I'm caught in the cycle of endless competition, you're waiting for me in the apocalypse.

The ancient Taoist temple is hidden in the mountains and forests, surrounded by towering peaks.

The trees were dappled with sunlight, and people were bustling about among them.

"Why haven't they found it yet? That shouldn't be the case."

"Let's search again. If anything happens to these five people, our temple will have to be disbanded."

The group scattered to search along the location where the trap had been set up, and one of them was extremely anxious.

"Uncle-Master, how did this trapping formation break? We've been searching all morning, but we still can't find it." Wei Ran already felt something was wrong; he really didn't want An Xin to suffer that unnecessary disaster. But things didn't go as planned.

He got up early this morning and hurriedly went to find his senior uncle and several fellow disciples, eager to welcome An Xin back as soon as possible. However, upon arriving at the place, he discovered that the formation had been broken, and An Xin was nowhere to be found. With anxious hearts, they searched everywhere, but after a night, there were very few traces left…

"Welcome back...returning to the temple..." A voice echoed from afar.

"Uncle-Master, listen... what's that sound?"

“Sound wave kung fu? This is shouting ‘Welcome back to the temple, all Taoist masters’…” Uncle-Master Qiu Hong listened intently. “It’s coming from the direction of the Taoist temple.”

"Huh? It sounds like a woman's voice. How could it carry that far?"

"It's a little girl's voice..."

"Could it be An Xin?"

"..." Uncle-Master Qiu Hong simply couldn't believe that a girl who hadn't received proper training could use sonic techniques. But what he heard next left him no choice but to believe it.

"An Xin, Fang Yinuo, Qi Mingxuan, Gu Shuohan, and Lei Yao respectfully welcome the Daoist masters back to the temple." The voice grew clearer and clearer, and everyone searching on the mountain looked up in the direction of the voice.

"Go back quickly..."

"Let's look back!"

Five people stood in a row in front of the Qingshan Temple. The girl in the middle once again gathered her spiritual power, extending it upwards from her abdomen, and releasing it through her throat, mouth, and the top of her head, mixed with spiritual power. She called out for the third time, "We await your arrival here."

Each of his three calls was louder and resonated further than the last.

The other four all looked at An Xin, once again shocked by this girl.

"Get ready, they're back!" An Xin excitedly told the four of them.

"call out--"

"call out--"

……

A series of whooshing sounds came as several illusory figures stepped onto the stairs.

Taoist Master Zou Yuan, Taoist Master Qiu Hong, and several other Taoist masters flew over from various directions at the foot of the mountain. At the gate of the Taoist temple, five figures stood upright, neither humble nor arrogant, neither proud nor impatient.

Seeing that the first to arrive were all handsome, ethereal elders, An Xin stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said, "Disciple An Xin respectfully welcomes all Daoist masters. May you be compassionate and blessed."

Following suit, the four people behind him also bowed and greeted him loudly.

Seeing this, the Taoist priests looked at each other in bewilderment.

Master Zou Yuan was both amused and exasperated; this new disciple was truly a remarkable person.

Many disciples gradually returned, and seeing the scene before the temple, they were caught in a dilemma. However, their desire to watch the drama unfold also stirred within them. They gathered in twos and threes on the stone steps, chirping softly.

"Who broke that trap?" Master Qiu Hong was the first to speak.

"Reverend Daoist, may you be well? I am but your humble disciple." An Xin bowed again, then turned and picked up the flowerpot that had been placed by the door that morning, adding, "Reverend Daoist, I have a gift for you."

When Master Qiu Hong saw the camellia, his eyes widened in surprise. While he stood there dumbfounded, the little girl smiled and presented the flowerpot to him, winking and nodding slightly, "I hope you like it, Master Qiu~"

As if guided by some strange force, Master Qiu accepted the flowerpot and remained silent for a long time.

"What's going on? Why is this girl giving Uncle Qiu camellias?"

"I don't know, why is Uncle Qiu's face so dark?"

"What did this girl say her name was again?"

"It seems her name is An Xin!"

"Huh? Isn't that the junior sister who's going to have her apprenticeship ceremony today?"

"Hmm... Junior Sister is so pretty!"

"And the others? Could they be those young masters and ladies?"

"Wow? They're all so handsome... Are they really that good-looking?"

...It's been quite a gossip session.

"Anxin, you're here~" Wei Ran ran up. "When did you arrive? Why aren't you going in? Hey? Master, Uncle-Master, all of you, what are you doing standing here?"

"Wei Ran, you're such an idiot..." everyone thought to themselves.

However, thanks to his intervention, the awkward situation was averted. Master Zou smiled at the five people and said, "It's good that you've arrived. Please come in with me."

Master Zou and the other Taoist priests strolled leisurely into the temple, followed closely by An Xin and her group of five, plus Wei Ran. The other fellow disciples also poured into the temple in a rush.

客堂

Master Zou sat at the head of the table, with the other Taoist priests seated on either side. Several young Taoist priests in blue robes stood on the left, while An Xin and his companions stood on the right.

Seeing that the group of people were all standing with their eyes lowered, showing great respect, Master Zou smiled and asked, "When did you arrive?"

