The two left the treasury and followed the bluestone path toward the main peak.
Along the way, True Lord Linghan walked at an unhurried pace, casually explaining the Jieqing Sect's rules to the girl beside him.
The Jieqing Sect had stood for ten thousand years, and its rules were strict.
Its tens of thousands of disciples were divided as clearly as the waters of the Jing and Wei Rivers.
Those who had yet to form a Dao Chess piece were all outer disciples.
Once they crossed that threshold and entered the Chessmaster Realm, they could distinguish themselves, rise to the inner sect, and receive instruction in the sect's profound techniques.
If their cultivation advanced further, beyond the Fourth-Piece Chessmaster Realm, and they possessed outstanding talent, they had a chance of being accepted by one of the peak elders as a personal disciple.
At that stage, they no longer needed to concern themselves with the sect's mundane affairs and could devote themselves entirely to cultivating the Great Dao.
As for the accomplished cultivators who advanced beyond the Eight-Piece Chessmaster Realm,
they qualified to serve as sect stewards or even elders, wielding considerable authority.
As they spoke, the two passed through a grove of purple bamboo.
The view ahead suddenly opened up.
A magnificent complex of halls rose along the mountainside.
Blue bricks and green tiles, sweeping eaves and upturned corners.
From time to time, cultivators in Daoist robes of various colors rode the wind between the halls.
From deep within the complex came the faint sounds of heated debate, accompanied by repeated clashes of Daoist energies. It was quite a lively scene.
"Before us is the Dao Discussion Palace, an important site where our Jieqing Sect imparts its teachings."
True Lord Linghan stopped and pointed ahead.
"The heart of a sect's