"Welcome to the Azure Sword Sect, Daoist Justin," Rey said the moment they arrived.
Although his cultivation was much higher than Justin's, he didn't dare to call him 'junior'.
"Thank you, thank you. May I trouble you a little more?" Justin spoke after landing next to the sect's gate.
He retrieved a Spirit Diamond before handing it over to Rey.
"Of course! How could I help you?!" Rey responded, taking the diamond immediately.
'Hehe, I can break through to the Immortal Realms with this!' He snatched it, knowing the value of the diamond.
He could suck on it for hundreds of years and he wouldn't even be able to empty all the Qi inside!
He was lost in his dreams, grinning like a fool, and looking quite hilarious to Justin.
"Ahm, Daoist Ray?" Justin waited for a moment, then muttered quietly.
Rey's attention returned to Justin, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Please lead me to your sect leader." Rey nodded his head, gesturing for Justin to follow.
"This is the outer zone, where Mortal Realm disciples reside." Rey introduced the sect to Justin as they went inside, making their way forward.
They soon reached the stairs leading to the inner zone.
The stairs were incredibly high, however, they were on top in a few seconds.
"This is the inner zone, we keep our Foundation Realm disciples here." Rey continued as they walked through.
"Not bad, not bad." Justin nodded his head, slowly becoming familiar with the place.
The place was lively, something Justin knew was great for his plan.
They continued walking until they reached the building on top.
Rey pushed the gates open, moving forward as the gate shut behind them.
He reached a towering bookshelf, and slowly floated up as Justin wondered what he'd do.
Suddenly, the bookshelf split into two, revealing a path leading downstairs.
'What did he do?' Justin thought, unable to understand how the mechanism worked.
He couldn't see any books being pulled or any interactions from Rey's side.
He eventually assumed it was some sort of formation.
"This is the way to the core zone," Rey said, bringing Justin's attention.
He didn't elaborate like before, prompting him to believe it was only accessible to the elders.
They walked through the hall, supported by towering steel beams.
Torches lit the hall as they descended down the stairs, leading deep into the mountain.
A few minutes passed, and they reached the end, as the blinding light welcomed them.
"Heavens!" Justin exclaimed as they entered, causing Rey to laugh.
It was an island surrounded by water, devoid of any complicated human structures.
It was daylight inside, even though there were no apparent sources of light anywhere.
"This is the sect's spirit vein, our ancestors and the grand elders reside here."
"We occasionally allow our disabilities to cultivate in here as well."
Rey explained as they walked across the bridge leading to the island.
'Disabilities?' He frowned, wondering whether he had heard Ray correctly or not.
"Disabilities? You mean disciples." Justin couldn't understand, questioning Rey about what he meant.
"No, Daoist Justin. I meant what I said." Rey spoke, his mood deteriorating as he spoke.
"This continent produces trash nowadays, if not for such spirit veins, then none would go above the Foundation Realms." Rey continued as they walked, and Justin nodded his head in agreement.
"I understand you, but I believe it's possible with the right guidance." He sneered internally, quietly planning to benefit himself.
He understood Rey's words, but also believed it was because of those so-called ancestors.
If all they did was consume the vein's QI to prolong their life, then naturally, the atmospheric QI would go down.
He felt no pity for them, knowing it was a situation they created on their own.
"Haha, I believe that's easier said than done." Rey suddenly spoke, announcing their arrival.
"Oh, all in time," Justin responded as Rey knocked the hut's door lightly.
"A fellow daoist would like to meet you, Sect Master," Rey muttered before falling to his knees, kneeling before the door.
"Let them enter." Rey nodded as the Sect Master's voice echoed calmly from within.
Rey pushed the door open, revealing a middle-aged man sitting at the center.
He sat in a lotus position, his scattered, long black hair covering his face.
"Hello, Sect Master. Would you mind having another grand elder?" Justin spoke, causing the old man to frown.
He sensed Justin's cultivation, wondering where he got such arrogance from.
A grand elder had to be someone close to the Immortal Realms, but this person wasn't even in the Foundation Realms!
The old man remained silent, refusing to even talk.
His actions caused Justin to frown, he retrieved a diamond before casually throwing it on the ground.
"Is that enough?" Justin muttered with a smirk, waiting for the old man's response.
"Too little, nine more." The old man muttered, ignoring the diamond before him.
His words caused the wind around him to scatter.
Something unique to those at the end of the Soul Realms.
The diamond moved on the ground, returning to Justin's feet.
'Ah, you barging with me?!' Justin thought, not really caring much.
He could give the old man nine right away if he wished.
However, he wanted to play along just to satisfy himself.
"Two, take them or leave." He spoke, another diamond appearing in his hands.
"Still not enough, add three more. There are 3 grand elders to keep quiet after all." The old man shook his head, waiting patiently for a response.
"How many privileges do I get for that extra diamond?" Justin responded, three more diamonds appearing in his hand.
"You get my guidance and protection." The old man responded, his right hand extending with a silver token.
"That's a great deal," Justin said before stepping forward.
He placed the diamonds into the old man's hand before picking up the silver token.
"Go to the sect library and learn the rules. Otherwise, this deal would be revoked." The old man spoke as Justin nodded his head.
He understood what the sect leader meant.
Such privileges could be easily abused, causing internal strife within the sect.
That was the case for such elders who had relatives or direct disciples.
However, he never intended to do such a thing.
He had better ways, enough to avoid direct involvement
"If there is nothing else, then see yourself off." The old man spoke, waving his hand before returning to his previous posture.
"I see, it was great meeting you here." Justin spoke, turning around before shutting the hut's door behind him.