Qi Yu glanced at Li Yu, then at her own reflection in the nearby pool.
Although she had been mended, the cracks would take many precious materials to fade. Thus, after transforming into her human form, faint lines resembling small scars remained on her neck, wrists, and within her hair.
The only solace was that her face was unmarked.
With this thought, Qi Yu spoke earnestly to Li Yu:
"I am so ugly and rather useless. If you take me as a disciple, I don't think I can help you with anything."
Even though her divine power was recovering, she had used her primordial spirit and devoured countless malevolent spirits to save the Xuan Yue Sect. It would likely take a long time to return to her former strength.
"I don't need your help," Li Yu replied with an open expression. "You can choose to be a disciple here, or you can register with me and be a free agent. However, if you become a disciple, I will accept you as a personal disciple and teach you many things."
Qi Yu pursed her lips.
She hadn't entirely dismissed the possibility of him being a villain.
But without his intervention, she would have long since perished. He had saved a broken mirror, even using rare treasures like Han Bing Gang to reinforce her outer shell and precious adhesive to mend her original form...
What kind of villain would undertake such a losing venture?
Furthermore, she faced a tribulation every fifty years. She had already endured four, with the fifth due in ten years.
Being a free agent was less important than learning more.
However...
Qi Yu seemed to recall something else and cautiously observed him, "Venerable Li Yu, you seem rather young."
The sect leader of Xuan Yue Sect had wrinkles deep enough to make him his grandfather.
Could someone so young be reliable?
"Young? I am quite old," Li Yu said, tucking his hands into his sleeves with a leisurely air. "If we're being precise, I'm old enough to be your ancestor, understand, little brat."
"Ah..." Qi Yu blinked. "Are you really that old?"
Li Yu flicked her forehead.
Qi Yu yelped in pain, clutching her head with teary eyes.
And so, she was simply taken in by the Bei Yuan Sect.
The following day,
News of a beautiful new junior disciple joining the Bei Yuan Sect spread throughout the entire Bei Yuan Mountain.
To catch a glimpse of this new junior disciple, more than half of the Bei Yuan Sect's disciples flocked to see.
In addition to them, several innate spiritual artifacts, like Qi Yu, who had also transformed into human form, came to join the excitement upon hearing that this junior disciple was also an innate spiritual artifact.
Inside the main hall of the Bei Yuan Sect.
Qi Yu knelt in the center, using a dagger provided by a servant to draw blood from her fingertip and let it drip onto the formation before her.
The moment the blood drops landed, the Bei Yuan Sect's formation suddenly illuminated, and a radiant light pulsed before Qi Yu.
In the air above Qi Yu's head, four types of talents appeared: a guqin, a long whip, an alchemy furnace, and talismans.
The surrounding Bei Yuan Sect disciples, witnessing this, began to discuss amongst themselves:
"Is this the Yan Zhen Jing that Master brought back that day? She's too beautiful after transforming into human form."
"Speaking of which, this is the first time I've seen a disciple awaken four talents. Master has accepted innate spiritual artifacts as disciples before, but they only seemed to awaken one talent."
"Wow, this Junior Disciple Qi Yu is amazing! She actually awakened dual-element Heavenly Spiritual Roots, lightning and ice. These are Heavenly Spiritual Roots! I've seen many single-element Heavenly Spiritual Roots, but dual-element is incredibly rare, especially this combination."
"She must be a personal disciple, right?"
"Of course. This must be Master's seventh personal disciple!"
"Yeah, I'm so envious. I wish I could be a personal disciple too."
"What's so good about being a personal disciple? I don't want to be one. As a personal disciple, you have to be the first to step forward when the sect faces trouble. Unlike us inner disciples, we can switch whenever we're uncomfortable."
"Exactly. And in our Bei Yuan Sect, even if an innate spiritual artifact transforms into human form and becomes a personal disciple, it's not that big of a deal."
"That's right. Their cultivation methods as innate spiritual artifacts are different from ours. The sect's strength rankings have separate lists, and for competitions and tests, they directly compete with Master. However, their discipline and punishments are the same. Therefore, whether they are innate spiritual artifacts or personal disciples, it's not as easy as being an inner disciple."
"Indeed. Along with status and position come responsibilities and obligations. There's always a give and take, it's all the same."
Qi Yu listened to their discussions, not paying much attention, her gaze fixed on the spiritual root totem that had lit up on her hand.
It was purple lightning and white frost.
Lightning and ice elements.
Back in the Xuan Yue Sect, she had only ever seen new disciples undergo this talent test when joining the sect.
She hadn't expected to do it herself one day.
"Qi Yu, from this day forward, I accept you as my seventh personal disciple. Your talents are the guqin, long whip, alchemy furnace, and talismans. I will personally guide you," Li Yu stepped forward and lightly tapped her forehead with his index finger. "The path of cultivation is long and arduous. You must cultivate diligently to achieve success, do you understand?"
"This disciple understands." Qi Yu clasped her hands before her, completing the disciple-acceptance ceremony. The next moment, she felt a warmth in her brow, a gentle divine power flowing from Li Yu's fingertip into her meridians.
She reached up to touch the red mole on her brow and found that it had transformed from a mole into a raindrop-shaped Dharma seal.
"Alright, the disciple-acceptance ceremony is complete. Eldest Brother, take the new junior disciple to familiarize himself with the personal disciples' rooms," Li Yu said, waving towards someone not far away.
Qi Yu followed his gaze and turned her head.
She saw a handsome man with rosy lips, delicate eyebrows, his hair tied up and adorned with a purple cloud crown. He wore a moon-white robe embroidered with Bei Yuan Sect's intricate patterns, exuding an air of refined nobility. As he approached, he cast a look of disdain at Li Yu:
"Li Yu, you old geezer, can you stop calling me Eldest Brother, Second Brother, and so on? Just call me by my name!"
Then, the man turned to Qi Yu, "I am your Eldest Senior Brother, Yue Zhiyin. Stick with me from now on, understand?"
Qi Yu looked up at him and nodded, "Yes, Eldest Senior Brother."
With that, Yue Zhiyin hooked Qi Yu's arm and turned to leave. Qi Yu noticed that the direction he was heading seemed different from the path back to her room the previous night, and she couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Eldest Senior Brother, where are you taking me? Didn't Master say you were going to show me to my room?"
Could it be that the personal disciples' rooms were in a different direction from the room she stayed in last night?
"What room are we looking for in broad daylight? We're going to handle important matters," Yue Zhiyin said with a serious expression, slinging an arm around Qi Yu's shoulder. "Before I came over, your Sixth Senior Brother was getting into trouble. Your Second and Third Senior Sisters are away, and your Fourth and Fifth Senior Brothers are out helping to exorcise demons. So, I have to take you with me to back him up."
"Oh, so we're going to fight, right?" Qi Yu understood immediately.
Yue Zhiyin gave Qi Yu a knowing look. "That's right. Have you ever fought before?"