"Replying to the Taoist priest, we arrived last night, but no one answered the door after knocking for a long time, so we had to find a place to stay on our own. I never expected that the Taoist priests would be so kind to us. They must have been worried that we would arrive too late and have no one to help us, so they prepared a separate dormitory for us in advance. We slept very well last night. Thank you all."

An Xin's words caused the Taoist priests to cover their faces, especially Master Qiu, who looked at the pot of camellias and pursed his lips.

"Hey, little kid, did you really break that formation?" Master Qiu still didn't believe it. Although the trapping formation was simple, it wasn't something just anyone could break.

"I don't know, I just passed by and saw that the flowers were pretty. I thought that since I was becoming an apprentice today, I should give the elders a gift, so I just brought them along." An Xin answered innocently, while Qi Mingxuan secretly chuckled to himself.

Seeing the changing expressions on Master Qiu's face, Master Zou smiled inwardly but didn't show it on his face: "An Xin, your Uncle Qiu really loves flowers and is also proficient in the art of Qimen Dunjia. You can learn more from him in the future."

"Yes, Master."

"By the way, Junior Nephew An, have you studied sonic kung fu?" Master Chen asked curiously.

"Replying to the Daoist Master, no, I've only learned sitting meditation and mindfulness online, nothing else. I was just using my spiritual energy when I was chanting."

……

The room fell silent.

Master Zou: My little apprentice is really mischievous, but he is also truly gifted.

Master Qiu: That little girl is so awful...

Master Chen: Where did you find your disciple, senior brother...? I'd like to take one in too...

Fellow senior brothers: Is this even fair?!

Young masters and ladies: Versailles this season...

Wei Ran: Xin Xin is so amazing~ I need to work harder too.

Qi Mingxuan: Looks like I'll have to put in some hard work...

"Hmm, Xinxin, you are very talented and can use spiritual power naturally. I am very happy. However, you must not be complacent or arrogant. Starting tomorrow, you will be cultivating with your senior brothers."

"Disciple understands, and will certainly strive to improve and bring honor to Master!"

"Haha... Well then, it's almost lunchtime, let's go eat first. At 2 pm, we'll hold the apprenticeship ceremony at the Ancestral Hall. Your senior brothers will give you the formal Taoist robes and other items, and explain the apprenticeship process later." Master Zou found An Xin's disciple very pleasing, so he gave her a lot of advice. "After the apprenticeship ceremony, I will introduce you to your senior uncles, senior brothers, and other senior disciples."

"By the way, the decision for you young masters from aristocratic families to come here for cultivation was made by the various families themselves. You can take advantage of the midday break to consult with the various Daoist masters or other disciples to decide on your future cultivation direction. After An Xin's apprenticeship ceremony, it will be your turn to choose. In the end, the Daoist masters will take your individual aptitude as the foundation and your intentions as a supplement to design your courses and cultivation content."

"Yes! Thank you, Master Zou!" The young masters and ladies bowed and said yes, each one of them well-behaved and clever.

..........................................

"Wei Ran, why did you bring your luggage?"

Not long after arriving at the dormitory, the group was about to go to the cafeteria for a meal when they saw Wei Ran coming to the dormitory with a smile on his face, dragging a suitcase and carrying several bags.

"Master asked me to live with you, saying that we already know each other and that I should answer your questions and guide you in your cultivation," Wei Ran explained to An Xin as he put down his luggage.

"Hey, you guy who values ​​women over friends, we asked you questions, why did you only explain to An Xin?" Lei Yao patted Wei Ran on the shoulder, teasing him.

"An Xin will soon be my junior sister, of course we're best friends!"

"Hurry up and take us to the cafeteria, we're hungry." Qi Mingxuan nudged Wei Ran with his elbow, his face expressionless.

"Oh, okay, come with me... You don't need to bring anything, the cafeteria provides everything."

And so, the two girls followed behind the four handsome guys, all over 185cm tall, toward the cafeteria.

The group was dressed in diverse styles and had unique appearances, creating a beautiful and diverse group that attracted a lot of attention along the way. Even when they sat down to eat, many eyes were cast their way.

"What's going on? Why are you all looking at us?" Fang Yinuo looked around and then at Wei Ran.

"They must have been looking for you all morning, so everyone's probably curious about you." Wei Ran scratched his head.

"Heh, Wei Ran, you're a traitor!" Gu Shuohan, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up. "Do you know how hard we worked yesterday? Did you know their plan all along?"

"No, I only found out about this two days ago when I heard from them that Uncle Qiu had gone to set up the formation. Moreover, these past few days, Master confiscated my phone, saying that it was all planned by my uncles and that they were just cooperating with the operation."

"Wei Ran, you really don't know?" Lei Yao asked him again to confirm.

"Really, your dorm building was cleaned and tidied by me and a few senior students. We're such good friends, why would I lie to you?" Wei Ran explained with a wry smile, caught in a pincer attack from his two buddies.

"Alright, alright, Wei Ran is about to cry. Let go of him, stop bullying my senior brother..."

"Waaah... Xinxin is still the best to me."