Outer Disciple

Qi Refining was divided into nine layers, with two Spirit Energy refinements serving as bottlenecks.

Breaking through to the mid stage counted as one, and breaking through to the late stage counted as another. With the aptitude of Useless Spiritual Roots, it was difficult to break through to the Qi Refining Mid Stage even in one's entire life. That was the reason.

It was difficult to refine the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and even harder to condense it and improve its quality. This almost entirely had to be accomplished through one's spiritual roots, hence the name Useless Spiritual Roots.

For those with Heavenly Spiritual Roots, however, not only was their speed of absorbing and refining spiritual qi fast, its quality was also high. They encountered no bottlenecks before breaking through to Core Formation, all because their spiritual roots were exceptional enough.

Magic Power transformed from strands into "paths," then from paths into "currents."

When breaking through to Foundation Establishment, three barriers stood in the way. The Qi and Blood Barrier Steward Duan had mentioned was one; the Spirit Energy Barrier was the second. A cultivator also needed to complete a third Spirit Energy refinement.

They had to transform currents of spirit energy into liquid "True Essence," something fundamentally different from spirit energy. Foundation Establishment Cultivators could fly through the skies and easily crush Qi Refining Great Perfection cultivators to death.

The sheer difference in scale was one major factor.

Exceptional attainment in cultivation techniques could also increase one's chances of passing through this barrier. For Wang Yu, though, it was still too far away, and he did not know enough yet.

After completing his breakthrough, the aged look on Wang Yu's face visibly eased. He no longer looked like a man at death's door.

Other than his head of White Hair being somewhat conspicuous, he had already regained some of the True Form of the handsome young man he once was.

The days when he no longer needed to hand over Spirit Sand also meant he no longer had to worry about his Cultivation speed. He would soon become an Outer Disciple, and such minor abnormalities could be completely overlooked.

The only thing Wang Yu found regrettable was that the Placement Slot had not changed at all, proving his earlier guess to be true.

He could only wait until he broke through to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer—the small transition from the early stage to the mid stage—before checking again.

He was in no rush to change the contents of the Placement Slot.

He planned to try different forms of cultivation and see how the Placement Slot would reflect his cultivation progress.

This day, lessons proceeded as usual.

Steward Duan came in person to instruct them. After the customary two-hour explanation, he did not dismiss them at the first time.

"Wang Yu!"

"This servant is here."

He had always been meticulous in how he referred to himself. Even though he knew what was about to happen, he showed no presumption.

"True Inheritor Su has noted your hard work and great merit. You have contributed your lifespan to the sect and provided a great quantity of Spirit Sand, fully paying your Buying Body Money. You are hereby promoted to an Outer Disciple of Cold Blood Peak."

"Wang Yu accepts the order."

This news instantly sent the Bluestone Plaza into an uproar. Whether old or new, ever since they had come to the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect and become Spirit Slaves—

this was the first time they had personally witnessed someone truly being promoted into an Outer Disciple.

Their mindsets thrown off balance, some of the older people said sourly, "So what if he's been promoted? Look at how aged he is. Who knows how much lifespan he burned away."

"I heard competition among Outer Disciples is even fiercer. How can a mere Spirit Slave contend with cultivators who possess at least Three Spiritual Roots?"

"True Inheritor Su personally chose him. Isn't that enough? Forget the outer sect—even the inner sect is far beneath the status of a True Inheritor Disciple. With even the slightest connection to one, he'll have enough to get by in the outer sect."

"That makes sense."

After their bitterness, there were also clear-minded people who analyzed the matter. They saw hope in Wang Yu—the dawn of escaping their identities as Spirit Slaves. It seemed as though it was very close to them.

Especially the newest batch, whose spirits had not yet been completely Worn Away.

Seeing the Spirit Slaves' morale rise, Steward Duan was quite satisfied with This result. Letting Wang Yu truly taste the bait would be of tremendous help to his subsequent work of bringing them all under control.

"Come with me."

"Alright."

