“Rise,” Elder Su commanded, her voice smooth like a melody. The Sect servants were the first to obey, followed by Mei, and then the rest. Elder Su stepped closer to Mei and cupped her cheek affectionately. “I’m glad you made it, Disciple Wen Mei. Your parents would be proud.”
A blush spread across Mei’s cheeks at the words. “Thank you, Elder.”
Elder Su lowered her hand and turned her focus toward the other disciples. “And these are your comrades?”
“My friends from Desolate Island,” Mei clarified. “Without them, I’m not certain I would have made it here.”
Ishin noticed Rhee purse her lips at Mei’s words, but she remained silent.
She’s still holding onto that bitterness.
“I see.” Turning to Junior Administrator Guanting, Elder Su asked, “How far have you gotten with their orientation?”
“I was reviewing the Mission Board with them, Elder.”
Elder Su nodded. “I will handle the rest. What house will they be assigned?”
“House 57,” the Junior Administrator answered immediately.
“You may go.”
Without another word, Junior Administrator Guanting left them, returning to his office.
“Introduce yourselves,” Elder Su commanded without preamble.
“Disciple Zhu Rhee.”
“Disciple Ro Ishin.”
“Disciple Wei Long.”
Her piercing blue eyes moved across each of them as they spoke. “I thank you for assisting my niece during the Culling. Do you have any further questions regarding the missions or the Mission Board before I continue the rest of your orientation?”
Ishin glanced back at the board, but before he could speak, Long stepped forward. “Elder, is it possible for multiple disciples to complete a mission together?”
“A good question. Yes. Merely register the names of all who will participate. Contribution points will be distributed among surviving disciples upon completion. What else?”
“What can the contribution points be used to purchase?” Ishin inquired.
Elder Su’s lips curved into a thin smile. “A variety of things. Basic meals are provided for free at the Communal Hall. You’re also assigned free lodging, which I’ll lead you to later. However, anything beyond that must be purchased with contribution points. Imperial taels are not accepted.”
“What are the options, Elder?” Rhee asked, her tone curious.
“Training techniques, weapons, pills, time in cultivation chambers, mentorship from Elders and Inner or Core disciples—the list goes on. The Market Hall offers an entire catalog of tangible goods, including their costs. The Alchemic Hall, Spirit Garden, and Sect Forge offer the same for their respective products. You can buy raw goods from the Storage Hall if you need metal ingots, lumber, soil, or other materials, including food. Finally, the Outer Sect Treasure Hall contains more valuable items. Superior spirit tools, talismans, and other treasures can be purchased there, but those require significant sums of contribution points.”
She tapped her chin in thought. “Most importantly, if you have any ambition to reach the Inner Sect, the requirement to participate in the annual trial is five hundred contribution points.”
Five hundred just to participate?
Ishin considered the Mission Board again. If he needed contribution points to purchase resources, training, equipment, and potential promotion, he would need to approach the missions more methodically than he originally thought.
If most daily missions yield six to ten contribution points, it’ll take me around seventy days to acquire the five hundred needed for promotion. That assumes I don’t purchase anything in the interim. He frowned. I won’t obtain enough if I just accept those—not unless I want to spend years in the Outer Sect.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Do any of you wish to exchange imperial taels for contribution points?” Elder Su asked.
Three pairs of confused eyes moved to her. Only Mei wasn’t surprised.
“The Sect offers exchange rates for its disciples,” Elder Su continued. “Both for new Outer Sect disciples who no longer have a need for their taels and for disciples who depart the Sect for missions and might need taels while they are away.”
“Pardon, Elder,” Rhee began, “what is the exchange rate?”
“You can exchange one silver tael for one contribution point, or one golden tael for thirty contribution points,” she answered smoothly.
The rates surprised Ishin. Why are there different rates for the two types of taels? Shouldn’t it be twenty contribution points for one golden tael?
