The sect’s storage area is located on the Floating Cloud Peak, a palace complex covering hundreds of acres. It is heavily guarded and strictly forbidden for unrelated people to approach.

Snow Xuebing Xuan, with a solemn expression, swiftly entered the square in front of the main gate. The square was paved with black bricks, each three feet in size, solid and smooth. Climbing the steps, the wide vermilion gate was open, with lifelike bronze kylin statues on either side.

Standing on the steps were rows of black-armored puppet guards, each holding a long halberd. They were about a zhang tall, tall and straight like pine trees, emitting a chilling aura.

Inside the magnificent main hall, many disciples stood, and several stewards sat behind a dozen zhang long sandalwood tables, busy with their tasks.

“…Senior Sister, why did you come today?”

Behind the large table, the elder in charge of the affairs was checking the accounts. Dozens of thick account books were piled up like a small mountain. Seeing Snow Xuebing Xuan hurriedly enter, he quickly stood up and greeted her.

Snow Xuebing Xuan waved her hand, “Nothing special, I came here to collect some things on behalf of my master.”

She handed over the jade token representing her identity, along with the token given by Sect Master Mu Yinghua and a jade slip recording the list of resources.

The elder straightened his expression and took the exquisite jade token, skillfully performing several spiritual techniques. The jade token trembled slightly and emitted a soft and gentle light.

The sect’s rules were strict, even for the direct disciples of the Supreme Sect Master. If they wanted to use resources, they had to follow the rules.

Seeing that the token was verified correctly, the elder nodded in satisfaction and released his spiritual sense to examine the contents of the jade slip. He said, “There are quite a few things, you’ll have to wait for a while. I’ll have them handle it.”

Snow Xuebing Xuan nodded slightly, and the two attendant disciples standing beside her quickly brought over chairs and invited her to sit down, offering her spiritual tea and snacks.

The elder immediately ordered the attendant disciples to open the various storage rooms and bring the required resources one by one.

As a core disciple of Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace, Snow Xuebing Xuan naturally received excellent treatment. Clothing, magical tools, weapons, talismans, elixirs, ingredients, carriages, and processions… There were many miscellaneous items, and even the maids and servants around her were arranged properly. Their status was higher than that of the emperors and generals in the secular dynasties.

However, for the sake of secrecy, the existence of Qing Muling could not be known to others for the time being. Therefore, Snow Xuebing Xuan came to collect the resources in the name of her master, and the elder in charge of the affairs did not know that there was a new core disciple in the sect.

After a while, a group of attendants in sky-blue daoist robes walked in, each holding a large and exquisite jade tray in their hands. The trays neatly displayed various types of jade bottles, totaling more than two hundred, containing different types of elixirs with various effects.

In addition, there were nearly a hundred large sandalwood boxes and more than twenty half-human-sized porcelain jars, which were successively carried out by the attendants. The jar mouths were sealed with thick mud and sealed with talisman seals, emitting a faint spiritual light. They were arranged in a large area in the hall.

Inside the boxes were various high-grade ingredients and spiritual medicine resources, while the jars contained spirit wine and nectar. These things had to be carefully sealed with spells to prevent the leakage of spiritual energy and affect their efficacy.

Snow Xuebing Xuan gracefully stood up, picked up a jade bottle from the tray, and unscrewed it. A faint medicinal fragrance spread out, and inside were twenty pale green Qi Replenishing Pills, pure in aura and of excellent quality, one of the commonly used cultivation resources for mid-level cultivators.

In addition, there were Xuan Yuan Life Blood Pills, Spirit Transformation Nourishing Spirit Pills, True Essence Stabilizing Pills… Most of them were good things that only core disciples were qualified to enjoy.

Snow Xuebing Xuan carefully inspected these resources one by one, confirmed their accuracy, and then stored them all in the space bracelet on her slender wrist.

Several exquisitely crafted golden silk sandalwood boxes were placed on the table. The box covers were opened, and inside were a black sheathed longsword, two pairs of jade pendants, two sets of deep purple and magnificent robes that emitted spiritual light, as well as talisman sachets and jewelry. Each item was a spiritual weapon carefully crafted by the elders of the Refining Hall.

“…Oh, my mistake!”

Snow Xuebing Xuan frowned and pushed the box containing the clothes back, explaining, “This time, I don’t need women’s clothing. Please exchange it for two sets of men’s clothing.”

“This…,”

The elder in charge of the affairs looked astonished, “Senior Sister, our Cloud Dream Heavenly Palace has never had male disciples. Naturally, the spare magical tools and clothing in the storage area are only suitable for female disciples. Why does the Supreme Sect Master need men’s clothing?”

Not to mention male disciples, even the mounts and pets raised in the sect were mostly females. Normally, there would be no male clothing and tools prepared. It was really impossible to provide a few sets of suitable men’s clothing right now.

Snow Xuebing Xuan realized, “That’s true. However, can the elders of the Refining Hall make a few sets?”

“It can be done, but it will take some time to complete,” the elder in charge of the affairs said.

“Alright, I’ll figure out a solution for this matter.”

Snow Xuebing Xuan nodded, collected her things, bid farewell to the elder, and left the storage area, riding the wind and clouds.”…Hmm, Junior Sister Qi Yalan from Yingyue Peak often likes to dress in men’s clothing when she goes out to travel. She must have spare clothes there. Why don’t we borrow a few sets from her?”

Standing on top of the clouds, Xuebing Xuan pondered for a moment. Her beautiful eyes suddenly lit up as she thought of a suitable solution.

…

“…It’s a good place, much better than the village below the mountain. Unfortunately, it won’t be peaceful. There will definitely be cause and effect in the future.”

