Skylark Society

There is, however, one problem.

Upon entering the Inner Court, the ten drops of Hundred Herb Jade Liquid awarded by the sect had been completely used up by Yu Xiu.

Even the remaining Qi-Boosting Pills he had previously were exhausted.

Fortunately, I have the Phoenix Feather Gold.

Yu Xiu did not linger and headed straight for the Internal Affairs Hall.

Entering the Internal Affairs Hall, he saw that the number of people had surged. The area where the sect posted missions was particularly crowded, with no fewer than a hundred disciples gathered there to turn in or accept tasks.

Some bore wounds, while others were squabbling over missions; it was not hard to see that the competition among Inner Court disciples was far more intense than in the Outer Court.

The area for exchanging spiritual items was less crowded, however. After waiting for a short while, it was soon Yu Xiu's turn.

Walking up to the deacon who seemed to wear a perpetual smile, Yu Xiu took out his item and handed it over.

"Phoenix Feather Gold? A fine material for forging spiritual weapons!" The deacon turned the Phoenix Feather Gold over to examine it thoroughly, then squeezed it to sense its properties for a moment, faintly detecting a surge of heat flowing within.

"A pity, it is a bit small." The deacon seemed somewhat regretful, then looked at Yu Xiu: "I will give you a fair price: two thousand six hundred and fifty contribution points, or twenty-six thousand five hundred taels of silver."

So valuable! Yu Xiu felt a surge of joy: "I want the contribution points."

Well, if that little girl Cui Xian could join the Qingwei Sword Sect in the future, he could still offer her some guidance.

The lives of those four Qi Sea realm rogue cultivators were not worth this many contribution points.

"I have three hundred taels of silver here; I'll exchange that for ten drops of Hundred Herb Jade Liquid, and use the contribution points to exchange for another ten drops."

The three hundred taels of silver had been looted from Xu Fang and his cohorts.

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

On the other side.

At the mission turnover area, quite a few people had noticed Yu Xiu.

He was tall and handsome, making him easy to spot in the crowd, especially since this area was less packed.

"Yu Xiu?" A young man with an upright posture pondered for a moment, seemingly having some impression of him.

"It is him. He cultivated to the Qi Sea in three years and entered the Inner Court from the Outer Court; his potential is quite good," another sharp-eyed young man replied.

The two exchanged a look and approached him with a tacit understanding.

Once Yu Xiu finished exchanging for the Hundred Herb Jade Liquid, they cupped their hands and stepped forward: "Are you the newly arrived Brother Yu Xiu?"

I don't know them. Yu Xiu scrutinized the two, confirming he had never seen them before.

"And you two are?"

"This Humble One is Han Jing (Xie Jing). We heard long ago that the new junior brothers entering the Inner Court all reached the Qi Sea in three years and possess exceptional aptitude. We didn't expect to have the honor of meeting you today." The two were very courteous.

However, Yu Xiu could sense that their strength was not bad; both were at the eighth or ninth level of the Qi Sea, nearing the threshold of opening their Life Spring.

It was just that he himself was using the Hidden Edge of his sword heart, concealing his strength at the first level of the Qi Sea so as not to attract attention.

"So it is Senior Brother Han and Senior Brother Xie." Yu Xiu returned the salute, waiting for them to continue.

The upright Han Jing smiled: "Has Brother Yu seen those fellow disciples?"

He gestured toward the many disciples at the mission turnover area.

"The Inner Court is not like the Outer Court. Cultivation is more profound and requires more resources to sustain. If you go down the mountain alone to subdue demons or hunt monsters, it is not only more dangerous, but you will basically never be able to secure the high-contribution missions."

He paused: "Therefore, everyone in the Inner Court forms cliques. In every circle that wants to take on missions, someone is stationed here to snatch them the moment they become available."

At this point, Han Jing looked at Yu Xiu: "I say all this because I want to ask if Brother Yu is interested in joining us."

"Don't be in a hurry to answer; let me tell you about our advantages first."

