"Visiting a family member, huh?" The old man's eye remained open, scrutinizing Vlad as if trying to see through any lies. "If that's the case, then you must have a Visitor Pass, right?"
The corners of Vlad's lips twitched. He hadn't anticipated there being something like that.
Even so, this question didn't stump him. All he had to do was observe a nearby Visitor that was entering through the front gate; from there, he honed in on the Visitor Pass hanging by the man's side and memorized every part of it, down to the last detail. With his vast experience as a super tiny Microorganism, this was made extremely simple, for he knew all about how to discern small… and big things.
After completely memorizing the Visitor Pass, Vlad secretly cut off a piece of his body, allowing it to return to its original slimy form. He then utilized his memorization of the Visitor Pass to mold his cut-off piece into an exact replica.
"Where was my Visitor Pass again?" Vlad feigned forgetfulness, rummaging through the pockets of his borrowed robes. "Ah, here it is!" His eyes brightened as he took out a pentagon-shaped jade tablet and presented it to the discerning old man.
The old man looked between the Visitor Pass and Vlad a few times before closing his eye and snorting, "You can attempt the Entry Disciple registration test, but don't expect it to be easy. Your cultivation may be in the 1st Layer of the Body Refinement Realm; however, this Month's Trials will prove challenging even if you're in the 2nd Layer Body Refinement Realm."
"I appreciate the concern, Senior, but I still wish to join the Sect," Vlad said with a slight smile, his calmness an eyesore for the old man.
"Tsk, juniors these days don't know when to back down. Always rushing in head first, uncaring about the consequences until they come back to bite you in the bum," the Old Man lectured. He swiped his hand, taking out a token with the Chinese characters 'Participant #6,761' engraved on it. "Don't say I didn't warn you," he advised as he tossed the token at Vlad.
"Thanks for the advice, old man," Vlad dropped all pretenses as he waved his hand while walking away.
The old man clicked his tongue, already counting down the minutes until he received word of that young man's demise.
Meanwhile, a couple hundred meters alongside the outside of the wall, Vlad approached an area where thousands of people were gathered. This was the place designated to those wishing to take the Entry Disciple Trials and become Members of the Seven Swords Sect.
Vlad walked up to a middle-aged man who looked like he was in charge. After a short exchange of words, he signed his name on a slip of paper, officially joining the Entry Disciple Trials.
"Hmm? Who's that??"
"How come I've never heard of someone who looks like that living around here??"
There were many in the crowd that took notice of his existence, his exceptional appearance being mostly responsible for this.
One person in particular, a young maiden in her late teens, stared particularly hard at Vlad. She had long curly blonde hair, bluish-gold eyes, and a curvy figure. She also possessed an arrogant aura that kept any interested in her at bay.
"Senior Chang, who is that man?" The woman asked the older man respectfully standing off to her side.
"Young Miss Ning, that man does not match the description of anyone the Lady of the house told us to watch out for. We can look into his background right now, but it will… take some time."
Ning Yue shook her head. "Forget about it, Elder Mo. I'll just ask him myself."
The old man's muscles expanded and vibrated with immense strength as he followed behind the blonde beauty. He was the Family Elder assigned to the protection of the girl by her illustrious mother. As such, his strength was in the Later Layers of the Body Refinement Realm; most Entry and Outer Disciples were not his match.
"Young Miss, are you sure you wouldn't rather just skip the Entry Disciple Trials and directly become an Outer Disciple? Why do you insist on doing things this way, even when the Lady of the house recommended something different?"
Elder Mo asked this question as they made their way over to Vlad. However, all he received in response was a displeased "humph!" before being ignored.
'The Young Miss is the same as always,' Elder Mo sighed, before keeping quiet and obediently following her lead.
Vlad suddenly turned his head in their direction, having sensed their strong presences long ago.
Before he could get a single word in, Ning Yue spoke first. She pointed at him and bluntly said, "You, man, what is your name?"
"Huh?" Vlad tilted his head, and Elder Mo facepalmed.
Who exactly was this strange woman?
Well, at least she was hot.
Smirking, Vlad said, "I can tell you who I am, but I'm going to need something in return," he added while suggestively traveling her curvy figure with his eyes.
He was expecting more of a reaction out of the girl, but contrary to his expectations, she accepted the ogling with pride. She even took things further and pushed out her chest, ensuring that he'd be able to see it in all its glory.
Vlad's smile quickly drew a line down into a frown. He turned his head off to the side, muttering, "How boring."
"What was that?" asked Ning Yue.
"Ah, nothing, nothing," Vlad replied, his smile returning in full form. "Anyway, my name is Vlad. You can call me that, and I can call you hottie number two – how does that sound?"
Ning Yue looked very displeased at his words. She may have been arrogant, but she wasn't stupid; she could tell that he didn't take her the least bit seriously.
"Young man, I suggest you watch your tone around Young Miss Ning Yue," Elder Mo advised, his words laced with a dangerous intent.
"Oh yeah?" Vlad smirked. "So your name is Ning Yue, huh?" he playfully said while looking at the stunned blonde beauty. "It's a pretty nice name. Personally, I still think Hottie number two is better though."
"You…" Elder Mo realized he had been tricked into accidentally revealing Ning Yue's name. He turned toward her, expecting her to lash out at him. However, what he actually saw left him at a loss for words.
"This man… He's so… so…" Ning Yue was shaking in place, her sparkling blue eyes being consumed by something dangerously deranged. She was practically salivating at the mouth while staring at Vlad, with a sensation unbecoming of a pure maiden surging from within.
'Well, this is a bit more interesting,' Vlad thought, his hateful grin making a comeback. 'I suppose I can have some fun with this little masochist.'