Lan Ming sipped her tea and answered Shen Yu's question, smiling.
"Being a Tier 2 sect has its own benefits, so how can the Federation give those benefits to anyone? You know, anyone can form a group and announce themselves as a sect and enjoy the benefits. But that doesn't make them a proper sect. So, there is a need to prove to the federation that you deserve the Tier 2 title."
"And they do that by hosting the tournaments?"
"Yes, they also rank the sects based on that. Usually, there is an Annual Sect Tournament at the end of the year, every year. In that, multiple sects from all over the Qing Empire participate to get selected as a Tier 2 sect. Every year, the federation selects 50 sects to remain at Tier 2."
Lan Ming then realized something and held the urge to facepalm.
"I forgot to tell you that the sect has to fight for the tiers every year. The number of Tier 2 sects remains the same, which is 50 all over the Qing Empire. If the sect wants to continue as Tier 2, it will have to participate in the Annual Sect Tournaments and come in the Top 54; only then will it be a Tier 2 sect.
"I'm sure you must have guessed by now and yes, the sect tournaments are basically to grant Tiers to many sects. In the tournament, there will be hundreds of sects participating from all over the Empire. And almost all of them are Tier 1 sects. A minority of them participate to have the title of Tier 2, but most of them participate just for the winning rewards and obviously fame. Having top rankings does boost the sect's reputation, and that reputation makes many people join them."
"So, what about the requirements you told me?"
Shen Yu asked, getting interested in this whole sect tournaments thing. Lan Ming maintained her composure and answered.
"Well, those requirements are mostly useless since every sect that manages to reach the Top 54 already meets the requirements. It's literally impossible to reach that high with weak members, after all."
"What if a sect reaches the Top 54 without actually fulfilling the requirements?"
"Hmm, unfortunately, I don't know if there is a rule for this since it never really happened in history."
Shen nodded as he lingered for a while before asking again.
"I see. So, I'm guessing that the reason it's Top 54 and not Top 50 is because the top 4 spots are for the Four Major Sects?"
"Yes, it's a rule that if any sect manages to reach Top 54, then they'll advance to Tier 2, and if they secured a spot in Top 4, then they'll advance to Tier 3. However, nobody really has seen that happening. The top 4 is usually just a competition among the four major Sects to see who can get higher rankings. While the others fight for other positions."
Shen Yu nodded, getting the gist of the gist of it. A smile adorned his face as he noted these four major Sects. He would definitely overthrow them, and it was bound to happen.
"I guess that clears most questions about the sect part. You can go to the Heavenly Sect Federation and register yourself. One of their supervisors will then accompany you to your sect to check if you truly have a sect or not. After the whole process is done, you'll be granted the Title of Tier 1 sect."
Lan Ming's lips tugged upwards as she asked.
"Will you participate in the next Annual Sect Tournament? Your sect is new, after all, but I can see it holds high potential. There is still some time before the registration for the Annual Sect Tournaments, so I was wondering if you will participate."
"We will. Even if we can't rank high, it'll be a good experience."
Shen Yu just smiled with a mysterious glint in his eye, and even Ying Yue had a small smile playing on her lips. It obviously wasn't going to be only for the experience; they would take high rankings.
"Well, then, now that the Sect system is explained, I'll tell you about Bai Chen. He's the young Master of the Seven Stars Sect, another sect in our Jade Province. The problem is that the power held by the Seven Stars Sect is very close to my Sect, and although they haven't qualified for Tier 2 yet, they still fulfill the requirements for it. Just from this you can understand their influence and authority."
Lan Ming said in a serious tone. But then she smiled and said.
"But you don't have to worry too much. This town is under the jurisdiction of the Wind Flower Sect, and it's a Tier 2 sect. No matter what, the Seven Stars Sect has to abide by our laws, especially in our territory. So, Bai Chen wouldn't dare to go to extreme lengths, but he may try small things like sending assassins."
"Miss Lan don't have to worry about assassins. He'll have a hard time finding a better one than me. But we appreciate the gesture and thanks for worrying about us."
Ying Yue flashed her canine teeth as she spoke. She really didn't care if Bai Chen actually decided to send assassins because, as she said, he would have a hard time finding an assassin as good as her. After all, she was the best the organization had to offer.
Shen Yu's lips twitched slightly at Ying Yue's remark, but he didn't interrupt her. She was right anyway.
Lan Ming sighed, seeing Ying Yue's overflowing confidence, but she couldn't even say that was plain arrogance. She had the right to say those words.
'I am at Core Formation Realm and yet I can't sense her presence clearly even though she's sitting in front of me. It feels like I'm hallucinating.'
Indeed, this was another reason Lan Ming had approached them. Without a doubt, Ying Yue was a terrifying assassin and, as she said, the best Assassin.
Lan Ming didn't know whether she would be able to save herself or not if Ying Yue decided to assassinate her, even though she was a whole realm above Ying Yue. That was the might of an assassin.