Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest - Chapter 115:
Chapter 115: Chapter 115: Inner Sect Disciple Wang Chen
Cloud Sun is a large sect.
The Outer Sect has one hundred thousand disciples, the Inner Sect has eight thousand, the Purple Mansion has two hundred, and there are three Golden Core True Persons.
It governs an expanse of tens of thousands of miles, including a mortal kingdom!
Countless Loose Cultivators from the Outer Domain aspire to join the Cloud Sun sect to gain a stable place of refuge and cultivation.
And the Outer Sect disciples of Cloud Sun sect yearn to enter the Inner Sect.
Because the Inner Sect is the core of an Immortal Cultivation sect, where the best cultivation techniques and resources are found.
In the pursuit of power and authority, cultivators are no different from mortals!
Wang Chen was no exception.
Although he was not interested in authority and only wanted to possess truly formidable strength to control his own fate,
becoming an Inner Sect disciple would better fulfill this desire.
Not to mention the numerous secret and profound teachings inside the Scripture Pavilion of the Inner Sect.
Merely the subsequent cultivation techniques of the Five Elements Skill–the Innate Five Elements Skill of the Purple Mansion Realm that can only be attained in the Inner Sect was worth Wang Chen’s efforts.
Under normal circumstances.
For Wang Chen, who had neither a strong background nor extraordinary talent, aspiring to enter the Inner Sect was akin to daydreaming!
The quota for Inner Sect disciples was extremely coveted.
Typically, countless eyes watched eagerly for such an opportunity, leaving no chance for a low-level cultivator like him.
However, the Bandit Arrest Warrant issued against the Grey Eye Thieves broke the usual rules.
It provided everyone with a Path to the Heavens!
Even cultivators like Lv Defang, who had reached Great Perfection in Qi Cultivation, couldn’t help but go out to hunt Evil Cultivators
in exchange for the capital to advance.
This showed how popular the task was!
Wang Chen believed that there were very few Outer Sect disciples who could gather ten Grey Eye Thieves’ heads.
But he feared that delaying could lead to longer nights and more dreams.
If the higher-ups suddenly rescinded the Bandit Arrest Warrant,
the heads he had effortlessly collected would be stuck in his hands, with nowhere to find a remedy for regret!
Therefore, Wang Chen rushed to the Merit Affairs Hall of the main hall early in the morning.
The Merit Affairs Hall was responsible for issuing and settling sect quests, as well as for exchanging Merit Points and rewards.
Wang Chen arrived early, so the Merit Affairs Hall wasn’t very crowded.
When he presented his Identity Plaque to the manager and then offered the ten heads,
requesting the exchange for Inner Sect disciple status,
the manager’s look of astonishment and shock could have made a whole range of emoji!
“Little brother, please wait a moment.”
The normally proud manager of the Merit Affairs Hall put aside his aloofness and cordially said to Wang Chen, “I need to consult with the Hall Master, and these heads also need to be verified.”
What did ten heads of Grey Eye Thieves signify?
If it was done under the leadership of a Purple Mansion Superior or even a Golden Core True Person in a cleansing operation against the Grey Eye Thieves,
then it was normal to have a few or more than a dozen heads as trophies.
But the Bandit Arrest Warrant was entirely different.
It was of hunting nature.
The Grey Eye cultivators who worshipped a formidable Evil God were no easy targets; anyone seeking trouble with them had to be prepared to vanish without a trace.
In fact, since the Bandit Arrest Warrant was issued, there were Outer Sect disciples who had compiled enough heads to exchange for Inner Sect status.
But they were mostly members of Purple Mansion families who completed the task with the help of their families’ power.
For a low-ranking cultivator like Wang Chen, it was truly rare!
There were many who ventured into the Outer Domain only to have their Soul Tablets shattered.
The manager of the Merit Affairs Hall had no intention of making things difficult for Wang Chen; he was just being extra cautious in case of any issues.
Wang Chen naturally had no fear of inspection.
The result was alarming enough for the Hall Master to come over and personally verify the ten heads.
Then it was confirmed that all the heads belonged to Qi Cultivation Realm Grey Eye Evil Cultivators!
“Little brother is truly exceptional!”
Hall Master Lu from the Merit Affairs Hall was a cultivator who had achieved Great Perfection in Qi Cultivation.
After the verification, he said to Wang Chen with a smiling face, “Congratulations on your promotion to the Inner Sect!”
This Outer Sect Hall Master didn’t care how Wang Chen had completed the task.
Whether the heads were slain, stolen, or snatched, as long as they made it here, that was skill!
He was very willing to create a good bond with the newly-promoted Inner Sect Disciple Wang Chen.
Wang Chen responded with a salute, “Thank you, senior brother.”
With Hall Master Lu present, the exchange of rewards went very smoothly.
Wang Chen’s Identity Plaque was switched from a Black Iron Plaque to a White Jade Plaque representative of the Inner Sect!
Hall Master Lu informed Wang Chen.
