44: Chapter 43 Jin City Begins 44: Chapter 43 Jin City Begins After the sect initiation ceremony was complete, a month of introductory education followed, covering a broad range of topics such as the allocation of sect benefits, confirmation of duties, inheritance of cultivation techniques, learning environment, and so on.

All these had to be slowly adapted to within Jin City, but there were two things that must immediately be dealt with.

One was the inheritance of cultivation techniques, which related to cultivation and required visiting the Sword Storage Pavilion to make a selection; the other was to hustle and secure an official position, as the good spots wouldn’t just fall into one’s lap.

Without competing for them, you would end up in the most perilous places, with endless trivial matters and frequent demon incursions.

Of course, every situation has its pros and cons.

The most challenging places could also be where one is tempered the most, as long as you can make it out.

This is the most significant characteristic of the Demon Sect lineage, not tolerated by the Daoist and Buddhist Sects, believing that it infringes upon the rights of mortals to govern themselves.

The philosophy of the Quanzhen Sect is to emphasize both cultivation and worldly involvement; it wouldn’t give you an entirely independent space where you have no worries for food and drink, a continuous supply of resources, and all you need to do is focus on cultivating every day.

Cultivators raised this way are useless, unaware of the suffering in the world, ignorant of the ways of the world, inclined to self-admiration, just like those Daoist simpletons.

Once you reach the Essence Building Realm, you will definitely be assigned to work in the local areas, such as the dozens of towns like Jiangyou Town in the lower Da Feng Plain, which are the destinations for these people, to manage public welfare, eradicate demons, or contest with external forces.

In this process, you continue to grow and change your position based on the merits of your governance and changes in your realm.

You either rise through the ranks, waste your years achieving nothing, or perish in battle.

Those who emerge from such an environment are exceptional talents with excellent strength, character, and ability, ensuring the smooth operation of the Quanzhen Sect’s entire system.

They are capable of combat and governance, standing out in personal strength, deeply dreaded by the Daoist Sect.

The few individuals Hou Niao initially encountered in Jiangyou Town upon his arrival in Shan Country were pawns in this system, each striving to accumulate enough to seize an opportunity to soar to new heights.

Therefore, it is vital to network, pay homage to influential figures, and jostle with others to secure a position advantageous to oneself.

But Hou Niao didn’t need to worry about this just yet.

He hadn’t reached the Essence Building Realm, and venturing out would be akin to delivering his head on a platter, so he could stay in Jin City for the time being.

That didn’t mean he could laze about, though.

He couldn’t take up a main official’s duty, but he could still work as an errand runner or a minor official, tasks within his capabilities like running errands or maintaining order in court.

His specific placement would naturally become clear after a month.

For now, his immediate task was to choose the direction of his future cultivation technique at the Sword Storage Pavilion and the combat methods he could use at his current stage.

Hurrying to the Sword Storage Tower, he was startled by the scene before him.

Over a hundred people were gathered, noisy and bustling, the modestly sized Sword Storage Pavilion was packed to the brim, immediately quelling his desire to peruse cultivation techniques.

Capital Commandant Li had once told him that his few cultivation techniques were top-notch Daoist foundational techniques.

In this respect, they were no less than those of the Quanzhen Sect, and he could continue to cultivate them; as for combat methods, what could be more useful than the skills he honed battling Wandering Souls in the Soul Realm?

That was actual combat experience, encompassing a variety of weapons and spells, unheard of and unseen…

Having made his decision, he resolved to settle down first, finding a place to stay in Jin City.

The guest lodgings provided to them after becoming formal disciples of the Quanzhen Sect were no longer available, and since he didn’t know how long he’d remain in the Energy Induction phase, securing suitable accommodation was a necessity.

Too lazy to find a place himself, he preferred to leave such tedious tasks to the professionals—it was much more convenient and efficient.

Upon declaring his identity as a disciple of the Quanzhen Sect, the estate agent immediately dismissed any treacherous thoughts of profiting from the chaos.

To these mortals, everyone in the world could be offended, except these cultivators.

The urban layout of Jin City was essentially centered around the Sword Mansion; the only factor determining rent was the proximity to the Sword Mansion.

With his wealth of experience, the estate agent quickly secured him a residency on the outskirts of the city, in a quiet neighborhood predominantly inhabited by impoverished scholars and small workshop owners.

Understanding the needs of cultivators, the estate agent was rewarded with a hefty sum by a satisfied Hou Niao.

The landlord was a Mr.

Mu, a small businessman by origin with a thin family line.

With two courtyards in the area, he rented out the smaller one to supplement the family income—perfectly suitable.

Later in the evening, after a satisfying round of battles in the Soul Realm, Hou Niao took out the Treasure Gourd, eager to see what remedy it held within.

Following the method taught by his master, he placed his hand on the mouth of the gourd and rotated the spell…

This was the method for low-ranked cultivators to open a Treasure Gourd.

Once reaching the Tongxuan stage, a turn of the Divine Soul would suffice, but he was currently without such abilities.

Upon opening the Treasure Gourd, neatly arranged inside were his initiation gifts, as well as the three months’ worth of sect benefits.

Whether there were differences for different realms and people, he didn’t know, nor did he care to nitpick; after all, a sect of such magnitude wouldn’t play tricks on a minor disciple like him.

The first thing that caught his eye was a sword—the standard cultivation longsword of the Quanzhen Sect, infused with cultivation materials and apparently several levels above his heavy sword…

Those four penniless guys, and to think that Lu the Stupid even wrote a poem for it.

Three Jade Scrolls, one documenting the history of the Quanzhen Sect, starting thousands of years ago, profiling various ancestors, notable figures, and historical events in great detail.

Another scroll gave an overview of Shan Country and the surrounding cultivation forces.

This was much more specific and offered a rough estimate of the Quanzhen Sect’s strength and distribution.

For instance, the Da Feng Plain played a crucial role as a significant border continent against the Daoist Anhe Country.

The third Jade Scroll was a general compendium of the Daoist Record, covering all aspects of cultivation, including mainstream pursuits such as cultivation techniques, as well as auxiliary paths like the Alchemy Dao, Talismanic Dao, Formation Dao, Artifact Dao, and Beast Dao, intended to help disciples find their own strengths.

These three Jade Scrolls essentially allowed a novice on the Daoist Path to gain a rough understanding of their cultivation environment, which might be inconsequential for seasoned loose cultivators, but for Hou Niao, it was crucial.

It was only after perusing these that he could truly integrate into the cultivation circle.

Thirty Low-Grade Spirit Stones, likely the allocation of ten per month for Energy Induction cultivators.

Three bottles of elixirs, all Energy Induction Pills, mainstream during the Energy Induction phase; each bottle contained ten pills.

Upon opening and sniffing, they seemed inferior to the Energy Induction Pills given to him by Daoist Chong Ling, which was to be expected—after all, no sect could match the Daoist Sect in these supplementary aspects of cultivation.

It was only a matter of different focus.