He continued: "There are many, many small circles in the Inner Court, some famous and some obscure. Our 'Skylark Society' was founded by Senior Brother Ji Bai, who has already entered the Main Sect. It has been nearly a hundred years, and more than ten senior brothers have entered the Main Sect from our Skylark Society, giving us some connections there."

"Currently, our Skylark Society has experts at the peak of the Life Spring overseeing us, yet our total membership is small, only about twenty people. Every mission is led by a Life Spring realm senior brother, so the risk is low."

"Furthermore, if Brother Yu's cultivation technique is the same as those in our Skylark Society, you can ask fellow members for guidance, which is far more cost-effective than seeking help from others."

"I heard that Brother Yu has some friction with Fang Jiming of the Inner Court. If Brother Yu is willing to join our Skylark Society, you need not worry about Fang Jiming; our Skylark Society will handle the mediation."

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

He was confident he could reach the peak of the Life Spring within three months, and he could ascend to the Main Sect within that same timeframe.

He had enough contribution points on hand and no shortage of resources; there was no need for him to fight those fellow disciples for any missions.

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

Besides, the competition in the Inner Court was truly absurd—even missions had to be fought over. The ordinary Inner Court disciples must be having a difficult time with their cultivation!

Fortunately, his comprehension could be stacked infinitely, and his luck was not bad, so he did not need to struggle so hard.

"I appreciate the kind intentions of both senior brothers, but I have only just entered the Inner Court and need to familiarize myself with my techniques and sword arts. I will not be going out on missions for the time being," Yu Xiu politely declined.

Han Jing and his companion naturally heard the refusal, but they were not surprised.

Those who reached the Qi Sea in three years were always proud and arrogant. But after some time passed, they would realize that the Qi Sea and Life Spring cultivation of the four stages of the Ascending Dragon were far from comparable to the first stage of No Leak or the second stage of Qi Circulation.

Even for those with the aptitude to reach the Qi Sea in three years like them, the speed of cultivation in the Qi Sea realm would become sluggish. It was simply impossible to maintain rapid progress and steady cultivation indefinitely.

Furthermore, once one reaches the Qi Sea realm, resources are consumed at a much higher rate; the idea of avoiding outside missions is simply impossible.

When the time comes, Yu Xiu and his companions will naturally realize the hardships involved, and in the end, they will still choose to join those small cliques to carry out missions.

"Since you have just entered the Inner Court, you certainly need to familiarize yourself with your cultivation techniques and swordsmanship first. In that case, we shall not disturb you further, Brother Yu. If you have any thoughts on the matter in the future, you are welcome to seek out our Skylark Society." Han Jing and his companion smiled and took their leave.

Xie Jing laughed, "Junior brothers who have just entered the Inner Court are always this naive."

"They have high aptitude, but not exceptionally so. Their path in the Outer Court was too smooth, and now that they have reached the Inner Court, they still think it will be the same. Once they spend three or five years stuck at the Qi Sea realm, unable to make any progress, and have tasted bitterness, they will naturally change their tune." Han Jing shook his head; he knew all too well what disciples who had just entered the Inner Court were thinking.

But what they did not know was that Yu Xiu's comprehension was exceptionally high.

Just as Yu Xiu stepped out of the Internal Affairs Hall, he heard a voice calling out from behind him: "Junior Brother Yu Xiu, please stay a moment."

He turned around and saw a young man and woman approaching.

Both wore smiles, equally courteous: "This Humble One is Luo Heyu (Song Yuan)."

Luo Heyu smiled and said, "Do not be surprised. For a disciple like Brother Yu, who cultivated to the Qi Sea in three years, many people were already aware of your existence the moment you entered the Inner Court."

Song Yuan added, "Han Jing and his group must have already spoken to you about certain matters. If you do not mind, you are also welcome to join our Jade Excellence Society."

"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 within the main sect as well. Senior Brother Qi Feng's current achievements are quite significant."

Yu Xiu listened quietly to the end, then politely declined once again.

What he was thinking to himself was, If reaching the Qi Sea in three years already makes me this sought after, I wonder what the reaction in this Inner Court would be if they knew I could reach the Life Spring in a single month!