Chapter 115

Chapter 115: Joining Ninghua Sect and Taking Immortal Lord Chang Li as Master

Shen Sang Ruo took the Soulbond Lock from her Cosmos Pouch and held it up as she said: “I got this soul-spirited artifact. With it, we can repair Senior Brother Ye Huai’s Nether Shadow Sword.”

At once, Ye Huai looked up at her, lips parting slightly, eyes showing clear disbelief. The Soulbond Lock was one of the Flying Cloud Sect’s sect treasures. Even for them, getting it would take long planning and careful scheming. They had been ready to wait for years.

Shen Sang Ruo had given them a lead only a short while ago, and now, after one trip to the Flying Cloud Sect, she had already brought it back.

Seeing their shock, she explained in a light tone: “It wasn’t anything special. It was a lucky surprise. Shen Dao Chen wanted to give Bai Mu Mu a shortcut and made a new rule that the winner of a strength match could enter the Treasure Pavilion to pick a treasure. That let me take the Soulbond Lock easily.”

Compared to the trouble she went through to help Su Xi Yu and Song Wei Yan, this time took almost no effort.

Bai Ruo An rubbed his chin and sighed as he said: “Then Shen Dao Chen must be furious.” Shen Sang Ruo laughed and answered: “Not really. He was too busy worrying over Bai Mu Mu to think about anything else. Maybe he’ll realize later.”

“Thank you, Junior Sister.” Ye Huai’s usually cold eyes softened when he looked at her, full of true and steady gratitude. That was the power of Shen Sang Ruo. Her bright kindness always warmed the people around her, except for the hypocrites in the Flying Cloud Sect.

“There’s no need to thank me,” she said gently. She had joined the Ninghua Sect, so she was part of them now.

They were surprised for only a moment before they settled down again, even more certain in their hearts that Shen Sang Ruo was the Ninghua Sect’s lucky star. If not for her, they didn’t know how long they would have stayed in the gloom. Everything in the Ninghua Sect was changing because she had appeared.

She added honestly: “This is as far as I can help. I can’t do Artifact Forging, so I can’t repair the Nether Shadow Sword myself.”

“You’ve done more than enough. Leave the rest to me,” Daoist Wu Wei said with feeling. “I will repair Ye Huai’s Nether Shadow Sword.” As Sect Master, this was something he and Immortal Lord Chang Li should have been handling, but Shen Sang Ruo had taken it on herself. He felt a sting of guilt.

He thought for a moment, then a perfect idea popped into his mind: make her the Young Sect Master. She had great ability and real responsibility. She could carry big duties. And most important of all, with a Young Sect Master in place, he could lie down and slack off with a clear conscience. He muttered in his heart: [Hahaha, I really am a genius.]

Shen Sang Ruo didn’t know about Daoist Wu Wei’s little schemes. Her mind was still on the repair. She thought they would focus on fixing the sword right away once she showed the Soulbond Lock.

Instead, after a brief pause, they went right back to pushing her to prepare for the ceremony.

She looked left and right at the hands tugging her along and asked with puzzled eyes: “Shouldn’t we fix Senior Brother’s sword first?” Su Xi Yu and the others answered in unison: “Senior Brother’s sword can be fixed anytime. A short delay won’t matter.”

Even Ye Huai said steadily: “Junior Sister’s ceremony matters a bit more.”

They were joking, but they were serious too. They had to get their Junior Sister officially on the rolls first. Even though no outsiders were around, they still worried something might happen at the last minute. Their imaginations filled with countless would-be rivals, and they moved even faster.

Daoist Wu Wei urged from the side: “Yes, yes, yes, let’s prepare the apprenticeship ceremony, and we’ll hold the entrance ceremony at the same time.”

They escorted Shen Sang Ruo to the sect’s great hall, the place where every ceremony was held. She stopped when she saw the space already laid out to perfection and thought to herself that there wasn’t much left to prepare. Su Xi Yu flushed and admitted shyly: “We actually prepared both ceremonies long ago.”

“How long ago?” Shen Sang Ruo’s mouth twitched. She knew they wanted her to join the Ninghua Sect, but she hadn’t expected them to be this thorough. Bai Ruo An tilted his head, eyes half closed, and said slowly: “It wasn’t that early.” In truth, they had started planning the day she first came to the Ninghua Sect. They had even talked about getting a sack ready to kidnap her. It had been planned for a long time.

Immortal Lord Chang Li had wanted to pick an auspicious day, but under everyone else’s strong push, they held the two ceremonies the very next day.

Though the Ninghua Sect was no longer as prosperous as in the past and only a few people attended, the old rules of the rite still showed a trace of former glory.

She had once bowed to Master Ling Xiao as a child. Even then, he was already famous as the number one cultivator, and many people told her that he would be a great master and that she should cherish the chance to be his disciple. She had done so, and even as a child the whole scene burned into her mind.

Now, the things that happened on Thunder-Scale Peak felt far away, and those old memories of the rite had begun to blur.

She walked along the hall with steady eyes and firm steps, leaving those people and those stories behind her one measured step at a time. A faint smile curved her lips. Taking a master once more, her heart had changed. She knew clearly the character of each person here. This time, it was her own choice.

Daoist Wu Wei and Immortal Lord Chang Li sat at the head, and Shen Sang Ruo soon reached them. After she finished all the steps of the ceremony, Immortal Lord Chang Li gave her his Direct Disciple Token, a Phoenix-shaped badge, and said with a clear voice: “From today on, you are my fifth disciple. Since you enter my door, you must…” She listened quietly, and when he finished, she bowed with her hands cupped and said: “This disciple will remember Master’s teaching.” Then she accepted the Phoenix Token.

Daoist Wu Wei spoke next with a warm smile as he said: “I won’t say much. I trust your judgment. Here is the Ninghua Sect disciple token. Take it.”

“Thank you, Daoist Wu Wei,” Shen Sang Ruo said as she bowed again and reached out. Yet when she took the token from his hand, she realized it was not just a token at all.