Sect Levels

"Yang Ling, do you have any ideas?"

Xu Qing asked.

Yang Ling thought for a moment. "Improving mining efficiency depends heavily on the quality of the pickaxes."

"Exactly!"

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing's eyes lit up.

With good pickaxes, they would naturally mine faster.

Then they could level up faster, too!

"If every miner had a steel pickaxe, we could solve the problem of output."

Yang Ling said.

Xu Qing sighed. "Steel pickaxes? Do you know how much they cost? The Mountain River Sect can't possibly provide one to every miner."

He paused. "Besides, even if we gave them steel pickaxes, some miners would probably still slack off on purpose."

Yang Ling and the others guessed at Xu Qing's predicament.

If nothing unexpected happened, the mine would remain in his hands for only three months.

"Some miners are bound to be diligent."

Yang Ling thought for a moment. "When the time comes, I'll select those miners and give them steel pickaxes."

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing immediately understood what he meant, and their eyes brightened.

"Any other suggestions?"

Xu Qing asked.

"Yes."

Yang Ling thought for a moment. "I want a pickaxe that's better than a steel pickaxe."

"How much can one person mine, no matter how hard you work? That won't solve the real problem."

Xu Qing looked troubled and instinctively scratched his head.

"I should've known this was a hot potato and never accepted it. Now I'm afraid I'll lose face completely within the Mountain River Sect."

"Senior Brother Xu, we still have three months. We can take our time and figure something out."

Yang Ling said, "We don't need to worry about which stewards are on whose side. The miners themselves are what really matter.

"If some miners deliberately slack off, drive them out.

"Bring in new people."

"There are tens of thousands of miners. How many people would you have to drive out?"

Xu Qing waved a hand. "Besides, how would newcomers know how to mine? I tried it at the Fire Crystal Mine last time. Mining takes skill.

"If I weren't a Martial Artist, I'd be slower than an experienced miner."

He paused. "Forget it. Don't think about it for now. We'll deal with things as they come. At least no one else will take over that Fire Crystal Mine again.

"As for Wu Que, he'll cause my senior brother plenty of trouble. Heh."

Xu Qing glanced at Yang Ling and changed the subject.

"Now that you're a Constable, they must 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 technique. If you master the Thief-Catching Saber Technique, you'll have a chance to obtain the Tiger Catching Saber Technique.

"That saber technique is no weaker than our Mountain River Sect's Mountain River Drawing Sword Technique."

Xu Qing said.

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing exchanged a glance, their desire to become Constables growing stronger.

Yang Ling's expression shifted, and he seized the opportunity to ask:

"Senior Brother Xu, what does it take for the Iron Clothes Department to grant someone the Tiger Catching Saber Technique?"

"First, as I just said, you have to master the Thief-Catching Saber Technique."

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

"Then you have to undergo another assessment to prove you're qualified to receive the Tiger Catching Saber Technique."

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

Xu Qing said casually.

So you had to become an Eighth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable and pass another assessment...

Yang Ling's thoughts stirred.

"Don't tell me you really want to become an Eighth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable?"

Xu Qing couldn't help laughing. "It's practically impossible. Don't give it another thought. Ninth Rank is at least something you can aim for."

"Senior Brother Xu, Captain Lin is already a Ninth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable. Is Eighth Rank really that difficult?"

Yang Ling asked curiously.

"Ninth Rank is easy. You see them everywhere."

Xu Qing smiled. "But the path from Ninth Rank to Eighth Rank is an entirely different matter."

Seeing Yang Ling's puzzled expression,

he thought for a moment. "Think of the Iron Clothes Department as one of the Zhao State's top sects.

"A Ninth-Rank Iron Clothes Constable is like an outer disciple. But once you reach Eighth Rank, you're an inner disciple.

"The difference between an outer disciple and an inner disciple is enormous. Some people wait their whole lives and never get that change in status."

"So that's how it is. That's a pretty apt comparison."

Seeing this, Yang Ling quietly signaled Chen Guoqing.

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

"I can hardly call myself a Jianghu person. I only know the barest basics about this sort of thing. You should ask Senior Brother Xu."

Yang Ling waved a hand.

Xu Qing glanced at Chen Guoqing, then at Yang Ling, and smiled faintly.

"We've still got some road ahead of us. I might as well tell you a little about the Jianghu."

Yang Ling, Chen Xu, and Chen Guoqing were quietly pleased.

They urgently needed all kinds of information about the Divine Domain.

Among it, knowledge of the Jianghu was paramount, as it would affect their plans for the future.

"You want to know how the Jianghu's sects compare in strength, right?"

Xu Qing smiled. "What do you think of the Mountain River Sect?"

Yang Ling said, "It's very strong."

"Strong? The Mountain River Sect can only be considered a Third-rate Sect at best."

Xu Qing gave a self-deprecating laugh. "Above Third-rate are Second-rate sects, and above Second-rate are First-rate sects.

"Don't be fooled by the fact that our Mountain River Sect controls several Fire Crystal Mines and one Red Gold Mine. Compared to those great Second-rate sects, we're like a little bug next to an elephant."

"So the Mountain River Sect really is only Third-rate..."

When Yang Ling had seen that Xu Qing's Mountain River Heart Method was only a Third-rate Cultivation Method, he had suspected as much. Now Xu Qing had confirmed it himself.