"Bai Suyuan, your talent is extraordinary, so you don't need to start as an outer disciple like others. I ask you, are you willing to take me as your master and directly become a true disciple of my Candle Dragon Path?" the short, stout man said gently.

Bai Suyuan opened her mouth, stunned.

"Xiong Shan, you cultivate the Gold element law. This child possesses the Moonflower Immortal Body. It is not appropriate for you to cultivate her. It's better to let me guide her." A hazy voice suddenly echoed in the hall, like layers of gentle waves spreading throughout, entering their ears.

Han Li felt as if he were suddenly in a field of flowers upon hearing this voice, his mouth and nose filled with intoxicating fragrance, making him want to indulge in it.

At that moment, the vast divine sense in his mind suddenly twitched, and he instantly recovered.

The short, stout man's expression changed, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes, but he quickly regained composure.

Just then, a ball of white light appeared out of nowhere in the hall, dazzling and blinding.

Han Li narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to shield them.

The next moment, the white light suddenly disappeared, and the figure of a palace-dressed woman appeared on the stone platform.

The woman looked to be in her thirties, with an oval face, exquisite features, especially a pair of enchanting eyes. Her snow-white robe clung to her body, revealing a captivatingly voluptuous figure.

The white-robed woman exuded a terrifying charm, every frown and smile like a spring breeze blowing into the heart, filling people's minds with endless beautiful fantasies, trapping them within.

Han Li glanced at the woman, his heart also trembled, and he immediately averted his gaze, not daring to look any longer. At the same time, he secretly circulated his divine sense, and a cool sensation spread through his heart, gradually dispelling the strange sensations in his body.

"Greetings, Dao Lord Yun." The short, stout man bowed.

Han Li was slightly surprised, then understood. This white-robed woman was one of the thirteen Golden Immortal Dao Lords of the Candle Dragon Path. No wonder she possessed such terrifying charm.

He immediately followed suit, and Qi Liang next to him had already lowered his head, bowing respectfully, not daring to look up at the white-robed woman.

Bai Suyuan stared blankly at the woman, her eyes dazed, obviously already intoxicated by the white-robed woman's endless charm.

This terrifying charm did not discriminate between men and women.

The white-robed woman waved her jade hand, and Bai Suyuan's eyes immediately regained clarity.

Seeing Han Li and the others bowing to the white-robed woman, Bai Suyuan's expression changed, and she was about to bow as well.

"Good child, no need to be so formal." The white-robed woman grabbed Bai Suyuan's hand, pulled her in front of her, and examined her carefully, becoming more and more satisfied.

"Child, your name is Suyuan, right? Your Moonflower Immortal Body is very compatible with my cultivation method. Are you willing to take me as your master and follow me in cultivation?" the white-robed woman said softly.

"Suyuan is willing, greetings, Master." Bai Suyuan's mind raced, and she immediately bowed respectfully.

"Good, good, get up. From today onwards, you will be my fifth personal disciple. This Ruyi Ring is a spiritual treasure I obtained in my early years and used quite well. Today, I will bestow it upon you for self-defense." The white-robed woman smiled, picked up a white jade ring, radiating amazing spiritual power fluctuations, obviously a top-grade spiritual treasure, and placed it on her wrist.

"Thank you, Master, for the generous gift." Bai Suyuan was overjoyed and quickly thanked her.

The white-robed woman then raised her head and looked at the short, stout man, saying, "Xiong Shan, I'm taking this child. Do you have any objections?"

"Not at all, since Dao Lord Yun's cultivation method is suitable for this child, it is naturally better for her to follow you." The short, stout man quickly said with a smile.

The white-robed woman smiled faintly, her eyes turning to Han Li and Qi Liang on the side, her gaze lingering on Han Li for a moment.

"He is a rogue cultivator named Li Feiyu, who entered the mountain gate with a Candle Dragon Token. He has just been tested for his aptitude." The short, stout man noticed the white-robed woman's gaze and immediately explained.

"Oh, you handle these small matters." The white-robed woman only glanced at him and then withdrew her gaze, seemingly uninterested, and said casually.

"Suyuan, come with me." She grabbed Bai Suyuan, waved her hand, and a gentle white light enveloped the two of them.

Bai Suyuan hurriedly turned her head to look at Han Li below, but at that moment, the white light obscured her vision.

With a flash of white light, the figures of the two disappeared without a trace.

The smile on the short, stout man's face slowly faded, revealing an extremely gloomy expression. He turned to leave.

"Vice Dao Lord Xiong, regarding Daoist Li, how should he be arranged?" Qi Liang asked quickly, seeing this scene.

"Hmph! What's there to arrange? Let him be an ordinary inner sect deacon. You can handle it." The short, stout man said coldly, without any regard for Han Li's presence.

As soon as he finished speaking, a golden light flashed on his body, and he disappeared from the spot.

