3: Can I have multiple companions at once?

The air is really not bad!

Walking out of the examination hall, under the blue sky and white clouds, with not a trace of pollution in the air, Liu Xuan couldn't help but take a deep breath.

Looking around, Liu Xuan discovered that the Red Pine Sect Outer Sect was located at the foot of a mountain. The mountain was shrouded in mist, and one could only faintly see a bright red towering tree at the peak.

"Brother Wang, weren't you going to return to Yongning? Why are you still..." Looking at Wang Xiaokang, who was standing to the side and hadn't left, Liu Xuan asked curiously.

Wang Xiaokang had a bitter expression on his face. "I failed the examination. If I go back now, won't my father beat me to death? I need to think of a foolproof plan!"

"If all else fails..." Wang Xiaokang gritted his teeth and said, "I'll just spend money to buy a spot as an Outer Sect Disciple."

"Can the spot of an Outer Sect Disciple be bought?"

As far as Liu Xuan knew, the Red Pine Sect was, at the very least, the largest Cultivation Sect within a radius of several thousand miles, with a Golden Core True Person presiding over it. Was it really that easy to join?

"What's so strange about that?" Wang Xiaokang looked a bit smug. He pointed around the entire Outer Sect and asked, "Brother Liu, do you know how many people are in the Red Pine Sect Outer Sect?"

"Probably over ten thousand."

The entire Outer Sect had continuous palaces and was bustling with people, like a small city. Liu Xuan had roughly estimated the number of people just now.

"Too low!" Wang Xiaokang shook his head. "The entire Outer Sect has at least thirty thousand Disciples, and that doesn't include the Utility Disciples."

"Among these thirty thousand people, only ten thousand passed the examination to get in, while the other twenty thousand bought their spots with money."

"That many?"

If only a few people bought their spots, it would be considered using connections, but if the majority bought them, it meant it was the Red Pine Sect's own policy.

This Sect was not quite like what he had imagined! Shouldn't a Cultivation Sect be detached from worldly concerns?

"The Red Pine Sect makes money this way?" Liu Xuan asked.

"Smart!" Wang Xiaokang nodded approvingly. "Cultivation emphasizes Wealth, Companions, Techniques, and Land. Wealth is placed first. As long as you have money, even if you don't have a Spiritual Root, you can become a Sect Disciple."

So exaggerated!

How can you Cultivate without money?

Liu Xuan felt his pockets and took out one gold coin, three silver coins, six large copper coins, and six small copper coins from his robes.

"How much does an Outer Sect Disciple spot cost?" Liu Xuan asked.

"Ten Spirit Stones. If you don't pass the assessment after one year, you have to pay another ten."

"Relying on the status of a Red Pine Sect Outer Sect Disciple, if you work hard for a year, you can earn about ten Spirit Stones, so it's not a loss..."

One Spirit Stone is equal to ten gold coins, one hundred silver coins, one thousand large copper coins, and ten thousand small copper coins.

This world has thin Spiritual Qi in ordinary places, which can nurture some spiritual items. Therefore, there is no distinction between the Mortal realm and the Cultivation World; everything is ruled by the Cultivation Sects, and Spirit Stones also circulate in ordinary cities.

In terms of purchasing power, one Spirit Stone is worth about ten thousand yuan, so it's one hundred thousand yuan a year!

"Forget it, I'd better hurry to the Dual Cultivation Hall and take a look!" Liu Xuan looked at Wang Xiaokang and asked, "Brother Wang, do you want to come along?"

Liu Xuan was anxious to marry and have children to unlock the System rewards. He would go to the Dual Cultivation Hall first, and if that didn't work out, he would return to Yongning to look for other opportunities.

The Red Pine Sect was the largest Golden Core Sect in the vicinity. In this world, the Sect controlled everything. It would naturally be best to stay in the Sect to develop.

Liu Xuan came from a farming Family in Yongning. The tuition for the Dao Academy was paid for by his sister. Without money, even if he returned to Yongning, he couldn't marry a woman, or rather, he couldn't marry a high-quality woman, and he couldn't afford to have multiple wives and concubines.

"Since I've finally come to the Red Pine Sect, I also want to look around, so I'll accompany Brother Liu."

