For a moment, the atmosphere before the mountain gate grew tense, thick with hostility.

Many servant disciples passing by saw the scene and scattered as if fleeing a plague, wanting no part in it. They had seen too many cases of onlookers getting themselves killed for being too curious.

Killing intent welled up inside the middle-aged man.

The ten fingers of his hands trembled rhythmically; he was poised to strike.

Bai Yuan glanced at the middle-aged man’s fingers, which were a size larger than an ordinary person’s. The man actually practiced the rare Eagle Claw Technique.

’I just wonder which is harder: my blade or his hands.’

Just at that critical moment—

a woman’s cold shout echoed from the stone steps above.

"Zhang Fangsheng, you have some nerve! How dare you touch someone from my Wan Jun Peak!"

You Shengnan’s figure slowly emerged from a small forest path, her face as cold as frost.

Seeing You Shengnan appear, the middle-aged man named Zhang Fangsheng knew his chance was gone. A smile returned to his face. "Junior Sister You, I was just performing my routine duties."

If You Shengnan hadn’t been present, even if he had killed Bai Yuan, one of the Peak Masters from the other twelve peaks would have argued on his behalf that it was an accidental killing.

But to attack in front of You Shengnan meant certain death. Not only would he die, but his entire clan would be slaughtered.

"Routine duties?"

"Then from now on, whenever I’m guarding the mountain, no one from Flying Eagle Peak can even think of setting foot inside."

"You..."

Zhang Fangsheng was furious but didn’t dare to speak, forced to swallow his anger.

As a mere Steward, he was naturally no match for an Inner Sect Disciple. The status of an Inner Sect Disciple alone was enough to crush him.

The only reason he targeted Bai Yuan was to bully him while his position was still unstable.

"Junior Brother Bai, let’s go."

Bai Yuan nodded, walked past the middle-aged man, and followed You Shengnan up the mountain.

He had sent a message to You Shengnan by flying courier long ago; otherwise, today’s situation would have been difficult to resolve peacefully.

’Wan Jun Peak?’

’The name is as domineering as the people.’

...

"The Divine Mansion Sect was founded a thousand years ago. It started with only ten peaks, then added three more, so now there are thirteen peaks in total."

"Master is the founding Peak Master of Wan Jun Peak. It’s also the only new peak established in the Divine Mansion Sect in several hundred years, founded just twenty years ago."

"Master doesn’t like taking disciples, so for now, it’s just the three of us—you, me, and Senior Brother Xiong. There are no True Disciples."

...

As they walked, You Shengnan explained the situation on Wan Jun Peak to Bai Yuan.

Through You Shengnan’s explanation, Bai Yuan gained a general understanding of the Divine Mansion Sect.

Two halls and thirteen peaks. The two halls were the Sect Leader Hall and the Supreme Elder Hall. The Thirteen Peaks were self-explanatory.

The internal hierarchy of the Divine Mansion Sect was extremely strict.

The disciples were divided into servant, Outer, Inner, and True Disciples. This was similar to the Huwei Arts Hall, or perhaps it was more accurate to say that all the Martial Arts Halls and sects in Huanglong Prefecture followed the model of the Divine Mansion Sect.

Servant disciples were chosen based only on their innate potential, not their cultivation level.

From as high as Tendon Changing to as low as Skin Polishing, anyone under the age of thirty-five could become a servant disciple.

Above servant disciples were the Outer Disciples.

Much like the disciple recruitment ceremony in Qinghe County, the Divine Mansion Sect widely accepted the young talents of Huanglong Prefecture. Most of those who distinguished themselves and joined the sect became Outer Disciples. Servant disciples, on the other hand, had to pass an assessment to be promoted.

Across the Thirteen Peaks of the Divine Mansion Sect, there were nearly a thousand Outer Disciples in total.

However, advancing to become an Inner Sect Disciple was far more difficult. The entire Divine Mansion Sect had only a little over one hundred Inner Sect Disciples, all of whom were Strong Internal Martial Masters.

As for True Disciples, there were merely a dozen or so.

With each step up, the resources one could obtain increased dramatically, which was why the disciples of the Divine Mansion Sect fought so desperately.

For example, Outer Disciples could receive one catty of demon beast meat and two Spirit Pills each month.

In Qinghe, this was something one could only dream of.

