After the Mortal Awakening Tournament ended, the tournament for the Blood Purification cultivators began.
However, Yuan only halfheartedly watched the fights. His focus had already shifted toward his own plans.
First and foremost, he had been granted the status of High Outer Disciple, which was quite a prestigious position for a mere Mortal Awakening cultivator.
As he recalled the book given to them by the blond haired judge, he reviewed the hierarchy within the Howling Wind Branch Sect, particularly regarding the different levels of outer disciples.
There were three ranks among outer disciples
first the Unofficial Outer Disciples
These were individuals who could live within the sect but were not yet full-fledged disciples.They had to either work for the sect for thirty years or earn enough merit points to qualify as normal outer disciples and If they were reaching the Blood Purification Stage, they could bypass this requirement and immediately join as normal outer disciples.
Outer Disciples
Ordinary outer disciples were expected to complete sect missions within the sect's territory.These missions varied from hunting demonic beasts to running errands for elders or higher-ranked disciples.If they performed well, they could take an advancement test to qualify for inner disciple status.
High Outer Disciples
High Outer Disciples were considered promising young talents who were expected to become inner disciples within a few years.Because of this, they were given support from the sect, including access to quiet places for cultivation.Many of these disciples even became direct disciples of elders or the Branch Sect Head.
Beyond the ranks of outer disciples, there were two higher ranks Inner Disciples and Core Disciple
To qualify as an Inner Disciple, one needed to be at least at the Blood Purification Stage or Meridian Awakening Stage.Inner Disciples received more important tasks from the sect but also gained access to greater resources.They were given their own cultivation cave, along with spiritual essence stones and other cultivation resources.Every year, they could train for one week at any of the sect's training grounds for free.If an Inner Disciple wished to advance further, they had to take a sect mission to become a Core Disciple.
Core Disciples were the elite of the sect.Upon promotion, they were granted a superior cultivation cave with higher spiritual essence density.They were provided even more cultivation resources and greater authority within the sect.Unlike Outer or Inner Disciples, they were no longer required to take missions. Their sole focus was cultivation.They had access to all training grounds without restriction.If they reached the Bone Forging Stage, they could become elders of the Branch Sect or even be transferred to the Main Sect as Core Disciples.
As for the position of Branch Sect Head, the requirements were significantly stricter
One had to be at least at the Marrow Essence Stage and had to be within 100 years of their lifespan's end.
Curiously, the book did not specify the exact tasks or privileges of elders or sect heads.
Yuan narrowed his eyes.
For a sect manual, it was surprisingly vague in that regard.
But that didn't matter.
He had no intention of staying within the sect long enough to worry about inner politics.
This system… was simply something for him to exploit.
Now that he understood the hierarchy, he could begin planning his next moves.
But now that Yuan was a High Outer Disciple, once he reached the Blood Purification Stage, he would be directly promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple.
This status alone would provide him with enough resources to potentially reach the Meridians Awakening Stage within twenty years.
And if he could reach the peak of Meridians Awakening, then…
If the Branch Sect Leader was a weak Marrow Essence cultivator, he could seize the entire sect.
One step at a time.
As Yuan's mind churned with strategies on how to take over the Howling Wind Branch Sect, the Blood Purification Tournament came to an end.
Unlike the Mortal Awakening cultivators, the battles were shorter and more decisive, as there were only ten Blood Purification cultivators participating.
The winner of the tournament was a young man with golden hair and golden eyes, a strikingly handsome face, his golden robe matching the color of his hair.
His name was Kuang Hao.
The second place went to a young woman with brown hair and blue eyes. She wore a flowing blue robe and had a delicate butterfly hair clip resting in her hair.
Her name was Schmetterling Rain.
As for how the final battle unfolded…
Kuang Hao was simply stronger.
His cultivation was more refined, his foundation more stable.
Unlike the battles of Krieger, which were filled with intensity and spectacle, Kuang Hao fought differently.
There was no reckless display of power, no unnecessary techniques,only a calculated approach to securing victory.
He fought with a clear strategy,prolonging the fight, wearing his opponent down, and striking only when necessary.
Yuan silently nodded in approval.
Not showing off. Using only the bare minimum.
This was not the mindset of an arrogant young genius who sought to impress others.
This was the mindset of someone who had experienced things.
Someone who had learned that survival was more important than glory.
This Kuang Hao…
He's interesting.
"Good, good! My dear juniors, we have officially completed the trials given by the sect elder! From this moment on, you are now official members of the Howling Wind Sect, under the Seven Peak Mountain Mist Branch!"
The blond haired judge spoke with a bright smile, his voice echoing through the training ground.
A moment of silence followed.
Then
A wave of cheers and whispers erupted among the disciples.
But before the excitement could fully settle in, the blond haired judge clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention once more.
"Now, before we head to the Seven Peak Mountain Mist Sect, I will announce the rewards for the tournament victors!"
The disciples leaned forward, eager to hear the prizes.
"For first place, the winner will gain direct access to any faction within the sect! For the next three months, the faction will personally guide and support your cultivation!"