Both of them had failed the selection, and Liu Xuan's situation was even worse than his own. Wang Xiaokang felt that staying with Liu Xuan now made him feel a bit better.

The two went to the Dual Cultivation Hall together, meeting several other students from the Dao Academy who had also failed and were heading to the Dual Cultivation Hall along the way.

There were a total of seven large Dao Academies and countless small Dao Academies in the Red Pine Sect's territory, all of which trained talent for the Red Pine Sect. Every year, hundreds of Disciples with Spiritual Roots participated in the Sect's examination.

The Dual Cultivation Hall had a special location for receiving failed students. When Liu Xuan and Wang Xiaokang arrived, there were already some people waiting there.

"Please wait a moment, Young Masters. Steward Liu will be here in a while."

An ordinary Utility Disciple led Liu Xuan and Wang Xiaokang to the hall to sit down and served tea.

In addition to Outer Sect Disciples, the Red Pine Sect Outer Sect also had a larger number of Utility Disciples.

These Utility Disciples were basically ordinary people without Spiritual Roots, mainly serving the Outer Sect Disciples. However, this service was not free; it was also a business of the Sect.

In the evening, after everyone who was supposed to come had arrived, that Steward Liu finally arrived late.

"Everyone, sorry for the wait. Since you are here, you must know the rules, so I won't waste words."

Steward Liu looked at the first seat on the left in the front row of the hall and said, "Let's start with you. Come up and register in order."

Steward Liu's name was Liu Qingqing. She was in her twenties, and her aura was similar to Li Hua's, so her cultivation level was likely at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining.

The first one to go up was a thin male student from the Gumu Dao Academy.

Liu Qingqing took the talisman paper recording the examination results, looked at it, and asked, "Do you want to Cultivate the Cauldron Cultivation Technique, or marry and have children?"

"I want to Cultivate the Cauldron Cultivation Technique!" the thin male student replied.

Liu Qingqing nodded and took out a contract to hand to him. "This is the contract. From now on, all your Dual Cultivation must be completed through our Dual Cultivation Hall. You cannot engage in private transactions. Do you understand?"

"Understood!"

The student left his Divine Soul imprint on the contract.

Liu Qingqing put away the contract and took out a token to give to him. "This is the Dual Cultivation Hall Outer Sect Disciple token. Take it to the General Affairs Hall to receive your various benefits."

"Thank you, Steward Liu!"

The thin male student took the token and left happily.

Liu Xuan discovered that most people chose to Cultivate the Cauldron Cultivation Technique. According to Wang Xiaokang's explanation, the Cauldron Cultivation Technique was just an auxiliary Cultivation Technique; sacrificing some cultivation could be exchanged for very considerable resources, so it was profitable overall.

However, marrying the Mortal children of high-level Cultivators was different. Before giving birth to children with Spiritual Roots, it was difficult to gain the recognition of the high-level Cultivator's Family.

When a person with a Low Grade Spiritual Root combines with an ordinary person without a Spiritual Root, the probability of giving birth to a child with a Spiritual Root is less than one-tenth.

If you are unlucky, you might not be able to give birth to a child with a Spiritual Root even after decades.

Moreover, the matter between men and women consumes a lot of Origin Qi and erodes one's will, which is a great obstacle to the path of Cultivation and is really not worth it.

A quarter of an hour later.

It was Liu Xuan's turn. Liu Qingqing took Liu Xuan's examination talisman paper, looked at it, and asked as usual, "Do you choose the Cauldron Cultivation Technique or to marry?"

"I choose to marry."

Liu Xuan replied decisively.

Liu Qingqing was not surprised. Marrying into or marrying the Mortal children of high-level Cultivators was not without its advantages. If one was lucky and gained the attention of a high-level Cultivator, there might be an opportunity to soar to the sky.

She took out a booklet recording the information of women in need in the Sect and handed it to Liu Xuan to view. Liu Qingqing said, "Select all the ones you think are okay, and we will prioritize arrangements for you."

Liu Xuan flipped through it briefly. It contained lifelike portraits of the women, as well as general Family background information, which was quite comprehensive.

He was not in a hurry to choose. He closed the booklet and asked hesitantly, "Steward Liu, um... may I ask if I can marry several at once?"