The old man in the kudzu robe suppressed his impatience and said, "Lingjian Sect has successfully weathered four trials. Once the martial ban is lifted next time, it will be able to advance to a second-level sect. If you can become a disciple of Lingjian Sect now, the rewards will be quite tempting. Why do you think it's so crowded?"
Xu Yi had never heard of Lingjian Sect, but he knew what it meant to have passed four trials.
The sects in Huaixi Prefecture were divided into three levels. A first-level sect could recruit at most ten Soul Sensing experts as disciples. Each time it passed a trial, it could recruit ten more. A sect that had passed four trials since its founding had fifty Soul Sensing experts, making it one of the leading first-level sects. Once it passed another trial, it would have sixty Soul Sensing experts and would officially become a second-level sect.
Once a sect became a second-level sect, its potential benefits grew even greater. Not only would the prefecture pay a monthly salary to each of its Soul Sensing experts, but its sect master would also qualify for a post in the prefecture. It was even possible for him to become a senior official.
And once someone became a senior official in the prefecture, he effectively held public authority, with enormous interests at stake. That was precisely the direction Xu Yi was striving toward.
After watching for a while, Xu Yi took his leave of the old man in the kudzu robe and headed toward the raised platform.
Great towers rose from level ground. Rather than envy the fish beside the abyss, it was better to retreat and weave a net.
He climbed onto the platform and presented his token. The red-robed old man in charge