Joining the Sect

The courtyard was merely a simple disguise.

The Mount Wei City branch of the Umbrella Sect was hidden underground, in a long, narrow cavern resembling an imperial mausoleum.

In the thick darkness...

The underground river flowed, while braziers on either side burned with Crimson Bears.

Red and black intertwined, casting shifting light and shadow across the stone-paved passage.

Qi Yu proceeded up the steps, coming face-to-face with six figures approaching from the opposite direction.

Four men and two women were carrying a stretcher, their expressions taut with tension.

The stretcher was nearly thirty feet long. Firelight outlined the enormous bulge atop it, its uneven shape nearly filling the entire frame. It was obvious that whatever it carried was colossal.

The six people walked with their heads lowered, not daring even to breathe too loudly, terrified that the slightest jolt might overturn the stretcher.

As they advanced, a gigantic hand slid from beneath the tarpaulin. Its claws were more than three times the size of an ordinary person's hand, while its rotting fingers drooped limply like dying vipers. Dark-red blood scabs had congealed between them, giving off a pungent sulfurous stench.

Qi Yu's heart stirred. He already knew what was on the stretcher.

It was a demon's corpse!

He had never forgotten how his Skill Points were obtained.

First, diligent cultivation;

Second, touching demons.

Such an opportunity...

Such an opportunity!

His heartbeat suddenly quickened.

Immediately afterward, he forcibly suppressed it, kept his expression calm, and continued forward.

Just as he was about to brush past the six people, he suddenly shifted his step, conveniently blocking the front of the group.

The lead follower was caught off guard and hurriedly stopped. Several people behind him stumbled to a halt in turn.

A small, slender female follower on the flank failed to stop in time. Her hand slipped, and the stretcher suddenly tilted. She was so terrified that her soul nearly flew out of her body, almost crying out.

Smack!

A large hand firmly caught the stretcher that was about to slip free.

The instant he steadied it, a faint black metallic sheen appeared over Qi Yu's thumb. Then, as if unintentionally, he pressed inward.

The sensation was scorching, as though he had pressed down on a coal in dying embers.

His movement was swift; he pulled away the moment he touched it, leaving his fingertip unharmed.

"Be careful."

Qi Yu spoke.

"Thank you, thank you..."

The female follower was still shaken, her voice tinged with tears and her eyes already rimmed red.

The several followers who had been stopped merely lowered their heads in silence, not daring to voice the slightest complaint. Anyone coming and going through this branch of the Umbrella Sect was far beyond what lowly believers like them could afford to offend.

Ding Yi lowered his voice at just the right moment and explained, "The Holy Sect provides free medical treatment far and wide, attracting believers. These people probably came to serve after receiving divine grace..."

On the other side, the slender female follower hurriedly reached out to take the stretcher.

In the firelight, her arm looked pale and thin enough for the veins to show, utterly bloodless. Judging by the "0~1" above her head, she was clearly an ordinary person.

In the Abandoned World, demonic bodies often contained toxins, with fire poison being the most common...

Experts could withstand fire poison, but ordinary people—even ordinary martial artists—found it difficult to resist.

Moreover, demonic corpses could undergo mutations after death...

That was why transporting demonic corpses was left to ordinary followers.

Using ordinary followers was clearly more cost-effective. After all, it did not matter if they died.

"Xiao Zhi?"

Qi Yu's gaze fell upon the female follower's lowered profile, and he could not help feeling startled.

Only after drawing closer for a careful look did he realize that this woman looked exactly like the prostitute named Xiao Zhi from the Golden Wind Jade Dew Pavilion. There was merely more youthful innocence and fear between her brows.

The female follower raised her head at the sound of his voice. A trace of surprise flashed through her eyes, and she gently shook her head. "My lord, you have mistaken me... Xiao Zhi is my older sister. My name is Xiao Ying."

Qi Yu gave a slight nod, steadily returning the stretcher to her hands. In a deep voice, he said, "Be careful."

A single leaf reveals the coming autumn.

The Umbrella Sect attracted believers far and wide under the guise of providing free medical care and medicine, then trained these helpless women into prostitutes and put them to work as dangerous laborers like this...

But in other words, was this not an alternative path to advancement?

It was like a poor scholar entering a wealthy household and starting as the lowliest servant.

"Thank you, my lord..." Xiao Ying lowered her head, gripping the stretcher's handles tightly with both hands as she staggered onward with the group.

Ding Yi exclaimed in admiration, "Young master, you truly have connections everywhere."

"What connections? I only met her at the Golden Wind Jade Dew Pavilion. Next time, I'll take Commander Ding with me."

Ding Yi: ...

It was merely a minor incident, and no one noticed anything unusual.

Except Qi Yu...

He glanced at the panel.

The "0" in the [Skill Bar] suddenly jumped, becoming "32."

If he had guessed correctly, that demon had probably been a Paper-Grade demon, equivalent to the Eighth Rank.

If his estimate was right, the demon corpse just now had indeed been Paper-Grade, corresponding precisely to the eighth martial rank.

