Outer Affairs Hall, Monthly Stipend

Outer Affairs Hall, Monthly Stipend

The Qi Refining Stage was merely the foundation of a cultivator's path.

Before reaching the Late Qi Refining Realm, the turbid qi within a cultivator's body remained dense, and they could only be considered to possess an acquired body. Only after advancing to the Late Qi Refining Realm would a cultivator's body, cleansed by spiritual power, complete the crucial step of returning from the acquired to the innate, allowing them to go without food for a short time. To people of the mortal world, this realm was what they called the Innate Realm. However, to truly live without consuming the smoke and fire of the mortal world, one had to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm.

Without reaching the Innate Realm, a cultivator still had to eat.

After cultivating in his room for nearly a day, Hu Donghan felt hunger in his belly and went first to the outer sect disciples' dining hall to casually eat some food.

Along the way, Hu Donghan encountered several Wandering Souls and wild ghosts. He circulated a trace of spiritual power into his fist and smashed them with a punch, scattering them outright.

After walking for less than a quarter of an hour, Hu Donghan arrived outside the Outer Affairs Hall.

The Outer Affairs Hall was the place within the Yin Soul Sect specifically responsible for handling matters concerning outer sect disciples. Matters such as outer sect disciples receiving cultivation Spirit Stones and medicinal pills, or accepting and handing in outer sect missions, were all handled at the Outer Affairs Hall.

As a large sect, the Yin Soul Sect had over a million registered disciples in total!

Among those million-plus people, there were three Spirit Transformation ancestors, over twenty Nascent Soul Realm ancestors, and more than a thousand Golden Core Realm cultivators!

Evil path sects were far more disorderly in their management than righteous path sects.

Those of the evil path had always believed that the fist ruled supreme. Once one's cultivation reached the Golden Core Realm, one could be considered a backbone of the Yin Soul Sect, call oneself an "ancestor," and establish one's own mountain peak within the territory under the Yin Soul Sect's control, founding a branch of one's own.

Of course, the Yin Soul Sect was only somewhat disorderly in its management. Its methods of control were countless times more ruthless than those of righteous path sects. The Enforcement Hall was personally controlled by Soul Devourer, a Spirit Transformation ancestor renowned for his venomous cruelty. Any registered disciple who violated sect rules, even a Nascent Soul Realm ancestor, had to obediently take the punishment! Since the founding of the Yin Soul Sect, more than ten Nascent Soul Realm ancestors had been killed by the Enforcement Hall, over a thousand Golden Core Realm ancestors had perished, and as for Foundation Establishment and Qi Refining Stage cultivators, their deaths were too numerous to count.

Bloodbone Peak, where the Yin Soul Sect's main Enforcement Hall stood, was crimson from top to bottom. Corpses and bones lay everywhere from its base to its summit. Walking along it, one would feel yin energy pressing in from all sides. Ordinary disciples would feel a chill in their hearts at the sight of Bloodbone Peak. More timid disciples might be so frightened upon seeing Enforcement Hall disciples that they could not even move.

Those bones had not been gathered by someone with nothing better to do. Every single one belonged to a genuine Yin Soul Sect disciple!

Apart from the Enforcement Hall, the Yin Soul Sect also had the Battle Hall, specifically responsible for fighting external battles; the Outer Affairs Hall, responsible for outer sect disciples; the Internal Affairs Hall, responsible for inner sect disciples; the Earthfire Hall, responsible for artifact forging and pill refinement; and more. Other than the Battle Hall, which handled external warfare, and the Enforcement Hall, which specialized in law enforcement, these sect departments established branch halls on the Yin Soul Sect's various separate mountain peaks to facilitate management.

Hu Donghan was currently on Overlapping Peaks, belonging to a Golden Core Realm ancestor named Li Chengfeng.

Li Chengfeng possessed Late Golden Core Realm cultivation, and among the Yin Soul Sect's Golden Core Realm cultivators, his strength ranked among the very best.

