Chapter 188: Sectstarter

In Elder Ku's hall by the Vault of Scriptures on Taiqing Island, Elder Ku slammed his palm against Zhao Yuanjiao's back, sending a multicolored radiance into his body. Within moments, Zhao Yuanjiao spat out a mouthful of black blood.

As the black blood landed on the ground, the floor began to sizzle and corrode away. Zhao Yuanjiao's face slowly regained its color.

"The venom has been expelled. You'll be fine after a few days' rest," Elder Ku told him.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhao Yuanjiao replied gratefully.

Elder Ku turned to Xiao Nanfeng. "As for you, you've encountered quite a lot while I was gone, haven't you?"

"I did come across a chance encounter of my own, after surviving trial and tribulation. Senior Sister Yu'er and I both obtained an inheritance from Emperor Wei and his two empresses. Senior Sister Yu'er is making a trip home for the time being," Xiao Nanfeng reported.

"I know." Elder Ku nodded.

"You do, Master?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed.

"Someone told me the details. I'm aware of your situation now." Elder Ku nodded.

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng thought for a moment, then nodded as well.

Elder Ku had been in charge of the blackguards before he passed its leadership to Zhao Yuanjiao, and he certainly had his own sources of information.

"How long have you been my apprentice?" Elder Ku asked.

"I'm eighteen, Master, and you've been my master for over a year," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

"Not quite," Elder Ku demurred. "Do you remember what I told you? I only took you as my student in name for a year. After a year, if you were still willing to take me as master, I would officially accept you as my apprentice."

"You have always been my master, Elder Ku, and I don't intend to change my mind now," Xiao Nanfeng replied resolutely.

Elder Ku shook his head. "You do not yet know the price of taking me as master. The Taiqing Immortal Sect has two types of formal disciples. The first and more common class is represented by ordinary disciples taken in by various elders in the sect, who may be instructed in the majority of the sect's techniques by division leaders, elders, and senior disciples. Though they can learn much, they don't represent the core disciples of the sect. The second and rarer class is represented by apprentices to those such as me, a sectstarter. These are core disciples of the sect, who will be groomed to become sectstarters themselves."

"Sectstarters?" Xiao Nanfeng asked curiously.

"Perhaps you are yet unfamiliar with the history of the Taiqing Immortal Sect. At its peak, the Taiqing Immortal Sect was foremost among all sects in the world."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng was shocked.

"At the time, the path of cultivation was dominated by three main sects, the Taiqing, Yuqing, and Shangqing, and the Taiqing Sect was foremost among them. The divine Taiqing lands were considered the greatest force in the world."

Xiao Nanfeng gave Elder Ku an odd look. I haven't even seen a single Immortal in the sect, and it's already considered the top sect in the world?

"Subsequently, however, the divine Taiqing lands suffered a great calamity and began to wane. Since then, it has transformed into the Taiqing Immortal Sect. Perhaps after nearly ten thousand years, few remember the divine Taiqing lands, but the core disciples of the Taiqing Immortal Sect shall never forget this piece of history. They have been working hard in an attempt to restore Taiqing to its former glory. Two centuries ago, we had one such opportunity. We pooled all our resources to foster the emperor of a divine empire, with the understanding that he would, in turn, support the Taiqing sect. Unfortunately, the backlash from that divine empire wiped away all our hard work, and the Immortals of the sect were slaughtered to the last. The only survivors were the weakest disciples of the sect. If not for the aid from those of the Yuqing divine lands, we too would have been eradicated." Elder Ku gave Xiao Nanfeng a wan smile.

"Two centuries ago?" Xiao Nanfeng's eyes twitched.

Although Elder Ku had recounted this history only briefly and without emotion, Xiao Nanfeng could guess how terrible that battle two centuries ago had been.

"When the Taiqing Immortal Sect fell, we had no choice but to leave the world stage and retreat to the Eastern Sea, regaining our bearings on the Taiqing Island. As a result of our failure, a schism developed within the sect. Some cultivators believed that we had made a fundamental mistake; they refused to back down, to rest, to recuperate. Rather, radicalized, they denied the sect's teachings and chose to step down a different path. They broke away from us and formed the Taiqing Demonic Sect," Elder Ku continued.

"So that was how the schism developed..."

"The Taiqing Immortal Sect was founded on Taiqing Island by a group of cultivators who had survived the great war two centuries past: the sectstarters. All resources within the sect are open to sectstarters, but they in turn bear a tremendous burden, to restore the Taiqing Immortal Sect to its former glory."

"Oh?"

"I am a sectstarter. Your father, Xiao Hongye, was a sectstarter. The four division leaders are sectstarters, and the majority of elders are sectstarters. Emperor Tianshu himself is a sectstarter. For the rejuvenation of the Taiqing Immortal Sect, the sect provided resources to help Emperor Tianshu found the Tianshu Empire. Many disciples of the Ascended and Mortal divisions fell in the process, but the project was a success, and the empire was founded. Thus did the Taiqing Immortal Sect break out of its predicament."

"The sect freely gave of its resources to Emperor Tianshu, and many of its disciples died. What did it gain as a result?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Fortune," Elder Ku explained.

"Oh?"

