Chapter 48

Yinfeng Valley, a desolate and barren place filled with danger. In people's eyes, it is a forgotten and abandoned area!

Bordering the depths of the Wailing Plains, it is a place where demonic beasts run rampant and danger lurks at every turn, making it the least desirable place for people to venture into.

Naturally, in the eyes of those who consider themselves righteous, this place is even more evil.

For it is here that the once glorious and feared demonic sect, the Starlight Sect, stands! Although this sect was besieged by the righteous sects at the height of its power and eventually declined, it still exists.

Standing at the entrance of Yinfeng Valley, a dark and gloomy aura rushes towards you! The howling wind in your ears, even in the scorching summer, makes you feel a chill.

The fierce wind roars and howls, coming straight from the west, bringing the savagery and brutality of the Wailing Plains, with no mountains or forests to even slightly obstruct this biting wind! This valley stretches forward without any obstacles.

"Let's go, it's time to enter!" The sound of Yaochen's voice brought Wangchen back to his senses.

After half a month of travel, the group had already left the Tianfeng Kingdom and arrived at the border between the Tianfeng Kingdom and the Dalin Empire—Yinfeng Valley! The Starlight Sect is located here.

After half a month of companionship, Wangchen had learned the name and identity of the lean old man. He was Yaochen, the Second Elder of the Starlight Sect. As for his true strength, Wangchen did not know.

The two men beside him, both around thirty years old, were core disciples of the Starlight Sect. It was said that their strength had at least reached the level of Venerable Martial Artists.

With a slight push of his legs, he spurred the wind beast under him, and a long howl erupted from its mouth as it galloped into Yinfeng Valley!

The wind beast, said to be a hybrid of a demonic beast and a thousand-mile horse, combines the speed and endurance of a demonic beast with the running ability of a thousand-mile horse, making it a mount capable of traveling a thousand miles a day. Without it, the group would not have known how long it would take to reach Yinfeng Valley.

The wind howled even more fiercely in his ears, and the scenery around him rapidly receded. Enjoying this extreme speed, the group quickly rushed deeper into Yinfeng Valley.

After half a day of galloping, a massive structure slowly rose from the horizon, appearing before them.

The sky was gray and gloomy, lacking sufficient light, making the area feel damp and dark. As they approached, Wangchen was stunned. No wonder it was a major sect from decades ago; the scale was enormous. Just the gate alone was as grand as the city gate of Qingfeng City, so majestic!

When the group arrived at the gate, several figures suddenly appeared at the previously empty entrance. Seeing Yaochen at the lead, they were slightly taken aback and quickly greeted him!

They hurriedly came forward to lead the group's mounts to the side.

Following Yaochen and the two men, Wangchen slowly walked into the Starlight Sect.

After passing through a long mountain path, they arrived at a massive hall. Only a few figures could be seen passing by, and the vast mountain gate appeared extremely desolate, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Yaochen did not take Wangchen deeper into the sect. After stopping at the hall and giving some instructions to one of the men, he left, leaving Wangchen with the man.

The man led Wangchen to a row of slightly old small houses, choosing one that had not been inhabited for a long time, and settled him in. The man then spoke: "Starting today, you are an outer sect disciple of the Starlight Sect. From now on, you will cultivate here!"

Hearing this, Wangchen was slightly stunned and secretly sighed. He did not expect to become an outer sect disciple upon arriving at the Starlight Sect. An outer sect disciple is only considered a provisional member, and the sect can only provide a cultivation place and basic guidance. Outer sect disciples are the lowest-ranking members of the sect.

This is true for any sect. When you meet the conditions as an outer sect disciple, you can advance to become an inner sect disciple!

At this level, you are considered a formal member of the sect, with dedicated instructors and the maximum support from the sect.

Among the inner sect disciples, there are three levels. The first level is ordinary inner sect disciples, the second level is core disciples, like the man in front of him, who are the core strength of the sect! The third level is direct disciples, usually the closed disciples of sect elders or the sect leader. These people are at the highest level of the sect and can be considered successors, with limitless prospects, enjoying the greatest power and the best treatment.

Thinking about this, Wangchen sighed. Comparing the conditions offered by sects like Heilong Cliff and Qingshan Sect, he sighed again. The difference was like heaven and earth, but he did not regret choosing the Starlight Sect.

Perhaps such a competitive environment could lead to greater improvement, giving him more pressure and motivation.

Then, the man led Wangchen to the outer sect hall. Here, two outer sect elders were stationed, responsible for managing the outer sect members and conducting regular guidance and selection.

Wangchen met an old man in his fifties. When he saw Wangchen, he was slightly puzzled at first, but quickly smiled, revealing a row of ugly yellow teeth.

The old man showed great respect to the man, making Wangchen secretly marvel. A core disciple could command such respect from an outer sect elder, indicating the high status of core disciples within the sect.

"Seventh stage of Body Tempering! Hmm, it seems you already have a Body Tempering cultivation technique, which is perfect. There's no need to teach you a new one! The first day of each month is the guidance day, where you can receive instruction at the square.

The last day of each month is the assessment day, where all members will be evaluated and receive resources! Here is your badge and uniform!"

After examining Wangchen's strength, the old man frowned slightly, still puzzled about something.

Wangchen took the badge and uniform, officially becoming a member of the Starlight Sect, and let out a sigh of relief!

"Oh, right, here is your Starlight Pearl. Take good care of it and don't lose it! And this dagger!" Just as Wangchen was about to leave the hall, the old man seemed to remember something, reached into his pocket, and tossed a small cloth bag and a black dagger to Wangchen, with a playful smile.

Wangchen took the bag and opened it. Inside were ten green beads, and he was unsure of their purpose, but he knew they must have some use. Seeing the old man's gaze, he frowned and carefully stored them away. As for the dagger, it was a common item, made of fine iron, and quite sturdy.

"Alright, from now on, cultivate well here. Don't disappoint the Second Elder's expectations. As for when you can enter the inner sect, it depends on your performance! Work hard!" As they left the hall, the man patted Wangchen on the shoulder and smiled, seeming to let out a sigh of relief.

It was the first time Wangchen had seen the man smile, and he was taken aback. It turned out that people in the demonic sect were not so cold.

"Work hard for the end-of-month assessment! Take good care of your Starlight Pearl!" The man seemed to remember something and turned back to Wangchen with a complex and mysterious look.

"End-of-month assessment? Starlight Pearl?" Standing there, Wangchen muttered to himself. The old man had mentioned this, and now he was talking about the assessment. What exactly is this end-of-month assessment? And what is the Starlight Pearl for? It seems important.

Frowning and pondering for a moment, Wangchen decided not to think about it further. When the time comes, everything will be revealed. For now, he needed to focus on cultivating!

With a sigh, Wangchen did not linger and ran towards his room, ready to start his cultivation.

Watching Wangchen's retreating figure, the old man in the hall frowned in puzzlement. The sect usually does not recruit members from the outside. Their members are regularly collected as children around five or six years old and trained from a young age, until they reach a high stage of Body Tempering, at which point they are placed in the outer sect for selection. Why did they bring someone from the outside now, and with only sixth-stage Body Tempering strength? Could he be a relative of the Second Elder?

"End-of-month assessment! Hehe, little guy, you'll find out soon. With your strength, you'll probably end up at the bottom in such an assessment!" Thinking about the end-of-month assessment, the old man smiled playfully and muttered to himself.