Joining

"Speak freely, and don't hold anything back." Zhang Jianlin said with a smile, "In truth, we are just like you, originating from the peripheral worlds. In fact, most of the Nine Cauldrons Sect's upper echelon hails from the peripheral worlds. From that perspective, we belong to the very same camp." Beside him, Qin Yi nodded slightly. "The Artifact Sect possessed a heritage spanning three full millennia, and across those three thousand years, even the oldest immortal sect decayed. Several centuries ago, the standing of foreign cultivators like us who entered the Artifact Sect was already rock-bottom. Not only were we suppressed at every turn, but we were treated like servants by the native disciples of the Artifact Sect, beaten or killed at their whim. Especially during our defeat in the war against the Moon Demon Empire... they treated us entirely as cannon fodder. It was precisely because of this that we had no choice but to rise in revolt and establish our own Nine Cauldrons Sect." "The Nine Cauldrons Sect does not follow the ways of the former Artifact Sect, nor those of the other sects. Among all cultivators, there is no distinction between noble and lowly in terms of personal dignity; there are only differences in rank and duty. Even the most ordinary disciple, standing face-to-face with the sect master, needs only to show proper respect—there is no need to kneel and kowtow. Likewise, though we are an elder and a deputy hall master, you may treat us as ordinary fellow cultivators." Zhang Jianlin added with a smile, "In terms of status, we are equals. The Sect Master once said that anyone, so long as they have the capability and can earn the recognition and respect of others, can attain a high position. Even if someone wished to become the sect master one day, he would step down and yield his post with immense joy—because that would mean a leader superior to him had emerged, and under that person's guidance, life for everyone in the Nine Cauldrons Sect would be far better than it is now." Listening to their words, Yaoguang knew they had sensed his desire to establish himself independently and his unwillingness to subordinate himself to others. Yet... He was somewhat surprised. Although he had seen from various sources that this Sect Master of the Nine Cauldrons Sect acted with great boldness and possessed a magnanimity broad enough to embrace all rivers, hearsay was one thing, and witnessing or experiencing it firsthand was another. After all, anyone could put out propaganda. Yet hearing Zhang Jianlin and Qin Yi speak now, it seemed... Was this truly the consensus within the Nine Cauldrons Sect? "Sect Master Li is truly magnanimous," Yaoguang remarked. Zhang Jianlin smiled slightly and manipulated the dharma artifact in his hand. A projection of light immediately beamed before Yaoguang. *Nine Cauldrons Sect Charter.* *General Principles.* *Article One...* *The Nine Cauldrons Sect is a republican sect led by the cultivator class and founded upon its citizens and sect personnel.* *Article Two...* *All power in the Nine Cauldrons Sect belongs to its citizens.* *Article Three: All citizens and sect personnel are equal without exception.* Yaoguang skimmed through the sect regulations quickly. As he read through them, he indeed saw the provisions Zhang Jianlin had mentioned. *The Sect Master of the Nine Cauldrons Sect shall be jointly elected by sect personnel...* Yaoguang knew that "citizens" referred to members who had joined sectors like the Energy Department, Transportation Department, and Communications Department. They were effectively the operational bedrock of the many institutions under the Nine Cauldrons Sect's jurisdiction. As for sect personnel, that went without saying: Registered disciples, formal disciples, core disciples, true disciples. Attendants, deacons, chief seats, consecrated elders, dharma protectors, and elders all fell under sect personnel. Rules were always made by the strong. Yet... That the Nine Cauldrons Sect had actually codified these rules into its statutory charter was something Yaoguang had not anticipated. While the powerful never truly had to abide by rules, once an individual grew strong enough and genuinely wanted to make a move, such rules could serve as moral ground to legitimize their actions. If he could realize this, those who drafted the rules could certainly realize it too. And yet they had still written this rule into the sect charter... "The leadership of the Nine Cauldrons Sect is truly bold," Yaoguang praised from the bottom of his heart this time. After a quiet moment, he asked, "With rules like these... isn't the sect worried that some outside powerhouse might one day usurp control through sheer personal strength?" "As I said, everyone differs only in rank and duty, not in noble or lowly status. And to take over, he must first ensure one thing: either he earns everyone's recognition, or..." Zhang Jianlin chuckled softly. "...he can suppress everyone entirely by himself!" He paused briefly. "In the former case, it goes without saying: if his abilities gain everyone's approval, the Sect Master will gladly step aside and yield the position. As for the latter... if he is capable of suppressing everyone all by himself, that already proves we have no say in the matter anyway." Hearing this, Yaoguang nodded. Beside them, Qin Yi saw nothing amiss with Yaoguang's questions, nor did he perceive him as harboring innate disloyalty. People like them differed from the native cultivators. Having lived in smaller worlds, their ability to reach the Cangwu Realm was proof they had already weathered fierce winnowing; every single one was a dragon among men in their original worlds. Aiming higher than the heavens was only natural for them. According to the Sect Master, it was vital to preserve their youthful vigor, sharp drive, and enterprising spirit. Only in this way would those currently in lower positions draw courage from hardship, strive with determination, channel twelve tenths of their fighting will into life and cultivation, and spontaneously throw themselves into training and growth. And only in this way could the Nine Cauldrons Sect revive swiftly, reclaim the former territories of the Artifact Sect, re-enter the ranks of the Ten Great Immortal Sects, and stand at the pinnacle of the world. Thus, the Nine Cauldrons Sect did not fear ambition—it only feared incompetence. "I find it strange. As a mere high-tier cultivator, I hardly warrant the two of you making such a grand effort to recruit me in person," Yaoguang said, casting a glance at Lin Sen. "Even though I demonstrated a certain level of attainment in artifact refining on the Xianying 60 project... it shouldn't be enough to disturb the two of you." Zhang Jianlin and Qin Yi exchanged a glance. *He's receptive.