"Not quite. But you know the rules, disciples must complete a mission once a year to remained within the inner court cave."
Chen Lian nodded.
From his understanding, this young lady, Lin Xue, was a cultivation fanatic.
Normally, she would be in seclusion all year round. This trait is admirable. Being diligent is a good thing.
Among the many inner court disciples, Lin Xue was the most good-natured one.
"These few youths are my batch of recruitment, help me register their name, age, and cultivation realm."
"Yes, Elder Chen."
With that said, Chen Lian turned to look at the crowd behind him, his voice was stern as he stated.
"Form a line, one by one, say your name, age, and cultivation stage."
He paused for a second, then warned as he walked to the other side.
"Do not lie about your age or cultivation, it will only harm you!"
"Yes, Elder Chen!" They replied, only Shi Jing remained silent.
One by one, they came up.
Seeing their appearance, Lin Xue let out a pleasant smile, captivating their heart instantly.
Each one of them took their time to say their name, age, and cultivation.
Some even had the gall to ask her many unrelated questions.
Seeing this, Chen Lian sighed helplessly before reprimanding them.
Meanwhile, Lin Xue didn't take it to heart and giggled at their shameless behavior. In the end, they were just kids in her eyes.
However, due to their behavior, the process took longer than expected.
Finally, it was Shi Jing turn.
Being the last one to come up, naturally, everyone placed their attention on him.
"Name, age, and cultivation stage?"
She asked, pausing the pen in her hand to look up.
Lin Xue examined Shi Jing appearance.
He was slightly taller than youngster his age, making her raised her head a bit more than usual.
At the same time, she met his gaze.
His eyes were golden with a hint of crimson in it.
What caught her attention wasn't the appearance of his eyes, but the feeling they possesses.
This feeling was like being held with a sword against her throat, one wrong move and she would be killed!
What is this?!
She quickly shook her head and looked at Shi Jing again.
This time, nothing was out of place.
Other than Shi Jing golden eye, as well as his long unkempt hair and ordinary robe, she didn't felt that sensation again.
Did my seclusion affected my mental state? She murmured inwardly.
Seeing her expression, Shi Jing maintain a friendly smile as he stated his information.
"Shi Jing, thirteen year old, Peak Body Tempering Stage!"
The moment those words left Shi Jing's lips, the entire plaza fell into a deathly silence.
"Peak... Peak Body Tempering Stage?"
One of the disciples stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.
His legs trembled as he took an unconscious step backward.
"That's impossible!" Another disciple shouted, his face flushed red with disbelief.
"I'm fifteen and only at the 6th level of Body Tempering! How can someone younger than me be at the Peak stage?!"
The crowd erupted into chaos.
"Wait, wait! Didn't he say he was only thirteen?!"
"Thirteen years old and Peak Body Tempering? That's... that's monstrous!"
"He must be lying about his age! There's no way—"
"What kind of monster have we encountered?!"
Lin Xue's hand holding the pen began to tremble slightly.
Her beautiful eyes widened in shock as she stared at Shi Jing with a mixture of disbelief and growing excitement.
Peak Body Tempering at thirteen... she thought, her heart racing.
Even that prodigies from the Ming estate hasn't reached this realm!
Elder Chen, who had been observing quietly from the side, suddenly straightened his back.
His usually composed expression shattered, revealing a look of pure astonishment.
Peak Body Tempering was nothing to him, but Peak Body Tempering at this young age?
This was different!
After all, body refinement realm is the first foundation before Qi-Refinement.
The earlier one reach the end of body refinement, the more benefit and sturdy one's foundation is when reaching Qi-Refinement.
That is not to say that every one at Shi Jing age with his cultivation can reach Qi-Refinement with certainty, but there is an extremely high chance he will!
"Boy," Elder Chen's voice was hoarse as he stepped forward, "Repeat what you just said. Clearly."
Before Shi Jing could respond, the disciples continued their frenzied discussions.
"This can't be real! Even Zhao Gongzu from Cangwu city, who's considered a talented young master, only reached seventh stage !"
"A year younger than Senior Brother Zhao..."
"If this is true, then we're in the presence of a heaven-defying genius!"
One particularly bold disciple pointed an accusatory finger at Shi Jing.
"You're lying! Prove it! Show us your cultivation!"
The crowd's mood had shifted from shock to demanding verification.
Some looked hopeful that it was all a lie, while others seemed eager to witness a drama unfolds.
Lin Xue finally found her voice, though it came out more breathless than she intended.
"Shi Jing... are you absolutely certain about your cultivation level? You will have to show your inner qi."
Elder Chen nodded gravely.
"Indeed. False claims about one's cultivation are severely punished in this sect. Are you prepared to stake your future on these words?"
Actually, when Fang Zheng brought Shi Jing to him, he didn't expect much nor inspect him.
Especially when Ming Feng's recommendation was mentioned.
Thus, he was unaware of Shi Jing cultivation.
At this moment, all their attention was on Shi Jing.
Seeing their reaction and that one particular instigator, Shi Jing smiled cracked, followed by a helpless sigh.
Shi Jing didn't retort and simply flared his inner qi.
Seeing this, Elder Chen smiled with big grin. His spiritual sense already locked onto his inner qi.
"Old man… what do I look to you, a walking pot of gold?"
This smile was too familiar to Shi Jing, after all, he already saw it many time.
Helpless, he retracted his inner qi, leaving Lin Xue speechless and the crowd even more silent.