"What?"
President Kim felt like she might have misheard Sung-il, so she couldn't help but ask him to repeat his words.
With a smile still on his face, Sung-il loudly said.
"The test! Let my good brother take the test to join the Red Orchid Garden!"
With the words repeated more loudly there was no way President Kim could have misheard him. The frown on her face disappeared to be replaced by immense confusion. She then turned to scrutinize Xiao Mo who had stopped and turned around. His barefooted and disheveled appearance caused President Kim's expression to go blank.
Soon she shook her head and said.
"Enough, just leave and stop talking nonsense."
After waving her hand dismissively at Sung-il and Xiao Mo, President Kim turned wanting to leave again. But she was stopped by Xiao Mo this time.
"President Kim, is it really impossible for me to take this test? If it will verify that my intentions are sincere then I hope you will give me this chance."
President Kim paused and turned to look at Xiao Mo who politely bowed to her. That was the third time. If he intended to enter the Practice Hall to spy on her members then he was acting extremely shameless.
However, President Kim couldn't detect a hint of deceit in Xiao Mo's actions or words. Nevertheless, she shook her head and said.
"Young Master Xiao Mo, it's not that you can't take the test, it's just that you are not qualified."
"What are the qualifications to take the test?"
Xiao Mo immediately asked.
President Kim paused and after pondering a bit, she decided to humor this infamous Young Master of the Han Clan. If he was trying to get into the Practice Hall by using this test, then no matter how hard he tried it was simply impossible for him.
President Kim slipped her hands into her wide sleeves and gave her full attention to Xiao Mo. With an amused smile on her face, she explained.
"The qualifications for taking this test aren't truly qualifications, but rather basic requirements for practicing the Divine Orchid Melody itself. First, you're required to have a basic understanding of playing the guqin and understanding a wide range of musical notations. Secondly, there is a slight emphasis on having an outstanding comprehension of Techniques as the Divine Orchid Melody is still a Divine Technique of our Cult. It's not something anyone can casually master. Thirdly, and finally, you need to be at the Innate Master Realm at the very least since the Divine Orchid Melody requires one to coat their fingers with their Internal Spiritual Qi while playing the guqin."
After explaining the requirements to take the test, President Kim observed Xiao Mo's reaction with curiosity. Seeing that he was still quite relaxed and even wore a smile on his face, she shook her head and said.
"Let's not mention whether or not Young Master Xiao Mo has reached the Innate Master Realm or has a sufficient level of comprehension. Does Young Master Xiao Mo even know how to read a musical sheet? Perhaps Young Master Xiao Mo has learned a thing or two from a master, but that master might not have taught you all the ways to read a music sheet. The method of musical notation for the Divine Orchid Melody is very ancient and it's not taught in the current era. So, their level of knowledge should be insufficient to teach you the correct way to inter-"
Before President Kim could continue her words, Mei-Mei's soft voice suddenly sounded out.
"Do you think your Divine Orchid Melody is anything special?"
Even though Mei-Mei's voice was subdued, everyone could sense the irritation it contained.
President Kim's smiling expression shifted to a frown, and she turned to look at Mei-Mei. Both young ladies' eyes met across several meters of distance causing invisible sparks to fly between them.
However, President Kim's frown deepened as she called upon the Formation's power to block Mei-Mei's intimidating gaze. But, as that pressure from Mei-Mei's gaze gradually increased, her heart quivered from shock when she sensed that the Formation's power around her was wavering.
Just as President Kim was about to fully call on the power of the Formation, Xiao Mo turned to Mei-Mei and scolded her.
"Mei-Mei that's enough."
Immediately after, Mei-Mei's gaze shifted from President Kim to somewhere else.
Feeling the pressure on the Formation disappear, President Kim released a sigh of relief in her heart. If things had devolved into this maid making a move, she had a feeling that the Formation would shatter under a single strike of her sword.
"President Kim, I apologize for Mei-Mei's actions. She is not just my maid, but also my guqin Master."
Upon hearing this, President Kim's expression changed, and all the anger she was feeling dissipated like smoke. She immediately turned to Mei-Mei and bowed before saying.
