Chapter Forty-Nine: Taking Up Residence in the Hall of Enforcement

After the selection for the Hall of Enforcement concluded, regardless of the stir caused outside, Wang Ran remained utterly indifferent, quietly secluding himself within the Third Mountain.

Beneath the mountain stream’s waterfall, Wang Ran sat cross-legged, breathing in and out, spiritual energy surging around him.

During this period, even without Yao Jianjia’s supervision, Wang Ran still persisted in daily cultivation with the Spirit-Binding Meteor, subsisting on spiritual fruits for sustenance.

With such high-quality practice, his skin grew increasingly translucent and radiant, untainted by even a speck of dust—so smooth that even a newborn’s could not compare.

The path of cultivation is, by its very nature, a journey of transcendence and evolution for cultivators. Especially for Wang Ran, who did not practice ordinary techniques but the Immortal Indestructible Art of Ten-Star Dao Confirmation. Thus, whether in physique or aura, he surpassed others by far.

Only when the moon first rose did Wang Ran awaken from his meditation, opening his eyes.

“Since Senior Sister Yao began her seclusion, I visited Falling Cloud City, returned to the sect, and participated in the Hall of Enforcement disciple selection. With all that, nearly two months have passed, and she still hasn’t emerged…” Wang Ran pondered to himself.

Without Yao Jianjia’s presence these past two months, he had been alone atop the Third Mountain, which indeed felt rather lonely.

“No need to dwell on Senior Sister Yao. Tomorrow is the day to report to the Hall of Enforcement. According to Zhao Xiaobai, the Hall of Enforcement not only grants daily contribution points but also offers generous rewards for missions, far beyond what the Outer Sect Task Hall provides. It should be quite interesting.”

Rubbing his chin, anticipation flickered in Wang Ran’s eyes as he turned towards the loft.

The night passed uneventfully.

The next day.

With the first rays of the morning sun, the colossal entity that was the Sole Sovereign Sect gradually awakened.

Many inner sect disciples soared through the sky on their swords, weaving among the peaks.

Wang Ran joined the ranks, his robe fluttering as he transformed into a streak of light heading straight for the Fifth Mountain.

Along the way, many who saw him made way, watching from afar.

“Is that the new prodigy, Wang Ran?”

“That’s right, it’s him.”

“He first gained some fame in the Outer Sect, then rose as a Ten-Star Foundation Establishment cultivator, was accepted as a disciple by the Grand Elder Feng Yazi, became the junior brother to Senior Disciple Yao, and now has made a stunning debut in the Hall of Enforcement selection!”

“Sigh, I once considered myself a prodigy too, but compared to him, I pale in significance. How enviable he is.”

“Hmph, you see him in the limelight now, but don’t forget—the Hall of Enforcement is no haven for the meek.”

“That’s true. The Hall of Enforcement gathers the sect’s most outstanding disciples—a place of fierce competition, not to mention the four titans presiding there: Ye Cang, Beiming Lie, Meng Jiang, and Chu Yingxuan. For someone as proud and new as him, he’ll be chewed to the bone.”

As Wang Ran flew past, the disciples below couldn’t help but discuss him—some admired, some watched coldly, and others looked on with excitement, as though anticipating a show.

Wang Ran, hands clasped behind his back, ignored these stares and flew directly into the Fifth Mountain.

From afar, he caught sight of the vast complex sprawling across the Fifth Mountain, and his heart stirred with anticipation. He descended, landing on the bluestone slabs of the great courtyard.

After the selection for the Hall of Enforcement, he and the three others chosen—Zhao Xiaobai among them—had rested briefly. Today was their official day to report.

First, he needed to obtain his identity token, along with other spiritual implements and his assigned residence from the elders of the Hall of Enforcement.

If the Hall of Enforcement could be likened to a court, the assigned residences were akin to official halls, where disciples daily rested and undertook their missions.

Upon entering the main gate of the Hall of Enforcement, Wang Ran immediately sensed several powerful auras sweeping over him, as if assessing him in secret.

The disciples he saw here were nothing like those outside. They not only possessed formidable spiritual power but also exuded a palpable killing intent—clearly ones who often danced on the edge of life and death.

