38

After sailing for more than ten days, they finally arrived at a vast island.

The island was shrouded in mist and clouds, its ethereal atmosphere like a fairyland, refreshing and invigorating, as if they had stepped into another world.

The shuttle slowly descended, landing on a smooth blue stone platform. Qingchen followed the people from the seven kingdoms down.

"Oh, it's Senior Brother Gu! You've returned from your mission?" a greeting came from a stone pavilion beside the platform.

Qingchen turned his head and saw two disciples dressed in blue Taoist robes standing below the pavilion, the cuffs of their robes embroidered with the light gray characters 'Guardian of the Mountain'.

One of the disciples smiled and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Senior Brother Gu, his face as cold as frost, nodded slightly and replied indifferently, "Yes, I brought back a group of disciples."

After speaking, he turned around, his back to Qingchen and the others, hands behind his back: "We've arrived. Get down, all of you.

I'm in a relatively good mood today. Before leading you to the General Affairs Hall, I'll explain the sect rules to you. I'll speak, and you'll listen; no interrupting or asking questions."

Qingchen stood in the crowd, secretly observing Senior Brother Gu.

This man had a stern face; even his Adam's apple moved only slightly when he spoke—a complete "expressionless" person.

Qingchen chuckled inwardly: What a expressionless man! Once I've achieved some success in my cultivation, I'll have to show off my skills in front of everyone.

The group followed Senior Brother Gu up the mountain.

The mountain path was paved with bluestone slabs. On both sides, exotic flowers and rare herbs bloomed in profusion, emitting a refreshing fragrance that was intoxicating.

After walking for about half an hour, the path suddenly opened up ahead.

A grand hall stood before them, a plaque above the entrance bearing the three large characters "Hall of General Affairs" written in gold lacquer.

The sunlight shone brightly, almost blindingly so, and the plaque's edges were adorned with cloud patterns, exuding an air of grandeur.

Along the way, Senior Brother Gu explained the sect's situation and some important points to Qingchen and the others in detail.

Qingchen listened intently, even forgetting his aching legs.

"The Ningxuan Sect has existed for nearly three thousand years, and is the number one sect in the Canglang Islands. It has nearly ten thousand Qi Refining cultivators, over one hundred and fifty Foundation Establishment cultivators, and more than five Golden Core cultivators."

Hearing "nearly ten thousand Qi Refining cultivators," Qingchen's heart skipped a beat.

The most skilled martial artist he had ever seen in the Jing Kingdom was only at the first-rate realm.

The combined martial artists of the entire Seven Kingdoms probably didn't even number that many.

The foundation of this cultivation sect was indeed incomparable to that of the mortal realm.

"The sect's most treasured cultivation technique is called the *Xuanji Jade Heart Concentration Technique*, a high-grade Earth-level method that can lead to the Nascent Soul True Monarch realm. Practicing this technique stabilizes the mind, accelerates progress, and ensures the Dao heart remains intact in times of danger."

Qingchen silently resolved that no matter how difficult, he would find a way to learn this profound technique.

"The Ningxuan Sect is a neutral sect located in the Moon Sea Region of Gouwu Sea. Its main island is called Dixuan Island, a top-grade third-level island."

"Islands in Gouwu Sea are divided into four levels. Fourth-level islands have the character 'Heaven' in their names, and third-level islands have the character 'Earth.' There are too many second-level and first-level islands for such strict naming conventions; only third- and fourth-level islands are named according to the rules."

Qingchen silently memorized this.

"The sect rules are very strict. Anyone who breaks them, no matter who they are, will suffer the consequences. Disciples are divided into outer disciples, inner disciples, and true disciples."

"Outer disciples receive three spirit stones per month. For the first three years, they don't need to do anything but cultivate; after that, they are forced to do five years of menial work, helping out at places like the Hundred Herbs Hall, the Weapon Refining Hall, or the Hundred Arts Hall."

"If you don't reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining within eight years, you'll stop receiving spirit stones and can only be a menial disciple."

"You have to complete a mission every five years. If you reach the late-stage of Qi Refining before age 35, you'll automatically be promoted to inner disciple; if you reach it before age 40, you'll have to take an exam; if you're over 40 and haven't reached it, you can only be an ordinary disciple, without spirit stones, but you don't have to do menial tasks."

Hearing 'three spirit stones,' Qingchen did the math in his head—it was already quite a lot.

Reaching the mid-stage of Qi Refining within eight years wasn't much time; he had to hurry and cultivate.

"Inner disciples receive five spirit stones per month. The main task is to advance to Foundation Establishment. There's no mandatory work, but you'll usually take on missions in exchange for resources. If you haven't reached Foundation Establishment by age 60, you'll become an ordinary disciple or a steward. True disciples are those who have reached Foundation Establishment; their treatment is higher, and their status is more prestigious."

Senior Brother Gu stopped here, turned his head and glanced at everyone, his gaze lingering on Qingchen.

Qingchen's heart tightened, and he quickly straightened his back, afraid of being noticed anything amiss.

"The sect's structure is simple. At the highest level are the Supreme Elder and the Sect Master, both Golden Core cultivators. The Supreme Elder doesn't manage affairs; the Sect Master decides everything."

"The Elders and the hall masters form the Elder Council, assisting the Sect Master. The War Hall handles battles and formation protection; the Herbs Hall refines elixirs; the Weapon Forging Hall creates magical artifacts and weapons; the Arts Hall manages other miscellaneous arts."

"The General Affairs Hall issues tasks and handles trivial matters; you'll need to come here to exchange contribution points and collect resources. The Enforcement Hall governs the rules; whoever breaks the rules is arrested. The Transmission Hall teaches cultivation techniques, presided over by the Transmission Elder or a senior steward."

Qingchen focused on remembering the General Affairs Hall and the Transmission Hall;

The General Affairs Hall allows you to exchange resources, and the Transmission Hall allows you to learn cultivation techniques; these are places you'll need to frequent in the future.

After speaking, Senior Brother Gu's tone turned cold:

"Alright, you may all go in now. I'll see you off here. Remember, if you fail to advance to the mid-stage of Qi Refining within eight years, you'll be relegated to various halls, handling sect affairs.

Without your freedom, your cultivation time will be greatly reduced, and your path to immortality may be cut off. I hope you will take this opportunity to act wisely and not waste your time."

With that, he turned and left, his steps extremely fast. He had slowed down earlier to accommodate everyone.

Now that he had freed himself, he disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Qing Chen was still stunned when a disciple in a gray Daoist robe approached. The words 'General Affairs' were embroidered on the chest of the robe.

He was toying with several tokens in his hand, his fingertips stained with ink, indicating he had just written something.

He clicked his tongue impatiently. "You're lucky to have Senior Brother Gu personally guide you. He's probably already said everything, so I won't repeat myself."

He handed over the token and storage bag. "Take this. Place the token on your finger, drip a drop of blood to bind it to you, and follow the token's guidance to your outer sect residence, then go to the Transmission Hall. The storage bag contains your entry reward; don't lose it."

Qing Chen reached out and took the storage bag; it was heavy.

The token was black, cool to the touch, like obsidian.

He glanced at the junior disciple, noticing the man's frown, clearly not wanting to linger.

Qing Chen remained silent, accepting the token and storage bag along with the others.

The junior disciple, seeing everyone had received theirs, waved his hand. "Alright, alright, hurry up and leave. Don't block the way."

He seemed quite impatient.

With that, he urged them to leave quickly.

Qingchen glanced at the disciple and said nothing more.