Chapter 00110: The Difficulty of Joining a Sect
# The Difficulty of Joining a Sect
Chapter 110
Novel: Abandon The Universe
Chapter 110: The Difficulty of Joining a Sect
Lan Xiaobu was currently in an accumulation period.
Having just arrived in this world, he knew nothing and couldn't venture out with a stranger.
Moreover, he was far from reaching the Golden Core stage, let alone advancing to the transformation of essence.
"Thank you for the invitation, Brother Qin, but I'm not planning to leave here anytime soon," Lan Xiaobu rejected directly.
A hint of disappointment flashed in Qin Mocai's eyes, but he quickly clasped his fists and said, "Since that's the case, I won’t take up more of your time."
Lan Xiaobu hastily added, "Brother Qin, please hold on a moment. I have a few questions I want to ask."
"Please, Brother Lan."
Qin Mocai replied politely, feeling that Lan Xiaobu's strength might even surpass his own.
Lan Xiaobu asked, "I want to join a good cultivation sect. Do you have any recommendations, Brother Qin?"
In truth, Lan Xiaobu had no understanding of this continent and was not immediately looking to join a sect; he merely wanted to gather some information about them from Qin Mocai.
Qin Mocai was not surprised; he knew that only by joining a large sect could one hope for further progress in the cultivation path.
But joining a major sect was an arduous task.
After a brief consideration, Qin Mocai said, "The prominent sects in Yuanzhou include the Tianyuan Sword Sect, Guxing Mountain, Wuhai Immortal Gate, and Xikunlun Sect..."
"Wait, Brother Qin, what sect is the Xikunlun Sect? Is it located on Kunlun Mountain?" Upon hearing "Kunlun," Lan Xiaobu interjected with curiosity.
Qin Mocai shook his head, "No, it’s just a name associated with their founding ancestor. However, these sects belong to the five-star Immortal Sects in Yuanzhou, and their requirements for disciples are extremely strict. They not only require excellent spiritual root qualities but also demand a pure lineage; otherwise, even the outer disciples would be out of reach. Your strength, Brother Lan, is certainly acceptable, but entering a five-star Immortal Sect is very difficult."
"Why's that?" Lan Xiaobu asked in confusion.
Qin Mocai explained, "Even if your aptitude is decent, you have already surpassed the Dan Lake Stage. Five-star Immortal Sects do not accept disciples who have already entered the Dan Lake Stage, as those who did not successfully cultivate there are basically deemed to have lost their future in cultivation. Only those who succeed at large sects can potentially craft high-tier Golden Cores."
Lan Xiaobu was uncertain about the quality of his own Golden Core and hesitated to ask.
Qin Mocai continued, "Four-star Immortal Sects have slightly lower requirements than five-star sects, but the criteria remain strict. Three-star and two-star Immortal Sects are often family sects. Those that aren’t family sects require finding guarantors and offering a sum of spirit stones."
Lan Xiaobu responded instinctively, "So, does that mean I can only enter a one-star Immortal Sect?"
Qin Mocai nodded, "Yes, given your current strength, entering a one-star Immortal Sect is still feasible, but you would only be a bodyguard or similar. This means protecting the sect, and advancing within a one-star sect is extremely difficult."
Lan Xiaobu fell silent, realizing that he was merely meant to be a brawler at a one-star sect.
From Lan Xiaobu’s questions, Qin Mocai recognized him as a cultivation novice.
He took out two jade slips and handed them to Lan Xiaobu, saying, "These contain some knowledge about the cultivation world in Yuanzhou. Take a look. I must take my leave now; we shall meet again."
"Thank you, Brother Qin."
Lan Xiaobu hurriedly accepted the jade slips with gratitude.
After Qin Mocai left, Lan Xiaobu delved into the basic information about the cultivation world in Yuanzhou that he had obtained.
The assessment of cultivation aptitude all depended on the spirit root.
A spirit root of all attributes was considered best, but the cultivation speed would be very slow.
Moreover, an all-attribute spirit root rarely produced geniuses due to its impurity.
Hence, many sects knew that while an all-attribute spirit root could have the best potential, they seldom recruited those who possessed it.
Not every single-attribute spirit root was optimal either; some were impure and had little potential for development.
On top of that, there were a few rare exotic spirit roots, which were scarce and mostly snatched up by the large sects.
Lan Xiaobu didn’t know his spirit root quality, but since he could cultivate the Golden Crow Technique, he certainly had a fire attribute spirit root.
As for the recruitment of disciples in the Immortal Realm, it was quite challenging.
Those who believed their spirit roots were good would often linger outside their desired sects, waiting for recruitment events.
However, most sects only recruited disciples every several years, sometimes even decades or centuries.
As such, the chances of success were appallingly low.
The jade slip also detailed why major sects took in fewer disciples.
Resources in these sects were strictly allocated where needed.
They couldn’t afford to just hand over resources to anyone; it was a pipe dream.
Having absorbed this knowledge, Lan Xiaobu no longer harbored futile hopes of joining a five-star sect.
He planned first to cultivate to the Golden Core stage in Mobei Square and then explore Yuanzhou further.