He considered his own taels. He’d practically forgotten about them since being on Desolate Island, but he still had some. In total, Ishin possessed one golden tael, seven silver taels, and five copper taels.
That’s thirty-seven contribution points. Is that a lot?
“Does the Sect accept copper taels, Elder?” he asked.
“It does not.”
Hmm. Should I exchange them all? It sounds like I can’t use them while I’m here. Will I even leave the Sect anytime soon?
Rhee held out a hand to Elder Su. “Elder, I have four golden taels I’d like to exchange.”
Elder Su accepted the taels. “Hold out your medallion, Disciple.” Rhee did so, and then Elder Su took out her own and touched her medallion to Rhee’s. “One hundred twenty contribution points have been paid. Merely use your spiritual sense to perceive them.”
Rhee glanced at her medallion. “I can perceive it,” she exclaimed in wonder. “Just like my storage ring.”
“They were designed similarly,” Elder Su explained. “Anyone else?”
After a moment of consideration, Ishin offered his one golden tael. “Just this, Elder.”
As with Rhee, Elder Su accepted the tael and then touched their medallions together to transfer thirty contribution points to Ishin. Long went next, only exchanging three silver taels. Finally, Mei stepped forward. She turned over nine golden taels—a remarkable sum to Ishin.
She has almost three hundred contribution points right there.
“I encourage you all to stop by the Market Hall when you have an opportunity,” Elder Su advised. “Or visit the Outer Sect Library. You’ll find texts and scrolls on cultivation and other materials. It’s also where we store techniques.”
I’ll have to visit both before I spend my points.
In truth, Ishin hoped to finally learn more lightning techniques. He felt extremely limited with just his two.
Perhaps they’ll have some techniques that complement the spear as well. I also need to aspect my second chakra.
From the brief theory he’d learned years ago in the Daihu Tribe Martial Hall, he knew that he needed to cultivate enough qi of his desired aspect into his chakra to shape it—but he’d never done that before. His first chakra was forcibly aspected by his bloodline. Now, all around him, Ishin could perceive many aspects of qi, making him contemplate which type to eventually choose.
“You seem distracted, Disciple Ro Ishin,” Elder Su remarked.
Ishin’s cheeks turned red in embarrassment. “My apologies, Elder.”
Elder Su stared back at him with her cold blue eyes. Ishin suddenly felt a chill run down his entire body, as though he’d been exposed to a blizzard. The cold was so intense that he couldn’t help but shake.
“Are you okay?” Rhee asked, noticeable concern in her voice.
The sudden cold vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. “I’m fine, Sister Rhee,” Ishin managed, his eyes never leaving the Elder’s.
“I suggest you pay attention to this next part, as your life very well may depend on it while you’re in the Outer Sect.”
She shifted her gaze toward the large jade tablet that rested on the far wall. “Those are the Eight Laws of the Outer Sect. Engrave them into your memories, for violating any of them will be met with severe punishment—potentially even death.”
Ishin turned and read the Eight Laws, committing them to memory:
DISCIPLES SHALL HAVE NO LOYALTY ABOVE THE SECT
DISCIPLES SHALL OBEY ALL ELDERS OF THE SECT
DISCIPLES ARE FORBIDDEN FROM HARMING EACH OTHER WITHOUT PERMISSION
DISCIPLES ARE FORBIDDEN FROM STEALING FROM EACH OTHER
DISCIPLES ARE FORBIDDEN FROM LEAVING THE SECT
DISCIPLES MUST ALWAYS HAVE A MISSION
DISCIPLES MAY NOT ENTER THE INNER SECT WITHOUT PERMISSION
DISCIPLES MUST NEVER SPEAK OF THE GATE OF WISDOM WITHOUT PERMISSION
Ishin blinked, then reread the laws of the Outer Sect. Several made sense to him, but a few surprised him.
We can’t ever leave the Sect? So we’re trapped here until we die?
His eyes drifted down to the last law.
And what is the Gate of Wisdom?
