When Lü Yang stepped out of the Quiet Chamber, he discovered that someone was already waiting outside.
It was the black-robed Daoist previously on the square. Lü was stunned by the Daoist's malicious expression for a brief moment, but quickly regained his composure.
"Greetings, Senior Brother", said Lü hurriedly.
"You are quite impressive, a talented cultivator."
The black-robed Daoist said with a smile: "I heard that Yu had lured a very "potent" young man into the Hall, and her breakthrough should've been only a matter of time....."
"I didn't expect that viper to have made a mistake."
As he said this, the black-robed Daoist looked at Lü Yang with a peculiar gaze.
Even though the black-robed Daoist was familiar with all sorts of geniuses, he couldn't help but feel some admiration for Lü at this moment.
If this man survived, he would surely be a pillar of the Stain Sect in the future!
"Come with me."
The black-robed Daoist was Liu Xin, an official disciple of Heaven Mending Peak, responsible for guiding and informing newly-promoted official disciples.
On the way, Liu Xin introduced the Sect to Lü Yang with interest: "The core area of our Stain Sect covers the Stain Fire Cliff, where the Sect Leader resides, and the Inner Sect of Four Peaks, which correspond with the Outer Four Halls."
"Since you're from Yin-Yang Unity Hall, naturally you'll join our Heaven Mending Peak. I'll take you to upgrade your profile."
A guide was exactly what Lü had been hoping for. "Thank you, Senior Brother Liu."
"Sure, it's just part of my duty", Liu Xin replied calmly.
The updating process was straightforward, essentially moving his life lamp from the Outer Sect area to the Inner Sect area.
"Now your profile has been updated, I'll take you to the other three halls to claim your entry rewards. There are plenty of benefits to being an Official Disciple — a form of welfare granted by the Stain Sect."
"According to the Sect's rules, each official disciple can only claim the rewards once", said Liu with a hint of nostalgia on his face, "Once you enter the Inner Sect, if you want to obtain things of the same tier, you will have to complete tasks issued by the Stain Sect to earn contribution points for exchange."
Lü frowned and asked: "Contribution points?"
"They are the currency issued by the Stain Sect." Liu Xin explained, "Junior Brother, you should be able to see it through your token now."
Lü Yang injected a thread of Qi into the token at his waist, and a line of words appeared on the token:
"Official Disciple, Lü Yang."
"As a new official disciple, the Stain Sect gifts you 50 contribution points. Contribution points can be used to exchange for things including spirit stones, cultivation techniques, artifacts, cultivation mansions."
"After joining the Inner Sect, you may rent a cultivation cave mansion for thirty contribution points per month. If you wish to purchase one, you're entitled to a twenty percent discount on the down payment as a newly promoted Official Disciple. Just remember — the discount is valid only within your first ten years."
—— Details like this filled over ten pages.
After carefully reading through it, Lü Yang concluded: "These points are really essential to cultivation in the Inner Sect!"
If you have contribution points, you can get everything you need for cultivation. Otherwise, you can't even afford a mansion to live in.
Then Lü Yang learned what the so-called welfare truly meant.
Every newly promoted Official Disciple could claim one artifact, one elixir, one companion beast, and one Human for Cultivation from the Outer Four Halls — all free of charge.
Even the cheapest among them was worth at least a hundred contribution points if purchased through the Sect's system.
Considering how meager the rewards were for most tasks in the Stain Sect — with many offering only single-digit points and few exceeding ten — the entry rewards bundle, valued at over four hundred contribution points, was nothing short of a fortune for new disciples.
As he pondered, Lü Yang had followed Liu Xin to the Treasure Refining Hall.
The one assigned to receive them was also an Official Disciple, named Chen Hao — a steward of the Treasure Refining Hall.
According to Liu Xin, his position counted as a type of task as well. Fixed posts like this were among the most profitable tasks in the Inner Sect — not only offering generous contribution points, often enough to cover all cultivation-related costs for a disciple, but also being stable and long-term.
Unfortunately, the competition for such positions was fierce. Personal excellence alone was never enough--without the right connections, one stood no chance of getting one.
"Senior Brother Liu? Long time no see."
