The next morning, Xiaomeng was woken up by the loud banging coming from her door. Sitting up, she gently rubbed her eyes to clear the blurriness clouding her vision. Getting off the bed in her unkempt attire, she groggily walked toward the door and pulled the handle.
The morning light fell on Senior Sister Lan. Reflecting off her clear white robes, it gave her an ethereal glow. She was holding a leather pouch in her hand. Throwing it at Xiaomeng, she said, "This pouch contains part of what the Elder promised you yesterday. Today, some disciples of our Alchemy Peak are going down to the Mission Hall. I have already instructed them. You can go along with them and buy some cultivation resources from the Contribution Hall there with their help. Tonight, I will help you formally begin your cultivation journey."
After she had finished speaking, Senior Sister Lan didn't stay for a moment longer and walked away with brisk steps. Xiaomeng just looked at the pouch in her hand for some time. Bringing it close to her ears, she shook it lightly. The jingling of crystals could be heard from inside. She slowly untied the knot and opened the mouth a little. Suddenly, bright light started to spill out from that narrow gap.
Xiaomeng hastily closed the pouch and hurried back inside, clanking the door shut behind her. Her grogginess was completely gone, replaced by vigilance. Only after checking, based on her current capabilities, that there were no holes or surveillance tools in her room, did she again open the pouch. Inside gleamed the low-grade spirit stones promised to her.
Taking one out, she turned it in her hand and studied it. Its size was a little smaller than a normal low-grade spirit stone, and the energy radiating from it was also a little bit lesser. "Cheapskate," she muttered under her breath and again tightly tied the knot over the pouch. At one time, she had used these stones as marbles. And now she had to treat them as precious treasures. The change was still a little disorienting for her. She placed the pouch deep inside her worn-out bag that had been tightly tied to her back throughout the climbing test.
Her small room opened to a small courtyard behind. Along with that it also had a bathroom attached to the opposite side. The treatment of an inner disciple was truly different from that of outer or external disciples, who had to use shared spaces most of the time. Taking a quick bath with lukewarm water, she neatly combed her hair and tidied her dress. I definitely need to buy a few spare pairs of clothes, Xiaomeng thought, looking at the crumpled dress she was wearing.
Just as she got ready, there was a slight knock from the door. Opening it, she was greeted by a group of several men and women. They were wearing the sect uniform, and the emblem of the Pill Refinement Hall, a pill on a leaf, was engraved on their sleeves using white threads.
The first thing she did was bow and greet them. "New disciple Xiaomeng greets seniors." The older cultivators nodded at her in approval. Quickly darting inside, she brought out the tightly packed pouch and followed after them.
Her excitement for starting her cultivation was easily evident in her lively steps. Although her original body was that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, her cultivation had progressed completely under the strict supervision of her parents. Now, she would be mostly doing it alone and was free to make her own choices.
All the senior cultivators in Xiaomeng's group were at the Foundation Establishment Realm. So, they were not yet able to use telekinesis to fly on swords and had to make the journey on foot. And since she was still a normal human, she quickly fell behind them. To avoid delaying the group, a Senior Sister hoisted her onto her back and continued without breaking a stride. The senior disciples were chatting away as Xiaomeng listened to them with her keen ears. Sometimes, important cultivation insights were exchanged. Other times, there was just childish banter.
Normally, she would have been cautious when travelling with strangers, but understanding that her life would not be in any immediate danger while inside the sect, she had unknowingly relaxed her guard quite a bit. Listening to the conversations around her, Xiaomeng was able to learn the location of their destination. They were heading to the base of the Central Peak, where roads to all other peaks converged. Both the Contribution Hall and Mission Hall were located there.
Just as the sun was about to reach the mid-day point, the group reached their destination. Fine beads of sweat marred the foreheads of all the Foundation Establishment seniors, especially the Senior Sister carrying Xiaomeng.
