Mortal: Fairy Song Yu has issued you a task.

Chapter 116 Joining as a Guest Officer

Yinxian Pavilion is located in the core area of ​​Kuixing Island's main city. It is a magnificent seven-story pavilion covering a vast area.

According to outsiders, this pavilion was built on the original site of the demon-suppressing platform.

At this moment, the area in front of the pavilion was bustling with people, and cultivators of all kinds were coming and going. Judging from their aura and cultivation level, most of them were at the late Foundation Establishment stage, and there were even a few pseudo Core Formation stage cultivators among them.

However, most of those who came out of the pavilion looked dejected, and many shook their heads and sighed.

Lin Jingchu and Song Yu walked into the pavilion side by side. The hall was extremely spacious, and the floor was paved with a jade-like material, reflecting the soft light of the bright pearls inlaid on the ceiling.

There were more than ten cultivators in the hall, and the moment the two stepped in, they attracted a lot of attention.

The man, dressed in a blue robe, stood tall and straight, with bright eyes and sharp eyebrows, exuding an air of grandeur. The woman beside him was exceptionally beautiful, her slightly chubby cheeks softening her aloof demeanor; the two complemented each other, making it even more captivating.

Lin Jingchu's gaze swept across the hall and saw a row of long sandalwood tables on the left side of the hall. Several disciples of the Three Immortals Sect, dressed in uniform blue and white robes, were behind the tables, responsible for receiving and registering guests.

The two walked straight ahead. One of the younger cultivators looked up, a professional smile on his face: "Fellow Daoists, are you here to apply for the position of Guest Elder? What position are you interested in?"

Lin Jingchu cupped his hands and said, "We two are interested in becoming guest elders of the Hundred Arts. May I ask which positions are still available for our recruitment?"

Upon hearing this, the young cultivator showed a perfectly timed apology: "Fellow Daoists, you have arrived a little late. There has been an overwhelming response to this recruitment. Currently, there are only one vacancy remaining in each of the various crafts: formation, weapon crafting, and alchemy."

"If either of you possesses this skill, you may accompany me to the side hall to participate in the assessment."

"Thank you for leading the way, fellow Daoist."

The young monk rose and led the two through a quiet corridor into a side hall.

After some time, the three stepped out of the palace gates again.

At this moment, the young cultivator's face was adorned with an even more enthusiastic and sincere smile.

He exclaimed in admiration, "I never imagined you two fellow Daoists possessed such profound knowledge! Those questions just now were challenging even for some of our senior brothers who specialize in this field, yet you handled them with ease. It has truly broadened my horizons!"

Although the assessment was difficult, it was naturally no problem for Lin Jingchu and Song Yu.

At this moment, each of them had a white jade pendant about half the size of a palm hanging from their waist.

The front of the jade plaque is engraved with the characters "Three Immortals" in ancient seal script, while the back is inscribed with the four characters "Guest of a Hundred Arts".

Besides symbolizing his status as a guest retainer, this token also has the function of simple teleportation.

Considering that they were new to the Chaotic Star Sea and unfamiliar with its alchemy system, which mainly uses demon beast cores as materials, as well as its spiritual plants, Lin Jingchu and Song Yu chose weapon crafting and formation techniques respectively.

As they strolled along the corridor leading back to the main hall, the young cultivator initiated a conversation, saying, "My name is Lu Fengzhi. May I ask how you two fellow cultivators are addressed?"

"Lin Jingchu".

"Song Yu".

Lu Fengzhi smiled and said, "So it's Fellow Daoist Lin and Fellow Daoist Song. Now that you two have passed the assessment and become guest elders of our sect, you are entitled to choose a high-quality cave dwelling on the island, as is customary. Please follow me to the sect to handle the relevant matters and receive the cave dwelling restriction token."

"That's excellent, thank you for your help, Steward Lu." Lin Jingchu readily agreed.

The three immediately left the Immortal Guiding Pavilion, each riding their own magical artifact, transforming into three streaks of light, and flew towards Tianzhu Peak, the highest and most majestic and precipitous mountain in the southern part of Kuixing Island.

Before long, a group of magnificent palaces with flying eaves and brackets came into view on the mountainside of Tianzhu Peak. This was the branch of the Three Immortals Sect on Kuixing Island.

Three streaks of light descended upon a broad bluestone platform in front of the palace complex. Lu Fengzhi led the two directly into a side hall with a plaque bearing the inscription "Yuheng Hall".

