Halaman dalam itu dilindungi oleh semacam formasi dan bereaksi saat dia mendekat dengan token muridnya.
Bai Zihan melangkah melewati penghalang berkilauan itu ke kediaman barunya, meluangkan waktu sejenak untuk memindai sekeliling.
Halaman dalam itu sederhana, namun elegan.
Udara pekat dengan qi, jelas diperkuat oleh formasi yang dituliskan di sekeliling batasnya.
Meskipun dia ingin memuji formasi itu, efisiensinya hampir sepuluh kali lebih rendah daripada yang dia miliki di Klan Bai.
Jadi daripada menjadi peningkatan, itu sebenarnya penurunan baginya—meskipun mungkin bagi mereka yang berlatar belakang miskin akan melihatnya berbeda.
Di dalam, kediaman dibagi menjadi tiga bagian: kamar tidur, ruang meditasi, dan kamar mandi.
Furniturnya sederhana tetapi berkualitas baik—tempat tidur kayu kokoh dengan bantal empuk, dan tikar meditasi ditempatkan tepat di bawah jendela atap kecil untuk pencahayaan alami.
Bai Zihan berjalan ke tengah ruangan, mengusapkan jarinya di sepanjang meja kayu.
Meskipun lebih kecil daripada tempat tinggalnya yang mewah di Klan Bai, tempat ini membawa ketenangan yang unik. Kesunyian yang... dapat dia terima.
Duduk di atas tikar meditasi, dia bersandar sedikit, menatap langit-langit sementara pikiran-pikiran berputar di benaknya.
Sekarang bagaimana?
Jika dia bisa berkultivasi dengan damai tanpa perlu mengkhawatirkan hal-hal lain, mungkin menjadi murid Sekte Pedang Surga tidak terlalu buruk.
Namun, Bai Zihan tahu bahwa Sekte Pedang Surga jauh dari damai.
Belum lagi murid-murid yang tidak puas dengan pendaftarannya sebagai Murid Dalam—dan sebagai tunangan Chu Ziyan—dia juga harus waspada terhadap musuh-musuh saudara perempuannya.
Mengingat betapa tingginya profil Bai Xueqing, pasti ada orang-orang yang tidak menyukainya, dan mereka kemungkinan akan menargetkan dia sebagai gantinya, mangsa yang lebih mudah.
Sudah ada mantan tunangan Bai Xueqing, tetapi Bai Zihan percaya masih ada waktu sebelum orang itu membalas dendam.
Tetapi mungkin ada orang lain di Sekte Pedang Surga yang tidak perlu menunggu.
Sudah ada Shen Liang yang membuat segalanya sulit, dan satu-satunya hal yang menyelamatkan adalah dia belum mencoba membalas dendam secara langsung—mungkin untuk menyelamatkan muka dan karena dia masih mengejar Bai Xueqing.
Jika itu seseorang seperti Bai Zihan sendiri, dia tidak akan repot-repot dengan rencana rumit. Jika pihak lain lebih lemah, dia hanya akan menghancurkannya secara langsung.
Namun, Bai Zihan tahu dia perlu waspada terhadap Shen Liang.
Ada juga Liu Tian—meskipun Bai Zihan tidak menganggapnya sebagai ancaman, dia tetap potensi masalah, jelas tidak puas dan getir dengan pertunangan orang yang disukainya.
"Pokoknya, aku butuh lebih banyak informasi tentang Sekte Pedang Surga dan faksi-faksinya," gumam Bai Zihan.
"Haruskah aku mencari anggota Klan Bai lainnya?"
Dia ingat bahwa selain dirinya dan Bai Xueqing, beberapa anggota Klan Bai lainnya telah bergabung dengan Sekte Pedang Surga.
Dia bisa menyuruh mereka menjalankan tugas dan mengumpulkan informasi untuknya.
"Tapi di mana mereka?"
Biasanya, mereka seharusnya datang menyambutnya. Tetapi tadi, tidak ada tanda-tanda keberadaan mereka. Tidak ada satu pun anggota Klan Bai yang muncul.
