Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite

The identity token of Haoran Sect was a dusky green jade plaque, its front engraved with the sect's emblem—a violet-edged cloud—and beneath it, the words "Haoran" carved in bold strokes. On the back were the holder's name and the peak they belonged to.

These tokens were crafted using divine sense, so the process was quick. From the smoothness of his movements, it was clear that Steward Zheng was well-practiced. Once he finished making all twenty-two tokens, he distributed them along with outer sect disciple robes, a sect rules jade slip, the "Refining Qi Art", five low-grade spirit stones, one bottle of Fasting Pills, and one bottle of Qi-Nurturing Pills—all essentials for beginners in cultivation.

Everyone carefully placed their items into their storage pouches, then followed Steward Zheng on foot to a neighboring mountain. This was where the outer sect disciples resided.

"All the houses in this area are vacant. Insert your identity token to claim a place. Each courtyard can house four people. Choose freely, but once you decide, it cannot be changed unless your cultivation advances," Steward Zheng explained.

Then, with a wave of his hand, he tossed a jade slip to each person and continued, "This slip contains the layout of the outer sect. There are training halls for cultivation, a dining hall, lecture halls—you can choose what to study based on your own needs.

"You have one year to adjust. If you cannot reach the third layer of Qi Refining within that time, you will be automatically demoted to servant disciples.

That said, you won't need to take on any sect tasks this first year. Focus solely on cultivating. After a year, you must start accepting missions. After all, the sect cannot provide resources for free.

This year is crucial. Use it not only to adapt to the cultivation environment but also to identify your strengths. Do not waste this time."

"Yes, Steward Zheng!" the disciples answered in unison.

Steward Zheng waved his hand. "That's all I need to say. You don't need to know too much just yet. If you have questions, ask at the Disciples' Hall. For now, go choose your residences."

Once Steward Zheng left, everyone began searching for vacant courtyards.

Wei Yunxi followed closely behind Wei Yunting. As members of the Wei family, of course they would live together. It was not only for mutual support but also to band together and avoid being bullied by senior disciples.

Wei Zonghao was the first to act. He quickly chose two adjacent courtyards and said, "These two are available. Let's split by gender."

Wei Yunting nodded, and the four girls chose the courtyard on the left. There were four slots in the wall by the door. Each of them inserted their identity token one after another. When all four slots turned green, the courtyard door opened automatically. Only then did they retrieve their tokens.

Wei Zonghao's group did the same, and the two groups entered their respective courtyards.

The small courtyard was square, with two connected rooms directly facing the gate, and one room each on the left and right sides. It wasn't large, only about a hundred square meters. In the middle grew a pear tree, and beneath it stood a jade table with four jade stools.

After looking around, Wei Yunting said, "You can choose your rooms first."

As the eldest, she always looked out for her younger sisters.

Wei Yunqing took the lead, choosing one of the main rooms at the front.

Wei Yunxi quickly picked the room on the left side. She had no desire to be neighbors with Wei Yunqing.

Wei Yunying didn't want to be next to Wei Yunqing either, so she chose the room on the right, directly opposite Wei Yunxi.

Seeing how things were going, Wei Yunting's eye twitched slightly. In the end, she took the remaining room, next to Wei Yunqing.

"We've all worked hard during the entrance assessment these past few days. Thankfully, we passed without bringing shame to the family. Rest for now. Tomorrow morning, we'll go to the dining hall together," she said.

"Alright, Sister Yunting."

None of the other three objected. They had been tense for days, enduring the pressure of the assessment, and their bodies were on the verge of collapse. After a few words, each of them went into their rooms and shut the doors.

The good thing about these houses was that they came equipped with isolation formations. Once the identity token was inserted into the slot inside, the formation would activate, ensuring privacy and preventing disturbances during cultivation.

The interior layout was simple. Upon entry, there was a main room, with the bedroom to the left and the cultivation room to the right. The furnishings—tables, chairs, stools—were all in place. If anything was lacking, they could add it themselves.

After taking in the setup, Wei Yunxi flopped onto the bed. She was far too exhausted to tidy up. Closing her eyes, she mentally reviewed the entire assessment process to check for any overlooked mistakes. This habit was deeply ingrained, a reflex of someone used to working hard to survive.

Fortunately, she found no obvious errors. Relieved, she fell asleep.

In contrast, Wei Yunqing didn't rest. She sat quietly, reflecting on her experience within the Mirror of Heart's Illusion. Something about it had felt too real, striking a strange chord of familiarity.

Yet certain details in the illusion didn't align with reality. For example, Wei Yunxi's spiritual roots, and the events of the entrance assessment. In truth, Wei Yunxi hadn't acted with them at all—and her results had been outstanding.

Wei Yunqing's brows furrowed slowly. Then, her eyes lit up with realization. She knew what to do next.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next morning, the eight members of the Wei family gathered once again outside their courtyard. The other new disciples also emerged, many choosing to follow the Wei siblings.

In unfamiliar territory, it was instinctual to stick with a strong group, and all eight members of the Wei family already had visible cultivation levels.

Twenty-two people set out in an imposing group and arrived at the outer sect's dining hall. It offered two free meals of standard food daily. If one wanted to eat spiritual meals, they had to pay with spirit stones.

As new disciples, most only had five low-grade spirit stones to their name, unless they came from backgrounds like the Wei, Feng, Liu, or Sun families. The rest were reluctant to waste even a single stone on food.

Wei Yunxi wasn't picky. Her priority was to fill her stomach, so she chose the basic spiritual rice porridge and steamed spirit buns, along with a free side dish. Once she had eaten, she planned to explore the outer sect and memorize the layout, so she wouldn't get lost later.

Wei Yunting had the same idea. She led the group through the entire outer sect, especially the places they'd visit often: the cultivation hall, lecture halls, dining hall, sparring arena, and the library.

This little tour took the whole day. Don't underestimate the outer sect just because of its name—it consisted of nine peaks. As newcomers, they were housed on the outermost one.

Each peak's spiritual energy increased the closer it was to the inner sect. The peak nearest the inner sect had the densest spiritual energy and was home to late-stage Qi Refinement disciples.

Wei Yunting encouraged everyone, saying, "Don't get discouraged. Once your cultivation improves, you'll be eligible to choose peaks with denser spiritual energy. This is a gradual process, but stay clear about your goals."

The others nodded in agreement. No one wanted to spend their whole life stuck on the outermost peak.

Just then, a stranger among the outer sect disciples scoffed and said with mocking tone, "Tsk, tsk. This new batch sure thinks highly of themselves. But let's see if they can actually back it up."

The group of rookies turned toward the voice. The speaker lifted his chin, his eyes full of challenge.