Chapter 18: Official Initiation

Upon entering the Mysterious Fate Hall, Yu Qing summoned the hall’s attendant to carry out Su Che’s formal initiation procedures, including checking his identity with a jade talisman, reviewing his background, having him shed blood and swear an oath, and recording all relevant information.
After his identity was confirmed, Su Che received a complete set of equipment—basic supplies distributed by the Tianxuan Sect to every outer disciple.
There was a Qiankun bag containing:
Three sets of brand-new white Dao robes, with silver threads at the collars and cuffs marking their status as outer disciples. These robes had limited defensive capabilities, only able to withstand attacks from ordinary swords and knives. However, they came equipped with a dust-removing talisman that allowed the wearer to avoid dust and dirt, meaning they usually didn’t need to be washed or bathed for a long time.
A white jade waist plaque inscribed with the word “Mysterious” on the front, with the back currently blank, where one could later engrave their name or Dao title. This plaque served not only as an alternative identity proof to the jade talisman but could also be used as a message-telling talisman to borrow from others or to seek help from the sect in times of crisis… It had several other minor functions as well, all of which would become clear after blood sacrifice.
A bottle of healing pills for internal injuries, a bottle of wound medicine for external injuries, and a bottle of poison antidote.
Five fire talismans, five water talismans, and five message talismans—basic necessities for daily life that addressed clothing, food, shelter, and transportation, with no lethal properties.
Finally, there were ten lower-grade spirit stones, representing the prepaid monthly salary for that month.
As for the monthly allowance, outer disciples belonging to the ten main peaks could receive ten lower-grade spirit stones per month, while other ordinary outer disciples could only get five.
“Even though they’re both outer disciples, the difference in monthly allowance is twice as much—no wonder those people stay outside in the square all day, hoping to be recruited by the ten main peaks…”
Su Che once again felt grateful to Senior Yu Qing. Otherwise, he might have ended up among those waiting outside the hall for a chance at fate.
After that, Su Che had to bathe and change into his new Dao robes before returning to the hall. There, he bowed three times and kowtowed nine times before the statue of the sect’s founder, Tianxuan Zi, to officially become a disciple.
It took nearly an hour in total, and finally, Su Che and Yu Qing left the Mysterious Fate Hall.
Whoosh!
As soon as they stepped outside, countless pairs of eyes in the square focused on Su Che.

An hour ago, these outer sect disciples waiting for divine fortune witnessed Su Che enter the grand hall dressed in the casual attire of a mundane warrior, and he was merely a novice at the first level of Qi cultivation. Now, seeing him again, he was wearing a brand-new robe suitable for outer sect disciples, with a badge from Xuanji Peak hanging around his waist! Looking back at the square, among thousands of disciples, there were quite a few at the sixth level of Qi cultivation, and the most persevering ones had been waiting here for over a decade… After waiting for more than a decade without obtaining the desired divine fortune, this kid at the first level of Qi cultivation, just by following Senior Yu Qing, effortlessly got everything so easily! It’s truly frustrating when comparing oneself to others! Thus, among the countless gazes directed at Su Che, there was much envy and even more jealousy… Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Su Che kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, trying to remain calm and composed, but he still couldn’t help but wonder: “With so many people eagerly waiting, Senior Yu Qing should have long become accustomed to it, or even indifferent. Why does he go to such lengths to take care of me?” A faint doubt flashed through his mind, but then he thought to himself that he was just an insignificant person with nothing worth Senior Yu Qing’s effort. Even if he knew the secrets of the mental tower, there was no need for such trouble—just smash his head with a slap and retrieve it easily. … Next, it was time to head to Xuanji Peak. However, the reach of Tianxuan Sect was truly vast, and the distance between the ten main peaks was far more than a thousand miles. Yu Qing and Su Che flew on swords for three full hours before arriving at Xuanji Peak. With Yu Qing’s mastery at the highest level of Qi cultivation, the journey should have taken only two hours, but carrying an extra person surely slowed them down a bit. Xuanji Peak, just like the “Divine Fortune Peak” Su Che had seen before, was magnificent and soared high into the heavens. If someone said that the ten main peaks of Tianxuan Sect were the ten pillars supporting the heavens, Su Che would believe it without hesitation. Yu Qing landed Su Che halfway up Xuanji Peak and explained, “The entire peak is divided into four levels in height. The halfway point is where the outer sect disciples live, totaling over six thousand people. Further up is where our inner sect disciples reside, about five hundred in number. Even higher up is where the true disciples live—only ten in all. In other words, the entire Tianxuan Sect has only a hundred seats for true disciples.”

