CHAPTER 71: SKY BLOSSOM PAVILION II

Tian Lei let the silence hang for a moment, the weight of their stares pressing on him. Then, with a small cough, he waved a hand as if brushing away smoke.

"Let’s leave that aside," he said, voice even. "I’m more curious—what’s the normal procedure to enter the sect? Surely not everyone just bumps into Grand Elders on the road."

The question jolted the table back into motion.

Meng Shen blinked, then gave a dry laugh. "Normal? Ha! If you want to get in the usual way, you first have to pass the Outer Sect trials. Those alone weed out nine out of ten hopefuls. Spirit root tests, martial comprehension assessments, endurance trials—you name it."

Xiao Rou nodded, fingers tapping lightly against her bowl. "And even if you do pass, you start as nothing more than an Outer Disciple. From there, you need years of sweat and blood before anyone even looks your way. Inner Sect disciples? Elite disciples? That’s another world entirely."

Gao Fei leaned in, smirking, though his tone carried an edge of envy. "Basically, the rest of us fought tooth and nail just to claw our way into the lowest rung. You? You skipped the ladder entirely. Straight from the ground to the heavens."

Xiao Rou shot him a glare, but sighed. "It’s true. To have the Grand Elder personally extend an invitation... that’s not just a shortcut. That’s the sect declaring you untouchable."

Wei Zhen finally set his cup down, his eyes on Tian Lei. "Still, to answer your question directly—yes. Normally one must go through the trials, then endure years of competition and culling. For you, though, those rules no longer apply."

The table quieted again, though this time their looks at Tian Lei carried a new mixture—respect, curiosity, and just the faintest tremor of unease.

Xiao Rou finally exhaled, rolling her eyes as if to push away the pressure in the air. "Well, you’re lucky. You got waved in by the Grand Elder himself. The rest of us? We scraped our way through just to earn Inner Sect status after years of grinding. We’re still nowhere near where it matters."

She leaned forward, her chopsticks tapping the rim of her bowl. "Don’t get me wrong—we’re Inner Sect disciples, yes, but that’s only the start. To even dream of touching the Core Sect, we’ve got to climb tooth and nail. That’s when the elders start noticing you, when you might be considered for personal discipleship. Until then? We’re just names on a roster."

Meng Shen grumbled, stabbing at his food. "Yeah. Outer Sect to Inner Sect is one wall. Inner to Core? That’s like crossing a canyon. Most never even get a glimpse."

Gao Fei gave a helpless laugh, but his eyes flicked to Tian Lei again. "Meanwhile, you... you skipped every wall, every canyon, every trial. You’re already standing where we’re still clawing toward."

Wei Zhen’s voice cut through quietly, calm but sharp. "Core Sect is the gateway to true power within the sect. Only there do the great elders take direct disciples. For the Grand Elder to personally extend his hand..." He paused, the implication heavy in the silence. "...You’re already on a path the rest of us can only aspire to."

"He is beyond that, he is the disciple of the Sect Master herself," Xiao Rou added with a knowing nod, her tone halfway between awe and disbelief. "That’s a place we can’t even dream of reaching."

Her eyes narrowed as curiosity took over. "Speaking of it... how did you become the disciple of the Sect Master? I mean, her soul-ensaring divine physique—rumors say she can bind anyone with just a single word. Even women aren’t spared. Yet you spend the most time with her, and you’re still... well, sane."

All eyes pinned Tian Lei again, waiting, half-expecting his answer to unlock some impossible secret.

Tian Lei’s expression didn’t so much as flicker. He raised his cup and sipped calmly before answering, "I have a special physique. It negates her influence."

The words fell like a stone into a still pond.

"...No wonder," Wei Zhen murmured at last, his face tightening with both relief and respect. "That explains everything."

He leaned forward, voice dropping lower. "You know, my elder brother... he was nearly accepted as the Sect Master’s personal disciple once. From Sword Peak. He failed the final trial—but it wasn’t just failure. He was charmed. Twisted. His whole heart was swallowed by her presence. He hasn’t been the same since."

