Gulp!
Sounds of nervous swallowing echoed among the 25 disciples as they watched Elder Bao exude a terrifying aura.
Xiao Ling stood by his side, looking helpless.
In the middle of the crowd, Rihai kept her gaze slightly lowered, trying not to draw attention, while thinking,
'When I saw him that time, when I first arrived at the sect, he didn't act much like a normal elder, but now he seems like the elders I remember, the ones usually seen.'
She pondered, though she had to admit she preferred the strange elders of the sect over the ones from other places who always carried that air of superiority and arrogance.
While she reflected, Bao Hui cast a firm glance at the helpless Xiao Ling, as if silently encouraging her, before turning his sharp eyes back to the disciples who shrank before him.
Xiao Ling's face began to blush, and Rihai noticed, feeling confused by the situation.
Xiao Ling then stepped forward, visibly embarrassed, and spoke, drawing everyone's attention.
"My master said he wants to teach you all a lesson."
At her words, all the disciples became serious and focused, prepared to receive teachings—and perhaps also to understand why the elder seemed so tempestuous.
But what she said next left them completely bewildered.
"In this world, everything comes down to interests. If you want a smile from others, you have to offer them something valuable, like spirit stones..."
She declared, extending a storage pouch with both hands and lowering her face in embarrassment.
The disciples stared at her in shock, then at the pouch, and finally at Elder Bao, who maintained a stormy expression.
Then the realization hit. The elder... wanted money!
But their expressions quickly turned awkward. He was a Golden Core cultivator from a wealthy sect like the Infinite Dao Sect. They had nothing valuable enough to please him.
That was when something flew in an arc and landed directly into the pouch.
Everyone saw it was a simple low-grade spirit stone and panicked.
They immediately began looking around for the madman who dared offend an elder by offering trash.
Before they could discover the culprit, they felt the elder's aura soften slightly, freezing them in place. Turning their heads stiffly to look at him, the disciples almost thought they were imagining things — but it really did seem like the elder was less angry.
A strange air spread among them, and they couldn't shake the feeling that they were overthinking.
But someone would soon confirm their suspicions.
Among the disciples, Little Brick—the one who had asked questions at the wrong time during Zheng Tao's announcement of the competition—recklessly tossed another spirit stone upon seeing that it seemed to work.
This time, everyone focused on the elder's face and saw that when the stone fell into the pouch, he looked even less angry, shocking them.
With someone taking the lead, more low-grade and even some mid-grade spirit stones were tossed into the pouch.
Little by little, Bao Hui's stern expression melted into a satisfied smile.
At that moment, the disciples stopped tossing stones and fell into a stunned silence.
'What a... cheap smile... in every sense of the word.'
They all thought in unison, dumbfounded.
Rihai was right there with them in that thought.
'Ugh… forget what I said. This elder is even stranger than I thought…'
She thought, torn between bitterness and amusement as she looked at Aotian — he had been the first to throw a spirit stone, and now he was watching everything unfold with a smile.
In the end, not even a thousand low-grade spirit stones were deposited into the pouch in total.
Considering there were 25 of them, even if each had offered that amount alone, it wouldn't even make a dent.
Since joining the Infinite Dao Sect and beginning to raid Foundation Establishment tombs — even though most of the items went to the sect — they still received a portion, which made them relatively wealthy.
Xiao Ling was utterly helpless before her new master's peculiar and stingy nature, though he was also easily satisfied.
Elder Bao had accepted her as a direct disciple a few days ago, making her the sect's first core disciple. The proof was in her new robes, which had changed from pure white — typical of an inner disciple — to white with golden accents, symbolizing her new status.
Because of this new status, she was now much closer to her master and increasingly familiar with his personality... and more helpless because of it.
Bao Hui stepped forward, took the storage pouch from Xiao Ling's hands, and observed it with satisfaction.
With a serious expression, he fished out a spirit stone and slowly extended it to his disciple.
The problem was... it was literally slowly.
Xiao Ling couldn't help but massage her forehead in frustration as she watched her master move the spirit stone one millimeter at a time toward her.
"Master, what is this spirit stone for?" she asked helplessly before he could finish extending his arm.
"This is your reward for your hard work. Your master won't leave you empty-handed when you do your part. So that no one says I, Bao Hui, am stingy."