For the Bandit Arrest Warrant, a total of one hundred White Jade Plaques had been distributed to the outer Merit Affairs Halls.
Until all are exchanged.
As of now, including Wang Chen’s, a total of eighty-nine have already been exchanged!
Wang Chen’s timing wasn’t too late; if he had waited longer, things might have become difficult.
A thought struck Wang Chen.
He had initially planned to take out the other three heads and exchange them directly for Merit Points.
But now he decided to wait and see.
After all, the heads were in his Storage Bag and wouldn’t fly away. He had already secured the crucial Inner Sect qualification; he could exchange for Merit Points anytime since there was no limit on the number that could be exchanged.
At the end, Hall Master Lu said to Wang Chen, “You must, within half a month, go to the Inner Sect’s Sunset Peak to re-register in the Immortal Register!”
Although Wang Chen had already obtained the qualification for the Inner Sect,
before he re-registered in the Immortal Register, he wasn’t yet considered a true Inner Sect Disciple and could not enjoy the corresponding benefits and treatments.
After Hall Master Lu left, more and more Outer Sect cultivators began showing up in the Merit Affairs Hall.
Wang Chen felt fortunate that he had come early.
He finished the procedures quickly.
Otherwise, once everyone found out he had actually used heads to exchange for Inner Sect qualification,
the various onlookers’ envy, jealousy, hatred, shocks, and exclamations of surprise and admiration might have made him so embarrassed he’d start digging a three-room flat on the ground with his toes.
Wang Chen truly didn’t want to stand out; it was best to be a low-key cultivator quietly.
“This Senior Brother, if you please.”
Just as Wang Chen was preparing to slip away quietly, a white-robed cultivator suddenly approached him with a grin, bowed, and said, “May I have a word with you?”
In an unperturbed tone, Wang Chen asked, “What do you want?”
The other party was unfamiliar, definitely not someone he had met before. A sudden approach like this definitely had a purpose!
“Of course, it’s a good thing.”
The white-robed cultivator lowered his voice, “Senior Brother, do you still have any surplus Grey Eye Thieves’ heads? I’m willing to pay double the Merit Points to purchase them. I’ll give the points first and then take the heads!”
Wang Chen was surprised, “How would we transact Merit Points?”
Merit Points couldn’t be traded directly; they could only be used to exchange for cultivation resources or techniques at the Merit Affairs Hall, Scripture Pavilion, and other places.
And evidently, the other party knew that he had just exchanged for Inner Sect qualification.
Because Wang Chen was now considered an Inner Sect Disciple, the white-robed cultivator addressed him as “Senior Brother.”
Inner Sect and Outer Sect, the difference in status was clear, irrelevant to age.
The question was, Wang Chen hadn’t even noticed the existence of this person just a moment ago!
“Leave that to me, Junior Brother.”
The white-robed cultivator was overjoyed, hurriedly saying, “I assure you, I’ll handle it perfectly and won’t trouble Senior Brother in the slightest!”
His earlier question was a probe, a shot in the dark to see if it would hit any dates.
And it struck gold!
The method of the white-robed cultivator was actually very simple.
He asked Wang Chen to accept a few designated tasks in the Merit Affairs Hall, then give the task items to Wang Chen.
Wang Chen would submit the tasks and naturally obtain the Merit Points for the rewards.
Pooled together from several tasks, six hundred Merit Points were in hand!
Pure and sanitary.
Since the transaction was completed inside the Merit Affairs Hall, and the points were given before the heads, there was no risk of traps or any other foul play. Wang Chen easily gained twice the Merit Points.
Far better than exchanging them directly!
Where there are policies from above, there are ways around them below.
Actually, Wang Chen should have thought of such an alternative method long ago.
But his mind had never been on taking shortcuts.
Wang Chen was certain that the other party was profiting from buying and selling the Grey Eye Thieves’ heads.
That fellow was nothing more than a sly broker lurking around the Merit Affairs Hall!
The ones actually spending Spirit Stones were likely those low-tier Second-Generation Cultivators who wanted a shortcut to enter the Inner Sect.
Or maybe the prodigal offspring of the wealthy!
Those with real strength or background didn’t need to resort to such tactics.
“Thank you, Senior Brother!”
The white-robed cultivator was delighted with the successful transaction, pouring out a barrage of compliments, “I wish Senior Brother limitless success in the Inner Sect and a speedy advancement to Breakthrough Mansion…
As he spoke, he offered a Messenger Crane with both hands, “Senior Brother, if you need anything at all, just come find this Junior Brother!”
Wang Chen didn’t decline.
Knowing someone like this person had no downsides, and he might come in handy at some point.
But he must not become close friends with him!
The white-robed cultivator’s abundant, respectful phrases, filled with respect and a tinge of flattery, made Wang Chen suddenly realize that the times had changed.
He was no longer the same low-ranking Outer Sect cultivator.
Now, on Wang Chen’s forehead, the words “Inner Sect Disciple” shone in four dazzling gold characters!
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