Hidden Origin Society

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Hidden Origin Society
Original Name	隐元会
Organization Type	Cross-alliance protection and commercial organization 376 428 496
Founders	Immortals who rejected the Cultivation World's endless racial and factional slaughter 396
Leadership	Yinyuan Divine Lord and the Hidden Origin Elder Council; Xu Taiping becomes the Society's master in the later era 459 510 565
Membership	Accepts cultivators without distinction of race or origin, including humans and demons 393 396 512
Occupation/Role	Mortal protection, cultivator concealment, commerce, mission administration, and resource distribution 376 390 428
Territory	Branches across the Twelve Immortal Alliances; later operates an enormous floating city 378 564
Status	Active under Xu Taiping's leadership in the later era 564 565
First Appearance	Named introduction in Chapter 376, “Hidden Origin Society” 376

Background

The Hidden Origin Society arose from exhaustion with the Cultivation World's constant killing. Immortals weary of cultivators slaughtering cultivators, demons slaughtering demons, and conflicts between immortal races abandoned racial divisions and old grudges to establish the organization 396.

Its public principles emphasize neutrality, fairness, and keeping promises. At higher levels, however, protection is tied to substantial resource contributions, while rival factions compete for authority over the Society's infrastructure 378 461 477 496.

Organization and Leadership

Administrative Structure

The Society is organized into Seven Domains, Three Departments, Nine Rudders, and Twelve Branch Altars, overseen by the Hidden Origin Elder Council 459.

Division	Composition	Responsibilities and Authority
Hidden Origin Elder Council	Seven great elders corresponding to the Seven Domains	Highest governing council; issues war mobilization orders and oversees major decisions 459 464
Seven Domains	Frost, Gray, Black, Dark, White, Fire, and Azure	Autonomous divisions answering directly to the council. Their affairs are restricted information, unavailable even to elders below eighth rank 459
Three Departments	Crafting, Spirit Tax, and Audit	Split from the Seven Domains and report directly to the council 459
Nine Rudders	Established branches within other powers' territories	Possess deep local influence and higher-grade Hidden Origin Bells, with coverage beginning at a radius of 500,000 kilometers 459
Twelve Branch Altars	Weaker, city-based sub-branches	Each controls one city, with coverage fluctuating around a radius of 100,000 kilometers 459

Branch overseers must possess at least Grand Unity Third Stage True Immortal strength to survive the seasonal changes that occur every hundred years 394.

Supreme Authority and Council Seats

• Yinyuan Divine Lord — The central figure behind the Society's higher-level plans. His attempt to advance into Grand Unity places the upper ranks under pressure to contribute to his success 510 511.
• Dark Domain — Described as Yinyuan Divine Lord's true confidants. It watches the other factions and prevents defection during preparations for his breakthrough 510.
• Council appointments — Control shares in the Great Desolation Sin Prison Tower help determine the distribution of council authority 477.
• Emergency oversight — Shutting down Qingshuang City's top-grade Hidden Origin Bell requires a unanimous council vote and the presence of the chief, second-seat, and third-seat elders 485.

Appointment	Documented Voting Rights
Chief elder controlling the Phoenix Formation Soul	Three votes and one veto every 10,000 years 477
Frost Lord, appointed third-seat elder	Three votes and one veto every 30,000 years 477

Membership and Rank

Ordinary membership does not require an application, trial, or proof of identity. Wang Wu joins by selling firewood to mortals and receiving copper coins carrying the Society's fortune-protection contract 376.

Position	Documented Requirements or Privileges
Ordinary member	Participates in the Mortal Qi contract through dealings with mortals 376
Ninth-rank steward	Entry-level steward status; Wang Wu later creates ninth-rank stewards by distributing ten strands of Mortal Qi to each recruit 379 403
Fifth-rank steward	Obtainable by submitting 10,000 strands of Mortal Qi. Its jade talisman is recognized across the Twelve Immortal Alliances; fifth rank also unlocks restricted missions 381
Senior steward	Can receive spiritual-energy dividends, treasury discounts, mission-posting authority, and a concealed grotto-heaven within a Hidden Origin Bell 387 392
Elder	Hidden Origin Contribution Points are the only route to elder status and core membership 399
Ninth-grade elder	Receives a Hidden Origin Token permitting one qualifying request to headquarters every 3,000 years 399

Advancement can reward initiative rather than assigned missions: Wang Wu is promoted from fifth-rank to fourth-rank steward after independently discovering and resolving a problem 387.

