chaptet thirteen:outer diacipe trial
After finishing his bath and tidying himself up, Xiao Chen changed into his clean servant robes and left his quarters.
Today was different.
Today, he was no longer just a servant waiting for fate to crush him.
According to sect rules, a servant could become an outer disciple as long as they met one condition—they must reach the First Stage of the Body Strengthening Realm. No background checks. No talent tests. Pure strength.
And Xiao Chen had already crossed that threshold.
The registration area was located at the edge of the outer sect grounds. It was quiet, almost deserted, with stone pillars lining the path and faint spiritual pressure lingering in the air.
When Xiao Chen arrived, he stopped.
An old man was sitting behind a stone table, slouched in a wooden chair.
Sleeping.
Deeply.
His mouth was slightly open, his chest rising and falling steadily, as if the entire world had nothing to do with him.
Xiao Chen blinked.
He looked around carefully.
In front of the table stood a large wooden signboard carved with ancient characters:
Outer Disciple Registration
"This should be the place…" Xiao Chen muttered.
He stepped forward and lightly tapped the stone table with his finger.
Tap.
No response.
He frowned and tapped again, slightly harder.
Tap. Tap.
Still nothing.
That was strange.
A cultivator's senses were far sharper than those of ordinary people. Even a low-level cultivator could hear a whisper from several meters away. Yet this old man hadn't reacted at all.
Is he really asleep? Xiao Chen wondered.
He doubted it.
This didn't feel like normal sleep.
It felt… deliberate.
As if the old man had heard him clearly and simply chose to ignore him.
Perhaps the old man believed that if Xiao Chen waited long enough, he would leave on his own.
Xiao Chen's lips twitched.
"That won't work," he muttered.
He raised his hand again—but this time, he used just a tiny fraction of his newly gained strength.
BOOM!
The stone table trembled violently. A deep sound echoed across the registration area, startling birds into flight.
The old man jolted awake instantly.
"Brat!" he shouted, eyes snapping open, slightly red from sleep. "Are you trying to sneak attack me?! Making so much noise—are you tired of living?!"
Xiao Chen stiffened and immediately gave an awkward laugh, scratching the back of his head.
"S-sorry, Elder," he said hurriedly. "I just advanced recently and still can't control my strength very well. I didn't mean to disturb you."
The old man stared at him for several seconds, clearly irritated.
Then he snorted.
"Hmph. Call me Elder Kong."
The moment Xiao Chen heard that name, his heart skipped a beat.
Elder Kong?!
He had heard of him.
Everyone in the sect had.
The laziest elder.
Two years ago, when the Sect Master and elders fought a terrifying beast in the wilderness, Elder Kong had mysteriously disappeared. The sect searched for him in panic—only to find him sleeping peacefully inside a cave nearby.
From that day onward, he earned a secret nickname among disciples:
God of Sleep.
Of course, only whispered behind his back.
Because Elder Kong wasn't weak.
In fact, after the Sect Master and First Elder, he was the second most powerful elder in the entire sect.
No one knew how he cultivated.
No one had ever seen him train.
They only ever saw him sleeping.
And yet… no one dared challenge him.
Xiao Chen was pulled out of his thoughts by a sharp voice.
"Little brat," Elder Kong said lazily, stretching his arms. "What are you spacing out for?"
Xiao Chen snapped back to reality.
Before him stood an old man with white eyebrows and a long beard. His teeth were uneven, and his smile looked harmless—almost foolish.
Yet Xiao Chen felt it clearly.
This old man was terrifying.
"I-I'm here to register," Xiao Chen said respectfully.
Elder Kong glanced at Xiao Chen's clothes once and nodded.
"A servant," he said plainly. "You want to become an outer disciple."
He didn't ask.
He stated it as fact.
Servants and outer disciples wore different robes—simple but unmistakable.
Elder Kong stood up slowly and walked past Xiao Chen.
"Follow me," he said. "Let's get this over with. I still have important business."
By business, Xiao Chen knew he meant sleeping.
They stopped before a set of massive stone drums arranged in a line. Each drum was carved with strange runes and emitted faint spiritual vibrations.
Elder Kong pointed at the nearest one.
"This is your test," he said lazily. "Strike the drum."
"If it sounds loudly, you pass."
"You have three chances."
That was all.
No explanation.
No encouragement.
Xiao Chen swallowed and walked toward the drum.
He stood before it, staring at the ancient surface, feeling the pressure radiating from it.
So this is it…
His path as a servant ened here