"Greetings, Junior Martial Uncle Liang and Junior Martial Uncle Pei."

The two in the private room were familiar faces. Bai Zichen stepped forward, bowed as a junior, and stood obediently to one side.

"No need for such formalities. You’re a True Disciple now. Don’t you have the confidence that you’ll one day address us old-timers as equals?"

Pei Dongyong clapped his hands with a playful smile, his gaze growing much warmer.

"Here’s a little test for you. If you reach Foundation Establishment within fifteen years, I’ll find you a Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact as a congratulatory gift."

"In that case, I thank you in advance, Junior Martial Uncle Pei."

Bai Zichen accepted with a smile, not bothering with false modesty.

Newly advanced Foundation Establishment Cultivators often spent their entire life savings on the items needed for the breakthrough, leaving most of them completely broke.

This is why many Foundation Establishment Cultivators have to make do with Magical Artifacts for some time before they can afford to upgrade to Spiritual Artifacts.

A single Low-Grade Spiritual Artifact was already quite a generous offer.

"Alright, we called you over mainly to tell you about the benefits a True Disciple is entitled to. Someone would have been sent to find you in a few days, but since the two of us were free, we decided to chat with you first."

Liang Yu gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod, acknowledging Bai Zichen’s confidence in reaching Foundation Establishment within fifteen years.

"Every True Disciple is a true Cultivation Seed of the Sect, the hope for carrying on our heritage. The future of the Qingfeng Sect rests on your shoulders."

"Of course, the resources the Sect invests in you are ten times greater than those for Inner Sect Disciples, and some of the benefits are permanent, even if you later lose your status as a True Disciple."

As Liang Yu spoke, his voice grave, the mysterious status of a True Disciple was finally unveiled before Bai Zichen.

The Qingfeng Sect set an upper limit of forty years old for True Disciples. This meant that upon turning forty or achieving Foundation Establishment, a disciple would automatically lose their status.

The vast majority of the Sect’s Elders were former True Disciples, but less than half of them were promoted directly from True Disciple to Elder. The rest polished their Magical Power to its absolute limit and made their preparations as perfect as possible, only attempting the breakthrough to Foundation Establishment just before their vitality began to wane with age.

By the time this group became Elders, they were already over forty and could only be referred to as former True Disciples.

The Sect had established these various rules because in some respects, the benefits for a True Disciple surpassed even those of a Foundation Establishment Elder. If the requirements were relaxed and the number of True Disciples grew, the Qingfeng Sect would not be able to bear the cost.

Take one benefit, for example: each True Disciple was granted the use of a Tier Three Low-Grade Spirit Land. This alone put them in a completely different league than the Cultivation Families.

This was a Tier Three Spirit Land, suitable for a Core Formation True Man’s cultivation. From a value-maximization standpoint, giving one to a Qi Refining Cultivator was a gross misallocation of resources and quite wasteful.

But it was precisely this that showed how much the Qingfeng Sect valued its True Disciples.

The second benefit was that every True Disciple had a one-time opportunity to redeem a Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object for free, an opportunity that would never expire.

As long as you had once been a True Disciple, the Sect would honor the claim whether you redeemed it immediately, used it twenty years later, or even passed it down to your descendants and relatives.

If a disciple preferred the higher-grade Foundation Establishment Pill over the Spiritual Object, they could pay the difference in Sect Contribution points and be placed at the front of the queue, allowing them to redeem a pill in the shortest time possible.

This benefit, once again, drew a clear line between True Disciples and everyone else.

There were also other, more common benefits. For example, for common Tier One Spiritual Materials, as long as the quantity wasn’t excessive, the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall would provide them free of charge upon receiving a written order from a True Disciple.

"Additionally, you will need to leave a drop of your Essence Blood at the Law Enforcement Hall later. A Soul Lamp is refined for every True Disciple and Elder so that the Sect can be notified immediately if anything happens to you. If you are killed outside the Sect, the lamp will place a special mark on the cultivator who killed you. The Soul Lamp will react as long as that person comes within a hundred-li radius of it."

