Tian Lei let the silence hang for a moment, the weight of their stares pressing on him. Then, with a small cough, he waved a hand as if brushing away smoke.
"Let's leave that aside," he said, voice even. "I'm more curious—what's the normal procedure to enter the sect? Surely not everyone just bumps into Grand Elders on the road."
The question jolted the table back into motion.
Meng Shen blinked, then gave a dry laugh. "Normal? Ha! If you want to get in the usual way, you first have to pass the Outer Sect trials. Those alone weed out nine out of ten hopefuls. Spirit root tests, martial comprehension assessments, endurance trials—you name it."
Xiao Rou nodded, fingers tapping lightly against her bowl. "And even if you do pass, you start as nothing more than an Outer Disciple. From there, you need years of sweat and blood before anyone even looks your way. Inner Sect disciples? Elite disciples? That's another world entirely."
