Chapter 167: Chapter 111: Joining the Sect (2)
"Of course, out of all of them, our Qilin Army is the strongest. It is thanks to the Qilin Army that the marauding armies outside don’t dare to invade our Cangzhou Prefecture! General Qin Fuhu—Lord Qin—is said to be the number one expert in Cangzhou Prefecture! The Qilin Army is filled with countless other masters as well!"
’Qin Fuhu...’
A chill ran down Jiang Che’s spine. It seemed this man was the person with the highest strength and status in Cangzhou Prefecture—the military’s top commander.
’Next should be the Governor, the head of administration. He represents the power of the Government Office.’
’After that are the Three Great Sects, representing the Jianghu Sects.’
’Then come the Three Noble Families and the First Commerce Association. Individually, the Three Noble Families probably can’t compare to any of the Major Sects, but their Ability is not to be underestimated.’
’As for the commerce association, although it seems the weakest, with the General backing it, it’s likely the moneybag for the Qilin Army...’
Jiang Che quickly sorted out the power dynamics of the city in his mind.
After asking about a few other miscellaneous things and seeing that the Shopkeeper couldn’t provide much more important information, Jiang Che left.
Jiang Che drove the horse-drawn carriage, taking Jiang Ling straight to the Cangyun Sect’s location.
About half an hour later, the two arrived at a mountain gate.
A massive, three-man-high stone stood in the center, on which were carved the words "Cangyun Sect."
The calligraphy was powerful and bold, clearly the work of a great master.
Although this place was in the suburbs, the foot of the mountain was crowded with inns and shops, its prosperity in no way inferior to that of the Prefecture City itself.
Jiang Che found an inn, got Jiang Ling settled, parked the carriage, and headed up the mountain with his token.
Arriving at the mountain gate, he saw many people lining up.
Among them were many parents who had brought their young children to have their aptitude tested.
But there were also adults with vigorous Qi Blood, who were either joining a master with existing skills or, like Jiang Che, were prospects from other posts.
However, Jiang Che noticed some people weren’t queuing up, but were instead going to a smaller gate on the side.
He watched as one person handed something over and was allowed to enter directly.
An idea sparked in Jiang Che’s mind, and he walked over as well.
"Senior Brother, may I ask what this is for?" Jiang Che discreetly slipped him a silver ingot.
The disciple on duty wore a Daoist Robe and had a short, stout figure.
He silently accepted the silver, then said, "This is a convenient channel specially opened for those with a token or who know someone in the Inner Courtyard. Do you have a token? Or do you know one of the sect elders? Of course, if you have neither, and your heart is sincere enough, I can also make arrangements for you."
After speaking, he rubbed his fingers together, hinting for more money.
"I have a token." Jiang Che promptly pulled the Ink Jade Token that Luo Kun had given him from his robes.
The disciple took the token, examined it carefully, nodded, and handed it back.
His expression became a little warmer than before.
"It is indeed a token. How may I address you?"
"Jiang Che. Jiang, as in ’river,’ and Che, as in ’clear,’" Jiang Che said.
"Junior Brother Jiang, do you know any of the Masters?"
"Xu Qingshan."
"Dean Xu?!"
The disciple was instantly stunned. He carefully sized up Jiang Che, his attitude growing much more respectful.
The Seven Great Inner Court Masters were second in status only to the Sect Leader and Vice Sect Leader!
An ordinary disciple like him, who received guests at the mountain gate, was just an Outer Disciple.
On a normal day, he had to be reverent just seeing disciples from the Inner Courtyard, let alone one of its deans!
’If this person is a nephew of Dean Xu...’
He hurriedly led Jiang Che inside.
"Junior Brother Jiang, I’ll lead the way for you!"
"Then I thank you, Senior Brother!" Jiang Che cupped his fists.
He thought to himself that although he usually disdained people who relied on connections, being the one with connections...
’It actually feels pretty good.’
Then, under the envious gazes of the people waiting in line, Jiang Che walked through the mountain gate.
Along the way, Jiang Che stuffed him with more silver and asked about the details of the entrance assessment.
But this time, the portly Daoist guide didn’t dare to accept it and explained in detail:
"The Sect has four main criteria when recruiting disciples: Root Bone, Comprehension, background, and Temperament.
"The first is Root Bone. Root Bone determines the speed at which one cultivates Qi Blood and Strength, as well as the difficulty of breaking through bottlenecks. This is the most important point."
Jiang Che’s heart tightened. ’My Root Bone probably isn’t high. I wonder if this will be a problem.’
