The sect leader, Tian Zhu, gazed indifferently at the nine new disciples before slightly parting his lips.
"Our sect does not have many rules. Simply avoiding evil and practicing with dedication is enough."
His voice was calm, but the disciples, still with their heads lowered under the pressure of his aura, felt a slight jolt.
Even under that oppressive presence, his words were clearly audible, and the simplicity of the rules caught them by surprise.
However, that surprise was quickly crushed by the sect leader's next words.
"The sect indeed has few rules… But precisely because of that, they become even more fundamental."
His previously gentle and ethereal tone slowly turned harsher.
"This world is filled with unexpected situations, so we will always strive to make fair judgments before delivering a sentence… But if it is proven that one of you has chosen to do evil of your own free will… even if you hide in the depths of hell, our sect will find you."
His voice grew heavier and heavier, carrying an indescribable weight.
"And we will ensure that you regret every moment of your existence… forever."
The disciples involuntarily shuddered.
"Yes, Sect Leader!"
Gathering all the resolve they could muster, they shouted in response, their voices filled with respect mingled with inevitable fear.
"Good. If there's nothing else, you may leave."
Tian Zhu returned to his indifferent tone and turned back toward the window.
"Yes!"
The disciples answered in unison and, without hesitation, followed the elder guiding them.
Some discreetly sighed in relief.
The sect leader's presence exerted an overwhelming pressure on their hearts. Even though they had no intention of committing evil acts, they couldn't help but fear the mere possibility.
At least now, they could relax a little.
If they had harbored any doubts about the true nature of the sect before, it now seemed clear that this was not some evil organization.
Everything indicated that the recruitment was legitimate.
…
Following Elder Xuan, they soon arrived at one of the halls in the former Shi family mansion.
Inside the room, an external elder with no official position was already waiting for them, now dressed in new robes that Bao Hui had found for them to use temporarily.
"This is Elder Zhao, one of the overseers of the sect's external disciples. You will be guided through the next steps by Elder Zhao. And this is where we part ways."
Elder Xuan smiled faintly before disappearing before the disciples could react.
However, they couldn't afford to waste time thinking about it and quickly turned their attention to Elder Zhao.
Although they couldn't sense his aura and knew he was merely an external elder, no one dared to underestimate him.
After all, he was an elder of a Golden Core sect.
He could be anything but an ordinary cultivator.
Little did they know that this elder's actual cultivation was far inferior to theirs.
But with the synthesized spells and Aotian's vast combat experience, he was more than capable of defeating them using this avatar—especially considering that the strongest among them was only at the mid-stage of Qi Refinement.
Though this was true, Aotian still chose to conceal the cultivation of the external elders simply because they were too weak due to their realms being tied to his main body's cultivation. There was no need for his elders to be looked down upon.
"Well then. As you already know, I am Elder Zhao, and I will be responsible for what comes next."
His gaze swept over the disciples as he spoke with firm seriousness.
"Greetings, Elder Zhao!" The disciples bowed as they shouted, though they couldn't help but feel strange.
For the first time, they were able to formally greet someone since being recruited.
Before, they had simply been taken from one place to another with no time to react.
And when they finally met the sect leader, they couldn't even open their mouths under the intensity of his presence.
The scene was, at the very least, curious.
Here they were, bowing to the lowest-ranked elder of the sect, while they had previously passed by the true titans of the sect without so much as a nod.
Of course, Elder Zhao was Aotian. He fully understood the context and found the situation amusing, but Elder Zhao's face showed none of his amusement.
"Rise."
With a simple wave of his hand, he ordered them to stand.
"Well then. Today, I will only assign your residences so that you can adapt to your new environment and rest."
He paused briefly before continuing:
"Tomorrow, you will receive the sect's basic techniques and spells, the standard equipment for an external disciple, and your monthly stipend. Except for the stipend, all other items will be provided through a loan system based on sect contribution points. This means that you will accumulate a contribution point debt for these resources, and until you repay that debt, you will not be able to acquire new items."
The explanation was direct and to the point.
