Chapter 150: Initiation
Chapter 150: Initiation
Xue, the butler, was quite elderly, with a full head of white hair and a weathered face.
When Fang Xing first laid eyes on him, he was by a pond, fishing with a purple jade rod that was clearly a masterwork, even the fishing line was made from spirit silk, making it look extremely exquisite.
'So engrossed in fishing, it seems his path to cultivation is hopeless...'
Fang Xing scoffed inwardly, but his face turned solemn as he greeted, "Greetings, Butler Xue."
Using his spiritual sense, he had already discerned that this Butler Xue was actually a False Golden Core Immortal!
At that moment, the Qi Refining disciple had stepped forward and informed him of Fang Xing's intention to join the sect.
"You are Fang Xing?"
Butler Xue's eyes remained fixed on the pond, but a powerful spiritual sense enveloped Fang Xing as he asked, "Where are you from, and do you have any special skills?"
"I am from the State of Zheng. During my Qi Refining, I studied the art of pill refining and managed to create a high-grade first-tier pill. Now that I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage, I'm somewhat confident in my ability to refine low-tier second-tier pills..."
Fang Xing prepared to showcase his skills as a quasi second-tier pill refiner.
Such craftsmanship and cultivation would be well-received anywhere.
"You can refine low-tier second-tier pills? Even if your success rate isn't high, with spiritual sense assistance, you'll definitely be able to gradually improve. Good, good..."
Butler Xue nodded, "We outer sect disciples only have one task, and that is to serve the inner sect disciples well... It's great that you know pill refining, but we still have to go through the formalities."
With a lift of his rod, he pulled out a golden carp from the pond.
"Oh? It's even a small golden carp. My luck is good today, we'll have fish soup for dinner..."
Butler Xue placed the carp into a bamboo basket and produced a talisman, "This is a high-grade second-tier Interrogation Talisman, with your cultivation, you definitely can't resist it..."
He waved his hand, and his False Core spiritual power surged out, activating the talisman. A beam of light shone on Fang Xing.
"Were your previous statements truthful?"
Elder Xue asked solemnly.
"They were all true!"
Fang Xing felt a force compelling him to speak the truth.
Any lies would trigger an adverse reaction.
However, as he had nothing to hide, he answered loudly and clearly.
"Have you ever cultivated demonic arts, or are you a spy for another power?"
Elder Xue asked further.
"No..."
...
"Good."
After a series of questions, Elder Xue nodded, "Fang Xing, from now on, you are an outer sect disciple of the Celestial Sword Sect... First, follow Xiao Yu to complete the formalities, and your cave abode and identity token will be arranged in a few days."
"That's it... Is it that simple?"
Fang Xing was a little incredulous.
A mischievous smile appeared on Elder Xue's face, "We outer sect disciples are originally no match for the inner sect disciples... Since you've come to the outer sect, as long as you cultivate diligently, there will be opportunities to join the inner sect in the future. Even if you remain in the outer sect, as long as you accumulate merit, you may be able to exchange it for second-tier spiritual objects or breakthrough pills... If you make outstanding contributions, you may even be granted a third-tier demon pill, and in the future, you'll become a Nascent Soul Immortal too... If you're even more blessed by heaven, and manage to condense a Golden Core, then you'll be an outer sect elder, and all the powers in the State of Qi will have to give you some face."
But it was clear that this was the limit for outer sect disciples.
...
Fang Xing bowed and followed the Qi Refining disciple named Xiao Yu.
"Congratulations, Master!"
Xiao Yu's face lit up with a smile, and he immediately became more amiable.
"Hmm, you're not bad."
Fang Xing laughed and handed him a medium-grade spirit stone.
Xiao Yu's breath quickened at the sight of the spirit stone, and although he had received other gifts, this was the most valuable by far.
"Are there any other things to note about joining the sect? How can I choose a good cave abode?"
Fang Xing asked the question he wanted to know most.
"Regarding joining the sect, since you've passed Butler Xue's test, there shouldn't be any more obstacles... As for the allocation of cave abodes, you can find Butler Huang; he's the one in charge, but he's a bit tight-fisted..."
Xiao Yu immediately shared some tips.
These tricks would be hard to notice without spending a long time in the outer sect, and they could save one a lot of detours.
"I joined the Celestial Sword Sect to obtain a good cultivation technique... Is there really no way forward for us outer sect disciples?"
Fang Xing's voice carried a hint of regret.
"As for cultivation techniques, once you get your identity token, you can borrow them from the Scripture Pavilion... But the path to progress is always there!"
Xiao Yu pointed towards the direction of the Dueling Sword Platform, "Our Celestial Sword Sect reveres the sword above all. If you want to become an inner sect disciple, you must display sufficient talent in the Sword Dao... Aside from that, no matter how much merit you accumulate or how great your contributions are, the sect will only grant you a third-tier demon pill or a Foundation Establishment spiritual object... But that's already very good. I'll be content if I can reach Foundation Establishment in this lifetime."
"The Dueling Sword Platform..."
Fang Xing sighed.
"Master has already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. If you go up on the platform, you'll definitely face inner sect disciples of the same stage, and perhaps even those who have refined their swords into the Void Shattering realm."
Xiao Yu shook his head, knowing that this path was not feasible.
"It's a pity that I'm not skilled in duel-style spells..."
Fang Xing looked quite disappointed.
"Actually, if you want to join the inner sect, aside from dueling, there's another way.
Little Fish suddenly smiled.
"Oh? And who might you be?" Fang Xing asked with feigned interest.
