Upon hearing this,
The green-clad Disciple at the counter looked troubled.
"Uh... Guest Elder, this isn't something I can decide. The Sect established this for the sake of the Disciples."
In truth, a long time ago, there really was no such rule; one could take on any trial as they pleased.
However, there were always Disciples who overestimated themselves or lacked experience abroad, falling prey to the schemes of outside Cultivators.
Furthermore, far too many Disciples had perished while out alone.
Thus, the rule was forcibly established.
Any trial outside the Sect involving combat...
...must be undertaken in a group; one cannot go alone.
If there were an exception, an Elder would have to personally give the nod... As for the position of Guest Elder, who would be bored enough to take on a trial for no reason?
The Disciple was momentarily unsure if he could make an exception.
As for back then... although only two people, Senior Brother Chen Yuan and the other, had returned to hand in the mission...
...they did have the receipt from the Xu Family of Huangshan City in hand, which served as evidence for the existence of Jiang Yuechu and the others.
Moreover, encountering a situation where a Disciple didn't require merit points wasn't something that happened every time.
If it were always like this... the Sect would naturally conduct a major investigation.
Jiang Yuechu remained silent after listening.
She stood quietly before the counter, her mind racing with calculations.
Hmm... it seems the status of Guest Elder is useless here...
But she didn't know anyone.
Having just arrived, all things considered, she could count the names of those she knew in the Jieqing Sect on one hand.
If she really had to find someone...
...could she just grab a few unfamiliar fellow Disciples from outside the Deacon Hall?
Thinking of this,
A hint of resistance flashed in Jiang Yuechu's eyes.
She was cold by nature and had always preferred peace over commotion.
If she took the initiative to recruit people, she wouldn't be able to avoid polite small talk and mutual questioning of backgrounds.
It was truly a massive hassle.
Besides,
The Qi she displayed on the surface was barely that of a Chess-Player Two-Piece.
In the deep-rooted Jieqing Sect, such a cultivation level was truly not enough to be taken seriously.
Ordinary Disciples going down the mountain for trials sought safety and survival; who would be willing to bring along a companion who looked like a burden?
She couldn't exactly beat someone up every time she tried to recruit them...
...to forcibly show them her combat power with her fists.
That would be far too eye-catching.
Just as she stood there, caught in a dilemma,
"You in front, are you taking the job or not?"
"If you haven't gathered enough people, move aside first. Don't hog the spot; there's a long line behind you."
"What is there to hesitate about with a one or two-piece cultivation... why are you just standing there?"
Several Dao Sect Disciples waiting in line were growing quite impatient.
Many Disciples came and went from the Deacon Hall every day, so it was already crowded.
This white-robed girl had occupied the counter for a while without saying a word, which naturally caused displeasure.
Seeing this, the green-clad Disciple behind the counter broke into a slight cold sweat.
It was one thing if those ordinary Disciples behind hadn't heard...
...but this girl before him, who looked to have low cultivation, was a Guest Elder of the Sect.
If she were truly provoked and caused a scene in the hall, it would lead to a world of trouble.
The green-clad Disciple quickly leaned forward and whispered with a forced smile, "...Guest Elder, looking at the situation, if you don't have companions, I really don't dare to process this task for you... How about... you go back and think about it first?"
"..."
Right at that moment,
Jiang Yuechu turned her head slightly, her gaze passing through the bustling crowd in the Deacon Hall.
Not far away, two somewhat familiar figures caught her eye.
Jiang Yuechu withdrew her gaze and didn't stay any longer.
She gave a slight nod to the troubled green-clad Disciple behind the counter.
"Thank you."
With that, her white robes fluttered as she turned and walked toward those people.
...
Senior Brother Chen Yuan stood with his arms crossed, his brow furrowed and his expression shifting uncertainly.
Beside him, in addition to Junior Sister Su Liu, stood two young men.
Judging by the style of their clothes, they were clearly Inner Sect Disciples of the Jieqing Sect as well.
However, at this moment, all four of them looked troubled, and the atmosphere was somewhat heavy.
Senior Brother Chen Yuan sighed.
He felt that his recent luck was truly hard to describe.
If one were to say his luck was bad...
...on that trip to Huangshan City a few days ago, he thought it would be a grueling chore. Who would have expected a mysterious Guest Elder to appear out of nowhere?
With her power alone, she had suppressed the seven-piece great demon like pulling dry weeds.
He and his Junior Sister hadn't done anything; they had purely won by lying down, picking up a large amount of Sect merit for free.
When handing in the mission, he had been flush with success.
But if one were to say his luck was good...
...how could one explain the current situation?
Today, they had finally gathered enough people and set their sights on a well-rewarded trial task.
He had hoped to strike while the iron was hot and make another profit.
But upon arriving at the Deacon Hall, another hitch had suddenly occurred.
"Senior Brother Chen Yuan, is there really no room for negotiation on this?"
A Disciple standing next to Junior Sister Su Liu spoke up with a worried face, breaking the silence.
Senior Brother Chen Yuan shook his head, his tone helpless. "The Deacon Hall's rules state that if a trial location is dangerous, a team taking the task must have a Cultivator of equivalent combat power overseeing it."
"Among the four of us, the highest cultivation is only Chess-Player Four-Piece, but the target of this trial is a five-piece demon... This rule is absolute; unless one is a Personal Disciple, no one can get an exception."
Another tall Disciple heard this and hung his head in discouragement. "But this task is so lucrative. If we let it go, someone else might snatch it up in the blink of an eye... How about we go to the other peaks now and find a Senior Brother with higher cultivation to join us?"
Junior Sister Su Liu countered softly from the side, "It's not that easy... Those with cultivation at the five-piece level are either in secluded Cultivation or already have their own fixed teams... For this kind of temporary recruitment, putting aside whether they'd be willing to come, even if they did, how would the merit and rewards be distributed?"
"If the lion's share goes to them, all our hard work will be for nothing."
"Sigh..."
The tall Disciple sighed dejectedly, then suddenly gritted his teeth in anger. "That Gao Changqing is truly a piece of work... He clearly promised us beforehand, but then he was favored by an Elder and high-tailed it into Zuowang Forest. Now, never mind the trial he promised us, when we go to see him, he just shuts his door and pretends not to hear."
The other Disciple was also full of resentment and chimed in.
"Exactly... Calling us brothers on ordinary days, but once he gains power, he won't even look us in the eye."
Senior Brother Chen Yuan listened to the complaints of his two fellow Disciples.
Frowning slightly, he sighed and shook his head. "In truth, we can't blame others. If you or I had such a stroke of luck one day to be taken in by an Elder, would we still have the mind to do trials?"
As soon as these words were spoken,
Both of them were speechless.
In fact, everyone understood this truth in their hearts.
Complaining and cursing a few times now was nothing more than a bit of inner imbalance.
Once one became a true Disciple and entered Zuowang Forest,
...they would no longer have to worry about those small cultivation resources themselves.
The necessities for Cultivation would be bestowed by the Sect Elders.
For ordinary Disciples like them, struggling to build seniority in the inner Sect, being noticed by an Elder halfway through was undoubtedly a meteoric rise.
Just as the group was frowning in a dilemma,
A cold voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
"What are you all chatting about so happily?"