Qing Muling, lying on a recliner, looked at the floating clouds in the sky and contemplated silently. At this moment, he had already moved into Senior Sister’s dojo and was resting in a quiet and elegant courtyard.

On the stone table in front of him were a pile of books and jade slips brought by Xuebing Xuan. The contents covered a wide range, including celestial phenomena, geography, local customs, and historical anecdotes. This allowed him to fully understand and familiarize himself with this unfamiliar and vast world.

Four white-clad maids stood quietly by the side, their eyes sparkling. They were not living beings, but rather puppets created by the elders using secret techniques. Their intelligence was not inferior to that of ordinary people, and they were very useful in taking care of their master’s daily life.

The most important thing was that they could ensure that any secrets of their master would not be leaked, so as to avoid the occurrence of the unpleasant situation of “we have a traitor among us.”

At this stage, the fewer people who knew about Qing Muling’s existence, the better, to prevent any accidents. This was Xuebing Xuan’s plan.

After a while, a bright light descended from the sky, revealing a stunning woman holding a white jade dusting brush and wearing a snowy-colored dress. With high-swept cloud-like hair and lightly knitted eyebrows, her exquisite and beautiful face, as well as her graceful and enchanting figure, resembled a goddess in a painting.

“Senior Sister, you’re back.”

Qing Muling stood up and greeted her. Xuebing Xuan smiled and nodded, patting his head and leading him to sit in front of the stone table again.

“These are the cultivation resources prepared for you,” Xuebing Xuan took off a bracelet from her wrist and personally put it on Qing Muling’s wrist. “The quotas for the whole year are inside. Of course, if it’s not enough, just let me know.”

Qing Muling released his spiritual sense and briefly probed it, nodding lightly. “There’s quite a lot. I can handle the parts that are lacking myself.”

For cultivators, the things allocated by the sect were never enough. If they wanted more resources, they had to find a way themselves. Whether it was making contributions to the sect in exchange for resources, seeking opportunities outside, doing business, or even resorting to deceit, robbery, and murder, it all depended on their own abilities.

Xuebing Xuan looked at him in surprise. “Master has instructed that you cannot leave the mountain until your cultivation is sufficient to protect yourself. Want to go out and travel? Wait until you can defeat Senior Sister!”

“I naturally have my own means. As for the specific situation, it’s hard to explain for now. You’ll know in the future,” Qing Muling didn’t want to explain too much.

Xuebing Xuan smiled. This newly appointed Junior Brother had many secrets, and Master didn’t mention much either. However, they would spend a long time together in the future, and she would eventually figure it out.

From her own bracelet, Senior Sister took out a set of mysterious black clothes and placed it on the stone table, saying, “The storage room temporarily doesn’t have any male disciples’ clothing and artifacts, but I have made a few sets of men’s clothing before for occasional travels. You can wear mine for now.”

Qing Muling agreed and picked up the clothes, turning and walking into the inner room.

This set of clothes was meticulously crafted, with both inner and outer garments prepared, including a purple jade crown for tying up the hair, a gold-embroidered jade belt, thick-soled ice spider silk cloud boots, and a jade pendant with various effects such as calming the mind and warding off dust.

A faint fragrance lingered, seemingly from some unknown high-quality incense, but it was slightly different from the scent on Senior Sister. However, Qing Muling selectively ignored this detail. She didn’t want to tell the truth, and he didn’t need to investigate it now.

After a while, a beautiful young man with rosy lips and white teeth and a dragon-like posture appeared in front of Xuebing Xuan again. The black robe he wore was embroidered with exquisite golden cloud patterns, and a faint spiritual light enveloped him. The auspicious rays of light rose, causing Xuebing Xuan to be slightly stunned for a moment before discreetly shifting her gaze away.

“It looks pretty good,” Xuebing Xuan said with a smile. “This outfit suits you better. Just wear it like this in the future.”

“But…” Qing Muling furrowed his brows slightly and lifted his foot to look at the boots. “Senior Sister, these… feel tight.”

Although their heights and body sizes were similar, women’s bones and joints were generally not as thick as men’s. Therefore, the size that felt comfortable for the other party might not be so suitable for Qing Muling.

“Well, about that? It’s nothing,” Xuebing Xuan’s smile didn’t diminish. “It’s better to be tight. If it’s too loose, it will feel uncomfortable, right?”

Qing Muling nodded. At this point, it was already good enough to have something to wear. How could he have the qualifications to be picky?

Xuebing Xuan had suggested that Qing Muling temporarily wear women’s clothing for a few days to cope with it. After all, with his appearance and temperament, he would definitely be a stunning beauty in women’s clothing, not inferior to the female disciples in the sect who were famous for their beauty. Needless to say, he decisively refused.”Dressing as a woman is a matter of zero times or countless times, so it’s impossible for me to dress as a woman, absolutely impossible in this lifetime.”

After some thought, Xuebing Xuan took out a misty veil and put it on him, explaining, “This is what I used to wear when I traveled. From now on, it’s yours. It’s safer this way. We can’t let outsiders see your face.”

The veil carried a faint, intoxicating scent.

“Alright, now let me show you around and familiarize you with the sect.”

Xuebing Xuan stood up, gently waved her dust whisk, and conjured a treasure cloth shimmering with precious light. It transformed into a cloud under their feet, and she pulled Qing Muling onto it.

“Are you sure no one will see us?”

“Don’t worry, this magical artifact has the ability to conceal our traces. Unless someone has a higher cultivation level than me, no one can see through it,” Xuebing Xuan reassured him.

Among the new generation of disciples, the elder sister’s cultivation level was undoubtedly the highest. Even most of the elders from the previous generation couldn’t match her. In this branch of the Daoist school, it would be difficult to find someone stronger than her, so there was nothing to worry about.