Tentu saja, mengetahui Bai Zihan akan datang, bagaimana mungkin mereka muncul hanya untuk bertindak sebagai antek-anteknya?
Begitu mereka mendengar kabar tentang penerimaannya di Sekte Pedang Surga, banyak dari mereka mengasingkan diri atau mengambil misi jangka panjang.
"Aku harus mencoba mencari tahu keberadaan mereka besok."
Bai Zihan, yang masih belum menyadari kebenarannya, mengira dia akan menemukan mereka pada akhirnya.
***
Keesokan Harinya, Chu Ziyan muncul keesokan paginya untuk menunjukkan Bai Zihan berkeliling Puncak Bulan Mistik dan tempat-tempat penting lainnya di Sekte Pedang Surga.
Tampaknya Bai Xueqing telah memutuskan kehadirannya tidak diperlukan karena Chu Ziyan sudah mengurus semuanya, dan sebagai gantinya pergi berkultivasi.
Bai Zihan tidak peduli—sebenarnya, dia lebih menyukainya. Dia tidak akan ada di dekatnya untuk mengganggunya.
Tur dimulai di plaza pusat, di mana murid-murid sering berkumpul untuk pengumuman, sesi latihan, dan tugas.
"Ini tempat di mana kamu akan melihat sebagian besar murid pada siang hari. Jangan membuat masalah, atau murid senior akan menempatkanmu pada tempatmu," peringatan Chu Ziyan, setengah serius dan setengah bercanda.
Sebagian besar murid Puncak Bulan Mistik berperilaku baik, tetapi dengan sikap arogan Bai Zihan, dia ragu mereka akan bisa menghadapinya dengan tenang.
Bagaimanapun, jika seseorang bisa tetap tenang bahkan saat berurusan dengan Bai Zihan, mereka pasti orang suci.
Di sepanjang jalan, mereka bertemu berbagai murid dari Puncak Bulan Mistik, yang dengan riang menyapa Chu Ziyan tetapi mengerutkan kening saat melihat Bai Zihan.
Namun, sikap mereka jauh lebih baik daripada yang dia temui sehari sebelumnya.
Beberapa tampak tidak peduli sama sekali, yang tidak keberatan Bai Zihan.
Berikutnya, mereka tiba di
The courtyard was protected by some kind of formation and reacted when he approached with his disciple token.
Bai Zihan stepped past the shimmering barrier into his new residence, taking a moment to scan the surroundings.
The courtyard was modest, yet elegant.
The air was thick with qi, clearly enhanced by the formation inscribed around the perimeter.
Although he would like to praise the formation, its efficiency was almost ten times lower than what he had in the Bai Clan.
So rather than being an upgrade, it was actually a downgrade for him—though perhaps those from poorer backgrounds might see it differently.
Inside, the residence was divided into three sections: a bedroom, a meditation chamber, and a bathroom.
The furnishings were simple but of good quality—a sturdy wooden bed with soft cushions, and a meditation mat placed directly beneath a small skylight for natural illumination.
Bai Zihan walked to the center of the room, running his fingers along the wooden table.
Though smaller than his lavish quarters in the Bai Clan, this place carried a unique tranquility. A quiet solitude that he found... acceptable.
Sitting down on the meditation mat, he leaned back slightly, gazing at the ceiling as thoughts swirled in his mind.
What now?
If he could peacefully cultivate without needing to worry about other matters, then perhaps becoming a disciple of the Heaven Sword Sect wasn’t too bad.
However, Bai Zihan knew the Heaven Sword Sect was far from peaceful.
Not to mention the disciples dissatisfied with his enrollment as an Inner Disciple—and as the fiancé of Chu Ziyan—he also had to be cautious of his sister’s enemies.
Given how high-profile Bai Xueqing was, there were undoubtedly people who disliked her, and they would likely target him instead, the easier prey.
There was already an ex-fiancé of Bai Xueqing, but Bai Zihan believed there would still be time before that person sought revenge.
But there might be others in Heaven Sword Sect who wouldn’t need to wait.
