Chapter 79: Inner Disciple Candidate

Chapter 79: Inner Disciple Candidate

On the seventh day of her seclusion, Xiao Hong completely recovered!

Brushing her hand over her forearm with closed eyes, she savoured the feeling of the unblemished skin. The dead, grey husk had long peeled away. A flawless, seemingly delicate skin flush with a healthy pink was revealed, giving nothing away about the monstrous vitality reminiscent of a Divine Beast concealed underneath.

“Phew...” A long, shuddering breath of relief escaped her lips.

She did not want to experience that ever again.

That feeling of life slipping away like sand through the gaps between her fingers; that overwhelming weakness in her body, like she had boulders tied to her limbs; and that sluggishness pervading her thoughts like she was on a dozen sleeping pills. It was truly terrifying.

She reached up, fingertips brushing against her cheek, feeling the soft, youthful springy flesh yield slightly underneath her fingers. Her tightened heart finally seemed to relax.

Xiao Hong would not admit it, never out loud, but... she loved the fact that she was so stunningly beautiful. No matter how much she told herself that it was only natural that anyone would fear becoming old, she knew, deep down in the depths of her heart, that it was not just that.

She was proud of her looks and her peerless charm. Very much so. She loved the attention and interest it brought.

The lecherous stares and potential dangers she liked a little less, but all things have their drawbacks. It was far better than the reception she got in her previous life - people wanted to have as little to do with him as possible.

It was vain, perhaps. But that was how it was. Xiao Hong shook her head, pushing down such embarrassing thoughts. She refocused her attention on her body.

She stared at her clenched fist. Her powerful physique had regained and even transcended its previous strength. The sheer, overwhelming power that surged through her veins completely eclipsed her old self. There was simply no comparison.

Her clenched fist relaxed.

A stunning smile stretched across her face. She had become strong! Very strong! With the strength she wielded currently, Xiao Hong wholeheartedly believed that she could beat her pre-Star Forging self to tears with a few casual smacks of one hand!

“Moreover...” she raised her hand and squinted in concentration. The newborn Red Star at the centre of her Heart Space suddenly sped up its revolution, sending a pulse of energy resonating through her body.

Slowly, a dim, shimmering reddish glow materialised around her raised hand. It was a mist of pure red, covering her hand like a glove.

“It seems to increase my strength...? “ Curling her fingers slowly, she wondered. “It increases the body’s strength and resistance. Not too much, around-”

She clenched and unclenched her fist, “5 to 10%?

“Though, there seems to be even more to it...”

Suddenly, she clenched her hand into a fist with all her strength!

Pop!

A sound like bubble wrap popping.

“How interesting...” Xiao Hong muttered, staring at the fading reddish glow. “It’s as if the air itself had congealed for a moment under the influence of this red... force field?”

Relaxing her clenched fist, she mused, “It’s like the force field suppressed all movements under its area of influence, for that moment.”

She paused, letting her hand drop to her side. “I wonder what this is? The system seems to entirely ignore its existence altogether, not even registering it.”

She stroked her jaw thoughtfully, “Perhaps because it’s too weak for the system to bother?” After all, this thing could only affect the air within a very small radius. Even an ordinary mortal would not be affected. Xiao Hong did not think much of this possibility, but she considered it nonetheless.

“Is it because of the ability itself being innate? Like the ability to wield Qi that an Essence Cultivator is innately capable of? Or does talent in the Immortal Path include that?” Xiao Hong muttered.

“Or, perhaps, it is the embryonic form of an ability? One that I will gain if I successfully transcend the following two Calamities and achieve Nirvana in Body Cultivation?” It wasn’t unheard of. Cultivators often gained weaker versions of the special powers their Cultivation Methods granted at Nirvana before they even achieved it.

“Well, we’ll see if I manage to survive those Calamities,” she shuddered, still somewhat traumatised by the new kind of near-death experience. This brush with the Goddess of Death was closer than anything she experienced before!

“Status: Cultivation Base, Battle Prowess.”

With a pleasant ‘Ding!’, her status screen appeared.

Cultivation Base:

Essence: mid-stage Divine SeaPhysique: 7-star Ancient Godling (7th Disaster equivalent in Battle Power)Soul: 4th stage Red Soul (3rd Disaster Equivalent in Battle Power)

Battle Prowess:

Very High (beyond 7th-Disaster)

Her grin widened. For the first time, the System had evaluated her battle prowess as ‘Very High’!

Her battle prowess had fully transcended the 7th Disaster! In other words, no ordinary 7th Disaster Cultivator could hope to match her under normal circumstances. This was the case despite her being a Body Cultivator and having just surpassed the Star Forging Calamity!

“Reporter: Inner Elder Song Siying.

