The Four Top-Tier Factions

Along the rest of the journey, Xu Qing seemed to have opened up and started talking endlessly.

Seeing this, Yang Ling and the other two slyly asked all kinds of questions.

It turned out that none of the factions on the Divine Realm Level Rankings, apart from the Iron Garment Division, were First-Rate Sects.

Among them, the Bitter Enlightenment Temple and the Great Derivation Sword Sect were considered second-tier.

The Star-Gazing Academy was not counted as a Jianghu sect.

Factions like Dead Valley and the Heavenly Blade Sect, much like the Mountains and Rivers Sect, were all third-tier.

This caught Yang Ling completely by surprise.

He had settled for the constable path as a fallback choice.

He never expected that, through a twist of fate, he had actually entered a top-tier faction.

However, the Iron Garment Division was always different from a sect; after all, it was an imperial court yamen.

If he truly became an Eighth-Rank Iron Garment Constable, his degree of freedom would fall far short of a sect disciple's.

The Bitter Enlightenment Temple really is only a second-tier sect, and the Vajra Wisdom King Art is not their technique at all.

The Bitter Enlightenment Heart Sutra that Hui Neng cultivates is the foundational root of the Bitter Enlightenment Temple.

Yang Ling thought to himself.

"There are actually quite a few second-tier and third-tier sects in our Zhao Kingdom; I haven't counted the exact number."

"However, there are only four First-Rate Sects."

A solemn expression appeared on Xu Qing's face:

"They are the Divine Sect in the east, the Arhat Temple in the south, the Nine Immortal Dao Palace in the west, and the Extreme Flame Sword Palace in the north."

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing did not dare to neglect him, instantly and firmly memorizing this information.

"Senior Brother Xu, just how strong are these top-tier factions?"

Yang Ling asked curiously.

"How strong?"

Xu Qing looked thoughtful. "If you are in the Central Plains, the imperial court calls the shots."

"If you are in the east, the Divine Sect calls the shots; in the south, the Arhat Temple calls the shots; in the west, the Nine Immortal Dao Palace calls the shots; and in the north, the Extreme Flame Sword Palace calls the shots."

"..."

"A sect's strength can rival the imperial court?! Is that even possible..."

Chen Guoqing muttered to himself.

As a police officer, he found it hard to imagine that a local faction could grow strong to such a degree!

"Why wouldn't it be possible?"

Xu Qing smiled faintly. "Take the Mining Gang for instance—it commands twenty-seven third-tier sects alone, just like the Mountains and Rivers Sect."

"If our Mining Gang were to unite as one, it would be enough to rival a second-tier faction."

"Yet the Mining Gang still has to answer to the Arhat Temple."

"You all know that Hui Neng who came some time ago? He's a monk from the Bitter Enlightenment Temple, and the Bitter Enlightenment Temple is a second-tier faction, yet they also have to answer to the Arhat Temple."

"The foundations of these four First-Rate Sects are beyond your imagination. To be able to enter one as an inner disciple is simply an absolute blast."

Xu Qing tutted. "As for various medicinal pills that boost cultivation, Spirit-Nourishing Pills that benefit martial techniques, and so on, they eat them by the bottle!"

Spirit-Nourishing Pills!

"Of course, this world remains the world of the Zhao Kingdom."

Xu Qing changed the subject. "Unless necessary, the four top-tier factions will not offend the imperial court."

"The relationships within this are intricate and complex. You don't need to dwell on it; even if you think about it, you won't figure it out."

"Senior Brother Xu is right; this kind of thing is far too distant from us."

"My dream is just to join the Mountains and Rivers Sect."

Yang Ling said.

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing hurriedly nodded:

"So is ours."

"To join the Mountains and Rivers Sect... If you can render meritorious service with the Red Gold Ore this time and stabilize my position, it's not entirely out of the question to pull some strings."

Xu Qing looked thoughtful.

The eyes of the three lit up slightly.

Just as Yang Ling intended to ask for details, Xu Qing changed the subject.

As they chatted, Yang Ling suddenly asked out of curiosity:

"Senior Brother Xu, what was that Spirit-Nourishing Pill you mentioned just now? Does eating it help with cultivating martial techniques?"

"The Spirit-Nourishing Pill is a fine treasure indeed. After taking it, the martial techniques you cultivate will progress by leaps and bounds."