There was already Shen Liang who was making things difficult, and the only saving grace was that he hadn’t tried to take revenge directly—likely to save face and because he was still pursuing Bai Xueqing.
If it were someone like Bai Zihan himself, he wouldn’t bother with elaborate schemes. If the other party was weaker, he’d simply crush them head-on.
Still, Bai Zihan knew he needed to be wary of Shen Liang.
There was also Liu Tian—while Bai Zihan didn’t consider him a threat, he was still a potential problem, clearly dissatisfied and bitter with his crush’s engagement.
"Anyway, I need more information about the Heaven Sword Sect and its different factions," Bai Zihan muttered.
"Should I seek out the other Bai Clan members?"
He recalled that, apart from himself and Bai Xueqing, several other Bai Clan members had joined the Heaven Sword Sect.
He could have them run errands and gather information for him.
"But where are they?"
Normally, they should’ve come to receive him. But earlier, there was no sign of them. Not a single Bai Clan member showed up.
Of course, knowing Bai Zihan was coming, how could they possibly show up just to act as his lackeys?
As soon as they heard the news of his admission to the Heaven Sword Sect, many of them went into seclusion or took long-term missions.
"I should try to figure out their whereabouts tomorrow."
Bai Zihan, still unaware of the truth, assumed he’d find them eventually.
***
The Next Day, Chu Ziyan appeared the next morning to show Bai Zihan around Mystic Moon Peak and other important places in the Heaven Sword Sect.
It seemed Bai Xueqing had decided her presence was unnecessary since Chu Ziyan was already taking care of things, and instead went into cultivation.
Bai Zihan didn’t care—actually, he preferred it. She wouldn’t be around to annoy him.
The tour began at the central plaza, where disciples often gathered for announcements, sparring sessions, and tasks.
"This is where you’ll see most disciples during the day. Don’t go causing trouble, or the senior disciples will put you in your place," Chu Ziyan warned, half-serious and half-joking.
Most disciples of Mystic Moon Peak were well-behaved, but with Bai Zihan’s arrogant attitude, she doubted they’d be able to deal with him calmly.
After all, if someone could remain calm even when dealing with Bai Zihan, they had to be a saint.
Along the way, they met various disciples from Mystic Moon Peak, who cheerfully greeted Chu Ziyan but frowned upon seeing Bai Zihan.
Still, their attitudes were much better than the ones he encountered the previous day.
Some didn’t seem to care about him at all, which Bai Zihan didn’t mind.
Next, they arrived at the Spirit Spring Pavilion, where disciples cultivated using natural Qi gathered by formation arrays.
A faint blue mist lingered in the air, and the space buzzed with concentrated Qi.
"Each disciple gets an hour here every three days. Unless you impress the Master, don’t expect anything extra," Chu Ziyan explained.
They continued on to the Alchemy Hall, the Weapon Forging Yard, and the Task Board—where disciples accepted missions in exchange for contribution points.
Tasks ranged from herb gathering and escort missions to demon subjugation for higher-ranked disciples.
When they visited areas outside of Mystic Moon Peak, Bai Zihan realized how few disciples the peak actually had.
What’s more, the disciples in those other areas were far more hostile—some even hurled insults at him.
Most of these were outer disciples, clearly resentful that Bai Zihan had entered as an Inner Disciple thanks to connections, while they had struggled for years with no such luck.
However, with Chu Ziyan beside him, no one dared act rashly.
Moreover, News had already spread about what happened the day before, and how Elder Qinglan had personally accepted Bai Zihan as her disciple.
By the time the tour ended, the sun had begun to set.
"I think that’s it. There are other places, but they’re not that important. You’ll learn about them gradually," Chu Ziyan said.
Bai Zihan didn’t mind. Although he still hadn’t seen any of the other Bai Clan members during the tour, he didn’t think much of it.
He had no idea they were intentionally avoiding him and assumed he’d meet them sooner or later.
Just when he thought the tour had ended and he could return to his residence, a System Notification appeared.
[Heaven Chosen detected!]
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