"According to convention, the supplies should come from the Wenjian Sect's treasury, and only in special circumstances will the peak masters of each peak pay out of their own pockets," Pei Xiang recalled for a moment and said.

The others all seemed very excited, but Song Tingwan just chuckled at their expressions.

"You're just making that conclusion about my involvement?"

Subduing the demon king was none of her business; distributing pills was for the rogue cultivators.

She was saved thanks to Elder Queying, so how could we possibly give her any reward?

"Of course we should! Your courage is commendable, shouldn't we give you some encouragement?"

Qin Xi said matter-of-factly that it was already remarkable that a disciple could withstand the attack of a Mahayana-stage demon king and survive. As the young sect leader, rewarding such a disciple would help boost morale and inspire the sect.

If the Sword Inquiry Sect doesn't even mention this, then it truly deserves the title of the number one sect.

She spoke with certainty, and Song Tingwan smiled without refuting her.

"By the way, the Lantern Festival is coming in a few days. It will be very lively down the mountain. It is said that the whole mountain will be brightly lit on that day, and even the sect leader and elders will release a lantern to pray for peace in the six realms."

"How about we go have fun together sometime?"

That sounds interesting.

Song Tingwan responded gently.

Just then, the messenger arrived. She bid farewell to her companions and hurried along with her senior brother, Danxiu, who had come to deliver the message, towards Fuqu Peak.

"...How is Junior Sister?"

Seeing that she was walking slower and slower, and that her breath was becoming increasingly disordered and covered in fine sweat, the senior brother belatedly realized the reputation of his junior sister.

Could someone with such a weak constitution be this frail?

The sympathy in her senior brother's eyes deepened. Song Tingwan pressed the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand, pursed her lips, and was about to release the lotus boat when, in the next instant, someone descended from the sky on a sword overflowing with spiritual energy.

The road to Fuqu Peak is not far, but it is a long one for cultivators.

"Sister, come here."

The girl in tight-fitting clothes descended from the sky, the light beneath her feet buzzing, as if inviting her to board the sword.

Song Tingwan suddenly smiled, unable to suppress the corners of her lips. She took her sister's outstretched hand, and the moment she stepped on it, the buzzing and excited Li Guang quieted down. The sword flashed, and spiritual energy flickered by.

The ancient divine sword soared into the sky, circling steadily and proudly above the senior brother's head. Song Tingwan stood behind her sister, still being led by her hand.

"Li Guang, be good, stop making a fuss."

She spoke up helplessly, knowing that her senior brother meant well, but he was unaware of how weak she was.

With a whoosh, Li Guang leaped into the sky and, in a few breaths, delivered his master and the generous elder sister to the entrance of the Lotus Palace.

Song Siyao helped her older sister down. When she was putting away the sword, the unruly sword tried to slip out of her hand, and the hilt flew into her older sister's palm and rubbed against it several times.

"Alright, alright, I'll ask someone to buy you some more top-grade sword oil."

Song Tingwan chuckled and nodded at Li Guang, which then obediently crawled into the sword sheath on its own.

Song Siyao sighed, "Li Guang is unruly, sister, don't worry about him."

Just as the sword, which had just calmed down, was about to retort, Song Tingwan smiled and shook her head. "Li Guang is an ancient divine weapon, so it naturally deserves top-grade sword oil. It is your partner, so why not satisfy your needs since I can buy it?"

The two sisters laughed for a bit, and when they entered the Lotus Hall, they found that most of the people had already arrived.

The two of them fell silent. Song Siyao consciously stood behind Yan Shanjun at the head of the table, while Song Tingwan stood with the other senior sisters from Fuqu Peak.

Lord Yanshan and Fuqu exchanged a glance. After a short while, once everyone had arrived, Lord Yanshan solemnly encouraged the disciples for their voluntary assistance, and then rewarded them for their contributions.

In terms of merit, the two elders naturally contributed more to subduing the demon king. As for the disciples, as long as they perform well, they have a greater chance of being noticed by more elders.

Many outer disciples only hoped to perform well in order to earn a chance to enter the inner sect.

Each has its own opportunities and destiny.

Finally, it was Song Tingwan's turn.

When her name was called, everyone turned around to look.

The woman slowly raised her eyes and stepped forward with composure.

"You saw through the Demon King's disguise, faced him calmly and collectedly, and protected the children by administering medicine. Song Tingwan, an outer disciple, would you like to join the inner sect?"

The other disciples could either move from the outer sect to the inner sect, or choose appropriate cultivation resources. Yan Shanjun smiled deeply, waiting for her answer.

Song Tingwan lowered her eyes slightly, her slender figure standing alone at the front of the disciples. When the sect leader asked her a question, she calmly shook her head.

"This disciple desires cultivation resources."

To her, the outer sect and the inner sect were the same.

But her friends were all outside the gate.

The sect should relax its control over its outer disciples. Once they have completed their studies, they can hire someone to complete the monthly sect tasks by spending spirit stones. As for resources…

Anything she randomly took out of her spatial ring could easily outshine it.

"...What if I made you my personal disciple?"

Fuqu couldn't help but raise her chin slightly and smile at her.

She had taken a liking to this disciple when she climbed the Heavenly Ladder earlier, but due to the sect's rules, she had to regretfully give up.

Caught off guard, Song Tingwan paused, then looked up to meet the admiration and pity in the eyes of the elegant woman.

It was still pity.

She smiled at Fuqu and said, "Elder, you are a Pill Saint, so you can naturally see at a glance that with my innate weakness, I can only ever reach the Foundation Establishment stage."

"How can someone at the Foundation Establishment stage be your personal disciple?"

Song Tingwan smiled self-deprecatingly.

How could I not feel disappointed?

If her body were not inherently weak, she could advance to the next level by relying on her powerful and terrifying divine sense. Not to mention the Mahayana stage, even the Nascent Soul and Divine Transformation stages would be possible. She could openly use her alchemy skills to support her family.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!