A wave of gasps spread through the crowd.
"Wow… direct access to any faction?"
"That's insane! Even Inner Sect disciples have to earn their way in!"
But the judge wasn't finished.
"For second place, you will receive full access to the Cultivation Hall, allowing you to select three cultivation techniques of your choice! Along with this, you will receive three Flying Heart Blood Pills!"
Silence.
Then
"W-Wait! Did he just say Flying Heart Blood Pills?!"
"Isn't that… Isn't that the pill that allows even a mere mortal to reach Blood Purification in a single day?!"
"This… this reward is ridiculous!"
A pill with the ability to instantly push someone from mortal to Blood Purification?
That meant Alex, the second place winner, had guaranteed access to the Blood Purification stage.
"Unbelievable…"
The disciples murmured amongst themselves, shocked at the value of the rewards.
But the judge merely chuckled, enjoying their reactions before continuing.
"For third place, the reward is the ability to select one cultivation technique from the Cultivation Hall. In addition, you will receive one Blood Pumping Pill!"
The excitement among the disciples continued to rise.
"And lastly, for fourth to sixth place, you will each receive one Five Senses Pill!"
A pause.
Then
"As for those who did not reach the top six… you receive nothing."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Then
"What?! Nothing at all?!"
"Wait, wait, wait! This can't be right!"
The lower-ranked disciples were stunned.
Some even looked at each other in disbelief.
But the blond-haired judge simply smirked, unfazed by their reactions.
"This is a tournament, juniors. Only the strongest deserve rewards."
His tone was light, but his words carried weight.
A few disciples clenched their fists, accepting the harsh truth.
Others, however, were clearly dissatisfied.
But before anyone could voice complaints, the judge coughed lightly, regaining control of the conversation.
"Now, I have one last important announcement."
His smile faded, his expression turning serious.
"Junior Krieger and Junior Alex."
Both Krieger and Alex looked up immediately.
"Both of you have immense talent. Because of this, upon arriving at the sect, you will each be assigned a junior disciple. They will escort you to meet an Elder who will give you a formal introduction to the sect."
A pause.
Then, with sharp clarity, he asked,
"Do you both understand?"
The two didn't hesitate.
"Yes, Senior!" Krieger answered immediately, his voice calm and respectful.
"Yeah. Got it." Alex responded casually, nodding.
The judge nodded in approval, his smile returning.
"Good. With that settled, our next stop…"
He raised his hand, gesturing toward the horizon.
"…is the Seven Peak Mountain Mist Sect! Prepare yourselves, juniors."
blond haired judge continued announcing the rewards for the Blood Purification cultivators.
But Yuan barely listened.
For him, those rewards were irrelevant.
His mind was occupied elsewhere.
The Five Senses Pill.
This pill wasn't mentioned anywhere in Basilisk's memories.
That alone made Yuan doubt its true value.
If it were truly powerful, he would have at least heard of it.
Could it actually help me cultivate beyond the Blood Purification stage…? Yuan pondered for a moment.
Then, another thought struck him.
Should I have just won the tournament?
With the backing of a faction, he would receive constant cultivation resources.
Herbs. Pills. Techniques.
His progress would be much faster.
He could advance through the stages without worrying about gathering resources himself.
It was tempting.
But
Just as easily as the thought came, it disappeared.
Ridiculous.
Why should he risk exposing himself just for a few extra resources?
For what?
To be used as a pawn by the Sect Head?
To become some Elder's tool?
Never.
No amount of resources was worth binding himself to someone else's will.
As the final rewards were distributed, the blond haired judge clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention once more.
"Juniors! Now that the trials are complete, we will now use the Teleportation Formation to travel to the Seven Peak Mist Mountain! Follow me!"
Yuan's eyebrows slightly furrowed.
Teleportation Formation?
Not a Runic Formation?
They're still using such a low level method?
A formation without the power of runes?
He shouldn't have been surprised.
After all, this was just a mortal kingdom.
Even having one functioning formation was already considered a great feat for them.
With that thought, he followed the group as they walked toward the end of the bright cave.
Until finally
They arrived at the Teleportation Formation.
It was a large circle engraved into the ground, with countless smaller circles drawn within.
Around it, four small ritual towers stood at each direction.
The blond haired judge casually walked over to each of the four towers, placing a green stone into them.
Yuan's eyes narrowed slightly.
A Middle Grade Spiritual Essence Stone.
Just one glance was enough for him to understand exactly how the formation worked.
But
His thoughts darkened.
This is primitive.
A formation like this was dangerous if used for long distance teleportation.
Without runes, it lacked heaven's language.
Which meant
It required far more resources than necessary.It was significantly weaker and easily disrupted.
But for a short distance teleportation?
It was passable.
Even if wasteful.
With the ritual towers activated, all the disciples stepped into the Teleportation Formation.
The blond haired judge gave them one last playful wink, smiling at them as if bidding farewell.
Then
The formation activated.
A violet glow engulfed the entire area, slowly devouring their bodies.
And then
They vanished.