"You wish to learn more about the cultivation world, right? Well, the first thing you need to know about the cultivation world is its brutal and unforgiving nature." Long Yijun continued.
"There are many selfish and coldhearted Cultivators out there who are without reason and will do everything in their power to bully those weaker than themselves and try to destroy those above them if they get the chance."
"This is why it's extremely important to have a powerful backer or an influential background, especially if you are talented, as they will be able to protect you to a certain extent, and the more powerful your backing the safer you'll be in the cultivation world. This is another reason why many Cultivators aim for the most prestigious sects, as that will make them feel safer."
"If you don't have a strong backing or come from a powerful family, other Cultivators will be able to bully you without needing to worry about the repercussions. If you have a powerful background, on the other hand, people will have to think twice before they want to mess with you."
"Do you now understand why it's so important to have a backing and connections in the cultivation world? Cultivators… they can be heartless and selfish creatures that will do anything to achieve their own goals, even if they have to drag down others in order to do so."
'I see… The dragon also said the same thing, but it didn't go into too much depth…' Yuan thought to himself after hearing Long Yijun's long explanation on why it was important for him to have a strong backing.
"I understand," Yuan nodded afterward.
Long Yijun continued to speak a moment later, "Now back to our situation. You have immense talent— talents that will make many, many Cultivators jealous, yet you do not come from a powerful family that can protect you, hence why it's a problem."
"While the Dragon Essence Temple can protect you to a certain extent, and we will do everything in our power to protect you as long as you are a disciple here, there are no guarantees, as there are powerful factions and Cultivators out there in this vast world that even we cannot deal with."
"Therefore, I suggest hiding your real talent from the world until you have sufficient backings. Of course, that is not to say you shouldn't show off your talents— just overdo it… like what you did during the third and final exam…"
Yuan nodded.
"Now onto the second matter… Elder Xuan, do you want to take over?" Long Yijun asked him.
Elder Xuan nodded before looking at Yuan and speaking, "You said that you came to the Dragon Essence Temple for experience, right? I have heard from my granddaughter about how you do not want to be restricted like normal disciples and wish to travel freely. Normally, only Core Disciples will have such luxury, but we will make it an exception for you since you are already at the Core Disciples' level."
"Although you have just passed the examination and become a disciple, it would make no sense to make someone at your cultivation level an Outer Court— even an Inner Court disciple. However, with that being said, we also cannot just make you a Core Disciple, as that has never happened before and it would upset many of the Core Disciples."
"Therefore, we'll make you an Outer Court disciple in name so that you can experience the sect from the beginning exactly like you wanted while giving you Core Disciple privileges and benefits, so you'll actually be a Core Disciple disguised as an Outer Court disciple until you pass the Core Disciple examination and become one officially."
"How does that sound, everyone?" Elder Xuan asked the others for their feedback.
"That sounds pretty interesting," Elder Shan said, and she continued, "We can keep him hidden from our enemies since they tend to only look at the Inner Disciples and Core Disciples."
"I also approve of this. However, how are we going to hide his cultivation base?" Elder Xin asked.
"I will handle that," Elder Shan said. "I have a pill that'll disguise his real cultivation base and make him appear much weaker than he actually is."
Long Yijun looked at Yuan and asked him, "Are you okay with being an Outer Court disciple for now? If you wish, we can make you an Inner Court disciple instead."
However, Yuan shook his head and said, "I want to experience a normal sect life as intended, which means I start from the bottom and walk my way to the top."
While it was a little too late for Yuan to live a 'normal' sect life, Long Yijun and the other sect elders did not say anything and decided to let Yuan live that illusion for now.
"Then it's decided. Starting today, you will be an Outer Court disciple, but if you ever need something— anything at all— just let one of us know and we'll assist you to the best of our abilities without making it too obvious. We'll give you our communication jade slip later so you can contact us whenever you feel the need." Long Yijun said.
A moment later, Long Yijun continued, "Disciple Yuan, I have one… no, two more important matters to discuss with you before I can let you go so bear with me. The first one is about a place called Mystic Realm that we plan on having you participate in next month, and the second matter is about the Dragon Temple that will most likely happen after the Mystic Realm."
"Mystic Realm…? What's that?" Yuan asked.
"To put it simply, it's a massive competition that happens only once every ten years where all of the elite sects from around the world send their most talented disciples to participate in the Mystic Realm— a mysterious place that contains many challenges and treasures, and the higher your sect ranks the more rewards and fame you'll obtain." Long Yijun explained.
And he continued a moment later in a passionate voice, "Our Dragon Essence Temple ranked 7th for the last event, but with you on our side this year, I have no doubt that we'll achieve at least top 3!"