Chapter 17: Chapter 17 — Sect Benefits

Chapter 17 — Sect Benefits

To kill a Divine Strength Puppet refined from a subterranean demonkin using nothing but bare fists and legs—this left all the aristocratic candidates present stunned by Fang Han’s sheer ferocity and dominance.

At the same time, his terrifyingly tough physique filled them with disbelief.

However, this did not seem entirely unreasonable. Every great noble clan had its own secrets. Perhaps the Fang family possessed some extremely powerful body-tempering techniques. It wasn’t enough for these aristocratic youths to start digging into his background.

In that single moment, Fang Han established his standing in their eyes—no longer someone to be underestimated, but someone worth befriending and recruiting.

Sure enough, Young Marquis Liu Kang of Zhenyuan and Princess Hongyi immediately recognized Fang Han’s value.

Among noble disciples, recruiting talent was second nature. After becoming outer disciples, competition would only grow fiercer—far bloodier and more nakedly ruthless than political struggles in court.

Just consider it: tens of thousands of outer disciples, all vying for only a few thousand inner-disciple positions. The cruelty of such competition went without saying.

Fang Han was confident that he could navigate this environment like a fish in water, steadily improving his strength and ultimately becoming a true disciple like Fang Qingxue.

At that point, even if he wanted to return to being a servant of the Fang family, the Fang family would never dare accept him.

“Mutual respect,”
Fang Han said calmly. “I merely trained in some external body-tempering techniques, which made my physique tougher. Compared to that, the sword arts of the Princess and the Young Marquis are truly refined—decisive and lethal in an instant, far superior to mine. Now that we’re all outer disciples, we should look out for one another in the future.”

His words—_‘look out for one another’_—carried deliberate weight.

Fang Han already knew how brutal outer-disciple competition was. Without forming alliances, survival would be nearly impossible. Moreover, his understanding of this world was far too shallow—he needed knowledge from others to truly comprehend heaven and earth.

For instance, he still didn’t even know what a subterranean demonkin truly was.

Birth determined knowledge. What could a former horse-raising servant truly know?

Fang Han understood this clearly.

“Since we’re fellow disciples, of course we should support one another,”
Liu Kang nodded.

“Once the assessment concludes, let’s go collect the sect rewards together,”
Princess Hongyi said, though her gaze remained fixed on the arena where assessments continued.

As the trials went on, some candidates were eliminated while others passed.

Several stood out—imperial princes of the Great Li Dynasty—whose attacks were swift and overwhelming. Armed with divine weapons, they crushed the Divine Strength Puppets almost effortlessly, revealing terrifying foundations.

This made Fang Han inwardly cautious.

By the time night fell, the assessment finally ended. Out of hundreds—nearly thousands—of aristocratic candidates, only a little over twenty passed and became outer disciples.

“The assessment concludes here. Those who failed, remain in the hall—spirit cranes will escort you down the mountain shortly. Those who passed, follow me to receive sect-issued necessities. From this moment on, you are disciples of Yuhua Sect—immortal disciples. Your status is extraordinary, and every word and action must strictly follow sect rules.”

An examiner shouted loudly and led Fang Han and the others deeper into Stepping into Immortality Institute.

“Sect necessities… I’ve heard they include various artifacts. I wonder what they are,”
Fang Han thought.

Soon, they arrived at a massive inner storage hall. Inside were dozens of large chests—one for each person.

Crack.

The examiner opened one chest.

Inside lay:

A feathered Dao robe

Several jade-carved talismans

A sharkskin longsword

Several jade manuals

“This Dao robe is a magic garment, woven from five types of silkworm silk—Heaven Silkworm, Earth Silkworm, Golden Silkworm, Silver Silkworm, and Black Silkworm—infused with hundreds of medicinal essences. Wearing it protects against insects, snakes, poison, miasma, and even ordinary weapons. Only artifacts can damage it.”

