The Registration Hall was where the sect stored information on its disciples.

Within a sect, the number of minor disciples might be over a hundred, while larger ones could number in the thousands or even tens of thousands.

As one of the six great demonic sects of the Qian Kingdom, the Hehuan Sect was unquestionably a top-tier existence.

Though its mountain gate was merely a towering stone archway, the interior held a whole other world. Upon entering, one found immortal peaks and spirit veins stretching for ten thousand miles.

Therefore, within the sect, unless convnected by some communication method, people rarely ran into each other. Thus, those who could remember all the disciples’ names were likely exceedingly few.

And everywhere, once there were too many people, chaos inevitably ensued. To prevent those with ill intentions from infiltrating the sect, the Registration Hall had been established.

Those joining the sect would drip their essence blood into a specially made spirit plaque, which was then kept within the hall for safekeeping. If something happened to them, they could be located through the plaque. This both protected the sect’s interests and provided an extra layer of security for outstanding disciples.

The Hehuan Sect’s Registration Hall was not far from the mountain gate square, and the newly admitted disciples all lived near the mountain gate. Thus, it wasn’t long before Zhou Che arrived outside the Registration Hall.

The Registration Hall stood atop a tall peak, and it took Zhou Che quite some effort to climb up.

When she reached the hall’s entrance, she saw an old woman, dressed in an immortal, transcendent manner, sitting at a stone table before the door.

No need to guess; this person must be the keeper of the Registration Hall.

After all, with the essence blood plaques of all sect members inside, the Registration Hall naturally needed a guardian.

“A newcomer?”

Seeing Zhou Che approach breathlessly, the old woman casually asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Zhou Che nodded upon hearing this.

“The Registration Hall opens every morning for a limited time of four hours, led in by the overseer in charge of recruiting new disciples that day. It is now noon; it is not open to the public.”

The old woman replied, her voice calm but carrying a hint of coldness.

“Ah, then Senior, what should I do if I haven’t registered?” Zhou Che started to feel anxious.

Although she didn’t know the exact consequences of not being registered, she imagined it could be nothing good.

“The cultivation methods for newcomers in the sect are uniformly distributed here. If you fail to register, you cannot obtain the techniques to cultivate. Yesterday’s recruitment overseer was Xiao Ningyu; her seal of authority is required to proceed with the registration and recording. She just left a short while ago, saying she was going to the mountain gate to do a handover. If you chase after her now, you should be able to catch up.”

The old woman replied calmly, without stopping her hands, continuing to trace lines on the painting scroll on the table.

“Thank you for the guidance, Senior.”

After saying this, Zhou Che quickly headed toward the mountain gate.

After Zhou Che left, the old woman set down her brush, picked up the painting to admire it carefully, and only after a long while did she look toward the direction Zhou Che had disappeared.

“A superior water spirit root, and also an innate Charm Physique. To think this constitution truly exists.”

As she spoke, the corners of her mouth slowly curled into a smile.

And on the painting scroll in her hand, what was depicted was clearly an entire, vividly detailed erotic spring palace scene…

* * *

Xiao Ningyu was precisely the Hehuan Sect’s Eldest Senior Sister. Upon learning that the other party was at the mountain gate handling the handover, Zhou Che quickened her pace.

As the Eldest Senior Sister of the Hehuan Sect, Xiao Ningyu’s reputation was widely known.

She possessed unparalleled natural talent. At a young age, she had already reached the third stage of the Middle Attainment Realm.

Having gained the Sect Leader’s favor, just a few days ago she had even been appointed as an elder of the new hall, making her the youngest elder in the Hehuan Sect.

And as an elder, Xiao Ningyu’s residence had naturally been moved from the core disciple abode to the Spirit Dao Hall.

That was several thousand miles away from the mountain gate. If she had already left, then handling Zhou Che’s entry registration would become extraordinarily troublesome.

After a life-or-death sprint lasting the time of an incense stick, Zhou Che finally arrived at the mountain gate square.

But unfortunately, the square was now completely empty.

Looking at the deserted square, a trace of disappointment flashed through Zhou Che’s eyes.

Had she failed to catch her?

At this moment, she felt some regret. If she hadn’t slept so deeply last night, perhaps she wouldn’t have encountered this mess.

Just as Zhou Che was feeling dejected, she heard the sound of footsteps gradually approaching from behind.

“Are you looking for me?”

A gentle female voice rang out, and Zhou Che instinctively turned her head to look.

She saw a woman dressed in an azure-white immortal dress walking toward her with a smile.

The woman’s appearance was absolutely stunning—smooth, jade-like skin, red lips, and white teeth—causing Zhou Che to be involuntarily entranced.

And right at that moment, a gentle breeze happened to blow, lifting the long black tresses of both women, adding a touch of romance to this encounter.

Of course, Zhou Che was not the only one entranced.

Now possessing a female body, Zhou Che’s beauty was the pinnacle among women. That startled glance back, like a startled swan, similarly moved Xiao Ningyu.

