Chapter 5: An Official Disciple of the Treasure Pavilion
Hall Master Zhao turned to the remaining disciples and said, "Introduce yourselves one by one — quickly now!"
The remaining disciples immediately began their introductions in order.
The disciples that followed were unremarkable.
Only two had Mid-Grade Triple Spirit Roots; the rest were disciples with Mid-Grade Quadruple or Quintuple Spirit Roots.
The more Spirit Roots one possessed, the slower one's cultivation speed tended to be.
Hall Master Zhao waited until everyone had finished their introductions before looking toward the four Peak Masters.
"Fellow Peak Masters, please each select two more."
The four Peak Masters were fairly casual about it this time, each picking two disciples.
The Peak Master of Zhenyue Peak said, "I'll leave the rest to Hall Master Zhao — I'll take my disciples and go first!"
Hall Master Zhao smiled. "Please, Peak Master!"
The four Peak Masters each departed with their chosen disciples.
Yu Jin followed his Peak Master out, casting a glance back at Fang Yuan that said: We're brothers — stick together!
Fang Yuan understood, giving a nod and a smile in return: Don't worry about me — go on ahead!
Hall Master Zhao then spoke up. "Qi Hui."
"Present!" A male disciple stepped forward.
"Report to Rosy Cloud Stone Valley — a second-tier property."
Qi Hui's expression stiffened. "Disciple… disciple heard from Senior Brother Li that, if possible, one might be assigned to Senior Brother Li's property?"
Hall Master Zhao glanced at him sidelong. "Are you sure? Red Leaf Forest is no simple place. There are plenty of demon beasts and ferocious creatures, and rogue cultivators and demonic cultivators are spotted there from time to time. The dangers and the rewards go hand in hand."
Qi Hui gritted his teeth. "Please grant this disciple's request, Hall Master Zhao!"
"Fine. Then you'll go to Red Leaf Forest."
Hall Master Zhao looked at the others. "Anyone else who wants to go to Red Leaf Forest, step forward now. Once you're assigned elsewhere, there'll be no taking it back."
At that, quite a few disciples fell into a state of inner conflict.
Fang Yuan quietly felt a chill — this was the helplessness of being a dispatched disciple. Their freedom of choice was extremely limited.
In the end, five more stepped forward and chose Red Leaf Forest.
Hall Master Zhao made no attempt to stop them. He registered the assignments of all six, then waved his hand. "You may head out and board the Flying Vessel!"
"Yes, Hall Master!"
The six departed with complicated expressions, bidding farewell to those they knew before leaving the hall.
The hall now held only fifteen people.
Hall Master Zhao continued. "Wang Buwei, report to Rosy Cloud Stone Valley."
That disciple let out a sigh and cupped his fists. "This disciple obeys!"
One by one, Hall Master Zhao called out names and assigned postings.
Each disciple registered their information and left the hall, going their separate ways.
In the end, only Hall Master Zhao and Fang Yuan remained in the hall.
"And you — where would you like to go? Inside the sect, or outside?" Hall Master Zhao asked.
"Inside the sect!" Fang Yuan answered without hesitation.
"Very well. There are many options within the sect. Here's a list — take a look for yourself."
Hall Master Zhao sent a sheet of paper drifting over, and it settled in front of Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan took it and read carefully.
[Four Great Peaks: Zhenyue Peak, Zhanchun Peak, Wangyue Peak, Qiyun Peak]
[Four Arts Halls: Pill Hall, Artifact Hall, Formation Hall, Talisman Hall]
[Four Affairs Halls: Hall of Affairs, Combat Affairs Hall, Law Enforcement Hall, Commerce Hall]
[Four Great Pavilions: Technique Transmission Pavilion, Technique Research Pavilion, Scripture Repository, Treasure Pavilion]
Looking over the list, he gained a basic understanding of the Luoyun Sect Branch's structure. Each option came with a brief description.
He started by process of elimination. The Four Great Peaks were out — too many people, too many complications.
The Four Affairs Halls were even more out of the question — the workload would certainly be overwhelming.
The Four Arts Halls were also a no. Too busy. Working there meant endless Artifact Forging and alchemy, and all the failed Pills and finished products had to be handed over — there was simply no opportunity to pocket anything.
Unless you were a high-ranking talent, you had no autonomy whatsoever.
Among the Four Great Pavilions, the Technique Transmission Pavilion, Technique Research Pavilion, and Scripture Repository all seemed appealing — but he clearly lacked the qualifications for the first two, and the Scripture Repository, despite his interest, actually had a cultivation requirement.
So his gaze finally settled on the Treasure Pavilion.
The Treasure Pavilion was essentially one of the exchange halls for Contribution Points. Contribution Points could be used at the Scripture Repository to exchange for cultivation techniques, or here at the Treasure Pavilion to exchange for Pills, Magic Artifacts, Talismans, Formations, materials, Spirit Stones, and other physical goods.
It might seem like a place ripe with opportunities for personal gain, but in truth there was very little to be had. He had learned from headquarters that all exchanges were managed by Artifact Spirits or Formation Spirits, with Formations running automatically — there was no chance for corruption.
