Chapter 92

The shopkeeper smiled and took the golden beans. He was a man in his forties with a small beard, a plump build, and several emerald rings on his hands, as well as a gold necklace around his neck.

"Besides the Wushi Sect, there are the Lishan Sect, Danyang Sect, and Tianyin Sect, which are the most suitable for apprenticeship training."

After receiving the money, he smoothly recited a well-rehearsed speech.

"Lishan Sect focuses on weapon training; if you have enough financial resources, you can give it a try."

"Danyang Sect focuses on finger techniques and widely accepts disciples, with no strict conditions. As long as you're not too bad, you can join."

"Tianyin Sect focuses on palm and fist techniques. The sect leader, Shangguan Menzhu, is known for his good temper and courteous demeanor, which has earned him a good reputation."

"If none of these work, you can join the provincial army. Achieving military merit can also lead to better treatment and martial arts techniques."

The shopkeeper briefly introduced the various forces in Taizhou.

"Then, which sect has the most martial arts collections? To be honest, I have had a wish since childhood to see all kinds of wondrous martial arts. So, I want to find a place with the most martial arts collections to satisfy my curiosity," Wei He said in a low voice.

"What good is having a lot of martial arts if they are not true arts?" The shopkeeper gave Wei He a strange look.

"What are true arts?" Wei He was taken aback and quickly asked.

"True arts are martial arts that are stronger than other ordinary techniques. This term has been around for a long time, but I'm not sure of the specific reasons. However, forces with true arts are completely different from others. I once heard that true arts can create true people. I don't know if this is true or not."

The shopkeeper took a sip of water, dealt with a question from a nearby waiter, and continued.

"If you want to find a place with a lot of martial arts, there is only one place."

"Where is it?"

"Tianyin Sect."

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The Tianyin Sect's Tianya Tower is said to house ten thousand books and over a thousand martial arts techniques. The sect leader, Huoyan Jinque Shangguan Ji, is also a well-known figure in Taizhou.

After determining the location, five days later.

Wei He and Wei Ying arrived at Xuanjing City in Taizhou, where the Tianyin Sect is located.

Xuanjing City is situated in a remote area, with half of the city on a hillside, surrounded by terraced fields. The area is not large, but the environment is peaceful and pleasant.

The headquarters of the Tianyin Sect is located by a wide lake in the outskirts of Xuanjing City.

One side of the sect borders Tianyin Lake, and the other side is on the shore, resembling a waterside pavilion.

The large semi-circular building complex has bat-shaped decorations on the eaves and corners.

Unlike the bustling atmosphere of the Wushi Sect, the entrance to the Tianyin Sect has few people coming and going.

The disciples guarding the entrance look listless and drowsy, leaning against the gate.

The large archway above the entrance has the three large characters "Tianyin Sect" written in pure black stone powder, clearly visible.

A few blue flags are sparsely placed behind the archway, their fabric flapping aimlessly.

Wei He and Wei Ying changed into simple blue clothes, with white belts and their long hair tied up with white towels.

They got off the carriage and looked at the Tianyin Sect's entrance, where only a few people were coming and going, feeling somewhat puzzled.

"Is this really the Tianyin Sect?" Wei He asked the carriage driver.

The carriage driver grinned, revealing a yellow tooth with a missing piece, and said, "This is it. If you're talking about the martial arts sect Tianyin Sect, this is the place."

"....Give us the fare." The driver held out his hand, smiling.

"Here." Wei He paid the fare, two golden beans. He weighed them, then took one back and pinched it in half before handing it to the driver.

Many of these drivers were connected to gangs and would take advantage of wealthy passengers.

But the driver became more cautious after seeing Wei He's hand strength, even though it was just a casual display.

He maintained his smile, took the golden beans, and used a small scale to weigh them, ensuring the weight was correct before returning to the carriage and driving away.

Wei He put away the golden beans. Since returning from the Wushi Sect, he had used up most of his gold notes. Now, he had to be careful with his expenses to ensure he could afford his large appetite and the Breakthrough Pearl, as well as accommodation and other costs.

"Let's go." Wei He led Wei Ying and walked toward the Tianyin Sect.

The two guards at the entrance just glanced at them and continued to rest by the archway, seemingly having gone somewhere the night before.

They followed a long wooden path after entering the gate.

At the end of the wooden path was the main hall of the Tianyin Sect.

On both sides of the main hall were several old wooden buildings of varying heights.

Some were in disrepair, creaking as people moved inside, with missing windows leaving black holes. Through these holes, one could see the dusty and messy interiors.

"This place...." Wei Ying felt a bit scared.

"Don't worry. Let's go in and ask." Wei He reassured her. He had gathered information about the Tianyin Sect before coming.

