Zhang Yang was momentarily stunned to see Qu Meilan kneeling on the ground. He hadn't expected such an intense reaction from her.

In truth, Zhang Yang felt quite secure about Qu Meilan; after all, her loyalty rating was already sky-high—even higher than when Lightning first started following him. Wuying and Zhuifeng were the same; their initial loyalty levels couldn't compare to Qu Meilan's current standing.

Back then, their loyalty was only around sixty. "Get up.

Since I agreed to take you in, I will certainly do so. Go back to your room first, and wait for my message!" Zhang Yang spoke slowly.

Qu Meilan's swift reaction was both unexpected and yet logical; strictly speaking, the current Qu Meilan made him feel even more at ease. If it weren't for that system task, Zhang Yang wouldn't want this hassle and would prefer to just accept this one disciple, solving Li Juan's illness through other means.

"Mr. Zhang, I am willing too!" After Qu Meilan stood up, Yan Yefei quickly added.

He had been feeling somewhat bewildered moments ago. Zhang Yang’s demand, "Enter my gates and be wholly devoted to me," had certainly stunned him.

Although Yan Yefei was not young, having grown up in the modern era, he held a strong reverence for freedom. However, upon careful reflection, in his understanding, true 'martial arts sects' did indeed require such pledges upon accepting disciples; even in novels, those initiating into a sect were bound by such oaths of loyalty.

The sect comes first—for many 'martial arts sects,' this was paramount. Once he understood this, he agreed, though only verbally.

"Are you truly willing?" Zhang Yang asked lightly, glancing briefly at him. This glance was different from before; it carried the imposing authority of the Great Perfection realm.

This time, Zhang Yang was not looking at him as a friend, but truly in the capacity of a master accepting an apprentice, an elder figure. This look radiated both deterrence and prestige.

Yan Yefei's heart hammered violently; finally, he felt the difference in Zhang Yang. That look from Zhang Yang struck him as if hit by a heavy sledgehammer.

He had entertained a faint hope—hadn't he considered leaving after mastering the skills? In modern society, even if he did leave, what could anyone possibly do to him?

"I... I am willing!" Yan Yefei said slowly, but his voice was unnaturally subdued.

Having received modern education, he was no match for Qu Meilan in this regard. "Your words lack sincerity!" Zhang Yang looked at Yan Yefei and gently shook his head.

Even without the system, Zhang Yang could tell that Yan Yefei’s heart did not fully assent when he spoke those words. The Medical Saint Martial Sect sought only those genuinely devoted to him, like the disciples of Shaolin or Wudang—those who would never abandon the sect for their entire lives.

Initially, Zhang Yang had perhaps oversimplified things, assuming that merely teaching them internal energy would guarantee their lifelong allegiance. Even before starting, the system had already made it clear to him that these individuals would not follow him indefinitely.

There was another point: sects like Shaolin and Wudang certainly recruited disciples, but they cultivated them from childhood, shaping their ideology and character from a young age. Disciples raised this way would naturally be loyal to their sect until death.

Because such disciples had long regarded the sect as their home. Yan Yefei and Li Juan were different; they were modern people with their own thoughts, lives, and careers.

Asking them to abandon everything to fully follow the lineage of the Medical Saint was indeed quite difficult. At this moment, Zhang Yang realized he had been a bit too optimistic; it was no wonder this was a difficult Level Seven mission.

Hearing Zhang Yang say this, Yan Yefei’s face immediately shifted, cycling through shades of pale and flushed, and he lowered his head. Strictly speaking, his words were indeed insincere.

While he spoke of willingness, in his mind, he planned to leave after learning the skills. After all, it was just about acquiring knowledge; being respectful to the master would suffice—at worst, he wouldn't betray his master later and would acknowledge him perpetually.

He hadn't considered tying himself down permanently. From a modern perspective, this thinking was not entirely wrong, but for a sect aiming for true, enduring legacy within the internal energy world, this was a major taboo, especially for the first batch of disciples.

If the initial disciples lacked unity, how could they properly guide future generations? True sects demanded absolute, unwavering loyalty; any hint of duplicity could not be tolerated.

Zhang Yang finally understood why renowned, great sects found recruiting disciples so arduous and only accepted them from infancy—to ensure the purity of their hearts and maintain cohesion, they had no other choice. Yan Yefei remained silent, and Zhang Yang did not press him further.

Turning back to Qu Meilan, he said, "Go back to your room first. Your training is temporarily suspended; I will give you a specific cultivation method later!" Qu Meilan was slightly taken aback, then responded instantly, looking at Zhang Yang with a mixture of excitement and gratitude.

She bowed deeply before returning to her room. With a loyalty rating over seventy, Zhang Yang felt truly and completely secure in her commitment.

Such high loyalty right at the beginning meant she would undoubtedly become a core disciple in the future. The Medical Saint Martial Sect never stated it only accepted male disciples; gender was irrelevant as long as absolute loyalty was present.

