Number 2333

After Qin Huaian and the others followed the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator off the flying vessel, it flew away. The inner sect disciples who had been recruited had not disembarked with them.

It seemed the inner sect disciples reported to the sect at a different location from them.

The Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator led them to the entrance of a building beside the plaza. He cupped his fists toward several cultivators at the door and said, "Greetings, Senior Brothers. I am Lu Xun of Accomplished Harmony Peak. These disciples are outer sect disciples recruited from Cloudfield Market."

The cultivators at the entrance rose as well. The refined young man at their head said with a smile, "So it is Junior Brother Lu. I have heard much of you! You have worked hard, Junior Brother Lu. Let us complete the handover."

Afterward, the Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator who had brought Qin Huaian and the others handed the roster containing this batch of outer sect disciples' information to the refined young man. "Please inspect it, Senior Brother."

"Very well. Please wait a moment."

With that, the refined young man addressed Qin Huaian and the others. "Greetings, Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters. I am He Zhiping of East Dawn Peak, responsible for handling your admission into the sect. You may call me Senior Brother He."

"All newly recruited outer sect disciples will be placed under East Dawn Peak's unified management for the first ten years. During those ten years, you will all be disciples of East Dawn Peak."

"Take out the tokens issued to you during recruitment. When you hear your names, come forward to receive your official disciple identity plaques."

"Junior Brother Zhang, call the roll. Junior Brothers Chen and Wang, you will be responsible for exchanging the tokens." He Zhiping instructed the two cultivators beside him.

"Yes, Senior Brother He!" the three replied.

"Zhang Chuanwang!"

"Here!" A guileless-looking young man answered as he stepped from the crowd. He hurried forward and took out his token. "Senior Brothers, this is my token."

After accepting the guileless young man's token and inspecting it, the cultivator surnamed Chen produced a reddish-bronze plaque. Using his finger as a brush, he traced symbols in the air over the plaque, then said to the young man, "Send a strand of spiritual power into your identity plaque."

"Yes." The guileless young man pointed a finger at the plaque and sent in a strand of spiritual power.

"Good. Junior Brother Zhang, take your identity plaque and wait at the side for now."

"Liu Shuwen!"

"Here!" A pretty female cultivator of seventeen or eighteen hurried forward.

"Qin Huaian!" Hearing his name, Qin Huaian ran forward. After exchanging his identity plaque, he too stepped aside. This meant he had officially become a disciple of the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect, even if only an outer sect disciple.

The identity plaque was reddish-bronze, and its primary material was likely refined red copper. The palm-sized plaque felt weighty in his hand, weighing more than ten jin.

Inscribed upon it were the words: "East Dawn Peak, Qin Huaian, 2333."

East Dawn Peak should be the mountain peak to which they belonged, while 2333 was likely some kind of number. He did not know what it represented.

About an hour and a half later, all the outer sect disciples from their batch at Cloudfield Market had received their identity plaques.

"Junior Brother Lu, the inspection is complete. There are no issues. Many thanks, Junior Brother Lu." The refined young man, He Zhiping, cupped his fists toward Lu Xun, the Foundation Establishment cultivator who had brought Qin Huaian and the others.

"Very well, Senior Brother He. Senior Brothers, if there is nothing else, I shall take my leave first." Lu Xun cupped his fists in farewell to the cultivators of East Dawn Peak.

"Junior Brother Lu has had a hard journey, so we will not keep you any longer. You are welcome to visit East Dawn Peak anytime," He Zhiping said courteously.

Lu Xun cupped his fists once more, then took out a flying sword and soared into the sky, swiftly vanishing among the clouds.

"Riding the wind on a sword, he comes; he slays demons between Heaven and Earth. Now that is cultivation." Qin Huaian watched Lu Xun disappear into the distance, his heart full of envy. Under normal circumstances, one could only fly on a sword after reaching the Foundation Establishment Realm.

After seeing Lu Xun off, He Zhiping turned to the group and said, "Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters, from today onward, you are officially outer sect disciples of our Yellow Mountain Sword Sect."

"For the first ten years after entering the sect, you will be under East Dawn Peak's management. These ten years at East Dawn will also be the ten years that decide your fates."

"As for the rules of our Yellow Mountain Sword Sect, I will not explain them in detail here. Once you reach your cave abodes, you will naturally know."

"The number on each of your identity plaques is your identity number in East Dawn Peak, and also the number of your cave abode."

"Come with me. I will take you to your respective cave abodes."

"The plaza where we are now standing is East Dawn Plaza of East Dawn Peak. Three days from now, when the sun rises, all of you must gather here on time."

Having said that, He Zhiping led Qin Huaian and the others out of the plaza.

East Dawn Peak's mountains and rivers were magnificent, its scenery picturesque. The mist in the mountains was like a veil of gauze, dispersing and gathering by turns, while clear mountain springs occasionally flowed beneath their feet.

Half an hour later, Qin Huaian and the others were brought to a cluster of buildings halfway up the mountain. Building after building lay nestled among pines, cypresses, and strange rocks. The cries of exotic beasts and immortal birds drifted over from time to time, making the place seem like an earthly paradise.

He Zhiping and the others stopped. "Junior Brothers, this is your cave abode district. It is divided into eight areas. The first digit of your identity number is the number of the area where your cave abode is located."

"There are signposts ahead to guide you. Find your own cave abodes, and your identity plaques can open their formation barriers. Gather at East Dawn Plaza in three days."

"Thank you, Senior Brothers!" Everyone cupped their fists in thanks.

Their cave abodes had not been assigned together. They had all been randomly distributed among the eight areas.

Following the signposts, Qin Huaian easily found his own cave abode, number 2333.

It was a standalone little courtyard, roughly five zhang long and wide, with four or five zhang separating it from the cave abodes on either side.

Taking out his identity plaque, Qin Huaian opened the formation restrictions and entered the courtyard.

The main house consisted of three wooden rooms. There was a small pavilion in the courtyard, beneath which stood a stone table and four stone stools. The courtyard's modest scenery was rich with antique charm, while the bluestone-paved ground bore the settled traces of time.

Qin Huaian entered the wooden house. The room on the left held only a meditation cushion in its center and was likely the cultivation room. The room on the right was a bedroom with a wooden bed. The central main room was a reception hall, furnished with a table and several chairs.

Two sets of brand-new Yellow Mountain Sword Sect outer sect disciple robes lay on the bed in the bedroom.

On the table in the main room lay a blue thread-bound book, titled "East Dawn Peak Disciple Guide."

So there was a disciple guide—no wonder Senior Brother He Zhiping had said earlier that he would not introduce much.

Opening the "Guide," its first lines stated: "The East Dawn Ten Years are the ten years every outer sect disciple must undergo after entering the sect."

What followed introduced the various benefits, duties, and rules for rewards and punishments governing outer sect disciples.

I need to study this carefully. If I want to live comfortably on East Dawn Peak, I have to understand the rules here, Qin Huaian thought to himself.

He flipped through several more pages as the sky gradually darkened. Qin Huaian did not continue reading, instead storing the "Disciple Guide" in the seed space.

"Unknown book East Dawn Peak Disciple Guide detected. Record it?"

"Record!" Qin Huaian answered silently.

Very quickly, the contents of the "Guide" had been firmly imprinted in Qin Huaian's mind.

Having finished reading the Disciple Guide, Qin Huaian's first impression of the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect was that it was extravagantly wealthy, and his second was that it was cruel. For an ordinary cultivator, remaining in the Yellow Mountain Sword Sect for good was exceedingly difficult.