Time passed like fleeting clouds as the noise of boisterous disciples filled the air.
The stench of blood was ever-present as it danced lightly upon the morning mountain air.
Xiao LingYue breathed in as his neidan spun, slowly absorbing and purifying the nearby Spiritual Qi before slowly healing his internal injuries while he made his way slowly to the counter before him.
A male and female draped in scarlet mink fur robes sat behind a large wooden desk as they nonchalantly regarded him.
LingYue's eyes were stuck to their robes as he narrowed his eyes, his focus at its peak as his hair seemed to stand on end!
One could only become an inner disciple upon reaching the peak of the Meridian Opening or upon reaching the Dantian Opening Stage.
These two options were very distinct and had stark differences. . .
Dantian Opening Stage inner disciples always had scarlet mink fur-lined black robes which displayed their status.
Meridian Opening Stage inner disciples wore a blood-coloured robe which was accentuated by black raven feathers as even among inner disciples they were treated like second class citizens. . .
Xiao LingYue handed over his token as it was soon thrown back to him, with his Cult's Jade token slightly different.
No longer was his token black but a deep red while it denoted his peak, name and his amount of Cult Contributions.
It seemed Cult Contributions were given upon the completion of cult missions to be exchanged for treasures, cauldrons, resources or various cultivation methods.
Once one had enough Cult Contributions, anything could be bought...
He placed his token in his embroidered bag as he was informed; the Spiritual pressure earlier was how they tested all prospective peak disciples, only those who had a strong will could become Hollow Heart Peak disciples.
He nodded solemnly as his eyes slowly looked over to the threshold, his eyes a mixture of displeasure and disgust. . .
*************
LingYue was briefed on all the different aspects of Hollow Heart Peak, which would be separated into specific divisions.
The Heartless Devil Barracks was listed as the main combat force of the Hollow Heart Peak; each with a Dantian Opening commander with 10 Meridian Opening lieutenants while each lieutenant had a 9-man team of Body Tempering Stage disciples.
These were the battle-hardened warriors who fought on the front lines to defend their and the benefits of the cult; none were fearful of death. . .
There was the Demonic Intent monument. A ghoulish figure stood with its 6 arms outstretched in which each held a different weapon, some were sabers, some were Swords, while others were even halberds and daggers.
It snarled at the sky as if it wanted to fight the very heavens while it gave off a maniacal aura of oppression.
Finally, there was the Thousand Eyes Hundred Ears Library which kept the hundreds of years of cultivation methods and knowledge of the Hollow Heart Peak.
LingYue decided long ago that he needed more information, compared to some he practically knew nothing.
****************
His eyes glanced at the signboard of the Library, its calligraphy like an ancient otherworldly beast as it pranced lively across the wooden canvas.
His feet passed over the threshold as he braced himself but the pressure he expected never came, his aura retracted as he saw an Elder sneering at him before scoffing upon seeing this new disciple. . .
Time passed like flowing water as LingYue passed from shelf to shelf as he continued to absorb the knowledge of the world he was in.
The Continent they were on was known as Heaven's Gift Continent, which had four separate regions with their histories and power dynamics.
The Barbaric South was all a part of the Southern Tortoise region, a place considered a desolate wasteland in comparison to other areas of Heaven's Gift Continent.
The South was a lawless land filled with multiple smaller sects and cults which ruled different areas.
There was the Azure Dragon Dynasty of the Nothern Dragon region, which was known for its ruling over the land of ice and frost. It ruled with an iron fist as it was more similar to a dynasty than a sect.
The Western Baehko region which held the Heavenly Blade Sect ruled over the western seas but in regards to the overall picture was a neutral party unless provoked.
The Eastern Region contained the Tianshan Sect, the leader of the righteous path and known throughout Heaven's Gift Continent for their sword cultivators and their myriad of sword cultivation methods.
His eyes glanced across the pages as the smell of bound aged booklets assaulted his nose, his eyes calm as he read from book to book.
From the origin of the fae to the uprising of humans.
These tales glorified the human race as they made it seem righteous and awe-inspiring to conduct genocide on another race or species; leading them near to the brink of extinction as they continued to use them as pets and resources.
Xiao LingYue moved on from the knowledge section as he visited the Martial Pagoda.
His eyes glanced down the corridor as he realized the body tempering methods were all recorded on different kinds of materials.
As he approached his eyebrows furrowed as he realized these miscellaneous objects were either bone, skulls, black tokens or jade slips as they recorded a small introduction to the Body Tempering Techniques.
He made his way through as only a few body-tempering methods stood out to him.
The Thundering Ox Physique.
Ancient Soul Ape Body Technique.
Sun Chasing Behemoth Art.
Careless Demon Reforging Art.
Wraith Giant Transformation Technique.
Demonic Demeanor Transformation Art.
These 6 were currently the highest techniques he could choose to reforge his body.
The Thundering Ox requires Ferocious Ox blood as a catalyst before introducing a type of thunder qi to refine the body.
The effects weren't small but it changed your overall physique as it emphasized strength not speed.
Xiao LingYue shook his head as he read it before placing back the Ox horn it was engraved on.
The next was the Ancient Soul Ape Body which he read from an ape's finger bone as he noted its strengths and weaknesses.
Cultivates the image of an Ancient Ape as it integrates and refines the body while making the body more limber.
Xiao LingYue noted that this also didn't fit his needs as it only aimed for flexibility and was not the approach he aimed for.
The Sun Chasing Behemoth, as well as the Wraith Giant, were also ruled out as the former needed to swallow Yang property resources which would conflict with his Yin cultivation method and the Wraith Giant Transformation Technique required swallowing ghouls and ghosts, slowly turning into something similar to a spectre.
He threw that out because who in their right mind would want to be something who was neither dead nor alive. . .
LingYue shook his head as he turned his attention towards the Demonic Demeanor Transformation Art.
This Transformation Art had 10 stages, each stage needed Demon Cores to cultivate. Each stage was listed as a different transformation as it retempered the body repeatedly giving an increase in all aspects.
The only notable issue was that it was dangerous because it not only used the wild Bestial Qi to temper one's body but also uses resentment and hate as well. Those without strong wills were prone to becoming easily deranged. . .
A light flashed quickly across his eyes as they narrowed upon reading it. The majority of these side effects could be ignored due to him having his own 'Demonic core' and his will was quite firm, it seemed tailor-made for him.
He grasped the skull within his hand as he took it to the Elder to be exchanged for the full cultivation method.