Star-Picking Sect

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Star-Picking Sect (摘星门)
Type	Righteous martial sect
Base	Star-Moon Lake, outside South Township Prefectural City; its territory includes islands on the lake’s southern side 192
Affiliation	Subordinate branch of the Sect of Observing Change 260
Occupation / Role	One of South Township Prefecture’s four foremost martial powers 65
Leader	Xu Zhouling, Sect Master and master of Crimson Radiance Hall 251
Status	Active 369
First Appearance	50

Background / History

The sect is a major righteous power based at Star-Moon Lake, a vast lake whose southern waters contain forty-eight islands. Its disciples and facilities are distributed across these islands, while its commercial and administrative presence extends into South Township Prefecture and its counties. 192 217

The sect’s ancestors discovered the spring eye of the Star-Moon Spirit Spring but initially did not know how to refine its poisonous water. After receiving guidance from a Sect of Observing Change cultivator and acquiring cold fire from the Ice Extremity Sect, they established Insight Pavilion to safely refine the spring water. 260

Rather than relying solely on direct recruitment, the sect deliberately circulates non-core cultivation arts in other regions. This allows talented grassroots martial artists to encounter its inheritance, develop an attachment to the sect, and potentially join it later. 112

Zuo Muxian identified Shen Xiuhan as an exceptional prospect after witnessing his abilities in Longcloud County. He believed Shen’s recruitment would secure the sect’s younger generation for decades, then personally brought him to Star-Moon Lake and offered him a choice among the four inner courts. 158 191

Organization

Division / Position	Known function or holder
Sect Master	Xu Zhouling leads the sect and Crimson Radiance Hall; he is notably protective of his disciples. 251 253
Four inner courts	The sect is divided into four inner courts governed by renowned Force Strength masters. 191
Listening Spring Court	A sword- and alchemy-focused court led by Wen Qingye. It controls the sect’s supply of spirit pills and medicinal meals. 193
Kaiyang Academy	A martial branch known for blades and spears; its disciples wear fitted red-and-black uniforms. 236
Feixuan Court	Led by Yi Nanping. 361
Crimson Radiance Hall	The Sect Master’s lineage and home of the restricted Insight Pavilion. 251 260
Law Enforcement Hall	Its Adjudicator post rotates among the chief disciples of the four academies. 334
Service Affairs Hall	Handles sect affairs, including identity tokens and disciple equipment. 223
Treasure Fish Hall	Distributes Treasure Fish and related cultivation resources. 365
Origin Stone Vein	One of the sect halls in which chief disciples may hold a post. 365

Discipleship and Advancement

Rank / Route	Requirement or role
Lower academy disciple	The sect maintains eight lower academies as recruitment channels. 65
Outer disciple	A lower-academy disciple must reach Bright Force before age sixteen to qualify. Outer disciples commonly perform errands and miscellaneous labor. 65 188
Inner disciple	Requires opening the body’s meridians and reaching Dark Force before age thirty. Exceptional lower-academy talents may enter directly after only a short outer-sect period. 65 188
True disciple	Receives special privileges, including the ability to employ reliable outer disciples for household duties. 217
Chief disciple	Holds major status and resource privileges, including access to techniques from all four courts. 365

Territory and Resources

• Star-Moon Lake — The sect’s lake domain lies outside the prefectural city. Listening Spring Island alone has waterfalls, springs, medicinal vegetation, patrols, and disciple residences. 192
• External properties — Disciples may be assigned to guard mines, medicinal fields, pawnshops, and other sect holdings throughout the prefecture and its counties in return for stipends. 192 194
• Star-Picking Tower — The sect’s quiet, five-story trading house in the prefectural city. It sells sect-made pills and artifacts, regional specialties, and accepts Treasure Fish, beast meat, and spirit herbs from disciples for consignment or discounted sale. 223
• Star-Moon Spirit Spring — A valuable but naturally toxic source of star-moon spiritual energy. Refined water supports cultivation and offers limited improvement to innate constitution. 252
• Insight Pavilion — A restricted Crimson Radiance Hall facility used to refine and absorb spirit-spring water. 260
• Treasure Fish Hall — Chief disciples may claim three Treasure Fish below second rank each month. 365