"Mr. Zhang, I truly am willing to cultivate, willing to pledge allegiance to the sect, to the Medical Saint Martial Sect!" Only after Qu Meilan left did Yan Yefei speak softly, watching her retreating figure with a hint of envy and a flicker of resolve in his eyes.

Li Juan, standing beside him, looked at him with a slight worry. The green screen of the Sacred Hand System was still open.

After Yan Yefei spoke, his data within the sect immediately changed: his previous loyalty of 37 instantly rose to 45. An increase of eight points from a single statement was not insignificant.

However, the number 45 still did not satisfy Zhang Yang. Below sixty, they would always entertain thoughts of leaving.

This indicated that Yan Yefei hadn't fully changed his attitude, not yet thinking of following the Zhang family wholeheartedly. Looking at him, Zhang Yang shook his head again.

"You should reconsider carefully before deciding. Once you join a sect, withdrawal is not entirely up to you.

Both established internal energy families and sects maintain very strict management over their disciples!" A loyalty of 45 was indeed higher than before, but this data point was far from what Zhang Yang needed. His minimum acceptable threshold was 60.

He could cultivate them up to 60, but he wouldn't agree to their entry only to slowly foster loyalty afterward. These loyalty scores were not just tied to the mission; they concerned the future inheritance of the Zhang family, and Zhang Yang would tolerate no carelessness.

The Medical Saint Martial Sect was a branch of the Medical Saint lineage that Zhang Pinglu and Zhang Daofeng placed immense hope in, playing a crucial role for the future path of the Medical Saint lineage. To this end, they had handed over all the resources acquired from the Huyan family to him.

It wasn't guaranteed the sect would flourish, but absolutely no mistakes could be permitted. Zhang Yang would not allow such a situation.

Individuals with insufficient loyalty, even if it meant mission failure, he would never formally accept. "Mr.

Zhang, I..." Yan Yefei looked at Zhang Yang, appearing anxious, but many words remained trapped. He had considered uttering lies to appease Zhang Yang, but such words simply wouldn't come out.

Zhang Yang had spoken moments ago using the internal energy of the Great Perfection realm—a voice that resonated deep within the soul. Lying in the face of the Great Perfection was simply impossible if the words weren't true.

"You two go back and rest for now. Take these few days to think it over carefully.

Come find me again when you've decided." Zhang Yang sighed once more. During this conversation, Li Juan’s loyalty had also risen slightly, now reaching 19, while Yan Yefei was at 46.

Unfortunately, both numbers remained too low for Zhang Yang to formally welcome them into the fold. Even if the system had acknowledged them, if Zhang Yang didn't accept them in reality, it was meaningless.

"Mr. Zhang..." Li Juan called out anxiously.

She already knew that cultivating internal energy was the only way to completely cure her illness, and seeing Zhang Yang hesitate made her worried. Zhang Yang had already stood up, but he turned back to look at her once more.

"There is no free lunch in this world. If you two truly wish to enter the internal energy cultivation world and practice diligently, you must abide by its rules.

Hypocrisy and attempting to bluff your way through are absolutely impossible!" Taking two steps forward, Zhang Yang turned back again. "The existing internal energy families will not accept you.

If you don't wish to stay here, you can try your luck elsewhere. As far as I know, Mount Emei and Tianyang Mountain both have internal energy sects.

Go there and tell them you possess the Tribulation-Averting Physique and the Phantom Physique, and see how they treat you!" With that, Zhang Yang went upstairs, leaving the husband and wife, Yan Yefei and Li Juan, staring at each other in bewilderment. Their loyalty was too low; Zhang Yang absolutely could not agree to take them in immediately.

That would be irresponsible not just to himself, but to the entire Zhang family. Only now did Zhang Yang realize that many matters were not as straightforward as he had imagined, especially the inscrutability of human hearts.

As for Mount Emei and Tianyang Mountain that he mentioned, they did indeed house internal energy sects, but they were mid-sized at best. After Mount Emei’s destruction, only a remnant sect survived, struggling to recover; Tianyang Mountain was even smaller, a minor sect without a single Fourth-Level expert.

Zhang Yang mentioned these places merely to offer them a point of comparison, based on the little knowledge he possessed. As for Shaolin and Wudang, without exceptional circumstances, they would not casually accept adult disciples like these.

If Zhang Yang introduced them personally, they might show him courtesy, but he chose not to, especially given the constraints of the mission; he didn't want to completely abandon this task. Furthermore, even Shaolin or Wudang, without treasures like the Marrow Cleansing Pill, couldn't fundamentally restart their cultivation.

Not to mention their advanced age—their future potential was limited, so even their supreme physiques wouldn't warrant special consideration. If they went there, they would only receive a stark comparison.

The final choice, ultimately, rested with them.