After sailing for over ten days, they finally reached a vast island.
Clouds and mist wreathed the place, its ethereal immortal aura making it seem like a paradise on earth. It refreshed the heart and lifted the spirits, as though they had stepped into another world.
The flying shuttle slowly descended onto a level platform of blue stone, and Qing Chen followed the people from the seven kingdoms down.
"Oh, Senior Brother Gu! Have you returned from a mission?" A greeting came from the stone pavilion beside the platform.
Qing Chen turned to look and saw two disciples in blue Daoist robes standing beneath the pavilion. The words "Mountain Guard" were embroidered in pale gray on their cuffs.
One of the disciples wore a smile as he hurried over to greet them.
His face cold as frost, Senior Brother Gu nodded slightly and replied indifferently, "Mm. I brought back a batch of disciples."
With that, he turned his back to Qing Chen and the others, clasping his hands behind him. "We've arrived. Everyone, get down.
"I'm in a reasonably good mood today, so before taking you to the General Affairs Hall, I'll tell you about the sect's rules. I'll speak, and you'll listen. No interruptions or questions."
Standing among the crowd, Qing Chen stole glances at Senior Brother Gu.
The man's face was stern and cold. Even when he spoke, his Adam's apple barely moved. He was the very picture of a "frozen face."
Qing Chen laughed inwardly. What a frozen face. Once I've made something of my cultivation, I'll have to put on a proper display of greatness before others too.
Everyone followed Senior Brother Gu up the mountain.
The mountain path was paved with blue stone slabs. On either side, exotic flowers and rare plants vied to bloom, giving off wafts of delicate fragrance that intoxicated the senses.
After roughly an hour of walking, the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A hall stood before them, with a plaque hanging above its entrance. The large words "General Affairs Hall" were painted in gold.
The sunlight struck it, dazzling their eyes slightly. Cloud patterns were carved along the plaque's edges, making it look imposing.
Along the way, Senior Brother Gu had explained the sect's circumstances and some matters requiring attention to Qing Chen and the others in detail.
Qing Chen listened so attentively that he even forgot the ache in his legs.
"The Condensed Jade Sect has been passed down for nearly three thousand years and is the foremost great sect in the Azure Wave Archipelago. It has nearly ten thousand Qi Refining Adepts, over a hundred and fifty Foundation Establishment High Persons, and more Golden Core True Persons than you can count on five fingers."
At the words "nearly ten thousand Qi Refining Adepts," Qing Chen's heart gave a sudden leap.
Back in the Jing Kingdom, the most accomplished martial artists he had seen had only been at the first-rate realm.
Even all the martial artists in the seven kingdoms combined probably did not amount to that many.
The foundations of an immortal cultivation sect truly were beyond anything the mortal world could match.
"The sect's defining cultivation method is called the Jade Pivot Jade Heart Spirit Concentration Art. It's a high-grade earth-tier method that allows cultivation up to Nascent Soul True Lord. Practicing it steadies the mind and speeds progress, and in times of danger, it can even keep your Dao heart from being lost."
Qing Chen silently resolved that, no matter how difficult it was, he had to find a way to learn an advanced cultivation method.
"The Condensed Jade Sect is a neutral sect in the Moon Sea Region of the Gouwu Sea. Its main island is called Earth Jade Island, a top-grade tier-three island."
"The islands of the Gouwu Sea are divided into four tiers. Tier-four islands have 'Heaven' in their names, and tier-three islands have 'Earth.' There are too many tier-two and tier-one islands for so much fuss. Only tier-three and tier-four islands are named according to the rules."
Qing Chen silently committed this to memory.
"The sect's rules are very strict. Whoever breaks them, no matter who they are, will have bitter fruit to swallow. Disciples are divided into outer sect disciples, inner sect disciples, and True Disciples."
"Outer sect disciples receive three spirit stones a month. For the first three years, they don't have to work and need only cultivate. After those three years, they must perform a five-year stint of menial service, helping at places such as the Hundred Herbs Hall, Artifact Refining Hall, or Hundred Arts Hall."
