Xiao Jie feigned surprise and said, "What’s going on with all of you?"
"What else could it be? The Taoists won’t accept us as disciples, damn it! I already have a Spiritual rating of 50, why won’t they accept me? If I can’t find a master, this character is going to be wasted."
"Brother, could you sell me a few steamed buns?"
"Great, here come two more competitors."
"I’ve been kneeling for a whole week now, and they still fucking won’t accept me. Isn’t this sincere enough?"
Xiao Jie was speechless inside. Relying on kneeling to request discipleship? That tactic must be long outdated.
However, he couldn’t help feeling tangled up inside. It seemed his chance of joining Xuanxu Palace was slim.
Xiao Jie sold a few steamed buns to the hungry guy, then proceeded to knock on the door, while those kneeling players all waited gleefully for him to make a fool of himself.
Bang bang bang! With the knocker sounding, the doors slowly opened.
Two Daoist Children appeared at the doorway.
"You people really don’t get it. The Palace Master had already said that Xuanxu Palace is not accepting any more disciples, our slots are full. What are you still doing here? I’m not going to let you in."
Xiao Jie smiled and said, "Esteemed Daoist, we’re not here to seek discipleship."
"Oh? Then what are you here for?"
Xiao Jie cleared his throat, and ’I Want to Be Immortal’ immediately said, "We accidentally killed a demon and obtained an unusual Magic Artifact from it. Because of its importance, we were hoping the Daoist could help us take a look."
"A demon? An unusual Magic Artifact? Please, follow me."
"Hey, why are you letting them in?" The players behind them immediately started making a ruckus, but the Daoist Child coldly snorted and, with a raise of his hand, enveloped everyone in an invisible Barrier. Suddenly the clamoring ceased, all around it became silent, and the players couldn’t make a single sound anymore.
"Heh, finally some peace. You two—please come in."
Xiao Jie and ’I Want to Be Immortal’ exchanged glances and followed the Daoist Child through the gates of Xuanxu Palace, wondering if they would successfully seek discipleship.
"Are you ready?" Xiao Jie asked.
"Ready!" ’I Want to Be Immortal’ clenched his teeth and allocated all 20 attribute points to Spiritual.
Xiao Jie did the same. Looking at his high Spiritual rating of 35 (including a +5 from the Phantom Spirit Pearl), Xiao Jie thought to himself that whether they would succeed depended on this moment.
Although the hope wasn’t great, they had to give it their best shot.
The two followed the Daoist Child towards the interior of the palace. Xuanxu Palace truly lived up to its name, with a grand scale. The entire Dao Palace was built according to the mountainous terrain, with three levels of buildings inside and out, and side halls to both the left and the right, along with independent towers and libraries, as well as large and small courtyards. The palatial atmosphere was majestic, with intricately carved beams and painted rafters. Along the way, they saw bustling Daoist Children and Taoists, and various NPCs coming and going without end.
Exotic Beasts could be seen everywhere.
The Taoists here didn’t look shabby like the Mad Taoist or the Foolish Taoist; instead, each one of them had an air of immortal grace and wore exceptional attire, and their Levels were even higher than the others.
And each one had their expertise, which could be seen from the titles of these NPCs.
There were those who taught Alchemy, Artifact Making, swordsmanship, Thunder Skill, talismans, Daoist Skill...
Just by seeing these Professional Trainers along the way, one could tell how awesome it would be to join Xuanxu Palace.
If these Magic Skills could be learned and brought into the real world, how amazing would that be! Simply learning one would be a thrill.
Now, this is what you call a Great Sect! So profound and deep-rooted!
The two were in awe and their eagerness to become disciples grew even more intense.
However, Xiao Jie also noticed something. Although there were many people in Xuanxu Palace, not a single player was to be seen—only NPCs.
Although it’s possible that players wouldn’t stay in the sect frequently, it also indicated that the number of players who could join Xuanxu Palace was undoubtedly very small.
The requirements to join seemed to be ridiculously high.
His confidence in succeeding was waning.
But ’I Want to Be Immortal’ wasn’t thinking that much and kept sending Xiao Jie private messages.
I Want to Be Immortal: Holy crap, this place is amazing! Feng, we absolutely have to join this time. I’m counting on you.
Hidden Moon Following Wind: ...You seem to have some misunderstanding about me. I’m not a god. I’ll just do the best I can, alright?
I Want to Be Immortal: You can do it, Feng! I believe in you!
Finally, they entered the main hall.
A handsome-looking Taoist sat floating in mid-air, surrounded by a clearly visible aura of Spiritual Power.
Master Qingfeng (Palace Master of Xuanxu Palace): Level 55 Sect Leader. Life Value 4800!
Wow, as expected of a true Master, level 55, the strongest NPC I’ve seen in the game so far.
Although Master Qingfeng was high-leveled, he spoke very kindly.
"My disciple tells me that you two have some matters to discuss with me. I don’t know what teachings you Returning Villagers might have for me."
’I Want to Be Immortal’ stepped forward and, following the script Xiao Jie had taught him, said, "To answer the Master, we encountered a demon on our adventure, and this treasure is what we obtained from the demon. I personally witnessed the demon using it to resurrect the dead. After discussing, we felt this item was extraordinary and should not be meddled with lightly, thus we sought a respected, virtuous, and highly skilled individual to examine it. That’s why we have come here. Esteemed Daoist, please take a look—this is the item."
’I Want to Be Immortal’ clicked to submit the Demon Talisman, extremely nervous.
Xiao Jie’s heart also raced in anticipation.
Master Qingfeng, however, remained very composed, glanced at the Demon Talisman, and nodded non-committally.
"Hmm, indeed it’s the work of that Evil Man. That Evil Man caused many disasters back in the day, and this Demon Talisman is one of them. You did well. Such evil items must not be left out in the world. By the way, besides this talisman, do you have anything else?"