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Chapter 826: Accepting Disciples

"Hello, here's our mission report."

After returning to the spatial shuttle layer with the help of Purple Wind Chime, and arriving back at their station in the Empire's Eleventh District, Yu Xinyue and the others swiftly compiled their mission records and submitted them to the Mission Management Center.

"AP-673 Squad, your assigned mission is... an S-rank mission?! Please wait, I need to contact my superior." The young lady at the Mission Management Center's front desk, who had been nonchalant, was startled by the vibrant red, S-rank characters that suddenly popped up on her screen.

Anything involving S-rank missions was beyond her authorization to handle.

However, she was also quite curious how a mere AP-prefixed squad could have received an S-rank mission.

Within the Empire's special operations hierarchy, AA was the strongest, with ranks descending from AA to AZ. AP was considered mid-to-lower tier.

...

"Please follow me, four of you." Not long after, a burly, bearded man, whose military uniform seemed on the verge of bursting from his muscles, appeared before them, his heavy footsteps thudding.

"His shoulders are thicker than my thighs..."

"As for what happens next, please ensure absolute secrecy, all of you."

?"

"How did the sky... turn dark again..." The four of them blacked out, fainting once more.

"I apologize deeply for having to bring you here in such a manner."

...

When they awoke again, Yu Xinyue found himself in a certain villa, with his other three teammates also lying on the sofas.

Relying on his limited knowledge, he barely recognized that burning on the villa's lamp stand was a precious Calming Incense.

This fragrance had an excellent calming effect; ordinary cultivators usually only sparingly used a bit of it during breakthroughs, after all, a single gram was worth the average annual income of a third-tier cultivator.

Yet, he hadn't expected the villa's owner to be so extravagant as to purely use it for room fragrance and ambiance.

"Captain, where are we..." After the other three woke up, they habitually gravitated towards Yu Xinyue, who had just regained consciousness.

"I don't know either, but I do have a vague conjecture..."

"Clap, clap."

From the staircase beyond the reach of the light, two sounds resembling claps suddenly echoed.

A figure, indistinct in the shadows, slowly approached from the distance.

A terrifying aura, even from a distance, already stifled the four, making it almost impossible to breathe.

"You four young fellows are quite impressive; you were the first to deliver the Historical Text into my hands."

"My mood is quite good today, so I'll offer you two choices: First, become my registered disciples. Second, forget everything that just happened, take your money, and scram."

"..."

"Senior, we are willing to become your registered disciples."

The four of them didn't even need to exchange glances; they made their choice directly.

Even Yu Xinyue, who had originally contemplated retirement, reluctantly agreed to option one.

After all, judging by the senior's tone, if they chose option two, there was a good chance they wouldn't leave alive.

Moreover, a faint conjecture had already formed in Yu Xinyue's mind: this enigmatic senior was very likely the true owner of Purple Wind Chime, a genuine True Immortal.

Being able to clasp such a mighty thigh—even if it was just as a registered disciple, and even if what they clasped was merely a strand of leg hair—the world would instantly become different.

Ultimately, his discouragement with cultivation stemmed solely from his inability to advance; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make an inch of progress. If there truly was still an opportunity, he didn't want to live the rest of his life like a salted fish.

"Very good."

Hearing this reply, all four let out a sigh of relief, knowing they hadn't answered incorrectly on a question of life and death.

"Inside, there's a cultivation method; study it thoroughly. I'll give you one day to settle your affairs. Someone will come to pick you up at this time tomorrow.

Huli, take them away."

From the darkness, four storage rings flew out, accurately landing on the middle finger of each of their right hands.

"Yes, Master."

The bearded man in military uniform, whom they had seen once before, quietly emerged from the villa's main entrance, appearing to have been waiting outside all along.

"Junior brothers, please follow me."

"Senior... brother?"

...

"Alright, let's go grab some skewers." After leaving the villa, Huli immediately seemed like a completely different person. "We can drink and chat."

"..."

"Master seems to have grown stronger again. Last time, his pressure wasn't so overwhelming. Could this Black Magic truly be so miraculous?" Huli muttered to himself before getting into the car.

"Senior Brother Huli, this..."

"I know you're all very curious. Master is the president of our Magic Guild..."

"Magic Guild? Is that the Magic Guild from the news twenty years ago?" Du Nai asked, startled.

"That's right, the very Magic Guild that drove out the previous Imperial Speaker." Huli mentioned this with obvious pride.

During the last coup led by Ke Mo against Ji Er Ke Fu, Ke Mo and Ji Er Ke Fu both ended up severely wounded, and both vanished from public view.

The Magic Guild, an organization under Ke Mo's command, was consequently placed on the Empire's blacklist.

However, it was merely a symbolic blacklist, accompanied by a casual issuance of a few dozen arrest warrants; even those who issued them didn't expect them to be of any use.

Without Ji Er Ke Fu's personal leadership, no one was willing to exert all their effort to openly oppose a major force still backed by a True Immortal.

The Empire, after all, was decentralized, an empire belonging to its lords.

Furthermore, Ji Er Ke Fu had held the position of Imperial Prime Minister for too many consecutive terms, and others had long been discontent.

Ke Mo became the lightning rod in this matter, and with both him and Ji Er Ke Fu severely wounded, it was simply the best possible outcome for them.

...

"Next, I will explain the rules set by Master.

Master has fifteen formal disciples and eighty registered disciples. If any of you can reach the Five Tiers and obtain noble status, you can be promoted from registered disciple to formal disciple.

Registered disciples gather once a year, on March fifteenth, and Master will come to answer questions regarding cultivation. All other times, you are free to act as you wish."

"..."

"Then why the need for such secrecy..."

"What if, what if one of you had chosen option two, I would have to..."

"..."

"After agreeing to become Master's registered disciples, you will be bound by an oath of secrecy. If anyone tries to speak carelessly, I'm sure no one would want to know the consequences."

"..."

"So, now we're all family. Come on, let's eat some grilled kidneys." Huli said this, then opened his gaping maw and crammed several still-undercooked skewers of kidneys into it all at once. "These are first-grade Cloud Sheep kidneys; you won't find them at outside barbecue stalls."

Through the slightly blood-streaked teeth in Huli's large mouth, Yu Xinyue basically confirmed that this senior brother was a genuine, high-level Tiger Demon.

Of course, the Empire did not discriminate against the demon race; at least on the surface, they were not shunned. The demon race that followed the Four Holy Beasts also possessed equal citizenship rights within the Empire.