Lu Yu turned around to look at the person calling him Master and recognized Yu Xiaoman at first glance.
Noticing she was wearing the same Beifeng Academy uniform as the others, he asked curiously, "How did you become a Beifeng Academy student?"
He remembered Yu Xiaoman had just entered the game not long ago, so how did she suddenly become a Beifeng Academy student?
Although Beifeng Academy wasn’t as colossal as the Divine Weapon Pavilion, not just anyone could enter, let alone someone like Yu Xiaoman who had never been in contact with cultivation.
Back then, Han Yaozu tried to get Lu Yu into Beifeng Academy and spent quite a bit of money to pull some strings for Lu Yu. The letter Han Yaozu wrote still rested in Lu Yu’s backpack, having never needed to be used.
"A few days ago, I met Mentor Ling. She said I have excellent cultivation aptitude, so she asked me to join Beifeng Academy," Yu Xiaoman said casually.
"Master, how did you get in? I heard outsiders can’t come in here," Yu Xiaoman asked, looking puzzled at Lu Yu’s different clothing from hers.
"I walked in," Lu Yu answered truthfully.
Yu Xiaoman looked puzzled; this wasn’t what she knew! Just yesterday, she saw someone being stopped at the entrance trying to get in.
As she was about to inquire further, a graceful figure walked toward Lu Yu, and a soft yet assertive voice came, "Xiaoman, why are you still here? The trial is about to start. Quickly, come with me to gather."
Upon hearing the voice, Lu Yu instinctively looked in the direction it came from, and a blue-dressed woman with black hair flowing like a waterfall appeared in his sight.
Hearing the voice, Yu Xiaoman turned her head and called out, "Mentor Ling."
Glancing at the badge on Lu Yu’s chest and then at his face, realizing she did not know him, Ling Yuyan asked Yu Xiaoman, "Is this your friend?"
She asked because Lu Yu seemed young, around Yu Xiaoman’s age.
"Well, you could say we’re friends," Yu Xiaoman replied, a bit uncertain herself, as she had only met Lu Yu twice.
"If there’s anything, talk about it later. Now, go participate in the admission trial."
After speaking, Ling Yuyan led Yu Xiaoman toward the central plaza of the training camp, and Lu Yu followed them. Ling Yuyan noticed Lu Yu following behind but didn’t pay much attention.
Arriving at the central plaza of the training camp, Lu Yu saw two spires standing in the plaza. Around the plaza sat and stood students wearing Beifeng Academy uniforms. With no teachers appearing yet, some whispered among themselves, while others closed their eyes for a moment of cultivation.
Lu Yu scanned the crowd in the plaza, looking for Wu Ping.
Before seeing Wu Ping, he spotted a more familiar figure—Yang Xiu, who was also wearing Beifeng Academy’s uniform and speaking with a man resembling him by seven-tenths.
Sensing Lu Yu’s unreserved gaze, Yang Xiu subconsciously looked up and saw Lu Yu on the opposite side of the plaza.
The plaza was a concave structure, surrounded by step-like seating, with an open space in the center where two curved spires extended from the steps to the plaza center, directly above a slightly elevated stone platform.
Standing on opposite sides of the plaza, nothing obstructed the view between Yang Xiu and Lu Yu. Yang Xiu clearly saw Lu Yu’s face, and Lu Yu’s gaze revealed undisguised killing intent.
Upon first seeing Lu Yu, Yang Xiu thought he had encountered someone who looked very similar to Lu Yu. However, the killing intent in Lu Yu’s eyes confirmed to him that the person in front of him was indeed the real Lu Yu.
Yang Xiu’s expression darkened. He had not expected Lu Yu to survive, finding it incredulous, and immediately felt a sense of crisis—Lu Yu, whom he had nearly killed, surely wouldn’t let things slide.
"What? You know that Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple?" The man who resembled Yang Xiu by seven-tenths asked.
"Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple?" Hearing his elder brother’s words, Yang Xiu now noticed the clothing Lu Yu wore, causing his eyes to slightly contract.
