When Lü Yang stepped out of the meditation chamber, someone was already waiting outside.
He was startled. The man in the sinister black Taoist robe was none other the one who had assigned him to the Joyful Union Hall!
"Greetings, Senior Brother," Lü Yang quickly bowed.
"You're quite good. A talent," the black-robed Daoist said with a smile. "I'd heard Yu Suzhen had brought a very capable young man into her chamber; his breakthrough to Qi Refinement was imminent."
"But I didn't expect that poisonous woman to fail."
At this, the black-robed Daoist looked at Lü Yang with a strange gaze.
Three days. A full three days!
Yu Suzhen's cries had echoed beyond the meditation chamber. Even the well-traveled black-robed Daoist couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration.
If this boy doesn't die young, he will surely become a pillar of the First Saint Sect.
"Come with me."
The Daoist in black was named Liu Xin, a formal disciple of Heaven-Mending Peak Peak—one of the four Inner Peaks. His duty was to guide newly promoted disciples and explain sect affairs.
"The four Outer Halls correspond to the four Inner Peaks," Liu Xin explained with interest as they walked. "Besides the Sacred Flame Cliff where the Sect Master resides, our Saint Sect's foundation is these four peaks."
"Since you come from the Joyful Union Hall, you will naturally join my Heaven-Mending Peak Peak. I'll take you to update your registry now."
Lü Yang was eager for guidance. "Thank you, Senior Brother Liu."
"My duty," Liu Xin said plainly. "After the registry, I'll take you to the other three halls. Formal disciples receive quite some benefits—consider it welfare from the Saint Sect."
"By rule, each formal disciple may claim them only once." Here, Liu Xin's expression turned somewhat wistful. "Once in the Inner Sect, if you want items of similar grade, you must complete sect missions and earn Contribution Points to exchange."
Lü Yang frowned. "Contribution Points?"
"The Saint Sect's internal currency," Liu Xin explained. "Junior Brother, after updating your registry, you should be able to see it via your disciple token."
Curious, Lü Yang followed Liu Xin to update his registry.
The process was simple: essentially moving the life-lamp he'd lit upon entering the sect from the Outer Sect area to the Inner Sect.
Channeling a wisp of true qi into the token at his waist, text shimmered into view:
Formal Disciple: Lü Yang.
The First Saint Sect grants 50 Contribution Points upon promotion. Points may be exchanged for spirit stones, techniques, magical artifacts, cultivation caves, etc.
Upon entering the Inner Sect, a cultivation cave must be rented for 30 Contribution Points monthly. Alternatively, one may purchase a cave. New Inner Sect disciples enjoy a 20% down-payment discount if purchasing within ten years.
—This introduction went on for over ten pages.
After careful reading, Lü Yang concluded: This Inner Sect runs on money!
With points, the world was your oyster, with techniques, pills, and artifacts at your fingertips. Without points, you were stuck, unable to even afford a roof.
He also understood the "benefits" Liu Xin mentioned.
Upon promotion, each registered disciple could use their token to select one artifact from the Treasure Hall, one pill from the Alchemy Hall, one spirit beast from the Beast Hall, and one dual cultivation cauldron from the Joyful Union Hall—all free of charge.
"Looked at that way, it truly is a perk."
Lü Yang mused, opening the exchange list with his token. Lines of text appeared.
The cheapest techniques, artifacts, pills, spirit beasts, and cauldrons all started at 100 Contribution Points.
In contrast, mission rewards were meager, mostly single-digit points, rarely breaking double digits.
Thus, the free four-piece set upon promotion was worth at least 400 Points—a considerable sum for a new Formal Disciple.
Lost in thought, Lü Yang followed Liu Xin to the Treasure Refining Hall.
The steward receiving them was Chen Hao, also a Formal Disciple. Serving as steward was his assignment.
According to Liu Xin, these fixed posts were the most lucrative in the Inner Sect. Not only did they yield ample points—often enough to sustain a Formal Disciple—but they were also extremely stable, virtually ironclad. Unfortunately, demand exceeded supply; without connections, securing such a post was impossible.
