"This is one of the great treasures of the sect, part of a set of sect artifacts known as the Crystal Orbs. This particular one is called the Crystal Library."
Elder Zhao spoke in an extremely serious tone while carefully holding the crystal orb, then continued.
"As outer disciples, you have the right to use it once to acquire a Qi Refinement cultivation technique compatible with your talents."
As he spoke, Elder Zhao began tracing lines over the surface of the sphere, which soon glowed mystically, becoming even more enigmatic in the disciples' eyes.
Everyone held their breath, their attention fixed on the crystal ball, which radiated a soft, mysterious glow.
'One of the greatest treasures of a Golden Core Sect… and an incredibly wealthy one like the Infinite Dao Sect. This crystal ball must be something extraordinary.'
Xiao Ling narrowed her eyes, focused, observing everything seriously.
Elder Zhao soon completed his movements, and the intense glow gradually faded.
Now, the only visible change in the crystal orb was the presence of soft golden markings where his hands had touched.
"It is ready."
He lifted his gaze and looked at the disciples.
"Follow the recruitment order. One at a time, step forward and place your hands on the crystal ball, right above mine."
Xiao Ling took a deep breath before stepping forward.
Cautiously, she approached Elder Zhao and slowly placed her hands on the sphere.
The moment her fingers touched the crystal surface, a strong blue light exploded suddenly, making her eyes contract.
Instinctively, she narrowed her eyes slightly, but quickly reopened them, watching in surprise as something began to emerge from the crystal orb.
At the top of the sphere, where there had once been only a dark hollow, a jade slip began to materialize.
Confused, Xiao Ling looked up at Elder Zhao, who simply nodded slightly.
"The Crystal Library has evaluated your talents. This jade slip contains the cultivation technique that has been assigned to you."
His explanation was simple and direct.
And under the elder's encouraging gaze, Xiao Ling carefully took the slip and stepped back.
'How extraordinary. This artifact can judge talents and assign cultivation techniques based on the user's situation. Could the entire sect's inheritance be stored inside it? If so, it would make sense for it to be one of the sect's greatest treasures.'
Xiao Ling pondered with her head lowered as she returned to her place.
One by one, the other disciples followed the same procedure, until all had received their respective jade slips.
Elder Zhao then proceeded.
"I imagine you have many questions, so I will clarify a few things immediately. First, contribution points can be earned in several ways: by collecting rare materials, spiritual plants, valuable artifacts, cultivation inheritances, and other items. However, low-quality or common items are practically worthless, so don't bring useless things expecting to gain points."
His tone then became a bit more serious as he issued the next warning.
"The sect follows the path of righteousness, so fighting bandits, demonic cultivators, and evil beasts is considered a meritorious act. If you can prove your actions, you may earn a large number of contribution points, depending on the impact of your deeds. But be warned: if you try to lie, we will find out—and it will not end well for you. So don't even try."
The severe tone made some disciples swallow hard.
Even so, most of them were thrilled by the explanation.
They had passed Elder Lie Zheng's test precisely because they despised evil and possessed strong talents.
Knowing that the sect rewarded this type of action only strengthened their motivation.
"An elder will be responsible for evaluating your achievements at the Mission Pavilion. There, you will also find special commissions offered by the sect's elders. These missions generally offer greater rewards, so stay alert."
He paused briefly before concluding.
"My recommendation is that you focus on cultivation but also strive to accumulate contribution points. The sect possesses artifacts, formations, and pills of a quality you might not even dream of seeing elsewhere. These resources can accelerate your cultivation immeasurably."
After finishing his explanation, he cast a glance at the disciples—who were now starting to look euphoric.
"Any questions?"
"..."
Silently, nine hands were raised.
It was obvious that there were many questions, but he remained patient, answering each one.
In the future, these disciples would become veterans, and then it would be their turn to guide the new disciples.
Because of this, it was better to spend time explaining things now to be able to relax later.