"If you haven't reached the middle Qi Refining stage within eight years, your spirit stones will be cut off, and you can only become a menial disciple."
"You must complete one mission every five years. Those who reach the late Qi Refining stage before thirty-five are automatically promoted to the inner sect. Those who reach it before forty must pass an assessment. If you're over forty and still haven't reached it, you can only become an ordinary disciple. You won't receive spirit stones, but you won't have to do menial work."
Hearing "three spirit stones," Qing Chen did some calculations in his head. That was already quite a lot.
Eight years to reach the middle Qi Refining stage was not much time. He would have to seize every moment to cultivate.
"Inner sect disciples receive five spirit stones a month. Their main task is to strive for Foundation Establishment. They aren't required to work, but generally take missions to exchange for resources. If they haven't achieved Foundation Establishment by sixty, they become ordinary disciples or stewards. True Disciples are disciples who have achieved Foundation Establishment. They receive better treatment and hold a more honored position."
At this point, Senior Brother Gu stopped walking and turned to sweep his gaze over everyone, letting it pause briefly on Qing Chen.
Qing Chen's heart tightened, and he hurriedly straightened his back, afraid that anything unusual about him might be noticed.
"The sect's structure is simple too. At the top are the supreme elder and the sect master, both Golden Core True Persons. The supreme elder doesn't handle affairs; the sect master decides everything."
"The elders and the heads of the various halls form the Council of Elders, helping the sect master manage things. The Battle Hall handles warfare and guards the formations; the Hundred Herbs Hall refines pills; the Artifact Refining Hall makes magical treasures and weapons; the Hundred Arts Hall manages the other miscellaneous arts."
"The General Affairs Hall issues missions and handles minor matters. In the future, you'll have to come here to exchange contribution points and collect resources. The Law Enforcement Hall oversees the rules and arrests anyone who commits an offense. The Technique Transmission Hall teaches cultivation methods and is presided over by the technique transmission elder or senior stewards."
Qing Chen made particular note of the General Affairs Hall and the Technique Transmission Hall;
The General Affairs Hall offered resources in exchange, and the Technique Transmission Hall taught cultivation methods. He would have to visit these two places often in the future.
When Senior Brother Gu finished speaking, his tone grew a little colder:
"All right, go inside now. This is as far as I'll take you. Remember, if you fail to advance to the middle Qi Refining stage within eight years, you can only go to the various halls and handle the sect's miscellaneous affairs.
"You will no longer be free, and your time for cultivation will be greatly reduced. Your path to immortality may end there. I hope you conduct yourselves wisely and do not squander your time."
With that, he turned and left, his steps extremely swift. Earlier, he had slowed his pace to accommodate everyone.
Now that he let himself go at full speed, he vanished in the blink of an eye.
While Qing Chen was still staring blankly, a disciple in gray Daoist robes walked over. The words "General Affairs" were embroidered on the chest of his robe.
He toyed with several tokens in his hand. A little ink stained his fingertips, making it look as though he had just been writing.
Impatience showed on his face, and he smacked his lips. "You're lucky to have Senior Brother Gu personally guide you here. He must have told you everything you need to know, so I won't waste words."
He handed over the tokens and storage bags. "Take these. Place the token on your finger and drip a drop of blood onto it to bind it to you. Follow its directions to the outer sect residences, then go to the Technique Transmission Hall. The storage bag contains your rewards for joining the sect. Don't lose it."
Qing Chen reached out and accepted them. The storage bag felt heavy.
The token was black and cool to the touch, like a piece of obsidian.
He glanced at the general affairs disciple and saw that he was frowning, clearly unwilling to linger.
Qing Chen said nothing, accepting his token and storage bag along with the others.
Once the general affairs disciple saw that everyone had received theirs, he waved a hand. "All right, all right. Get going. Don't block the way here."
He seemed quite impatient.
After speaking, he urged them to hurry away.
Qing Chen glanced at the disciple and said nothing more.