From the initial stage of the Subordinate Eighth Rank to the perfect eighth rank, the required cultivation for [Spirit Serpent Skill Mastery (0/16)] and [Two Forms of the Spirit Serpent Killing Technique (0/16)] added up to exactly thirty-two points.

That meant that merely touching the Paper-Grade demon for an instant had directly granted him cultivation equivalent to the perfect eighth rank!

However, techniques differed, and Paper-Grade demons differed as well. All he could say was that this Paper-Grade demon had been "at the Spirit Serpent Skill level"...

The sudden flood of Skill Points genuinely filled Qi Yu with the festive joy of celebrating the New Year.

He had originally felt somewhat helpless about joining the Umbrella Sect. After all, the Qi Family had been forced into it by the circumstances.

But now...

This is great.

After crossing the long stone bridge spanning the underground river, they arrived at an expansive plaza beneath a gigantic rocky dome.

Dozens of figures were scattered throughout it, their auras dim and impossible to discern.

His father had told him about this.

Joining the Umbrella Sect and becoming a follower was actually a simple matter. As long as one had a recommender, one merely had to be brought into the sect, recite the doctrine once, and then be assigned to a department.

Followers, the most basic unit of the Umbrella Sect, were divided into three categories.

The first category carried out tasks for the sect. These were the most numerous and also bound by the strictest rules.

The second category attended sect gatherings and spread the doctrine. These people generally possessed a little strength of their own.

The third category paid offerings. They were generally wealthy people, and Qi Changshun and Qi Changfu belonged to this group.

After offering sacrifices, a follower could call upon the Black Umbrella or a disciple to take action, or choose to undergo the Cipher Text Baptism...

After the Cipher Text Baptism, one's aptitude and personal realm determined the amount of divine power one would possess. Such people were disciples.

If a disciple was chosen by a female follower of the Black Umbrella, she would become his partner, and his divine power would transform into a solidified membrane.

The Black Umbrella was the core strength of the Umbrella Sect, as well as its fighting force.

The External Affairs Envoy and Internal Affairs Envoy followed another path. The former was primarily responsible for spreading the doctrine and expanding holy sites, while the latter managed property and handled logistical work.

It was said that this path... granted divine power as one's status rose.

The reason his older female cousin had not obtained any yet was that she had not truly become an Internal Affairs Envoy.

Master Chen possessed a membrane not because he was a Black Umbrella, but because he was an External Affairs Envoy.

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Qi Yu felt quite a few gazes turning toward him.

Some scrutinized him, some were curious, and some... made no attempt to conceal their covetousness.

Qi Yu understood.

The reason so many people had gathered in this branch's cavern today was absolutely not for an ordinary initiation into the sect.

Some of them had come after hearing the news, simply to watch the excitement. Others had made preparations to... choose him as their partner here.

Qi Yu stepped into the rear plaza and saw Master Chen on the elevated platform.

Master Chen gave him a slight nod and pointed toward a circular stone altar in the center.

Ding Yi tacitly stopped behind him.

Qi Yu walked toward the altar while observing his surroundings.

Suddenly, he spotted a familiar figure among the crowd—Han Yan.

That burly, bear-like man actually waved to him of his own accord, his face carrying a hint of enthusiasm.

Qi Yu swept his gaze across the crowd.

Then he saw his older female cousin.

Qi Zhao had entered at some point. She was seated in the front row, turned sideways and whispering about something to the person beside her.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted.

In the right corner stood several humanoid outlines. They seemed to blend into the darkness, so blurred that he could not make them out at all.

Another quarter of an hour or so passed, and people continued entering one after another.

After roughly another quarter of an hour, everyone had arrived.

Master Chen climbed onto the elevated platform and signaled for the ritual to begin.

Following the instructions, Qi Yu loudly recited several obscure doctrines.

As the final syllable fell, the shadow of a pure-white umbrella appeared out of thin air above his head, glowing faintly.

A White Umbrella represented low aptitude.

A Gray Umbrella represented average aptitude.

A Black Umbrella represented high aptitude.

Aptitude was primarily tied to one's piety.

Each follower's aptitude revealed itself after they finished reciting the doctrine.

Master Chen's expression shifted slightly, but he was not surprised. The Qi Family was like this... They had joined the Umbrella Sect only to find themselves a backer, so they were not particularly devout.

But that did not matter.

Whether a man's aptitude was good or bad did not affect how abundant his yang energy was, nor did it affect how useful he could be to the Black Umbrella.

In fact, to a certain extent, men with low aptitude were more welcome among the Black Umbrellas.

With a smile, Master Chen said warmly, "Xiao Yu, from today onward, you are a member of my Holy Sect, serving the Myriad Umbrella God alongside us. Since your martial aptitude is exceptional, you naturally cannot remain merely a follower in my sect.

"Since you call me Uncle, let your uncle introduce you to a suitable Black Umbrella as a partner. Likewise, you may also rise to the ranks of the Black Umbrella."

Without waiting for Qi Yu to respond, he clapped his hands.

From the right corner, a humanoid outline slowly emerged...