The Skylark Society

But there was one problem.

When he entered the Inner Court, he had used up the ten drops of Hundred Herb Jade Liquid the sect had rewarded him with.

He had even used up the Qi-Boosting Pills he had left over from before.

Fortunately, I have Phoenix Feather Gold.

Yu Xiu didn't linger and headed for the Internal Affairs Hall.

Once inside, he saw that the place was packed, especially the sect's mission post, where more than a hundred people had gathered. They were all Inner Court disciples turning in or taking on missions.

Some were injured, while others were fighting over missions. It was easy to see that competition among Inner Court disciples was fiercer than in the Outer Court.

By contrast, there weren't many people at the place where spiritual items were exchanged. Yu Xiu waited a little while, and soon it was his turn.

He walked up to the steward, who seemed to wear a smile at all times, and took out the item to hand over.

"Phoenix Feather Gold? An excellent material for forging spirit weapons!" The steward turned the Phoenix Feather Gold over and over, examining it closely. Then he pinched it and sensed it carefully for a moment, faintly detecting a current of heat surging within.

"A pity it's a little small." The steward seemed somewhat regretful. At last, he looked at Yu Xiu. "I'll give you a fair price: two thousand six hundred and fifty contribution points, or twenty-six thousand five hundred taels of silver."

It's worth that much! Yu Xiu was delighted. "I'll take the contribution points."

Well, if Cui Xian, that little girl, managed to join the Qingwei Sword Sect someday, he could go and offer her some guidance again.

The lives of those four Qi Sea Realm Rogue Cultivators weren't worth anywhere near this many contribution points.

"I also have three hundred taels of silver. I'd like to exchange that for ten drops of Hundred Herb Jade Liquid, and use contribution points to exchange for another ten drops."

The three hundred taels of silver had also been taken from Xu Fang and the others.

Twenty drops of Hundred Herb Jade Liquid would be just about enough for Yu Xiu to reach the peak of the Qi Sea Realm.

Elsewhere.

Quite a few people at the mission post had also noticed Yu Xiu.

He was tall and handsome, and stood out easily in a crowd, especially here, where there weren't many people.

"Yu Xiu?" A tall, upright young man thought for a moment, as if the name rang a bell.

"That's him. He reached the Qi Sea Realm in three years and entered the Inner Court from the Outer Court. His potential is quite good." Another young man with sharp eyes chimed in.

The two exchanged a glance and stepped forward in unspoken agreement.

Once Yu Xiu had finished exchanging for the Hundred Herb Jade Liquid, they came up and clasped their fists. "Might you be Brother Yu Xiu, newly admitted to the Inner Court?"

I don't know them. Yu Xiu studied the two carefully and confirmed that he had never met them.

"May I ask who you are?"

"I am Han Jing (Xie Jing). I've long heard that several junior brothers newly admitted to the Inner Court all reached the Qi Sea Realm in three years and have exceptional talent. I never expected to have the good fortune of meeting you today." The two were very polite.

But Yu Xiu could tell that they were quite strong. Both were at the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Sea Realm and were close to opening their Life Springs.

He himself, however, had used Sword Heart and Hidden Edge to conceal his strength at the first level of the Qi Sea Realm, so he didn't stand out.

"So you're Senior Brother Han and Senior Brother Xie." Yu Xiu clasped his fists in return and waited for them to continue.

Han Jing, the tall one, smiled. "Brother Yu, do you see those fellow disciples?"

He pointed toward the many disciples at the mission post.

"The Inner Court is nothing like the Outer Court. Cultivation is more advanced and requires more resources. Going down the mountain alone to subdue demons and slay monsters is not only more dangerous, but missions with high contribution rewards are practically impossible to get."

He paused. "That's why everyone in the Inner Court bands together. Every circle of people hoping to take on missions has members stationed here. As soon as a mission becomes available, they fight to claim it immediately."

At this, Han Jing looked at Yu Xiu. "I'm telling you this because I wanted to ask if you'd be interested in joining us."

"Don't rush to answer. Let me tell you about our advantages first."

