C77 Bai Yih's Subordinates.

"Why is he so aggressive? He's only emboldened because he has Elder Bai Yih backing him up. Without that, he'd have no right to be the Vice Hallmaster of the Cultivation Hall."

"We're not on any missions right now, and the Eldest Senior Brother has descended the mountain. Why can't we go see him?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Su gave the portly middle-aged man a glance and said with a smirk, "Fine, lead the way."

The middle-aged man beamed with joy. Being Chiu Yue's Head Disciple, Jiang Su was a figure of high status. If he could befriend Jiang Su, his own standing in the First Devil Sect would surely rise.

Little did the middle-aged man know that Bai Yih and Jiang Su were at odds.

After walking a few steps alone, the middle-aged man realized Jiang Su wasn't following. He turned to find Jiang Su eyeing him with a chilling gaze. Though Jiang Su's look wasn't frightening, it sent shivers down the man's spine.

"With only a Triple Spiritual Root, and reaching the Foundation Stage at your age, how did you manage to become the Vice Hallmaster of the Cultivation Hall?"

Jiang Su's piercing gaze tracked the middle-aged man's shifting expressions, which turned ashen.

The truth behind his rise to Vice Hallmaster was no secret among them. Yet, if Jiang Su were to expose it, his position would be in jeopardy.

He regretted coming here today. Without Elder Chiu Yue, Jiang Su wouldn't have been able to claim the title of Head Disciple!

"You have the audacity to question my abilities! I'd like to know how you, a mere kitchen hand, rose to become the Head Disciple," he retorted.

Jiang Su noted the sudden edge in the man's voice and allowed himself a small smile, choosing not to respond.

Others, who had suffered under the middle-aged man's bullying, spoke up in indignation: "The Eldest Senior Brother possesses the Ancestral Dragon Martial Spirit. He mastered the Shadowless Step in just half a month and swiftly conquered the challenges of the Compendium Pavilion. Why shouldn't he be the Head Disciple?"

With a forced and unsightly grin, the middle-aged man glowered at Jiang Su and turned to the female disciples, his voice laced with bitterness, "So what's the Eldest Senior Brother's spiritual root? How many spirit veins does he have? What martial arts has he learned from Elder Chiu Yue? What do you really know about the Eldest Senior Brother?"

He implied that Jiang Su was concealing his true power and that he didn't deserve to be Elder Chiu Yue's head disciple.

In every one of the ten great Immortal Sects and the ten great Devil Sects, each inner sect disciple possessed a single spiritual root—no exceptions.

The middle-aged man's revelation shocked the outer sect disciples; they hadn't even known what kind of spiritual root their Eldest Senior Brother had.

A breeze swept through, playfully lifting Jiang Su's bangs.

Jiang Su had an epiphany. Today was the day the Devil Sect was recruiting new disciples, and these outer sect disciples were on a mission—they wouldn't have gathered here without a reason. The Vice Hallmaster of the Cultivation Hall had come looking for trouble on purpose, just to steer the conversation to this topic.

It made sense now why Ye Nong was merely a kitchen chief, while this man had risen to the position of Vice Hallmaster. Even if he lost his current role today, he was bound to reap benefits in the future.

The middle-aged man smirked, satisfied with fulfilling his task.

His visit today was prompted by Elder Bai Yih. His earlier feigned sycophancy was a ploy to gauge Jiang Su's abilities.

Without a single spiritual root, Elder Bai Yih would find ways to eliminate Jiang Su eventually.

The person backing Elder Bai Yih was incredibly powerful, after all!

Yet, to the middle-aged man's surprise, his words didn't shake the outer sect disciples or cast any doubts on Jiang Su.

"So what if we're unaware of Eldest Senior Brother's talents? As Elder Chiu Yue's disciple, he's our Eldest Senior Brother in the outer sect. His guidance in our cultivation is all that matters."

"Eldest Senior Brother is so charismatic; whatever he does is right! Don't you dare slander Jiang Hee!"

Jiang Su turned to look at the girl who had spoken. Were it not for the unmistakable adoration in her gaze, he might have thought she was a fellow transmigrator.

Alas, she clearly wasn't.

A modern-day transmigrant wouldn't be smitten with him. With so many heartthrobs in the entertainment industry, they wouldn't bother fixating on him. He wasn't as handsome as the stars on TV.

The middle-aged man was utterly bewildered. He hadn't anticipated that these female cultivators would be so wildly fanatical. Shouldn't they have been siding with him, casting doubt on Jiang Su's abilities? That way, he could have ascertained Jiang Su's talent and enabled Elder Bai Yih to take action against him.

Several female cultivators were infuriated to see their idol being interrogated in such a manner. In a fit of rage, they slipped off their shoes and hurled them at the Cultivation Hall's Vice Hallmaster. Witnessing this chaos, the middle-aged man didn't hesitate—he bolted.

If he lingered, he feared they might actually kill him.

He had no choice but to rush back and report to his superiors, fully aware that his position was on the line. His only hope was that Elder Bai Yih would secure a respectable position for him in another sect.

Jiang Su's demeanor softened, and he offered the female cultivators a warm smile.

His smile set off another round of frenzied shrieks from the women.

With that, Jiang Su hastened his steps. Today's primary mission was to select disciples for the four elders.

Since Bai Yih seemed so intent on provoking him, Jiang Su was more than ready to push back.

He might not be the strongest, but with the system on his side, he had no reason to fear Bai Yih.

If the system could hear him now, it would probably consider Jiang Su's self-assessment far too humble.

Jiang Su made his way swiftly to the entrance of the First Devil Sect.

The mountain gate looked different from the norm today. A new path had been added—a thousand-step staircase leading straight down the mountain, giving the impression of ascending to the heavens.

Looking up from the base of the mountain, all he might see was the gate shrouded in mist, seemingly unreachable.

Four Outer Sect disciples, clad in black, stood guard at the sect's entrance. This was Jiang Su's first encounter with Outer Sect disciples donning black uniforms.

They were undoubtedly among the most distinguished members of the Outer Sect.

The attire of the Outer Sect disciples was monochromatic. The greater their talent and the more advanced their cultivation, the darker the shade of their garments. The female cultivators gathered around Jiang Su, for instance, wore a variety of colors, predominantly white.

Inner Sect disciples' clothing bore no such restrictions, encompassing nearly every hue. The distinction lay in the intricate runes and embroidery adorning their garments.

On the day Jiang Su was accepted as a disciple, Elder Chiu Yue had already arranged several sets of Inner Sect disciple attire for him.

Yet, Jiang Su had a preference for donning pure white garments.

The youth positioned before the quartet of Outer Sect disciples donned the attire of an Inner Sect disciple, with the black embroidery starkly contrasting against his white clothing.