《Star Siezing Monarch》[CH.9] A New Friend! Lecture at the Martial Library!
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A few days later, within the Inner Court.
Wang Li woke up inside his abode, enclosed by its own lake acres of land of precious green land. It was like his own secluded estate, with his own privacy and a beautiful surrounding landscape. It was definitely a large culture shock from the caves and ditches he was used in the Chaotic Province. He couldn't help but be satisfied.
And at the same time, he learned a lot of things about Blue Sky Palace. Its disciples were ranked like so: Outer, Inner, Core, and Chosen. Outer Disciples were at the bottom of the bottom, responsible for many of the useless and arduous tasks of maintaining a Sect. They received the worst resources and had the lowest status within the Sect. Of course, they were hundreds of thousands of Outer Disciples - they were the most populated Court.
Yet, just being Outer Disciples gave them a substantial presence outside of the Sect. Blue Sky Palace, despite having fallen from its previous might, still maintained its standing as one of the top Sects in Blue Sky Province.
In order for an Outer Disciple to become an Inner Disciple, however, they would have to step into Qi Foundation - the second major realm in cultivation. At this stage, cultivators began to truly release the power possessed in Martial Skills and possess mind-boggling power.
Body Transformation was only the very basics, setting a solid body foundation. Only at Qi Foundation could cultivators release true power.
Wang Li quickly realized that his cultivation was the weakest of all Inner Disciples, after all, he was only at the Sixth Level of Body Transformation. Luckily, because he had snuck in sneakily and had remained in his estate for the last couple of days - few even knew that he was an Inner Disciple.
But of course, he was only doing this to familiarize himself with the Sect. He didn't fear the challenge of surrounding Inner Disciples, in fact, it only motivated him even further. He felt that although his cultivation was weak, his natural body could definitely contend with those Inner Disciples.
After all, he had spent sixteen years in the Chaotic Province - hunting and contending with fierce beasts. He was confident in himself, after all, none of these disciples could contend with the beasts he faced on a daily basis.
This led him to his two main goals. Reach Qi Foundation as quickly as possible and increase his knowledge of the world around him.
And on this day, he left his estate to go to the Martial Library - today, an Elder was lecturing on Qi Foundation. This only happened once a month, typically, and was exclusive to Inner Disciples. Because of the rarity of the event, it often drew most Inner Disciples - especially those who were new to the Sect like Wang Li.
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It was a good opportunity to expose himself to his fellow disciples, and perhaps even begin to establish a presence. After all, Hua Taixu told him not to reveal their connection - not to establish his own domineering presence in the sect.
In fact, the higher Wang Li's status grew, the better.
"The lecture should be starting soon, I should head there as early as possible." Wang Li stepped outside of his estate, grinning fiercely. The sky was blue, the birds were chirping, and the grass was green - it seemed like a perfect day. He couldn't wait.
And so he went to the Inner Court Martial Library - one of Three Martial Libraries in the Sect. Naturally, there was one in the Outer Court, Inner Court, and in the mountains where the Core Disciples lived.
Wang Li didn't have a mount, so he had to go there on foot. It wasn't too long of a journey, especially considering Wang Li's impressive speed. But along the way, he passed groups of Inner Disciples riding on top of mounts.
"Move out the way!" One particular Inner Disciple riding atop a tiger mount attempted to push past him, wanting to shove him to the side. In one smooth action, Wang Li flipped to the left - the tiger zipping past him. Wang Li shot an unfriendly look at the Inner Disciple atop the tiger-mount, frowning. He then looked towards the mount, and couldn't help but notice that it seemed kind of weak.
It looked nothing like those monstrous creatures in the Chaotic Province, and Wang Li couldn't help but look down at it. After all, back in his wild days, wouldn't he hunt rabbits as strong as that tiger? He found it kind of strange.
"Hey, brother, my name is Yan Zhou! I see you don't have a mount either!" Wang Li turned around to see another Inner Disciple racing to catch up to him. Yan Zhou had light brown hair and a friendly smile, exuding a bit of naiveness. It was obvious he was new to the Inner Court and was trying to make friends, just like Wang Li.
"Mhm, I didn't realize how common they were. How much are they?" Wang Li smiled and slowed down to Yan Zhou's pace. He had seen plenty of Inner Disciples riding on mounts, and it seemed like they were quite commonplace in the Inner Court.