"Junior Sister apologizes for any offense I might have caused to Elder Sister. I did not know my harsh words were directed at you. I was ignorant and I hope you can forgive me."
Sung-il, who was watching silently from the side, couldn't help but snicker in amusement.
However, President Kim shot him a glare from the corner of her eye, which caused him to immediately shut his mouth and take a few steps back.
Without looking at President Kim, Mei-Mei indifferently responded.
"It's fine."
Xiao Mo glanced at Mei-Mei and could only force a smile. He knew she was still upset.
However, one might think Mei-Mei was upset because President Kim had looked down on her guqin skills and her ability to teach him, but in reality, she was angry because President Kim was acting condescending towards Xiao Mo's guqin skills.
Not because she was the one who taught him, but because she knew how sincere he could be when the guqin was mentioned. So, to see him being treated with such disdain despite his sincerity, she couldn't help but get angry on his behalf.
This also wasn't the first time. Several years ago, when Xiao Mo visited the Emei Sect to listen to the disciples play the guqin, he had to stop her from destroying their Sect's main gate after they threw insults at him from inside the Sect.
President Kim came up from her bow, and she still felt uneasy given Mei-Mei's cold tone. She could also tell this Elder Sister was still angry at her.
However, at the same time, she couldn't help but look at Mei-Mei with amazement flooding her heart.
Judging from her appearance, Mei-Mei shouldn't be more than a few years older than her, yet her cultivation had already reached such a terrifying level. Meanwhile, she was still only half a step into the Master Realm, far from reaching the Grandmaster Realm.
President Kim's gaze soon landed on Mei-Mei's side profile, and after close observation, she realized her beauty might not be any less than hers. It was just that her mercenary-like attire—lather armor and simple brown clothes—made one overlook her facial features.
"…President Kim?"
It was only after Xiao Mo had called out to President Kim three times did she finally snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him.
However, as she turned, her attention was immediately caught by the sight of a golden aura swirling around the tip of Xiao Mo's fingers. She was extremely taken aback by the scene.
"You—You're actually in the Innate Master Realm?"
Xiao Mo smiled, then he nodded and said.
"I can't prove I met the first two requirements, but this should prove that my intentions are genuine, right?"
President Kim nodded dazedly. She found it hard to believe the infamous Third Young Master of the Han Clan can actually cultivate!
'Were the rumors about him being unable to cultivate false? But why didn't he clarify them and instead allow them to spread so far? Everyone who knows of him looks down on him because of it.'
As President Kim thought this internally, she saw that Xiao Mo had quickly retracted his golden Internal Qi from his fingers after showing her. Then, she observed Xiao Mo's current appearance once more, and soon, an idea sparked in her mind. This idea also caused the preconceived image she had of Xiao Mo to instantly shatter.
After staring at Xiao Mo with a curious expression for a moment, President Kim spoke up.
"Young Master Xiao Mo, to take the test to join our Red Orchid Garden you'll need to visit our Practice Hall."
Upon hearing this, Sung-il showed an excited expression on his face and he was the first to step forward, wanting to rush towards the Practice Hall. However, President Kim snorted before flicking her sleeve towards him.
With a violent swoosh, a strong gale slammed into Sung-il and flung him over the bridge.
With a quick maneuver, Sung-il quickly regained his balance in the air before landing on top of the water without a ripple. He then looked up to see President Kim leading Xiao Mo and Mei-Mei toward the Practice Hall on the left side of the lake.
Sung-il could only smile bitterly at this scene. However, his spirit wasn't dampened after being left behind.
After glancing around suspiciously, Sung-il folded his hand behind his back and took a step on the water. His figure then soundlessly faded away from sight.
As for where he went, if one was able to catch sight of him, they would be able to tell he wasn't heading in the direction of the Practice Hall on the left or the Guest Hall on the right, but rather in the direction of the building straight ahead.
As to what that building was, it was a Library containing information on guqin music and a large collection of Mysterious Musical Technique manuals. However, being the largest of the three courtyards, it also acted as a resident home for the Red Orchid maidens and the President of the Red Orchid Garden Association.