“You can check the details in your Disciple Token. Privileges unique to your position should have been unlocked...” The voice continued, however, Xiao Hong had already stopped paying attention.

She blankly gazed at the wall for a few moments, before she threw up her arms and whooped out, “....I’m fucking rich~!”

Ignoring the obvious 50,000 contribution points and the five Earth Grade Techniques, the other two: a tier 2 Merit and the Inner Disciple Candidate position were incredibly generous!

A Merit was awarded only when the Cultivator made a critical contribution to the Sect - one that could affect the Sect in the long term. And the act of saving so many of the most promising disciples in the Outer Sect was one such contribution. As such, they gave her a tier 2 Merit as a reward.

“The most obvious benefit from this Merit is the annual income of 300 contribution points.” her eyes sparkled, “Even if I lay flat and do absolutely nothing, this amount would still be credited to my account - it’s the ultimate dream for a salted fish!

“Moreover, this Merit is essentially a VIP card. I will have priority and get discounts for every service under the control of the Sect.”

And, as long as she had this thing, she would gain a passive +10 favorability with everyone loyal to the Purple Spirit Sect.

Finally, there was the Inner Disciple Candidacy. In a nutshell, it meant she would become an Inner Disciple as long as she reached Nirvana before 30 - she was completely exempt from the tests and exams one needed to pass. It also gave her the resources and privileges of an Inner Disciple, minus the authority of one.

Most importantly, it provided her with a very high status. In the outer sect, at least, few would dare to mess with her.

“This one probably came from my display of talent.” She muttered. A Grade 2 Alchemist and a Grade 3 Formation Master in less than 3 years. Add on to that her monstrous battle prowess and tremendous mastery of Techniques, and anyone with half a brain would know this was a talent they needed to win over.

“Haha! I’m really fucking rich now!!” If it weren’t for her being afraid of wrecking the house even more, she would have done a little victory dance on the bed! Oh, what an amazing day this was!

Unable to hold herself back, she immediately began checking out all the privileges of an Inner Disciple Candidate.

First, resources. She was entitled to a whopping one thousand Spirit Stones’ worth of resources per month. She needn’t do anything at all. It would be given to her even if she did not want it.

Second, was access to the Sect’s Scripture Repository. Everything below Earth Grade was completely free to her. And even some of the more common Earth Grade Techniques would be easily available to her. The best part? She could access it directly through her Disciple Token - just like browsing the internet.

Third, she would gain priority for the distribution of Special Resources.

Fourth, was one of the greatest advantages of joining a Sect - experience of Elders. Every month, she would gain the opportunity to ask Elders to resolve her doubts regarding Cultivation.

Fifth, she would get initial access to the Sect’s secrets. Unique trademarked Pills, Arrays, Artefacts; their methods of manufacture and so on.

And even after that, there were many other small benefits.

In a nutshell, her status had leapt from a commoner to that of a powerful noble!

***

After rejoicing for a while, she turned her attention to the second message on her Disciple token and played it.

“Hello, Disciple Xiao,” A sunny female voice resounded in her mind. “I am Elder Song - you’ve probably met my Clone a while back.

“First of all, congratulations on your Inner Disciple candidacy, you deserve it.

“Second, I have checked your current location. You’re somewhere in the Brilliant Heavenly Light Sea. I cannot determine your exact location, since the Warding Formations set up by the local Factions keep interfering. Try your best to find out where you are. With your Inner Disciple Candidate Position, you can quickly browse through the Sect’s Library and figure it out.

“Now, a piece of advice: if you're in the territory of the Flowing Cloud Sect, hide your status as a disciple of the Purple Spirit Sect. Our relationship with them is hostile.

“Do not interfere with anything in their territory, no matter what. As a Super Faction their control of their territory is very, very good,” said Elder Song, her voice firm.

“If you’re in the territory of the Black Lotus Valley, try to get in touch with them. You can directly use their Teleportation Formation.

“And, finally try to avoid the members of Azure Sea Dragon Island. Our relationship with them is good. However,” Elder Song paused, before continuing in a strange, slightly irritated tone, “their members tend to be a bit... romantic. So, unless you desire a very persistent headache, stay clear of them.”

For a moment, Xiao Hong had the illusion that Elder Song was grinding her teeth when she was recording this part.

Elder Song cleared her throat, “Anyway, just try your best to stay out of trouble. If possible, try to get to the Nine Petal Lotus Islands, within the next few months. There’s a nice opportunity waiting and we’ll be sending your sect mates there, too.

“It’s fine if you don’t, however, we’ll retrieve you in at most a year.

“All the best, Disciple Xiao Hong, I look forward to meeting you in person.”

The message ended with that.

“I knew this day was going too well...” Xiao Hong teared up as she stared at the ceiling. “I just had to be dropped in the one place hostile to my Sect!”

***