Mortal Qi and Protection

Fortune-Protection Contract

“I borrow your Mortal Qi; I guard your peace.” 376

The Society's model links mortal security to cultivator concealment: mortals supply Mortal Qi, while cultivators eliminate dangers threatening them 376.

• Mortal participation: Copper coins received from mortals allow cultivators to sense the contract and obtain fortune protection 376.
• Cultivator protection: Mortal Qi purchases corresponding protection from the Hidden Origin Bell 381.
• Mortal welfare: Murder, arson, robbery, and plunder undermine the interests that members must preserve to receive protection 376.
• Mission generation: Most missions below fifth grade arise automatically from accumulated mortal concerns, such as persistent rain or demonic disasters 390.
• Reward cycle: Mortals gain peace, participating cultivators gain Mortal Qi, and the Society expands its influence 390.

Wang Wu initially regards this mortal-anchored system as gentler than the Jade Cauldron Immortal Alliance's pervasive Spirit Network 376.

Rules and Limits

• Promises are binding: The Society guarantees that its Life and Death Battlefield settles debts without subsequent revenge. It invokes this rule against Gui Tai Zhen's pursuit of Wang Wu 377 378.
• Entry and departure: Its stated rules provide no grounds for arbitrarily restricting either 378.
• Personal disputes: A steward can still commit a grave offense by allowing private grudges to cause severe damage to a branch 391.
• Protection depends on resources: Wang Wu concludes that reclaiming most circulating Mortal Qi could leave cultivators without protection and expose Dragon Head City to Gui Tai Zhen 381.
• Concealment can interfere: Level 24 Passive Concealment nullifies Wang Wu's Mortal Qi fate protection, prompting him to transfer it to Hao Mao Jun 378.
• Neutrality complicates retaliation: An outsider exploits the Society's neutrality by releasing Spirit-Sealing Talismans near Dragon Head City without directly attacking it 397.
• Invasion overrides neutrality: The council declares a state of war after the Tianshu Immortal Alliance's attack 464.

Infrastructure and Commerce

Hidden Origin Bells

• Protection network: Bells anchor branch protection and transmit the power of the Town Origin Tower throughout covered regions 479.
• Anti-divination: Remaining within a Bell, or establishing a strong relationship with it, provides protection against Level 26 Divine Calculation and Precognition 395.
• Cultivation support: Qualified members can receive spiritual-energy dividends and concealed cultivation spaces inside a Bell 387 392.
• Foundation: Dragon Head City's Bell rests on 108 Black Iron Sky Pillars. The need to absorb Mortal Qi limits how extensively branch layouts can be altered 384 385.
• Energy conversion: Wang Wu uses the Bell to convert 1.6 billion points of Demonic Qi into Spiritual Energy, generating substantial branch income 400.
• Information concerns: Wang Wu suspects the Bell also gathers data and takes precautions during his cultivation 518.

Town Origin Towers

• Strategic value: One Town Origin Tower is described as worth ten Hidden Origin Bells. The Society seeks two towers to secure an invincible defensive position 461.
• Great Desolation project: The Society purchases the Great Desolation Sin Prison Tower to transform it into its second Town Origin Tower 461.
• Factional investment: Heaven and Earth Needles serve as foundations for factions to obtain influence over the tower 461 462.
• Shared authority: Formation Souls distribute control among competing factions and affect appointments within the Elder Council 477.

Hidden Origin Public Treasury

The Public Treasury's commercial and information platform is supported by twelve Hidden Origin Bells 428.

• Transactions: Bulk trade, wholesale, personal sales, auctions, consignment, pawning, recycling, and custom orders 428.
• Delivery: Authorized users can settle purchases and receive goods in seconds; other users pay delivery fees 428.
• Destinations: Deliveries can use dedicated addresses, branch altars, or designated Storage Pouches 428.
• Information access: Jade talismans provide paid access to anecdotes, explanations, mission posting, and specialized discussion channels 428.
• Price updates: Prices change approximately once every seven days 428.
• Privacy risk: The Four Clowns warn that spending and purchasing patterns can be collected to build profiles comparable in effectiveness to precognition 429.