There was not much to pack in Stone House No. 83.

The clothes Wang Yu wore were still the very set he had been wearing when he was first tied up. They had long since become severely worn. Though he often cleansed them with spirit energy, the fabric was too ordinary; he looked like a shabby scholar.

With Steward Duan leading the way, they first went to the Elegant Pavilion beside the plaza. He handed Wang Yu the standard items for an Outer Disciple one by one, explaining a thing or two along the way.

"This is a disciple token, also called a [Blood Token]. Drip a drop of blood into it, and it will bind to you. Just wear it at your waist."

It needed blood?

Wang Yu instinctively resisted.

He was extremely wary of bodily tissue. Last time, he had brought back his severed arm, ground into a bloody pulp, to destroy it precisely to prevent anyone from making use of his flesh and blood.

He did not fear the present; what worried him was the Future.

He had never believed he would stop at the mere Qi Refining Stage.

But it was a necessary procedure, so there was no helping it. Following Steward Duan's explanation, he forced a drop of blood from his fingertip and let it merge into the token.

This waist token, black in color with a blood jade set in its center, automatically appeared before his waist and abdomen. A black leather strap extended from both sides of the token and fastened itself.

The character [Cold] appeared within the blood jade, then concealed itself and became the number zero.

"This is the disciple token representing Cold Blood Peak. From today onward, it will serve as proof of your identity. Remember not to lose it. Should you lose it, go to the Affairs Hall to have it replaced.

"The number on it is the sect's Contribution Points. The cultivation techniques and spells in the Scripture Pavilion, the resources of Cold Blood Peak, special facilities... etc., all require Contribution Points to obtain.

"As the name implies, Contribution Points must be earned by contributing to the sect. The simplest way to acquire them is through the various missions in the [Mission Hall]."

"At present, what you hold is a Black Blood Disciple Token. Outer Disciples of all Nine Peaks of the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect use these. Inner Disciples use Purple Blood Disciple Tokens, while True Inheritor Disciples hold the highest-grade Red Blood Disciple Tokens.

"The tokens used by seniors such as deacons, elders, and Hall Masters belong to another system. Perhaps you will have a chance to learn about them in the future—perhaps not.

"To advance to an Inner Disciple, you must at minimum possess Qi Refining Late Stage cultivation and have accumulated more than ten thousand Contribution Points in total. Points already spent still count toward that total.

"Alternatively, if an elder or a fellow disciple of True Inheritor rank recommends you, you may also become an Inner Disciple. Is that clear?"

Wang Yu hurriedly nodded to show that he understood.

Next came the other equipment for an Outer Disciple.

"A Low-Grade Storage Bag..."

"A first-tier Flying Magical Artifact—Black Silk."

"One opportunity to exchange for a cultivation technique free of charge at the Cold Blood Peak Scripture Pavilion, limited to first-tier cultivation techniques."

"One Arbitrary Exchange Token worth one thousand Contribution Points."

The last item was a reward True Inheritor Su had specially given Wang Yu. It could be exchanged for spells, cultivation pills, or cultivation skills—anything valued below one thousand Contribution Points.

Wang Yu still had no intuitive grasp of the value of Contribution Points.

There was also one more item: the standard attire of an Outer Disciple. Predominantly black, with red lining and lapels, it was embroidered with scenes of the Inverse Spirit Blood Sect's Nine Peaks, outlined in gold thread. It was quite beautiful.

It bore only a rudimentary Cleansing Spirit Pattern, making it a quasi-Dharma Robe rather than a graded one.

The sheer abundance of basic benefits for Outer Disciples left Wang Yu clicking his tongue in amazement.

Only after Steward Duan had handed everything over to Wang Yu did he say, "That is more or less everything that needs explaining. You can look into the remaining trivial details yourself. Now, I will take you to the residential area for Outer Disciples."

"Alright."

Having become a formal disciple, Wang Yu's residence was moved to the Building Complex at the foot of the Nine Peaks—the same place he had seen when he first arrived.