The next morning, Xiaomeng was woken up by the loud banging coming from her door. Getting up, she lightly rubbed her eyes to remove the blurry vision. Rising from the bed in her unkempt attire, she groggily opened the door.

  Through the streaming sunlight Senior Sister Lan’s image while was standing there became visible. She was holding a leather pouch in her hand. Handing her the pouch, Senior Sister said, "This bag contains part of what the Elder promised you yesterday. Today, some disciples of our Pill Refinement Hall are going down to the Mission Hall. I have already instructed them, so 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 completing her words, Senior Sister Lan didn't stay for even a moment and walked away. Xiaomeng just looked at the pouch in her hand for some time. Bringing it close to her ears, she shook it gently. The collision of crystals could be heard from inside. She slowly untied the knot and opened the bag slightly. Suddenly, bright light started to spill out from that narrow gap.

  Xiaomeng hastily closed the pouch and hurried inside the room, closing the door behind her. Her grogginess was completely gone, replaced by vigilance. Only after checking that there were no holes or surveillance tools in her room did she again open the pouch. Inside were the low-grade spirit stones promised to her.

  Taking one out, she started to examine it. Its size was a little smaller than a normal one, but the energy radiating from it indicated that the amount was roughly equal. Cheapskate! she muttered under her breath and again tightly packed the pouch. At one time, she had used them as marbles, but now she had to treat them as precious treasures. This change was still a little disorienting for her.

  Her small room also had a small courtyard beside it, along with a washroom connected to it. 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 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 at her 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 was engraved on their sleeves.

  The first thing she did was slightly bow and greet them. "New disciple Xiaomeng greets seniors." The older cultivators nodded at her in approval. Quickly going inside, she brought out the tightly packed pouch and went along with them.

  Her excitement for cultivating again was easily shown by her fast steps. Although her original body was that of a Nascent Soul cultivator, her cultivation had been 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 of the cultivators in Xiaomeng's group were in 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, her speed was severely lacking. To avoid delaying the group, a Senior Sister hoisted her onto her back and continued without breaking stride. The Senior Disciples were chatting, and Xiaomeng just listened to them with her keen ears. Sometimes, important cultivation insights were exchanged, and sometimes there was just childish banter.

  Normally, she would have been cautious regarding these matters of travelling with strangers, but knowing that her life would not be in any immediate danger while inside the sect, she had relaxed a bit. Listening to those conversations, Xiaomeng was able to learn the location of their destination. They were heading to the base of the central Head Peak. Both the Contribution Hall and Mission Hall were located there.

  After running for a few incense sticks' time, the group finally reached their destination. Fine beads of sweat marred the foreheads of all the Foundation Establishment Cultivators. This place seemed less like an important location and more like a local market. Disciples had set up their stalls at the side of the road and were showcasing their goods. Some were even shouting loudly to attract customers.

  If not for all of them wearing the blue sect uniform, Xiaomeng would have thought she had been kidnapped to a different place. Some even tried to approach her, but a stern look from her seniors scared them back. "Little girl, be careful when coming here. There is no shortage of swindlers. If you want to buy something, just tell us, and we will help you get it," the Senior Sister carrying her said. Xiaomeng just obediently nodded at the words.

  Soon, they reached the Mission Hall. Directly opposite it stood the Contribution Hall. Letting Xiaomeng down, the Senior Sister told her to wait while she completed her business in the Mission Hall. Nodding in acknowledgment, Xiaomeng decided to look around the Contribution Hall until then. She already knew what resources she needed to purchase, but doing it alone was not an option for now.

  Entering the Contribution Hall, it was not as crowded as she had expected. The Contribution 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.

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  Looking around, most of those present here were new disciples. From what Xiaomeng had heard, within a week of initiation into the sect, disciples entered the Qi Refinement realm. Most of those here must have come to buy resources for that, since just after entering the sect, everyone received a certain amount of Contribution Points.

  Seeing that the line to the counter was very long, Xiaomeng decided to just look around the hall. There were several spiritual glass exhibits placed around the hall for others to admire, showcasing the wealth of the sect. These glasses were stronger than normal glass and had hallucinogenic properties, 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 one, and Liu Yue, the blue-haired one, 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. Approaching them, Xiaomeng heard their ongoing discussion.

  "It's a horse," Xiao Ming said.

  "No, it's a dog," Liu Yue shot back.

  "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."

  Suddenly sensing someone approaching, the two girls turned their heads back. Seeing Xiaomeng, both of their eyes sparkled 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 observed the painting. It showcased a large dog with a completely white body but a sleek black head, flying in the sky. She instantly remembered where she had seen a similar image. Since she did not go out much in the Upper Realm, she had a hobby of reading books, and she had read about this creature.

  Looking at the name of the creature given below the glass covering, it further confirmed her thoughts. "Well, it certainly looks like a dog but is called a horse," she said to the two.

  "So, is it a horse or a dog?" the two girls asked simultaneously.

  "Of course, it's a dog. But its name is a horse, which is given there—Heavenly Horse, Tianma," Xiaomeng said while pointing to the name engraved below the glass exhibit. Her words only further confused the two girls.

  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 to do today."

  Xiao Ming tacitly agreed to this. 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?"

  Xiaomeng once again nodded her head in reply.

  "Ah! You don't have to worry about that,” Xiao Ming pulled Xiaomeng toward the stairs. “Inner Disciples like us can just go upstairs 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 missions or cultivating. So, this place is mostly sparsely occupied and uncrowded."

  Xiaomeng listened to these words and nodded, recording them in her memory.

  The three girls went near 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 more. Others were low-level spiritual beast parts like Jade Bamboo Hare's horn, Misty Cloud Sheep's milk, and several others.

  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 open. 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 thoughts.

  Liu Yue replied with a slight smile, "Yes. After going back yesterday, all three of us—me, Rong Ning, and Xiao Ming—got around four thousand spirit stones as an entry 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.

  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-level spirit stones. She remembered the conversation with the Fourth Elder this morning.

  “Just give her this” he had handed her the pouch while lightly snickering. “And tell that little girl that due to my generosity I had doubled the initial promised reward”

  And Lan would truly consider herself an idiot if she did exactly as he said.