“May I ask if you are the Eldest Senior Sister?”

Zhou Che was the first to recover. Her eyes darted away slightly. After all, although she now had a female body, inside she was still that innocent youth. Facing such a peerless beauty, she inevitably felt a bit at a loss.

And as the Hehuan Sect’s Eldest Senior Sister, Xiao Ningyu was far better in this regard than Zhou Che. After only a brief moment of being lost in thought, she quickly returned to normal.

She smiled slightly and then acknowledged it.

“It is me. There should have been six disciples entering the sect yesterday, yet only five arrived this morning. Presumably, you are the one who was absent?”

Hearing this, Zhou Che’s face immediately flushed crimson.

“I was traveling outside a few days ago, and last night I entered the sect late at night, so I accidentally overslept.”

“No matter. The Registration Hall forbids disciples from lingering for long, so I came here precisely to wait for you.”

Xiao Ningyu smiled gently, seeming not to mind that Zhou Che had overslept.

“Wait for me?” Zhou Che was a bit stunned, pointing at her own nose.

“Hmm, you are someone I am responsible for, so naturally I couldn’t just abandon you. Since you’ve come, I must trouble you to accompany me back to the Registration Hall once more.” After speaking, Xiao Ningyu extended her left hand, indicating for Zhou Che to take it.

Looking at that fair, slender hand in midair, Zhou Che’s heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

Though shy, she steadied her mind and took hold of it.

This was the first time Zhou Che had held a girl’s hand, aside from her mother’s.

Cool and refreshing, soft and smooth—only today did Zhou Che understand that not all girls’ hands were like her mother’s, dry and rough, gaunt as withered wood.

“What’s your name?”

Xiao Ningyu suddenly asked.

This question nearly made Zhou Che, who hadn’t yet fully recovered, slip up.

“Zhou Che… Qingyue, Zhou Qingyue! I’m sorry, I’m a bit nervous.”

“Understandable. When I first joined the sect, I was just as green as you.” Xiao Ningyu nodded with a smile.

“Zhou Qingyue, that’s a very nice name. Your parents must have doted on you dearly.”

As she spoke, Xiao Ningyu suddenly tightened her grip on Zhou Che’s hand, and then the two of them traveled toward the Registration Hall in an exceedingly wondrous manner.

It was neither flying nor walking. More precisely, it was like some sort of escape technique. Zhou Che could clearly see the scenery around her changing, yet her feet clearly had not moved an inch.

By the time she came back to her senses, she was already outside the Registration Hall.

“Ama... amazing! Is this a Daoist art?” Zhou Che was stunned, the excitement in her heart barely concealable.

“This is the Swift Escape, a type of escape technique. No need to be amazed, because you’ll be able to learn it in the future, and even more wondrous escape techniques than this.”

Xiao Ningyu answered in an understated manner, then took Zhou Che’s hand and walked toward the hall entrance.

“Elder Qin, this junior sister was delayed by some matters. I hope you can grant us a convenience.”

At the entrance, Xiao Ningyu took out a string of treasure beads emitting rich spiritual energy from the storage pouch at her waist and placed it on the stone table before the woman.

The old woman guarding the door saw this, reached out and picked up the beads, examining them carefully.

“Third-grade spirit pattern. A decent Dharma artifact.”

The old woman said, putting the beads away, then glanced once more at Zhou Che before speaking. “Go on, go on. Be quick about it.”

“Thank you, Elder.” Xiao Ningyu bowed to the old woman, then pulled Zhou Che into the hall.

Zhou Che, being pulled along, was somewhat bewildered.

For some reason, she felt that the way the old woman looked at her had somehow changed.

Entering the hall, she saw that within the spacious chamber, tens of thousands of white jade plaques, radiating blue spirit fire, floated suspended in the air.

Seeing this scene, Zhou Che found it even more miraculous, and her yearning for immortal cultivation reached an unprecedented height.

“These are the Registration Plaques. Each one contains a drop of essence blood from a Hehuan Sect disciple. No matter what happens, these plaques will sense it. Through the plaque’s resonance, a disciple can be found no matter where they are. Although it’s said to record a disciple’s identity, it’s actually more like a deed of indenture. Once you join the Hehuan Sect, thinking of leaving later is a fool’s dream. Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you will still be found.”

Xiao Ningyu looked at the room full of Registration Plaques and sighed unconsciously.

Hearing this, Zhou Che’s scalp went numb.

She was no child and naturally understood the essence of it.

If anyone else had said this, it would have been one thing, but hearing such a lament from the Hehuan Sect’s Eldest Senior Sister now piqued her curiosity.

“How long has Senior Sister been in the sect?”

Hearing Zhou Che’s question, Xiao Ningyu finally turned her gaze over. She didn’t answer the question, but instead countered, “There are many cultivation sects in the Qian Kingdom. Why didn’t you choose an orthodox sect, but instead chose the Hehuan, one of the six great demonic sects? Do you... have some ulterior motive?”