Pristine Way Sect, outer-sect disciples' residential district, inside a certain courtyard.
A group of outer-sect disciples gathered together. The one at the center was slender, strikingly handsome, with delicate, fair skin and a faintly feminine aura. If he dressed as a woman, no one would ever suspect he was actually a man.
This person was named Lance Easton, one of the top outer-sect disciples. His cultivation had reached the peak of Qi-Refining tier five, and rumor had it he could even battle tier-six opponents.
Wherever there are people, there will be scheming and rivalry.
There are nearly ten thousand outer-sect disciples in the Pristine Way Sect, and all of them are young, hot-blooded, and competitive. Martial artists must have a drive to win and excel, so the sect has established dueling platforms for outer disciples.
Anyone with a grudge or unwilling to accept someone else can arrange a duel on the platform.
Lance Easton joined the outer sect three years ago. Because his looks were so feminine, he was often teased and ridiculed by others.
In a fit of anger, he challenged everyone who had mocked or ridiculed him to the dueling platform and defeated them all, instantly making a name for himself among the outer-sect disciples.
Afterward, many came to challenge him, but none could defeat him.
As a result, Lance Easton's strength became recognized as top-tier in the outer sect.
After becoming famous, Lance Easton quickly gathered a group of outstanding outer-sect disciples and formed the Sun–Moon Society.
Members of the Sun–Moon Society could exchange martial arts experience and were protected from bullying and humiliation.
Over three years, the Sun–Moon Society has grown to over five hundred members.
If Lance Easton weren’t so proud and selective, only accepting those with outstanding talent, the Sun–Moon Society’s numbers would be several times higher.
Besides the Sun–Moon Society, there are also the Daughters’ Society, Divine Martial Society, Dragon–Serpent Society, and Black Tiger Society among the outer-sect disciples.
The Daughters’ Society only accepts female disciples, and almost ninety percent of all female outer-sect disciples have joined it.
As for the Divine Martial Society, its leader is Gavin Quinn, whose status rivals Lance Easton’s. Gavin is even prouder than Lance; only disciples who have reached Qi-Refining tier five are allowed to join.
The Dragon–Serpent Society and Black Tiger Society were also founded by top-tier outer-sect experts.
They have many members, but the cultivation levels vary widely.
In the main hall of the courtyard, the exceptionally handsome Lance Easton sat at the head, his slightly feminine gaze sweeping the room as he spoke slowly: “How many candidates are there?”
"President, here's the list we've compiled."
Hugh Young respectfully handed over a roster, listing dozens of names along with their ages and cultivation levels.
Lance Easton scanned the list at lightning speed. His gaze finally settled on a name—Leon Huang—and he asked in a deep voice, "What's the story with this Leon Huang? He’s only Qi-Refining tier three, yet he made the candidate list?"
Hugh Young explained, "President, don’t be fooled by his Qi-Refining tier three. In the third round of trials, he defeated a tier-five opponent head-on. Plus, he’s extremely wealthy—he spent ten thousand taels per person to hire over a hundred bodyguards during the trial. If we can recruit him into the Sun–Moon Society, our influence will skyrocket!"
"In that case, you’ll handle recruiting him personally!" Lance Easton nodded.
Meanwhile, the Divine Martial Society’s president, Gavin Quinn, was also holding a meeting in his own courtyard.
Gavin Quinn glanced over the list, then shot a cold look at Lena Fenn, seated to his left. "What’s this? How did a Qi-Refining tier three get on the roster?"
Nervous, Lena Fenn explained, "President, Leon Huang is actually very strong—he beat a tier-five disciple in just three moves. Besides—"
"Enough!"
Gavin Quinn cut her off harshly. "When I founded the Divine Martial Society, I set the rule: only tier-five and above are accepted. No matter how talented he is, he’s still just tier three!" With that, he picked up a pen, crossed out Leon Huang’s name, and tossed the list to Lena Fenn. "Go recruit the rest for my Divine Martial Society. Don’t let me down!"
The Daughters’ Society, Dragon–Serpent Society, and Black Tiger Society were all holding high-level meetings as well, and soon sent members to the new outer-sect disciples’ quarters to recruit.
In the courtyard where Ian Song resided—
After some rousing encouragement and promises of benefits, Ian Song addressed the seventy or eighty gathered disciples: "Alright, that’s all for today. Go pick up your sect uniforms first!"
"Yes, sir!"
Everyone responded in unison.
Bang!
Just then, the courtyard gate was kicked open. A towering youth, nearly two meters tall, swaggered in with sixteen other outer-sect disciples.
He was briefly startled to see seventy or eighty people in the courtyard, but quickly regained his arrogant demeanor and shouted in his gravelly voice, "Who’s Leon Huang? Step forward!"
Swish!
All eyes in the courtyard turned to the burly youth, their gazes unfriendly. They had just sworn allegiance to Ian Song as their leader, only to have trouble show up so soon. Sensing a chance to prove themselves, their fighting spirits surged.
Don’t think that joining the Pristine Way Sect means your troubles are over.
The last rule in the discipline book states: If your cultivation doesn’t reach Qi-Refining tier six within six years, you’ll be expelled from the sect or reassigned to menial duties.
The fifth rule states: Outer-sect disciples can collect 100 taels of silver from the sect each month.
In other words, that’s only 1,200 taels a year. For ordinary people, it’s a fortune—but for martial artists, it’s barely a drop in the bucket.
Whether it’s cultivation techniques, martial arts manuals, or pills, you’ll need silver to buy them.
With 1,200 taels, you can maybe afford a one-star low-grade martial art or a yellow-grade low-tier cultivation manual—at best.
So if you want to advance faster, you’ll have to earn money to buy better techniques, martial arts, pills, weapons, and more.
"What’s this? You newcomers looking for a fight?"
Feeling all those stares, the burly youth’s expression turned cold.
"You bastard! How dare you come to my boss’s place and act tough? I’ll kill you!"
Ryan Chen drew his saber and strode forward, pointing it at the burly youth.
Clang! Shing!
At once, the sound of blades and swords being drawn filled the air. Seventy or eighty disciples flashed forward, surrounding the burly youth and his group.
The burly youth’s face changed instantly. "Damn, you newcomers really are rebelling!"
"Calm down! Stand down and put away your weapons!"
Ian Song’s voice rang out.
"Yes, boss!"
At his words, the crowd quickly sheathed their weapons and stepped back.
Ian Song strode forward and looked the burly youth in the eye. "Senior Brother, I’m Leon Huang. What brings you here today?"
The burly youth curled his lip. "So you’re Leon Huang, huh? Good, good! I’m Galen Long, vice-president of the Black Tiger Society. I’m here on our president’s orders to borrow some silver from you!"
Ian Song laughed to himself. Clearly, word of his spending spree in the Trial Forest had reached the outer-sect disciples, and now they’d come to try their luck.