However, people outside said that although the Tianyin Sect is one of the five major forces, it has been declining in recent years.

The sect leader, Shangguan Ji, has been maintaining the sect with the help of his father's influence. But with the old leader's health deteriorating, the situation of the Tianyin Sect has changed.

They soon reached the main hall, where two black stone screens were placed on either side of the entrance.

The left screen read: Loyalty and Righteousness.

The right screen read: Humility and Trust.

The main hall was empty, with weapon and armor racks along the walls and landscape paintings hanging on the walls.

In the center was a large round counter made of red wood, with several girls in wine-red attire and bun hairstyles sitting inside.

"What brings you to our Tianyin Sect?" A tall girl stood up and asked.

"I'm here to become a disciple, and she is my sister," Wei He introduced himself simply. "We are from the countryside and have never seen the world. Could you please help us understand how to join the Tianyin Sect?"

As he spoke, he lightly placed a one-tael gold note on the table and passed it to her.

"No need, no need. We don't do that in the Tianyin Sect," the tall girl laughed, shaking her head. "If you want to join now, it is possible, but it's not very convenient. We haven't reached the annual recruitment time, so the elders in the sect are not available."

"Is that so? Could you tell me what problems I might face if I join now?" Wei He continued, replacing the one-tael note with a five-tael note.

The tall girl hesitated, quickly looked around, and then quickly took the note.

Her smile became much warmer.

"Actually, there aren't many big problems. Let me explain. If you join during the recruitment fair, and if you have excellent potential, you might be chosen by the deputy leader or the leader as a personal disciple.

However, now, not only are the leader and deputy leader unavailable, but only half of the nine senior disciples, the Tianyin Nine, are in the sect. The others are visiting friends, traveling, or hunting exotic beasts, so they are all unavailable.

Therefore, your options for joining now are much more limited."

"I see...." Wei He understood.

"Also, in the Tianyin Sect, disciples choose their masters, and then the masters decide whether to accept them. If accepted, they become probationary disciples.

After passing the probation, they become formal disciples. Some close formal disciples are jokingly called indoor disciples, which is an additional recognized relationship."

"Right, my name is Yang Guo. What's yours?"

"Yang Guo? That's a good name. I'm Wei He. Cooperation's He."

"Wei He, your name is also good," the girl smiled and continued, "Also, each master has a quota for disciples. If the quota is filled, you won't have a chance."

"I understand...." This is just like the graduate school application process, Wei He thought.

He instantly understood.

"Registration costs ten taels of gold. If you pass the assessment, the money will be refunded. If you fail, the money will be confiscated."

Yang Guo quickly handed Wei He a yellow paper list, neatly written in black ink, showing the disciple quotas of all the masters in the Tianyin Sect.

"Here's the list. Look quickly and return it. According to the rules, outsiders are not allowed to see it." Yang Guo looked around; the other girls were either sleeping or reading, and no one was paying attention.

Wei He immediately understood and quickly scanned the list.

As Yang Guo said, the Tianyin Sect is not large. The truly famous experts are the leader, deputy leader, and the Tianyin Nine.

The Tianyin Nine are nine individuals, each with exceptional skills and formidable strength, forming the backbone of the Tianyin Sect.

The most crucial point is that the Tianyin Nine and the leader practice the same technique, the Tianyin Nine Strikes.

The Tianyin Nine Strikes consist of nine different techniques, which, when combined, form a complete set of true arts. Therefore, they are collectively called the Tianyin Nine Strikes.

Wei He's goal is to learn any one of these nine techniques.

As true arts, the Tianyin Nine Strikes have the potential to reach the level of top experts.

Of course, potential is one thing, but the difficulty is much greater than that of true arts.

However, this is sufficient.

Wei He clearly understood that as an outsider, he couldn't expect to learn true arts immediately upon joining. He would need a considerable period of observation.

The higher the martial arts, the stricter the observation period. If it takes decades like in some stories, it would be too late.

Therefore, the best approach is to settle for the next level, the Tianyin Nine Strikes. With the help of the Breakthrough Pearl, he is confident he can find a way.

In addition to the easier access to the Tianyin Nine Strikes, he also chose the Tianyin Sect because of its extensive martial arts collection. If he encounters slow progress, he can use other evil sect techniques to quickly break through, as he did before.

Despite the apparent desolation of the Tianyin Sect, Wei He remained determined to join, unwavering in his resolve.

"Can I join now? What preparations do I need to make?" Wei He quickly asked.

"You just need to be literate. I thought you couldn't read since you took so long," Yang Guo sighed in relief. "The preparation is to pay the fee, and then a senior disciple will come to assess you."

"Who do I pay?" Wei He asked.

"Give it to me, and I'll record it for you," Yang Guo smiled. "By the way, after passing the basic assessment, you can choose an available master."