I forge immortality with a pagoda.

Upon hearing this, the old man named "Old Man Jian" turned his gaze to Shen Yu and looked him up and down.

Then, completely ignoring Mo Lin, he said indifferently, "Where did you come from, kid?"

Mo Lin, who had been left standing to the side, seemed to be used to it. He could only purse his lips helplessly, straighten up on his own, and silently retreat to the side with a bitter smile on his face.

Shen Yu stepped forward and bowed respectfully, "Junior Shen Yu greets Daoist Jian. Junior comes from the Kingdom of Yu."

"Yu Guo... Yu Guo..."

The old Taoist priest scratched his messy hair, his brows furrowing tightly.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh. "Ah! I remember now! It's that small country on the southern border. Such a tiny place, with scarce spiritual energy and a remote location, it's said that for many years, not even a decent sect has been willing to accept it as a vassal. It's thousands of miles away from my Lu Jing Sect's mountain gate, a truly distant place!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Lin's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he wanted to say something, but he held back in the end, only secretly glancing at Shen Yu to see how he would react.

Although Shen Yu felt a pang of bitterness in his heart, he remained outwardly calm and composed.

Seeing that Shen Yu remained calm and composed despite his words, a hint of surprise flashed in Jian Laodao's eyes.

He had already said so much, intending to test the young man's character, but the young man didn't even flinch. Such composure and temperament are rare among young cultivators.

"Young man, how old are you now?" the old Taoist priest asked suddenly, picking up his pen.

"I am already eighteen years old."

"When did you begin your spiritual practice?"

"At the age of twelve."

"What kind of cultivation technique do you practice?"

...

Master Jian bombarded him with questions, relentlessly pursuing the truth. He inquired about everything from his origins, years of cultivation, the techniques he practiced, and the spells he was skilled in, to whether he was proficient in all the arts of cultivation. He wanted to know the details of everything.

Shen Yu had already prepared his explanation, so he was calm and composed, answering questions fluently. He told the truth when he needed to, and cleverly glossed over what needed to be vague, leaving no room for error.

After getting a general understanding of Shen Yu's background and recording it all, Old Daoist Jian slowly took out a thick jade book from beneath the mountain of files.

This jade book is warm and smooth all over, with an inner spiritual light. The pages are neither paper nor silk, but made of spiritual jade.

The jade book was covered with tiny, dense characters, as fine as mosquitoes, and adorned with countless mysterious runes, their spiritual light shifting and changing, exuding a natural Daoist charm.

An ordinary person would feel their senses wavering, their head spinning, and would find it difficult to look at for long after just one glance.

The old Taoist searched through the jade book and finally found a gap. He concentrated a wisp of true qi in his fingertip, forced it out three-tenths of its length, and used his finger as a knife to carve Shen Yu's name onto the jade book.

After the inscription was finished, Jian Xiuyong lowered his arm and said, "You were admitted to the sect through exceptional means based on your superior true qi. According to the sect's rules, you should be directly recorded in the list of inner disciples."

"I have already registered your name, place of origin, age, cultivation level, and type of true qi you cultivate in this supplementary register of the 'Lu Jing Immortal Register'."

"From this day forward, you are considered an inner disciple of my Lu Jing Sect. If you wish to leave the sect in the future, or if your cultivation advances to the level of a true disciple, you will need to come back to me to have your name added to the register."

"This junior understands, thank you Senior Jian." Shen Yu bowed in thanks.

Seeing that Jian Xiuyong had finished speaking and then bent down to write on another scroll, seemingly having nothing else to do, he wisely refrained from disturbing him further.

He exchanged a glance with Mo Lin, who was waiting nearby, and the two quietly left Dianxing Pavilion.

After the two had walked several miles away and confirmed that they were far from the area of ​​the Star Point Pavilion, Mo Lin whispered, "That old man Jian, despite his many years of cultivation, still has such an eccentric and aloof temperament. I only damaged a few precious spiritual herbs in his herb garden, and he has held a grudge against me for three whole years. To this day, he refuses to say a single word to me."

