Originally, Wang Shouren had intended for Feng Yudie to stay in his own cave during these seven days of the selection trials.
After all, the Sect Master had instructed him to take care of Feng Yudie.
Besides, the conditions in the common lodging were miserable.
Fifty people squeezed into a room, and if even one or two people snored or had smelly feet, the room would immediately become unbearable due to the overwhelming stench.
However, since Mr. Qi had also instructed him to provide a good place for the two of them, Wang Shouren decided to get it right in one go. He led the two of them to the lodgings prepared for the inner disciples.
It was a spiritual area situated on the mountainside of the Sky Cloud Peak in the Profound Star Sect.
Within this spiritual area were ten recently built courtyard houses surrounded by numerous mature spiritual plants. The scenery was beautiful, and the spiritual energy was abundant. However, these courtyards seemed to be still under construction, with several Profound Star Sect artisans busy repairing and renovating them.
These courtyard houses were prepared for the disciples who had passed the selection trials.
Only those who ranked in the top ten in the trials were eligible to stay here.
Most disciples would be assigned lodgings on other peaks, with about four to six people sharing a room.
Inside the courtyards were top-quality pill furnaces and spirit fields for cultivating plants. The soil in these fields was taken from the spiritual land, providing sufficient resources for most Foundation Establishment stage cultivators’ daily needs.
After landing on the premises with his sword, Wang Shouren turned to Feng Yudie and said, “Feng Yudie, there are ten rooms here. You can choose any room to stay in until you reach the late Foundation Establishment stage. After that, the sect will allocate you a plot of land, and you can establish your own cave.”
“Ten rooms…”
Feng Yudie was briefly taken aback. She looked at Pei Lengxue next to her and smiled. Wasn’t this saying that she could share a room with Pei Lengxue for a long time to come?
Waking up together every day, having meals together, practicing together…
When Pei Lengxue felt tired from sword practice, she could give her a shoulder massage.
When Pei Lengxue wanted to bathe, she could help scrub her back…
“Ehehe… hehe…”
Pei Lengxue stared at her as if she was a fool, then asked, “Elder Wang, am I also staying here as a companion?”
“As long as Feng Yudie is willing, you can stay here with her. There are also lodgings prepared specifically for companions on the Moon Spring Peak…”
“I’m willing!” Feng Yudie hurriedly interrupted, “Senior Sister Pei, you can stay with me from now on. We can sleep together, practice together, eat delicious food together. It will be so nice.”
“… …”
Pei Lengxue stepped back from her with an expression of disdain.
For the past month and a half, this person had gone out of her way to please her, even barking like a dog when they first arrived on the mountain.
She felt that Feng Yudie was doing all this to get close to her senior brother. After all, her senior brother definitely liked her as a junior sister. If Feng Yudie wanted her senior brother to marry her, she would have to build a good relationship with her.
At this moment…
—”Elder Wang?”
Not far away, in front of one of the courtyard houses, a woman who had been practicing her sword noticed them. She put away her sword and walked over. She bowed to Wang Shouren.
The woman was around the same age as Pei Lengxue, with purple hair and golden eyes. She had two front and two back ponytails, and her clothes looked quite valuable.
She glanced at Feng Yudie and Pei Lengxue, then asked, “Elder Wang, why did you bring them here?”
“Ah…” Wang Shouren was a bit embarrassed. After all, arranging for Pei Lengxue and Feng Yudie to stay here was his way of helping them out. He simply said, “Mr. Qi asked me to find a better place for these two.”
“Mr. Qi said that?” The woman’s brows furrowed as she spoke seriously, “But this goes against the sect’s rules. Only the top ten in the selection trials are allowed to stay here.”
“Well… these two will definitely make it into the top ten.” Wang Shouren hesitated for a moment and replied, “I was just thinking of bringing them here early to stay. After all, you’re aware of the conditions in the common lodging.”
The woman didn’t seem convinced and retorted, frowning, “The Sword Trial and the Body Trial haven’t even started yet. How can you be sure they’ll make it through the selection?”
Though around the same age as Feng Yudie, her imposing aura was intimidating, leaving Wang Shouren momentarily unsure of how to respond.
“Well…”
“Elder Wang, did they come from prominent families and offer you gifts?” The woman fixed her gaze on Wang Shouren’s eyes, furrowing her brows. “Elder Wang, the Profound Star Sect’s selection only happens every five years, and you should know the rules. Accepting bribes is against the proper conduct. If the Elders find out, you’ll be heavily punished…”
Wang Shouren sighed and glanced at Feng Yudie and Pei Lengxue behind him. He leaned in and whispered, “Miss, it’s not just Mr. Qi. The Sect Master also asked me to take care of them.”
“Mother also asked you to take care of them…” The woman paused, then once again turned her gaze toward Feng Yudie and Pei Lengxue, furrowing her brows in confusion. She asked, “Why?”
“Well… you should ask the Sect Master about this matter, Miss.”
“… …”
The woman pursed her lips slightly, seeming quite displeased, but she didn’t say anything more. After giving Feng Yudie and Pei Lengxue another glare, she turned and walked back to one of the courtyard houses.
Once she had left, Feng Yudie approached and asked, “Elder Wang, who is she? She’s so pretty.”
“Pretty…” Wang Shouren was momentarily taken aback and replied, “Her name is Xiao Yunluo. She’s the young miss of the Profound Star Sect. In the future, you and her will be fellow disciples of the same generation. You can call her Senior Sister Xiao.”
Feng Yudie pursed her lips and nodded. She couldn’t help glancing at Xiao Yunluo’s courtyard house, but after a brief pause, she quickly averted her gaze. She then walked back to Pei Lengxue’s side with a cheerful smile and blinked at her.
“Sister Pei, she’s not as pretty as you.”
Pei Lengxue was puzzled. “I don’t care, why are you emphasizing it?”
“I don’t care~ It’s good that you don’t care! Hoo—” Feng Yudie let out a light sigh and broke into a silly grin. “Hehe~ Hehe~”
Wang Shouren, having regained his senses, continued to lead the two forward, while explaining, “Let me tell you some important points. Each courtyard house is equipped with top-quality pill furnaces…”
…
After settling Feng Yudie and Pei Lengxue, Wang Shouren returned to the academy and sat in meditation within the Spirit Gathering Array. As dusk fell and the written portion of the selection trials concluded, he was summoned by Qi Baishi to assist with grading the papers.
However, it was said to be helping with grading the papers, but in reality, he was solely responsible for grading the nearly ten thousand papers.
Qi Baishi would only select a few papers that interested him to grade.
Feng Yudie’s paper received a score of ninety-five from Qi Baishi, with five points deducted for her poor handwriting.
On the other hand, Qi Baishi gave Pei Lengxue a perfect score.
While Wang Shouren had anticipated that both of them would receive high scores, the perfect score was beyond his expectations.
In previous Profound Star Sect selections, no one had ever received a perfect score in the written portion.
After all, essays and philosophical debates didn’t have definitive answers like astrology, and to some extent, the scores depended on the grader’s mood.
Hesitating for a moment, Wang Shouren couldn’t hold back and advised, “Mr. Qi, isn’t it a bit inappropriate to give a perfect score? While the answers in these papers are indeed impeccable, maybe you shouldn’t give a perfect score, just deduct a few points.”
Qi Baishi put down the book in his hand, glanced at him, and said, “Hmph! I’m the one giving the scores. If anyone has an issue, they can come and talk to me personally.”
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