The next day.
After waking up, Chen Yu got dressed and checked himself over. Once he was certain that nothing about his appearance violated any rules, he prepared to head to the Miscellaneous Goods Pavilion halfway down the mountain to buy a new robe for an Outer Sect disciple of Emerald Cloud Peak.
But the moment he opened the door, he found quite a few people standing outside.
They were all disciples of Emerald Cloud Peak.
Men and women.
Young and old.
When Chen Yu opened the door, their eyes lit up. A moment later, the space outside erupted into a noisy uproar, everyone clamoring to speak at once.
"He's out! He's out!"
"Junior Brother, lend me a few points to spend."
"I heard you brought a valuable treasure out of the Immortal Ruins last night and earned 140 points?"
"Junior Brother, care to learn about the Emerald Cloud Points Association? You deposit your points with us, and we use them to invest or provide loans to other disciples. If you invest 100 points, you can earn one point in interest every month. Interested?"
"Sweet little brother, want a cultivation partner?"
"..."
?
Chen Yu froze.
He turned around,
and slammed the door shut.
Everything instantly went quiet.
"I must have opened the door wrong."
He muttered to himself.
Then he took a deep breath and opened the door again.
"He's out again!"
"Junior Brother... points... want some."
"140 points?"
"...Emerald Cloud Points Association?"
"My darling~~~"
"..."
Bang-
Chen Yu shut the door again.
It wasn't an illusion.
Nor was there anything wrong with the way he opened the door.
His wealth had been exposed.
Just as Chen Yu was considering how to drive these people away, a sharp rebuke suddenly came from the other side of the doorway, laden with disgust, disdain, contempt, and a hint of anger:
"Get lost!"
"A pack of dogs, barking madly!"
After that,
everything outside fell silent for a moment.
Then,
an even fiercer uproar broke out.
"What did she say?!"
"She said we're barking like mad dogs."
"You're the mad dog!"
"How dare you!"
Judging by the voice, that remark about barking dogs seemed to have come from his strange next-door neighbor.
Chen Yu opened his door and peeked out.
Everyone outside had now gathered in front of the neighboring door.
Through the gaps in the crowd, Chen Yu saw the other disciples talking over one another as they fired back, while his neighbor stared coldly at them with disgust, disdain, and contempt, as though she were looking at a pile of garbage.
Perfect chance!
Chen Yu seized the opportunity to slip away.
He hurried to the Miscellaneous Goods Pavilion halfway down the mountain and bought a new robe, spending one point.
Then, after some thought, Chen Yu headed to the dining hall.
Judging by what had happened today, word that he had earned 140 points last night had clearly spread everywhere. The disciples of Emerald Cloud Peak were a mixed bunch. With so many eyes on him, it would be safer to lie low for now.
The sect's Code of Conduct Manual explicitly stated that no one could enter another disciple's residence without an invitation.
And since the Dao Sect strictly prohibited fighting, he would be perfectly safe inside his room.
The reason he hadn't received this treatment after taking out a loan from Elder Sun was probably that he had gone straight to the Scripture Repository immediately afterward.
Besides, points acquired through a loan were different from points earned through the Immortal Ruins last night.
The former might inspire a sense of shared suffering.
But the latter...
would most likely only breed jealousy.
He was planning to go into secluded cultivation anyway, so he might as well stock up on dry rations and save himself the trouble of going out.
While packing up his dry rations, Chen Yu ran into Lü Yanyan.
"Junior Brother."
The moment Lü Yanyan spotted Chen Yu, she came over to greet him.
There was nothing unusual about her today. She wasn't acting coquettish, innocent, or like a mature older woman; she had returned to the normal manner she'd shown when they met a few days ago.
"Senior Sister Lü," Chen Yu replied.
"It's Senior Sister Yanyan," Lü Yanyan corrected him tirelessly.
"Of course, Senior Sister Lü." Chen Yu nodded.
Lü Yanyan gave him a reproachful look, helplessness showing on her face. Then she glanced at the new robe he was carrying and the considerable amount of dry rations he had packed, looking puzzled. "Junior Brother, what's all this?"
"People found out that I discovered a valuable treasure last night and earned 140 points. When I got up this morning, a whole crowd of fellow disciples was waiting outside my door. If I hadn't seized a chance to sneak out, I might not even have gotten anything to eat today." Chen Yu shrugged. "I was planning to spend some time in secluded cultivation anyway, so I figured I'd bring back more food and simply stay inside for a while."
"So that's what happened."
Lü Yanyan nodded.
"The disciples of Emerald Cloud Peak face the greatest pressure when it comes to points. Under that kind of pressure, all sorts of wicked thoughts inevitably sprout, so people's hearts here are much more complicated than on the other peaks. It's only natural that you'd attract attention after suddenly earning so many points."
At this point, Lü Yanyan paused.
A thoughtful expression crossed her face.
"But hiding alone won't help with something like this."
"As long as those points are still in your hands, people will keep watching you."
"Do you have a solution, Senior Sister?" Chen Yu asked, following her lead.
"I do."
Lü Yanyan looked at Chen Yu and smiled, nodding.
None of the three approaches she'd tried last night had managed to stir Chen Yu's heart. After returning home, she had reflected painfully on her failure and changed her strategy.
She had decided to be slightly more proactive than before and gradually close the distance between herself and Chen Yu.
She would take the long view.
"You could try joining the Heavenly Union Association," Lü Yanyan said.
The Heavenly Union Association?
That name sounds a little familiar.
Chen Yu thought back.
Then he remembered.
When the old man at the Scripture Repository had recommended using loans to pay off loans, he had mentioned that besides Elder Sun, three other places offered lending services.
The Heavenly Union Association had been one of them.
"The Heavenly Union Association was originally founded by a group of powerful Outer Sect disciples. It's been around for over a hundred years now, and it's also the only officially permitted organization within the Dao Sect's Outer Sect."
Lü Yanyan explained the Heavenly Union Association to Chen Yu.
"As long as you join the Heavenly Union
Association, no one will dare linger at your door and get in your way again."
"Besides, the Heavenly Union Association has plenty of shared information. That would also help you challenge the Outer Sect Genius Ranking, Junior Brother."
Chen Yu nodded at her words.
"Then how do I join the Heavenly Union Association?"
"Well..."
Lü Yanyan said:
"You could call it simple, and it really is simple. But you could also call it difficult, and it truly is difficult. All you have to do is pass the Heavenly Union Association's test. As for what exactly the test involves... it's different for everyone, so I can't give you anything to use as a reference."
Hearing this, Chen Yu asked curiously, "Then have you joined the Heavenly Union Association yet, Senior Sister?"
"Not yet."
Lü Yanyan shook her head.
"I'm preparing for my sixth attempt, hoping I'll finally make it ashore."
"Preparing for the test?"
Chen Yu was surprised.
"Yes. You can take the Heavenly Union Association's test multiple times. You only need to pass once," Lü Yanyan said with a nod. "So if you'd like to give it a try, Junior Brother, I can contact them for you."
"All right." Chen Yu nodded. "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Sister."
"It's no trouble."
Lü Yanyan smiled.
"Happy to help."