Little Fish pointed to the Group Sword Peak. "There is a peak in the sect called 'Sword Heart,' allegedly left by the ancestor. According to the sect's rules, any Qi Refining disciple who can climb a hundred steps on Sword Heart Peak will be directly accepted as an inner disciple, and those who climb two hundred steps will be considered true disciples..."
"For Foundation Establishment disciples, two hundred steps to enter the inner sect, and four hundred steps to be considered a true disciple..."
"...and those at the Core Formation stage and above are not allowed to enter."
"Oh? What if someone reaches the top?" Fang Xing's interest was piqued.
"Sword Heart Peak is connected to the sect's grand formation, prohibiting Core Formation and above cultivators from entering. There are a thousand steps in total... Even the sect's Grand Elders, when they reached the peak of Foundation Establishment, only managed to climb eight hundred and seventy-two steps..."
Little Fish smiled but remained silent.
Fang Xing also smiled. "I was being reckless..."
...
In the temporary cave abode.
Fang Xing sat cross-legged, with Thick Earth Formation flags surrounding him.
With a slight wave of his silver token, a layer of earthen-yellow light curtain appeared, like a giant bowl, covering the entire cave.
After setting up these defenses, he put on a pair of futuristic-looking monocle-style glasses and accessed the nearby surveillance.
"Finally... it's gone?"
Ever since staying in Beili Xian City, Fang Xing had not forgotten his excellent tradition of setting up mechanism puppets around his abode.
And then... he immediately noticed something amiss!
Someone was secretly monitoring him! This was one of the reasons he ultimately chose to leave Beili Xian City and join the Celestial Sword Sect.
'My stay in Beili Xian City has been very low-key... I haven't even started flaunting my wealth to attract ambushing cultivators...'
'At this point, the only one monitoring me besides Tianyu Zhenren must be another cultivator...'
'The key question is, why is he doing this? Could it be that he attaches extraordinary importance to the "senior" Fang Yun behind me?'
If it weren't for Wei Shintong's oppression, Fang Xing would have liked to play a game with his mysterious observer.
But for now, improving his strength was the priority, so he joined the Celestial Sword Sect, hoping to deter Tianyu Zhenren.
"Tianyu Zhenren... I've taken note of this," Fang Xing said with a cold smile.
Although his main body had cultivated divine powers and could be considered a third-stage body refiner even in the cultivation world, Beili Xian City was ultimately not Ziyu Yan City!
If it were a direct confrontation with a Core Formation cultivator, Fang Xing wouldn't be too afraid, but there might be more than one Core Formation cultivator in Beili Xian City, not to mention the four pseudo-Core Formation cultivators and their array of large-scale magical artifacts...
It would be foolish to go against the city lord and his faction in Beili Xian City.
Moreover, he needed the sword cultivation technique, so he might as well take the opportunity to leave the city and join the Celestial Sword Sect.
With the protection of a Nascent Soul sect, it should be enough to deter Tianyu Zhenren.
And when Tianyu Zhenren left the city or was alone, he could once again thank the gift of nature...
...
In the following days, Fang Xing was busy completing his "employment formalities." With Little Fish's guidance, everything went smoothly.
Especially after bribing the yellow steward with spirit stones, the cave abode he obtained was not only quiet and serene but also had quasi-third-tier spiritual energy, which was quite satisfactory.
Through some interactions, Fang Xing was surprised to discover that the Celestial Sword Sect truly didn't value this outer sect.
They almost treated the entire outer sect as mere providers of various resources, with the main power concentrated in the hands of a few outer sect elders at the Core Formation stage.
As for the inner sect disciples, they focused solely on sword cultivation.
It seemed like the sect's attitude was: do whatever you want as long as you provide resources, and if you dare to rebel in the future, I'll crush you with a single sword.
'In a world of extraordinary individuals, this is unexpectedly reasonable...'
'Of course, even if the outer sect is rotten, there are still several Core Formation elders and numerous pseudo-Core Formation stewards... Not to mention their sheer numbers, which could easily wipe out several Core Formation sects without breaking a sweat.'
One day.
Fang Xing, wearing the outer sect's cloud-sword-patterned robe and a white jade pendant at his waist, arrived at a certain location on the Group Sword Peak.
Amidst the swirling clouds and mist, a massive library appeared before him.
"Is this the Celestial Sword Sect's Scripture Pavilion?"
He marveled as he stepped into the pavilion.
The Scripture Pavilion was naturally guarded by a formation, but with his outer sect disciple token, he could come and go as he pleased.
The pavilion was quite large, consisting of seven floors, and disciples could be seen coming and going from time to time.
At the entrance, Fang Xing saw a white-haired swordsman sitting cross-legged behind a short table, holding a bamboo slip book in his hand.
The reason he knew the man was a swordsman was because of the sharp and overpowering aura emanating from him, and the fact that he had a sheathed ancient sword by his side!
"Paying respects to the Elder..." Fang Xing felt the sharp aura rushing towards him and quickly bowed.
With a flash of light, his disciple's jade token flew out and landed in the white-haired swordsman's hand. "An outer sect Foundation Establishment disciple, first time visiting the Scripture Pavilion. You may choose one cultivation technique that leads to the Core Formation stage for free, along with three spells or miscellaneous books... Note that you can only make your selections from the first three floors."
The white-haired Elder spoke indifferently.
"Thank you for the guidance," Fang Xing replied.
He walked into the first floor of the Scripture Pavilion and swept his spiritual sense across the area, immediately spotting a vast collection of books.
There were books made from beast hides, paper, bamboo slips, jade pages, and golden tomes...
It seemed like all the world's classics could be found here.
(End of Chapter)
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