ship abruptly rises to the sky, carrying the Eternal Blossom Palace Disciples and sailing through the sky.
As all the Sects leave, Kaiqi City Lord Chen Jianguo finally sighs a breath of relief, happy that the selection was done without any mistakes.