"Yes, Elder!"
The disciples responded, surprised, but soon thanked him and followed him to the housing pavilion.
As she walked, Xiao Ling reflected on Elder Zhao's words.
'The famous sect contribution points are common knowledge—everyone has heard of them. Basically, they're credits used within the sect, earned by completing missions or providing necessary items to the sect.'
She turned into a street, maintaining her pace as she followed the others.
'What's strange is charging for the basic items provided. From what I know, these are usually disposable goods that sects don't even bother collecting payments for…'
Finally, she reached a conclusion.
'So, there are only two possibilities. Either this sect is incredibly stingy…
Or the benefits are of much higher quality than normal sects.'
…
While the disciples were being guided to their dormitories—or rather, cave mansions—the sect elders gathered for another purpose.
Tian Zhu led the way, followed by the internal elders, while the external elders walked closely behind.
Except for Elder Zhao, who was in charge of guiding the disciples, all sect members were present, totaling 15 people.
Guided by the leader, they entered the Shi family's treasure hall.
Bao Hui stepped forward, taking the lead in the presentation with an excited smile.
"Leader, allow me to guide you all. I made a preliminary classification of the items in the treasury and have a better grasp of the situation."
He rubbed his hands together, his narrow eyes gleaming with amusement.
Of course, since they were the same person, whatever one knew, the other knew as well.
But beyond that, it was true that by using Bao Hui's appraisal ability, Aotian had already sorted the items beforehand.
Following along with the act, Tian Zhu simply nodded and left everything in Bao Hui's hands.
"Well then, my dear elders, this first section contains the refining materials accumulated by the Shi family."
He gestured toward the piles of ore scattered throughout the hall.
"Although there are only a few at the Founder-Tier level, they are still present. Look!"
Before them, stacks of valuable minerals of varying rarity were piled up, some small, others towering.
At that moment, Ting Zao, a burly man, stepped forward.
He was the newly appointed internal elder of the Refinement Pavilion.
Immediately after, Zhuan Lu, an external elder also affiliated with this pavilion, advanced.
First, he formally greeted the sect leader and the other internal elders before joining Ting Zao to assess the minerals.
It took only a few seconds for Aotian to notice the difference between their talents and abilities.
From Ting Zao's perspective, Aotian instantly gained insights into the best ways to shape each material, their possible combinations, and their ideal applications.
It was almost like a supernatural instinct.
This perception stemmed from the high affinity for refinement granted by Ting Zao's talents as an elder of the Refinement Pavilion.
[Name: Tíng Zào (Meaning: The Master Who Creates)
Position: Elder of the Refinement Pavilion
Cultivation: 2nd Level of Foundation Establishment (1 major realm above the Host)
Position Skill: Forging Design Derivation
Position Bonus: Refinement Master (Forged object quality increased by 2.5x)]
Zhuan Lu, however, was different.
Although he also had a certain instinct for forging, he lacked Ting Zao's supernatural perception.
But that didn't mean his abilities were inferior—he had his own advantages.
By looking at a mineral, he could automatically sense its internal impurities, quality, and composition.
Moreover, he could understand its properties just by observing carefully.
It was as if the metal itself whispered its deepest secrets to him.
'So this is what Mineral Heart is! The ability to sense minerals and everything about them…'
Aotian was surprised by the skill.
[Name: Zhuan Lu (Meaning: Blazing Forge)
Position: External Elder (Refinement Pavilion)
Cultivation: 2nd Level of Qi Refinement (Host's Realm)
Position Skill: Mineral Heart
Affiliation Skill: Forging Affinity
Position Bonus: Design Analysis (2 times per day)]
'This is perfect for assisting a master forger like Ting Zao!'
Aotian analyzed with satisfaction.
Additionally, Zhuan Lu's Forging Affinity granted him exceptional talent in refinement.
It wasn't as supernatural as Ting Zao's, but it was still extremely useful.
Now, all that remained was to test Zhuan Lu's Design Analysis—but from what it seemed, this ability wasn't directly related to the minerals themselves.