"If you know him, you should build a good relationship. If you establish good ties with a Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple, you won’t need to worry about spiritual weapons and armor in the future," Yang Zhi said with a smile to Yang Xiu. He suddenly realized the expression on his younger brother’s face was off, as if their relationship wasn’t what he had expected.
Yang Xiu felt as if his teeth were about to ache. He never imagined Lu Yu, who narrowly escaped death, would become a Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple, which was pushing the limits of his mental endurance.
No longer simply frustrated, his feelings were beyond that—how could a beggar have the qualifications to become a Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple? Even he, a disciple from a prominent family in Beifeng City, never had this opportunity! What qualifications did a beggar have?
He explained his past conflicts with Lu Yu to his elder brother Yang Zhi, who then had a subtle expression and could no longer smile.
"A sixth-level Body Refinement realm cultivator able to withstand Spiritual Qi infusion and survive? It seems he has quite a few secrets," Yang Zhi squinted his eyes as he scrutinized Lu Yu.
Ordinary students might have awe for a Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple, but those from prominent families wouldn’t because they understood not every Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple was an Artifact Refiner.
Divine Weapon Pavilion disciples are categorized into ordinary disciples, registered disciples, and direct disciples. The vast majority are ordinary disciples, and aside from the identity of being a Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple, they aren’t much different from others. If anything, many have deep backgrounds.
Indeed, those without strong backgrounds couldn’t even achieve an ordinary disciple’s status in the Divine Weapon Pavilion. Those with actual talent and capability would be taken seriously by elders and be accepted as registered or direct disciples, truly becoming part of the Divine Weapon Pavilion.
Most often, those respected and sought after are the registered and direct disciples, but many ordinary people are unaware of these internal classifications and misinterpret anyone wearing a Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple’s attire as a powerful figure.
Additionally, due to the existence of the Southern Heaven Hall, if any Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple wanted to show off, they typically wouldn’t be exposed. Seeking artifact refining assistance involved providing materials and fees, and they could simply post a task in the Southern Heaven Hall.
Outsiders, without understanding the internal workings of the Divine Weapon Pavilion, gradually formed a misconception—Divine Weapon Pavilion attire equaled Artifact Refiner equaled someone to be revered.
In truth, actual Artifact Refiners were only a small fraction of the many disciples in the Divine Weapon Pavilion.
Clearly, Yang Zhi understood these intricacies and, after clarifying Lu Yu’s situation, breathed a sigh of relief, assuming Lu Yu had only recently joined the Divine Weapon Pavilion, making the possibility of becoming an elder’s disciple very slim.
In a typical scenario, Yang Zhi’s assumption wasn’t wrong.
Generally, a Divine Weapon Pavilion disciple’s first entry into the secret realm involves climbing the Heaven-Ascending Ladder to test their cultivation talent and insight, then spending six months or more in the secret realm before potentially being noticed by an elder and accepted as a registered disciple, progressing to a direct disciple.
Ouyang Lie, through his daring ascent of the Heaven-Ascending Ladder, caught an elder’s attention, who appreciated his fearless spirit against the heavens and made an exception to directly accept him as a direct disciple.
Qin Feng had his acceptance arranged by his family with an elder long before.
As for Lu Yu, an unexpected exception, due to his immunity to Heavenly Dao pressure, was accepted as a registered disciple by Li Qiuyang, who was specifically assigned by Divine Weapon Pavilion to observe such individuals.
Among the three contemporaries, not a single one became an elder’s disciple through standard means, and both Qin Feng and Ouyang Lie hadn’t left the Divine Weapon Pavilion secret realm since entering, meaning nobody was aware of the initial events.
Without Lu Yu speaking up, no one would know he had already become an elder’s registered disciple.
Yang Zhi summoned a student to help him inquire about any Divine Weapon Pavilion disciples currently in the training camp to see if any elder had recently accepted a registered disciple.
He took interest in how Lu Yu, with his sixth-level Body Refinement realm strength, managed to endure Spiritual Qi infusion and survive without dying.