Chapter 258

In the evening, Yan Buji took a bath nearby in the river, changed his clothes, and followed Hu Bing to their residence.

The disciples living in the Mission Hall are much better off than the miscellaneous laborers; they each have a single room. However, because there are too many disciples in Qing Shan Sect, they are all assigned apartments that were built. This can be seen from the distribution pattern of the caves that Yan Buji dug, preparing to open up his dwelling.

Qing Shan Sect is a sect very skilled at utilizing resources; the development of dwellings using earth veins mostly follows the earth vein nodes step by step, and with some formations, each dwelling should be able to enjoy the earth vein power.

It is just like an ant nest, connecting the dwellings to the central earth vein through passageways.

Upon entering the apartment, Yan Buji saw the table filled with large fish and meat, and his eyes lit up.

"Eh, Junior Brother Huang, don't be polite, have a seat."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

Yan Buji sat down skillfully, took out the gentleman's wine he had brewed from his storage accumulation device, and placed it on the table.

Hu Bing was also quite skilled; he opened the seal and immediately poured himself a full bowl, then lifted it and drank it down with a glug-glug.

"Senior Brother Hu is so forthright!" Yan Buji laughed.

"Tsk~ Junior Brother Huang, this gentleman's wine really packs a punch! Although it's just ordinary spirit liquor, the taste is absolutely wonderful—smooth and not spicy, it goes down so nicely!" Hu Bing said happily.

Yan Buji also suspected that this guy invited him to eat not only because he was afraid he'd run away, but also to get his gentleman's wine.

However, when he offered wine to Hu Bing, the latter refused; each time he only drank after being invited to eat, showing that the other person was not someone who coveted small favors.

For him, completing the sect's missions is probably the most important.

"Senior Brother Hu, I'd like to ask, if we become official disciples, how are people like us, loose cultivators, usually arranged?"

"As for arrangements... after becoming official disciples, you will receive new sect uniforms and tokens. Then you will be assigned to various posts within the sect. Though called a post, it basically means being placed under a sect elder or a capable disciple to do work; as long as you follow the routine, it's fine." Hu Bing said.

Capable disciples? Are they like direct disciples?

Hu Bing smiled: "Junior Brother Huang, don't joke—those direct disciples are all at Foundation Establishment Stage or above; although they still hold the title of disciple, their status far exceeds that of some steward elders. Most of them act alone, rarely forming cliques. However, in recent years the sect has produced a disciple who likes to form factions."

"Who?"

Hu Bing's mouth twitched slightly, his expression somewhat mocking, but he didn't dare show it openly, so he looked a bit strange.

After holding it in for a while, Hu Bing said: "It's the sect master's direct disciple, Feng Xiaoqing."

Feng Xiaoqing?

"Logically, their status and identity wouldn't require them to form factions; could it be that these direct disciples are obsessed with power and influence?" Yan Buji asked curiously.

Hu Bing nodded: "You're not wrong about that. In Qing Shan Sect, the direct disciples who hold real power are all disciples at Golden Core Stage or even Nascent Soul Stage; the other elder disciples are hardly considered formidable. These individuals already have the background and strength, so they just need to focus on cultivation. But you should also know that cultivation requires resources; supporting their cultivation even within Qing Shan Sect follows a strict set of rules."

"Generally speaking, what your master gives you from within the sect is uncontrollable, but if you mobilize Qing Shan Sect's resources and heavily bias them, it will definitely be opposed. Therefore, even if those direct disciples don't take on followers, there are plenty of people who follow behind them, offering spiritual stones and resources; their real aim is to covet that person's influence and authority within the sect."

Hu Bing's words opened Yan Buji's eyes wide.

To be honest, after all, this is his first time joining Qing Shan Sect, a sect that suits his heart's desire, yet the advantages of being a direct disciple still exceed his expectations.

"Using money to get things done is perfectly justified." Yan Buji fell silent for a moment, then said.

"That's right; if you accept resources but don't act, the whole Qing Shan Sect will know by tomorrow that you're useless. That's why so many people in the sect dare to secretly take bribes—it's just a matter of weighing the situation. However, sometimes relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself; when one's strength is great, a single word outweighs ten from others." Hu Bing laughed.

"Indeed." Yan Buji took a sip of wine.

Hu Bing looked at Yan Buji; although this person had been inquiring about Inner Gate affairs during meals these past days, Hu Bing didn't think he could achieve anything in Qing Shan Sect.

To be honest, Qing Shan Sect has plenty of talented people, and there are even more with ambition and methods, yet in the end they still end up neither high nor low—why is that?

Because their brains are addled, they completely forgot that Qing Shan Sect is part of the cultivation world, and the greatest iron law of the cultivation world is what?

It is that the strong are revered!

Without strength, those who play tricks with power and scheming may succeed temporarily, but when they reach the checkpoint that tests strength, they will still fall from the clouds.

Hu Bing felt he had said enough and wouldn't say more.

"Oh, by the way, Senior Brother Hu, one of my friends who entered the sect together with me is named Liu Jun; I don't know if you've heard of him." Yan Buji suddenly asked.

"Liu Jun... do you know him?"

"Hmm, how is he doing now?" Yan Buji asked while taking big bites of a beef leg.

Hu Bing's expression turned odd; he took a sip of wine and said: "Cough, that kid got lucky—an elder from the Law Enforcement Hall took a liking to him, so he's probably already entered the Law Enforcement Hall."

"Law Enforcement Hall? He said it was the Transmitting Skills Hall, didn't he?"

"Oh, then you must be referring to Elder Cheng Lie of the Law Enforcement Hall." Hu Bing said.

Yan Buji nodded.

"The status of the Law Enforcement Hall within the sect is rather odd; although it's said to punish disciples who break rules, who in Qing Shan Sect doesn't have some small misdeeds? However, if things blow up, the Law Enforcement Hall merely brings people out and assigns a charge. Although many people are dissatisfied with their domineering attitude, once you enter the Law Enforcement Hall, you probably won't get out without losing a layer of skin."

Yan Buji said: "Thank you, Senior Brother; I understand."

"Within the sect, the only ones who don't fear the Law Enforcement Hall are those few direct disciples. Just as I mentioned earlier, Feng Xiaoqing—this direct disciple was born a mortal, moreover an abandoned infant girl, relying on her foster father who worked daily at the docks, moving goods for a living, and he raised her."

"Until she was thirty, she had never been exposed to any cultivation. Later, when an elder from our sect wandered about, he happened to discover this direct disciple, a pearl covered in dust, and brought her into the sect. After examination, this direct disciple turned out to possess the Unfading Verdant Body, the top-tier bone-refining physique!"

"The number one bone-refining physique?! That's the one where, as long as you cultivate wood-attribute techniques, you can advance a thousand miles in a day, and at minimum you can achieve Nascent Soul Stage?" Yan Buji exclaimed in surprise.

"That's right, and not only that—this direct disciple even brought her old father into the sect to support him, but that was thirty years ago. Now that her father has passed away, it was from that time onward that she began openly gathering resources, using her status and influence to act as she pleased." Hu Bing pursed his lips and said.

Yan Buji's eyes shifted, and he suddenly realized quite a bit of the inside story.