Divine Maiden Sect

Biodata

Power Progression

Documented breakthroughs of the founder and key participants in the sect’s cultivation program:

History

Authorization and Preparations

Qi Zhaoyue conceived the Divine Maiden Sect after entering the Celestial Person Realm. Great Yu’s imperial family members, male or female, gained the right to establish their own residence and sect upon reaching the Eleventh Realm. She assigned her trusted guard, Ye Luoxue, to handle preparations and subsequently received the emperor’s decree authorizing the undertaking 4 5.

Ye Luoxue spread the recruitment announcement throughout most of Great Yu within three days. Promises of abundant resources and personal instruction from Qi Zhaoyue drew female cultivators toward the capital. Meanwhile, cultivators of the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment realms rapidly constructed the sect’s initial facilities on Mount Qingliang 14 18.

Founding and First Recruitment

Ye Luoxue presided over the founding ceremony while Qi Zhaoyue observed visitors from a nearby peak. Cultivators, aristocratic families, and representatives of numerous sects attended. A ten-li red carpet led up from the mountain’s foot, accompanied by flags embroidered with golden divine maidens 22.

The first recruitment produced twelve candidates considered suitable for core training and 218 ordinary disciples. Qi Zhaoyue ordered eight infiltrators among the selected candidates executed, judging them insufficiently exceptional to justify cultivating. She subsequently expelled disciples who mocked the impoverished Fanyin and accepted Fanyin as her first personal disciple 25 26.

Early Development

Zhu Xiaoliang received the first sect-allocated place in the Lotus Grotto-Heaven. Qi Zhaoyue then offered comparable opportunities to guest elders Meng Weiyi and Xu Qingci, intending their future breakthroughs to attract more outstanding recruits. Fanyin’s participation was deferred until she had established a proper cultivation foundation 23 35 36.

Organization and Personnel

• Qi Zhaoyue — Founder and sect master. Determines recruitment policy, approves candidates, and controls access to the sect’s secret cultivation opportunities 4 23 25.
• Ye Luoxue — Founding administrator and enforcer. Oversees construction, publicity, recruitment lists, and the founding ceremony; carries out Qi Zhaoyue’s execution orders 13 18 22 25.
• Zhu Xiaoliang — Guest elder. The Heaven Sect leader’s direct disciple and the first recruit selected for the Lotus Grotto-Heaven cultivation program 23 34.
• Xu Qingci — Guest elder. Represents White Deer Academy, whose leadership instructed her to observe the sect and report its movements 14 34.
• Meng Weiyi — Guest elder. Comes from White Emperor City and pledges loyalty to Qi Zhaoyue if offered a path to the Eleventh Realm 25 34 35.
• Fanyin — First personal disciple of Qi Zhaoyue. An orphan without prior cultivation whose exceptional aptitude earns her acceptance despite her impoverished background 26.

Recruitment and Policies

Eligibility

• Women only: Male disciples are excluded 4 16.
• Multiple cultivation traditions: Confucian, Buddhist, Daoist, demon, sword, and martial cultivators are eligible; the public announcement also welcomes alchemy and talisman specialists 4 14.
• Talent over ancestry: Family background, lineage, bloodline, and existing cultivation are not prerequisites for exceptional candidates 14 26.
• Continuous admissions: Suitable applicants may join at any time rather than waiting for fixed recruitment intervals 25.
• Existing affiliations permitted: Zhu Xiaoliang is not required to leave the Heaven Sect to join. Qi Tiannian describes such outside connections as valuable to Qi Zhaoyue’s coalition-building 15.

First Recruitment Results

Facilities and Cultivation Resources

Mount Qingliang

• Outer sect site: Located north of the imperial capital, with gates, a main hall, and disciple residences 18.
• Initial accommodation: Space for 1,000 disciples; the site could be expanded to a maximum capacity of 100,000 18.
• Sect master’s grand hall: Used by Qi Zhaoyue to meet the guest elders and her personal disciple 34.

Lotus Grotto-Heaven

• Restricted cultivation site: Houses Xu Changsheng, whose Divine Yang Sacred Physique provides the origin essence behind Qi Zhaoyue’s rapid advancement 9 23 28.
• Controlled access: Qi Zhaoyue selects participants; Ye Luoxue possesses a lotus mark that permits entry 13 19 23.
• Binding secrecy: Zhu Xiaoliang must swear a Heavenly Dao Contract before learning the secret, including a prohibition against revealing it to her own master 23.
• Selective allocation: Exceptional aptitude and appearance both influence eligibility for this opportunity, unlike ordinary sect admission 25 35.
• Refinement requirement: Origin essence must be refined rather than absorbed without restraint. Qi Zhaoyue specifically instructs Ye Luoxue to visit Xu Changsheng only once every seven days 13.
• Foundation requirement: Fanyin must first build her cultivation foundations before receiving the opportunity 36.

Promised Cultivation Outcomes

Political Role and External Relations

• Imperial succession: Qi Zhaoyue explicitly calls the sect one of her greatest supports in contending for the throne, refusing to abandon it even at Xu Changsheng’s objection 17.
• Crown Prince Qi Tiannian: Sends Zhu Xiaoliang to monitor Qi Zhaoyue and uncover the secret of her cultivation, hoping to prevent further breakthroughs that could threaten his succession 15.
• White Deer Academy: Places Xu Qingci in the sect as part of its policy of maintaining connections with multiple succession factions. Her instructions emphasize observation rather than unconditional service 14.
• Daoist Heaven and Earth Sects: Qi Zhaoyue’s relationship with Earth Sect leader Bai Yuqiong and Zhu Xiaoliang’s arrival lead Great Yu to assume both sects support her claim. This is presented as a widespread political assumption, not a formal alliance declaration 23.
• Foreign recruitment ambitions: Qi Zhaoyue orders continued publicity beyond Great Yu, naming Great Xia, Great Li, and Northern Liang. Her stated goal is for female cultivators throughout the White Jade World to regard the sect as a sacred cultivation ground 19.

Recruitment Strategy and Security

• Demonstrating opportunity: Fanyin’s acceptance serves as proof that talented women of humble origins can rise within the sect 26 36.
• Attracting established prodigies: Qi Zhaoyue intends Zhu Xiaoliang’s projected Tenth Realm breakthrough to draw holy maidens and direct disciples from major powers 19 35 36.
• Winning over infiltrators: Qi Zhaoyue believes exceptional spies can be bound by Heavenly Dao Contracts and persuaded through the benefits of Xu Changsheng’s origin essence 13 25.
• Punishing unsuitable spies: The execution of eight recruits warns outside factions against sending infiltrators who fail to meet her standards 25.