"The Society," Separate Paths Ahead

Now that he had mastered the Basic Meditation Diagram.

It was the perfect chance to spread his wings and earn Spiritual Stones hand over fist.

If Xiang Sui and the other were unwilling to continue organizing Grand Lectures, Zhu Yu was prepared to try holding classes himself. At most, he would forgo Grand Lectures and focus on teaching smaller classes. With his attainments in the Basic Visualization Diagram, he had no need to worry about attracting students.

At this.

Xiang Sui nodded repeatedly. "Hold it! We definitely have to hold it!"

Though he had reached Late Qi Refining the moment he broke through, that did not mean his subsequent cultivation would be free of worries. Quite the opposite—cultivation would only grow more difficult from here on.

Whether he sought an Advanced Visualization Method, spells, or alchemy, all of it required vast resources to be poured in. The resources supplied by his lineage were nowhere near enough.

Xiang Sui paused, looking somewhat embarrassed. "Liang and I came to visit Junior Brother Zhu for one reason. The second was to discuss the Grand Lecture."

"I've already chosen the location. It's a house somewhere in the Disciple Market, furnished with a formation that isolates auras. That will prevent newly promoted disciples from being affected by our auras..."

Once he finished speaking, the two men looked at Zhu Yu together and waited for his response.

"I'll follow Senior Brothers' arrangements."

Zhu Yu was short on Spiritual Stones. Why would he disagree? After nodding in agreement, a thought stirred in his heart, and he asked, "By the way, Senior Brother, do you know someone named Mu Ruo?"

"Mu Ruo!"

Xiang Sui's expression changed slightly. He hurriedly asked, "He came looking for you? Did he say anything? Junior Brother, you mustn't fall for it. That so-called Society of theirs is black-hearted to the extreme..."

Without waiting for Zhu Yu to ask, he rattled off Mu Ruo's background.

Mu Ruo was a Late Qi Refining cultivator. Rumor had it that he excelled at illusion arts and was one of the members of an organization called "The Society."

According to Xiang Sui's explanation.

The Society had originally been a loose alliance founded by several outer disciples, intended for mutual learning.

It had existed for nearly a century now. It had long since lost its original purpose of helping one another learn, becoming an organization that earned Spiritual Stones by teaching newly promoted disciples basic knowledge.

They often used promotion to Sutra Lecture Hall lecturer status and access to the Dharma Repository as bait, specifically deceiving disciples proficient in the basics of a particular field.

Once one believed them and joined the Sutra Lecture Hall.

What awaited them was not a lecturer's position, but a reader-disciple role responsible for clearing away clutter and attending to lecturers.

Not only would they fail to earn Spiritual Stones day after day, they would also have to perform all kinds of menial work. Then, because they could not change their cultivation grounds for three years, once their spirit had been worn smooth, Society members would bring out a lecturer to preach by personal example.

They would offer a chance to become a lecturer in the future—provided one signed a sixty-year contract.

Once signed, what followed would be one external class assignment after another, large and small. Day after day, there would not even be enough time left for cultivation, and ninety percent of the rewards earned would be skimmed away.

It was practically like having something sprawled across one's body, endlessly sucking blood...

"Hiss..."

Zhu Yu sucked in a cold breath and blurted out, "They can do that? Doesn't the sect care?"

"Isn't that a good thing? Why should it care?"

Xiang Sui gave him a strange look and explained, "Though the Society's exploitation is severe, it truly does have connections within the Sutra Lecture Hall. If you work bitterly for ten or twenty years, you might really become a lecturer."

As if afraid Zhu Yu would be tempted, he hastily added:

"Though Sutra Lecture Hall lecturers receive generous treatment, they are assessed once every three months. Fail twice, and you are directly removed."

"Think about it. To avoid being removed, you would definitely have to drill into basic knowledge. If that were the case, where would you find the energy to advance your cultivation further? Becoming a lecturer is more or less the same as cutting off one's immortal path."

Xiang Sui said solemnly, "With Junior Brother's talent, you must not lose the greater for the lesser."

"Senior Brother misunderstands. I have no intention of going."