"Almost every sect has a similar method, with minor variations. Its main purpose is to deter outsiders, letting them know that we have the means to track down our enemies and retaliate. It’s meant to provide an extra layer of protection for you—the foundation of our Sect—when you’re traveling."

Liang Yu meticulously explained all the benefits of being a True Disciple. Bai Zichen interjected with a few questions along the way, all of which Liang Yu answered patiently.

At this point, he stood up from his chair. The imposing authority of the Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall returned to him. A cold, solemn aura emanated from him, making anyone who met his gaze instinctively lower their head, as if to hide their innermost thoughts.

"As a True Disciple, the third floor of the Transmission Hall is now open to you. You’ll learn about these things gradually. Our Qingfeng Sect’s lineage descends from True Monarch Shao Yang; we are of the orthodox Daoist Family, vastly different from the Outer Dao and Demon Path Sects of this region. After moving to Black Mountain County a thousand years ago, we have inevitably been influenced by local customs. Otherwise, we would have been isolated and ostracized by the surrounding sects."

"The Sect does not restrict the conduct of its disciples; you may act according to your heart. But remember this one thing: entering the Demon Path is forbidden. The methods of Demon Cultivators, such as slaughtering living beings or using humans as Blood Food for sacrifices, are the greatest taboos of our Sect. Anyone who violates this will be purged by the Law Enforcement Hall!"

As Liang Yu spoke his final words, his voice was like a great, resonant bell, striking fear into the heart of the listener.

"I understand. I will never fall to the Demon Path."

’Demon Path Cultivators may advance quickly at first, but the path is riddled with hidden dangers later on, making it nearly impossible to attain the Great Dao.’ He had a Spirit Body, and his future looked promising. He naturally had no interest in such sinister and vicious Demon Path Techniques, so his promise was completely sincere.

"That is for the best. I hope you will remember what was said today."

Liang Yu seemed somewhat weary. He waved a dismissive hand and said,

"Junior Brother Zhang will find you in a few days to arrange for your Spirit Land and handle all the miscellaneous tasks related to you becoming a True Disciple. If there is anything you don’t understand, you can ask him then."

Bai Zichen had fought a grueling battle today and was already mentally exhausted. Seeing that the two senior figures had finished speaking, he immediately took his leave.

A hush fell over the private room, leaving only the distinct sound of Pei Dongyong sipping his Spirit Tea.

"Senior Brother, sit down. Try this new tea... Has there been a change in the Ancestor’s condition?"

Pei Dongyong’s expression grew tense. He instinctively lowered his voice and, with a wave of his hand, enveloped the entire room in a Sound Insulation Technique.

"The Ancestor was attacked by a Core Formation Demon Cultivator from the Ghost Spirit Sect back then. That Demonic Qi is like a cancer clinging to his bones; it’s impossible to completely expel. It drains his Essence daily... That Spirit Pill merely suppressed the Demonic Qi. The fifty years of life he lost won’t come back, and the suppression will only last for a few more years at most." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Liang Yu’s brow was tightly furrowed. Only in front of his close junior brother would he allow the worry in his heart to show on his face.

"Fortunately, the Desolate God Stealing Sun Technique that Nephew Bai presented granted the Ancestor another thirty years of life... But according to the Ancestor himself, when the Demonic Qi erupts again, its momentum will be even more ferocious. He estimates he’ll only have twenty years of life left then."

"What! Is there really no other way?"

Pei Dongyong was utterly shocked. If this news were to get out, it could affect the entire situation in Mizhou. The Ghost Spirit Sect would surely start making moves again.

"The Ancestor says it is unlikely. He now only wishes to accomplish two things before he passes away."

Liang Yu pushed aside his fleeting moment of weakness, his expression once again becoming that of the cold, stern, and deeply imposing Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall.

"First, the Reclamation War: to annihilate the Tier Three Demon King and open up another Tier Three Spirit Vein for our Qingfeng Sect!"

"Second, to find three to five truly brilliant talents to personally teach and nurture, in the hope that a hundred years from now, the Sect will have several more Core Formation True Men!"