3: Chapter 3 Would you be willing to become my disciple?

The voice was cold and detached, sounding like a decree from the heavens, where every word carried the weight of law.

The three Elders who had been arguing until their faces turned red instantly fell silent.

Simultaneously, they bowed deeply toward the direction of the Cloud-Top Palace deep within the Qingxuan Sect.

"Respectfully welcoming—"

Before they could finish speaking, several even more vast and boundless auras tore through the clouds high in the sky, descending with a booming crash.

The streams of light dissipated, revealing several figures.

At the front was a middle-aged man wearing a dark black Sect Master robe with a majestic expression; he was the current Sect Head of the Qingxuan Sect, Sect Master Yan Jingxuan.

Behind him were several Grand Elders with white hair and beards, exuding ancient auras as if they had merged with heaven and earth.

These people were the true pillars of the Qingxuan Sect.

"Greetings, Sect Master! Greetings, Grand Elders!"

All the Disciples in the square knelt on the ground, not even daring to raise their heads.

This lineup completely stunned everyone.

What is going on?

Isn't it just taking in a Disciple?

Why have even the Sect Master and the Grand Elders who have been in secluded cultivation for many years come out?

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan did not look at them at all; all his attention was focused on the only person standing in the center—Zhao Ruoan.

"What a great raw talent for the Dao of the sword!"

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan exclaimed in praise.

"This child shall be my personal Disciple and inherit my Sect Master position!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire venue fell into dead silence.

Personal Disciple of the Sect Master?

And inherit the Sect Master position?

What kind of heaven-sent fortune was this!

Those rich young masters paralyzed on the ground were completely numb.

However, just as Sect Master Yan Jingxuan finished speaking, a Grand Elder behind him let out a light cough.

"Sect Master, you are mistaken."

"This child has natural Sword Intent, which is a perfect match for my 《Taishang Wangqing Sword》; he ought to enter my Sect."

Another Grand Elder stepped forward: "Old man Wang, practicing that sword technique of yours leads to cutting off all emotions and desires; don't come and ruin a good seedling. It's much safer for this child to follow me and cultivate the 《Haoran Zhengqi Sword》."

"Bullshit! Our Qingxuan Sect was founded on the sword, we should cultivate the tyrannical sword, following me is the Righteous Path!"

Good fellow.

The flames of war that had just subsided instantly reignited, and the scale directly escalated.

The Sect Master and the Grand Elders started arguing again over a youth in front of thousands of newly enrolled Disciples.

If word of this got out, the entire Great Xia cultivation world would shake three times.

Standing at the center of the storm, Zhao Ruoan was blooming with joy inside; this wave was secure.

Just as these big shots were arguing fiercely with spit flying everywhere,

A seven-colored rainbow light came from the horizon, without any earth-shattering might, yet it made the whole world quiet down.

The rainbow light silently landed in the center of the square.

The light dissipated, revealing a peerless, independent figure in white.

That was a woman.

She stood there quietly, yet seemed to have become the sole existence in this world.

The wind stopped, the clouds rested, and even the noisy sword hums disappeared.

The Sect Master and Grand Elders who had just been arguing until their faces turned red collectively shut their mouths the moment they saw her.

"Yun... Junior Martial Uncle?"

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan's Adam's apple bobbed as he managed to spit out three words with difficulty.

The Grand Elders behind him bowed in unison, performing a Junior's courtesy.

"We pay our respects to Elder Yun."

The whole venue once again fell into a death-like silence.

A presence that could make the Sect Master call her "Junior Martial Uncle" and the Grand Elders perform a Junior's courtesy—

The identity of this woman was already ready to come out.

The legend of the Qingxuan Sect, the ultimate pillar among pillars, the ceiling of combat power—Yun Qinghan!

A peerless Prodigy who, at only fifty years of age, had already cultivated to the Peak of the Divine Ability realm and half a step into the Transcendent realm.

Rumor had it that she was wholeheartedly devoted to the Dao, cold, aloof, and isolated, never participating in secular affairs of the Sect, and had only taken in three female Disciples under her tutelage, never accepting male Disciples.

Today, why would she appear here?

"She... hasn't she always been in a life-and-death seclusion trying to break through to the Transcendent realm?" a Grand Elder muttered softly.

"Could it be for this kid?" another person replied, their tone full of disbelief.

Yun Qinghan ignored everyone's astonishment.

Her appearance was an attitude in itself.

She spoke indifferently.

"This child, I want him."

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan squeezed out a smile: "Junior Martial Uncle, this... isn't this against the rules? Don't you never accept male Disciples? Furthermore, this child is a once-in-ten-thousand-years sword Genius, concerning our Sect's future Legacy..."

He wanted to make a final struggle.

After all, this was the future Sect Master seedling; he was unwilling to just give him away like this.

Yun Qinghan finally looked him squarely in the eye.

"Rules?"

She asked rhetorically.

"I am the rules."

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan's face flushed red.

The most senior Grand Elder braced himself and stepped forward to persuade: "Elder Yun, please think twice about this matter. The Sect Master is also doing this for the grand plan of the Sect; if this child can inherit the Sect Master position, for the development of our Qingxuan Sect over the next hundred years—"

Yun Qinghan interrupted him.

"Half a year."

She spat out two words.

Everyone was stunned, not understanding what it meant.

"Within half a year, I will surely enter the Transcendent realm."

Yun Qinghan's voice remained calm, but the words she uttered exploded like a thunderclap from the Nine Heavens in the hearts of all the upper echelons.

Half a year!

The Transcendent realm!

What did this mean?

It meant that the Qingxuan Sect would possess a behemoth standing at the apex of the entire Eastern Region!

The value of a Transcendent realm expert was greater than ten, one hundred so-called Genius Disciples combined!

Not to mention a Zhao Ruoan, even if the entire Qingxuan Sect's Geniuses were packaged and given to her, as long as it could trade for a Transcendent realm expert, it would be an absolute blood profit!

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan and the Grand Elders looked at each other, seeing bitterness and helplessness in each other's expressions.

There was no way to contend anymore.

To contend further would be being insensible.

In front of a big shot about to ascend to the Transcendent realm, any rules and grand plans of the Sect appeared so laughable.

"We... obey Elder Yun's decree."

Sect Master Yan Jingxuan lowered his arrogant head.

The other Grand Elders also bowed one after another, expressing their agreement.

This scramble for a Disciple that shocked the entire upper echelons of the Sect came to a close in the most incredible way.

Yun Qinghan, with the power of one person, suppressed the entire venue.

After resolving all the "flies," she finally took a step, moving lightly with lotus steps, slowly walking up in front of Zhao Ruoan.

A faint, ethereal fragrance drifted into his nostrils.

Zhao Ruoan felt his heartbeat skip a beat.

He could feel that inside the body of the woman before him lay a terrifying power sufficient to destroy this heaven and earth.

At the same time, he also sensed a hint of curiosity and appreciation from her?

Yun Qinghan was also sizing up Zhao Ruoan.

At the age of fifteen, with the cultivation of the third layer of Body Refining and a third-grade Yellow Rank talent.

Mediocre, and one could even say quite poor.

Yet within such a body, a fifth-rank top-tier Sword Intent that even she found astonishing was nurtured.

This kind of Comprehension Ability, even in that Upper Realm where immortals and demons coexisted, was enough to be called "top-tier".

She had struck gold.

"You, would you be willing to take me as your master?"

Yun Qinghan spoke again, her voice still cold and detached.