And so, Zhang Yiyi and Luo Qiheng went directly with Wang Xiaodan to the Wang family. With the personal recommendation of the fifth young lady of the Wang family, coupled with Luo Qiheng's genuine and considerable strength as a Golden Core cultivator, he was swiftly accepted as a guest elder of the Wang family. Wang Xiaodan discreetly made some additional arrangements, using the opportunity to repay a life-saving favor, and convinced her father to grant Luo Qiheng special privileges, allowing him to enjoy the benefits of a first-tier guest elder in the Wang family. Otherwise, with his initial Golden Core stage cultivation, he would typically qualify only as a second-tier guest elder.

The Wang family grades their guest elders according to standards common to medium and even large families. Nascent Soul cultivators qualify as Special-Grade Elders, often conferred the title of Wang Family Elder, receiving the highest level of status and respect. However, if the Wang family encounters any serious troubles, the obligations and responsibilities of these elder guest members are correspondingly the greatest. Late and perfected Golden Core cultivators are considered first-tier guest elders, while early and mid-Golden Core cultivators are second-tier, and perfected Foundation Establishment cultivators are the lowest, ranked as third-tier guest elders.

This situation presented Zhang Yiyi with a rather awkward dilemma. With her mid-Foundation Establishment stage cultivation, she didn't even meet the Wang family's minimum threshold to qualify as a guest elder. Seeing the troubled look on Wang Xiaodan's face, Zhang Yiyi couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for herself. Her low cultivation wasn't her fault, nor was it Wang Xiaodan's fault for following family rules; it was simply that she and this world seemed incompatible. If even the guest elder route was closed to her, did they expect her to serve as a servant to the family's young masters? If that was the case, she'd rather remain a small-time itinerant cultivator. After all, her master's generous provision of spirit stones in her storage ring would support her cultivation for a considerable time, even in this sparse-spiritual-energy environment.

"Miss Han, I apologize. If Miss Han could raise her cultivation by a small level, I might persuade my father to make an exception and accept you as a third-tier guest elder," Wang Xiaodan said regretfully. She wanted to win favor with Luo Qiheng, so naturally, she knew it was important to treat his "sister" well. But some matters simply did not fit the rules, and even as the fifth young lady, she couldn't repeatedly make exceptions. Actually, the Wang family was striving to become a mid-tier family in the next hundred years, so they mainly recruited Golden Core cultivators and above as guest elders; third-tier elders at the perfected Foundation Establishment stage were already rare. And Zhang Yiyi was only mid-Foundation Establishment, far from the perfected stage, making it hard for Wang Xiaodan to bend the rules.

Fortunately, she had managed to secure a better guest elder status for Luo Qiheng and had selected a separate courtyard for them. Now the "siblings" would have a stable place to stay in the Wang family and establish themselves.

"It's fine. Fifth Miss has already been very considerate of us," Zhang Yiyi replied, knowing that Wang Xiaodan had done her utmost and harboring no dissatisfaction. "We are grateful for the consideration and the special treatment."

"No need for thanks, Miss Han; this is what Immortal Han deserves. I owe him a life debt, and I'll never forget it. Should you or Immortal Han ever need anything, just come to me; as long as it's within my power, I'll certainly help," Wang Xiaodan replied, relieved that Zhang Yiyi was understanding and did not resent the family's rules.

Turning to Luo Qiheng with a shy expression, she added, "I've also requested some additional resources for you, Immortal Han, which will be delivered along with your new guest elder identification. And Miss Han, though you can't yet be a guest elder, your status as a resident guest is not an issue, and a new identity tag will be prepared for you as well."

This arrangement was indeed comprehensive. Zhang Yiyi, benefiting from Luo Qiheng's status, wouldn't need to worry about being a "blacklisted rogue cultivator" in a place with many large families. She expressed her gratitude again, inwardly acknowledging that her "hero-rescues-beauty" act hadn't gone to waste. Although she had sacrificed a bit of Luo Qiheng's charm, it paid off. Without this relationship, Wang Xiaodan wouldn't have used the life-saving debt to elevate Luo Qiheng's first-tier guest elder rank. As someone not qualified for even the lowest guest elder rank, Zhang Yiyi now had a guest residence status, no longer needing to worry about being homeless and could even share her "brother's" independent courtyard.

"She can do it," Luo Qiheng suddenly said to Wang Xiaodan after remaining silent, his words seemingly lacking context.

"What?" Wang Xiaodan, thrilled that her crush had spoken to her, didn't understand his meaning.

But Zhang Yiyi understood his intention and quickly shook her head. "Brother, don't make things difficult for Fifth Miss."

The way she called him "brother" was so natural, as if she'd been doing it for years, without a hint of awkwardness. Luo Qiheng found it somewhat amusing—this girl seemed to have grown even bolder in the past few years.

"Her combat strength is high; she can fight above her level," Luo Qiheng pointed at Zhang Yiyi, explaining to Wang Xiaodan.

It wasn't that Luo Qiheng worried about Zhang Yiyi constantly staying at his place and using his resources, but rather that she hadn't yet realized the importance of a guest elder's status. The rules in Lanyu Small World were entirely different from those in their Huaren World; nearly ninety-nine percent of the cultivation resources, and even opportunities and territory, were entirely controlled by the families here. Only by truly joining a family would they have the qualification and chance to compete for these resources. Resident guests were merely a step above household servants, while only a guest elder had a "license" for this fierce competition. Without it, one wouldn't even have the opportunity to access these resources, let alone compete for them. To be blunt, intelligence from his beast made it clear that even auction houses here only allowed entry to family members or guest elders, with no place for itinerant cultivators.

