Sect Levels

"Yang Ling, do you have any ideas now?"

Xu Qing asked.

Yang Ling said thoughtfully, "To improve mining efficiency, the quality of the pickaxe is crucial."

"Right!"

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing's eyes lit up.

With a good pickaxe, mining speed would naturally be faster.

Then they could level up more quickly too!

"If every miner could have a Steel Pickaxe, the output problem would solve itself."

Yang Ling said.

Xu Qing sighed helplessly. "A Steel Pickaxe? Do you know how much that costs? Our Mountain River Sect can't equip every miner with a Steel Pickaxe." He paused, "Besides, even if we gave them Steel Pickaxes, some miners would still deliberately slack off."

Yang Ling and the other two could guess Xu Qing's current predicament.

If nothing unexpected happened, this Red Gold Mine would only stay in his hands for three months.

"There are always some miners who are hardworking."

Yang Ling said thoughtfully. "When the time comes, I'll pick out those miners and give them Steel Pickaxes."

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing immediately understood his meaning, their eyes brightening slightly.

"Any other suggestions?"

Xu Qing said.

"Yes."

Yang Ling said thoughtfully. "I want a pickaxe better than a Steel Pickaxe."

"No matter how much you dig alone, how much can you really get? It won't solve the core of this problem."

Xu Qing was a bit exasperated, instinctively scratching his head and ears. "I knew this was a hot potato. I shouldn't have taken it. Now I'll probably lose face in the Mountain River Sect."

"Senior Brother Xu, we still have three months. We can take our time to think of a way."

Yang Ling said, "We don't need to worry about which steward belongs to whom. What really matters is the miners themselves. If some miners deliberately slack off, kick them out. Bring in new people."

"With tens of thousands of miners, how many would you have to kick out?"

Xu Qing waved his hand. "Besides, how can new people know how to mine? Last time I tried at the Fire Crystal Mine, mining takes skill. If I weren't a Martial Artist, my mining speed would definitely be worse than an experienced miner's." He paused, "Forget it, don't think about it. We'll play it by ear. No matter what, at least that Fire Crystal Mine won't change hands again. Wu Que's matter will cause my Senior Brother plenty of trouble, heh."

Xu Qing glanced at Yang Ling and changed the subject. "You're a constable now. They should have taught you the Thief-Catching Saber Technique, right?"

"Captain Lin did give me the manual for the Thief-Catching Saber Technique."

Yang Ling nodded.

"That's a good thing. If you train the Thief-Catching Saber Technique to Perfected Skill, you'll have a chance to get the Tiger Catching Saber Technique. That saber art is no weaker than our Mountain River Sect's Mountain River Drawing Sword Technique."

Xu Qing said.

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing exchanged glances, their desire to become constables growing even stronger.

Yang Ling's expression shifted, and he took the opportunity to ask, "Senior Brother Xu, what conditions does the Iron Clothes Department require to grant the Tiger Catching Saber Technique?"

"First, like I just said, you have to train the Thief-Catching Saber Technique to Perfected Skill."

"Second, you have to become an Eighth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable."

"Then, you need to pass another assessment to prove you're qualified to obtain the Tiger Catching Saber Technique."

"As for the specifics of the assessment, I don't know."

Xu Qing said casually.

So he really had to become an Eighth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable and go through another assessment...

Yang Ling's mind stirred.

"You're not actually thinking of becoming an Eighth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable, are you?"

Xu Qing couldn't help but laugh. "It's almost impossible, don't overthink it. Ninth Rank is still something you can aim for."

"Senior Brother Xu, Captain Lin is already a Ninth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable. Is Eighth Rank really that hard?" Yang Ling asked curiously.

"Ninth Rank is simple, you see it everywhere." Xu Qing smiled. "But going from Ninth Rank to Eighth Rank is a completely different path."

Seeing Yang Ling's puzzled expression, he paused thoughtfully. "If you think of the Iron Clothes Department as one of Zhao State's top sects, then a Ninth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable is like an outer sect disciple. But once you reach Eighth Rank, that's an inner sect disciple. The gap between outer and inner disciples is enormous. Some people wait their whole lives and never see that status change."

"So that's how it is. That analogy is pretty vivid." Yang Ling gave Chen Guoqing a subtle signal.

Chen Guoqing immediately spoke up. "Brother Yang, could you tell us about the differences between the sects in the Jianghu?"

"What kind of Jianghu person am I? I only know the surface of such things. If you want to ask, ask Senior Brother Xu." Yang Ling waved his hand.

Xu Qing glanced at Chen Guoqing, then at Yang Ling, and said with a faint smile, "We've still got some road ahead. It wouldn't hurt to chat with you about the Jianghu."

Yang Ling, Chen Xu, and Chen Guoqing all felt a flicker of joy in their hearts. They urgently needed all kinds of information about the "Divine Domain." Matters of the Jianghu were the top priority, directly affecting their future plans.

"You want to know about the strength of the sects in the Jianghu, right?" Xu Qing smiled. "What do you think of the Mountain River Sect?"

Yang Ling: "Very strong."

"Strong? The Mountain River Sect is at best a Third-rate Sect." Xu Qing laughed self-deprecatingly. "Above Third-rate there's Second-rate, and above Second-rate there's First-rate. Don't let the fact that my Mountain River Sect controls a few Fire Crystal Mines and one Red Gold Mine fool you. Compared to those big Second-rate Sects, we're like a little bug next to an elephant."

"So the Mountain River Sect really is just Third-rate..." Yang Ling had suspected as much when he first saw that Xu Qing's Mountain River Heart Method was only a Third-rate Cultivation Method, but today it was confirmed by Xu Qing's own words.