“These talismans are as follows:

Cleansing Talisman: Summons spiritual water to cleanse the body.

Dust-Repelling Talisman

Soul-Fire Talisman: Produces flame at will.

True Water Talisman: Condenses and stores purified water from the air—essential for desert missions.

Stop-Bleeding Talisman: Heals flesh wounds, halts bleeding, and eases pain.”

The examiner then unsheathed the sword—

Shing!

Light flashed like a dragon’s cry.

“This is the Demon-Slaying Sword. Though not a flying sword, it cuts iron like mud and carries pure yang energy—ideal for killing ghosts and warding off evil. It is also a magic artifact. Once you become inner disciples, the sect will grant you true flying-sword spirit weapons—capable of killing enemies dozens of li away and allowing sword-flight.”

“Finally, these jade manuals record Yuhua Sect’s three foundational martial arts:

Pine-Crane Longevity Fist

Flying Spirit Supple Bone Body

Dragon-Form Flying Tiger Steps

They also include sect rules, knowledge of other sects, demon beasts, underground realms, overseas lands, major dynasties, as well as basic astronomy and geography. Your daily task is to study and cultivate.”

The items were distributed.

“What incredible gear! Even royal swords don’t compare!”
Princess Hongyi exclaimed, waving the Demon-Slaying Sword and feeling its chilling aura.

“True,”
Liu Kang nodded. “Our weapons may be better in material, but these were forged with Divine Ability Realm power.”

Even common iron, when infused with divine power during forging, could become a divine weapon.

Fang Han said nothing. He carefully stored his items and followed directions to Reclining Immortal Court, where his residence was located.

The court was enormous—at least fifty times larger than the Fang Estate. Thousands upon thousands of independent courtyards filled the area.

Yuhua Sect housed tens of thousands of outer disciples across courts such as Reclining Immortal Court, Lingering Immortal Court, Silent Immortal Court, Hidden Immortal Court, and many others—each as vast and majestic as an imperial palace.

“This courtyard… This room…”

Fang Han stood stunned.

His personal courtyard spanned several mu, filled with pavilions, bamboo groves, flowing streams, golden fish, and emerald birds. Immortal qi lingered in the air—it truly resembled a heavenly realm.

“No wonder everyone fights desperately to join Yuhua Sect. The benefits alone are unbelievable.”

He closed the gate, sat cross-legged on his bed, and changed into the Dao robe. Instantly, a fresh, pure aura enveloped him.

This garment—immune to poison, miasma, insects, and ordinary weapons—was priceless in the mortal world, yet merely an outer-disciple benefit here.

Next, Fang Han blood-refined the five talismans. At once, he felt a mental connection form.

With a thought, the Soul-Fire Talisman produced a flame.

“Incredible. These talismans are essential travel tools.”

He then opened the jade manuals.

The Pine-Crane Longevity Fist manual shimmered, revealing a white-robed Daoist performing each movement flawlessly while a gentle voice explained the techniques in detail—far clearer than anything Fang Han had secretly learned before.

“These manuals… They show images and produce sound?”

After some study, he stopped questioning. With greater cultivation, understanding would come naturally.

He opened the remaining manuals and immersed himself in study.

His breathing grew smooth.
His spirit surged.
The medicinal power of the Nine-Aperture Golden Core fused deeper into his marrow.

Fang Han felt his martial cultivation advance again.

That brutal, head-on battle with the Divine Strength Puppet had tempered him like steel—fully stabilizing his Qi Breathing Realm and making his body denser and stronger.

A slight movement caused his bones to crack like thunder.

Looking in the mirror, his muscles appeared forged from steel, while his skin was smooth and refined like the finest silk.

“Internal fortification… Organs like iron.”

He inhaled deeply—his internal organs rotating powerfully.

That battle had been like a blacksmith’s hammer, burning away impurities, awakening even more of the Nine-Aperture Golden Core’s power, and propelling his physical cultivation forward once again.