"The second is Comprehension. Someone with good Root Bone but poor Comprehension will often find it difficult to become an expert. But Comprehension without Root Bone is actually of little use. Moreover, Comprehension is hard to test; it can only be judged by the speed at which one learns a Cultivation Technique," the portly Daoist continued.
’Comprehension... I learn techniques very quickly. Although it’s because of the system panel, it should be seen as high Comprehension.’ Jiang Che felt a little more at ease.
"The third is background. Background refers to a person’s origin and the amount of resources they can obtain. The path of cultivation is incredibly resource-intensive. There is a huge gap between having the support of Heavenly and Earthly Treasures and not having it."
’Looks like my background is also considered poor...’ Jiang Che sighed inwardly. He had to fight for all his resources himself, unlike those Noble Family Members who had their families’ support.
"The fourth is Temperament. Those with a firm Temperament may not stand out in the early stages, but over time, they often go further than others. Of course, that’s assuming the other aspects aren’t too poor."
’In terms of Temperament, I’m confident I won’t lose to anyone.’ Jiang Che thought to himself. ’Looking at it this way, I should be good in two areas but poor in the other two. I wonder how others will see it.’
As if guessing Jiang Che’s thoughts, the portly Daoist continued:
"The Seven Great Halls of the Cangyun Sect each have a different focus. For example, Panyue Courtyard, which specializes in Physical Body Hard Skill, emphasizes Temperament because hard skills are the most grueling to train. Yanluo Courtyard, which specializes in Medical and Poisonous Elixirs, values Comprehension, because combining different medicinal principles often comes from a flash of inspiration. You can’t do without Comprehension.
"And Qianji Courtyard, which specializes in hidden weapons, mechanisms, and traps, values background the most. The mechanisms and Hidden Weapons they tinker with are all priceless. You can’t play with those things without money.
"Additionally, Liufeng Courtyard, which specializes in Body Technique, and Lingxiao Courtyard, which specializes in Swordsmanship, both value Root Bone the most. These two halls also have the most experts and are the two strongest halls in our Cangyun Sect.
"As for Thunder Shock Courtyard, which specializes in Saber Technique, and Yunhai Courtyard, where we are headed, they are more balanced and consider all four aspects. Of course, since Junior Brother Jiang knows Dean Xu, this assessment is just a formality. You’ll definitely get in!"
’I’m afraid it’s not that simple...’ Jiang Che felt a faint sense of unease.
After all, he was merely the disciple of his master’s former senior brother, not his own nephew. The connection wasn’t strong enough to ignore the assessment entirely.
Moreover, based on what the man said, he felt that he was better suited for Panyue Courtyard, which trained Physical Body Hard Skill, and Yanluo Courtyard, which dealt with Medical and Poisonous Elixirs.
"Thank you for the information, Senior Brother!"
Jiang Che cupped his fists. This was knowledge you couldn’t find out outside!
"It’s nothing! My name is Cheng Yuzhi. If you need anything in the future, Junior Brother Jiang, just come find me!" the portly Daoist said with an eager smile.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Cheng!"
Before long, the two arrived before a cluster of magnificent Daoist temples.
"This is Yunhai Courtyard. I am not qualified to enter, so Junior Brother Jiang, you’ll have to go announce your purpose yourself," Cheng Yuzhi said.
"Alright." Jiang Che nodded and entered the foremost temple.
"Halt! Who goes there?" A young man in a green Daoist Robe with vigorous Qi Blood stopped Jiang Che.
Jiang Che saw that this person wasn’t much older than him but was already a Force Integration Martial Artist. He couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. ’As expected of a Major Sect! Even a random person is a Force Integration Martial Artist!’
He immediately handed over the token and stated his purpose.
After confirming the token was authentic, the man led Jiang Che into the inner hall.
After a short wait, a handsome Daoist with white hair at his temples but a youthful face walked over, dressed in a black Daoist Robe.
"You are Senior Brother Luo’s disciple?" the man said, his face expressionless and his tone faint.
Jiang Che saw that this person had no fluctuation of Qi Blood at all and looked like an ordinary person.
But for some reason, when facing him, he felt an invisible pressure.
Especially in the instant their eyes met, he actually had the feeling of standing on the edge of a cliff!
Jiang Che guessed that this person’s Realm must be extremely high, far beyond his own comprehension, which was why he couldn’t detect any Qi Blood fluctuations.
’Could this be a True Master?!’ Jiang Che thought.
He knew this person must be Dean Xu Qingshan, so he quickly bowed in salute:
"Disciple Jiang Che pays his respects to the Dean!"
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