Below the stage, the new disciples wore a variety of expressions—some were nervous, some indifferent, and some secretly curled their lips.
Jiang Rui paid them no mind. She slid a jade slip from her sleeve and channeled her spiritual energy into it. Instantly, a glowing map of the entire Azure Cloud Sect projected into the air, hovering before them. It was highly detailed, displaying the overlapping mountain peaks, the layout of the halls and pavilions, and clearly marked forbidden zones.
“First, the sect's forbidden zones.” She pointed to several red-marked areas on the map. “The Sword Tomb to the northwest of Wanjian Peak, the bottom floor of Danxia Peak's Pill Vault, the top floor of Tianshu Peak's Library, the Earth Fire Cave of Liedi Peak, and the Illusionary Secret Realm of Biluo Peak. Entering any of these five locations without the personal, written permission of a Peak Master will result in having your cultivation crippled and being expelled from the sect.”
“Second, harming fellow disciples.” Jiang Rui put away the map. “Within the sect, private duels resulting in injury or death are strictly prohibited.”
“Those with deep grievances can ascend the Life and Death Stage and sign a life-and-death waiver. Once signed, you are at the mercy of fate. If you fight in private and are caught by the Deacon Hall, the lightest punishment is three months of solitary confinement. The heaviest is having your cultivation crippled and being expelled from the mountain.”
“Do not try to tell me it was an 'accident.' The Deacon Hall's Light-Tracing Spell can replay any spiritual energy trajectories from the past three days. Who struck first and who used lethal moves will be crystal clear.”
These words caused the expressions of many below the stage to shift slightly.
Yin Ruozhuo shrank his neck and whispered to Chen Zian, “The Light-Tracing Spell? Doesn't that mean they can even find out that I sneaked into the Spiritual Dining Hall last night to eat the last bowl of osmanthus cake?”
Chen Zian glanced at him. “With your level of ambition, the Deacon Hall wouldn't even bother with you.”
Jiang Rui continued speaking, covering everything from 'no unauthorized entry into others' cave dwellings' to 'no stealing of sect property,' and 'mandatory registration before leaving for trials' to 'handing over a percentage of harvested resources.' She listed over twenty rules, each accompanied by clear rewards and punishments.
The new disciples listened intently, some pulling out jade slips from time to time to take notes. Shen Qingci listened as well, but she paid closer attention to the unspoken rules hidden within Jiang Rui's words.
For instance, the rule 'no unauthorized entry into others' cave dwellings' was followed by a supplementary clause: 'In case of an emergency, one may apply to the Deacon Hall to enter under escort.' This meant that as long as someone was supervising, breaking in wouldn't be considered a violation.
She committed this detail to memory.
After finishing with the sect rules, Jiang Rui picked up her teacup, took a sip, and moved on to the second matter.
“Sect structure. The Azure Cloud Sect is led by the Five Peaks: Wanjian, Danxia, Tianshu, Liedi, and Biluo. Their Peak Masters are all at the peak of the Nascent Soul realm or above. In addition to the Five Peaks, there are thirty-six minor peaks of varying sizes. Each minor peak has a Nascent Soul realm elder serving as Peak Master, who is permitted to open their own peak and accept disciples.”
Someone below the stage raised their hand. “Deacon Jiang, what is the difference in treatment between minor peak disciples and Five Peaks disciples?”
Jiang Rui glanced at the speaker and said, “A very pertinent question.”
She pinched her fingers in the air, and her spiritual energy coalesced into several lines of text that hovered in midair.
“Regular inner sect disciples: a monthly allowance of fifty mid-grade spirit stones and five Yellow-grade Mid-rank pills.”
“Personal disciples of minor Peak Masters: a monthly allowance of one hundred mid-grade spirit stones and a variable number of Yellow-grade High-rank pills, depending on the Peak Master's cultivation level.”
“Personal disciples of the Five Peaks: a monthly allowance of three hundred mid-grade spirit stones and ten Yellow-grade High-rank pills. After breaking through to the Golden Core realm, the pills upgrade to Mystic-grade Low-rank, and the monthly allowance increases to six hundred mid-grade spirit stones.”
“Upon breaking through to the Nascent Soul realm, the pills become Mystic-grade Mid-rank, and the monthly allowance rises to one thousand two hundred mid-grade spirit stones. This pattern continues, with no upper limit.”