Meng Shen gritted his teeth, the memory obviously bitter. "My brother’s the same. A sword idiot—his life is the blade, nothing else. Yet the Sect Master only had to glance at him once, and... he hasn’t been able to forget it. He calls her name even in his sleep."

The table grew quiet again, everyone unconsciously glancing at Tian Lei, who sat untouched by the very curse that had ruined countless geniuses.

Xiao Rou gave a small, almost forced laugh. "So it’s true... you’re immune to her. That makes you not just her disciple, but maybe the only one who can even stand at her side without losing yourself."

The silence stretched, thick and weighty. Chopsticks stilled, bowls cooled, and yet none of them could quite look away from Tian Lei.

Wei Zhen finally gave a dry laugh, though there was no humor in it. "Hah... to think, the Sect Master herself takes disciples, and you—not even from Sword Peak, not even from a famed clan—end up with that seat." His words weren’t openly hostile, but the sharp edge beneath them was hard to miss.

Meng Shen’s jaw tightened. "Do you know how many people would kill for that chance? How many have died chasing it?" His eyes lingered on Tian Lei, not with malice, but with the dangerous weight of envy held barely in check.

Xiao Rou frowned, shooting them both a glare. "What are you two doing? Acting like jealous brats won’t change anything. He earned her recognition." She turned back to Tian Lei, her tone softer now. "...Even if it was by chance, even if it was fate."

Tian Lei set his cup down lightly, his gaze calm, almost distant. "Titles, positions... they don’t matter as much as you think. Being her disciple isn’t a blessing without cost. You’d understand if you stood in my place."

Those words sank deeper than they expected. A faint chill lingered in the air, as though behind his calm tone lay a shadow no one at the table dared to prod further.

For a moment, no one knew what to say. Then, trying to break the tension, Xiao Rou cleared her throat and smiled faintly. "Well, whatever the truth... at least you’re still human enough to sit here and eat hotpot with us."

The heaviness dissolved with Xiao Rou’s remark, and soon the bubbling pot reclaimed their attention. The rich aroma of broth and spices rolled through the air, demanding focus.

Wei Zhen leaned forward, fishing out a perfectly cooked piece of meat and plopping it onto Meng Shen’s plate. "Here. Eat. Maybe if your mouth is full, you won’t sound so sour."

Meng Shen snorted, glaring at him before snapping his chopsticks like a predator and stealing the meat back into his own bowl. "Tch. Don’t act like a benevolent sister, you just want me too full so you can hog the good cuts."

"You noticed?" Wei Zhen grinned, already dipping another slice into the broth.

Xiao Rou burst out laughing, waving her chopsticks like a fan. "Both of you are hopeless! If you really want the best, you should let me handle the order. Clearly, I’m the only one here with refined taste."

"Refined taste? You’ve been stealing the mushrooms from everyone’s bowl," Wei Zhen shot back.

"That’s strategy, not stealing," Xiao Rou corrected with a smug grin. "Mushrooms absorb flavor! They’re the heart of hotpot. You amateurs wouldn’t understand."

Through it all, Tian Lei sat back, silent for once, watching them squabble over vegetables and meat with the faintest curve at the corner of his lips. He finally reached in, scooping out a dumpling before anyone else noticed.

Xiao Rou’s sharp eyes caught it immediately. "Ah! I was saving that one—"

But Tian Lei calmly dipped it into his sauce, completely unbothered. "You said mushrooms are the heart of the hotpot, didn’t you? Then you won’t miss a dumpling."

That earned a round of laughter from the table, the earlier weight forgotten in the warmth of bubbling broth, playful words, and clinking chopsticks.

The laughter lingered even after Xiao Rou huffed and guarded her bowl like a dragon protecting its hoard.

Wei Zhen leaned back with a satisfied sigh, sipping the broth straight from his ladle. "You know... moments like this almost make me forget the sect drills and midnight meditations. Almost."

"Almost," Meng Shen echoed dryly, though there was a tiny smirk tugging at his lips. He jabbed at the broth with his chopsticks. "Enjoy it while it lasts. Once we start climbing toward the Core Sect, this kind of free time will vanish."