– To become an Inner Sect disciple, one must either reach the seventh level of Qi Condensation before the age of thirty, or pass the first Inner Sect trial.
Shangguan Si sighed inwardly, but no matter how unwilling he felt, he could only suppress it.
At this very moment, neither Shangguan Tu nor Grand Elder Ouyang, nor even Sect Master He Luohua, noticed that in an empty cave on the peak of Black Mountain, located in the desolate mountain range outside the Reliance Sect, stood a figure whose entire body was wreathed in towering blood-qi.
The figure was very indistinct, its face impossible to discern, but on this person, there existed an aura completely different from the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It was as if this aura was rejected by heaven and earth, as if the surrounding winds and clouds changed color, with cracks and fissures swirling around.
Yet, outsiders saw none of this; everything appeared normal.
– "Reliance Sect," what a vulgar name. It can be considered that a thousand years ago, this name was deliberately chosen to avoid the punishment of the Heavenly Dao's cycle of reincarnation. But this place is, after all, the Seal Demon Sect! And a disciple of the Seal Demon Sect dared to swallow the demon core of an Ying Long, and even obtained a demonic inheritance. How interesting. My two interventions to help you were not in vain.
A hoarse voice, carrying an eerie, demonic quality, emanated from the blood-red figure. As it rang out, the sky rumbled, and streaks of red lightning immediately struck down. Yet, a thousand *zhang* from the blood-red figure, they all dissipated, as if even the heavens could do nothing.
– Sooner or later, I will defy this Heavenly Dao of yours!
The red figure frowned, raised its head to coldly gaze at the sky, then turned and stepped towards the Southern Domain. A moment later, its entire being vanished.
– My main body is still in deep slumber, yet my divine avatar glances across heaven and earth and sees this strange sight. Interesting, truly interesting.
Laughter echoed, and the red figure had already vanished.
Its appearance and departure, the churning sky, the striking lightning – all these things were unseen by outsiders.
Time flew by; in the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.
During these seven days, the sole topic of the Outer Sect was Meng Hao becoming an Inner Sect disciple.
Everyone had witnessed this with their own eyes, but even after seven days, they were still as shaken as before. When they looked up at East Peak, they all revealed expressions of longing and admiration.
There were also those who felt regret for Wang Tengfei, but no one dared to mention it, as if after the Inner Sect battle, the name Wang Tengfei had become a thing of the past.
Those disciples who had previously made enemies with Meng Hao were even more restless with fear, utterly terrified.
But Meng Hao was no longer in the Outer Sect, so they could only curry favor with the fatty to gain his goodwill.
These past few days, the fatty was incredibly imposing. He had become the stall owner in the low-level public area, completely inheriting Meng Hao's business, and thoroughly enjoying the admiration of his fellow disciples. Even when grinding his teeth, he was smug and self-satisfied, and he had even obtained a not-so-bad residence in the Outer Sect.
During these seven days, Meng Hao's life was also very eventful.
Although the Reliance Sect was like the setting sun in the west, some regulations still remained.
During these seven days, Meng Hao bathed and changed clothes, paid respects to the portrait of Old Ancestor Reliance, and paid respects to the ancestors of the Reliance Sect. These matters were exceedingly cumbersome.
During this time, he did not see Senior Sister Xu, who had been in secluded cultivation for many months, but he did meet Senior Brother Chen Fan, who wore silver robes.
To Meng Hao, this senior brother rarely smiled or laughed when dealing with outer sect disciples, seeming somewhat old-fashioned. But after Meng Hao interacted with him, he discovered that whenever he had a question, the senior brother would meticulously answer him without any bother, making Meng Hao develop a strong liking for him.
He also recalled the rumors about Senior Brother Chen Fan, most of which described him as single-mindedly devoted to the Dao, unconcerned with worldly affairs, and exuding righteousness.
Seven days later, Meng Hao finally had some free time and was granted an inner sect immortal's cave on East Peak.
Inside, the spirit spring was rich and spiritual energy permeated the air, far surpassing his previous dwelling.
Just as he was feeling joyful, after receiving his first allocation of spirit stones and medicinal pills for inner sect disciples, Meng Hao stood there, dumbfounded, staring blankly at the spirit stones in his hand.
The spirit stones were clearly far superior to those he had received as an outer sect disciple—larger, with an interior that was completely transparent, vaguely like mist, yet also like cotton. Though there weren't many, they gradually caused Meng Hao's face to turn pale.
“These... are mid-grade spirit stones? Inner sect disciples receive one such stone annually.”
“One such spirit stone can be exchanged for a hundred low-grade spirit stones, the kind the outer sect bestows.”
Meng Hao murmured, his mind reeling.
Beside him was an ancient jade slip, which contained information on how Qi Condensation cultivators could differentiate various types of spirit stones.
“Above mid-grade spirit stones are those that, it is said, the entire Zhao Kingdom doesn't possess a single high-grade spirit stone.”
“One such stone is worth at least ten thousand low-grade spirit stones—truly priceless.”
Meng Hao's heart pounded. He quickly took out the remaining spirit stones from his storage bag, and after comparing them, his expression grew even uglier.
“Spirit stones are graded based on size and the structure of the milky, cotton-like substance within them.”
“High-grade spirit stones are a bit larger; the cotton-like substance inside covers more than half, and the spiritual energy won't dissipate. Only Foundation Establishment cultivators can absorb it.”
Meng Hao mumbled, staring blankly at the spirit stones in his hand.
This spirit stone was three times larger than a mid-grade spirit stone, and the cotton-like substance inside nearly filled it completely, appearing intricate at first glance, yet no spiritual energy leaked out.
“This... isn't this a high-grade spirit stone?”
“I... I actually spent two thousand high-grade spirit stones!!”
Meng Hao's heart bled as he desperately tried to comfort himself.
He could imagine that the wooden sword was no ordinary item. Recalling Wang Tengfei's calculations and the copper mirror's equivalent replication cost, how could he not know how many spirit stones he had squandered?
“But why do I feel that this spirit stone in my hand is several times larger than the described high-grade spirit stone? And the substance inside is even more abundant, not less?”
Meng Hao was startled. He dared not continue thinking, his face pale, his heart aching to the extreme.
It took a long time for him to suppress his emotions. He hastily put the spirit stones back into his storage bag.
“It's just two thousand high-grade spirit stones, it's nothing, nothing at all.”
Meng Hao gritted his teeth and murmured, but his words were utterly tangled and incoherent.
Time flew by, and several more days passed.
“Junior Brother, I saw that in your battle the other day, you used many magic treasures, but without magic treasures, you'd be at a great disadvantage. You should go to the Dharma Pavilion; it contains many ancient texts of the Reliance Sect from over the past thousand years. You must read and study them diligently.”
“Junior Brother, I've noticed that these past few days you've been hunting and cooking. This is not right.”
We cultivators circulate the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, originally to shed our mortal forms. But if you still consume mortal beasts, aren't you just corrupting that spiritual energy?