Ruvan spent the whole morning lying on his bed until he finally decided to go out for lunch.
Just as Ruvan was getting ready to leave he met Sefia who was standing at the entrance of his house.
"Wow~ This really is a surprise..."
"Have you had enough rest already?"Ruvan asked with a little concern, after all he had been quite rude to the girl, even though it was her first time.
"I'm fine now... Use one of the healing pills from the ring you gave me" Sefia said with a smile after all she liked to see how Ruvan cared about her.
"I was planning to go out to eat... Do you want to join me?"
"Sure"
Finally they both got moving as they walked through the bustling streets of the courtyard outside.
"Any news?"
"Yeah... It seems that the disappearance of Gino and his henchmen has caused a stir in the entire Outer Courtyard. According to what I've heard, several Elders of the Disciplinary Hall are conducting an investigation to find out their whereabouts" Sefia said with a serious look.
"There is nothing to worry about... The bodies have already been digested by Viridis and there is also no eyewitness who can link us to their disappearance..." Ruvan said with a reassuring smile.
"Are you completely sure? Several disciples might testify that we were in the same tavern the night they disappeared..."
"Yes, but remember that the tavern was full of disciples. At least two hundred if you ask me"
"And that guy and his friends were not so stupid, after all they waited a rather prudent time to follow me... It's very difficult that they can link us"
"Mmm you're right... I'll also keep an eye out if something comes up inside the Discipline Hall" Sefia said solemnly.
"Do you have contacts inside the Discipline Room?"Ruvan asked with some surprise. The night before Sefia had mentioned that she had some contacts here and there inside the Outer Courtyard.
"Yeah... An Elder from the Disciplinary Hall is quite close to me" said Sefia.
'Mmmm although I already have Yurie it would be best to avoid disturbing her unless it is extremely necessary...'
"Very well... Do as you see fit"
The two eventually headed to a simple restaurant, which Sefia recommended
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Excuse me... I'm not a Dual Cultivator but isn't your Yang Qi a little more powerful than other Dual Cultivators?" Sefia asked with some interest, after all she still felt Ruvan's warm Yang Qi coursing through her body.
"Mmm yeah hahaha"
"Remember that I have a special physique" Ruvan said with a smile as he continue devouring his food.
"I think your first step should be to join the Dual Cultivation Department" Sefia said with a serious look.
"Dual Cultivation Department? Can you tell me a little bit about it..." Ruvan asks curiously. As Ruvan was talking to Sefia., more and more he realized that Yurie was a lousy guide, for a newcomer.
"Phew..."
"The Sect as I said before does not force any of its disciples to practice Dual Cultivation, this is because only a small number of disciples are selected to join the Thousand Desires Sect"
"Mmm and the Thousand Desires Sect is okay with this?"Ruvan asked with a raised eyebrow, after all there were many talents that could surely slip out of thier hands.
"This is where the exception to the rule comes in..." Sefia said with a smile as she held up her index finger.
"Only disciples with special physiques are obligated to enter the Dual Cultivation Department, after all the Thousand Desires Sect perceives them as valuable assets for their Sect"
"The rest of the disciples can basically do whatever they want..."
"Mmm it makes sense..." Ruvan said as he put his hand to his chin.
"The Dual Cultivation Department is quite popular and one of the biggest in the Sect... This is also because it is the only department that allows access towards a first-degree Sect..."
"The other Departments are also popular but the level of their techniques and infrastructure is much more limited. Remember that at the end of the day, they are not considered as part of the main activities of the Sect," Sefia said while holding her index finger to her chin.
"May I know how so many departments came about? I mean, doesn't it take several experts to keep them running?" Ruvan asked with curiosity. From what Yurie had explained to him, the Sect had a wide range of Departments which ranged from alchemy to departments specializing in hand-to-hand combat.
'There's even a department for spear users'
"This is because the Hidden Flower Sect has dedicated itself to hosting many exiled female experts. Many of them are survivors of destroyed sects who have decided to settle here and continue their ways in our Sect"" Sefia said with a certain degree of admiration.
"Even if the highest grade techniques are located in the Dual Cultivation Department, this shouldn't be a reason to look down on the other Departments, after all many legacies from other powers are located here..." Sefia said with a serious look.
"That's awesome... Has all this been my Master's idea?"
Ruvan had already gone through the stage where he explained to Sefia that he was almost not very close to his Master due to his training trips so she no longer questioned him for his ignorance.
"That's right... The Sect Master has had a pretty open policy about it. That's why our Sect is considered as a true Cosmopolitan Sect because of the variety of people and cultures found here".
'No doubt this place will be much more interesting than I thought'
"Do you have any idea how things work in the Dual Cultivation Department?"
"The Dual Cultivation Department is the most complex of all the Departments, after all there is a strong feeling of competition among its members..."
"Women are looking to find strong partners while men are the same. Battles often break out over a single cultivation pair"
"Sounds like a fun place..."
"Pretty funny I would say..."
"There are stories of all kinds of intrigues and murders in that Department... As they say over there:
"The success of a Dual Cultivator is determined by the quality of their partners"
"Mmm interesting..."
"If you are going to go there I recommend that you be prepared at once. A large part of the strongest cultivators of the Outer Courtyard are located in that department"
"Each of them acts like a warlord, after all most of them have several lackeys under them. The guy you killed yesterday was a subordinate of one of the most influential guys in the Dual Cultivation Department" Sefia said seriously.
"Hahaha I really can't wait for the time to join that place... You join me to sign up" Ruvan said with a smile from ear to ear. Intrigue and murder was what he was best at…
"You heard the part where I mention that it is an extremely dangerous place and that there is a great risk of being killed, right?"I ask Sefia with an incredulous expression.
"Of course. Why do you think I'm excited?"
"..." Sefia.