"Senior Brother Liu? Long time no see."
Entering the hall, Lü Yang noticed Chen Hao glance at him first before turning to Liu Xin with a warm greeting. "Bringing in a new disciple again?"
"Indeed."
Liu Xin grinned, his words laced with sarcasm. "Knowing that, why not bring out the finest artifacts for Junior Brother Lü to see?"
"At once!"
Chen Hao nodded eagerly, leading them into the hall's inner courtyard. As they walked, Lü Yang frowned in surprise.
"Isn't this... the disciples' meditation quarters?"
Shouldn't they go to a warehouse or vault to retrieve artifacts?
Hearing this, Chen Hao looked puzzled, then burst into laughter. "Junior Brother Lü, you may not know—the finest magical artifacts are all right here."
Before he finished, they halted before a cultivation chamber.
"The junior brother here is quite senior—a nominal disciple in the Outer Sect for three years. Pity he was a bit stubborn, went astray in his cultivation."
With that, Chen Hao pushed the door open.
Inside, Lü Yang saw a Daoist seated on a futon, eyes closed, muttering to himself as if lost in a dream.
"It's done. I'm finished!"
Immediately, Chen Hao formed a hand seal. The Daoist's eyes snapped open, his blank face transforming into wild ecstasy.
"Haha! I've succeeded!"
Boom!
Before the words faded, he exploded. Flesh and blood sprayed, then rolled back, merging with the remaining skeleton.
A moment later, the living person was gone.
In his place, a crystal-clear, jade-like "bone sword," its segments perfectly arranged, gently settled on the futon, radiating a dazzling artifact glow.
Chen Hao stepped forward, picked up the "Bone Jade Sword," and handed it to Lü Yang. "The artifact 'Bone Jade Sword' is top-tier even in the Dongzhen Hundred Treasures Record. This junior brother was truly talented; after years of arduous cultivation, his skill was exquisite. Otherwise, the artifact glow wouldn't be so pure."
Lü Yang: "..."
Holding the Bone Jade Sword, memories of his past life surfacing, a chill shot down Lü Yang's spine. He understood the First Saint Sect's style all too well.
In short, eight words: The strong prey on the weak, and waste not, want not.
The sect invests resources to nurture you, the nominal disciples, so you must create value. If you can't create it, the sect will create it from you.
If you break through and become a Formal Disciple, all rejoice.
If you can't break through, the sect can't support you for free—it will naturally recoup its investment to avoid losses.
Thus, in the eyes of the First Saint Sect, all disciples have their uses. Some are clouds, some are water—each serves a purpose. All are talent; none are useless.
"Truly worthy of the name."
Lü Yang closed his eyes, exhaled deeply, and remembered he still had the Hundred Lifetimes Book as his trump card. When he opened his eyes again, he was calm.
"Junior Brother, such fine temperament! You are indeed a talent!"
On the side, seeing Lü Yang regain composure so quickly, Liu Xin's eyes flashed with surprise before his smile widened.
Next, Lü Yang followed Liu Xin to the Alchemy Hall and Beast Taming Hall, receiving a "Qi-Replenishing Pill" and a "Human-Faced Owl" respectively. The former restored true qi upon consumption; the latter functioned like a carrier pigeon, typically used by Formal Disciples to send messages.
It wasn't until the final cauldron that Liu Xin encountered a problem.
"Junior Brother, your breakthrough was too swift."
Liu Xin shook his head. "You just entered the Outer Sect and reached Qi Refinement in a day. Too fast—the cultivation cauldron ordered by the Joyful Union Hall hasn't even arrived yet."
"Why not wait a few days, Junior Brother?"
What cauldron? Lü Yang certainly didn't mind. He immediately clasped his hands. "I'll leave it to Senior Brother's arrangements."
Liu Xin laughed heartily, then produced a jade slip and handed it to Lü Yang. "This is the secret cultivation technique of my Heaven-Mending Peak Peak. Take it back and cultivate diligently."
Lü Yang accepted the jade slip and immediately probed it with his spiritual sense.
The next instant, an immensely complex technique imprinted itself in his mind:
The Innate Dao Scripture