After the white-robed woman and others left, Han Li's eyes narrowed slightly, and he fell into contemplation.

"Cultivating the Dao and seeking immortality, each has their own fortune. It is already very difficult for a fellow Daoist to cultivate to the True Immortal realm. There is no need to be too envious of others." Elder Qi said, noticing the change in his expression, reminding him.

Han Li was stunned upon hearing this, knowing that Elder Qi had most likely misunderstood him. He smiled helplessly and did not bother to explain.

"Since Vice Dao Lord Xiong has instructed me to arrange for you to be an inner sect deacon, there are some sect rules that you need to understand clearly. I will give you the relevant documents later, so there is no need to rush." Elder Qi said with a smile.

"Thank you... May I ask Elder Qi, what specific matters are inner sect deacons responsible for?" Han Li nodded and said.

"Elder Li has two choices. First, within every hundred years, you must accept three regular deacon-level tasks assigned by the sect. Of course, if you have enough merit points to offset them, you don't have to perform the regular tasks." Elder Qi explained slowly.

"What about the other option?" Han Li asked again.

"The second option is like me, being responsible for daily affairs in a certain hall within the sect, and only needing to spend ten years within a hundred years. However, many elders choose to serve continuously for a hundred years in order not to affect their Great Dao cultivation, and then they can concentrate on cultivation for nine hundred years." Elder Qi continued to explain.

"Since they are afraid of delaying cultivation, why not use merit points to offset the tasks?" Han Li asked, puzzled.

"Hahaha, well... firstly, merit points are extremely precious to the Candle Dragon Path's elders and disciples, and no one wants to use them easily to offset tasks. Secondly, the sect does not allow canceling the execution of daily deacon tasks through offsetting." Elder Qi explained.

"Listening to Elder Qi, these merit points are so precious, then obtaining them must be very difficult." Han Li said thoughtfully.

"That's right. For sect disciples, taking care of spiritual fields for several years can often only earn one merit point, while elders can obtain one point per month if they serve as deacons." Elder Qi nodded.

"What if I choose to perform regular deacon-level tasks?" Han Li asked.

"Although they are said to be regular deacon-level tasks, their difficulty varies depending on the specific content, so the merit points that can be exchanged naturally vary as well. Usually... it is as few as ten points or as many as a hundred points. Of course, if you make some special contributions to the sect, you can naturally obtain additional merit points. You will understand this when you become familiar with the situation within the sect in the future." Elder Qi was quite patient and explained in detail.

"If that's the case, then for the first hundred years, I will choose the first option." Han Li said after thinking for a while.

"Yes, most newly entered elders basically make this choice. Let's go, the Household Affairs Hall is right here, I will take you there to choose a cave dwelling." Elder Qi smiled and said.

With that, he led Han Li out of the Zhaoyao Hall, soared into the air, and flew to another mountain peak not far away.

Compared to the mountain where the Zhaoyao Hall was located, this place was much more lively.

Atop the mountain, there was a vast complex of vermilion buildings, with hundreds of palaces and buildings arranged in layers. The huge square outside was crowded with people, not exactly a surging crowd, but still quite numerous.

From time to time, several rainbow lights soared up or landed from the sky.

"The Household Affairs Hall manages the registration of sect elders and disciples, and also distributes related supplies, so it is one of the busiest halls within the sect on weekdays." Qi Liang said after Han Li and he landed on the square.

"No wonder there are so many people... it seems it will take a lot of time. I'm sorry to trouble you, Elder Qi." Han Li nodded and said apologetically.

"It's okay, Elder Yu of the Household Affairs Hall has a good relationship with me. I'll take you to him directly." Qi Liang said with a smile.

"Thank you." Han Li thanked him.

The two passed through the square, and many disciples respectfully called out "Elder" when they saw the elder robes on Qi Liang. Qi Liang only nodded slightly in response.

Walking into the group of halls, Han Li could see through the hall doors that most of them were busy.

Under Qi Liang's guidance, they arrived in front of a large hall located at the innermost part.

At this time, the sound of conversation was echoing inside the hall, and there were seven or eight figures inside, seemingly arguing about something.

"Brother Yu!" Qi Liang shouted, crossing the threshold with Han Li, before even seeing anyone.

Behind the seven or eight figures, a large head with a ruddy face poked out, glanced over here, and then retracted. Immediately afterward, a loud voice came out:

"Alright, you can go back first. You can come back tomorrow about changing your cave dwellings."

The sect disciples had no choice but to give up, bid farewell one by one, and left the hall.

"Brother Qi, it's been a while since you've been here... Oh, who is this beside you..." Elder Yu, who was a bit bloated, shook his large head and looked at Han Li.

Han Li observed that this person's appearance was somewhat unremarkable, but he found that the aura on his body was not weak at all. He was also a True Immortal realm cultivator with not low cultivation.