Chapter Forty-One: The Hall of Enforcement!

At the courtyard gate.

The lively silhouette of the junior sister, Yan Wanrou, appeared with an innocent and pure smile on her face. She waved to Wang Ran from afar, then approached him with exuberant enthusiasm.

“Senior brother, look!”

She drew near, a hint of pride in her demeanor, spinning gracefully before him. Her violet and white long dress twirled with her, creating a beautiful scene.

Wang Ran, seeing this, asked in surprise, “Oh? Where did you get the inner sect disciple’s robes?”

At his words, the junior sister puffed out her round cheeks, sulking, “What do you mean, ‘got’? Senior brother, I worked so hard to get the sect to officially issue them to me.”

“Ah?” Wang Ran’s eyes widened, then he rubbed his nose and laughed, “So you’ve successfully reached Foundation Establishment?”

“Hmph, I’m now a prodigy of our sect too!” Yan Wanrou raised her little face, unable to hide her pride. Her eyes glinted with a look of superiority, as if she were imitating the demeanor of the sect’s prodigies. Yet her adorable round face made every expression appear simply spoiled and charming.

Wang Ran was amused by her, teasing, “Miss Yan, you’re truly impressive. Tell me, how many stars is your Foundation Establishment?”

Her eyes curved into crescent moons, and she replied gleefully, “Seven stars!”

“Really?” This time Wang Ran was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected Yan Wanrou to be so gifted; a seven-star Foundation Establishment was a remarkable achievement, ranking her among the top prodigies of the sect!

To put it in perspective, even the true disciple Yao Jianjia possessed only an eight-star Foundation Establishment. In the entire sect, apart from Ye Cang and Wang Ran himself, disciples with seven or eight stars were exceedingly rare.

He hadn’t foreseen such success for his junior sister. The moment made him recall a scene from a few months ago when he escorted her home through a red bamboo grove on the northern shore—a place mainly inhabited by elders. Now it seemed her background was anything but simple.

Wang Ran patted Yan Wanrou’s shoulder with a senior’s air, praising, “Very good. Keep working hard, and don’t let me down.”

Yan Wanrou blushed, shyly replying, “Senior brother, you’re the first person I came to tell after succeeding in my Foundation Establishment.”

Wang Ran laughed heartily, “Good girl. How about this—let me teach you a martial technique to celebrate?”

“What technique?” Yan Wanrou blinked curiously.

“The Glances and Smiles Sword!” Wang Ran answered.

“What sort of sword technique is that? Is it powerful?”

“The power is average, but if you master it, it’s perfect for exchanging glances and smiles with me.”

Hearing his teasing, Yan Wanrou lowered her head bashfully, tracing circles on Wang Ran’s chest with her finger, murmuring coyly, “Senior brother, you’re so annoying!”

Wang Ran gently tapped her nose, “You don’t like it? Then I’ve got another technique—the Dry Wood Igniting Fire Palm. Want to learn it?”

“Senior! Brother! If you keep this up, I won’t talk to you anymore!” Yan Wanrou turned away, her cheeks flushed, twisting in embarrassment.

Wang Ran found her reaction amusing, and was about to tease her further when footsteps approached from nearby. Looking up, he saw a fair-faced young man walking over with a smile.

“Brother Wang, still bullying your junior sister?”

Seeing Zhao Xiaobai’s cheerful expression, Wang Ran feigned anger, raising his hand, “Zhao Xiaobai, you’re asking for trouble?”

Zhao Xiaobai quickly clasped his hands, playing along, “Please, I’m here to discuss something serious with you.”

Wang Ran sat at the stone table, holding a pot of tea, unconcerned, “You come to me with ‘business’ every day. I don’t know where you find so much business.”

“Don’t joke, Brother Wang.” Zhao Xiaobai shook his head with a smile, waving his feather fan. “This time it’s real business, about the selection of true disciples!”

“Oh?”

Wang Ran’s ears perked up, and he put away his playful expression, asking, “Let’s hear it.”

Zhao Xiaobai flicked his folding fan and spoke seriously, “Brother Wang, you know there’s a Law Enforcement Hall in the sect, right?”

Wang Ran nodded, and Yan Wanrou edged closer, listening intently.

Zhao Xiaobai continued, “The Law Enforcement Hall is an extremely important institution in the sect, wielding great authority. Its members are all elite inner sect disciples, and their numbers are strictly controlled. Ordinary people can’t get in.”

“There are eight hundred inner sect disciples in the sect; four hundred of them are members of the Law Enforcement Hall. These disciples are the cream of the crop—the true essence of our sect!”

“To enter the Law Enforcement Hall is every disciple’s dream. Once selected, not only does your salary double, but you also receive extra cultivation resources!”

Recently, a four-person squad from the Law Enforcement Hall vanished. After Elder Liu’s investigation yesterday, it’s suspected they met with disaster.

Because this team was always at the bottom of the Law Enforcement Hall, few paid any attention. By the time their disappearance was noticed, it was too late—even Elder Liu found no clues. No one knows who the culprit is; all that’s certain is their presence has vanished completely from this world.

Yet because of this incident, the Law Enforcement Hall must recruit new members to fill the four vacancies, making up the four hundred once more. This, right here, is an opportunity!

“Brother Wang, you understand what I’m saying, right?”

Zhao Xiaobai spoke excitedly, but his words made Wang Ran’s heart skip a beat. He suspected those missing four were the black-clad assassins who tried to kill him not long ago.

But since even Elder Liu found no evidence, suspicion wouldn’t fall on Wang Ran.

He kept his composure and picked up Zhao Xiaobai’s thread, “You mean, we should compete for spots in the Law Enforcement Hall?”

Zhao Xiaobai’s eyes sparkled as he nodded.

Wang Ran spoke again, “But what does competing for Law Enforcement Hall membership have to do with the true disciple selection?”

Zhao Xiaobai smiled, “You may not know this: true disciples represent the image of our sect. It’s not just about cultivation and talent being superior; their contributions to the sect must also be outstanding.”

“Everyone has a contribution value. Ordinary disciples have little; those who like tasks have a bit more, but it’s not enough to stand out. However, once you enter the Law Enforcement Hall, earning contribution points is easy.”

“The Law Enforcement Hall grants contribution points daily, plus it has its own task agency, which offers more advanced missions than the sect’s task hall. Completing these yields large rewards!”

“But correspondingly, these advanced missions are more difficult—only the elite disciples of the Law Enforcement Hall can undertake them.”

By now, Wang Ran understood. He too wanted to become a true disciple, an idol to all—one person beneath none, above all.

It seemed that to become a true disciple, he must first join the Law Enforcement Hall.

Wang Ran stroked his chin. The Law Enforcement Hall—now that was interesting.