Unlike other cultivators, he had the Seven Sounds Model, which meant that the biggest constraint on his development was not the cultivation techniques themselves, but rather the various cultivation resources.
Unfortunately, Yuanzhou was also a place lacking in such resources.
However, compared to the previous universe, at least here, one did not need spirit stones to cultivate.
In contrast, attempting cultivation without spirit stones in the earlier universe was maddeningly slow.
Looking at the over one-meter-long vein of spiritual energy in his ring, Lan Xiaobu couldn’t help but lament its loss.
According to the jade slip, a spiritual vein in Yuanzhou was a treasure that could hardly be found.
He had obtained a fragment of a spiritual vein but used it for crafting pills, which truly felt like a waste.
On the first night in Mobei Square, Lan Xiaobu did not cultivate.
Since leaving Earth, his mind had been tense.
Now, he finally had his own territory and could take a good rest.
The next day, without Lan Xiaobu’s reminder, Liu Min arrived at the square lord's mansion with a big group of people.
Mobei Square had a new owner, and today there would be some announcements about new rules that everyone seeking survival here was naturally required to support.
"Lord, today’s guests include Man Hu from Mobei Dan Pavilion, Mo Anyu, the head of Mingyue Tower, Qian Chengyu, the owner of Zhenxian Pavilion, and Jiu An, the branch president of the Nightless Sea Merchants Association," Liu Min reported in one breath, listing several prominent figures from Mobei Square.
With his strong divine sense, Lan Xiaobu took a quick scan and noticed that some people’s respect stemmed from genuine fear, while others were merely performing a polite gesture without real concern.
It was clear that these guests were not intimidated by him; they were just here to avoid trouble.
For instance, Jiu An from the Nightless Sea Merchants Association clearly had a confident demeanor and didn’t care at all whether Lan Xiaobu had any intentions against him.
Over the years, Lan Xiaobu had seen much; from simply the name of the Nightless Sea branch, he could infer that the Nightless Sea must be a prominent merchant association.
It was likely that at the level of the association’s president, individuals like Jiu An would be seen as stronger, or else they wouldn't be so carefree.
Yet, Lan Xiaobu didn't dwell too much on why a stronger figure hadn't rushed over to seize this square's power.
He had no intention of staying long; once his accumulation reached a certain point, he would leave.
Once everyone settled in the main hall, Lan Xiaobu finally clasped his fists and said, "You all are the backbone of Mobei Square. I, Lan Xiaobu, have just arrived and have many matters that require your assistance."
"Of course, of course," most of them swiftly stood to respond politely to Lan Xiaobu's remarks.
After everyone was seated again, Lan Xiaobu continued, "I’m unsure how Mobei Square operated before, but since I’m here now, I will establish a few rules. First, the old practice of collecting tokens from newcomers will be abolished. Furthermore, for those who reside long-term in Mobei Square, the previous requirement of twenty low-grade spirit stones will now be reduced to two each year. All collected spirit stones will be stored at the square lord's mansion and properly recorded. No individual may use these stones; they can only be employed for maintaining the square's protective array and infrastructure."
The leaders in the hall began whispering to each other, shocked by the drop from twenty low-grade spirit stones to two.
This was simply outrageous, but it was good news for them since these stones weren't meant for them, but rather for the lord.
Even more absurdly, those two low-grade spirit stones weren't for Lan Xiaobu himself but were allocated for the maintenance of the square.
"Additionally, the merchant groups coming to the square will no longer need to pay spirit stones each time; only an annual fee is required. This annual fee will be two hundred spirit stones used for the square's maintenance. Small shop owners only need to pay between twenty and fifty spirit stones each year. Liu Min, you will handle this."
In truth, Lan Xiaobu believed the previous one hundred spirit stones for each visit by merchant associations was not excessive, but the personal annual fee of twenty spirit stones felt somewhat excessive.
However, reducing individual fees while not lowering the fees for merchant associations seemed clearly unreasonable.
"Understood," Liu Min responded quickly, pleased to take charge of the square lord's affairs and wield some power.
Hearing that Lan Xiaobu had reduced their annual fee, everyone felt jubilant.
Some merchants had to pay thousands of spirit stones to Bu Da each year; now, they only had to give two hundred.
Could they not be happy?
"Finally, all transactions in Mobei Square must be fair and just, with no forced buying or selling allowed. Anyone caught violating this will be dealt with without mercy. Liu Min, you will find people to establish a square guard squad, and the squad's remuneration will come from these annual fees."
As Lan Xiaobu handed yet another task to Liu Min, who was growing in power, Liu Min felt a surge of excitement.
He was finally on the road to prosperity.
"My requests end here, but there's one personal request: I hope to gather various cultivation techniques. Anyone with knowledge on this subject can come to negotiate with me. Whether it's knowledge of weapon forging, talisman crafting, array formulas, or alchemical recipes, all are welcome."
Lan Xiaobu's last statement revealed his true purpose for settling in the square; he needed to make some necessary preparations for the Seven Sounds Model.
(End of Chapter)