Fang Yuan's eyes flickered as something came to mind.
He spoke up. "Hall Master Zhao, I choose the Treasure Pavilion."
"Oh?"
Hall Master Zhao looked surprised. "Are you certain?"
"I'm certain!" Fang Yuan said without hesitation.
"Very well."
Hall Master Zhao offered no persuasion and simply registered Fang Yuan's information.
From that day forward, Fang Yuan officially became an official disciple of the Treasure Pavilion of the Luoyun Sect's Red Dream Dynasty Branch.
Fang Yuan took his appointment letter and walked out of the hall.
Hall Master Zhao watched Fang Yuan's retreating figure and shook his head with a smile. "The Treasure Pavilion? The place closest to treasures — yet so near and yet so far. What does he plan to do there? Temper his state of mind?"
Following the map on his appointment letter, Fang Yuan spent half an hour finding his way to Treasure Peak.
Before long, he arrived at one of the nearest halls on Treasure Peak.
The moment he stepped through the entrance, a small glowing silhouette of a puppy materialized out of thin air before him.
The puppy looked at him with a blank expression, then spoke directly: "Hello. I am Xiaobao, the Artifact Spirit. If you wish to exchange for treasures, please proceed to the Selection Room to browse items, then head to the Exchange Room to complete your exchange. If you are a disciple delivering goods, please proceed to the rear hall to hand them over."
Fang Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement. "I'm an official disciple assigned to the Treasure Pavilion."
Xiaobao's expression suddenly came to life. It circled around Fang Yuan with curiosity, its voice bright and clear. "Oh, so you're one of us! Show me your documents and token first!"
Fang Yuan immediately produced both items.
A beam of light shot from Xiaobao's eyes and washed over the two documents. Once verification was complete, it turned back to Fang Yuan. "I need to verify your Spiritual Sense aura!"
Fang Yuan released a thread of his Spiritual Sense.
Xiaobao shot another beam of light over it.
Then it immediately did a somersault. "Done! Fang Yuan, you are now officially a disciple of the Treasure Pavilion. I hereby grant you Treasure Pavilion Level One clearance, which allows you to view information on first-tier treasures."
At that moment, an elderly man came hurrying out from the back of the hall.
His eyes lit up when he saw Fang Yuan. "A new face?"
"Ah — I'm Fang Yuan. How should I address you, Senior Brother?"
The old man laughed. "My name is Li Chenggong. Don't let my appearance fool you — I'm actually only thirty-four years old!"
Fang Yuan looked at his white hair and deeply wrinkled face and was thoroughly unconvinced.
Xiaobao mercilessly exposed him: "He's one hundred and thirty-four, Lao Li!"
"Ahem!" The old man cleared his throat. "Right, enough of that. Let me walk you through the basic duties here at the Treasure Pavilion."
Fang Yuan immediately gave his full attention.
Li Chenggong led him into the main hall, where a row of rooms lined each side.
"These are the Selection Rooms, those are the Exchange Rooms, and this area here is the waiting zone. All of it is managed by Xiaobao — your job is simply to maintain order."
Fang Yuan nodded. That sounded fairly easy.
The old man then led Fang Yuan to the rear hall, which also had a row of rooms.
"See the labels on the rooms?"
Fang Yuan looked. Each room was labeled: [Pills] [Magic Artifacts] [Formations] [Talismans] [Other Finished Goods] [Spirit Herbs] [Spirit Materials] [Spirit Stones] [Other Materials] [Waste]
Li Chenggong explained, "When disciples bring deliveries, you check them against the manifest Xiaobao provides, then place everything on the transfer platforms inside the rooms to log them into inventory. That's your main job."
Fang Yuan asked curiously, "Even the waste goes in there?"
"Yes. Xiaobao will conduct an appraisal. Materials that still have some use will be repurposed; anything completely worthless gets spat back out — and that's your third task: disposing of the refuse. Usually you let it pile up and then bury it behind the mountain, though you can also just burn it. Up to you."
Li Chenggong gave him a sideways look. "Don't go thinking there's some chance to strike it rich by finding overlooked treasures here. Xiaobao's detection ability is razor-sharp. I've been here for decades and haven't earned so much as a single Low-Grade Spirit Stone!"
Xiaobao grinned broadly. "Why, thank you for the compliment."
Li Chenggong's face darkened. He turned away from Xiaobao and addressed Fang Yuan. "That's basically all there is to it. If you have questions, just ask Xiaobao. Nothing too catastrophic ever happens in a first-tier Treasure Hall."
Li Chenggong waved his hand and began walking away.
Fang Yuan was taken aback. "Senior Brother, where are you going?"
"I'm retiring. This place is yours now. Find yourself an empty Cave Dwelling somewhere on Treasure Peak to live in."
Fang Yuan was stunned. "Senior Brother, doesn't the Treasure Hall need guards?"
"Didn't you notice the Puppets? Anyone who causes trouble won't be walking out in one piece."
As Fang Yuan stood there dumbfounded, Li Chenggong walked farther and farther away, and in the blink of an eye, he had vanished entirely.