Shen Yuheng stared at the shattered yellow jade boulder, then back at Fang Ren, his expression thoughtful and calculating. His sharp eyes traced the impact pattern and the technique used.
It wasn't a sword technique, but rather energy implemented into that dagger. His aim was precise, but this method... that's not something you learn easily. I know this kid is hiding something, but he doesn't seem to be from the demonic side, Shen Yuheng thought, analyzing what he'd witnessed.
Fang Ren waited for the elder's response, standing calmly with his hands behind his back.
What happened? I didn't even use half my energy and I'm still being lowkey, but it seems I need to hide even more than I thought.
After a full minute of silence, Shen Yuheng finally spoke.
"Ahem... okay, you did well. Seeing your strength, I appoint you as an outer disciple of the sect. Cultivate hard and try earning a spot as an inner disciple."
"Okay," Fang Ren replied.
Internally, he wasn't particularly happy about the appointment.
He'd known he would be selected anyway, and if the sect had rejected him, he could simply show more power. The only real benefit of being an inner disciple was access to sect resources, but Fang Ren wasn't in need of that.
He had too much of it already—both from the Li clan and from his system rewards. Being an inner disciple would also require having a master, which was completely unnecessary. Fang Ren could acquire multiple techniques just by using sign-ins occasionally or spending one to two years in seclusion.
The two guards bowed now that their work here was complete.
"We hope you have a good life ahead and great achievements," they said before leaving.
Shen Yuheng placed a hand on Fang Ren's shoulder, his expression warm but serious.
"From now on, you're a sect disciple. I hope great things from you."
"Yes, elder," Fang Ren replied with a respectful bow.
They both walked through the second gate, which led to the first layer—the outer sect. As they walked, Shen Yuheng explained the sect's hierarchical structure to his new disciple. The layers went like this: gates, outer sect disciples, secondary disciples, inner disciples, greater disciples, lower elders, elders, ancestors, and finally the sect leader or patriarch. Each layer had its own responsibilities and privileges.
While walking, the elder showed Fang Ren various pavilions and different peaks, explaining dormitory rules and other important information about sect life.
Fang Ren listened attentively while also observing the vast natural surroundings. It wouldn't be wrong to say the sect was built inside the jungle itself, with nature and cultivation seamlessly integrated.
As they walked along a path lined with ancient trees, Fang Ren asked a question.
"How can I enter the inner sect?"
Shen Yuheng smiled slightly.
"You will first have to reach the Spirit Sea Realm and create a proper foundation in it. The sect also holds various competitions and events with good rewards for cultivation. Some of these rewards are not available even in big flourishing clans."
There seems to be good rewards too, huh? I should definitely check them out.
As they continued walking, Fang Ren saw four outer sect disciples wearing white robes sitting beneath a huge tree. He extended his senses and realized this wasn't a normal tree—these disciples were actively cultivating the wood attribute by absorbing energy directly from the tree itself.
"Such techniques exist too?" he asked with curiosity.
"Of course they do. Nature itself is energy. With proper methods and imagination, even absorbing primeval energy from the sun isn't impossible. Our third-generation sect leader once achieved that," Shen Yuheng said proudly.
Fang Ren's eyes widened in surprise.
"He did? Where is he now?"
He'd never heard about such things from even the Sixteenth Ancestor, which meant some knowledge truly could only be obtained through sects, not family traditions. Sects were built specifically for cultivators to grow stronger and eventually ascend.
"He has already ascended and is now in the spirit world. After crossing the Ascendant Realm, one can easily move between these two worlds."
Fang Ren wanted to understand the scope of the sect, so he asked his next question carefully.
"How many outer disciples are there?"
He wanted to know this number to gauge how many potential challengers he might encounter, though staying low-profile didn't mean he had to shut himself in his room.
"There's around four thousand to five thousand outer disciples," Shen Yuheng replied.
"And inner sect disciples?"
"That, even I can't say accurately. The inner sect exists in a dimension of its own, so it's difficult to determine exact numbers. They regularly go on sect missions, and some who think themselves strong challenge difficult hurdles and get killed easily."
Fang Ren nodded. "Alas, it's a difficult journey to survive in this world of strength, whether you're a mortal or a cultivator," he said quietly, more to himself than to Shen Yuheng.
As they continued walking and he pondered many things, Fang Ren realized he needed to ask an important question. He wanted to know if he could cultivate all his spirit roots here, since some sects specialized in only a few roots and called them their trademark.
"Uhm... is there a place for me to enhance my void spiritual root?"
Shen Yuheng stopped walking immediately. His eyes widened with surprise as he turned to look at Fang Ren.
Void was an extremely special characteristic. Though it typically activated in later stages of cultivation, if cultivated properly from now, a cultivator could eventually refine space and time itself.
There was one legendary cultivator who had achieved this—an Ascendant Rank 8 Venerable named Mo Canglan, known as the Space Time Sovereign or the Limitless Rift Venerable. He was a solitary cultivator with no sect affiliation.
There wasn't a single person on the continent who hadn't heard of him. Even Fang Ren had read about him in books. Mo Canglan had been a battle god at age sixteen but chose to stop fighting pointlessly and pursue ascension instead.
Another reason for his choice was that only three Venerables from their continent had ascended to visit the spirit world in the past eight hundred years. Other continents had even more—some had five, and some had even reached ten.
While Fang Ren was recalling what he knew about this legendary figure, Shen Yuheng stared at him intently.
"Do you... really have the void spirit root?" the elder asked, his voice carrying barely concealed shock.
"Yes, I do."
Fang Ren didn't fully understand the true value of such a root.
Void and space-time were special because they allowed unique cultivation paths. If refined to a high enough degree, void allowed a cultivator to see at least three seconds into the future—not a short timeframe for cultivator battles. Additionally, void performed properly would let him even enter the small world he was forming inside his primeval sea.
Void also let one travel through space itself, cut through space barriers, and even summon beasts from various realms. Cultivators who mastered void didn't even need to search for special opportunity realm gates after reaching a certain point in their cultivation.
But Fang Ren didn't know any of this.
Shen Yuheng's expression shifted dramatically, becoming almost reverent.
"If you have the void root, I can convince a few elders and allow you to enter the inner sect right away."
Fang Ren was shocked.
"Whaat??" he exclaimed, not expecting such a dramatic change based on just knowing about one spirit root attribute.