Seeing his expression, Zhu Yu waved a hand and told him about encountering Mu Ruo and receiving his Mark.

"Then... will teaching the Grand Lecture cause trouble?"

"I see..."

Xiang Sui's expression immediately relaxed. He nodded, then shook his head with a smile. "There will indeed be trouble, but Junior Brother needn't worry about that. Liang and I are here."

He then explained it to Zhu Yu.

After breaking through to Qi Refining, Xiang Sui had relied on his own talent, along with a little assistance from his lineage, to successfully enter the Alchemy Pavilion—an entity independent of Yinming Mansion and subordinate to the Heavenly Dao Sect.

Its influence was enormous and its connections tangled and intricate. Not to mention a tiny Society, even Yinming Mansion itself was unwilling to provoke it.

If Xiang Sui's chosen cultivation ground surprised Zhu Yu without seeming unexpected, then the cultivation ground Liang Kuan had chosen truly shocked him.

The seemingly simple-minded Liang Kuan had not inherited his father's trade and pursued the path of a Spirit Planter. Instead, he had joined the incomparably dangerous Demon-Slaying Guard!

According to him, his increasingly massive body and the waxy sheen across his face were the result of refining a Body Refining Dharma Seed passed down by his ancestors!

And while Xiang Sui had not refined a Dharma Seed, he had refined a Spirit Flame that was immensely beneficial to alchemy.

"So this is the foundation of cultivation lineages..."

Zhu Yu had to admit that he felt a little sour.

Whether it was a Dharma Seed passed down by one's ancestors or a Spirit Flame, it would possess a certain degree of power after initial refinement. And if it suited its owner exceptionally well, its former might would gradually recover as it was nurtured by Spiritual Power.

Cultivation lineages valued inheritance above all else.

The two of them had obtained a Dharma Seed and a Spirit Flame. Even if they were not a perfect match, they were at least seventy or eighty percent compatible.

It was easy to foresee.

With such aid at their side, they could swiftly pass through the early stages of cultivation and gain a firm foothold in their respective cultivation grounds.

After silently sighing to himself, Zhu Yu raised his teacup and said with a smile, "Then this little brother will have to rely on you two Senior Brothers in the future!"

"Rely on us?"

Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan exchanged strange looks. Then, together, they raised their teacups and replied, "We only hope that when Junior Brother prospers in the future, you will not forget us."

Zhu Yu could sense their auras. Their cultivation was higher than his, so how could they fail to sense his?

In merely half a month, he had mastered the Underworld Grounds' unique Corpse Control Art. This only deepened their impression that Zhu Yu's comprehension was extraordinary.

With such comprehension, not to mention advancing to Foundation Establishment, reaching Qi Refining Perfection in the future was as certain as a nail driven into a board.

And Qi Refining Perfection required one to cultivate an Advanced Visualization Method and initially construct a foundation belonging to oneself. Outside the sect, such strength would be enough to establish a cultivation lineage.

"Haha..."

The three exchanged glances and drained their tea in one gulp. Everything was understood without a word.

After deciding to head to the Disciple Market in three days to teach the Grand Lecture.

The three began chatting idly.

Most of it concerned their respective cultivation grounds, along with matters of later cultivation and the disciple trial half a year from now...

When they learned that Zhu Yu was cultivating a Corpse Tiger and intended to focus on nurturing Beast Path Corpse Seeds in the future, both men's eyes lit up. They clamored for him to cultivate a Living Corpse mount for each of them someday.

Zhu Yu naturally agreed. He then expressed his anticipation for the miraculous pills Xiang Sui would refine in the future and the demon beast corpses Liang Kuan would slay.

The two readily agreed as well.

For a time, host and guests were all delighted, and the conversation grew increasingly lively.

Not long after.

When the outlines of two waning moons emerged in the sky.

Xiang Sui and Liang Kuan took their leave.

At the foot of the earthen hill.

Watching the two disappear at the end of the path, Zhu Yu looked around. When his gaze fell upon the Spirit Field and Beast Pen not far away, he suddenly gave a soft "Eh?"