Xu Qing said, "Martial techniques are divided into five levels altogether: Initial Mastery, Complete Integration, Perfect Mastery, Advanced Mastery, and Transcendent Mastery."

"Initial Mastery is the simplest. Take the Black Tiger Fist as an example—an ordinary martial artist usually achieves Initial Mastery after cultivating it for two or three months."

An ordinary martial artist takes two or three months, huh.

Yang Ling felt a secret sense of relief.

He had only spent four or five days on his first try.

As expected, mental power could indeed be regarded as comprehension.

"Then comes Complete Integration, which might take a year or two. As for Perfect Mastery, it's estimated to require grinding away for a decade or so."

Xu Qing sighed emotionally. "The martial artist I just used as an example can only practice a single martial technique to Perfect Mastery in their entire lifetime, and finding it hard to even reach Advanced Mastery."

"If someone has slightly higher talent, perhaps they can reach the Advanced Mastery realm after spending a dozen years or so, but Transcendent Mastery is out of the question."

"Even among the disciples of the First-Rate Sects, whose talents are among the best in the world, perhaps they can only cultivate a martial technique to Transcendent Mastery in their old age."

"Yet as a martial artist, if you only have a single martial technique to rely on, it's far too dangerous. If you want to practice several more martial techniques, there isn't enough time. What should you do?"

"The Spirit-Nourishing Pill can solve these problems."

"From what I know, within the four First-Rate Sects and even quite a few second-tier sects, there are young martial artists who rely on Spirit-Nourishing Pills and, at a tender age, have multiple martial techniques at the Advanced Mastery level to rely on."

"You must know that the martial techniques they cultivate are far superior to those of our generation, and the difficulty is much higher as well."

Xu Qing said softly, "Compared to them, I'm afraid I wouldn't catch up to them even if I whipped a horse to run its hardest for the rest of my life."

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing fell silent, working hard to digest this information.

Yet Yang Ling drew some conclusions from these words.

The higher the grade of a martial technique, the more proficiency required? The Mountain-Crushing Fist only needs 100 proficiency for Initial Mastery. Could some profound martial techniques start at 1,000 points?

If that's truly the case, without Spirit-Nourishing Pills, even with my extremely high mental power, it would take several decades—or still not be enough—to practice a martial technique to Transcendent Mastery.

The Spirit-Nourishing Pill is the key.

Xu Qing is right; martial techniques are methods for dealing with enemies. The more the better; having too few puts one at a great disadvantage.

Right now I have fist techniques and blade techniques, but I still lack a movement technique.

Thinking of this, Yang Ling asked in a low voice:

"Senior Brother Xu, where can one buy this Spirit-Nourishing Pill?"

"Only the imperial court and the four top-tier factions can procure Spirit-Nourishing Pills."

"We all purchase them from them as well."

"You want to buy some? Its price is very stable: five hundred taels of fine silver per pill."

Xu Qing said with a faint smile.

Hiss—

Five hundred taels!

A Spirit-Nourishing Pill could boost proficiency by five hundred points. Converted down, a single point of proficiency cost one tael of silver?

"So you see, in this world you still have to make money. Making money is the absolute truth."

Xu Qing smiled faintly. "As long as you have money, no matter how poor your talent is, you can rely on all sorts of pills to pile up a realm of cultivation."

"For things like Spirit-Nourishing Pills, no matter whether you have a wooden head or natural supreme talent, the effect of taking them is identical."

"Pills truly uphold the word 'fairness', treating everyone equally without exception."

Chen Xu and Chen Guoqing felt that the two of them were unworthy of listening to such words.

Five hundred taels... This was simply an astronomical sum of wealth that they could hardly imagine.

"If you ever truly want to buy some one day, I suggest you go and ask at the Iron Garment Division."

Xu Qing smiled. "They also have a quota for Spirit-Nourishing Pills. Aside from using them as routine rewards, as long as you have connections, you can also purchase some."

Yang Ling nodded thoughtfully.

He had to admit that he could now be considered a 'disciple' of a top-tier faction.

I must figure out a way to become an Eighth-Rank Iron Garment Constable as soon as possible.

Even though it's not the identity of a Jianghu swordsman, how does this official post manage to make someone feel so secure...

Yang Ling muttered quietly in his heart.