Chapter 9: The Path to the Outer Sect and the Loyal Sycophant

The Hundred Blossom Palace had a vast number of servant disciples. Tens of thousands would arrive every three years, and there were numerous ways to advance to an outer disciple.

The first method was Foundation Establishment.

As long as one successfully achieved Foundation Establishment, they could enter the outer sect of the Hundred Blossom Palace, regardless of their innate talent, age, or background.

The second method was talent.

Within any sect, disciples with good talent always received preferential treatment, and the Hundred Blossom Palace was no exception. The three years as a servant disciple primarily served to temper one’s character, as truly exceptional talents would have been selected by the elders long ago. Therefore, ‘good talent’ here was merely relative. Of course, within the Hundred Blossom Palace, talent could also refer to one’s appearance.

The third, and simplest, method was to leverage connections.

As long as you had an elder or relative within the sect, this resource could be utilized at any time.

Nevertheless, unless one possessed heaven-defying talent or an extraordinary background, they were destined to remain an outer disciple of the Hundred Blossom Palace for three years.

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While Luo Bingli was unaware of the specifics concerning outer disciples, there was one person who knew: Wang Qiu’er, Luo Bingli’s number one sycophant in the original plot.

In the story, Wang Qiu’er was a poor girl who had once saved Luo Bingli when she was young. Because Luo Bingli became the Saintess of the Hundred Blossom Palace, Wang Qiu’er’s status skyrocketed, making her Luo Bingli’s primary lackey.

This was not even the most crucial part. What truly stood out was how perfectly Wang Qiu’er played the role of a sycophant. She was exceedingly fawning in front of Luo Bingli, yet outside, she behaved like a domineering tiger.

If anyone displeased her, she would declare, “I am the Saintess’s dog!” and then proceed to extort and plunder. It could be said that seventy percent of Luo Bingli’s notorious reputation stemmed directly from this lackey.

In the original plot, there were descriptions of Luo Bingli intending to thoroughly discipline Wang Qiu’er. However, Luo Bingli understood that her consistent tacit approval of Wang Qiu’er’s behavior was rooted in a simple biscuit Wang Qiu’er had given her when she was a child, which had made Luo Bingli feel warmth.

Thus, even after awakening her memories of a past life, Luo Bingli’s feelings had not changed. As long as Wang Qiu’er did not go too far, Luo Bingli would always handle the aftermath of her troubles.

Despite Wang Qiu’er possessing many flaws, she also had numerous virtues, such as obedience and efficiency in completing tasks.

Currently, Wang Qiu’er’s cultivation was at the Core Formation stage. Previously, she had served as the attendant responsible for Luo Bingli’s daily life, as a Saintess of her stature naturally required a certain air of prestige.

Two months prior, due to Luo Bingli’s impending breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, Wang Qiu’er had been temporarily granted a period of leave. Now, it was time to put this chief lackey back to work.

Wang Qiu’er resided in the area designated for inner disciples within the Hundred Blossom Palace. Compared to the vast number of servant disciples and the outer disciples who had passed the preliminary rounds, the number of inner disciples was considerably sparse.

Nevertheless, upon seeing Luo Bingli pass by, several young women instantly became wide-eyed, their gazes fixed. It was as if ordinary people had encountered their long-admired idol and were on the verge of fainting from overwhelming excitement.

“Saintess, you are so beautiful! I’m going to faint!”

“When will the Saintess take on another pet? My eighteen methods of bootlicking have reached perfection. I wonder if the Saintess can give me a chance?”

“What do you mean? When did the Saintess ever keep pets?”

“I’m talking about Wang Qiu’er! She constantly acts spoiled, relying on her connection to the Saintess. I believe the Saintess will abandon that girl sooner or later.”

“That makes sense!”

“Alas, it’s a pity the Saintess isn’t here to see me!”

“You’re dreaming!”

“…”

Listening to the surrounding chatter, Luo Bingli could not help but sigh helplessly. She could clearly feel that ever since she had become entangled in this dress, unable to shed it, she had seemingly become even more famous.

Fortunately, she had encountered such situations many times before. While it hadn’t been as severe as recently, she had grown accustomed to it.

Before Luo Bingli could even reach Wang Qiu’er’s residence, Wang Qiu’er’s door burst open with a ‘bang’. A rather delicate young woman, upon seeing Luo Bingli, instantly rushed out excitedly, sliding to her knees beside Luo Bingli’s thigh.

She then immediately embraced Luo Bingli’s leg, which protruded from her skirt, and cried out excitedly, “Saintess, you have finally broken through to the Nascent Soul stage! And it’s the most supreme twelfth-grade Heavenly Infant! Not only that, I can feel immortal light swirling around you, Saintess! You must have cultivated immortal qi, which only true prodigies can achieve. Saintess, you truly are the most heaven-defying talent the Hundred Blossom Palace has seen in tens of thousands of years, second only to the Allure Empress, whose talent was monstrous over a million years ago! It’s no exaggeration to say you are the second most gifted in a million years!”

Just look at that sycophant’s demeanor—how professional! Luo Bingli immediately gave a light cough. “Cough, cough. Alright, it’s enough that you know. Don’t speak of it in public.”

“My apologies! Such a monumental secret should be buried with me in my coffin! I am truly sorry, Saintess. I… I… I am willing…”

“That’s enough. Go to your room. I have something to discuss with you!”

“Yes, no problem!”

And so, the two entered Wang Qiu’er’s room, ignoring her small gestures. As soon as they entered, Luo Bingli intended to get straight to business. However…

Upon returning to her room, Wang Qiu’er immediately produced a booklet and respectfully presented it to Luo Bingli. “Saintess, I presume the taste of Senior Sister Bai was exquisite! This is the ‘Hundred Beauties Scroll’ that this old servant painstakingly collected for you, Saintess. Every fairy depicted within is not only uniquely beautiful, but most importantly, each possesses a special physique. I know you have grand ambitions, Saintess. Surely, by gathering all these fairies, things like the ‘Three Flowers Converging at the Peak,’ ‘Five Qis Returning to the Origin,’ and ‘Seven Stars Shining in Glory’ will be effortless for you!”

Upon hearing this, Luo Bingli’s head buzzed. She immediately flipped through the small booklet. Good heavens, it was filled with all the female protagonists from the original novel! For example, there was Xiao Yan’er, who possessed the Extreme Fire Spirit Physique. In the plot, a few months later, she would be placed beneath the core lava spirit marrow, and whenever the spirit marrow dripped onto Xiao Yan’er’s fair skin, it would evoke a pleasant sound from her.

And there were others…

Shaking her head, she quickly cast the rubbish from her mind. Suppressing the urge to throw it away, she stored the booklet in her storage space. Then, she looked at Wang Qiu’er, her lackey, with a speechless expression.

“Saintess, why are you looking at me like that? I’m speaking from the heart! I genuinely feel that things like the ‘Three Flowers Converging at the Peak,’ ‘Five Qis Returning to the Origin,’ and ‘Seven Stars Shining in Glory,’ which are impossible for others, can only be accomplished by you, Saintess. I imagine you are already prepared to make a move on those girls with special physiques, aren’t you? Otherwise, why would you be wearing a dress with such obvious implications?” As she spoke, she winked mischievously.