Back in the dormitory, Alaric Ye took out a thick stack of books, all of which had been given to him during the entry process.
After three months of self-study and secretly learning from the private school at the Lin Residence, Alaric’s knowledge level was still far behind those aristocratic children who had been reading since childhood. However, he could recognize most of the common characters and understand most of the common words, so reading was not a big problem for him.
He didn’t rush to delve into each book one by one but first flipped through the table of contents to get an overview.
The content of “Top Xuan Sect Rules” was self-explanatory. Alaric immediately found the rule about privately raising demons and ghosts without reporting to the sect for registration, and he couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat after reading it.
“For minor offenses, one must reflect in seclusion for half a year. For major offenses, one’s cultivation will be abolished, and they will be expelled from the Top Xuan Sect!”
The book also recorded some interpretations of the rules.
This particular rule mainly targeted cultivators below the Foundation Establishment stage; those above this stage were not subject to this rule.
Raising and controlling demons and ghosts was not uncommon even in righteous sects, but it had to be properly registered and regularly inspected by the sect to standardize the process of controlling these entities.
For example, the raised demons must not show their ferocious and brutal side in front of mortals to avoid damaging the image of the Immortal Sect and Immortal Elders. Violators would be punished by seclusion and reflection.
Additionally, demons must not consume live poultry flesh and blood, as this would increase their ferocity. Violators would also be punished.
As for using human flesh and blood to feed demons, it was even more strictly prohibited, and violators would be executed according to the standards for Demonic Sect disciples. Even the flesh and blood of dead people were strictly forbidden for demons to consume, although the punishment was slightly lighter.
Moreover, the rules included appendices on the dangers of losing control of raised demons.
One disciple raised an extraterrestrial Heavenly Demon, which eventually possessed his body after being seduced by the demon. The demon lurked in the sect for several years before being discovered and killed by the Demon Revealing Mirror.
Another disciple raised a flying tiger. Due to poor management, the tiger’s ferocity erupted one night, killing over ten defenseless preparatory servants. The tiger was killed on the spot, and the disciple’s cultivation was abolished, and he was expelled from the Top Xuan Sect.
Yet another disciple raised a lustful ghost and was eventually seduced by it, having his essence drained and dying a miserable death. The ghost was discovered and killed while seducing its next victim.
…
One had to admit that although the Top Xuan Sect had many rules, each one had its reasoning, mostly established after previous incidents caused disasters.
Alaric did not resent these rules.
After all, every country has its laws, and every family has its rules. For such a large sect, with tens of thousands of members, managing a dynasty of over ten billion people under the Great Xuan Dynasty, without rules, it would have long fallen into chaos and been destroyed.
Alaric knew that only when he was strong enough could he break free from these restrictions.
The rules clearly stated that Foundation Establishment stage cultivators were not subject to these rules.
Of course, this did not mean that Foundation Establishment stage cultivators in the Top Xuan Sect could act recklessly. There must be another set of systematic rules to regulate their behavior.
Alaric was now very grateful that he hadn’t hastily released Little White and Little Strong. Otherwise, if something had happened, not only would he have met a grim end, but Little White and Little Strong would also likely have been mercilessly killed by the Top Xuan Sect.
Now, Alaric had another goal: to get official identities for Little White and Little Strong.
Demons with official identities were protected by the Top Xuan Sect’s rules, and even other disciples could not harm or kill them at will.
Alaric flipped through more of the rules and found that reading them could actually increase his knowledge. Each rule was followed by many real-life cases…
“This book should just be renamed ‘One Hundred and Eight Ways for Top Xuan Sect Disciples to Die’,” Alaric couldn’t help but quip.
There was still more than an hour until noon. Alaric spent most of the past hour reading the rules and a little time getting an overview of the other books.
The thickest and most content-rich book was “Dragon-seeking Mountain Range Chronicles.”
This book contained so much information that Alaric couldn’t possibly read it all in detail right away and had to leave it for later.
“Dragon-seeking Mountain Range Chronicles” introduced the cultivation forces within the Dragon-seeking Mountain Range, provided a rough map of the area, and described common demons, ghosts, spirit herbs, heavenly materials, and earthly treasures, as well as ancient cultivator relics and even some legendary stories.
Alaric only skimmed the first few pages and learned that the Top Xuan Sect was not the only cultivation sect in the Dragon-seeking Mountain Range. In fact, the Top Xuan Sect was ranked third among the righteous sects.
The largest righteous sect in the Dragon-seeking Mountain Range was the Taiji Sect, which controlled the Wuji Dynasty with a population of three billion.
The second strongest sect was the Sky Above Sect, which controlled the Canghai Dynasty with a population of two billion.
The oldest and longest-standing sect in the Dragon-seeking Mountain Range, with a history of five thousand years, was the Top Xuan Sect where Alaric belonged. Once the leader of the righteous path, the Top Xuan Sect had suffered great losses in the last Immortal-Demon War and had gradually weakened. However, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, and Alaric still believed that the Top Xuan Sect was strong and not to be trifled with.
The “Dragon-seeking Mountain Range Chronicles” issued by the Top Xuan Sect was surprisingly straightforward, openly informing all disciples of the sect’s weakened state, which was unexpected for Alaric.
This might be related to the fact that Top Xuan Sect disciples were always encouraged to venture out. Once outside, they would inevitably encounter cultivators from other sects. If they boasted that their sect was the best, it would not bring glory to the Top Xuan Sect but rather be a source of shame.
The Top Xuan Sect wanted all its disciples to feel a sense of shame and strive to surpass others.
As for the fourth largest righteous sect in the Dragon-seeking Mountain Range…
There wasn’t one.
There were only three major righteous sects in the Dragon-seeking Mountain Range. The names of small sects and rogue cultivator sects were not even recorded in the “Dragon-seeking Mountain Range Chronicles,” indicating their very weak influence.
After all, each major righteous sect had its own mortal forces, and other sects were not allowed to recruit disciples across borders. Rogue cultivator sects were even less allowed to do so.
Some rogue cultivator sects could only wait for disciples to come to them or secretly contact disciples eliminated by the righteous sects, such as those who failed to become official servants of the Top Xuan Sect. They truly lived in the cracks between the three major righteous sects.
The book also mentioned that in rogue cultivator sects, those in the Foundation Establishment stage were already at the elder or sect leader level, and no rogue cultivator sect had a Golden Elixir stage powerhouse.
The book “Essentials of Breathing Techniques” mainly detailed the methods of breathing techniques. Alaric had already mastered the breathing technique and initially thought he didn’t need to study it further, but he found that the book was not as simple as he had imagined.
The book also recorded the “Breathing Technique Mental Method”!
By operating a specific mental method while practicing the breathing technique, one could increase the intake of Spiritual Qi and quickly condense it into mana to enhance cultivation.
However, he didn’t have time to study it in detail now. Everything would have to wait until after lunch. He hadn’t eaten all day and had almost been captured by demonic cultivators. Now he was so hungry he could eat a whole cow.
To be honest, he was really looking forward to the feast Elijah Wang had promised him, wondering what kind of delicacies it would include.
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