Inner Sect Disciples can continue to advance to become True Disciples.
Other older individuals, lacking the potential to advance further, become the sect's Stewards.
This is considered the path of cultivation for disciples under the Soul Catching Sect.
Therefore, even within the sect, Inner Sect Disciples are considered the core and are key disciples for cultivation.
It's truly entering the sect's true heritage, and their status in the sect is not low, enjoying certain privileges like access to the subsequent cultivation of the "Black Evil Technique," which requires the identity of an Inner Sect Disciple to be obtained.
Zheng Yi acts prudently and decisively, with precision and ruthlessness. This time, he unhesitatingly spent nearly a thousand spirit stones to gamble on a future.
And he successfully obtained the identity of an Inner Sect Disciple from the steward Chen Jiu at the sub-branch.
Although spirit stones are precious, for Zheng Yi, they are not the most important.
Zheng Yi relies on the Doomsday World, which for a Demon Cultivator is an inexhaustible and valuable treasure.
Take the Cyan Ghost, for example, in the Demon Realm, it's often unavailable for sale, and once it appears, it's immediately reserved by someone.
But such ghost creatures are not uncommon in the Doomsday World, and the 'Cyan Essence' formed after refining can be sold for several thousand spirit stones in the Great Yi City Immortal Realm.
To say the least, Zheng Yi holds extremely abundant resources, but his realm is too low, and his strength too weak to convert them into power.
Therefore, at this stage, trying hard to enhance his strength is the most realistic.
The harshness of the Demon Cultivation World is something Zheng Yi has deeply felt even though he's only been in the Demon Realm for a short time.
He does not want to one day become someone else's furnace resource, a fish on the chopping board, at someone's mercy.
In cultivation, there's talk about the four essentials: resources, techniques, companions, and location.
If he cannot obtain the Inner Sect Disciple quota, even if he reaches the sect's residence, it's impossible to acquire the subsequent cultivation of the "Black Evil Technique," or the advancement method for the Soul-Catching Banner.
Therefore, at present, obtaining the identity as an Inner Sect Disciple of a Demon Cultivation Influence is extremely important for Zheng Yi.
It signifies he has resolved the two most challenging problems every loose cultivator faces in the Cultivation Realm.
Those are the techniques and location!
Just like Zheng Yi's cultivation of the Black Evil Technique, even though it has significant flaws, its upper limit is extremely high.
If it were in the outside world, unless Zheng Yi accidentally stumbled upon some ancient cultivator's cave mansion as is sung in cultivation fables, it would be impossible to achieve such a level of cultivation technique.
Forget about the large cultivation sects of the Righteous Dao or the great sects of the Demon Sect.
With Zheng Yi's aptitude and bone age, he has zero hope and might be rejected even before the interview.
Moreover, he cannot explain the many anomalies on himself, which could easily reveal his secrets.
But a sect like the Soul Catching Sect, whose highest combat power is only in the Late Stage of Foundation Establishment, is most suitable for Zheng Yi.
Zheng Yi immediately set off, packed his equipment, and left Blood Mist Abyss City. Having achieved his goal, there was nothing worth lingering for.
...
After leaving Blood Mist Abyss City, Zheng Yi followed the map given by steward Chen Jiu, advancing continuously towards the southwest.
Traveling through, it's undeniable that the region of the Demon Realm is too chaotic, far beyond the Righteous Dao territories of the Immortal Realm.
However, Zheng Yi, once a loose cultivator, is very clear about one thing: crows everywhere are equally black; it might not show usually, but once there's huge profit involved, they wouldn't hesitate to massacre your entire family.
Those Demon Dao forces simply bother less with pretense, readily attacking upfront.
While disciples from righteous sects care about their sect's reputation, they might first preach some grandiose words, branding you as demonic, allowing themselves the justification to act.
After all, such acts are deemed as ridding demons and upholding the Dao, rather than robbing you, offering moral high ground.
Or they might simply act covertly, eliminating you root and branch, then frame the incident as a demon cultivator's attack.
Anyway, the evil cultivators of the Demon Dao, blackened both inside and out, have too many filthy deeds on them; they wouldn't mind carrying one or two more.
Zheng Yi journeyed cautiously yet inevitably encountered several dangers.
Throughout, he witnessed ruins and broken walls, scattered white bones, eagles feasting on corpses, and the brutality of cultivator battles.
Traversing a mere few hundred kilometers, Zheng Yi experienced the fierce ruthlessness and unscrupulous actions of demon realm cultivators.
Having just reached the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, even though barely securing an Inner Sect Disciple status in the Soul Catching Sect, he's akin to an ant within the entire demon realm forces.
Being a small figure, if one wishes not to attract attention and avoid courting disaster, best to remain inconspicuous.
Traveling quietly without drawing trouble, relying on sturdy feet is paramount.
It's not to say the demon realm lacks transportation means.
Like flying swords, flying ships, flying treasures, etc.
Flying sword maneuvers require the Late Stage of Qi Cultivation, at least seventh layer, to enable fairly brief flight.
As for flying ships and flying treasures of this grade, they're beyond Zheng Yi's reach, even if available, his cultivation can't harness them.
Such treasures seldom land in regular cultivator's possession.