He replied with determination, focused on the task, even biting his tongue — as if handing over a single spirit stone were a complex operation.
The girl didn't know whether to laugh or lament her master's peculiar behavior.
"There's no need, master. This stone will be more valuable in your hands."
She said with a helpless smile, already understanding a bit how her master operated and what to say to get out of such situations.
The stone and storage pouch vanished from his hands in the blink of an eye, as if they had never been there, and Bao Hui appeared with his hands behind his back and a satisfied smile on his face.
"I truly didn't make a mistake in choosing a disciple with such filial piety as you, Ling'er."
Bao Hui nodded in satisfaction and turned toward the disciples, who were still stunned by everything they had just witnessed about that peculiar — and apparently very stingy — elder.
'Uhh… the peculiarity of the Bao family that Aotian mentioned that one time probably refers to stinginess, right?'
Rihai thought, helpless, and was quite confident in her theory.
Bao Hui observed the disciples, still smiling, and nodded at them in satisfaction.
"First of all, I would like to extend my congratulations to all of you for becoming inner disciples."
He spoke, and the disciples struggled to leave behind the strangeness of earlier events. They cupped their hands and bowed, giving thanks.
"Becoming an inner disciple is truly something to celebrate. You will gain access to more advanced missions, better materials, and, upon joining a pavilion, more focused and effective teaching, as well as several other benefits you'll discover over time. But I hope all of you understand that becoming an inner disciple is not just about benefits, but also about responsibilities."
He looked at them, and the disciples kept their eyes steady and determined, already aware of this reality. Nothing came for free.
"Being an inner disciple means that, in a war, in the absence of an elder, you bear the responsibility of guiding your fellow disciples and bringing victory. Within the sect, the duty of being an example; outside of it, the duty of bringing glory."
His smile faded as seriousness took over his voice.
Xiao Ling, upon seeing her master turn serious and drop his playful tone, felt relieved.
All the disciples were focused, and their hearts began to beat faster.
"Have you ever wondered why outer disciples are called that? That name, specifically—is it because they are not part of the sect? But they are, aren't they? Is it because they're unimportant? But they are important, aren't they?"
He looked at the disciples, one by one. He saw confused gazes directed at him, but a few, like Hui Lang, who were older, seemed to show a look of understanding.
"The real reason they're called that is because they cannot represent the sect. They are part of the sect, but they are not its essence—they don't represent its legacy. Outer disciples are indeed important and actively contribute to the strengthening of the sect, but they cannot represent what the sect is out there—not entirely, at least. But you are different. When other sects or powers measure a sect, they first look at the strength of the elders, and then at the quality of the inner disciples."
His face grew even more serious, and he declared:
"Your responsibility is no small matter, and the sect will not allow you to fail in this duty. If you are not prepared to give your best and be an example among the outer disciples, and the face of the sect among outsiders, then leave now and return to being outer disciples. Because if you stay, and cannot fulfill your responsibility, the consequences will not be small."
He spoke with weight, and pressure once again fell on the disciples, even more intense than before.
But this time, none of them swallowed hard or shrank under the pressure.
On the contrary, they kept their gazes firm, fists clenched, and hearts resolute. Not a single one even considered walking out that door.
The pressure kept falling, and even as their legs began to tremble, they didn't flee.
Then, the pressure Bao Hui was emitting suddenly disappeared, and a cheerful smile returned to his face, making the disciples breathe deeply in relief, their racing hearts slowly calming as their legs steadied.
"Good determination. That prodigal old man Lie Zheng is bad at everything, but I still have to admit he's good at choosing disciples for the sect. These are your inner disciple items," he spoke with a smile, not forgetting to poke fun at Lie Zheng, the inner elder of the punishment pavilion, while rays of light flew from his storage pouch toward the disciples.
The rays of light landed in their hands, and what appeared were new tokens and white robes—the two symbols of inner disciples.
The disciples' eyes lit up as they held that coveted robe, and their hearts filled with happiness and fulfillment.
But the elder's next words froze them.
"You're also entitled to a salary of spiritual and elemental stones, and your first payment is already with me, but for some strange reason, these things got stuck in my storage pouch, and it will probably take some time for them to come out."
He smiled at them, winking innocently.
Xiao Ling held her forehead bitterly, seeing her master return to normal.