"Cultivation gets harder the farther you go. The ultimate goal that all forces aspire to is fortune. The governance of an empire can accumulate fortune, and we sects need fortune in order to prosper. The sect fully supported Emperor Tianshu in exchange for a steady source of fortune. Sectstarters obtain fortune from Emperor Tianshu annually, especially the sect master and the four division leaders. Once they receive this fortune, they divide it among the sectstarter elders. The Ascended division leader also holds the honorary post of the Ascended Marquis within the Tianshu Empire, and the Mortal division leader, the Mortal Marquis."

"No wonder almost all the elders sided with Nalan Feng when I had a confrontation with him. Even Zhao Tianheng clearly favored him—and now I know why," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

"That's right. They benefit from the Tianshu Empire, and they'll naturally support Nalan Feng." Elder Ku nodded.

"If the sect grows reliant on a certain empire's fortune, wouldn't it ultimately become a vassal to that empire?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

Elder Ku shook his head. "A sect can support multiple empires simultaneously, providing a diverse stream of fortune for the sect. The Taiqing Immortal Sect is owed the Tianshu Empire's fortune by right of aid and inception. The sectstarters of the Heaven and Earth divisions are focused on a different battlefield, one apart from the Tianshu Empire. They too have managed to obtain fortune for the sect."

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng was shocked.

"That said, this behavior carries inherent risk. The calamity from two centuries ago was when we invested our full strength into supporting a divine empire. The negotiations fell through, however, and we suffered from backlash as a result—a backlash potent enough to almost destroy the entire sect."

"So this is how precious fortune is," Xiao Nanfeng wondered.

"Formally taking me as your master will necessitate that you become a sectstarter as well, with the heavy burden of revitalizing the sect. Considering what you've done with the Isle of Xiao, I doubt you'll be content with just minor holdings. If you choose not to take me as your master and remain an ordinary disciple, you'll have far more freedom to do what you want. At the very least, if you decide to start an empire of your own, you need not share your successes with the sect. On the other hand, if you insist on taking me as your master, the sect will fully support you and dedicate resources to you, with the expectation that you repay the sect with fortune," Elder Ku informed Xiao Nanfeng seriously.

Xiao Nanfeng sucked in a deep breath. "Thank you for the warning, Master. My father was a sectstarter, and I am bound to follow in his footsteps. I was only able to get this far because of your support and protection, and I do not intend on forgetting my roots. Xiao Nanfeng greets his master and pledges to repay the sect with what fortune he may receive."

Elder Ku smiled. "Very well. At noon tomorrow, we shall hold an initiation ceremony to formally induct you as my disciple and confer upon you the status of sectstarter. From then on, those within the sect who dare interfere with you shall be treated as rebels."

"Yes, Master!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.

The next day at noon, over twenty elders showed up outside the Vault of Scriptures, including Zhao Tianheng himself. Everyone had been invited by Elder Ku to witness the induction of his newest apprentice.

Thousands of ordinary disciples had gathered around the plaza as well. They didn't understand the importance of the ceremony, thinking only that Elder Ku was a stickler for propriety.

The elders in the sect, who had access to far more information, were well aware of the importance of this ceremony.

Zhao Tianheng sat not too far away, slowly sipping tea. He said not a single word from the start of the ceremony all the way until its end. An ugly look marred his face.

"Disciple Xiao Nanfeng acknowledges his master." Xiao Nanfeng proffered a cup of tea to Elder Ku, kneeling three times and kowtowing nine times, formally sealing the relationship between master and disciple.

Elder Ku finished the tea, then smiled. "Rise."

"Yes, Master!" Xiao Nanfeng got up and bowed.

Elder Ku stood up and faced the twenty or so elders he had invited. "Everyone, I apologize for the short notice, and for dragging you out of secluded cultivation. I ask that you witness Xiao Nanfeng's induction as a sectstarter of the Taiqing Immortal Sect and as my official apprentice. His safety is of paramount importance to the sect. If calamity befalls him, the sect master and four division leaders shall investigate the situation thoroughly."

"Understood!" The gathered elders nodded with complicated expressions on their faces.

"Division Leader Zhao, you are the only division leader in the sect at present. I ask that you witness this occasion and lead by example." Elder Ku smiled at Zhao Tianheng.

Zhao Tianheng's eyes twitched. Was this meant to be a warning from Elder Ku for him to not target Xiao Nanfeng any longer?

"Please relax, Elder Ku. Xiao Nanfeng is a sectstarter now. He shall be protected by me and mine," Zhao Tianheng promised.

"Let it be so!" Elder Ku smiled.

Although the ceremony had been simple, from that day onwards, Xiao Nanfeng's status in the Taiqing Immortal Sect had irrevocably changed. Even if he were to come into conflict with a division leader, it would no longer be considered a grave misdemeanor.

The induction ceremony was simultaneously grand yet simple. After everyone else was sent away, Elder Ku led Xiao Nanfeng into the Vault of Scriptures.

"The Vault of Scriptures has four floors. The first contains scriptures; the second, techniques; the third, secrets; the fourth, the core inheritances of the Taiqing sect. Ordinary disciples may only access the second floor at most, and ordinary elders, the third floor. Only sectstarters may ascend to the fourth floor. Follow me and allow me to show you the true wealth of the Taiqing Immortal Sect."

"Yes, Master!" Xiao Nanfeng bowed respectfully.