"Ah, brother, you must be new. Well, it completely depends on what mount you want. That mount right there seems like a Demonic Beast with the lineage of a Sabertooth Tiger. Its strength is probably around the Sixth Level of Body Transformation - it definitely has considerable value. " Yan Zhou casually spoke, clearly, he had a bit of knowledge in the Sect. Wang Li kind of liked him, and the two decided to head to the Martial Library together.
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"Ah, I see. You can get one from the Beast Pavillion using points, right? I'm brand new to the Sect, so I'm still unfamiliar with things." Sect points were the Sect's main currency and were even more important than gold coins. The only way to earn points was to trade in precious treasures, beast cores, or do various missions for the sect. These points could be traded in at the various Pavillions for rewards.
Points ran the Sect, and was the way the Sect rewarded its disciples!
"I understand, we can talk about all these things. I was recently promoted from the Outer Court, so I am quite knowledgeable about the affairs of the sect. Just visit my estate if you need anything." Yan Zhou flashed a friendly smile, clearly offering friendship. The two leisurely talked all the way until the Martial Library, and Wang Li felt like he made his first friend.
"Brother Li, you're only at the Sixth Level of Body Transformation!? What!?" Nearing the Martial Libary, Yan Zhou's jaw couldn't help but drop in awe at Wang Li's cultivation. He had never heard of such a ridiculous thing!
There were hundreds of Outer Disciples with stronger cultivations! How did he become an Inner Disciple!?
"Yes, Brother Zhou. I was brought here through secret means, which I am unable to disclose now. My main priority is to reach Qi Foundation as quickly as possible!" Wang Li could immediately tell from the shock rolling off Yan Zhou that he was far from where he should be. He couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency in his heart - he definitely needed to raise his cultivation as quickly as possible.
"Brother Li, you definitely need to gather as many resources as possible. There are sharks among the Inner Court, and once more people know about your cultivation - the more danger you are in. Here, we have arrived." Yan Zhou couldn't help but feel his mind quake.
Clearly, a powerful Elder was standing behind this Wang Li. Even he couldn't help but feel his mind tremble.
But as Yan Zhou churned these thoughts around, the two arrived at the Inner Court Martial Library. Wang Li was thoroughly amazed.
The Inner Court Martial Library was a massive building that seemed to take up a ridiculous amount of space. Even more impressive was the tremendous clearing in front of it - filled to the brim with Inner Disciples all awaiting the Lecture. In front of the Library was a speakers platform - specifically built for the Elder speaking today.
Noise and the cries of Demonic Beasts filled the entire crowd, as there was Inner Disciples everywhere. Many were on mounts, many weren't. Just by that, one could see the disparity among Inner Disciples - the most powerful Disciples were at the front - riding mighty beasts that seemed to shake everyone around them with their cries. In contrast, almost all of the newer Disciples, like Wang Li and Yan Zhou - sat at the very back.
"Why don't we move forward, Brother Zhou? Won't it will be difficult for us to hear from all the way over here?" Wang Li frowned - he knew he would be able to hear perfectly fine - but that was because of his natural raw instincts. For Yan Zhou, he would definitely be straining to hear from their current position.
What was the point of coming to a lecture that you couldn't hear? It didn't make sense to Wang Li.
"No, no. Those at the front are definitely the most superb of Inner Disciples. For us to go up there is only asking for trouble...I will hear fine from here." Yan Zhou was appalled by Wang Li's words - clearly, this boy really didn't understand how things worked in the Sect.
Those who had the most power would enjoy the best resources and the best treatment. How could some brand new disciples like them go to the front?
"No, I can tell you won't be able to hear. Brother Zhou, hold on." Wang Li directly grabbed onto Yang Zhou's robes and snaked forward into the crowd. He shoved those in his way, causing many to break apart and see who it was that was boldly advancing forward.
"Watch where you're going! Who are you? Little brat, stay where you are!" All types of angry and annoyed shouts came from around the two, all to Yan Zhou's distress. Wang Li seemed unaffected, snaking forward, as hands from atop mounts attempted to grab onto him.
"Who dares move past me, Shen Yi!?" A booming voice distinctly enhanced by Qi surprised Wang Li - causing him to stop. In front of him, he recognized that same Inner Disciple who shoved him on the tiger mount. Frowning and unhappy, he boldly roared back.
"Me, Wang Li! Now move to the side!"
Yan Zhou felt like crying.
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