As they walked into the Treasure Refining Hall, Lü Yang noticed that Chen Hao first gave him a glance, then turned his gaze to Liu Xin, enthusiastically saying: "Guiding a new disciple to get rewards again?"
"Indeed."
Liu Xin grinned, hinting with his words: "Since you know, why don't you quickly bring out the best artifact from the Hall for Junior Brother Lü to see?"
"Got it!"
Chen nodded eagerly and then led everyone into the inner courtyard of the Hall. However, as they walked, Lü was confused and frowned:
"Isn't this... a disciple's cultivation chamber?"
To take an artifact, shouldn't they go to a place like a warehouse?
Upon hearing this, Chen Hao first showed an expression of confusion, and then suddenly realized, laughing heartily: "Junior Brother Lü might not know, but the best artifacts are indeed kept here."
Before he finished speaking, the three stopped in front of a cultivation room.
"The disciple in this room is quite senior, having been a registered disciple in the Hall for three years. Unfortunately, he was somewhat stubborn and went astray in his cultivation technique....."
After saying that, Chen Hao pushed open the door without knocking.
Lü Yang then saw a Daoist sitting cross-legged on a mat in the center of the room, eyes tightly closed, muttering as if in a trance.
"It's done..... I've done it....."
Soon after, Chen made a Daoist hand seal, and the Daoist in the room suddenly opened his eyes, his previously dull face filled with ecstatic joy:
"Haha! I've succeeded!"
Boom!
Before he could finish speaking, his entire body exploded, flesh and blood flying in all directions, then recoiling back to integrate entirely into the skeleton left behind.
In no time, a living person had vanished.
What replaced him was a crystalline, jade-like "Bone Sword" that lightly landed on the mat, radiating with the dazzling light.
Chen stepped forward, picked up the "Bone Sword," and handed it to Lü Yang, saying with satisfaction: "This artifact, 'Bone Sword', is classified as upper grade according to the Book of Artifacts. This brother certainly was talented, diligently cultivating for years. Otherwise, the artifact's light would not be so pure."
Lü Yang: "....."
As he watched the Bone Sword in Chen Hao's hand, memories from his past life surfaced, sending a chill down his spine and giving him a deeper understanding of the Stain Sect, which upheld the law of the jungle and thrived on exploiting its disciples.
The sect invested considerable resources in nurturing its registered disciples. If they managed to break through and advance to official disciples, it was a win-win outcome.
If they failed, however, the sect would not keep feeding them for nothing — their bodies and cultivation would simply be "recycled" to reclaim the lost resources.
To the Stain Sect, disciples were mines to be dug, not lives to be valued.
"This is truly... a sect living up to its name."
Lü Yang closed his eyes and exhaled a deep breath, then, recalling he also had the Centome as his safety net, he reopened his eyes with renewed calm.
"Junior Brother is highly adaptable, indeed quite a genius!"
Meanwhile, seeing Lü regain his composure so quickly, a flicker of surprise flashed in Liu Xin's eyes, and his smile grew even brighter.
Subsequently, Lü Yang followed Liu Xin to the Alchemy Hall and Beast Taming Hall in turn, receiving a "Qi Supplement Pill" and a "Human-faced Owl." The former nourished Qi upon consumption, while the latter was generally used for message delivery among official disciples.
Finally, when it came to the Human for Cultivation, Liu Xin was at a loss.
"Junior Brother, you broke through too quickly."
Liu Xin shook his head, saying: "You've just joined the Outer Sect, becoming a Qi Refiner in a single day; your cultivation speed is too fast. The Humans scheduled by Yin-Yang Unity Hall hasn't even arrived yet."
"Would you mind waiting a few days?"
Lü Yang was certainly not concerned and immediately clasped his hands in salute: "I leave it entirely to Senior Brother's arrangement."
Liu Xin laughed heartily, then handed Lü a Jade Scroll: "This is the core cultivation art of our Heaven Mending Peak; take it back and practice it well."
Lü Yang took the Scroll and immediately utilized his Spiritual Sense to examine it.
The next moment, an extremely complex cultivation technique impressed itself into his mind.
"Manual of Primal Qi"