Chapter 23

Those who left their vows in the Vow Book were all important figures in the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion; "Zhao Xue's Vow," "Chen Yan's Vow," "Chen Xin's Vow"... Each of these names was renowned within the Inner City of Original Sin. However, Jiang Wei had never heard of any of them.

"Just write 'Loyal to the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion, never to betray,' and sign your name!" the Pavilion Master said. The content of the vow was not harsh; as long as one did not betray the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion, everything else was fine.

Jiang Wei understood that he had no room for negotiation, so without hesitation, he wrote the vow on a blank page as the Pavilion Master required.

"Jiang Wei's Vow!"

When these three characters were written, the Pavilion Master finally smiled in satisfaction: "Jiang Wei, is it? From now on, you are also a brother of the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion!"

Those who could leave their names in the Vow Book were all at the core of the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion. Ordinary members didn't even have the chance to do so.

"May I ask, Pavilion Master..." Jiang Wei suddenly said, "What kind of constraints will this vow have on me?"

Before writing, Jiang Wei didn't ask much because he knew that no matter what he asked, he still had to write it, so asking was meaningless. But after writing, Jiang Wei wanted to understand how these words would affect him in the future, so he could be more cautious.

"As long as you do not betray the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion, this vow will have no effect on you; but if you betray the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion, the vow will cause your soul to disintegrate immediately!" the Pavilion Master said, "Moreover, the moment you write the vow, it is equivalent to swearing to heaven. Even if the Vow Book is destroyed in the future, the vow you made today will still bind you in the afterlife!"

"Ah!" Jiang Wei was not the type to break his word. Even without this vow, he would never betray the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion. So, this vow was almost meaningless to him. "What if I have a conflict with a fellow disciple?"

"No problem, as long as you do not betray the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion, the vow does not constrain these things," the Pavilion Master explained, "You can go with Elder Zhao. If you have any questions, you can ask Elder Zhao!"

"Yes!" Through this interaction, Jiang Wei found the Pavilion Master to be quite approachable.

...

Elder Zhao was mainly responsible for accepting new disciples and was well-respected within the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion.

On the way, Elder Zhao introduced the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion to Jiang Wei: "Including the Pavilion Master, the elders, and you, we have a total of 1,480 members. Among them, over 1,200 are at the Soul Condensation stage!"

"So many Soul Condensation stage ghosts!?" Jiang Wei was very surprised. In his impression, a Soul Condensation stage ghost was already an absolute expert. But now, he found that there seemed to be quite a few of them...

"What's so strange about that?" Elder Zhao smiled calmly, "Most of the experts in the Inner City of Original Sin are in our Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion. Is a mere thousand or so Soul Condensation stage ghosts a lot?"

The Inner City of Original Sin had millions of ghosts. In this context, a few thousand Soul Condensation stage ghosts were not that many.

Elder Zhao continued, "The other two hundred or so who haven't reached the Soul Condensation stage are either new members who joined the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion a few years ago or have very poor aptitude and cannot advance to the Soul Condensation stage."

"We only recruit ghosts with a soul talent of at least the sixth rank. How can they have such poor aptitude?" Jiang Wei was puzzled.

"Ha ha!" Elder Zhao laughed, "There are always a few connections!"

"Uh..." Jiang Wei was speechless, "Elder Zhao, are the ghost soldiers guarding the inner city gates part of the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion?" When Jiang Wei entered the inner city, he noticed that those ghost soldiers were clearly not at the Soul Condensation stage.

"They are considered our soldiers, but not our formal disciples!" Elder Zhao explained patiently. In fact, Elder Zhao was known for being a good person in the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion, always warm and kind to everyone.

"Oh..." Jiang Wei understood.

The reason Jiang Wei asked was mainly out of concern that he might be assigned to guard the city gates in the future, which would be quite embarrassing. Actually, Jiang Wei thought it was unlikely that the prestigious Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion disciples would be assigned to guard the gates, but he wanted to be sure.

Soon, Elder Zhao led Jiang Wei to an elegant small building. Although it wasn't opulent, it was uniquely designed.

"This is your residence," Elder Zhao handed him a jade token, "This jade token is your identity marker in the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion and also the key to this small building!"

Jiang Wei took it. The jade token had "Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion" inscribed on it and felt icy cold in his hand.

Then, Elder Zhao took Jiang Wei to familiarize himself with the school, the scripture hall, and introduced him to some of the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion disciples. By the end of the half day, Jiang Wei was quite familiar with the general environment of the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion.

"This is our Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion!" After the familiarization, Elder Zhao said, "In a while, the Pavilion Master will arrange a master for you. Before that, you can attend the lectures of the old masters in the school or observe the secret texts in the scripture hall. It will definitely be beneficial for your cultivation!"

"Thank you, Elder Zhao!" Jiang Wei understood that the reason the respected Elder Zhao spent half a day with him was largely due to his exceptional insight. But even so, Jiang Wei was genuinely grateful.

"Ha ha, you're welcome!" Elder Zhao laughed, "Those who can leave their vows in the Vow Book are the core disciples of the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion. As long as you don't die prematurely, you will definitely become one of our elders in the future!"

The Vow Book was extremely precious. Many Soul Condensation stage ghosts wanted to leave their names in it but didn't have the opportunity.

"However, don't spread the word about the Vow Book!" Elder Zhao instructed.

The existence of the Vow Book was a secret among the core members of the Heavenly Wasteland Pavilion, and they didn't want it to reach the ears of ordinary members. After all, if it were to spread, many ordinary members would likely feel neglected and unappreciated.

"I understand!" Jiang Wei was not a child and understood the reasoning.

"Also, don't mention the tiger horn you hunted. If Liu Yi finds out, there will be trouble!" Elder Zhao said.

"I definitely won't say anything!" Jiang Wei was not foolish and knew he should keep it to himself.

"Good, I'm glad you understand. I'll also inform the ghost soldiers guarding the inner city gates," Elder Zhao said, "Alright, I've shown you around enough. I won't keep you company any longer."

PS: New week, seeking recommendations!!!

This is my first attempt at writing a fantasy novel, and the transition chapters are a bit weak. I will adjust as quickly as possible!