Of course, many aspects of the sect remained unexplained by Aotian.
After all, besides letting them discover things on their own… he still needed to create many of those aspects.
And after numerous questions about different aspects of the sect, Elder Zhao was finally able to leave.
Before leaving, he gathered the preferences for spiritual weapons from each disciple, ensuring that everyone would receive equipment suited to their fighting style the next day.
…
Xiao Ling returned to her cave mansion after the disciples had dispersed.
Regarding the cave mansions, they were structures carved directly into the mountain, serving as residences for the sect's disciples.
Although they might seem simple at first glance, there was a specific reason why cultivators lived in caves rather than building houses on the surface.
To understand this, it was necessary to comprehend the behavior of spiritual energy.
Despite being present in the air, spiritual energy is not completely tangible, existing somewhere between the real and the unreal.
Because of this, it does not follow common physical rules, such as the impossibility of two bodies occupying the same space.
Spiritual energy moves freely through the air, but it often clings to denser bodies, like the ground, in high concentrations.
Thus, carving a cave into a mountain created an ideal environment for a cultivator, as there were kilometers of earth surrounding them, filled with condensed energy and ready for absorption.
But if that was the case, why did the cultivators of Azure Cloud City build tall buildings instead of living underground?
The answer was simple.
Azure Cloud City was built on artificial spiritual veins, created on a plain surrounded by mountains.
And in all cases, the standard rule is that purer energy rises while impure energy sinks.
This meant that while the underground of Azure Cloud City was saturated with spiritual energy, it was incredibly impure.
However, in a naturally mountainous environment, such as Black Rock Mountain, the opposite happened.
The higher one went, the purer the spiritual energy became.
That was why, at the peak of the mountain, the soil saturated with extremely pure energy was an excellent cultivation environment.
And at that moment, Xiao Ling, already inside her cave, sat cross-legged on a stone platform in her room, holding the jade slip with a slight trace of uncertainty.
For a moment, her fingers tightened around the small object, and her mind wavered.
But suddenly, her gaze steadied.
'What am I even thinking…? If they wanted to kill me, with the strength they possess, they wouldn't need a jade slip to do it. One strike would be enough, and I'd already be back in the cycle of reincarnation.'
She shook her head bitterly, suppressing her own fears.
Then, making a decision, she tightly shut her eyes and pressed the jade slip against her forehead, activating it.
In the next instant, her eyes widened in shock.
Inside the slip, there was a Qi Refinement cultivation technique completely different from anything she had ever seen.
The patterns of attraction, rotation, and refinement of spiritual energy present in the technique were extremely esoteric, complex beyond what she had ever imagined possible.
Xiao Ling held her breath, immersing herself in a detailed analysis of the technique.
After studying it meticulously and ensuring that she had not missed any information, she closed her eyes and immediately entered a cultivation state.
One hour later, her body trembled violently.
She broke through.
Her blue eyes snapped open, widened in pure astonishment and disbelief.
"What an absurd technique!"
Her trembling voice echoed through the room, laden with genuine fear.
The speed at which she had advanced was something simply unimaginable.
She didn't know exactly how many times faster this technique allowed her to cultivate, but she was certain it surpassed anything she had ever practiced before.
And more than that…
The quality of the breakthrough was terrifying.
During that single cultivation session, imperfections in her dantian and spiritual roots—ones she hadn't even been aware of—had been corrected on their own.
It was as if the technique naturally optimized her body throughout the process.
'Incredible!'
Her heart raced, and her fists clenched instinctively.
'This sect definitely hides secrets. It can't be just an ordinary Golden Core sect. But then… why are they in such a remote location? Why did they establish themselves on such a weak spiritual vein? And above all… why are there no other disciples?'
A sense of unease grew within her.
But after reflecting for a long time, her fists slowly loosened, and she sighed helplessly.
'I've already received their benefits. There's no turning back now. I can only hope that the sect gives me enough time to grow…'
'…and survive whatever disaster may befall us.'