Ian Song had traveled through countless worlds, so he knew better than anyone that the people here weren’t just programmed NPCs—they were real, living people, each with their own thoughts and intelligence.
So, before making any plans, he’d already figured out how to deal with the Jade Maiden Sect’s higher-ups if they started getting suspicious.
After she’d looked through the cookbook, Lana Snow gestured for Ian to leave.
As soon as he left, Lana Snow spoke up again: “Sisters, just now I tested Second Fool—he doesn’t have a shred of cultivation. Plus, he’s grown up in the Jade Maiden Sect since he was a kid, so there’s no way he’s a spy. Now, we need to discuss whether we should let Second Fool officially join our Jade Maiden Sect!”
Before Lana could finish, Yara Snow cut in coldly, “Sect Master, I object. Like I said before—the ancestral rule must not be broken!”
Lana Snow didn’t seem bothered by Yara’s objection. She just asked calmly, “Does everyone else feel the same way?”
Shayne Snow spoke up: “I don’t think so. In my opinion, nothing in this world stays the same forever. On the grand scale, stars shift and seas turn to fields—even the world keeps changing. So why can’t our Jade Maiden Sect change too?
Even on a smaller scale, look at our cultivation techniques and spells.
Most of our techniques and spells were handed down by the first generation ancestor, but after all these years, who can say they’re still exactly the same as when she first taught them?
If our techniques and spells can change, then why can’t the ancestral rule change too?”
Hearing Shayne Snow say that, the other five elders all looked like they agreed with her.
Yara Snow just kept a cold face: "Even if you talk circles around me, I still won't agree to break the ancestral rule!"
Another elder spoke up: "I think Shayne has a point. Second Fool grew up in our Jade Maiden Sect, and even though he’s not officially a disciple, he’s basically half of one. Plus, his cooking is amazing—even I, who don’t need food anymore, can’t help but sneak a bite. And it seems like he gets along really well with the spirit beasts. Soon, Myriad Spirits Island will open up, so maybe we should send Second Fool too—his cooking might just lure a few more spirit beasts back!"
Shayne Snow nodded in agreement. "Exactly. Who knows? Maybe Second Fool will surprise us!"
"Wishful thinking!" Yara Snow sneered.
Shayne Snow just smiled and replied calmly, "Yara, we’re not just dreaming here. You’ve seen it yourself these past few days—all three of our sect’s third-rank spirit beasts keep showing up at Second Fool’s place for food. Clearly, his cooking has some kind of magical pull for spirit beasts!"
"Just a fluke!" Yara Snow shot back stubbornly.
Shayne Snow shook her head and said nothing more.
Then another elder spoke up: "I think Yara has a point—the ancestral rule shouldn’t be broken. But Shayne also makes sense. Honestly, I can’t decide, so I’ll abstain."
That elder was Jade Snow. She was always smooth and non-confrontational, usually abstaining whenever there was a vote.
Next, the rest of the elders started sharing their own opinions.
In the end, four elders thought they should change the ancestral rule and let Second Fool join the Jade Maiden Sect. The other two, including Yara Snow, insisted they had to stick to tradition and not break it.
Four against two—even with Lana Snow’s double vote as sect master, siding with Yara Snow, it was only a tie.
"I'll abstain this time, too!"
Lana Snow said it, not wanting Yara Snow to lose too badly.
After lunch, Lena Ling showed up at the canteen again. She saw Ian Song cleaning up, grabbed his hand, and said, "Come on, my master wants to see you."
"Again?"
Ian was taken aback.
Lena Ling glared with her almond-shaped eyes. "Not happy about it, huh?"
"No, no!" Ian waved his hands quickly.
Pfft!
Lena Ling couldn’t help but laugh. "Don’t be so nervous. My master calling you is a good thing."
"Wait... could it be...?" Ian Song suddenly looked thrilled.
Lena Ling grinned. "Didn’t expect you to be this sharp—you guessed it! After talking things over with the elders, my master agreed to let you join the Jade Maiden Sect. If you regret it now, there’s still time. But once you bow to the ancestor, it’s too late to back out!"
"Ah, that’s awesome!"
Ian Song shouted happily.
Lena Ling just shook her head, speechless—this guy really was a fool.
Joining the Jade Maiden Sect wasn’t complicated. With Sect Master Lana Snow and the seven elders watching, Ian bowed to the ancestor and offered incense, officially becoming a member. But since he was a guy and all the other disciples were girls, he still had to live halfway up the mountain for now.
Also, the Jade Maiden Sect didn’t have any cultivation techniques for men, so they’d have to wait a while before teaching him how to cultivate.
Ian didn’t care about any of that. He was already a mid-Nascent Soul cultivator, way stronger than the sect’s first-generation disciples.
Now that Ian was an official disciple, he didn’t have to do chores anymore. From now on, he wouldn’t need to cook in the canteen, though Lana Snow told him if the three third-rank spirit beasts wanted his food, he should still make it for them.
Ian agreed right away.
Seeing how sensible he was, Lana Snow suddenly felt a little guilty toward this silly boy. So, she gave him a storage pouch with two cubic meters of space and a low-grade flying sword.
The pouch just needed a drop of blood to recognize its owner, but the sword had to be powered by true essence to use.
Ding!
As Ian walked out of the main hall, the system’s prompt sounded in his ear: "Congratulations, host, you’ve completed Mission One. Reward: 1 billion Fame Points."
"Ding! System Mission Two: Within ten years, reach the top ten of the Immortal Ranking’s Rising Stars list. Completion: 5 billion Fame Points. Failure: 10 billion Fame Points deducted!"
"What the heck is the Immortal Ranking?"
Ian frowned a little. He decided he’d have to find a chance to figure out what this Immortal Ranking was all about.
In the blink of an eye, another ten days passed.
The Jade Maiden Sect hired three middle-aged women from Cloudflower Town to cook in the canteen.
The three ladies were decent cooks, but after getting used to Ian Song’s food, the disciples found their dishes hard to swallow. Some even started doubting if Ian’s cooking was really that good.
Because of that, the canteen went back to how it used to be—only a few dozen people came to eat every day.
That evening, with the sky full of colorful clouds, Ian was busy in his little wooden hut.
After about half an hour, Lena Ling appeared in the hut. Suddenly, she sniffed the air and spotted a white jade wine bottle on the table.
She reached out, grabbed the bottle, popped the cork, and took a sip. Her eyes instantly curved into crescents—the wine was just too good.