Shen Yu smiled and said, "Given Pavilion Master Jian's temperament, the fact that he's only refusing to speak to you and hasn't thrown you out is already a good outcome."

Mo Lin shook his head with a wry smile, "Senior brother is absolutely right."

Immediately, he composed himself and continued, "Senior Brother Shen, now that the roster has been filled in, I will take you to the Inner Affairs Hall to collect your allowance as an inner disciple, including a Daoist robe, identity jade token, sect rules book, basic pills, and the key to your temporary residence, as well as other miscellaneous items."

"Thank you for your trouble, Junior Brother Mo." Shen Yu nodded slightly.

As a newcomer to the area, unfamiliar with both people and place, he was naturally happy to have someone guide him, saving him the trouble of figuring things out on his own.

Although the introductory process seemed complicated, it went very smoothly under Mo Lin's guidance.

In just over half a day, Shen Yu successfully received his monthly allowance of spirit stones and pills as an inner disciple from the various gatekeepers of the Internal Affairs Hall, several sets of purple Daoist robes embroidered with the Lu Jing Sect's emblem, an identity jade tablet engraved with his name and divine sense imprint, a thick book of sect rules, and other miscellaneous items required for a new disciple.

However, when it came to the most crucial step of allocating exclusive cave dwellings, they encountered unexpected trouble.

Inside a side hall of the Imperial Household Department, Xu Sidan, the steward in charge of this matter, was frowning and tapping his fingers lightly on the table, feigning a very troubled expression.

After a long silence, he sighed and said to Shen Yu, "Alas! Junior Nephew Shen, it's not that your uncle is unwilling to arrange a fine cave dwelling for you. It's just that..."

Shen Yu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is Senior Uncle Xu facing any difficulties?"

"You were introduced by your junior disciple Yue Ling. Now that your junior disciple Yue Ling has not returned, it is still unclear who your master is."

"If I were to take it upon myself to arrange for you to be placed under a certain spiritual peak, and the chosen location did not suit Junior Sister Yue Ling's wishes, thus displeasing her, I, your senior uncle, would be absolutely unable to bear that responsibility."

Mo Lin spoke up before Shen Yu could, saying, "Senior Uncle Xu, isn't there a temporary cave dwelling where Senior Brother Shen can stay and cultivate temporarily? It would be too unfair to make a disciple with Senior Brother Shen's talent live in that mixed-up lower courtyard!"

"Wronged?"

Kui Yuling, who had been standing by and listening, let out a cold snort.

"Junior Brother Mo, you make that sound so easy! If, in order to curry favor, this Senior Brother Shen were to accidentally join another elder's sect, thus angering Senior Sister Yueling, could you bear the responsibility?"

"Or do you think that Senior Uncle Xu should bear the brunt of Senior Sister Yue Ling's questioning because of your momentary kindness?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Lin was speechless and ultimately dared not argue any further.

Seeing this, Shen Yu simply said, "Senior Uncle Xu, I am new here and should naturally follow the sect's rules. Whether I stay in the cave or temporarily reside in the lower courtyard, I have no objection and will leave it entirely to Senior Uncle Xu to arrange."

Seeing Shen Yu's attitude, Xu Sidan smiled with satisfaction and stroked his beard, saying, "Junior Nephew Shen is so considerate of his elders' difficulties and puts the overall situation first. Very good, very good! Rest assured, the residence in the Lower Courtyard, No. 1, is in a quiet and secluded environment, and the spiritual energy there is far superior to that outside. It will not hinder your cultivation too much."

After saying that, he took out a book and searched through it for a long time before finally choosing a place.

"Junior Nephew Shen, how about I temporarily arrange for you to stay in courtyard number 16, Jia, at the southeast foot of Lanxiu Peak?"

"Courtyard No. 16, Jia?"

......

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