Su Bei looked at the large, yellow-brown pill in front of him, his mouth clamped shut.
His face displayed stubborn defiance, and his eyes shone with unwavering determination.
He just gazed at the woman in front of him, who was freely radiating her inherently delicate femininity.
What exactly this pill could do, he wasn’t sure. But Su Bei knew that if he took this pill, he was absolutely "done for."
"Bei Bei, just open your mouth, ah~~"
Su Bei was on the verge of tears.
The perfect curves outlined by the figure-hugging dress so close to him were, in his eyes, a suffocating source of wicked allure!
Last time that Eldest Senior Sister had shoved that Power Defying Poison Pill, dubbed "invulnerable to all poisons, as immoveable as diamond," into his mouth, he hadn’t felt the slightest bit invincible to poisons.
The group of Elders nearby watched the scene unfold without looking sideways, their expressions the epitome of integrity.
Clearly, they were very much accustomed to such spectacles.
Seeing that the two were still in a standoff, a man in a green shirt cleared his throat and said emotionlessly, "Ahem."
"Eldest Senior Sister, the meeting is urgent."
The woman lying on top of Su Bei blinked and gently stood up from him, as if suddenly realizing, said, "Oh! Little Xi is right! How could I forget something so important..."
Su Bei lay on the ground and, from this angle, could just make out the two generous mounds that resembled upside-down jade bowls.
They completely blocked off his view like an eclipse!
Su Bei wanted to turn his head away and retain some dignity, but alas, he was no saint.
Damn it, they’re blocking the view of my Eldest Senior Sister’s face. —I really just wanted to look at Eldest Senior Sister’s tender face!
Wenren Pingxin returned to her seat, looking at the eight Elders present.
Her eyes, now a stark contrast to her previous demeanor, turned serious as she began, "My fellow junior brothers and sisters!"
"As the Eldest Senior Sister of the Sword Sect, ever since the Sect Leader vanished without a trace, I’ve been serving as the acting Sect Leader."
"With my leadership, the development of the Sword Sect has become increasingly magnificent, intimidating the entire Twenty-One Provinces, rapidly flourishing, blossoming, and shining brightly, its business thriving, virtuous and honorable, a Sacred Land in the world..."
As the Fifth Elder of the Sect, Su Bei sat on a stool to one side, listening to Wenren Pingxin’s long-winded speech and curled his lip dismissively.
Good grief, if Master doesn’t come back soon, this woman will be the end of our Sect.
It seemed as though Wenren Pingxin noticed Su Bei’s distraction, so her eyes turned towards him, her brows furrowed, and she changed her tone, "However!"
"Under my wise leadership, there are still some in our Sect who are indolent in their practice, lacking ambition, and who sully the Sword Sect’s reputation with their salted-fish attitudes night and day! These are the vermin of our Sect!"
"Elders with a cultivation above the Late Stage of Divinity Transformation, please stand up."
As soon as Wenren Pingxin finished speaking, WHOOSH!
Instantly, everyone stood up, including Wenren Pingxin herself, all except for Su Bei.
Suddenly, Su Bei felt numerous burning gazes wandering over him.
Why is this chair behind me so hard? It’s not comfortable at all; it’s digging into my butt.
Su Bei, seeing the fleeting look of mockery in Wenren Pingxin’s eyes, couldn’t help but become furious!
This woman was doing it on purpose!
So he raised his voice and questioned, "Why stop at the Late Stage of Divinity Transformation?"
"Why not Mid Stage of Divinity Transformation?"
Wenren Pingxin, as if she had not heard, sighed and said, "My fellow junior brothers and sisters, please be seated."
"As Disciples of the Sword Sect, and even more so as Sword Sect Elders, we must not allow our cultivation to fall behind!"
"In the world of immortal cultivation, deceit and treachery are not uncommon, with murders and robberies happening frequently. Only by strengthening oneself can one ensure personal safety."
"Some people, for how many years now?"
"Have been stuck in the Mid Stage of Divinity Transformation, an awkward realm that’s neither high nor low, wasting their genius-like appearance. This time, I’m giving you face by not calling out your name directly."
"As the Eldest Senior Sister, I have the right to preserve the dignity of my junior brothers. Did you hear that, Su Bei?"
Su Bei said expressionlessly, "Heard it."
I thank you. I really do appreciate your concern for my self-esteem. But now, I have the ultimate disciple-recruiting system that grants up to ten-thousand-fold feedback! And I have a protagonist-template Disciple who looks like they know how to cultivate, one whose year of training is worth a hundred years of work for others—a genius Disciple! Sooner or later, she will be beneath me, for me to mold and knead as I please!
"Hahaha, Fifth Senior Brother!"
"You really should make an effort. Look at me—BURP!—I cultivate so diligently—BURP!—that’s how I’ve reached—BURP!—my current Early Stage Refining Void Realm!"
A long-haired man clad in a black robe looked at Su Bei and said with conviction.
Su Bei glanced in that direction and then casually said, "Oh."
"Thanks, Sixth Junior Brother."
If you washed your face, picked the sleep out of your eyes, and weren’t chugging wine from that jug bigger than your head, then maybe your words would carry more weight.
Jun Wuxie, in his black robe, winked at Su Bei and then patted the jug in his hand, making THUMPING sounds.
They communicated in a way only the two of them knew.
THUMP! THUMP, THUMP! THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
(Jun Wuxie: Did you brew that special strong liquor for me?)
(Su Bei: It’s brewed. A small bottle, I left it on the table in the room.)
THUMP, THUMP! THUMP! THUMP, THUMP, THUMP!
(Jun Wuxie: I’ll come to No-Sword Peak to get it from you later!)
Wenren Pingxin and the other Elders looked on bewilderedly as Su Bei exchanged glances and Jun Wuxie thumped his jug.
"Do you think there’s a possibility they’re communicating with each other?"
"Surely not, right? If they wanted to communicate, couldn’t they just send a telepathic message? Why use gestures and thump a jug?"
Then Wenren Pingxin coughed loudly, interrupting Jun Wuxie who was tapping his jug, and said with a stern expression, "The reason I have summoned all of you to the Sword Sect Main Peak is to announce a matter of great importance!"
Jun Wuxie quickly stopped tapping his jug.
Su Bei also looked at Wenren Pingxin with a serious expression.
They might jest at other times, but when Wenren Pingxin put on that expression, they knew something significant was about to be announced.
"It has been fifty years since we last recruited new Disciples!"
"We will once again hold the Sword Sect’s recruitment conference for the Twenty-One Provinces, which occurs once every fifty years!"
"This is a daunting task that concerns the future foundation of our Sword Sect!"
"Therefore, there must be no mistakes! Hence, this task must be entrusted to a very responsible individual, and..."
Su Bei nodded, along with the other Elders.
Yes, responsibility, exactly! And who knows if I can recruit another useful Disciple at this Sect’s upcoming new Disciple conference!