"That place is even more remarkable—it's where the disciples who specialize in alchemy practice, called Qixia Ridge. Because alchemical mists linger there all year round and never dissipate, it got its name. The disciples inside are not to be trifled with; each one is incredibly arrogant. After all, sooner or later, us ordinary disciples will need something from them, right? But, most of the disciples at Qixia Ridge are women. Junior brother, you’re not bad-looking yourself. When you’re a bit older, Senior Brother will introduce you to one. Having such a Dao companion brings all sorts of benefits..."

The road to the valley at the foot of Yunyin Peak, where the outer sect disciples live, was not short. They walked for more than two hours. Fat Preacher’s mouth never stopped the entire way. But he really did know a lot—mixing rumors with sect rules, he managed to talk for over two hours without repeating himself. Henry Clark, eager to learn about Qingyun Sect as quickly as possible, didn’t interrupt, patiently listening and occasionally playing along.

And Fat Preacher, rarely getting such a chance to show off, became even more enthusiastic, talking non-stop.

"Junior brother, look, that’s the mountain where the inner sect disciples cultivate. You must never approach it casually..."

"That’s where disciples who break sect rules are confined..."

"That’s the Dining Hall. Outer sect disciples who want to eat there have to pay a hundred taels of silver every month..."

"That’s the Enlightenment Pavilion, where Qingyun Sect’s secret techniques are stored, but only inner sect disciples can enter!"

...

"This is where you’ll be living from now on. Where I live isn’t far from here, so we can visit each other often..."

After talking all the way, they finally saw a valley at the foot of the mountain. Amidst the white clouds, hundreds of houses were scattered here and there. The valley was quite large, so it didn’t feel crowded—on the contrary, it seemed rather spacious. The surroundings were nice too: a clear stream flowed down from the mountain through the valley, and nearby was a lush bamboo grove, its leaves rustling in the breeze.

Outside, it was already late autumn, but inside Qingyun Sect, thanks to the abundant spiritual energy, it still looked like spring or summer.

According to Fat Preacher, this was a valley where outer sect disciples lived. There were more than a dozen such valleys in Qingyun Sect.

He himself lived in a neighboring valley, about two or three li away from here.

In fact, all outer sect disciples lived in such valleys. Once their cultivation reached the fourth level of Spirit Movement, they could be promoted to inner sect disciples and move to a cave dwelling on the mountain, where the spiritual energy was even richer. If they reached the seventh level, they could be promoted to core disciples, owning a valley or mountain peak with abundant spiritual energy within Qingyun Sect, enjoying the same treatment as elders.

Together with Fat Preacher, they found the steward of this valley—a young man at the second level of Spirit Movement, slightly chubby and looking rather shrewd. He was in charge of managing the housing arrangements and the Dining Hall here. He was quite friendly. After checking Henry Clark’s wooden token, he assigned him a house near the clear spring for easy access to water, and asked if Henry Clark wanted to eat at the Dining Hall.

"Junior Brother Clark, if you want to eat at the Dining Hall, you’ll need to pay a hundred taels of silver every month..."

Fat Preacher kindly reminded him.

Henry Clark was taken aback—his pockets were empty, where would he get the money?

So he slapped Fat Preacher on the shoulder and said boldly, "Then lend me a hundred taels of silver for now, I’ll pay you back another day!"

Fat Preacher was stunned. "You don’t even have a hundred taels of silver?"

Henry Clark rolled his eyes and said, "Who says I don’t? I just didn’t bring it with me!"

Fat Preacher was helpless. He was the one who brought him here, and when introducing him to the steward in charge of the Dining Hall, he had boasted that this was his good friend. Now, with the steward watching, he couldn’t very well refuse to lend even a hundred taels of silver, could he? With no choice, he asked the steward to put it on the tab for now, promising to bring the money over in the next couple of days—after all, he didn’t have that much on him either.

The Senior Brother was polite enough, waving his hand and saying there was no need to keep a record, just bring it over when convenient.

However, his gaze toward Henry Clark became subtly more contemptuous.

In Daoist cultivation, if you don’t have outstanding talent, it all comes down to resources. Even a fortune can be quickly spent on the path of cultivation. Yet this kid didn’t even have a hundred taels of silver—he didn’t look like he’d amount to much.

Only then did Henry Clark go with Fat Preacher to the house arranged for him. It was a solitary wooden cabin, very simple in appearance. But though simple, it wasn’t shabby—the pine wood was of high quality, keeping out mosquitoes, and the interior was nicely furnished. At the very least, it was much better than when he was a Daoist child: there was a bed, table, and chairs, all complete. Only the daily utensils and bedding were missing.

Upon asking, he found out those also cost money, so he had to ask Fat Preacher for help again.

Since he’d already forked out a hundred taels, he couldn’t be stingy over another ten. Fat Preacher pinched his nose and agreed once more.

Chapter 11: Cultivation Resources

"So it turns out that after being promoted to an outer sect disciple, the Qingyun Qi Refining Manual you receive is actually the complete version of the Qingyun Body Tempering Manual that Daoist children have. The basic principles haven’t changed, but the explanations are much more detailed. Not only does it include methods for sensing spiritual energy and channeling it into the meridians, but it also records things to watch out for in cultivation, as well as techniques for refining spirit stones to improve one’s cultivation..."