The place in front of them, with all its hustle and bustle, seemed less like an important location. It gave the feel of a local market. Disciples had lined up their stalls at the side of the road and were showcasing their goods. Many were even shouting loudly to attract customers. A few bold ones were even dragging people to their goods with a bright smile.
If not for all of them wearing the blue sect uniform, Xiaomeng would have thought she had been kidnapped and taken to a different place. Some stall owners tried to approach them, but a stern look from her seniors scared them back. "Junior Sister, be careful when coming here. There is no shortage of swindlers in this place. If you want to buy something, just tell us, and we will help you get it," the Senior Sister said while letting her down. Xiaomeng just obediently nodded at her words.
Soon, wading through the crowd, they reached the Mission Hall. Directly opposite it stood the plaque of the Contribution Hall. "Junior Sister, you can look around The Contribution Hall while we complete our work. If someone tried to cause trouble, ignore them. We will take care of them when we come back," the Senior Sister cautioned.
"Thank You, Senior Sister." Xiaomeng bowed once again. Giving her a final look, the senior disciples proceeded to the Mission Hall. As their shadows disappeared among the mass of people, Xiaomeng also turned around and stepped into the Contribution Hall. Courtesy to her alchemy knowledge, she already knew what resources she needed to purchase, but doing so alone would arouse undue suspicion. She could only wait for her Seniors to come back.
The Contribution Hall was not as crowded as it had seemed from the outside. From what she had been told on the way, this hall was like a special shop where you could exchange your sect contribution points for resources unique to the sect. In some cases, using spirit stones was also a viable option, which was evident from some disciples carrying small pouches tightly clutched in their hands.
Looking around, most of those present here seemed like new disciples. From what Xiaomeng had heard, within a week of joining the sect, most disciples entered the Qi Refinement realm under the supervision of sect Elders. Most of those here must have come to buy resources for that. As for the price, each newly initiated disciple received a certain amount of contribution points, which were barely enough to help them begin their cultivation journey.
As the line to the counter was quite long, Xiaomeng decided to just look around. There were several spiritual glass exhibits placed around the large hall for others to admire. They showcased the wealth of the sect. With sturdiness comparable to artifacts, along with having hallucinogenic properties, these glasses were quite suitable for such occasions. While wandering and observing the expensive artifacts and pills placed in the glass cases, she came across two acquaintances.
Xiao Ming, the green-haired girl, and Liu Yue, the blue-haired girl, were both her group companions during the exam. They hadn't put in any extra over-the-top effort during the exam but had adequately performed their assigned tasks without a hitch. Walking toward them, Xiaomeng heard their ongoing discussion.
"It's a horse," Xiao Ming said.
"No!" Liu Yue shook her head. "It's a dog.".
"Just look at the name given here." Xiao Ming pointed at the description below the glass case. "It clearly says it's a horse."
Liu Yue just looked at her in an exasperated way. "Can't you see that the body and head are of a dog? Try to use your little head a bit more."
Sensing someone approaching from behind, the two girls turned. Both of their eyes sparkled as soon as they landed on Xiaomeng, as if they had found a lifesaver. Holding Xiaomeng's hand, Liu Yue pulled her forward and asked while pointing to a painting in the glass case, "Xiaomeng, does this look like a dog or a horse?"
"Xiaomeng, also read the thing given below. It's clearly being called a horse," Xiao Ming pushed her own narrative.
Caught in the middle of the two, Xiaomeng carefully studied the painting. It showcased a large dog with a body as white as snow and a head darker than the night. The mysterious beast was flying through the skies. She instantly remembered where she had seen a similar drawing. Since her parents did not allow her to go out much in the Upper Realm, she had developed a hobby of reading books, and she had read about this creature at that time.
Reading at the name of the creature given below the glass covering further confirmed her suspicions. "It's a horse," she said while looking at the two girls with a deadpan expression.
"Xiao Ming, is your idiocy contagious?" Liu Yue raised her eyebrows at the girl standing beside her. "It has affected one more person."