Inheritances

Sect-Defending Arts

• Star-Plucking, Moon-Seizing Myriad Methods Grand Canon — The sect-defending divine art from which the ultimate Star-Plucking Hand evolved. 70
• Star-Plucking Hand — A renowned mid-tier sect art whose incomplete manuals are widely circulated outside the sect. 165
• Crimson Radiance Visualization Diagram — The central inheritance of the sect’s Star-Seizing Moon-Grasping Compendium. The diagram is incomplete despite generations of restoration, and its associated Crimson Burning Scripture remains difficult to cultivate. 361

Listening Spring Court Arts

• Thousand Waves Sword and Grand Waterfall Sword — Required foundations before a disciple can seek the court’s deeper sword teachings. 193
• Flying Waterfall Sword Essence — Wen Qingye’s sword essence, refined from the Thousand Waves Waterfall Sword. 193
• Alchemy inheritance — Supports the spirit-pill and medicinal-meal supply for more than two thousand inner and outer disciples, giving Listening Spring Court considerable influence. 193

Rules and Discipline

• Disciples are expected to fund much of their own cultivation through assignments, bounties, and external work; new disciples receive three basic Aperture-Condensing Pills per month, but must otherwise provide for equipment, treasures, and most pills themselves. 194
• Listening Spring Court conducts three assessments annually. Disciples whose cultivation stagnates across three consecutive assessments are entered into the Expulsion Register. 228
• During the Fishing Sea Blessed Land expedition, Xu Zhouling explicitly prohibited disciples from killing fellow sect members; violations would be punished without leniency. 264
• The sect treats collusion with demonic forces as a major scandal, particularly because its four courts have suffered casualties in prolonged conflict with demonic sects. 212

Relationships

• Sect of Observing Change — Superior sect governing Cangzhou; Star-Picking Sect submits annual shares of tax revenue and spiritual resources, including the finest Star-Moon Spirit Spring water. 260
• Qingyuan Sword Tower, Azure Radiance Manor, Sea-Calming Marquisate — The other major powers of South Township Prefecture. 65
• Baleful Yin Sect — A hostile demonic force opposed by the sect; their confrontation escalated into direct competition within the Fishing Sea Blessed Land. 212 272
• Ancient Sword Sect — Xu Zhouling seeks its Heavenly Dipper expert, Lone Goose Hero, for assistance against the rising threat of the Baleful Intent Demon Sect. 361

Story Role / Major Arcs

Shen Xiuhan’s Recruitment

Zuo Muxian first approaches Shen Xiuhan after recognizing his potential and later brings him into the sect. Shen chooses Listening Spring Court for its Qingyang Sword Immortal inheritance, sword arts, and cultivation resources. 158 191

At Listening Spring Island, Shen is registered as a disciple, receives an identity token, and is introduced to the court’s rules, hierarchy, sword inheritance, and alchemy-based influence. 192 193

The Fishing Sea Blessed Land

After Shen reveals intelligence concerning the Fishing Sea Blessed Land, Xu Zhouling recognizes the danger posed by the Hanging Mirror Office and other competing forces. The sect mobilizes its disciples for the expedition, emphasizing both opportunity and survival. 253 264

The sect joins the other South Township factions in confronting the Baleful Yin Sect at the entrance. Xu Zhouling orders his disciples to cooperate with allies when useful while showing no mercy to demonic cultivators contesting the Blessed Land’s treasures. 272

Shen Xiuhan’s Presumed Death and Return

Following Shen Xiuhan’s disappearance in the Blessed Land, the sect mourns him and launches an investigation. Wen Zheng blames himself for failing to protect him, while Xu Zhouling and Wen Qingye resolve to find the killer. 333

Shen’s reappearance shocks the sect, especially Wen Zheng, who had secretly prepared a grave for him. 334

Listening Spring Court’s New Chief Disciple

After Wen Zheng steps down to seek a breakthrough, the sect considers the vacant chief-disciple position. Shen Xiuhan is formally appointed chief disciple of Listening Spring Court for his Blessed Land achievements, Transformation Force cultivation, and sword-path mastery. 358 365

The position grants Shen free monthly use of first-class cultivation chambers, Treasure Fish, Qi-Severing Essence-Congealing Pills, and unrestricted study of techniques from every court. 365