Moreover, with Soul Catching Sect positioned remotely and lacking open trade routes or aerial carriers with Blood Mist Abyss City, Zheng Yi had no opportunity for hitching a ride.
Fortunately, Zheng Yi has a solid foundation; his Divine Stepping Technique is swift, covering seven to eight meters per stride, ever advancing toward the sect's direction.
Though he treaded with caution all the way, escape was inevitable; the Demon Realm was teeming with loose cultivators, and not all were honest in their Qi cultivation.
A tiger does not intend to harm humans, but it is human nature that brings harm.
In the endless struggle along the Dao of Cultivation, such incidents are inevitable.
At this moment, Zheng Yi gazed vigilantly at the scene before him.
A group of five or six loose cultivators at the Qi Cultivation Stage cornered him in a valley, remote and isolated, a perfect spot for an ambush.
The leader was a Demon Cultivator at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer, while the other cultivators had rudimentary equipment; using Qi Observation Skill, he noted they were around the Second and Third Layer.
Clearly, an amateur band of tribulation cultivators.
Their true identities were loose cultivators from the surroundings occasionally posing as tribulation cultivators.
"Kid, today's your unlucky day."
"Bind your feet and hands, seal your spirit veins, throw over your storage pouch and magical artifacts..."
"Only by not resisting can you ensure your safety. We seek wealth, not life; if you have any thought of resistance, you won't leave this valley alive today."
Zheng Yi hadn't expected to run into tribulation cultivators here.
The tribulation cultivator leader assured him that by binding his feet and hands and sealing his cultivation, they wouldn't take his life.
Yet he wasn't naive enough to believe such obvious deceit.
Many loose cultivators, though at the bottom rung, are no innocent lambs; they've committed many robberies and murders.
Once something is done often enough, greed for quick money ensues.
Many loose cultivators have other identities in their daily lives, like Spirit Plant Masters, Escort Masters, Hunters, Spirit Vein Miners, appearing honest, yet they won't hesitate to switch roles and become bandits.
The dual identity poses no conflict.
Often, loose cultivators erupt with more cruelty than ordinary demon cultivators after long repression.
Words spoken by such people, even ghosts wouldn't believe them, let alone Zheng Yi.
These people haven't hidden their tracks or masked their faces; post-plunder, they'll certainly kill to silence.
However, Zheng Yi wasn't overly concerned, judging by the shabby living standards of this tribulation band.
Aside from the leader wielding a somewhat decent Refined Iron Flying Sword, the others wielded weapons at best, barely qualifying as magical artifacts.
These weapons may be Divine Weapons in the Mortal World but are laughable in Magic Combat within the Cultivation Realm.
The Demon Realm is chaotic, various incomplete cultivation techniques and spells are widely circulated.
Some small sects even deliberately spread basic cultivation techniques in the Mortal Dynasty Realm to select disciples.
With these techniques, some possessing spirit roots occasionally manage to cultivate successfully and embark on the path of cultivation.
However, most have mediocre, even dismal aptitudes, unable to join sects or access resources, forming the breeding ground for wild cultivators in the Demon Realm.
These wild cultivators, akin to locusts, infest the Demon Realm land, robbing and killing, only to be slain by superior cultivators, nourishing their growth.
No right or wrong, no righteous or evil, only raw interests and the struggle for the Dao.
The tribulation leader donned armor forged from Jurassic Beast Hide, armed with a black longsword; a mass-produced flying sword etched with simple Flight Array Patterns and Driving Array, poorer in quality than the Refined Iron Flying Sword Zheng Yi possessed while he was a loose cultivator in Profound Void City.
Now, the tribulation leader's face bore a smile, yet threatening hidden intentions, as his subordinates silently encircled Zheng Yi's body, saying,
"Given that you dare travel the Demon Realm alone, you must have some background; however, now we are both at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer."
"Your aura is yet unstable, must mean you've only recently broken through the Middle Stage of Qi Cultivation, whereas I've reached the middle tier of the Fourth Layer and have many brothers to assist me, sufficient to kill a cultivator at the Fifth Layer."
"Kid, I advise you to think it through clearly, cherish your path, lest on impulse you fall here and become a lone ghost."
In the Cultivation Realm, basic reconnaissance with Qi observation is a mandatory skill for each cultivator.
Tribulation cultivators gauge prey before striking, avoiding the unforeseen.
After all, in the Great Yi City Immortal Realm, danger lies hidden; one cannot predict who they might provoke.
If a tribulation strikes upon a High Tier Qi Cultivator, they ask for trouble.
The bandit leader plumply had already examined Zheng Yi's cultivation layer with Reconnaissance Skill and dared to act.
This gang of wild cultivators disguising as tribulation cultivators chose to intercept Zheng Yi's path upon discovering his average strength and solitary presence, feeling confident to handle him.
However, judgment based solely on appearances, which doesn't unveil all factors, is the greatest taboo in the Cultivation Realm.
"Such fluent dark parlance."
"Seems you've been in this trade plenty."
"You suggest to surrender, promising my safety."
"Honestly though, trusting my life in the whims of those known as wild hyenas, I wouldn't dare..."
Observing the blood threads seeping from the tribulation leader's flying sword surface, Zheng Yi cast him a meaningful look.
"After all, those profiting from cost-free trade seldom find redemption."