Wang Ran was inwardly shaken. No wonder the Hall of Enforcement was called the sacred ground for the sect’s elite disciples—it truly lived up to its reputation.

Amidst many scrutinizing gazes, Wang Ran collected his token, a slender flexible sword, and a talisman from the steward elder.

The token felt cool in his hand, its jade-like surface carved with a coiled dragon, its head facing Wang Ran with wide, fierce eyes, almost as if it might come alive.

Disciples of the Hall of Enforcement were mostly grouped in fours, their teams named Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise, each complementing the others’ strengths according to their cultivation methods.

Wang Ran’s token bore the Azure Dragon emblem.

However, this grouping was only relevant for the lower-ranking disciples. As for the true prodigies, they had long since formed their own alliances through skill and influence—far surpassing the power of an ordinary four-man team.

Thus, Wang Ran did not attach much importance to the Azure Dragon identity.

His three items included the identity token, a slender flexible sword, and a talisman.

The sword, named Cloud-Piercer, was a second-grade spiritual weapon. Wang Ran had already witnessed its power in the hands of the black-clad assassin. According to that man, with a full-force strike, Cloud-Piercer could injure even a cultivator at the fifth layer of Foundation Establishment—clearly a precious treasure.

Yet in the Hall of Enforcement, such a sword was standard issue; every disciple had one. This alone spoke volumes of the Sole Sovereign Sect’s grandeur and resources.

The third item was a talisman, unlike any Wang Ran had seen before—not for attack or support, but rather a tool: more key than charm, its purpose was to control the residence assigned to Wang Ran.

Soon, Wang Ran arrived in front of his new residence.

Because of his status as a prodigy, his house was twice the size of those previously held by the four black-clad assassins, and its location was excellent—perched atop a mountain peak, above clouds, with a clear view of the other prodigies’ dwellings.

It was adjacent to the territory of the Chu Alliance, led by Chu Yingxuan, one of the four titans of the Hall of Enforcement.

Such a prime residence had attracted much covetous attention, though none had succeeded in breaching its protective array.

Wang Ran found everything about the Hall of Enforcement novel and fascinating—experiences he had never encountered in the Outer Sect.

As he entered, the talisman in his hand trembled ever so slightly. At once, the formation outside the residence swept over him, as if verifying his identity.

Wang Ran found this marvelous, holding the talisman as he stepped into the courtyard.

Before he had fully entered, a familiar tinkling of bells reached his ears.

“Senior Brother Wang Ran, you’re finally here! Xiao Baishi and I have been waiting ages for you!” His junior sister, hands behind her back, skipped out to greet him from the inner chamber.

So, Yan Wanrou and Zhao Xiaobai had arrived some time ago.

This residence belonged jointly to the four new arrivals, as they replaced the previous black-clad assassins and thus formed a team.

At that moment, Zhao Xiaobai also emerged, his identity token at his waist carved with a descending tiger.

The White Tiger, of the four divine beasts, symbolized slaughter—a perfect match for Zhao Xiaobai’s path of the killing god, so Wang Ran was not surprised.

As for his junior sister, she was clearly Vermilion Bird.

Now, Wang Ran noticed that the fourth member, Tony Mu, seemed absent and asked about him.

Zhao Xiaobai shook his fan lightly and said, “Tony Mu came earlier than you, but he didn’t stay long. He abandoned us and joined another faction—the Azure Sky Alliance under Ye Cang, I think.”

Wang Ran nodded. Although Tony Mu was among their cohort of prodigies, he was never truly one of them. His comings and goings did not concern Wang Ran.

Only now did he begin to examine the residence.

The Fifth Mountain was created by a mighty cultivator using earth-defying methods atop a grand formation, with the Hall of Enforcement at its heart.

Within the residence, one could tap into certain functions of the formation—a wondrous feature.

For example, in the center of the courtyard stood a massive black stone, upon which countless words appeared and vanished—these were missions issued by the Hall of Enforcement.

With curiosity, Wang Ran wandered through the residence, knowing that from this day forth, he was officially a member of the Hall of Enforcement.

This also meant that he now possessed the qualifications to compete with those top prodigies for the title of True Disciple.