* "Allow me to explain," Zhang Jianlin said with a smile. "First and foremost, what you displayed wasn't just 'a certain level' of artifact refining attainment, but an exquisitely refined standard of craft. Based on your modifications to the Xianying 60, I estimate that your attainment in artifact refining is likely no lower than that of a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining. It's only due to constraints in cultivation and equipment that you couldn't bring it to full fruition." "A Grandmaster of Artifact Refining?" Beside them, Lin Sen was inwardly shocked. He had not expected Elder Zhang to hold Yaoguang in such remarkably high regard. "Body refining differs from qi refining and spirit refining. Spirit intent possesses tremendous deterring and lethal power, but it is inherently ill-suited for intricate procedures such as artifact refining, alchemy, array formation, and talisman crafting. While our Nine Cauldrons Sect has a considerable number of Great Cultivators, body refining Star Lords make up eighty to ninety percent of them." Zhang Jianlin continued to explain, "Among the remaining cultivators, not everyone necessarily pursues an auxiliary profession. Even if someone does and attains grandmaster level, it isn't necessarily artifact refining. Consequently, across the entire sect, there are only several dozen Grandmasters of Artifact Refining, and when distributed to the Jiuxiao Domain, there might not even be a single one." He looked at Yaoguang. "Now do you realize how significant you are?" "You flatter me. I am still quite a ways off from a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining," Yaoguang said. His artifact refining was at Tier 9, 71%. To match a Grandmaster of Artifact Refining, it would need to reach at least 80%. "You're far too modest." Zhang Jianlin smiled. "Now comes the second point." At this, his expression turned slightly solemn. "You are dual-cultivating the two systems of body refining and spirit refining." "Dual cultivation?" Yaoguang was taken aback. Then, realization dawned upon him. Dual cultivation! The crucial point lay in dual cultivation. In this world, the difficulty of dual cultivation was exceptionally high—far more complex than merely crossing majors or academic disciplines. Those gifted with the talent for dual cultivation were often given priority training. Yet at the same time... Many who possessed such talent ended up dividing their attention between the two systems, ultimately achieving nothing in either. Because of that, he hadn't thought dual cultivation was anything extraordinary, but judging by Zhang Jianlin and Qin Yi's attitudes, that didn't seem to be the case at all. "Starting three hundred years ago, cultivation paths have been optimized and specialized again and again. This specialization has reached its peak today, but correspondingly, it has begun to confront a variety of problems, even running into dead ends." Zhang Jianlin paused, then continued, "The path of cultivation can never look in only one direction. Advancing essence, qi, and spirit in unison is the true royal road." "Something went wrong?" Yaoguang was somewhat surprised. "If you pay close attention, you'll realize... across the entire realm of Cangwu, no one has formed a Golden Core for over a century. The surviving Golden Cores in the world today are all remnants from the great war against the Moon Demon Empire. Every single one of these Golden Cores possesses unfathomable might, but... compared to their destructive power, their supernatural mystical traits fall far short of matching the sheer destruction they wield." "Destructive power..." Yaoguang mused, gaining some insight. "Yes. To cope with the war, everyone pursued destructive power. The world entered an era of severe destructive overkill. A powerful Golden Core can even bring apocalyptic catastrophe to the whole of Cangwu, yet they... cannot even break past their lifespan limits." Zhang Jianlin let out a long breath. "A being whose might rivals the sun in the sky, yet possesses a lifespan of merely several hundred years... does that make sense?" It made no sense. Yaoguang instantly reached this conclusion. "Based on joint research among the top sects and premier cultivators, they arrived at a conclusion: dual cultivation is the only way forward for cultivators. Pursuing only a single path—and frantically chasing destructive power on top of that—is already a stray path. Small sects have no choice; without immense strength and destructive power, they risk annihilation. But major sects... must look not only to the present, but also to the future." Zhang Jianlin looked at Yaoguang, his eyes glittering with keen light. "And cultivators like you who possess the talent for dual cultivation represent the future of the great sects. If one of you can break through to the Golden Core Realm in the future, that will be a true Golden Core—one that operates stably without requiring the entire sect's resources to sustain it!" Beside him, Qin Yi also spoke up: "Rumors circulate among the upper echelons of Cangwu that whichever sect can nurture a new Golden Core-tier powerhouse out of a new cultivation system will dominate the world and command the future!" Having finished, the two looked at Yaoguang. And Yaoguang now understood why a mere high-tier cultivator like himself was worthy of two Great Cultivators coming to invite him in person. "Then, Yaoguang, what is your answer...?" "I think..." Yaoguang glanced at the rules the Nine Cauldrons Sect had set for itself. He smiled. "With such an open environment and a sect master possessing a magnanimity broad enough to embrace all rivers, I don't believe I have any reason to refuse."