He continued, "There are countless small circles in the Inner Court, some famous and some not. Our Skylark Society was founded by Senior Brother Ji Bai, who has since entered the Main Sect. It's been around for nearly a hundred years now. More than ten of our seniors have joined the Main Sect, so we have some connections there as well.

"Our Skylark Society even has experts at the peak of the Life Spring Realm to lead us, though we don't have many members—only about twenty. Every mission is led by a Life Spring Realm senior brother, so the risks aren't high.

"Besides, if your cultivation method is the same as someone else's in our society, you can ask a fellow member for guidance. That's far more worthwhile than asking someone from outside.

"I heard that you have some bad blood with Fang Jiming of the Inner Court. If you're willing to join our Skylark Society, you don't need to worry about Fang Jiming. Our society can mediate."

The Main Sect! The peak of the Life Spring Realm! Yu Xiu shook his head.

He was confident he could reach the peak of the Life Spring Realm within three months, and he could also advance to the Main Sect within that time.

He had enough contribution points and lacked for nothing in terms of resources. There was no need for him to compete with his fellow disciples for missions.

As for Fang Jiming, he would deal with him himself.

Besides, competition in the Inner Court was truly outrageous. They even had to fight over missions. It must be incredibly difficult for ordinary Inner Court disciples to cultivate!

Fortunately, his comprehension could stack without limit, and his luck was pretty good. He didn't have to struggle like that.

"I appreciate your kind offer, Senior Brothers. I've only just entered the Inner Court, so I still need to familiarize myself with the cultivation methods and swordsmanship. I won't be taking on missions for now." Yu Xiu declined tactfully.

Han Jing and Xie Jing naturally understood that he was turning them down, but they weren't surprised.

People who reached the Qi Sea Realm in three years were bound to be proud. But after some time, they would realize that cultivating in the Qi Sea and Life Spring stages of the Four Ascending Dragon Passes was nothing like the first stage, Flawless, or the second, Qi Circulation.

Even with talent like theirs, having reached the Qi Sea Realm in three years, their cultivation would slow down once they entered the Qi Sea Realm. There was no way to keep making rapid progress and cultivate in peace.

And after reaching the Qi Sea Realm, they would use even more resources. There was no way they could avoid going out and completing missions.

When the time came, Yu Xiu and the others would recognize how difficult things were and would still choose to join one of the small circles and go out on missions.

"You've only just entered the Inner Court, so it makes sense to first familiarize yourself with the cultivation methods and swordsmanship. In that case, we won't keep you, Brother Yu. If you change your mind, you can come find our Skylark Society anytime." Han Jing and Xie Jing smiled and took their leave.

Xie Jing smiled. "These newly admitted junior brothers really are all so naive."

"They're talented, but not exceptionally so. Things went too smoothly for them in the Outer Court, so they think it'll be the same in the Inner Court. Once they spend three or five years stuck at the Qi Sea stage of the third pass, unable to make any progress and forced to suffer a few setbacks, they'll naturally change their minds." Han Jing shook his head. He knew all too well what newly admitted Inner Court disciples were thinking.

But they didn't know that Yu Xiu's comprehension was extraordinarily high.

Yu Xiu had only just stepped out of the Internal Affairs Hall when he heard someone call from behind him. "Junior Brother Yu Xiu, please wait."

He turned around and saw a young man and woman walking toward him.

They smiled and were equally polite. "I am Luo Heyu (Song Yuan)."

Luo Heyu smiled. "Don't find it strange. When someone like you reaches the Qi Sea Realm in three years, many people already know of your existence as soon as you enter the Inner Court."

Song Yuan said, "Han Jing and the others have probably already told you a few things. If you don't mind, you could join our Jade Excellence Society as well.

"Our Jade Excellence Society has existed in the Inner Court for over a hundred years. It was founded by Senior Brother Qi Feng of the Main Sect, and we have connections there too. Senior Brother Qi Feng has accomplished quite a lot by now."

Yu Xiu listened quietly, then tactfully declined once more.

What he was thinking now was, Reaching the Qi Sea Realm in three years already makes me this sought-after. If people found out I could reach the Life Spring Realm in a month, I wonder how the Inner Court would react!