The hall was quite deserted, except for one table behind which a round-faced, slightly chubby cultivator was lazily leaning back in a large armchair. Judging from his cultivation level, he was at the late Foundation Establishment stage.

The round-faced cultivator slowly sat up straight as the three approached, his gaze casually sweeping over them.

However, when his gaze swept past Lin Jingchu and landed on Song Yu beside him, his lazy gaze suddenly paused, lingering for a moment on Song Yu's beautiful and refined face before quickly shifting back to Lu Fengzhi, who was at the head of the group.

"Junior Brother Lu, are these two the newly recruited guest elders today?" He asked in a drawn-out tone, with a hint of nonchalance.

Lu Fengzhi approached the table and respectfully said, "Senior Brother Kong, this Fellow Daoist Lin has passed the assessment for the Refining Guest Elder, while this Fellow Daoist Song has passed the assessment for the Formation Guest Elder. They have come to receive the cave dwelling restrictions and register them."

A glint flashed in the eyes of the man surnamed Kong, and he said slowly and deliberately, "Since you are newly appointed guest elders and are also in-demand talents in weapon crafting and formations, you should be properly settled. There happen to be two excellent cave dwellings vacant on Tianzhu Peak, rich in spiritual energy and with beautiful scenery. What do you two think?"

As he spoke, he took out two light blue jade talismans from his storage bag and pretended to hand one of them to Song Yu.

Lin Jingchu stepped forward, positioned perfectly in front of Song Yu, his expression calm and his tone indifferent: "Steward Kong is very kind. However, we are indeed Daoist partners, and it is sufficient for us to live in the same cave dwelling; there is no need for two. I would be grateful if Steward Kong could provide me with a list of the cave dwellings currently available on Tianxiao Peak for my perusal."

Upon hearing this, Song Yu, standing behind him, subtly raised the corners of her lips, but inwardly scoffed: Men. Just now in the teahouse, she addressed that Fairy Yuan as "Senior Sister."

The cultivator surnamed Kong froze in mid-air as he handed over the jade talisman, his expression darkening slightly. He then coldly withdrew the talisman.

He then took out a jade slip from under the table, casually tossed it onto the table, and said in a lazy and impatient tone, "Here is a list of the vacant cave dwellings on Tianxiao Peak. Take a look yourself. Let me know when you've chosen one to register."

Lin Jingchu seemed oblivious to his attitude, picked up the jade slip, and probed it with his divine sense. After a moment, he said, "Tianxiao Peak, Guanhai Pavilion. This place suits me perfectly, so I'll trouble Steward Kong to register it."

The cultivator surnamed Kong snorted lightly and said nothing more. He took a blank jade disc, recorded the information, and then took out a jade talisman from the drawer to control the cave's restrictions, casually tossing it onto the table.

Lu Fengzhi, feeling somewhat embarrassed, quickly led Lin Jingchu and the other away from the Jade Balance Hall. Once outside the hall, he whispered, "Please don't be offended, fellow Daoists. Senior Brother Kong—that's just his nature. I'll take you to the Sea-Viewing Pavilion on Tianxiao Peak now."

The three of them once again mounted their magical artifacts, traversing through the light clouds, and flew towards the solitary, precipitous peak that rose from the sea to the east of Kui Xing Island, nearly a thousand feet high.

During their flight, Lin Jingchu casually asked, "That fellow Daoist Kong from earlier seems to hold a rather high position in your sect?"

Lu Fengzhi hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Senior Brother Kong is the nephew of a fake Nascent Soul elder in the sect. He acts—well, somewhat casually. He came to the Kui Xing Island branch this time because he had a disagreement with one of the sect leader's personal disciples. In order to avoid the limelight for the time being, he volunteered to come here."

"Even the nephews and nieces of Elder Jianying need to give way to a direct disciple like this?" Lin Jingchu asked with a hint of curiosity.

Lu Fengzhi: "Ahem, Senior Brother Kong is just one of the many nephews and nieces of that fake infant elder, while that personal disciple—possesses the aptitude of a Heavenly Spiritual Root and is highly valued by the sect leader. Their statuses are naturally incomparable."

After saying that, he fell silent, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter further.

Having obtained the information he wanted, Lin Jingchu stopped asking questions.

He was a spoiled brat who had lost power within the sect and was "exiled" here, while the two of them were merely guest retainers with minimal constraints. If a conflict were to break out, they could simply leave.