Su Che silently calculated in his mind: The Tianxuan Sect had over two hundred thousand outer sect disciples, five thousand inner sect disciples distributed across its ten main peaks, and only a hundred true disciples throughout the sect…

Yu Qing looked up at the peak top and said in a low voice, “There’s no need to explain further. You must have guessed that at the highest peak lies the residence of our mentor, the Venerable Mysterious Mechanism— the Mysterious Mechanism Golden Palace!”

“Senior brother,” Su Che asked carefully, “I just joined Mysterious Mechanism Peak. Don’t I need to pay respects to our master?”

“You won’t be able to see him.”

Yu Qing shook his head. “As an inner sect disciple like me, unless there’s something important, it’s rare to see the master even on ordinary days. Only true disciples can regularly listen to his teachings.”

“Only those who receive direct instruction from him can be considered true disciples!”

At these words, Yu Qing’s eyes also sparkled with great longing, just as self-practicing disciples would show envy and aspiration when talking about outer sect disciples.

Su Che also realized something: “There’s always a higher peak. The path of cultivation requires endless pursuit!”

“Junior Su, by bringing you here, I’ve fulfilled my promise from before,” Yu Qing said gently. “New outer sect disciples need to report to your outer sect senior brother and exchange cultivation techniques with Manager Zheng at the Skill Transmission Pavilion… I’d better not interfere with those matters.”

“I understand.” Su Che bowed again. “I will never forget your kindness, senior brother.”

Yu Qing waved his hand with a smile. “There’s no need to be so formal. It’s not as if we won’t see each other again. As I said, once you’re on Mysterious Mechanism Peak, I can be your mentor to some extent. In the future, if you encounter any difficulties in cultivation, feel free to come to me.”

With that, he spurred his flying sword and flew higher.

Watching his figure disappear into the misty clouds filled with celestial energy, Su Che turned around and carefully observed his surroundings.

This was a platform built halfway up the mountain, about a hundred zhang in diameter, extremely spacious. Inside the platform, near the mountain wall, stood a pavilion dozens of zhang tall.

On the pavilion’s plaque were the five characters: “Outer Sect of Mysterious Mechanism Peak.”

In the secular world, Su Che would surely describe such a pavilion as “magnificent and grand,” but here, such a scale was merely ordinary—similar structures could be seen everywhere on Mysterious Mechanism Peak.

The pavilion’s doors were open. Su Che slowly stepped inside and saw that the first-floor hall was empty, with only hundreds of meditation cushions on the ground—no one was there.

“Come up.”

A deep voice came from the staircase on the left.

Su Che stepped onto the stairs and climbed up quietly.
The space on the second floor seemed a bit smaller, probably because it was divided into many small rooms. In front of one of the windows, a middle-aged Taoist turned around and looked at Su Che, his voice deep. “I just saw that you’re the new disciple sent by Senior Brother Yu Qing, right?”
“Yes,” Su Che replied with a bow. “Junior brother Su Che, greeting the senior brother.”
Su Che felt that the strength of this senior brother from the outer sect was unfathomable. It seemed he was even more powerful than Senior Brother Yu Qing, which meant he was likely already at the Foundation Establishment stage.
Reaching the Foundation Establishment stage as an outer sect disciple was not uncommon in Tianxuan Sect; it only indicated average talent. He must have been over fifty years old by the time he succeeded in establishing his foundation. Due to his limited talent, he must have missed many opportunities to become an inner sect disciple.
However, since he was at the Foundation Establishment stage, he could still gain a certain status in the sect, holding some minor position. If he were fortunate enough to reach the Golden Core stage in the future, he might even be promoted to a higher position like “Golden Core Protector.”
But achieving Foundation Establishment was already difficult, let alone forming a Golden Core—the odds were one in a million. It was beyond description how arduous it was!