Revenue and Spirit Tax

• Branch evaluation: Profitability and Mortal Qi submissions matter to headquarters. The Vermilion Bird branch's prolonged losses place it at risk of closure 378 384.
• Higher-level obligations: Qing Luo describes senior-level protection as dependent on paying Spirit Tax and supplying benefits to the Society 496.
• Frost Domain example: Its annual specialized Spirit Tax rises from roughly 300 large Screeching Birds or Fire Spirit Guards to 500 after Frost Lord's promotion 496.
• Trade partners: The Society conducts large-scale trade with Xuantian Sect and Qingyun Sect; the Myriad Phenomena Immortal Alliance is another major trading partner 514 521.

Notable Members

• Wang Wu / Lying Flat Lord / Wang Zhige — Joins through mortal commerce, becomes a steward and acting branch administrator, and advances to ninth-grade elder before later receiving seventh-grade elder status 376 379 397 399 511.
• Yue Shan — Wang Wu's biological uncle; introduces him to the Society and explains its employment opportunities and recognized identities 376.
• Elder Hui — Third-rank elder and Wang Wu's master. Investigates branch misconduct and later helps establish an immortal formation at Hidden Origin Small City 394 403 404 532.
• Frost Lord / Shuang Hongye — Head of Frost Domain and a major participant in the Society's council politics and tower projects 459 475 477.
• Black Emperor — High-ranking elder involved in the investigation of Song Guangming and later discussions of internal conflict 394 434.
• Song Guangming — Ninth-grade elder overseeing the Vermilion Bird branch; reprimanded after an investigation exposes persistent losses and improper use of allocated materials 392 394.
• Bai Yu — Dragon Head City administrator and Frost Lord's disciple; coordinates the early activation of the Town Origin Tower during an invasion 419 434 465.
• Feng Muhan — Frost Domain member who explains the Society's structure and fights six Grand Unity True Immortals while its defenses activate 459 465.
• Snake Nineteen and Madam Yu — Appointed second-rank stewards by Wang Wu 403.
• Xu Taiping — Former Azure Dragon branch worker who eventually becomes the Society's master 428 564 565.

Major Arcs

Arc	Events
Dragon Head City recruitment	Wang Wu joins the Society and benefits from its protection against Gui Tai Zhen. Five Poisons and Yue Shan use his presence to keep Gui Tai Zhen occupied 376 377 378 383.
Vermilion Bird branch conspiracy	Wang Wu uncovers a concealed replacement city. Branch leaders cooperate with the Jade Cauldron Immortal Alliance and divert headquarters' repair materials to construct a new Bell foundation 383 384 385.
Investigation and rebuilding	Song Guangming attempts to blame Wang Wu for the branch crisis. Headquarters instead exposes Song's failures, vindicates Wang Wu, and recognizes his contributions. Wang Wu subsequently upgrades the Bell and recruits additional stewards 392 394 399 400 403.
Factional conflict	Xu Taiping recounts suppression within the Azure Dragon branch. Qin Yu's murder then threatens to provoke conflict between Elder Hui and Frost Lord 428 434.
Tianshu war and tower defense	The council declares war on the Tianshu Immortal Alliance. Wang Wu helps restore Feng Muhan, whose resistance buys time for Bai Yu to activate the Town Origin Tower 464 465.
Council power redistribution	Competing Formation Souls divide authority over the Great Desolation Sin Prison Tower. A later attempt to implicate Frost Lord in Bear King Jie's murder ends with Liu Shengyuan detained 477 485.
Boundary-breaking preparations	Senior members face mounting pressure to support Yinyuan Divine Lord's Grand Unity breakthrough, while the Dark Domain prevents defection 510 511.
Hidden Origin Small City	Wang Wu and Elder Hui deploy the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix Immortal Array. The city houses 230 Grand Unity True Immortals, over 300 low-stage Grand Unity cultivators, and more than 8,000 Earth Immortals before later being dismantled 532 539.
Later floating-city era	Wang Wu finds the Society operating a vast floating city formed by merging eighteen Spirit Capturing Ships, including one he modified. Xu Taiping now leads it, while many former acquaintances are absent 564 565.