As soon as these numbers were announced, the hall erupted in a clamor.
The folding fan in Zhao Yu's hand fell to the floor with a clack. As he bent down to pick it up, his mouth remained wide open. “Three hundred mid-grade spirit stones? The monthly allowance my Zhao royal family gives the Crown Prince is only eighty...”
Xiao Yan crossed his arms, the corner of his mouth twitching. “The eldest grandson of our Xiao family only gets slightly over fifty when his monthly allowance is converted to spirit stones.”
Gu Qingyi's expression remained normal. The Cangwu Gu family gave its branch members a monthly allowance much higher than this, but she did not say it aloud.
Instead, her gaze drifted to Shen Qingci.
That Senior Sister Shen had not budged an inch from beginning to end, as if three hundred mid-grade spirit stones were nothing more than an ordinary sequence of numbers.
As expected of someone with a massive personal treasury who had seen the world.
Yin Ruozhuo nudged Chen Zian's arm on the sly and asked in a hushed voice, “Brother Zian, what kind of number do you think Senior Sister Shen's family gives for a monthly allowance?”
Chen Zian slowly smoothed his cuffs and swept his eyes over him. “How much is the annual net turnover of your Furong Merchant Alliance?”
“Excluding the costs of all our branches, about... two million mid-grade spirit stones.”
“On the day Senior Sister Shen was accepted as a disciple, she casually took out an Earth-grade pill as a tuition gift. Do the math yourself.”
Yin Ruozhuo's eyes went wide. He scrambled closer. “You... you know about that too? My father just sent me a message about it yesterday...”
“He said that after Sword Venerable Jinglian received the tuition gift, she immediately went to the Sect Master's Hall and placed the pill right in front of the Sect Master.”
Zhao Yu's ears perked up instantly, and he even forgot to wave his folding fan. “Is that true? How did the Sect Master react?”
“How else could he react?” Yin Ruozhuo said with an animated expression, though he quickly lowered his voice to avoid drawing the attention of those in front of him. “The Sect Master was stunned for a long while, then asked the Sword Venerable if she was still accepting personal disciples, wanting to shove his grandson, who is out on trials, to her. In the end, the Sword Venerable retorted on the spot with three words: 'In your dreams.'”
The corner of Xiao Yan's mouth twitched violently. “The Sect Master has a grandson?”
“Yes, I heard he is at the late stage of the Golden Core realm and has been out on trials for many years.”
“Tsk, there's a huge age gap. Senior Sister Shen wouldn't like someone so old anyway.”
Gu Qingyi covered her mouth and giggled, her estimation of Senior Sister Shen reaching the absolute peak.
【An Earth-grade pill as a tuition gift... you won't find another family capable of this in the entire Southern Region!】
Sitting in the front row, Shen Qingci caught every single word of the conversation behind her, but in her mind, she rolled her eyes.
【I didn't expect you to be this kind of master.】
【Your persona is completely out of character, okay?】
【The aloof, unbothered Sword Venerable Jinglian received a tuition gift and immediately ran to the Sect Master to show off???】
【Or is it... that the Everlasting Youth-Retaining Pill's appeal is so lethal that even a Soul Transformation sword cultivator can't resist boasting?】
She sighed inwardly and silently added a patch to the character profile of her 'Master': cultivation level Soul Transformation, sword path transcendent, personality... a closet show-off.
Once the commotion below the stage had completely died down, Jiang Rui continued, “The sect does not give out cultivation methods and spells for free. Basic cultivation methods for the Qi Refining stage are taught at the Dharma Academy free of charge. For the Foundation Establishment stage and above, you must go to the Library to exchange for them yourselves. The contribution points required for exchange are obtained by taking on sect missions from the Mission Hall. Missions are divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow. The higher the difficulty, the more contribution points you receive.”
“Additionally, on the fifth of every month, minor Peak Masters will hold public lectures. Personal disciples can attend for free, while regular inner sect disciples must pay fifty contribution points.”
At this point, she paused and looked at the few meditation mats in the front row, her gaze lingering on Shen Qingci for an extra half-second.
“Personal disciples of the Five Peaks are entitled to enter the bottom floor of the Library twice a month for free to browse cultivation methods. For the middle floors and above, contribution points are still required for exchange.”
By the time Jiang Rui finished explaining these regulations, the expressions on the new disciples' faces were incredibly colorful.
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