Supreme Master: Cultivation Starts After Recruiting SSS-Grade Talent-Chapter 45 - Disciple candidate

Xie Ren, still calm as a still lake, simply nodded. "Mn."

The way he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, eyes slightly narrowed as though pondering the secrets of heaven and earth, made it worse.

The mysterious air he put on was so exaggerated, even the disciples could see Elder Su Zi’s forehead twitching, his forced smile stretched thin across his face like wax melting under the sun.

Without missing a beat, Xie Ren lifted his hand and waved casually. "Lead the way."

But then, he turned around and glanced at the carriage behind him. "Wait, before that..."

He frowned. "Still not out yet? You want to keep us waiting all day?"

All heads turned toward the carriage once more.

Was this it? Was this whole thing some setup by the real master hiding inside? they wondered. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Then, the silk curtain of the carriage rustled, and a slender, snow-pale leg stepped out onto the stone path. The crowd held its breath.

A breathtaking woman emerged. Clad in bluish white robes, her bearing was cold and aloof. Her presence was another Golden Core, no doubt about it.

The crowd barely had time to react before their awe turned to pure confusion.

Because strapped to her back was a bulging sack the size of a cooking pot. Heavy, tied, clearly stuffed with supplies.

Exiting the carriage, she glared at Xie Ren, eyes like twin daggers. "You actually made this queen carry your things?"

Her voice was sharp, carrying the grace of a royal and the fury of someone who’d been wronged.

A murmur of shock rolled through the crowd. One disciple outright coughed and nearly choked on his breath.

A Golden Core cultivator... carrying baggage?

It was like watching a sect elder sweep floors for an outer disciple.

Unfazed, Xie Ren placed a hand over his chest and spoke solemnly. "It is a great honor for a disciple to carry their master’s burdens."

The composure in his face, the sincerity in his voice, it was outrageous. And yet, he said it with such confidence, it made everyone hesitate.

Even Lan Yue tilted her head slightly, hiding a smile behind her sleeve.

Mo Wushuang looked as though she might spontaneously combust.

She jabbed a finger toward Chen Yinyin, fire in her eyes. "Then why isn’t she carrying anything?!"

Chen Yinyin smirked, arms crossed and chin lifted. Clearly enjoying the show, she said nothing, her expression smug and unbothered.

Seeing her reaction, Wushuang’s eyes twitched.

Xie Ren coughed lightly. "Well... that’s because you’re the junior-most disciple."

That one line caused a visible crack in Mo Wushuang’s dignified mask.

"You-!"

Was this boy for real?

The elder, Su Zi, watched the exchange, his head spinning. Three Golden Core cultivator disciples. And yet the master was a Qi Refining cultivator. This was something he couldn’t even fathom.

He cleared his throat, his voice tight. "Ahem. Please, follow me inside. We shall find a suitable place to discuss whatever business you have with our sect."

As Xie Ren and his disciples followed the elder, the Red Lotus Sect disciples could only stare in stunned silence.

Xie Ren strolled leisurely up the stone-paved path, hands clasped behind his back. His eyes swept across the Red Lotus Sect’s massive compound.

The sect grounds were flawless.

Polished jade tiles reflected the sunlight like a sea of green crystal. The stone walkways were pristine, not a single crack or stray weed in sight.

The buildings stood tall and majestic, lined with bright red tiles that shimmered faintly under the spiritual light formations overhead.

Graceful red lotuses swayed in crystal-clear ponds, their petals glowing with an aura of pure spiritual energy. Even the wind here seemed scented with incense.

So clean. So perfect. Damn it! This place puts my sect to shame a hundred times over...Damn that old swindler.

His expression darkened slightly as images of his own rundown sect flashed through his mind, collapsed roofs, cracked bricks, vine-choked courtyards, and a pond so dry it now hosted a family of squirrels.

Some of the outer walls had been so weathered by time, they collapsed if you leaned on them too hard.

He clicked his tongue. "Useless old swindler..."

If that old swindler had spent less time swindling others and more time recruiting actual disciples, maybe I wouldn’t be stuck inheriting the ruined sect.’

As he muttered to himself, a soft flicker of light sparkled on his shoulder. In a swirl of glittering energy, a palm-sized fairy emerged. Arms crossed and brows scrunched, she gave him a look full of practiced disappointment.

[Lord Immortal,] she said, her voice like a bell chime in his ear, [Could you please stop making such a scene every time we visit a new place? Just once?]

"What scene?" Xie Ren asked innocently, turning his head to glance at her.

[You know what I mean.] She rolled her tiny eyes. [Descending from the carriage like some ancient ancestor, standing there with your robe fluttering, pretending to gaze into the heavens, and then casually assigning your luggage to your Golden Core cultivator disciples in front of everyone.]

Xie Ren didn’t even blink. "A master’s burdens should be carried by his disciples. That’s the natural order of things."

[Yes, but not when there are hundreds of eyes watching! What if one of them becomes Child of Destiny sees you and decides you’re a villain they need to slay for their fated breakthrough?]

"Hmm... you make a good point." He nodded

Ding!

Just then, a soft chime echoed in his mind, crisp and familiar. A translucent blue panel blinked open in front of his eyes.

[Searching for talented disciples nearby...]

[Scan complete!]

[One genius candidate detected in the vicinity!]

This was just like before. He had originally planned to head straight to the Mystic Frost Sect. But on the way, the system fairy notified him about a disciple candidate.

He had assumed it would lead him to a wandering rogue cultivator. Or perhaps some small, backwater sect with one hidden gem.

He hadn’t expected this. A grand, thriving, well-funded sect. And most annoyingly, a clean one.

He glanced around again at the elegant courtyards, lotus ponds, and well-dressed disciples gliding by with grace.

"...Tch. They even have koi fish in their ponds. Meanwhile, my sect’s pond turned into a crater years ago."

The fairy exhaled a long, dramatic sigh. [Focus, Lord Immortal.]