Li Chengfeng's Ghost Wraith was a high-grade War Ghost. Once battle began, it would be filled with fighting spirit, charging headlong and rampaging about like a Mad Demon. Thus, people called it "Mad Demon." After Li Chengfeng advanced to the Golden Core Realm, he came to be known as the Mad Demon Ancestor.

On either side outside the Outer Affairs Hall stood two Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators dressed in green, keeping watch.

Within the Yin Soul Sect, although there were no restrictions on clothing colors, absolutely no one dared to wear green casually.

A set of tight green clothes, together with the Discipline Whip and Iron Law Tablet issued by the Enforcement Hall, formed the standard attire of Enforcement Hall disciples. Wearing green casually did not violate sect rules, but it was equivalent to offending all the Enforcement Hall disciples. Anyone who casually wore green and later committed an offense would absolutely be dealt with to the death.

Disputes often arose within the Outer Affairs Hall. Enforcement Hall disciples stood guard here precisely to wait for someone to break the rules.

The Yin Soul Sect's rules allowed insults and even physical fights, but spiritual power absolutely could not be used. If one wanted to use spiritual power to determine superiority with another, then they had to go to the arena of the main sect's Enforcement Hall. There, people could fight to the death, and absolutely no one would interfere. But if sect disciples fought privately within the sect and were discovered, the lightest punishment was a whipping; the heavier punishment was having their souls extracted and spirits flayed, then being made into sky lanterns.

Hu Donghan entered the main hall of the Outer Affairs Hall in a proper manner. His gaze swept around before finally settling on an area marked with a sign reading "Monthly Stipend."

Unlike the areas marked "Sect Missions," "Miscellaneous Affairs," and the like, the area marked "Monthly Stipend" contained only two simple sets of tables and chairs, with an old man seated at each.

Both old men were early Foundation Establishment Realm cultivators and appeared half-asleep. Cultivators serving as stewards in the Outer Affairs Hall were all elderly cultivators with poor talent and insufficient opportunities, who knew they would never break through within their lifetimes. The sect's consistent attitude toward such cultivators was to let them drift as they pleased, neither managing nor caring about them. So long as these people did not seek trouble for themselves, the sect could not be bothered to pay them any attention.

Hu Donghan walked up to one of the old men. The old man immediately woke up, swept his eyes over Hu Donghan, and said indifferently, "Junior nephew, what business do you have? If you wish to accept a sect mission, please go elsewhere. This place only distributes monthly stipends to Qi Refining Stage cultivators."

The cultivation resources the Yin Soul Sect provided to Qi Refining Stage cultivators were already scarce to begin with, and they were only valid for the current month. Qi Refining Stage cultivators generally claimed them immediately at the beginning of each month. Few still had not collected their monthly stipend after the month had begun.

Though the old man's attitude was poor, Hu Donghan did not mind. He merely cupped his hands respectfully and said, "Martial uncle, your nephew has just reached the Qi Refining First Layer today and has come to collect this month's stipend."

"Just reached the Qi Refining First Layer?" The old man swept his eyes over Hu Donghan. "I recall that our sect accepted a batch of new disciples three months ago. Were you from that batch?"

"That is correct." Hu Donghan answered, then added, "This junior is named Hu Donghan. Martial uncle may check."

The old man nodded, then took out a jade slip. He swept it with his divine sense, and an astonished expression appeared on his face. "Indeed, your name is here. Your spirit roots are only a Middle-Grade Four-Spirit Root. No wonder it took you three months to reach the Qi Refining First Layer. Here is your monthly stipend for this month: five Spirit Stones and two Lesser Qi-Nourishing Pills. Confirm it."

The Yin Soul Sect's rules were strict, and there was not the slightest loophole when it came to monthly stipends—cultivators who dared tamper with monthly stipends generally received treatment of the sort where even dying was difficult.

After confirming that the monthly stipend was correct, Hu Donghan saluted the old man and took his leave.

(End of this chapter)