Chương 13: Inner Workings

Lin Yi had seen many cultivators in his short time in the sect. Everyone wore either the sect-issued clothing or a similar style. Elder Yu was the first one with completely different clothes. She wore a palace dress in silver-black colors representing the Scripture Pavilion Division. Jewelry adorned her face and fingers, and Lin Yi thought he saw makeup on her solemn face.

"Disciple Zu. Disciple Lin." Elder Yu greeted them back. She looked at Zu Guo and said.

"You may leave us alone." Zu Guo bowed to the elder and nodded to his junior brother before turning around and leaving. After his senior brother departed, the door closed automatically, and Elder Yu turned her attention to him.

"First, I welcome you to the Scripture Pavilion Division. My name is Yu Hua. I am an Elder of the Scripture Pavilion and acting deputy master till Deputy Master Kayu leaves her seclusion." Lin Yi nodded and replied.

"Thank you, Elder Yu. I'm glad to be here." With a nonsensical nod of her own, she continued.

"I will not hold you long. I will only explain a few important things about our division. The other information you will learn from the texts I will put in your sect plate or from other disciples you are on duty with." Lin Yi nodded.

"Our Division Master is called Tubu Pu, also known as the Perceiving Light Dao Master. He is in seclusion most of the time. It is unlikely you will ever meet him, unless you become an elder."

"The Deputy Division Master, I already mentioned, is named Kayu Beiwo. If she leaves her seclusion before the annual division meeting, you might get to meet her."

"The Scripture Pavilion Division currently has seven elders and over forty disciples. One elder is nearly always stationed at the main Scripture Pavilion, and another one here at the Administration Pavilion."

"Disciples have different tasks, from overseeing and helping in the main Scripture Pavilion or other buildings on the public platform to going to other divisions to collect new immortal texts or receiving disciples from other divisions who wish to submit new ones."

"There are also other minor tasks that need to be done for our division to operate properly. Collecting new resources from the Charging Bull Division, regularly checking the formations around the mountain, and so on." Lin Yi was a little surprised at how many tasks there really were. He wondered if the few disciples were enough for all of that. Elder Yu proceeded to explain.

"You, as a Golden Cauldron Stage disciple, will switch between these tasks to learn the basics of the division. Once you enter the Crimson Palace Stage, you will be assigned a permanent position." She paused for a moment and looked at Lin Yi. Only after confirming that he understood and had listened to what she explained did she continue.

"Every month, an elder will hold a lecture at the lecture pavilion. There you can ask any questions you have during cultivation. If you have urgent questions or problems, you can also come here to the administration or send a help signal through your sect plate." Lin Yi knew of the mentioned function. The help signal was similar to the SoS in his past life. It also had different modes for different situations. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

One was, for example, for when one is in seclusion and experiences qi deviation or something similar. If one succeeded in sending this help signal, elders on duty would be alerted and arrive as soon as possible. There was also a variation for when one encountered a dangerous or even life-and-death situation outside the sect. Any sect members in the surrounding area would be alerted and asked for help. One of the more basic help signals, and the one Elder Yu mentioned, was the simple help signal.

Once sent, the next available elder will respond and plan a meeting with the disciple to resolve their problem. Of course, if anyone abused this system, there will be quite a few consequences. At worst, even sect expulsion was possible. Elder Yu continued.

"You will also be given an independent courtyard on one of the upper peaks of the mountain."

"Your sect plate was already updated with the courtyard's formation key and a map of the whole mountain and the whole sect grounds. There is also information about the Scripture Pavilion Division in general and its public and private buildings."

"Do you have any further questions, Disciple Lin?" Lin Yi thought for a moment, but nothing came to his mind.

"No, Elder Yu, thank you." He replied. Elder Yu nodded to him.

"Then you may leave to find your courtyard. Be here tomorrow morning at the eighth hour in the Administration Pavilion. You will be given your first task."

"Thank you, Elder Yu." Lin Yi said again as he bowed towards the elder and left. As he exited the pavilion, he saw that Senior Brother Zu Guo waited before the building.

"Ah, junior brother. Finished with Elder Yu?" Lin Yi nodded at the question.

"Yes, I plan to find my courtyard and look around a bit."

"That's a good idea." Zu Guo waved him forward.

"Come, I will fly you towards your courtyard. On which peak is it?" Lin Yi followed him as they walked towards the front of the platform again.

"Are you free, senior brother? I don't want to bother you." Zu Guo shook his head and answered.

"I have nothing to do anymore. My tasks are always assigned a few days before they are due. Otherwise, I couldn't plan my cultivation time."

"Sect tasks and positions are important, but we are first and foremost cultivators, and the sect would not take our chances to advance our cultivation." Lin Yi nodded as he understood what Zu Guo meant. The sect distributes tasks to the disciples. Without them, the sect couldn't function properly. But there needs to be a limit. Sect disciples were here for cultivation and a chance at the immortal dao. If they couldn't cultivate properly, joining the sect would lose its meaning.

As for servant disciples, Lin Yi never heard of them. They don't exist in the Charging Bull Sect, though he didn't know why. An example of proper cultivation time was Zu Guo. If the Scripture Pavilion Division gave him tasks at any random time, he couldn't relax and cultivate properly, and any progress would be half as good for double the effort.

In contrast, the division would give him a deadline or a day on which he needed to complete the tasks, so he could plan his cultivation schedule and cultivate with a clear heart. Lin Yi remembered his senior brother's introduction and asked him about his position. His cultivation-enhanced mind could remember the exact title.

"Senior Brother, you said that you are a scripture envoy. Elder Yu also said that there are tasks about collecting new immortal texts. Does this fall under your area of responsibility?" Zu Guo looked at him and nodded.

"Yes. A scripture envoy is technically a delivery man. I get sent to other divisions or living abodes when someone has created any new immortal text or updated them. It could be their biography they want to store in the sect, a cultivation method, an alchemy recipe, or just a new way to breed some spiritual plants."

"They will get Sect Points depending on the text's value, and the sect enriches their inheritance at the same time. A win-win."

"Of course, not anyone can just request a scripture envoy to get their immortal text. Only elders or disciples of Dao Masters have the authority to do that." Lin Yi nodded. The sect had tens of thousands of disciples. It would be unrealistic for anyone to expect that the sect would cater to their whims. Zu Guo continued.

"The rest need to come here and submit their immortal texts personally."

"The job of a scripture envoy is sometimes demanding and not really well paid, but there are some benefits." He said with a smile as his flying boat flew out of the storage pouch and enlarged to its normal size.

"The flying boat is given to you for your position?" Lin Yi asked. Zu Guo nodded and replied.

"Yes, positions where disciples need to cross great distances often get this or other variants of sect-issued flying ships. The elders responsible for testing immortal seedlings, for example, get bigger ships." Lin Yi finally grasped why Elder Dou had a bigger flying ship, but one with a similar design. Zu Guo continued.

"Now then, where is your courtyard?" This time Lin Yi didn't hesitate and extended his spirituality into his sect plate. He quickly found the mountain map and his marked courtyard.

"Around there." He pointed in a direction, and after the duo entered the flying ship, they sped into the distance.