52: Inner Sect Rules

In this dim and empty space that belonged only to him, Lin Ye's perpetually tense face finally revealed a genuine, undisguised look of ecstasy.

He took a deep breath.

The air was filled with a faint, cold aura mixed with rock fragments and dust, but the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi it contained was still incredibly rich!

Even this worst Rank Nine Immortal Cave was like this. What kind of Immortal Qi scene would those legendary Rank One and Rank Two Blessed Lands be?

Remote? Perfect!

Desolate? Excellent!

For him, who possessed the System, nothing was more precious than 'peace and quiet'!

Here, there was no Steward Zhang's making things difficult, no Zhao Tian's covetousness, and no endless, arduous chores that could work a person to death!

He could finally devote all his time to the endless journey of cultivating and growing stronger through the System!

With a thought, he brought up the light blue System panel and looked at the several AFK tasks quietly running.

However, just as he was excited by this new beginning and ready to immediately start his first AFK session in his new home—

"Dong! Dong! Dong!"

A dull but incredibly penetrating knocking sound suddenly came from beyond the thick stone door!

Lin Ye's laughter abruptly stopped!

The ecstasy on his face instantly faded, replaced by a profound sense of vigilance and solemnity.

Who? !

Who would find their way to this almost forgotten, remote peak at this time?

He held his breath and silently moved behind the stone door, pushing his hearing, which had become incredibly acute due to Body Refining, to its limit.

Outside the door, there was silence.

Aside from the 'woo woo' sound of the mountain wind brushing against the rocks, there was no other sound.

But Lin Ye could clearly 'sense' a presence outside the door.

That presence was cold and ethereal, like a ten-thousand-year-old profound ice that never melted, or a snow lotus standing alone in the world, carrying an indifference that kept people a thousand miles away.

Thoughts raced through his mind, but in the end, he dared not be negligent. He stepped forward, placed his hands on the stone door, and slowly pushed it open, creating a gap.

The cold moonlight, accompanied by a figure in white robes as pure as snow, entered his vision.

Su Qingyue stood quietly outside the door, her beautiful face still shrouded in a ten-thousand-year-old frost. Her gaze fell calmly on Lin Ye, her cold eyes showing no emotional fluctuations.

"Dis... Disciple Lin Ye greets Senior Sister Su."

Lin Ye quickly bowed, a perfectly timed expression of 'overwhelmed by favor' and 'unease' appearing on his face.

Su Qingyue didn't speak, only handed over a Jade Slip that was cold to the touch.

"By order of the Disciples Hall Deacon, I have come to explain the Inner Sect rules to the newly promoted Disciples."

Her voice was cold and flat, devoid of any emotion, as if she were merely stating something completely unrelated to herself.

So, it was official business.

Lin Ye's mind settled slightly, and he respectfully accepted the Jade Slip: "Thank you, Senior Sister."

Su Qingyue no longer looked at him, but turned around, gazing at the desolate mountains shrouded in moonlight, and slowly began to speak in that straightforward, emotionless tone:

"The Inner Sect is different from the Outer Sect."

"Here, there are no chores, no fixed tasks, and no one will restrict you. You can choose to Cultivate in seclusion all day, or you can choose to go down the mountain for experience. Everything is decided by you."

These words sounded like ultimate freedom.

But Lin Ye detected a hint of suffocating cruelty, diametrically opposed to freedom, in her cold tone.

"But, this freedom comes at a price."

As expected, Su Qingyue's next sentence confirmed his guess.

"In the Inner Sect, everything must be exchanged for one thing—contribution points."

"Better Cultivation Techniques require contribution points. More refined Medicinal Pills require contribution points. Personal guidance from the Elders also requires contribution points."

She extended her slender finger, pointing towards the distant mountains shrouded in mist and Immortal Qi.

"Even the Spiritual Qi Rank of the Immortal Cave we are in now needs contribution points to maintain and improve."

"Inner Sect Immortal Caves are divided into nine Ranks. Black Rock Peak, where you are located, is a Rank Nine Immortal Cave with the thinnest Spiritual Qi. However, the Spiritual Qi concentration in those Rank One and Rank Two Blessed Lands is ten, or even a hundred times that of this place! Cultivating there for one day is equivalent to cultivating diligently here for a month!"

"And there are only two ways to obtain a better Immortal Cave."

"First, exchange it with the Sect using a massive amount of contribution points."

"Second..." She paused, and a hint of cold killing intent finally entered her clear voice, "Challenge the owner of a higher-Rank Immortal Cave! The victor possesses everything! The loser has nothing, and may even... perish!"

"In the Inner Sect, a ranking is conducted monthly based on the Disciples' overall strength. The Sect's monthly Cultivation resources are distributed strictly according to this ranking. The higher the Rank, the more abundant the resources; the lower the Rank, the meager the gains, and it may even... not be enough to cover expenses!"

"So..."

She slowly turned around, her eyes, colder than the moonlight, for the first time, seriously met Lin Ye's.

"This is a cradle for Geniuses, because they can obtain endless resources through their talent and ascend to greatness in one step."

"But this is also Hell for the mediocre. Because they will be squeezed of their last bit of value in this endless competition and plunder, ultimately becoming stepping stones for others to reach higher places."

"All the achievements you made in the Outer Sect are meaningless here. Everything will start from zero."

"My words are done. Take care of yourself."

After speaking the last four words, she did not linger for another moment. Her figure flickered, her white robes fluttering, like an elusive wisp of cloud, completely disappearing into the dense night.

Lin Ye stood alone at the entrance of the cold Immortal Cave, letting the biting night wind blow through his thin clothes.

Su Qingyue's cold and cruel words stripped away the glamorous facade of the Inner Sect, layer by layer, revealing the bloody, dog-eat-dog Law of the jungle within!

His previous ecstasy and excitement from the promotion were completely extinguished at this moment.

He looked towards the distant, majestic mountains, like giant beasts, prostrate in the darkness.

From today onwards, what he would face would no longer be the likes of Zhang Ping and Zhao Tian.

"A cradle for Geniuses? Hell for the mediocre?"

Lin Ye slowly clenched his fists.

"Just how far can I, this 'mediocre person' who relies on the System, leave you so-called 'Geniuses' behind?!"