"Just read the name given below," Xiaomeng said from the side. She certainly didn't feel good about being called a fool even when it was not her own fault. Extending her hand she pointed to the stated name. "Heavenly Horse. Tianma. No matter what we do, we still have to call it that."
Finally, not wanting to get a headache, Liu Yue said, "Forget about it. Let's just go get our resources and head back. We already have a lot of things on our plate today."
Xiao Ming nodded in tacit agreement. Moving her gaze toward Xiaomeng, she asked, "Are you going to come with us?"
Looking at the long line, Xiaomeng lightly shook her head. "The waiting line seems too long. I'll just wait for my seniors to come after completing their work."
"Waiting line?" Liu Yue made a puzzled face. Then, pointing at the long line of outer disciples, she asked, "Are you talking about that one?"
"Yes, that one," Xiaomeng replied.
"Ah! You don't have to worry about that," Xiao Ming pulled Xiaomeng toward the stairs. "Inner Disciples like us can just go up to the second floor and get our stuff without waiting."
Xiaomeng could only be dragged along due to her partial knowledge about this sect. She had initially thought that the upper area was just for people to relax while waiting for their turn, but it seems not.
Going upstairs, there were very few disciples around. Xiao Ming explained, "Seniors from our peak told us that except for those of us who passed the test, all other Inner Disciples are at least in the Foundation Establishment realm. They are frequently busy completing sect missions or cultivating. So, this place is mostly empty or less crowded."
Xiaomeng listened to these words and recorded them to the back of her mind.
The three girls walked toward the largest exchange counter in the place, which was also completely empty. Taking out a large pouch, Liu Yue started to list out several ingredients and resources. Some were spiritual plants such as Firefly Grass, Phantom Spring Flower, and a few others. Others were low-level spiritual beast parts like Jade Bamboo Hare's horn, Misty Cloud Sheep's milk and three more.
Xiaomeng and Xiao Ming just stood aside, observing the whole process. The receptionist efficiently brought out all the listed materials, which were properly stored and preserved. After accounting for everything on the list she was holding, Liu Yue handed over her spirit stone pouch. Counting the spirit stones, the receptionist said, "Three thousand two hundred low-grade spirit stones and fifty contribution points." And handed the remaining spirit stones back. Liu Yue properly packed her things in the large leather bag she had brought along with her and returned to her companions.
Since Xiaomeng had come in last, she had expected that she would receive fewer resources than others. But looking at it now, it was truly pitifully low. These two shared around four thousand low-grade spirit stones, nearly twice as many as she had. Just as she was about to cheer herself up after lightly shaking her head, Xiao Ming's words fell on her ears. "Wait here. I'll go and buy my things."
Xiaomeng's eyes suddenly went wide. Looking at Liu Yue at her side, she asked while pointing to the material bag, "Are those all yours?" Her voice was very controlled, masking her inner turmoil.
Liu Yue replied with a slight smile, "Yes. After being taken to the Yin Peak yesterday, all three of us—me, Rong Ning, and Xiao Ming—got around four thousand spirit stones each, as a welcome gift from the Peak Master."
Externally, Xiaomeng just gave a wry smile at these words. "How generous of Fifth Elder."
Internally, her mind was busy punching the Fourth Elder. Damn old miser! She was even thinking of plans to change her peak if possible. Not even a day had passed since she joined a peak and was now swindled, and that too by the person with the highest position.
Elsewhere, the Fourth Elder suddenly sneezed while playing a game of Go with the Third Elder. "What happened?" the Third Elder asked.
The Fourth Elder just shook his head. Do people not get tired of thinking ill of me? He thought.
Elsewhere, Senior Sister Lan was observing the small bag containing a thousand low-grade spirit stones. She remembered the conversation with the Fourth Elder this morning.
"Just give her this." He had thrown her the pouch while lightly snickering. "And tell that little girl, due to my generosity I have doubled the reward I had initial promised."
Lan Xue would truly consider herself an idiot if she did exactly as that old man said.