"Cross-border combat?" Wang Xiaodan was extremely surprised upon hearing this. "If that's truly the case, Miss Han's matter could certainly be handled differently." She hadn't misheard; her admired one had said "cross-border" rather than "cross-level." In other words, Miss Han's brother was implying that his sister could take on Golden Core cultivators despite her Foundation Establishment stage? If true, then granting Han Lin an exception to become a guest elder of the Wang family would naturally be acceptable. But this wasn't something she could decide on faith alone; Han Lin would likely need to demonstrate this with actual prowess for validation. It wasn't that she didn't believe Immortal Han's words, but such a big decision wasn't hers alone—it required her father's own witnessing and confirmation.

"It's true," Luo Qiheng stated plainly, with no hint of deceit. Back in Luoxian River's secret realm, Zhang Yiyi, just having entered Foundation Establishment, had managed to kill a perfected Foundation Establishment disciple from another sect. Now, five years later, facing an early-stage Golden Core cultivator in this world should be easy for her. It wasn't blind faith; firstly, her battle strength was astonishingly formidable, and secondly, he had sensed that her spiritual awareness had far exceeded that of the average Golden Core cultivator. Additionally, he discovered that due to certain limitations in this small world, the cultivators born here were restricted from advancing to the Nascent Soul stage for thousands of years, with promotions to higher levels significantly affected. As a result, even within the same realm, these local cultivators were noticeably weaker than those from their Huaren World.

Zhang Yiyi was caught off guard by Luo Qiheng's offer to Wang Xiaodan on her behalf, feeling there was no need. She wasn't in a rush to reveal her true capabilities, and it wasn't too much of a concern if she couldn't immediately become a guest elder. After all, she had a decent reserve of spirit stones and could manage for quite some time. But Luo Qiheng seemed to read her thoughts, communicating with her telepathically about the significance of a guest elder status in this world, especially for "unregistered outsiders" like them. Realizing this, she changed her mind and, rather than refusing, confidently said, "Fifth Miss, what my brother said is indeed true. If I only need to prove my cross-border combat abilities to become a guest elder, please give me the opportunity to demonstrate it."

A fight it is! Zhang Yiyi felt that her approach was straightforward: if there was no benefit, she preferred to keep a low profile and stay hidden. However, to secure a smoother cultivation path in this small world, she couldn't afford to be too reserved anymore.

"Very well," Wang Xiaodan replied, no longer asking further questions and personally setting up the challenge. For the Wang family, gaining another powerful guest elder was certainly a boon, and if successful, she would earn praise from her family for the introduction. A win-win.

It didn't take long for Wang Xiaodan to inform her father, Wang Can, and receive his approval. Wang Can, holding a significant status in the family, didn't have the time for such minor matters and sent a trusted aide to act as a witness. If this mid-Foundation Establishment female cultivator could indeed defeat a Golden Core cultivator, the Wang family would certainly not miss the opportunity to recruit her. Such a unique talent might be an unexpected advantage in the future clan-ranking competitions.

Once approval was granted, Wang Xiaodan quickly arranged a duel in the central family plaza's ring. Initially, she had wanted a more discreet location to avoid potential embarrassment for the siblings if Zhang Yiyi couldn't win. However, her father's aide disagreed, insisting the duel be held at the plaza's most prominent ring and inviting free clan members to observe. This way, the match would be public and fair, giving the family disciples a valuable chance to witness and learn from the duel. Wang Xiaodan reluctantly agreed and set things up as requested.

Fortunately, the chosen opponent was not overly difficult—an early-stage Golden Core cultivator serving as a second-tier guest elder in the family. If Zhang Yiyi could defeat him, she would formally join as a second-tier guest elder.

"Go ahead," Luo Qiheng said, just before she entered the ring. "Be careful."

"Oh, thank you for your concern," Zhang Yiyi replied, surprised at his unusual display of brotherly care.

"Not for you," Luo Qiheng clarified, pointing towards the tall, slender cultivator already waiting on the platform. He meant to tell her not to be overly aggressive and injure her opponent too severely. After all, they'd all be sharing the Wang family guest elder status for a while; injuring him too severely at their first encounter would bring them no good.

Zhang Yiyi finally understood. So, he wasn't worried about her safety but was actually concerned she might go overboard and hurt her opponent? That was some serious faith in her abilities! She hoped she wouldn't let it get to her head. "Don't worry, I'll keep it in check," she mumbled, wearing a slightly awkward smile, not daring to expose his true intentions. With the crowd gathering, she didn't want to appear arrogant.

As Zhang Yiyi stepped onto the ring, gasps erupted from the Wang family members observing below. They hadn't expected the second-tier guest elder's opponent to be a young, petite, and pretty female cultivator. She looked no more than twenty, with mid-Foundation Establishment cultivation. Had they not seen it firsthand, they wouldn't believe that such a young girl would have the courage to challenge a Golden Core elder.

"Fifth Miss, is there a mistake? I'm a dignified Golden Core cultivator—should I really be picking on a mid-Foundation Establishment girl?" the tall Golden Core cultivator asked. Rather than mock her, his first reaction was concern over the fairness of the match, even feeling hesitant to engage.