Bai Yuan had eaten the flesh of a Huang Pizi before, so he knew that demon beast meat was far superior to common medicinal herbs and offered immense benefits.

The so-called Spirit Pills were naturally pills refined from Spirit Plants. Their effects were far beyond what common goods like Body Refining Medicine could compare to. A single one was worth five hundred taels of silver, making them extraordinarily precious.

As for Inner Sect Disciples, their benefits were absurdly good.

No wonder everyone in Huanglong Prefecture was breaking their necks trying to get into the Divine Mansion Sect. It was all driven by profit; the whole world bustles for personal gain.

Bai Yuan felt very fortunate. He had started as an Inner Sect Disciple, saving himself ten years of detours.

Outer Disciples received nothing more than their catty of meat and two pills. If they wanted more, they had to fight for it.

Because the competition among Outer Disciples was incredibly fierce.

Take You Shengnan and Xiongshan, for instance. Before they climbed their way to becoming Inner Sect Disciples, they were almost always out on missions. After all, practicing martial arts really burns through money.

Bai Yuan had originally thought he was quite wealthy, but now it seemed the silver coins from the Li Family and the Five Flavors Pavilion didn’t amount to much at all.

This also explained why the strongest in Qinghe County were only at the Strong Organ Pass. A shallow pond cannot raise a true dragon.

Even if Tie Tu and Ji Chang had absorbed all the resources of the entire Qinghe County, they might not have become Blood Refining Martial Artists, let alone with the resources being divided several ways.

Bai Yuan finally had a general understanding of the Divine Mansion Sect. He asked in confusion, "Then why do the other peaks target our Wan Jun Peak so much?"

He actually wanted to ask why they targeted Old Dong, but after some thought, he rephrased it to Wan Jun Peak.

You Shengnan replied, "What do you do when you meet someone you can’t beat and can’t stand?"

"Annoy them?"

"Exactly."

Bai Yuan understood. Simply put, Old Dong was too powerful and too disliked, so everyone ganged up on him.

You Shengnan said, "Junior Brother Bai, I’ll take you to collect your Inner Sect Disciple provisions first."

Bai Yuan’s eyes lit up.

This was exactly what he had worked so hard to join the Divine Mansion Sect for.

...

Before long, You Shengnan had brought Bai Yuan to the main peak.

This was where the two halls were located. The Divine Mansion Sect’s Pill Hall, Instructor Hall, and others were also on the main peak.

The main peak stood apart, not counted among the Thirteen Peaks. Those who lived here were mostly the big shots of the Divine Mansion Sect.

And the place You Shengnan and Bai Yuan were heading to was precisely the Martial Hall, located on this main peak.

The Martial Hall was the place where the Divine Mansion Sect specifically received new disciples and managed their promotions. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Of course, they were only responsible for registration and distributing tokens and rewards. The actual quotas for disciples were still held by the Thirteen Peaks Peak Masters, but the Martial Hall still held a position of great power and influence.

The moment You Shengnan and Bai Yuan stepped over the threshold of the Martial Hall, the atmosphere felt off. There were quite a few people inside, and all of them were casting hostile glances at You Shengnan.

Bai Yuan had a sudden realization.

’So this is what "can’t beat them and can’t stand them" looks like.’

If even Old Dong’s disciples were so disliked, he himself was probably even more so. It made sense. Besides being the Peak Master of Wan Jun Peak, Old Dong also held the concurrent positions of Hall Master of the Law Enforcement Hall and Grand Commander of the Divine Mansion Army. It would be hard *not* to be resented.

Rumors had long circulated within the Divine Mansion Sect that Dong Wanjun’s achievements overshadowed the Sect Leader’s, but they had always been suppressed by the Sect Leader himself.

You Shengnan was long accustomed to such glares. Acting as if nothing was amiss, she walked up to an old man and, pointing at Bai Yuan, said:

"This is the new Inner Sect Disciple of my Wan Jun Peak."

Hearing this, the old man looked at Bai Yuan with a stunned expression.

Everyone knew that Dong Wanjun rarely accepted disciples; until now, he had only two. His acceptance of You Shengnan as a disciple was already eight years ago.

The old man sneered.

An unwritten rule had long existed in the Divine Mansion Sect.

Anything Dong Wanjun wants to do must be opposed!